Sermon for 08/06/06

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Sermon for 08/06/06
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David: A Man After God’s Own Heart! – When God says NO

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, AMEN

Main Theme: This summer we will study the amazing story of David – a shepherd boy who became King! Today, in our 6^th week, we find that Saul has died, and David finally becomes King. David goes from struggle and hard times - to calm, quiet, and prosperity. And he begins to dream. He decides it is wrong that the Ark of God remains in a Tent while he lives in luxury. But God sends him a hard answer to swallow: NO! That’s what I have in mind for your son, but not you! David (and us) must learn 1) When God says “No” it is not necessarily discipline or rejection. It may simply be redirection. 2) God does not call everybody to build temples. We need to accept God’s plan for us with gratitude. And know… a) when God says “No”, it means He has a better way, and He expects us to support it! And… b) my very best reaction is cooperation and humility. God knows what he is doing. His answers are never wrong! (Based on Chuck Swindoll’s book “David” and other research.)

1) GIVING OR TAKING? Let me ask you a question: When you think of love – do you think of it as something that is GIVING or something that TAKES AWAY? My first impulse was to go with “GIVING” until I bumped into David’s predicament today. Because in it – God shows David love by taking something away from him – a dream! At first that seems unfair – especially when you discover that David’s dream was to build a temple for God! I don’t know about you, but I’ve always found all broken dreams to be painful, but when that dream was designed to serve God and was unselfish in its nature – well, that makes God’s response confusing; because God took his dream away from him and said “No!”

2) THE CONTRAST OF PEACE! Let’s see how this came about. A lot has changed since last week when David and his men were at the lowest point in their lives. A people without a country, they had lived in the hills running from King Saul’s wrath, and were now hiding among their enemies (the Philistines), and returned home to find their wives and children captured by Amalekite raiders. But God gave them a victory that got their families back. Then came the news that King Saul and his son Jonathan had died in battle, and the people came and made David King. What a contrast! David goes from “struggling to exist”, to grand prosperity and luxury! From caves to palaces! And from constant fighting – to peace! Peace has been something quite foreign to David in recent years: being a man of war (often involved in battle and stressful situations), David now finds himself with an unexpected interlude of quiet and calm in his life. Peace comes to David and his nation. And with peace – often comes the time to dream dreams!

3) TEMPLE PLANS? Perhaps David is sitting before a roaring fire with a full belly, listening to the kids playing in the house, surrounded by the lap of luxury, and meditating – when something moves him to send for Nathan the Prophet, his beloved counselor! We read in 2^nd Samuel 7:1 “After the King was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Nathan replied to the king, “whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.”” So while David excitedly begins to the creative process of planning a grand temple for God, Nathan goes home to get some shut eye. But as verse 4 tells us, “That night the word of God came to Nathan, saying “Go tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?’” In 1^st Chronicles 17:4, a parallel passage, it is put more bluntly: “You are not the one to build me a house to live in.” And God goes on to respond to David’s dream with a lengthy explanation that can be summed up this way: NO! It’s not in my plans – I’m leaving the temple to your son. I’ve got other things for you to do!

4) DREAMS! It might be easy for us to feel sorry for David at this point – after all, whenever one of our dreams get dashed on the rocks of rejection, it hurts! After all, it’s not like David had some alternative motive or selfish ambition. He wasn’t trying to build a name for himself – in fact, he wanted to do nothing but exalt God! But here’s something we have to learn as God’s children: when God says “No” it usually has nothing to do with rejection! In the same way a parent may lovingly take away a sharp object from a baby so it does not hurt itself, God shows his love not only by giving to us, but also by taking away those things that are not in his plans for our lives; things that will distract us and rob us of something far greater – something more wonderful - as HE planned it. See, sometimes the dream is from God, and sometimes it is not. It may be noble and appear beneficial – but when it’s not of God – it won’t come to fulfillment … nor should it! You may even get support and encouragement from your friends, like David did from Nathan, only to find out later – God’s design did not include that idea or dream for you.

5) NOT/NO! See, God needed David to lead the people, not to be an architect. David was a warrior, not a builder. He was designed to subdue Israel’s enemies and allow the people to prosper and multiply. “No, David, I will leave that project to your son.” Please notice, this NOT an issue of sin or judgment. We know this because later in 2^nd Chronicles 6:7 David’s Son, Solomon, says “My father David had it in his heart to build a temple for Name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said to my father David, ‘Because it was in your heart to build a temple for My Name, you did well to have this in your heart. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son… is the one who will build the temple for My Name.’” God appreciated David’s thinking, but in this case God simply and lovingly redirects David’s plan, and asks him to accept that “God knows best.” This is not always easy for us, because we often expect God to package His “will” for our lives like everything else around us – with clear labels and complete easy to follow instructions. We want our logic to be God’s logic! But sometimes faith is a matter of accepting his “no” and living with the mystery of His will.

6) PLEASED! THANK YOU, BUT… I passionately wanted to start “Bailey Manufacturing” and promised God to help hire the handicapped, etc.., and yet, while God said “Thank you for wanting to please me”, God also said “But… No! I have something better in mind!” I struggled with that answer! (And on tough days occasionally still do.) And I have seen numerous Christians sincerely want to do great things for God, and He is always pleased at their intent, but they were not gifted for it! It was not in God’s plan! Many traditional Lutheran churches earnestly desire to continue building the church that keeps reaching out to the children of the homogenous group of Ollie and Svens that originated it – and to them God says, “Thank you! Your intent is sweet – but look around, that neighborhood that was 96% white Caucasians in the 60’s and mostly from Scandinavian descent, is now only 68% of your neighborhood and steadily declining. I’m sending you siblings from around the world now – and so thank you again for what was in your heart, but get ready for something new.” Now, God does not say “No” to make us feel bad – He wants us to know He is pleased that we wanted to something special for Him. But He may tell us, “It’s just not in My plan for you to do that, still I commend you for such a thought! And I love you for it!”

7) REDIRECTION! 2 things we Christians need to learn from David’s situation: 1) When God says “No” it is not necessarily discipline or rejection. It may simply be redirection. Maybe you have pursued God’s will, passionately desired to do His will – threw yourself wholeheartedly into that pursuit. Sometimes 30 or 40 years go by, or maybe only a few years or months, but there comes a time when you realize that it has not worked out! The first temptation is to go on a “guilt trip” and beat yourself up - convinced that you have not been walking in the will of God! Ironically, while you find yourself on some other road than the one you “dreamed of” – it may actually be the road God wanted you on… but it took His “No” to get you on that right road. But God is not upset when “selfless desires to serve him” were in your heart! They just weren’t the right ones according to His plan! And it is God’s will that WILL be done! So, it is good to listen to God everyday, and never cast any idea or dream in concrete saying, “That’s a decision that’s forever, regardless!” No, we need to keep asking, “God is this Your arrangement? Is this your plan? If it is not, make me sensitive to it. Show me if you are redirecting my life!”

8) EVERYBODY TO BUILD TEMPLES? The second lesson is that 2) God does not call everybody to build temples. Sometimes, one of the hardest things to hear is that God is going to use someone else to accomplish something that YOU thought was YOUR objective. This Sunday represents the end of my 11^th year at ASLC. I came from a midsized church that grew from 600 to 900 in the 5 years I was there, and I expected to see the same kind of growth here at ASLC. But God had a different plan. The existing homogenous Scandinavian culture of ASLC had to be recognized, transformed and expanded to be more inclusive first in order to prepare it for the coming changes in the neighborhood. As thousands of mainline pastors are experiencing around the country – there is nothing harder than changing the prevailing culture of any institution. It takes time! Change endures various degrees of resistance and inevitable creates internal conflict. It leaves many pastors with dreams of “growing their churches” feeling frustrated and at times – a failure. Even with my positive previous track record at other churches and a healthy ego – my wife knows I have entertained those negative thoughts in recent history. Dreams are hard to let go. But God does not call everybody to build temples.

9) SOMEONE ELSE! In fact, over 2000 pastors a year quit in the US, many as a result of their sincere dreams of serving God never coming about. Many started doing ministry when the Builder Generation dominated the church. 65% of them attended church. The Boomers who followed, fell away and only 35% attend church. It’s gone down hill since with the Busters (or X-Gen) only coming in at 16%, and the Bridgers (or Millinials) all the way down to 4%. It’s rough being a pastor in a culture that is suddenly so resistant to the Gospel! But as David was shown – not everyone is called to build temples! One very wise pastor’s wife at Prince of Peace in Burien once suggested that perhaps the majority of mainline pastors in churches who are engaged in internal cultural change, may never see the “full harvest” they dreamed of. The soil tilled today may be waiting for many of those now in our confirmation classes to come forward and harvest the fields. I suspect that pastors, churches, and lay people in those churches will always struggle with the realization that God may be going to use someone else to accomplish something they thought was their objective. Some may feel cheated and bitter – while others react as David did.

10) GRATEFUL PRAISES! What was David’s response? It’s beautiful: (2^nd Samuel 7:18) “Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord…” And in a conversation too long to read this morning, David accepts God’s “no” answer and begins to provide praises of gratitude! That is, he concludes, “Dreams, or no dreams, I’m a blessed person!” No wonder the Bible says David was a man after God’s own heart! Listen to some of his words: (vs 22-29)

“How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you…

…keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised so that your name will be great forever.

...O Sovereign Lord, You are God! Your words are trustworthy…

…Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant…”

These are grateful praises! One has to wonder …if he meant them!

11) SUPPORT/ASSIST! History shows that he truly concluded, “OK, if my dream is to be passed on to my son – then so be it.” Instead of being jealous or bitter David chooses to support his Son. In 1^st Chronicles 22:1 David hands his plans over to the people and says – “This is the house of the Lord God, this is the altar of burnt offerings for Israel.” And then he shows them the location of the future temple, and works to support the dream destined now to be his son’s. They hew out stones, prepare the iron to be used as nails in the doors of the gates, cut timbers of cedar logs and stack them for the day Solomon will need them. (Verse 5) “David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord should be of great magnificence and fame and splendor in the sight of all the nations. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.” David’s heart was where it was supposed to be – grateful for God’s redirection and willing to do whatever he could so that those destined to fulfill the dream were assisted in every way!

12) SOLOMON’S and HUMILITY! What does this mean for you and me? Simple: 1) When God says “no”, it means He has a better way, and he expects us to support it. And secondly 2) my very best reaction is cooperation and humility. Not everyone gets to build the temple – but we are called to be faithful, obedient, and humble! I know that there are dreams among you that have been broken. You had high hopes of accomplishing this, or succeeding in that for God! There was a direction you headed in that seemed so right! But the Lord, for some mysterious reason, has now said “No”. Seems like the older we get, the more we find ourselves “being shelved” and the younger Solomon’s are taking charge and moving on. How quickly age takes over! I’m at that stage where doctors and dentists are starting to look like high school kids. This year I’ve married 3 kids who used to be in my confirmation classes! They’re in their mid 20’s and running companies, raising families, and making more money than I can even dream of – but that is life! Many of the things I had hoped to accomplish – may belong to the next generation. James Dobson once said, “About the time our face clears up, our mind gets fuzzy.” Just about the time we “get our act together”, we’re too old to pull it off! And so often we need to turn dreams over to the Solomon’s in our lives and with great humility say and mean “May God be with you! I’ll do everything I can to support you in seeing that it gets accomplished!”

13) EMPTY/FULL! There is a poem I ran across this week that goes like this:

One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most,
Until I was empty handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.

And I walked earth’s highways, grieving,
In my rags and poverty.
Till I heard His voice inviting,
“Lift those empty hands to Me!”

So I held my hands towards Heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of his own transcendent riches
Till they could contain no more.

And at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God COULD not pour His riches
Into hands already full!

Friends, can you relate to David? Have you ever had your hands full of your own dreams and visions, ready to present them to God on the altar of sacrifice? Did you have your plans all prepared and thought through, only to see them crumble at your feet? Maybe right now you are standing there empty handed before God. Friends, this is not a bad thing! For God has gifts to give you that are beyond your greatest imagination, but hands already carrying other dreams cannot accept them. When your hands are empty, only then can God fill them with those blessings that stem from His better plan for your life!

14) DIVINE DREAMS! Today, this very moment, Jesus is here to lovingly remind us… that God is still alive and well, and He knows what He is doing! To some of us who stand before Him with dreams, he says “yes”, and to others He says “no”. Some are according to God’s will, and some, while wonderful and pleasing to God that they were in your heart – are NOT according to the better plan He has for you! Open your hearts to the Spirit that encourages and enables you to ask God, “Lord, is this your divine dream for me?” And whether it is “Yes” or “no” – know this: it is the best answer. Why? Because God’s answers, while surprising at times, are never wrong! They are the right ones for your life! God’s dreams (specifically designed for you) are the only dreams that will bring you the greatest joy and satisfaction – and Jesus is here now to help you open your hands, dropping everything else, that you may receive the divine dreams that were designed for your life! See, whether God gives or takes – it all based on perfect love!

Praise God!

AMEN

Sermon/Confessional Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, we confess that there are times when we have dreams that we cling too – some selfish in nature, and some sincerely meant to serve you! But we are not as accepting as David when we hear you say “NO!” Forgive us for not believing that you have the best answers for our lives. Forgive us when we see your answer as judgment and rejection, when in fact you are many times just trying to lovingly redirect our efforts. Help us Lord to be ready to empty our hands and hearts of everything that is not according to your all knowing will!

Lord, forgive us when we realize that you are giving our dream to someone else and we react with bitterness and jealousy. Forgive us for not realizing that not everyone can build the temple. Wash away any negative attitudes we have about the next generation and fill our hearts with cooperation and humility! Help us to accept the Solomon’s in our lives and empower us to support and assist them in any way!

And now Lord, although you know us better than we know ourselves, listen as we share in a moment of silence, those other parts of our lives that need to be forgiven, washed clean, healed, and recommitted to you! (made anew.)

(Silence)

Lord, like your servant David, you know us intimately – for you designed and made us! Help us to truly believe that your answers, whether “yes” or “No”, are lovingly given in perfect love. Since you know what is best in terms of our fulfilling certain dreams, teach us to respond with trust, praise, and gratitude! In Jesus Name We Pray. AMEN

Assurance of Forgiveness:

Friends, listen to the good news: The Lord, who lovingly fills empty and humble hearts with divine dreams, …that Lord has mercifully heard your confession and eagerly forgives you all your sins. Go now, and remember: God’s “NO” is not discipline or rejection, but simply redirection! The best dreams are God’s dreams! Empty your hands and hearts and let God fill them with divine dreams given through perfect love! Praise God! AMEN

Opening prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, it seems we live in a world of broken dreams. Our lives are filled with goals and plans – but so few of them ever seem to be fulfilled. Our human expectations are often frustrated because of the cards that are often dealt us. Our relationships, careers, ambitions and dreams often crumble or seem to stay just out of reach. As we enter your loving embrace this morning, we pray your Holy Spirit would help us to recognize that only you know what is best for us! Only the hands that lovingly designed and created us can lead us in the right direction. Only the heart that poured itself out on the cross for us, knows what divine path will lead us to the greatest joy and inner peace. Only the dreams that are divinely given should occupy our time and focus. But we who blindly stumble through life stand humbly before you this morning – praying you will shed your light, truth, and love on us through your life-giving Words, and through the Holy Spirit that comes to us in the Sacraments. Open our eyes, minds, and hearts to your holy plan for our lives! And then give us the strength, wisdom, and power to follow it. Lead us Lord! Touch us now in Holy ways! Come live within us and direct our lives! In Jesus Name We Pray! AMEN!

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