David’s Love for the Lord’s House
1 Chronicles 29:1-14
Since this will be the last Sunday morning of 2015, this message will be for the New Year.
This message will be an exhortation or challenge to Temple Baptist Church for 2016.
Connie and I have been reading the book “The Deeper Christian Life” by Andrew Murray; it has been a challenge. I came across a passage of scripture, and when reading the whole chapter, I thought, “Wow, that is powerful.” I mentioned to Pastor Johnson how it was so relevant to Temple Baptist Church, and he said that he had decided to have pastor Ben, Bro. Feister, and me to fill in for him in his absence. He had not up to that point decided who would speak when, but after hearing what I said and seeing from the scriptures he decided on me to bring this message this morning. Remember Jackie Gleason? Remember what one of his favorite lines was? “Me and my big mouth.”
I feel entirely inadequate to do this. I feel like a man approaching his first date with a beautiful woman, a little excited and a lot nervous.
It is my prayer and desire that this message will do two things this morning. I realize that the scripture context is about giving in a financial way, but it is deeper than that, it is about rekindling ourselves in two different ways;
1. Our Love for our Lord;
2. Our Love for the Lord’s house;
I want to show this by showing David’s love for the Lord, his love for the Lord’s house.
1 Chronicles 29:10-14 “Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, “Blessed be thou, Lord God our Father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord is the greatness, and the power, and the glory; and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine: thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”
One needs only to read the Psalms of David to see his love for the Lord God.
Ps.8:1 “O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the Earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.” Do we recognize the excellent name of Jehovah God? Do we bow before our Creator God in humble submission and adoration? If not, then this should be a New Year commitment.
9:1-2 “I will praise thee O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoin in thee: I will sing praises to thy name, O thou most High.” Here again, do we praise God with our whole heart or just with the lips of our mouths? When we praise God is it with a pure heart of love without hypocrisy? God would rather hear the imperfect voices that sing from a sincere heart than from the finest voices from a heart that is far from the Lord.
18:1 ”I will love thee, O Lord, my strength.” Do we or can we love the Lord as David did? Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep his commandments. Is this a priority for us?
25:1-2 “Unto thee, O Lord do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.” Do we put our complete trust in the Lord? Not just our faith for salvation, but our everyday living faith? This is what the Lord desires from every one of His children. If we are not trusting in His providential care, 2016 would be a good time to begin. We can echo what David said, and not be ashamed, or disappointed.
34:1 “ I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” In our busy lives and our uncertain world, how do we measure up to David in this respect? Do we tell others about the goodness of the Lord? Are we quick to give our testimonies to others that may be lost and on the road to hell?
Just one more before we move on: 42:1-2 “ As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God: My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
Many may point to David’s transgressions and show him to be very human, but no person can rightly say that David did not love the Lord.
We also may be very human, and have many failures, but we too can love like David. We too can recognize the Creator God as our Sovereign Lord: we too can praise Him with our whole heart and soul: we too can lift- up our souls and trust in Him: we too can bless the Lord at all times, and we too can pant after God as does the thirsty deer that needs water.
If that is not you already, please, please make this New Year a time of recommitment.
Next, we see David’s love for God’s house Vv.3 “Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold, and silver, which I have given to the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.”
It is understood from scripture that King David desired very deeply to build the House of the Lord and for the Lord, but was denied by God from doing so. 1 Chron.22:6-9 “ Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build an house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God: But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because that has shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build a house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.”
King David desired three things for the House of the Lord:
1. A permanent home for the Lord. He had known of the wondering of his people in the wilderness and the Ark of the Covenant. The temporary Tabernacle of God was still present and to King David it was insufficient. Today we are the Temple of God: 2 Cor.6:16 “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God: as God hath said, I will be their God and thy shall be my people.
Eph.2:19-22 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God: And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone: in whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
2.King David desired a permanent place for the altar of sacrifice. Today our altar of sacrifice is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through Him that the propitiation for sin is made. Here in the local assembly of Temple Baptist Church, we have an altar that any lost sinner can find salvation and freedom from the shackles of sin and Satan.
3. King David desired a permanent dwelling for the Ark of the Covenant. He understood how holy and sacred the Ark was. He knew the penalty was death for anyone who touched it outside of the priesthood. He desired a place of security for it.
Today our ark of the covenant is our Lord Jesus. It is He who makes our access to God possible.
We have a new covenant, Rom. 11:27 “ For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”
King David was not permitted to fulfill his desire, but he didn’t go away sulking. Instead, he determined to do everything possible to help his son Solomon to accomplish what he couldn’t. His love for the Lord and his desire for a house for the Lord compelled him to provide some of the material and financial resources for his son.
We find his heart for the Lord’s house in what he provided for its construction and maintenance in vv.2-5 [read].
I don’t think that King David ever saw the completion. There is no scriptural reference that King David ever worshipped in the Temple.
Notice King David’s attitude in the denial of his building the Temple. “Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God.” Certainly this shows his love for the house of worship.
What I am going to ask and say will be out of a heart of love for the Lord, His house and His people. The Lord certainly wants to bless this place and people just as much as He did in King David and King Solomon’s time. But are we willing to receive what He offers? Are we willing to make the sacrifices that the people did in our scripture?
My question for us today is this; What is your attitude toward the house of the Lord? Is it important to you? Do you come willingly with a heart to serve Him; with a heart wanting to hear from Him? Do we come to see others saved and brought to Jesus? Do we come to sing our praises and offer our sacrifices of thanksgiving? Do we come for the warm fellowship of other believers united in our love for our Savior?
Or do we come reluctantly out of duty? Do we come to be seen by others? Do we come because it is the thing to do on Sunday? Not surprisingly the answer is evident by our attendance on Sunday night and Wednesday night prayer time. It was said by a long- ago preacher that I cannot recall who said and wrote, that the Church will advance no further than it marches on its knees. Well said.
Yes, and even shown by our attendance for Sunday School. Many, too many, believe that Sunday School is for the young kids and teens only. It seems as if we have the attitude that because we have been saved for umpteen years, we have no need to come for another hour and hear God’s word expounded on. Perhaps we don’t need to grow any further in the word of God.
Maybe one hour a week is sufficient for Spiritual growth.
Perhaps we all should sleep in on Sunday morning instead of coming to the house of God for the time of Bible instruction. What if Pastor Johnson and sister Britan decided that they were too tired to get up Sunday Morning? But if we all did that, who would drive the bus and van to pick up the children that have a child-like desire to be here?
Can we say with an honest heart that we like King David that we have prepared with all our might for the house of our God? Or are we neglecting to take advantage of the liberty and freedom to worship? Freedom neglected leads to freedom lost.
Next, we see King David’s love for the Lord and for His house by how he provided for it.
First, he recognized that the house was not for man but for the Lord [vs.1]. “Furthermore, David the king said unto all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen is yet young and tender, and the work is great: for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.” “
How do we see this house of God? Do we see it as for the Lord and not man? Do we think that the Lord is honored here in this place when we don’t even feel the need to come into His presence here?
Second, he provided for it out of a personal sacrifice, [vs.3] “Moreover, because I have set my affection to the house of my God, I have of mine own proper good, of gold and silver, which I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.”
I want to add that there is more to a personal sacrifice than money. God wants you. He wants to you to feel His presence when we come into His house. He wants to not only see you in church, but also church in you. He has gifted each one of us with a Spiritual gift and we need to be using it for His glory. We need to sacrifice our time and energy for the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Third, he gave willingly. David’s love for the Lord and his desire to see the house of the Lord built and maintained prompted him to give willingly as he did. Certainly, we can see from scripture that the Lord God did not command him or even ask him to do this: 1 Chron.17:1-6 “Now it came to pass, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord remaineth under curtains. Then Nathan said unto David, do all that is in thine heart; for God is with thee. And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, Go and tell David my servant, thus saith the Lord, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in: For I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up Israel unto this day; but have gone from one tabernacle to another. Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars?”
Even though he had been denied the privilege to build the Temple, he had assurance that his son Solomon would. His desire to have it built prompted King David to prepare as much as he could for it.
This house of the Lord here at Temple Baptist Church is in need and faces a financial crisis. If we desire to worship here like King David desired to see the Temple built, we need to sacrifice willingly. It has to be with a heart that loves the Lord and His house. Our pastor and family have sacrificed much for this church. I won’t talk about it because he would not want me to, but many of us know. It breaks my heart that he has such love for the Lord and His house and many of us do not respond in the same way.
Fourth, he asked fellow Israelites to help not only with the construction of it but also to provide the necessary financial needs to build it.
Vs.5b “And who then is willing to consecrate his service this day unto the Lord?”
That is the question before us today. Who is willing to consecrate his service to the Lord?
The response from the people was immediate and positive vs.6-9 “Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the kings work, offered willingly. And gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand drams, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord, by the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy”
We see that not only did the people consecrate their service to the Lord, but they also gave of their substance. They backed up their commitment with action and devotion.
Fifth King David recognized that he and the people could not give anything to the Lord God but what He had given to them vs.14. “But, who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given then.”
Paul asked the church at Corinth this question, “What has thou that thou didst not receive?”
We could and should ask ourselves this same question. What do we have that has not been given to us by our gracious Father in Heaven?
He as Creator God has given us life and breath. “And God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of live, and man became a living soul.
Job recognized the giver of life and breath when he said in Job 12:10 “In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”
Do we realize that His hand holds our very breath and it belongs to Him? If our very breath belongs to God, so does everything else.
Our food all comes from our God, who allows everything to grow in its season. The rain and sunshine that causes it to spring up from the ground comes from God. Salvation is from the Lord.
Everything we enjoy in this life comes from the loving hand of our Creator and Savior.
We often think of how we labored at our places of employment but who gives us the health, mental ability and opportunity to do the work? David says Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”
This same David said in Ps.25: “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world and they that dwell therein.”
For those that don’t believe that the creation belongs to the Lord God, it would be wise for them to see what the ultimate plans are for the earth that He created. 2 Peter 3: 7-12 “But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness: but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
This should give us a new perspective on worldly possessions. It is all going to be burned up. Jesus told us to “Lay up treasures in heaven where neither moth not rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also.”
I might add where fire and fervent heat will not melt it. The soul of one person is precious to the Lord. He has ordained the local church to proclaim the gospel in Muncie, Ind. To do this we need a new fresh commitment to the Lord, to His work and to His house for the New Year of 2016. I pray that 2016 will be a year of deeper love for the Lord, His house and work from each of us. If we do we will see great things that the Lord will do here, if not then we will continue on without the real blessings of God.
What are you willing to give in 2016? What are you willing to commit to the Lord? Your gifts? Your talents? Your abilities? Your presence in the House of God? Your financial support? How about those of you that are attenders and are saved to become members?
Will you love the Lord like King David? Will you love the Lord’s house like King David?