We finished our series today on the life of David, focusing on the last episode in I Chronicles 29.
The sermon had two main points:
1. The Problem - the entire sermon was really focused on this point. The problem was that David was dying and there was no strong leader to replace him. The people were placing their faith in a person to channel God, not God Himself. Pastor Keller's point is that God cannot be conjured - the Ark of the Covenant was a bridge to God, but the physical box itself wasn't important - the condition of the Israelites' heart is what mattered. He also stressed the importance of unconditional devotion to God regardless of the circumstances around us - we should not attach an "if" statements to loving God.
2. The Promise - the physical temple and the Ark were not important in and of themselves, so when the people turned their back on God He left the temple after it was destroyed by the Babylonians and never returned - yet He promised He would establish an everlasting Kingdom through David's Seed. Christ Himself fulfills the symbolism of the temple is our ultimate bridge to God.