Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 3313
“A month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home.” 1 Kings 5:14.
IT was right that when a Te a levy was made and a certain number of men were chosen to work in Lebanon. It was, however, most fitting that work for a gracious God should be joyful work—not the bondage of slaves, but the delight of sons. Solomon did not demand that any Israelite should toil in the mountains and queries for years together and leave his own fields to lie waste, but he decreed that the workers should have one month in Lebanon at work on the Temple and two months at home for their own affairs. Our God is not a taskmaster—and sacred service should not sour into forced labor! Self-sacrifice is the soul of true religion, but we must not demand of others that which would turn religion into slavery. Solomon knew that the common people would grow weary of working even for Jehovah, Himself, if they were taken away from their own families and inheritance altogether and, therefore, in his wisdom he put it so—“One month in Lebanon, and two months at home.”
I am about to draw from this text two lessons. They are these—first, that you and I ought to be rendering service to the Lord our God and assisting to build up His spiritual Temple. But secondly, that while we labor abroad, we must be doubly careful to watch over our own households and our own souls. Marthas must also be Marys. We are bound to serve, but we must not be cumbered with much serving. We must work with Martha and yet sit with Mary at the Master’s feet—there must be one month in Lebanon and two months at home!
I. First, then, WE ARE BOUND TO DO SERVICE FOR OUR KING—service for the living Temple of our God.
It is not enough for us to say, “I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, I am saved.” That is notthe end of it all, otherwise religion were a grand piece of selfishness! Our souls may not be hooped in within our own ribs. Absorption in our own safety and neglect of others would betray a spirit directly opposite to that of Jesus and His true disciples. No, Brothers and Sisters, as the Father sent His Son into the world, even so has He sent usinto the world—that we may be made a blessing to our fellows! Our lifework is to prepare living stones which may be built upon the one Foundation to be a habitation of God through the Spirit. We are to be hewers of timber and squarers of stones for the House of our
God!
Lay home to your hearts your obligations to the Lord Jesus Christ. “You are not your own, for you are bought with a price.” Therefore no man lives unto himself. Your own salvation is of the utmost importance to you, but an essential part of it is salvation from selfishness. If you begin and end with your own interests, you are the servants of selfand not of the Lord Jesus! We owe our all to the blessed Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, His business is our business—and what is His business but to seek and to save that which was lost? We are now the lifelong servants of Him “who, though He was rich, yet for our sakes became poor.” Shall we grudge our month in Lebanon? No, rather we will now see to it that the whole 12 months of the year are dedicated to Temple service since He has called us to be priests and, therefore, we always dwell in His House!
Remember also our obligations to others. How were we converted? Was it not through the instrumentality of some Christian man or women? Directly or indirectly, it was so in every case, for those who have gone to Glory long ago have left us debtors for the knowledge of the Gospel which they handed down to us. Most of us were blessed by direct agen-cy—a good book was quietly placed in our way, a kind word was gently spoken, an earnest sermon was aimed at us—a holy example was set before us. By such things as these we were drawn to Christ. By the tears and prayers of others we
were brought to the Savior’s feet. Some owe their conversion to their parents, others to Sabbath school teachers, others to preachers of the Word. The bulk of us were brought to Jesus by some one instrumentality or another. Pay your debt, then. You also are to bring another to Jesus as a recompense to His servants. A certain generous man used to give liberally to the poor, but he did it in this fashion—he said to each one, “I only lend this money to you, and you are to pay it back to me when you are able to do so, by giving as much as this to another poor person.” That is the method of our Lord Jesus Christ—He grants us a knowledge of His Gospel under bond that we tell it to others. Brothers and Sisters, we are debtors! If we are built up a spiritual house, let us gladly give our month in Lebanon that other stones may be built into the heavenly Temple!
Besides, there is a life within every Christian which is the best prompter to holy service. My Brother, if you are born-again, you cannot be idle, for the life of God is never sluggish! Did not Jesus say, “My Father works hitherto, and I work”? If you are not diligent in sacred service, you will soon be afflicted with doubts and fears, for this disease attends on spiritual sloth! The month on breezy Lebanon is for your soul’s health. To be idle is to sicken, but to serve God is health and delight! It is like swimming to a strong swimmer—he delights to breast the waves. It is like flight to the condor of the Andes who joyfully spreads his wings towards the sun! Tell the eagle that it is a toil to mount into the ether, and his joyful flight replies, “Toil to me to fly? I was made on purpose to dart among lightning and to be at home amid tempests! My eyes can even dare to gaze upon the sun.” O Brothers and Sisters, it is not slavery to serve Christ! Even when it involves stern effort, the labor brings its own refreshment. The more we can do for Christ, the more are we indulging those sacred instincts which Regeneration has implanted within us! Let us shoulder the axe and spend our month in Lebanon! Felling trees is fit work even for premiers, and preparing stones for the spiritual Temple would be an honorable occupation for angels!