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May 23, 2024 14 mins

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Ever laid eyes on a welcome mat and felt an immediate sense of warmth and invitation? That's the spark we explore as I, Pastor Brandon, lead you through a spiritual reflection on making our lives a 'Welcome Mat Fit for the King.' Inspired by the grand dedication of Solomon's temple in 2 Chronicles 6, we'll unpack the profound impact of setting up our hearts as a sacred space for God's presence. I'll even share a heartfelt story about how a simple welcome mat at my doorstep became a symbol of openness and hospitality, transforming my home into a sanctuary for both body and spirit.

But our journey doesn't stop at the front porch. Each sunrise brings with it the chance to usher God into the intricacies of our daily walk. Join me in discovering the joy and comfort found in God's eternal goodness, as we seek His guidance from the break of dawn. As we weave through the day's challenges and triumphs, we'll embrace the strength of God's steadfast love. Through prayer and reflection, let's cultivate an unwavering trust in His divine plan, and as we part ways, carry with us the assurance of His justice and love that surpass the bounds of our temporal world.

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The More You Dig. The More You Find.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Well, hello everybody .
Welcome back to the BibleBreakdown Podcast with your host
, pastor Brandon.
Today, 2 Chronicles 6, andtoday's title is A Welcome Mat
Fit for the King.
A Welcome Mat Fit for the King.
When my wife and I first movedinto our home that we live into
now, we were getting everythingready and all this stuff and we
were kind of getting boxesunpacked and all those kinds of
things, but something wasn'tquite right.

(00:21):
It needed another touch.
Right, and people talk aboutthis thing of you know, boxes
unpacked and all those kinds ofthings, but something wasn't
quite right.
It needed another touch right,and people talk about this thing
of you know a place needs awoman's touch or whatever.
Well, I don't know if thatworks for everybody, but it's
definitely me.
I can tell something needssomething.
I got no idea what it was andmy wife was like, well, we don't
have our welcome mat yet and Iwas like that can't be it.

(00:42):
But when she went to the storeshe had to look around for a
while and she found this rightlike welcome mat.
It just felt like it put thefinishing touch on our home.
And you could, you just reallyfelt different because it looked
like you weren't just walkinginto a place, but you're walking
into a home, and I found outthat a lot of people feel that
way.
They feel like that theirwelcome mat says a lot about how

(01:03):
they feel about their home andhow they feel about guests
coming.
I had no idea.
I just thought it was just apiece of fabric or something you
put on the ground.
I realized it was a statementand I found out that it is Well.
Apparently, solomon had thesame opinion, that it is more
than just a welcome, but it'ssaying something about who
you're inviting and we're goingto get to that in just a moment.
But, as always, if you likewhat we're doing here, make sure

(01:23):
you like share, subscribe tothe YouTube channel and on the
podcast.
We are getting so close to 1000subscribers on the YouTube
channel, so thank you so muchfor helping us do that.
Please make sure you werecommenting on the videos on
YouTube.
I love connecting with you everyday and then, as always, we all
gather together at the BibleBreakdown discussion on Facebook
man, the more we dig, the morewe find, and I love that.

(01:44):
And we're working on an ideawith thebiblebreakdowncom.
It's kind of a hub that fromthere you can connect to
everything that we do and sohopefully keep checking back
with that, because hopefullywe're going to figure out a way
to make that a central hub sothat from there you can go to
the Facebook page and just goeverywhere, right, so we're
getting to that.
But today you have your Bibles.
You want to open up with me to2 Chronicles, 6.

(02:07):
I love this idea of not justwelcoming in somebody but
welcoming in the king, andthat's what it means when we say
we throw out the welcome mat iswe are welcoming people, and
I've got friends in my life thatbecause of our familiarity, I
forget sometimes that they havefamilies of their own and in

(02:28):
their own circles of their ownworld.
They're a boss, a manager,whatever.
To me they're just a friend,right, but to somebody they're
somebody important, and I forgetthat sometimes.
And it's important sometimes torealize, no man, these people
have worth and they have valueand we don't need to just tell
them I'll go on in.
But to welcome people Right,and I wonder if that's kind of

(02:49):
the moment that Solomon isdealing with is he's like you
know what?
We've been worshiping God foryears.
This has been my God all mylife.
But this isn't a normal day.
I am welcoming God into the newhouse of worship.
I want to make sure this isspecial, and so what he does is
he prays this amazing prayer andin essence, he's throwing out

(03:09):
the golden welcome mat for theking.
And only this kind of welcomewill do for the king of kings,
right?
So let's read this together.
Just kind of enjoy this momentwhen one of the greatest kings
to ever live welcomes thegreatest king into his home on
earth.
Here we go.
2 Chronicles 6, verse 1 saysthis.

(03:30):
Then Solomon prayed O Lord, youhave said that you would live
in a thick cloud of darkness.
Now I have built a glorioustemple for you, a place where
you can live forever.
Then the king turned around tothe entire community of Israel
standing before him, and gavethis blessing.
Praise the Lord, the God ofIsrael, who has kept the promise
he made to my father, david,for he told my father from the

(03:54):
day I brought my people out ofthe land of Egypt, I have never
chosen a city among the tribesof Israel as a place where the
temple should be built to honormy name, nor have I chosen a
king to lead my people Israel,but now I have chosen Jerusalem
as the place for my name to behonored, and I have chosen David
to be king over my people,israel.

(04:18):
David wanted to build thistemple to honor the name of the
Lord, the God of Israel.
But the Lord told him I wantedto build a temple to honor my
name, but, oh, excuse me, Iwanted you to build a temple to
honor my name.
Your intention is good, but youare not the one to do it, for
one of your sons will build atemple to honor me.
And now the Lord has fulfilledthe promise he made, for I have

(04:54):
become king in my father's place.
I now sit on the altar of theLord in front of the entire
community of Israel, and helifted his hands in prayer.
Now Solomon made a bronzeplatform seven and a half feet
long.
Now pause.
Now remember that kings,especially back then, they were

(05:25):
just below deity to a lot ofthese people Now, as a king of
Israel and king of Judah, whenthey're serving God, they would
make sure to say I am not deity,I am not God, we worship God.
But they were about as close asyou could get to that on earth,
right?
And so for them to see thisgreat king who had already
brought such wealth into theland of Israel.

(05:47):
It was an amazing moment ofhumility when the Bible said
that he made this great platformand then nailed before the Lord
.
So this great bronze platformis his way of pulling out the
welcome wagon.
You know, pulling out thewelcome mat and then kneeling in
an act of just complete, likejust giving his authority over

(06:07):
to God.
And then he says this verse 14,he prayed oh Lord, god of
Israel, there is no God like youin all of heaven and earth.
You keep your covenant and showunfailing love to all who walk
before you with wholehearteddevotion.
You have kept your promise toyour servant David, my father.
You have made that promise withyour mouth and with your own

(06:29):
hands.
You have fulfilled it today.
And now, o Lord God of Israel,carry out the additional promise
that you made to your servantDavid.
My father For you said to himif your descendants guard their
behavior and faithfully followmy law, as you have done, one of
them will always sit on thethrone of Israel.
Now, o Lord God of Israel,fulfill this promise to your

(06:51):
servant David.
But will God really live onearth among people?
Why even the highest heavenscannot contain you, how much
less this temple I have built.
Nevertheless, listen to myprayer and my plea.
O Lord, my God, hear the cryand the prayer that your servant
is making to you.
May you watch over this templeday and night, this place where

(07:16):
you have said that you would putyour name.
May you always hear the prayersI make toward this place.
May you hear the humble andearnest requests from me and
your people Israel when theypray toward this place.
Yes, hear us from heaven whereyou live.
And when you hear forgive.
If someone wrongs another personand is required to take an oath

(07:37):
of innocence in front of youraltar at this temple, then hear
from heaven and judge betweenyour servants, the accuser and
the accused, because they'reinnocent.
If your people Israel aredefeated by their enemies
because they have sinned againstyou, and if they turn back and

(07:57):
acknowledge your name and prayto you here in this temple, then
hear from heaven and forgivethe sin of your people Israel
and return them to this land yougave them and to their
ancestors.
If the skies are shut up andthere is no rain because your
people have sinned against you,and if you pray toward this
temple and acknowledge your nameand turn from their sins

(08:18):
because you have punished them.
Then hear from heaven andforgive the sins of your
servants, your people Israel,teach them to follow the right
path and send rain on your landthat you have given your people
as their special possession.
If there is a famine in theland, or a plague or a crop
disease or attack of locusts orcaterpillars, or if your

(08:38):
people's enemies are in the landbesieging their towns, whatever
disaster or disease there is,and if your people, israel, pray
about their troubles or sorrow,raising their hands toward this
temple, then hear from heavenwhere you live and forgive.
Give your people what theiractions deserve, for you alone
know each human heart.

(08:59):
Then they will fear you andwalk in your ways as long as
they live in the land that yougave our ancestors.
In the future, foreigners who donot belong to your people,
israel, will hear of you.
They will come from distantlands and they will hear of your
great name and your strong handand your powerful arm.
Then they will pray toward thistemple.
Then hear from heaven where youlive and grant what they ask of

(09:22):
you.
In this way, all the people ofearth will know, will come to
know and fear you, just as yourown people, israel, do.
They too will know that thistemple I have built honors your
name.
If your people go out, where yousend them to fight their
enemies, and if they pray to youby turning toward the city that
you have chosen and toward thistemple that I have built to

(09:45):
honor your name, then hear theirprayers from heaven and uphold
their cause.
If they sin against you and whohas never sinned, you might
become angry with them and lettheir enemies conquer them to
take them captive to a foreignland far away or near.
But in that land of exile theymight turn to you in repentance
and pray we have sinned, doneevil and act wickedly.

(10:07):
If they turn to you with theirwhole heart and soul in the land
of their captivity and praytoward the land you have given
their ancestors, toward the cityyou have chosen and toward the
temple I have built to honoryour name, then hear their
prayers and their petitions fromheaven, where you live, and
uphold their cause.
Forgive your people who havesinned against you.
Oh my God, may your eyes beopen and your ears attentive to

(10:32):
all the prayers made to you inthis place.
I love this.
Here's the end.
Now arise, o Lord, enter yourresting place along with the ark
, the symbol of your power.
May your priest, o God, beclothed with salvation and may
your loyal servants rejoice inyour goodness.
O Lord, do not reject the kingyou have anointed, and remember

(10:54):
your unfailing love for yourservant, david.
Wow, that's quite a welcome,and I love what Solomon was
saying.
And, as we end our time together, I think that that's a
wonderful way for us to welcomeGod into our lives every day.
What would it look like in ourlives If, every day, we came to
God and we kind of threw out thewelcome mat for him?

(11:15):
God, here's a brand new dayToday.
God, I'm giving it to you.
Everything I face, everything Ido, everything I go through,
everything that happens to me,everything I do to others,
everything I give it to you.
I ask you, god, to know myheart and to act accordingly.
Wow, what would that be amazing.
And then to open our day withsaying God, enter your resting

(11:36):
place.
Other words, come andexperience our worship.
And as we do that, may wealways rejoice in your goodness,
realizing that, no matter whathappens good, bad, somewhere in
between, none of it happensoutside of your eternal goodness
.
Wow, that would be amazing ifwe started our day like that.

(11:57):
And so here's kind of yourhomework.
Whatever time you listen to thisand I know that people listen
to this all throughout the daybut whenever you listen to this,
the next morning when you wakeup, try that.
Try acting as though you arewelcoming God into your day.
Now, he was already there, butit's more for our benefit than
for his.
But to say, god, I welcome youinto your day.
Now, he was already there, butit's more for our benefit than
for his.

(12:18):
But to say, god, I welcome youinto this day.
I pray, lord, you will lead meand guide me, and let me rejoice
in your goodness all day longand watch what happens.
Let's pray, god.
Thank you so much that if wecould truly see your goodness,
we would never stop rejoicingGod.
You are better to us than wecan imagine.
That doesn't mean the badthings don't happen.
It means that even in the badthings, you are still good,

(12:40):
because your word says you'realways working for the good in
our life.
And we know, lord, that yourgoodness doesn't end just in
this life, but, lord, itstretches into eternity.
Therefore, we know and haveconfidence that ultimate justice
always happens, and so we trustyou, we trust everything you're
doing, both what we can see andwhat we can't see, and we love
you in all things.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.

(13:01):
And what God's word says in 2Chronicles, chapter 16, the eyes
of the Lord search the wholeearth in order to strengthen
those whose hearts are fullycommitted to him.
I love you.
I'll see you tomorrow for 2Chronicles, chapter 7.
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