1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:05,960 We are continuing to look together at the story of a godly man who had a good heart 2 00:00:05,960 –> 00:00:10,940 and a great idea, David had it in his heart to do something for God. 3 00:00:10,940 –> 00:00:13,060 I want to do something for God. 4 00:00:13,060 –> 00:00:20,059 And what he wanted to do was to build a temple that would be for the glory of God. 5 00:00:20,059 –> 00:00:26,040 And we saw, as we began on this story last time, that he had the right concern and he 6 00:00:26,219 –> 00:00:30,760 had the right goal, he had the right heart, and he even followed the right process. 7 00:00:30,760 –> 00:00:37,220 He wanted to do something good for the glory of God but God closed the door and God said 8 00:00:37,220 –> 00:00:39,180 no. 9 00:00:39,180 –> 00:00:41,919 Now we ask the question why? 10 00:00:41,919 –> 00:00:48,919 Why would God close the door on something good that David wanted to do for him? 11 00:00:49,360 –> 00:00:56,360 Now, several of you have pointed out in these last days that 1 Chronicles tells us that 12 00:00:57,959 –> 00:01:04,959 God said to David, you may not build a house for my name for you are a man of war and have 13 00:01:07,400 –> 00:01:08,519 shed blood. 14 00:01:08,519 –> 00:01:14,739 I didn’t comment directly on this verse last week but I’m glad to do so particularly as 15 00:01:14,739 –> 00:01:19,419 a number have raised questions about it during the week. 16 00:01:19,419 –> 00:01:26,180 Does this mean that David could have built the temple if he had not been a man of war? 17 00:01:26,180 –> 00:01:33,180 In other words is this verse and another that is similar to it in 1 Chronicles saying David 18 00:01:33,800 –> 00:01:37,900 you have done what you should not have done and therefore you’re not going to get to do 19 00:01:37,900 –> 00:01:39,220 what you wanted to do? 20 00:01:39,220 –> 00:01:41,099 Is that what God is saying? 21 00:01:41,660 –> 00:01:46,099 Well, I don’t think so and here’s why. 22 00:01:46,099 –> 00:01:53,099 David very simply in his life, completed the work that Joshua had begun but did not finish. 23 00:01:54,099 –> 00:02:01,540 We are told repeatedly in the book of Joshua that at that time God’s people did not drive 24 00:02:01,540 –> 00:02:05,160 out all of the enemies from the land. 25 00:02:05,500 –> 00:02:11,699 In other words while some were driven out, other enemies remained embedded in the Promised 26 00:02:11,699 –> 00:02:13,259 Land itself. 27 00:02:13,259 –> 00:02:18,539 And that is why they were able, literally, to rise up, almost at will, and to oppress 28 00:02:18,539 –> 00:02:20,399 the people of God. 29 00:02:20,399 –> 00:02:24,919 And you find that happening throughout the four hundred years that are covered by the 30 00:02:24,919 –> 00:02:31,020 period of the judges, where you get these embedded enemies who rise up in the Promised 31 00:02:31,020 –> 00:02:38,479 Land, oppress the people of God and then God raises up a judge to suppress this trouble 32 00:02:38,479 –> 00:02:43,320 that has flared up and then there’s some peace and then there’s more trouble and so forth 33 00:02:43,320 –> 00:02:44,979 and so on. 34 00:02:44,979 –> 00:02:51,660 That is how it was in the Promised Land for about four hundred years during the time of 35 00:02:51,660 –> 00:02:59,419 the judges, not until the time of David where the enemies who were to be driven out in the 36 00:02:59,699 –> 00:03:05,740 of Joshua, not until the time of David was this finally done. 37 00:03:05,740 –> 00:03:13,740 So David was given then a very very difficult calling from God, his calling was to complete 38 00:03:13,740 –> 00:03:18,820 the work that Joshua had only begun. 39 00:03:18,820 –> 00:03:22,100 Now how would you like to have that calling? 40 00:03:22,100 –> 00:03:27,220 Your life’s work, one conflict after another. 41 00:03:27,259 –> 00:03:29,399 I don’t think that was attractive for David at all. 42 00:03:29,399 –> 00:03:30,740 He wanted to build the temple. 43 00:03:30,740 –> 00:03:33,020 He wanted to do something marvellous. 44 00:03:33,020 –> 00:03:36,520 Something that felt like it was constructing something that would last. 45 00:03:36,520 –> 00:03:37,940 And what’s his calling? 46 00:03:37,940 –> 00:03:40,779 His calling is to be the Man of War. 47 00:03:40,779 –> 00:03:47,779 His calling is to deal with one conflict after another. 48 00:03:47,779 –> 00:03:49,779 Miserable work. 49 00:03:49,779 –> 00:03:54,820 Not the kind of work that any leader would choose to do. 50 00:03:55,520 –> 00:03:58,199 But it had to be done. 51 00:03:58,220 –> 00:04:04,000 And not until the time of David had anyone been able to do it. 52 00:04:04,000 –> 00:04:09,440 Only in the time of David were the enemies finally subdued, finally driven out, and only 53 00:04:09,440 –> 00:04:14,559 in the time of David was peace finally established for the people of God. 54 00:04:14,559 –> 00:04:19,100 And it was on that basis that Solomon was able to accomplish the wonderful things that 55 00:04:19,100 –> 00:04:20,239 he did. 56 00:04:20,260 –> 00:04:26,000 So Matthew Henry says on this verse, in 1 Chronicles, God would not suffer him, that 57 00:04:26,000 –> 00:04:32,200 is David, to proceed with the work of building the temple because God had appointed other 58 00:04:32,200 –> 00:04:35,700 work for David to do which was enough for one man. 59 00:04:35,700 –> 00:04:42,380 In other words, his life’s work was to manage the wars of Israel. 60 00:04:42,380 –> 00:04:49,899 So this is why I said last week that David had to fight the battles so that Solomon could 61 00:04:49,940 –> 00:04:56,940 enjoy the peace in which he was able to build this marvelous temple for God. 62 00:04:57,820 –> 00:05:04,820 Now I think then that this speaks to the frustration that many leaders may face today. 63 00:05:04,959 –> 00:05:10,700 I mean there will be among us today, those who would say, yes I started out wanting 64 00:05:10,700 –> 00:05:13,459 to do something great and something good. 65 00:05:13,459 –> 00:05:19,260 What I found to my disappointment was that the reality of the work I was called to seemed 66 00:05:19,260 –> 00:05:23,019 to be working through one conflict after another. 67 00:05:24,859 –> 00:05:32,679 You may find yourself looking at the opportunities that others have and you say, 68 00:05:32,679 –> 00:05:35,339 well now other people have peace in their homes. 69 00:05:35,980 –> 00:05:40,760 Other people have peace in their business or in their ministry and they’re able to 70 00:05:40,760 –> 00:05:43,299 press forward with the most marvelous things. 71 00:05:43,299 –> 00:05:48,220 Why is it that I’m the one who gets to as it were draw the short straw enough to deal 72 00:05:48,279 –> 00:05:49,920 with all these troubles? 73 00:05:51,019 –> 00:05:52,739 No leader wants that. 74 00:05:54,920 –> 00:06:02,059 So, if God has called you to something especially hard in your life, this story really 75 00:06:02,059 –> 00:06:03,220 is for you. 76 00:06:04,380 –> 00:06:09,579 And it reminds us that the great work of Solomon could not have been done except that 77 00:06:09,579 –> 00:06:13,679 first the hard work of David had to be completed. 78 00:06:14,600 –> 00:06:21,079 A fruitful tree flourishes because at the beginning, someone put a spade in hard ground 79 00:06:21,079 –> 00:06:22,140 and dug a hole. 80 00:06:22,140 –> 00:06:26,579 There’s no tree that is planted except by that hard work being done first. 81 00:06:27,579 –> 00:06:32,440 And David subdued the enemies, he established the peace, and only when that was done 82 00:06:33,299 –> 00:06:35,519 could the temple of the Lord be built. 83 00:06:36,299 –> 00:06:40,359 Now, having taken time to draw out the significance of that point, let me just give you a couple 84 00:06:40,359 –> 00:06:41,359 of applications. 85 00:06:41,359 –> 00:06:42,359 There are many. 86 00:06:42,799 –> 00:06:45,779 Let me give you just one application, for example, of this pattern. 87 00:06:45,779 –> 00:06:50,540 David must fight the battles so that Solomon can then build the temple. 88 00:06:50,540 –> 00:06:54,480 Think about the application of that for all who are young parents today. 89 00:06:55,480 –> 00:06:59,519 Parents of young children know that there are plenty of battles to fight in the home. 90 00:07:00,519 –> 00:07:06,260 And the battles have to be fought so that peace can be established 91 00:07:06,260 –> 00:07:10,779 so that something great can be built in family life. 92 00:07:11,239 –> 00:07:16,299 And except that is done first, chaos reigns, and nothing great can be accomplished. 93 00:07:17,299 –> 00:07:21,000 No one enjoys fighting these battles. 94 00:07:22,000 –> 00:07:27,279 But the work needs to be done if something great is to be built upon it. 95 00:07:28,279 –> 00:07:32,220 Or we can apply it, for example, to the many battles that we face as Christians 96 00:07:32,220 –> 00:07:35,440 against the power of sin and temptation in our own life. 97 00:07:35,779 –> 00:07:40,140 That’s a very obvious application of the battles in the Old Testament to our 98 00:07:40,140 –> 00:07:44,179 spiritual battles that are addressed in the New. 99 00:07:44,179 –> 00:07:51,320 And here’s the principle – if you want to do a great work for God, you must first 100 00:07:51,320 –> 00:07:57,320 deal with the sins that remain embedded in your own life. 101 00:07:57,320 –> 00:08:02,000 And this is made very clear in the way that Paul speaks to Timothy in the New Testament. 102 00:08:02,000 –> 00:08:03,679 You see, Timothy’s a young Christian leader. 103 00:08:03,679 –> 00:08:05,980 He wants to do something great for God. 104 00:08:05,980 –> 00:08:09,119 So what does the apostle say to him? 105 00:08:09,119 –> 00:08:16,279 2Timothy 2 in verse 21 – if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will 106 00:08:16,279 –> 00:08:24,000 be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the Master of the house and 107 00:08:24,000 –> 00:08:28,239 ready for every good work. 108 00:08:28,239 –> 00:08:33,460 So you see Paul is saying, Timothy, if you want to be useful to the Master, you want 109 00:08:33,460 –> 00:08:36,299 to be useful to the Master? 110 00:08:36,299 –> 00:08:39,940 You want to be ready for every good work? 111 00:08:39,940 –> 00:08:45,799 You want to be a vessel for honorable use in the work of God? 112 00:08:45,799 –> 00:08:47,659 Here’s what you have to do. 113 00:08:47,659 –> 00:08:49,020 Here’s where you begin. 114 00:08:49,020 –> 00:08:54,679 You cleanse yourself from all that dishonors God. 115 00:08:54,679 –> 00:09:00,299 And then he goes on to say so flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, and faith, 116 00:09:00,299 –> 00:09:06,520 and love, and peace along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 117 00:09:06,520 –> 00:09:16,260 Any great work for God begins with a person who gets serious about pursuing holiness and 118 00:09:16,559 –> 00:09:23,559 any advance in ministry will be built upon the people of God together getting serious 119 00:09:24,700 –> 00:09:30,760 about the pursuit of holiness. So here is a great, great motive for doing 120 00:09:30,760 –> 00:09:37,760 battle against sins that may remain embedded in our own lives as Christian believers. 121 00:09:38,479 –> 00:09:45,200 Think about what you could be for the Lord. Think about what He could do through you. 122 00:09:45,200 –> 00:09:51,219 How He might use you. If this sin that has gained power and has become embedded in you 123 00:09:51,219 –> 00:09:57,659 was actually driven out. Here is a great motive for putting to death the misdeeds of the body. 124 00:09:57,659 –> 00:10:04,659 Don’t let an impure heart keep you on the sidelines of how God may use you and what 125 00:10:04,840 –> 00:10:11,559 He may do in and through your life. Well, all of that came out of a good number 126 00:10:11,559 –> 00:10:16,760 of people raising a question about 1 Chronicles. So thank you for the good and thoughtful 127 00:10:16,760 –> 00:10:22,919 people who have done that. Now let’s return to 2 Samuel and chapter 7. 128 00:10:22,919 –> 00:10:28,539 And last week we really looked at the challenge that comes out of this story. When God closes 129 00:10:28,539 –> 00:10:34,340 a door on something good that you want to do, your faith will be tested. How well do 130 00:10:34,340 –> 00:10:39,460 you love God, how well do you love others, how well do you understand the grace. That 131 00:10:39,460 –> 00:10:45,559 was the challenge when God closes the door. There is always a challenge. 132 00:10:45,559 –> 00:10:49,840 Today we’re going to look at the encouragement, and the second thing that comes from this 133 00:10:49,840 –> 00:10:55,700 story, when God closes a door on something good that you wanted to do for him, here’s 134 00:10:55,700 –> 00:11:03,559 the encouragement, his promise remains sure. When God closes a door, his promise remains 135 00:11:04,059 –> 00:11:07,119 sure. Now follow the story with me, please. 136 00:11:07,119 –> 00:11:15,840 David had said to God, I will build a house for you. And in verse 11, God turns the tables 137 00:11:15,840 –> 00:11:21,179 and says, no, David, that ain’t gonna happen, but here’s what will happen. I, God, will 138 00:11:21,179 –> 00:11:28,739 build a house for you. And of course, God was not referring here, to a building of bricks 139 00:11:28,739 –> 00:11:34,739 and mortar. That’s what David had in mind to put up for the glory of God, but when God 140 00:11:34,739 –> 00:11:40,900 says, I will build a house for you, he’s referring to a dynasty, to a line of descent from David 141 00:11:40,900 –> 00:11:46,059 that would continue. This promise that is given to David, and it’s 142 00:11:46,059 –> 00:11:51,840 a very important promise. We sometimes refer to it as the Davidic covenant, very important 143 00:11:51,840 –> 00:11:59,380 in the Bible story. It points very wonderfully and clearly to the Lord Jesus Christ. But 144 00:11:59,380 –> 00:12:05,200 we must not go there too quickly, because before it speaks about the Lord Jesus Christ, 145 00:12:05,200 –> 00:12:10,520 it also speaks about some very wonderful things that God promised to David that relate to 146 00:12:10,520 –> 00:12:15,099 the time of his son, Solomon. Think about it this way, and this is important 147 00:12:15,099 –> 00:12:25,280 for understanding Bible prophecy. A camera can focus its lens on what is near, or it 148 00:12:25,280 –> 00:12:33,539 can focus on what is far. If you zoom into a flower that, say, is five feet away, you 149 00:12:33,539 –> 00:12:38,380 will get a very crisp image of that flower, and what is further in the depth of the field 150 00:12:38,380 –> 00:12:44,799 will be less distinct. Or if you were to change the focus and you were to focus on, say, a 151 00:12:44,799 –> 00:12:51,840 bush that is fifty feet away, then you will get a clear image of that bush but less distinct 152 00:12:51,840 –> 00:12:55,520 on the flower that is much closer to hand. 153 00:12:55,520 –> 00:13:03,640 Now, Bible prophecy is like that, and often the focus moves very, very quickly between 154 00:13:03,640 –> 00:13:09,739 the near and the far horizon. Let me give you just one example from the prophecy of 155 00:13:09,760 –> 00:13:16,760 Jesus Christ in Isaiah that is familiar to us. He says, To us a child is born. To us 156 00:13:18,580 –> 00:13:25,059 a son is given. Well, very clearly we see that that relates to the birth of the Lord 157 00:13:25,059 –> 00:13:29,539 Jesus Christ as the baby who was laid in the manger. 158 00:13:29,539 –> 00:13:35,320 But what is the very next thing that Isaiah says? To us a child is born. To us a son is 159 00:13:35,359 –> 00:13:42,359 given and the government will be on his shoulder. Well, that much more clearly speaks of the 160 00:13:43,739 –> 00:13:49,359 return of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory where he takes his power to reign. And 161 00:13:49,359 –> 00:13:55,039 yet these two are merged together almost as if they were one. First the near and then 162 00:13:55,039 –> 00:13:59,679 the further horizon. Now you have something very similar here in 163 00:13:59,679 –> 00:14:06,679 this prophecy. There are some of words that are fulfilled only in Solomon and not in Jesus. 164 00:14:09,880 –> 00:14:16,580 And there are other words of this promise that are fulfilled only in Jesus and not in 165 00:14:16,580 –> 00:14:23,580 Solomon. Let’s look at it together. And I want you to see how in this marvelous promise 166 00:14:24,140 –> 00:14:31,140 God’s promise answers our questions. And particularly two questions that I think must have been 167 00:14:32,640 –> 00:14:38,900 in David’s mind. There are questions I think that all of us face when we have to endure 168 00:14:38,900 –> 00:14:45,039 hard things. Stand with me in David’s shoes for a moment. 169 00:14:45,039 –> 00:14:52,039 Alright Lord! I accept the plan that you have for my life. It’s not the one I wanted. 170 00:14:52,479 –> 00:15:03,479 It’s a much harder path than I would have chosen, but I am ready to accept what you’re 171 00:15:03,700 –> 00:15:10,719 calling me to do. But here’s my question. What will happen after these battles are fought? 172 00:15:10,719 –> 00:15:16,640 What will happen after I have pressed through these particular difficulties that have 173 00:15:16,859 –> 00:15:23,859 been given to me as the stewardship of my time? What will come of all my effort and 174 00:15:24,500 –> 00:15:31,500 of all my work? Will anything of lasting value endure out of all of these many sacrifices 175 00:15:35,440 –> 00:15:42,440 that I am making in response to your calling? Now, these questions must have been in David’s 176 00:15:43,340 –> 00:15:49,640 mind for this reason. Remember that before David, there had only ever been one King, 177 00:15:49,640 –> 00:15:54,640 and everything that Saul did died with him. Everything he lived for came to an end when 178 00:16:00,900 –> 00:16:07,900 he died. Saul’s house was not established. After his time, we saw earlier in the story, 179 00:16:08,219 –> 00:16:15,219 the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. No king from the line of Saul ever sat on 180 00:16:15,539 –> 00:16:22,539 the throne again. What Saul was about ended with Saul. And so David wants to know, what’s 181 00:16:27,580 –> 00:16:33,400 going to happen in relation to my house? Am I going to be another Saul? Is everything 182 00:16:34,400 –> 00:16:41,400 that I pour myself into going to end with me? And that is surely a very real question 183 00:16:44,539 –> 00:16:51,539 for all of us. What will come of your life? What will remain after you are gone? After 184 00:16:55,739 –> 00:17:01,179 all the efforts that we extend, after all the investment that we make, will anything 185 00:17:01,239 –> 00:17:07,560 remain that is of lasting value for all of our work or is our work in the end simply 186 00:17:07,560 –> 00:17:14,560 like sand castles that get washed away as soon as the tide comes in? 187 00:17:15,619 –> 00:17:21,680 Well, notice how God answers that very important question, Will it last? He says this to David 188 00:17:21,680 –> 00:17:28,680 and through Christ to us, When your days are fulfilled. And you lie down with your fathers. 189 00:17:29,680 –> 00:17:36,680 In other words, when you are dead and gone. I will raise up your offspring after you who 190 00:17:39,459 –> 00:17:46,459 shall come from your body and I will establish his kingdom and he shall build a house for 191 00:17:49,020 –> 00:17:56,020 my name. David, what you work for will not end when you die. 192 00:17:59,219 –> 00:18:06,219 That’s some marvelous truth. You are making sacrifices for something that will endure 193 00:18:08,359 –> 00:18:15,359 and remain forever whenever you serve the Lord. When you submit yourself to doing even 194 00:18:16,959 –> 00:18:22,239 the hard things that he calls you to do you are investing yourself in that which will 195 00:18:22,239 –> 00:18:28,099 endure forever. It will not die with you. It will not come to an end when your time 196 00:18:28,160 –> 00:18:34,479 in this world is done. And this theme of course gets taken up so wonderfully in the New Testament 197 00:18:34,479 –> 00:18:40,599 where Paul says if in Christ we only have hope for life in this world we are going to 198 00:18:40,599 –> 00:18:45,079 be the people who are most to be pitied. We’ll be the most miserable people in the world 199 00:18:45,079 –> 00:18:52,079 if our effort is only poured into what lasts in our own lifetime. God says that’s not 200 00:18:53,020 –> 00:18:59,000 how it’s going to be for David and that’s not how it’s going to be for you in Jesus 201 00:18:59,000 –> 00:19:05,699 Christ. What you do will have lasting value and that is God’s promise to us in the Lord 202 00:19:05,699 –> 00:19:11,680 Jesus Christ. And then there’s a second question that must 203 00:19:11,680 –> 00:19:18,680 surely have been in David’s mind. The great work that David is doing that will lay the 204 00:19:19,540 –> 00:19:26,540 foundation on which the temple then will be built. Peace will be established at great 205 00:19:27,359 –> 00:19:32,800 cost and after great effort and then marvellous things will be accomplished in the time of 206 00:19:32,800 –> 00:19:38,199 Solomon but it’s going to be given to Solomon and not to David. 207 00:19:38,199 –> 00:19:45,199 Alright Lord, so your purpose then will be in the hand of Solomon? What if Solomonamation 208 00:19:48,959 –> 00:19:55,959 is successful? Now notice how God addresses that question. Does His work, does the future 209 00:19:56,979 –> 00:20:03,979 of His work really rest on the feebleness of human hands? God says to David with regards 210 00:20:07,040 –> 00:20:14,040 to Solomon, I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. And when, notice 211 00:20:14,040 –> 00:20:21,040 not if, when he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes 212 00:20:27,459 –> 00:20:34,459 of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him. 213 00:20:35,219 –> 00:20:42,219 David, a time will come when you are no longer able to exercise a father’s guiding influence 214 00:20:46,400 –> 00:20:53,400 on your son. There will be a day when you are gone and all of this weight and this burden 215 00:20:54,579 –> 00:21:01,579 rests on your son’s shoulders, and you will not be at his side to help him. And David, 216 00:21:02,239 –> 00:21:09,239 I want you to hear this. When you can no longer be the guiding father’s hand for your son, 217 00:21:09,739 –> 00:21:16,739 I say I will be a father to your son. Isn’t that beautiful? I will be a father to your 218 00:21:17,699 –> 00:21:24,699 son. David, you can trust your son into my hands. That is what God is saying. It s beautiful, 219 00:21:24,920 –> 00:21:30,479 beautiful. And, David, with regard to you worrying about your son messing up, let me 220 00:21:30,479 –> 00:21:37,160 tell you this. It s not if, it s when. Actually, what s not written in here, and you know this 221 00:21:37,160 –> 00:21:44,160 from the story, is David would mess up big time before his son ever did. But here is 222 00:21:44,160 –> 00:21:50,979 God’s promise to all of His children, and His promise to us in Jesus Christ, when He 223 00:21:51,319 –> 00:21:58,319 commits iniquity, I will discipline him, but my steadfast love will not depart from him. 224 00:22:03,180 –> 00:22:08,819 This is a wonderful promise for every Christian. This is the guiding hand of the Father and 225 00:22:08,819 –> 00:22:15,819 the Shepherd upon every child of God. God will do whatever it takes to bring His rebellious 226 00:22:16,760 –> 00:22:23,760 children back. The Good Shepherd never gives up on one of His sheep. If you are Christ’s, 227 00:22:28,319 –> 00:22:34,979 He will exercise whatever discipline it takes in order to bring you back. 228 00:22:34,979 –> 00:22:40,439 So when you read like this, the natural conclusion is, hey, don’t make it harder on yourself 229 00:22:40,439 –> 00:22:44,760 than it needs to be. You come back to the Lord right now, because He will exercise 230 00:22:45,000 –> 00:22:50,459 whatever discipline it takes in order to bring back one of His own. 231 00:22:50,459 –> 00:22:56,500 And by the way, if you are not His own, you want to flee to Jesus Christ right now, because 232 00:22:56,500 –> 00:23:02,400 your position is worse than you could ever imagine if you are not His own. You come to 233 00:23:02,400 –> 00:23:09,219 Jesus Christ in faith and in repentance today and say to Him, please make me one of Your 234 00:23:10,099 –> 00:23:18,099 Otherwise I will be lost forever. But if you are truly His own, He will never let you go 235 00:23:18,099 –> 00:23:23,119 and He will do whatever it takes to bring you back. So you come back as quickly as you 236 00:23:23,119 –> 00:23:28,079 possibly can. You don’t want to bring more discipline on yourself than need be, but notice 237 00:23:28,079 –> 00:23:33,880 what He says. I will do whatever it takes in order to bring my own back, but my steadfast 238 00:23:33,880 –> 00:23:43,819 love will never depart from my own. That’s why He’ll do whatever it takes to bring 239 00:23:43,819 –> 00:23:57,239 you back and will never let you go. This is an amazing covenant. Death cannot end it, 240 00:23:57,239 –> 00:24:01,819 and sin cannot destroy it. What good would a promise from God be if it was only good 241 00:24:01,900 –> 00:24:06,140 so long as we’re living in this world. It goes beyond death. What good would a promise 242 00:24:06,140 –> 00:24:16,060 from God be if our own sins were able to make it void and null. No, when your son sins and 243 00:24:16,060 –> 00:24:20,339 commits iniquity I’m never going to let him go. I’ll do whatever it takes to bring 244 00:24:20,339 –> 00:24:27,339 him back because my love will never, never, never be taken from him. 245 00:24:27,979 –> 00:24:33,579 So, this is a marvelous promise that speaks to all the questions that we may 246 00:24:33,579 –> 00:24:39,819 have about our own future and even the future of those that we love. And then I 247 00:24:39,819 –> 00:24:44,040 want you to see, secondly, that God’s promise not only answers these important 248 00:24:44,040 –> 00:24:48,439 questions but that this promise really belongs not only to David but it really 249 00:24:48,439 –> 00:24:54,760 is ours. It belongs to us in and through Jesus Christ and here’s what I want you 250 00:24:54,760 –> 00:25:00,619 to see, that the promise that’s made here goes beyond Solomon and clearly points 251 00:25:00,619 –> 00:25:05,180 us to our Lord Jesus. And we never see that more clearly than in this word 252 00:25:05,180 –> 00:25:12,760 forever. You notice it in verse 13, he shall build a house for my name Solomon 253 00:25:12,760 –> 00:25:22,699 did that, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 254 00:25:22,699 –> 00:25:28,579 Well, clearly Solomon reigned for a limited number of years 255 00:25:28,579 –> 00:25:35,880 What is this forever? And notice it comes back in verse 16 twice and your house 256 00:25:35,880 –> 00:25:42,920 and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be 257 00:25:42,920 –> 00:25:51,079 established forever. Now this marvelous promise, the forever promise, could mean 258 00:25:51,199 –> 00:25:58,500 one of two things. It could mean that at any given time there would always 259 00:25:58,500 –> 00:26:04,599 be a descendant of David on the throne, but that cannot be the meaning for the 260 00:26:04,599 –> 00:26:09,780 very simple reason that it didn’t happen. The last of the descendants of David to 261 00:26:09,780 –> 00:26:15,020 reign on David’s throne was King Zedekiah, and his reign came to an end in 262 00:26:15,060 –> 00:26:25,339 the year 486 BC, 586 years before the birth of our Lord. Now the line of David’s 263 00:26:25,339 –> 00:26:31,900 descendants continued, but from 586 years before our Lord until now, not a 264 00:26:31,900 –> 00:26:37,640 single descendant of David has sat on David’s throne in Jerusalem. So this 265 00:26:37,640 –> 00:26:43,280 promise cannot mean that at any given time some descendant of David, a Davidic 266 00:26:43,540 –> 00:26:50,719 king, would actually be on the throne, that has not been the case since 586 BC. 267 00:26:50,719 –> 00:26:59,260 The promise secondly could mean this, that there will be one person in the 268 00:26:59,260 –> 00:27:08,359 line of David’s descent and his reign will continue forever. And that is very 269 00:27:08,520 –> 00:27:15,359 clearly how this promise was understood even in Old Testament times. Because you 270 00:27:15,359 –> 00:27:22,079 find Isaiah the prophet taking up this promise that is given to David in words 271 00:27:22,079 –> 00:27:28,800 that relate very clearly to our Lord Jesus Christ. To us a child is born. To us 272 00:27:28,800 –> 00:27:34,800 a son is given. Of the increase of his government and of his peace there will 273 00:27:34,800 –> 00:27:43,880 be no end. He’ll be the one who fulfills the forever promise and on the throne of 274 00:27:43,880 –> 00:27:49,439 David. So specifically Isaiah is connecting the rule of Christ to the 275 00:27:49,439 –> 00:27:54,520 promise that is made to David. You’ll sit on his throne and over his 276 00:27:54,520 –> 00:27:58,640 kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this 277 00:27:59,000 –> 00:28:07,239 fourth and forever more. So even in Old Testament times this promise was 278 00:28:07,239 –> 00:28:11,560 understood not to mean that there will always be a Davidic King but that there 279 00:28:11,560 –> 00:28:18,839 will be one descendant of David and that his reign will be forever. And that is 280 00:28:18,839 –> 00:28:24,199 why it is very significant when you come into the New Testament. What’s the very 281 00:28:24,219 –> 00:28:26,640 first way that Jesus Christ is 282 00:28:26,640 –> 00:28:34,459 introduced? Matthew Chapter 1 and Verse 1. First words of the New Testament, The 283 00:28:34,459 –> 00:28:41,359 book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David. You see he’s 284 00:28:41,359 –> 00:28:44,660 introduced straightaway as the one who fulfills this great promise that 285 00:28:44,660 –> 00:28:49,160 we’re looking at today. And then you go to the announcement that the angel makes 286 00:28:49,160 –> 00:28:54,859 to Mary about the birth of Jesus and again it’s tied right back to this very 287 00:28:54,859 –> 00:28:59,400 wonderful and important promise. Behold you shall conceive in your womb you’re 288 00:28:59,400 –> 00:29:04,500 going to bear a son, you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, he will be 289 00:29:04,500 –> 00:29:10,219 the son of the Most High and the Lord will give to him the throne of his 290 00:29:10,219 –> 00:29:18,660 Father David. Then in the book of Hebrews you find this promise that we’re looking 291 00:29:18,719 –> 00:29:24,119 at today being taken up and applied directly to the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrews 292 00:29:24,119 –> 00:29:34,839 1 in verse 5. To which of the angels did God ever say I will be to him a father 293 00:29:34,839 –> 00:29:41,280 and he will be to me a son. In other words the promise that was given to 294 00:29:41,280 –> 00:29:46,380 David is directly in the New Testament being applied to our Lord Jesus Christ. 295 00:29:47,099 –> 00:29:51,780 And then of course most obviously of all, when we come to the book of Revelation 296 00:29:51,780 –> 00:29:58,819 in that verse that Handel put so marvelously to music the forever Reign 297 00:29:58,819 –> 00:30:07,339 of Christ is taken up, the Kingdom of this world has become the Kingdom of our 298 00:30:07,339 –> 00:30:15,839 Lord and Christ and say it with me, and he shall reign forever and ever. 299 00:30:15,839 –> 00:30:18,000 Forever and forever. 300 00:30:18,000 –> 00:30:21,959 That’s straight out of the promise to David and what is being said in the 301 00:30:21,959 –> 00:30:25,239 first and the last book of the New Testament all the way in between is, 302 00:30:25,239 –> 00:30:31,640 this promise is ours in Jesus Christ, he is the one who fulfills it, 303 00:30:31,640 –> 00:30:35,439 he is the one who sits on the throne of David, he is the one who’s reign 304 00:30:35,439 –> 00:30:37,380 will never, never end. 305 00:30:39,800 –> 00:30:43,280 Now I want them in these last minutes simply to apply this 306 00:30:43,400 –> 00:30:48,020 marvelous promise that is ours in Jesus Christ, 307 00:30:48,020 –> 00:30:53,319 to three places in our lives where it will be especially valuable. 308 00:30:53,319 –> 00:30:56,119 Let me commend this by way of application to you here. 309 00:30:57,780 –> 00:31:03,699 Lean on this promise when you don’t get to do what you wanted to do. 310 00:31:04,780 –> 00:31:11,880 Lean on this promise when you don’t get to do what you wanted to do. 311 00:31:11,880 –> 00:31:13,199 That’s when the promise was given. 312 00:31:13,199 –> 00:31:15,560 David wanted to build the temple, he didn’t get to do it. 313 00:31:17,560 –> 00:31:21,260 Folks, I’ve been moved this week by the number of people who 314 00:31:21,260 –> 00:31:26,359 have made a comment to me along the lines of, you know, 315 00:31:26,359 –> 00:31:30,839 this story of David really speaks to me because a door has closed in my 316 00:31:30,839 –> 00:31:33,180 life on something good that I hoped would happen. 317 00:31:34,920 –> 00:31:38,599 And I’ve been struck by the fact that that is our common human experience. 318 00:31:38,640 –> 00:31:43,439 Everyone has a story of some door that closed and 319 00:31:43,439 –> 00:31:48,000 some way in which our path in life went in a different direction from what we 320 00:31:48,000 –> 00:31:51,540 hoped or what we planned or what we wanted. 321 00:31:53,400 –> 00:31:58,540 And here you have precisely what God says 322 00:31:58,540 –> 00:32:01,319 when you don’t get to do what you wanted to do. 323 00:32:03,719 –> 00:32:06,300 You wanted to build a house for me, David. 324 00:32:07,219 –> 00:32:12,079 Solomon’s the one who’s gonna get to do it. 325 00:32:12,079 –> 00:32:14,199 Now how then does this promise help us? 326 00:32:14,199 –> 00:32:18,439 Think about this, Solomon got to build the temple. 327 00:32:20,160 –> 00:32:24,319 And it stood, in all of its magnificence, for about 400 years. 328 00:32:25,939 –> 00:32:29,859 And then the Babylonians came to Jerusalem in the time of Jeremiah, 329 00:32:29,859 –> 00:32:33,599 time of the book of Lamentations we looked at earlier this year. 330 00:32:33,599 –> 00:32:39,719 And the whole thing was smashed, not one stone was left on top of another. 331 00:32:41,160 –> 00:32:46,060 And since their lifetime, David and Solomon have been in the presence of the Lord 332 00:32:46,060 –> 00:32:49,400 for centuries and centuries. 333 00:32:51,479 –> 00:32:54,719 How much do you think it matters to David in the presence of Jesus 334 00:32:54,719 –> 00:32:57,420 that Solomon got to build that temple and not him? 335 00:32:59,300 –> 00:33:01,280 Not a scrap. 336 00:33:02,280 –> 00:33:11,880 Whatever you did or did not get to do in this life and in this world, 337 00:33:11,880 –> 00:33:19,459 it is only the beginning of an unending life of glory 338 00:33:19,459 –> 00:33:24,000 that lies ahead of every believer in Jesus Christ. 339 00:33:24,000 –> 00:33:27,560 Your whole life in this world 340 00:33:28,439 –> 00:33:32,439 is like the little time that a person spends in the green room 341 00:33:32,439 –> 00:33:36,439 before they go onto some stage or some performance. 342 00:33:38,239 –> 00:33:44,239 You are being prepared in these short and momentary years of our lives. 343 00:33:44,739 –> 00:33:50,199 We are being prepared for the weight of glory that lies ahead. 344 00:33:50,699 –> 00:33:53,760 And what must have seemed so big to David at one time, 345 00:33:53,760 –> 00:33:56,699 he did get to do one thing, he didn’t get to do another. 346 00:33:56,800 –> 00:34:00,160 What he got to do was much harder than what he wanted to do. 347 00:34:00,160 –> 00:34:03,699 But he’s been in glory for centuries and for centuries, 348 00:34:03,699 –> 00:34:10,080 and who got to build the temple recedes into nothing 349 00:34:11,080 –> 00:34:16,379 in the light of the glory of the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. 350 00:34:16,379 –> 00:34:21,939 You see, this promise proved to be far more important than building the temple. 351 00:34:22,739 –> 00:34:26,679 And the promise is that whatever you’re called to do, 352 00:34:27,000 –> 00:34:30,560 God will grant it to have lasting value 353 00:34:31,840 –> 00:34:37,060 as your own life is being prepared for the life that is to come. 354 00:34:37,560 –> 00:34:43,360 And therefore whatever it is, embrace it, and receive it, and pursue it, and persevere with it, 355 00:34:43,360 –> 00:34:50,120 even if it is not what you would have chosen to do. 356 00:34:51,639 –> 00:34:54,959 The answer to the bucket list. 357 00:34:55,959 –> 00:34:59,840 What is the answer to the bucket list of all the things that you don’t get the chance to do? 358 00:34:59,840 –> 00:35:04,199 All the things that you say, other people got to do these things, I didn’t. 359 00:35:04,479 –> 00:35:08,399 The answer to the bucket list of all the things that you were not able to do in this life 360 00:35:08,399 –> 00:35:12,439 is that you have an eternal future in glory with Jesus Christ. 361 00:35:13,280 –> 00:35:18,239 A new heaven and a new earth to be explored and to be enjoyed forever and forever. 362 00:35:18,560 –> 00:35:23,280 And so however hard the calling you may face may be 363 00:35:23,280 –> 00:35:27,060 in the light of the resurrection God says to you be steadfast. 364 00:35:27,919 –> 00:35:34,959 Be immovable, always be abounding in the work of the Lord, because you know 365 00:35:36,399 –> 00:35:42,719 that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. 366 00:35:42,719 –> 00:35:44,639 Not in vain, not in vain. 367 00:35:45,600 –> 00:35:54,479 Second, lean hard on this promise when you mess up what you might have done. 368 00:35:56,239 –> 00:35:58,800 Now here’s a very different circumstance. 369 00:35:58,800 –> 00:36:05,199 There may be times in your life when your own sins and your own foolishness, 370 00:36:06,399 –> 00:36:13,919 your own bad choices close doors on what might otherwise have been open for you. 371 00:36:15,439 –> 00:36:20,159 And if you find yourself in that position, you may find yourself saying, 372 00:36:20,159 –> 00:36:25,320 Oh, if it was God who had closed the door I could live with it, but here’s my problem 373 00:36:25,320 –> 00:36:29,879 it was my own foolishness. It was my own rebellion. It was my own sin. 374 00:36:29,879 –> 00:36:35,120 It was my own bad choices that changed the path of my life. 375 00:36:35,120 –> 00:36:43,959 I made wretched choices, and the result is that opportunities that might have been open to me, have been closed. 376 00:36:44,959 –> 00:36:47,679 Well if that is your position, 377 00:36:47,679 –> 00:36:51,919 and surely there are places in all of our lives where we have bitter regret over 378 00:36:51,919 –> 00:36:57,280 Oh, if only I had not done that. That as…that closed off what might have been. 379 00:36:57,280 –> 00:37:02,199 I want you to hear this marvelous promise, and to lean on it. 380 00:37:02,199 –> 00:37:10,000 God says to you, My steadfast love will not depart from you. 381 00:37:10,800 –> 00:37:15,199 Your life may indeed follow a very different path from what it might have 382 00:37:15,199 –> 00:37:20,699 done if you had made different choices. That’s part of the discipline of God by 383 00:37:20,699 –> 00:37:25,280 which he never lets his children go, but always brings us back. But here’s the 384 00:37:25,280 –> 00:37:27,419 promise that you must focus on when you are 385 00:37:27,419 –> 00:37:31,120 tempted to wallow in bitter regret. 386 00:37:31,760 –> 00:37:40,439 My steadfast love God says will not depart from you. Now think about this 387 00:37:40,439 –> 00:37:47,199 again in relation to David then and now. Later in David’s life he messed up big 388 00:37:47,199 –> 00:37:57,120 time. And he could only cast himself on the mercy of God and plead with him 389 00:37:57,340 –> 00:38:05,139 Lord, do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Lord please do not cast me from your 390 00:38:05,139 –> 00:38:12,060 presence. And I want you to think about being David in the presence of the Lord 391 00:38:12,060 –> 00:38:19,080 Jesus now where he has been for centuries and centuries. What matters to 392 00:38:19,080 –> 00:38:25,860 David now, is not what he did or did not get to do in his life. 393 00:38:25,860 –> 00:38:33,699 What matters now and forever is, that God did not take his steadfast love from 394 00:38:33,699 –> 00:38:41,139 David. And in Jesus Christ, God will never take his steadfast love from you. That’s 395 00:38:41,139 –> 00:38:46,639 the really big thing. So when you’re tempted to become consumed with your own 396 00:38:46,639 –> 00:38:51,500 mistakes, your own sins, your own foolishness, the doors that have closed 397 00:38:52,040 –> 00:38:57,500 you did not act in a certain way at a certain time. Focus your mind on this. 398 00:38:57,500 –> 00:39:01,780 What really matters for all eternity is that he never takes his steadfast love 399 00:39:01,780 –> 00:39:11,320 from you. Aren’t you so glad today that your eternal future does not depend on 400 00:39:11,320 –> 00:39:19,919 you not messing up. It depends on God not removing his love from you when you do. 401 00:39:20,500 –> 00:39:27,260 That’s grace, that’s his mercy. And if the promise was just my love’s yours so 402 00:39:27,280 –> 00:39:32,899 long as you don’t mess up, then where would we be. Thank God my steadfast love 403 00:39:32,899 –> 00:39:40,580 will not depart from you. Whatever the disappointments there’s your hope, 404 00:39:40,580 –> 00:39:44,739 there’s your joy, there’s your assurance for all eternity. Here’s the last place 405 00:39:44,739 –> 00:39:49,479 that I want us to lean into this promise. Lean into this promise when you’re no 406 00:39:49,540 –> 00:39:54,419 longer know the joy that you once did. You know in many ways our life in this 407 00:39:54,439 –> 00:40:00,659 world is a little bit like a bell curve in that there are years often of rising 408 00:40:00,659 –> 00:40:08,020 opportunities and they are followed typically by years of declining strength. 409 00:40:08,040 –> 00:40:14,060 And I mentioned this because we’ve had the word forever not a popular word I 410 00:40:14,100 –> 00:40:20,300 think if you go to a care facility where an older person sits with limited 411 00:40:20,300 –> 00:40:29,620 activity, restricted movement perhaps a degree of physical pain. Things that once 412 00:40:29,620 –> 00:40:34,979 were easy now are much harder to do the scope of life radically shriveled and 413 00:40:34,979 –> 00:40:43,600 diminished, time passes slowly and a day can seem like forever. When you no longer 414 00:40:44,000 –> 00:40:53,239 know the joy that you once did, when life contracts for you, when opportunities 415 00:40:53,239 –> 00:40:58,280 close, and that’s the main theme of this whole chapter and the context of this 416 00:40:58,280 –> 00:41:05,760 promise, we are to lift up our minds and our hearts to the forever life that is 417 00:41:05,760 –> 00:41:11,760 promised to us in the Lord Jesus Christ. And it’s beautifully described in 418 00:41:12,479 –> 00:41:17,060 chapter seven and verse seventeen, the lamb in the midst of the throne will be 419 00:41:17,060 –> 00:41:23,959 their shepherd. And he will guide them into, and here’s the phrase, springs of 420 00:41:23,959 –> 00:41:31,080 living water. And God will wipe away all tears from their eyes. The life that lies 421 00:41:31,080 –> 00:41:35,939 ahead of you in Jesus Christ, the forever life that he died and rose so that it 422 00:41:36,139 –> 00:41:41,659 be yours is not like a pool of water that sits stagnant and eventually 423 00:41:41,659 –> 00:41:47,020 therefore becomes stale. This life will never be dull, it will never be routine, 424 00:41:47,020 –> 00:41:54,419 you will never never tire of it. Why? Because this forever life is described 425 00:41:54,419 –> 00:42:01,379 to us as being like a fountain, like a spring of living water. And Jesus Christ 426 00:42:02,120 –> 00:42:08,860 is leading us always into new discoveries, new joys freshness forever 427 00:42:08,860 –> 00:42:15,840 and forever in the presence and in the glory of God. You will never want this to 428 00:42:15,840 –> 00:42:20,899 end and God’s promise to you is that it never will. 429 00:42:20,899 –> 00:42:25,439 So here this Promise gives to us the most marvelous glimpse of our hope in 430 00:42:25,439 –> 00:42:29,979 the Lord Jesus Christ. What good would God’s Promise be to us if it died with 431 00:42:30,040 –> 00:42:35,600 us? What good would this Promise be if it was cancelled when we are unfaithful? 432 00:42:35,600 –> 00:42:42,780 What good would it be if it expired after a certain period of time? But we’re 433 00:42:42,780 –> 00:42:47,679 being told that God’s Promise to us in Jesus Christ, it’s stronger than death, 434 00:42:47,679 –> 00:42:53,379 it’s greater than sin, and it is longer than time. And so Peter in the New 435 00:42:53,379 –> 00:42:57,919 Testament taking this up, he says, praise be to the God and Father of our Lord 436 00:42:57,979 –> 00:43:02,600 Jesus Christ in his great mercy he’s giving us a new birth into a living hope 437 00:43:02,600 –> 00:43:07,280 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And he’s brought us into 438 00:43:07,280 –> 00:43:15,860 an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade, right out of the Promise 439 00:43:15,860 –> 00:43:23,300 to David. It can never perish because death can’t end it. It can never spoil 440 00:43:23,340 –> 00:43:29,020 because sin can’t ruin it. And it can never fade because time will never 441 00:43:29,020 –> 00:43:38,659 diminish it. When God closes a door in your life your faith will be tested. But 442 00:43:38,659 –> 00:43:45,419 when God closes a door his promise remains sure. Let’s pray together shall 443 00:43:46,020 –> 00:43:53,939 We bless you our Father that your promise to us is stronger than death, 444 00:43:53,939 –> 00:44:02,540 greater than sin, and longer than time. And we bless you that this promise is 445 00:44:02,540 –> 00:44:11,179 ours, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose marvelous name we pray. And God’s 446 00:44:11,179 –> 00:44:13,100 people together said, amen.