Follow the Lord, He Will Build Your House
Text: 2 samuel 7:1-5,8-9,12-16 Speaker: Pastor Matthew Ude Festival: Confirmation Passages: 2 samuel 7:1-5,8-9,12-16
Full Service Video
2 samuel 7:1-5,8-9,12-16
The Lord’s Covenant with David (Listen)
7:1 Now when the king lived in his house and the LORD had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” 3 And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
4 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
(ESV)
8 Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince1 over my people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
Footnotes
[1] 7:8
(ESV)
12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.1 Your throne shall be established forever.’”
Footnotes
[1] 7:16
(ESV)
If you find yourself out on the road in snowstorm behind a snowplow, it is a good idea to stay behind the snowplow. Behind the snowplow is safe. It doesn’t matter how good you think your 4-wheel drive is, you’re still better off behind the snowplow. Last winter there was a video online of a driver who, in the middle of a snowstorm, grew impatient and tried to pull in front of a plow. The guy’s car was cut in half when he slid into an oncoming truck. Thankfully no one was hurt that time, but it is a good reminder that you are safe behind the snowplow.
There is a passage from Isaiah that is a favorite for confirmation, although no one picked it this year.
Isaiah 40:31 31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.
This passage reminds us that just like a car in a winter snowstorm so also, we are much better off waiting patiently behind the Lord. Let the Lord clear the way.
You may remember what happened when Abraham grew impatient waiting for the Lord to fulfill his promise of a son. He tried to pull ahead of God. He had a son through Hagar the maid who was named Ishmael. That child was not the promised son but caused all manner of problems. The descendants of Isaac and Ishmael are still fighting to this day.
You remember what happened when King Saul grew impatient waiting for Samuel to come and offer the sacrifice. He tried to pull ahead of God who had told him to wait for Samuel. He offered the sacrifice himself and because of it God said that he and his sons were cut and would be removed from the throne.
But then we have David. God anointed David to be king when he was still a boy, and David waited. God slew Goliath through David’s hand, and David waited. Saul numerous times tried to kill David. David did not strike back but waited. The Lord established David, made him king and drove out all his enemies before him. He established his kingdom from the sea in the south to the rivers in the north.
Thus, it is that God says to David in our text, “You will build a house for me? No David. I have and will build a house for you.”
As the Lord promised David so he promises you, Hudson and McKenzie, if you wait on the Lord, He will build a house for you. He will go before you and establish you. He will give life and blessings in this world, and he will give you a kingdom in the world to come.
The Lord will accomplish these things by the strength of his arm. It is not your power or your strength which will prosper your way. It is not your commitment to the Lord which will accomplish these things but his commitment and his promise to you.
You are a tiny little mini cooper in a snowstorm, the Lord is the snowplow. Trust in the Lord and he will clear the way before you.
But if you think that you are good enough, or strong enough, or wise enough, or rich enough; If you grow impatient with the Lord and stop following him; If you forsake his promises and his covenant; If you put your trust in yourself or in the things of this world, then the Lord promises that he will discipline you, so that you might repent and return to him. But if you will not repent even when he disciplines you, then you will be cut off from his people and from his kingdom.
Hudson you chose Revelation 2:10:
Revelation 2:10 Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
What does it mean Hudson to be faithful unto death. Does it mean that you charge forth in glorious battle with your sword shining in the light? Does it mean that you stride towards the earth proclaiming the name of the Lord? Does it mean that you will write breath taking oratorios to rival Handle’s Messiah? Perhaps, sometimes, but far more often it means that you wait quietly while the Lord accomplishes his will.
In the garden of Gethsemane Peter drew his sword ready to fight valiantly for the Lord and Jesus told Peter to put away your sword. Being faithful to the Lord is more often a matter of humble silence than of grand gestures. It is the Lord who has done wonderful things. It is the Lord who will give you the crown of life.
In our text God promised David that he would have a son who would sit on his throne forever and that he would build the house of the Lord.
When Solomon was crowned king and later when Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, many no doubt thought that God’s promise had been fulfilled. But neither Solomon’s throne, nor Solomon’s temple remained, both are long gone. But the angel who appeared to Mary reveals that God had something far greater in mind than the throne and temple of Solomon. For the angel said to Mary concerning Jesus not Solomon:
Luk 1:33 “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
And Peter reminds us that the temple which Jesus built is not one made of stones but of his people.
1Pe 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
So than this promise which God gave to David so long ago, is now being fulfilled here today, as the Lord continues to build his kingdom and his temple in the hearts of these two confirmands.
As the passage that McKenzie choose reminds us you belong to the Lord
Isaiah 43:1 Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
It was he who died for you covering you with his blood. It was he who washed you in the waters of baptism wiping away all your sins. It was he who fed you with his word and caused you to grow before him. And he is the one who will go before you to make a way and a path for you. He is the one who will bless you and keep you.
The Lord will build a house for you, here on earth and afterwards in heaven. Wait on the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 14 Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!