Zechariah 6:13 Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne… Heaven singeth evermore. And this world is singing too. The tune to which heaven and earth are set is the same. And mark how the music of the Church is set to the same tune as that of heaven and earth, "Great God, Thou art to be magnified." Is not this the unanimous song of all the redeemed below? In the text the Lord Jesus Christ is alluded to. The context runs, "Behold the man whose name is the Branch" — a title ever applied to Messiah. I. THE TEMPLE. It is the Church of God. All Christians constitute the Church. I mean all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity and truth, for these make up the one universal Church. This Church is called the "temple" of God, and Christ is said to be its builder. The temple was the place where God specially dwelt. It is true that God is everywhere, but in a special manner He dwelt in the temple. If you would find God, He is everywhere in creation. If you would know what is the secret place of the Most High, you must go where you find the Church of true believers, for it is here He makes His continual residence known. The temple was the place of clearest manifestation. He who would see God the best of all, must see Him in His temple. The Church is like the temple in that it is a place of worship. As there was only one temple, so there is only one Church. II. CHRIST IS THE CHURCH'S ONLY BUILDER. Make a parallel between Christ's building the Church, and Solomon's building the first temple. In this Solomon fails to be a type of Christ. Christ builds the temple Himself. And Jesus Christ excels Solomon, for He provides all the materials. III. GLORIFY CHRIST. The glory which He shall have will be a weighty glory, an undivided glory. He shall have all the glory. Practical application — Are we built up upon Christ? Then let us evermore honour Him. ( C. H. Spurgeon.) Parallel Verses KJV: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. |
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