Fishkill Baptist Church
Sunday December 7, 2025

      • Romans 5:6ESV

      • Revelation 4:8–11ESV

  • Joy to the World
  • Sing We The Song Of Emmanuel

      • Isaiah 53:6ESV

      • Ezekiel 34:11–12ESV

  • Your Name (Christmas Version)
  • Come Adore The Humble King
  • Doxology
  • Intro: Theme/Topic (What’s the problem, the question, etc.)
    Last week we began our Advent series I’m calling, “Let Earth Receive Her King,” by going all the way back to the beginning—to the garden in Genesis 3. We were reminded that the reason our world feels broken, confusing, painful, and dark is because our sin has ruined God’s good world. But we also saw that the very moment humanity fell, God made a promise: a King would come—born of the woman—who would crush the serpent, undo the curse, and restore what sin ruined.
    Advent invites us to slow down and feel the weight of that promise. To sit honestly in the tension between the brokenness of the world and the hope God has spoken into it.
    And that tension is something we feel in our bones this time of year. We feel it even in our weather as the days grow increasingly cold and dark.
    And if we’re honest, many of us feel that tension not only in the world—but in our relationship with God. Some of you know what it feels like to feel far from God.
    To pray and wonder if He hears.
    To sit in a service and feel strangely disconnected.
    To stumble again into a sin you thought you had overcome and feel ashamed to draw near.
    To look at your life and think, “Why would God want to be close to someone like me?”
    Even our Christmas stories capture this tension.
    Think of It’s a Wonderful Life, with George Bailey standing on a snowy bridge, feeling completely cut off from hope. 
    Or A Christmas Carol, where Scrooge is forced to face the chasm between who he is and who he should be—yet he feels powerless to change.
    Christmas stories are filled with this theme because they capture something we all know is true: there is a gap—something is broken—that we cannot fix on our own.
    These stories resonate with us because they echo something spiritually true: there is a gap inside all of us—a sense of distance—that we cannot close on our own.
    Scripture teaches us that sin creates that chasm between us and God—
    one we cannot cross,
    Cannot fix,
    Cannot bridge by effort or sincerity—
    This is the very tension the returning exiles carried home from Babylon —wondering if God would ever draw near again. It’s why the author of 2 Chronicles showed them and us, King Solomon wrestling with that very question. And it’s the question our own hearts still whisper:
    “When our sin creates a chasm we cannot cross, how can God ever dwell with us again?”
    With that question in our hearts, let’s turn now to God’s Word as we read 2 Chronicles 6:18–21.
    Scripture
    Grab your Bibles and turn with me to 2 Chronicles 6:18-21. If you need to use a pew Bible, you’ll find today’s text on page 426. Once you’re there, please stand with me if you are able and follow along with me as I read...
    2 Chronicles 6:18–21 ESV
    “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built! Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.
    This God’s Word!
    Prayer
    Heavenly Father, may we, like Job, treasure Your words in these moments more than our portion of food…even the rich food we taste during the Christmas season. May Your words increase our delight in Your Son Jesus, our Savior and our Lord. We ask this in His name — AMEN!
    Intro: Formal (give context to passage, setting the scene, big idea)
    As we step into this passage, it helps to remember who first received it. First and Second Chronicles were originally one unified work in Hebrew and it was written for God’s people returning home from exile in Babylon—people who knew what distance from God felt like. They were rebuilding their lives, their identity, and their worship, and they needed to be reminded of how God bridges the gap their sin had created.
    That’s why the Chronicler takes them back to this moment in Solomon’s life—the dedication of the temple. And he doesn’t rush past it. In fact, he slows everything down. In fact more space is given to Solomon’s prayer than to the actual construction of the temple! 
    And this prayer sits at the very center of the story of Solomon’s life. It’s as if the author is saying, “This is the heart of everything I’m writing. Don’t miss what’s happening here.”
    What’s happening is that Solomon is wrestling with the same question every generation must ask: “When our sin creates a chasm we cannot cross, how can God ever dwell with us again?”
    And the answer this text gives—the answer the returning exiles needed, the answer we still need—is this: Only God can close the chasm our sin created; He does so by drawing near through Solomon’s temple, which anticipates Jesus, the true and better Temple.
    That’s the message of this passage, and it forms the framework for the rest of our time together. We’re going to walk through it in three movements:
    The Chasm 
    The Initiative 
    The Fulfillment 
    With this map in front of us, let’s dig into the text.

    The Chasm

    Picture the scene. All Israel is assemble together. The priests, the elders, the nation—standing outside this magnificent new temple.
    Solomon steps onto a bronze platform; behind him the altar and the building that had taken nearly seven years, 150,000 laborers, and an unimaginable amount of gold and precious stone. It was breathtaking—an architectural wonder.
    If there were ever a moment to boast, this was it. If there were ever a moment to say, “Look what we’ve built,” this was it.
    But what does Solomon do? Verse 13 says he kneels—the king of Israel, the wisest man alive—kneels with hands out stretched toward heaven. And instead of praising the work of human hands, he turns all the attention to God and praises Him for his nature and mighty works and pleads for God to continue being faithful to His covenant.
    Then comes this most amazing statement in verse 18:
    2 Chronicles 6:18 ESV
    “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!
    Solomon is overwhelmed by the transcendence of God. Surrounded by all the glory of this temple, he suddenly remembers: the God who the highest heavens fail to contain, could never be contained by human craftsmanship.
    We humans are so easily impressed. 
    Years ago, I took the youth group to the Creation Music Festival — it was one of the largest outdoor Christian music festivals in the country. One evening was quite impressive — Stage lights flashing, speakers pounding, tens of thousands singing along. It felt enormous! And then—I remember looking up. There, quietly blazing above the smoke machines and the stage lights, were the stars. And in an instant the whole concert felt… tiny. The sky — God’s creation — completely dwarfed this concert that seemed so impressive just a moment ago.
    That’s Solomon here. Standing before Israel’s greatest work, and he looks up—spiritually speaking—into the vastness of God. And the question rises almost like a gasp: “Can this God really dwell with us?”
    Every word of Scripture affirms Solomon’s instincts. The prophet Isaiah wrote:
    Isaiah 57:15 ESV
    For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place…
    The psalmist declares in Psalm 113
    Psalm 113:4–6 ESV
    The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens! Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
    Today, billionaires pat themselves on the back for shooting themselves into orbit on rockets declaring, “Look how far we’ve come!” And I imagine God chuckling like a father admiring his child’s first stick figure drawing… “Aww… that’s so cute.”
    Solomon is wrestling with a holy, infinite God who is utterly unapproachable by human effort or achievement.
    Today, some of you feel far from God because you think it’s your responsibility to close the gap. We think we must build something impressive—a better routine, a more moral life, a more devoted heart. We think if we work hard enough, pray long enough, perform well enough, maybe we can bridge the gap.
    But that’s not how a transcendent God works.
    Years ago, at a conference I was attending, New Testament scholar, D.A. Carson shared about a time when he was invited to meet with a group of Muslims and share his perspective on Islam. He was asked during a time of Q&A, what surprised him most about Islam. Carson answered, “I’m surprised by how low a view of God you have.”
    They were stunned—Islam prides itself on revering God — submission and obedience to God. So Carson went on to explain: If you think human effort or devotion can lift you up to God, then your God must be very small. A God you can climb your way to isn’t very high at all.
    That’s the heart of Solomon’s question. If God must be reached, we are doomed.
    Christianity alone stands on this truth: The true and living God is too high for us to reach, so He must come down to us. That’s grace.
    Every other world religion — just like Islam — only gives you rules, rituals, and practices. Only Christianity offers you grace. Let’s explore this in my next point…

    The Initiative

    C. S. Lewis once said that looking for God the way we look for an object—like looking for a lost set of keys—is a category mistake. It’s like imagining the character Hamlet could find Shakespeare (the author) by searching the attic of his castle. Hamlet can search every room, every drawer, every corner… and never find the author. Why? Because Shakespeare is not a character inside the story. He exists at another level entirely.
    Lewis’s point is profound: We cannot discover God by human effort. The Author must write Himself into the story.
    And that is exactly the problem our sin creates. Not only are we unable to reach up to God, as we saw in Point 1, but we are also estranged from Him—cut off, banished, spiritually exiled. We need knowledge, yes—but we also need reconciliation.
    And both are impossible unless God makes the first move.
    And that’s what the temple was: God’s initiative. God’s idea. God drawing near.
    We sometimes read this story as though Solomon dreamed up a place to house God. And that God was somehow obligated to forgive us. But verse 6 makes it clear: God chose Jerusalem. God chose to place His name there. God designed the system of sacrifice and worship. God wrote Himself into the story.
    The temple isn’t a human achievement—it’s a divine invitation. It is God saying: “You cannot climb up to Me. So I will come down to you.”
    This is grace on display yet again, here in the Old Testament.
    The Temple Was also a Place of Access—Not for the Elite only, but for Everyone
    Solomon’s prayer is stunning in its inclusiveness. Notice the progression:
    Verse 20–21: Solomon asks God to hear the king’s prayers.
    Verse 22: Solomon says any individual Israelite who sins may come.
    Verses 32–33: Even foreigners—people outside Israel’s story—are welcomed to pray.
    This is God’s way of saying…
    “If you draw near to My house, I will hear you. Every person matters. Kings matter. Common people matter. Outsiders matter.—YOU matter!”
    This means:
    You are not too insignificant for God’s attention. Your prayers are not too small. Your sins are not too great. Your distance is not too far.
    When the Israelites sinned, Solomon didn’t say, “Try harder. Fix yourself. Make up the gap.” No—he said, “When You hear, forgive.”
    That’s grace.
    Imagine a little child who wakes up terrified in the middle of the night. They don’t clean themselves up before calling for mom or dad. They don’t rehearse a speech. They don’t worry if their request is too small. They simply cry out, “Mom! Dad!”
    And the moment the parent hears that voice, they’re out of bed and moving toward their child.
    This is the God of the temple—the God who hears the cry of His people, no matter who they are or what they have done.
    But Hearing Is Not Enough—Forgiveness Requires Sacrifice
    Standing in front of the altar, Solomon knows that for sinners to be reconciled, prayers must be accompanied by sacrifice. The blood of an offering was the visible reminder that sin separates and atonement is costly.
    But as Hebrews tells us in the New Testament:
    Hebrews 10:11 ESV
    Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
    So what was the point?
    The sacrifices were not the ultimate solution—they were a signpost. They couldn’t really cleanse the human heart—but, they pointed to the Savior who would.
    Every lamb, every goat, every bull, every sacrifice whispered the same truth:
    “Someone greater must come. A perfect sacrifice is needed.”
    The temple shouted God’s nearness, but it also whispered our need for a perfect Redeemer.
    And that leads directly to the final question: If the temple reveals God’s nearness and the sacrifices reveal our need, then how is the chasm between us and God finally closed?
    Solomon’s temple could only point forward to a true and better temple —
    One in which God’s presence would dwell more fully and more perfectly with man on the earth.
    A temple that would actually how the power to forgive sins.
    The New Testament reveals this mystery…Jesus is the true and better Temple.
    Let’s look now at how Jesus fulfills all that Solomon’s temple anticipates.

    The Fulfillment

    Up to this point, Solomon’s temple has exposed our problem—we cannot reach up to God. And the temple has revealed God’s gracious initiative—He comes down to us. But the question still hangs in the air:
    How can a holy God truly dwell with sinful people? How can sinners be fully, finally, and forever forgiven?
    The answer is not ultimately found in a building. The answer is found in a person.
    Jesus Is the Fullness of God Come Down to Us
    Paul says in Colossians:
    Colossians 1:19 ESV
    For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
    Colossians 2:9 ESV
    For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
    Meaning: If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. If you want to hear God speak, listen to Jesus. If you want to draw near to God, draw near to Jesus.
    Jesus is not merely from God—He is God, fully, completely, flesh-and-blood among us.
    When Jesus says in John 2
    John 2:19 ESV
    “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
    He is claiming to be the true Temple—the dwelling place of God on earth. He is saying, “You no longer meet God in a building. You meet God in Me.”
    This is why the Christian faith has no sacred geography:
    No mountain you must climb
    No city you must visit
    No building you must enter
    Because God has come to us in Christ. Jesus replaces the temple with Himself.
    Imagine spending your life climbing a staircase to reach God—ten thousand steps of effort, discipline, rules, rituals, sacrifices.
    And then one day, the staircase disappears… because God Himself walks down and stands beside you.
    That is Jesus. He is God come down the stairs.
    And only Jesus offers you what Solomon’s temple could only point you to…
    The old temple offered symbols. Jesus offers substance.
    The old sacrifices could point to forgiveness. Jesus’ sacrifice actually provides it.
    Hebrews says:
    Hebrews 10:12 ESV
    Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins…
    Hebrews 10:14 ESV
    For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
    One sacrifice. One Savior. One finished work.
    This is why the cross is not just moving or emotional—it is effective. Your forgiveness does not rest on your tears, your promises, or your performance.
    It rests on His blood, shed once and for all.
    And now, because of this, Jesus Makes God Accessible to All Who Call on Him
    This is the breathtaking conclusion of Solomon’s prayer: Anyone—king, commoner, or foreigner—could approach God through the temple.
    And now, in Christ, that door stands even wider.
    Paul writes:
    Romans 10:13 ESV
    For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
    Everyone. Not “everyone who cleans up their act.” Not “everyone with a good track record.” Not “everyone with a religious background.”
    Everyone who calls.
    So, if you are here today and you do not know Christ—everything Solomon longed for and everything the temple pointed to has been fulfilled for you.
    You don’t have to earn your way up to God. You don’t have to fix yourself first. You don’t have to be religious enough, good enough, or spiritual enough.
    You only have to call out to Him in faith.
    Just as the Israelites cried out toward the temple, today you must cry out to Jesus—the true Temple, the final sacrifice, the perfect Savior.
    Call on Him today. Trust in His death and resurrection. And you will be forgiven.
    —————————————————-
    Maybe you’re here today and you’ve been a Christian for a long time but feel distant from God? He is not waiting for you to climb the stairs back up to Him. He came down the stairs. He came all the way—into flesh, onto a cross, out of a tomb.
    So come to Him again. Call on Him. Confess your sins. Rest in His finished work.
    You don’t need to go to a special place. You do not need special words. You do not need a spotless record.
    You need only Jesus.
    Conclusion/Response (Gospel & Repent/Believe)
    So let’s return to the question that has hovered over this whole passage—Solomon’s question, the exiles’ question, and, if we’re honest, the question many of us carry quietly in our hearts:
    “When our sin creates a chasm we cannot cross, how can God ever dwell with us again?”
    We feel that question most painfully when God seems far away. When prayers feel like they hit the ceiling. When shame whispers, “Not you—not after what you’ve done.”
    It’s the same tension we see in our Christmas stories.
    George Bailey standing on that snowy bridge, convinced he’s alone… Scrooge staring at the emptiness of his own heart, terrified of what he cannot change…
    Both men feel a chasm inside that they cannot close. Both know something is wrong, but neither has the power to fix it.
    This is the human story — our story
    But into that ache, God speaks. And the whole sweep of 2 Chronicles 6 has been His answer.
    First, Solomon showed us the chasm—that God is infinitely above us and uncontainable, far beyond anything our human effort could ever reach. If God had left us there, our story would end the way George and Scrooge feared—in despair.
    Second, we saw the initiative—the breathtaking grace of a God who does not wait for us to climb up to Him, but who chooses to come down to us. The temple was God’s idea, God’s invitation, God’s promise: “You cannot bridge the gap. But I can—and I will.”
    Third, we saw the fulfillment—that everything Solomon prayed for, everything the temple symbolized, finds its yes and amen in Jesus Christ. He is the true and better Temple—God in flesh—who not only draws near but actually closes the chasm by His own blood.
    So how can God ever dwell with us again?
    Here is the unshakeable, joy-giving answer of Christmas: Because God Himself has crossed the chasm. Because the King we long for has come down.
    In Jesus, God walks onto the bridge where George Bailey trembles. In Jesus, God steps into the cold room where Scrooge faces his own helplessness. And in Jesus, God comes to you—wherever you find yourself this morning.
    Not asking you to climb. Not asking you to fix yourself. Not asking you to earn His nearness.
    But simply calling you to come—to trust, to receive, to rest in the One who has already done everything necessary to bring you home.
    Because the good news of Christmas—the good news of Solomon, the temple, and the gospel—is this:
    Only God can close the chasm our sin created. And in Jesus, He has.
    Prayer
    Closing Song: O Little Town of Bethlehem
    Closing Words: Church, what a fitting song to end with—because Bethlehem reminds us that the God who dwells in the highest heaven has stepped into our little town, into our little lives, in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the true Temple, God-with-us, the One who crossed the chasm we never could.
    Before I close the service, maybe you feel that distance from God… maybe you have wondered whether He could ever dwell with you again. Hear this good news: because of Jesus—His death, His resurrection—there is forgiveness, there is welcome, and there is a way home. If you’ve never trusted Christ as Savior, today can be the day you call upon His name and are saved.
    And for those who have trusted Him, maybe your next step is greater obedience—baptism, joining a discipleship group, or pursuing membership here at the church. If the Lord is stirring your heart in any of these ways, I want to invite you to fill out a Next Steps card and drop it off at our Welcome Counter in the foyer. We would be honored to walk with you.
    Finally, as we leave this place, remember that God came near not just to save us, but to send us. You will meet people this week—family, friends, coworkers, classmates—who feel the distance from God. Know that He has placed you in their lives to point them to the One who closes the chasm. So go with courage, go with compassion, and go ready to share the hope of Jesus.
    Benediction
    2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

      • 2 Chronicles 6:18–21ESV

      • 2 Chronicles 6:18ESV

      • Isaiah 57:15ESV

      • Psalm 113:4–6ESV

      • Hebrews 10:11ESV

      • Colossians 1:19ESV

      • Colossians 2:9ESV

      • John 2:19ESV

      • Hebrews 10:12ESV

      • Hebrews 10:14ESV

      • Romans 10:13ESV

  • O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Fishkill Baptist Church
lori@fishkillbaptist.org
845-896-9386
http://fishkillbaptist.net
15 members