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2 Samuel 7
Skip Heitzig

2 Samuel 7 (NKJV™)
1 Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around,
2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, "See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains."
3 Then Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you."
4 But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
5 "Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house for Me to dwell in?
6 "For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle.
7 "Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?'"'
8 "Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts: "I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.
9 "And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth.
10 "Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously,
11 "since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.
12 "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will 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 his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."'"
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
18 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: "Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
19 "And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD?
20 "Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant.
21 "For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them.
22 "Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
23 "And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name--and to do for Youself great and awesome deeds for Your land--before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods?
24 "For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God.
25 "Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said.
26 "So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts is the God over Israel.' And let the house of Your servant David be established before You.
27 "For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.
28 "And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.
29 "Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever."

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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10 2 Samuel - 2003

Second Samuel is the book which relates the triumphs, transgressions, and troubles of David, Israel's greatest king. Pastor Skip Heitzig tells the story of the "man after God's own heart."

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From the dawn of time, men have a terrible record of breaking the covenants and contracts they make with each other. When men make agreements, somebody usually gets burned.

[MUSIC PLAYING] If my people will humbly pray and seek my face and turn away from all their wicked ways, then I will hear them and move my hand. And freely then will I forgive, and I will heal their land.

But this is not the case when God establishes a covenant. As we turn to 2 Samuel chapter 7, we find what is known officially as the Davidic Covenant. And we will find important revelation about God's faithfulness and his purposes. Let's prepare to continue our studies of 2 Samuel, next-- line online.

Boy, these guys do great video work, don't they?

[APPLAUSE]

You know, before we start tonight, I have been given a couple of internet questions. And I want to plow through some, because we do get emailed questions. We get emailed a lot of them, and I can't always publicly answer them because of time constraints, but we do answer them. We have a staff of people that does that.

But I was given these. One is from Gail, who asks, I've been listening to this week's Connection Radio on prayer. My question is, is it OK to pray to Jesus after you have already accepted him, or should you only pray to the Father in his name?

Well Gail, I would say that either is appropriate for this reason. Jesus taught us that we could come directly to the Father and pray in His name. He taught his disciples that they didn't have to go through him-- that they had direct access to the Father and could just freely and openly ask him anything.

But we do find in Acts-- Stephen, when he was being stoned, has a vision of the Lord Jesus. He sees Jesus as he stands. He was seated at the right hand, but he stands up. And Stephen sees this vision as if Jesus is welcoming him into heaven.

And he says, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. So in that instance, he prayed directly to Jesus. I don't think God is offended if you say dear Jesus, and you pray. Or I don't think Jesus is offended if you say Father, I come in Jesus' name.

The issue that Jesus was making and that I think Paul reiterates in Romans 12 is access. We have access to God through Jesus Christ. That's the most important thing.

A second question comes from Joseph. I am an actor. I was wondering about sin. If an actor has to play a character that sins, is the actor sinning? I believe in Christ, but obviously, my career path is drowned in sin. Should I reconsider?

That is a hard question, especially coming from somebody who is not an actor, though I did play a small role. Believe me, I am not an actor. And if this thing ever comes out and they don't edit it out, you'll go yeah, he's right. He's really bad.

But you know Joseph, I guess it depends on what message are you getting out? You see, Hollywood loves to take villains and twist a plot so that by the end of the movie, you're actually applauding him if he commits adultery. If he goes out with this woman and sleeps with her, and they fall in love-- whether it's in or out of marriage-- they just play with your mind that way.

And it's sad that many people who say, oh, I would never do that take great pleasure in watching others do it on screen. And Paul right writes about them in Romans 1. He says that they approve of those who do them. And so you might have a person say, I would never do that, I'm a Christian. But they'll watch, engage, laugh at, and give money to the worst type of plots that glorify sin.

I guess my question is if Hollywood feels free to boycott anything godly, anything Christian, anything overtly toward Christ, why should we feel bad about boycotting Hollywood in a sense? I'm not saying go out and protest, but decide I'm not going to give my money to that. I'm not going to take part in that.

There are actors and directors that I know of who play parts, and they just say I refuse to play that kind of a role. That's just the way it is. Those are my values, and let me tell you why. And just like an unsaved Hollywood actor or director or actress would say, I won't play anything that's overtly toward God, why can't we have the same kind of stamina?

[APPLAUSE]

This question comes from Richard. Can one be reconciled back to the church? I have fallen away, as I was involved with the international churches of Christ, and I don't know if I am saved. I believe in God, and I accept Jesus as my Savior, but I was told not being in that church I will go to hell, as I am not saved.

Unfortunately Richard, some churches love to use guilt to control people, and it's their way of getting people to stay in their church. This is the only true move of God, and if you leave it, you're leaving the grace of God. You're turning your back on God, and you may not go to heaven. In fact, you'll probably go to hell. If you're not baptized by our elders et cetera, et cetera, garbage, garbage.

You're not saved by accepting a church or receiving a church, you're saved by receiving in believing in Jesus Christ alone, period. That's just salvation. If you believe with their heart, you confess with your mouth, Paul said you will be saved.

Now the question is, can you be reconciled back to a church? Absolutely, necessarily. If you can be reconciled back to God, you can and must therefore be reconciled back to His church. And if it's a true church of Jesus Christ, they will welcome you back into their ranks based upon your turning to Christ and your faith in Jesus Christ.

So I would just say, Richard, find a local church in your area that you can submit yourself to. Go to the elders, the pastor, whatever, tell them what happened, and tell them that you want to be involved. And I'm sure they'll give you good counsel if they're a Bible teaching church.

And then one finally from somebody that didn't sign their name I don't think. It's anonymous. When Christ said to Peter, upon this rock I will build my church, did he use the word church or synagogue or temple or what? What word was used in the original text?

Well, the original word is "ecclesia," which comes from two Greek words, "ecc" and "kaleo"-- to call out of. And it simply means a called out group of people. That's what a church is. A church is not a building, the church meets in a building. And even though we say I'm going to the church, don't worry, you won't be penalized by God if you say I'm going to the church and you don't specify going to the place where God's people meet. Doesn't matter.

But what does matter is that what Jesus said he would do is build his called out group of people-- called out of the world, called to follow him-- and that is a church. The word synagogue means a meeting together-- a place where people met together. A church or an assembly is sometimes applied in the New Testament to the synagogue. But Jesus said he would build his church-- his group of people called out to exclusively follow him. That's the word you use.

OK. Open your bibles now to 2 Samuel, and let's finish chapter 6 before we jump into chapter 7. Because if you remember, David was in a really good mood when we left him last. I mean, like a really good mood. He's dancing, and he's singing, and he's really happy.

And one thing about David is that he began his ministry as king-- his career path-- the right way by making God numero uno. Seeking first the Kingdom of God, what was important to David is that the Ark of the Covenant-- the center of worship-- be placed at the heart of the nation-- the center of the nation. So he begins right.

Now Saul, of course, had a good start as well. He had a very bad ending, and his devotion to the Lord was very shallow and very short lived. David had a little more depth-- a lot more depth. And there is a Psalm-- you don't have to turn to it. I told you to turn to 2 Samuel, and here I begin with Psalm 91. But let me just read this to you. This is what the Psalmist wrote.

God says in this Psalm, because he has set his love upon me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He shall call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him with a long life. I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

David honored the Lord. David wasn't perfect, but David was a man after the heart of God. He loved God. He failed, yes, that's why you and I relate to David. David had ups, David had downs. David was elated, David was depressed.

That's why we love to read the Psalms. We read them, and we go, I relate to this guy. He was imperfect, but he had that heart that kept coming back to God. And that's how he started his ministry, his career, his kingdom.

In tonight's story, we have a king who is jubilant. That's where we opened the story in chapter 6. We move from that to a wife who is militant, and then we end up with in chapter 7 a God who makes a covenant with his people.

You remember how David began taking the Ark last time we read to Jerusalem. He put it in the back of a pickup. At least it was the Old Testament equivalent of a pickup. It was a new cart. It was something the Philistines had done, and they had watched the Philistines do it. And instead of doing what the Bible says, it was just a quicker way to get the job done. It was expedient to do it.

David learned a lesson-- a very hard lesson-- and he moved from experience to obedience. He finally went and read what the Bible had to say about it, and said oops, I goofed up. That baby has to be carried on the shoulders of the Levites. And so it was brought back into Jerusalem.

Now, Jerusalem-- just getting the background-- has recently been made the capital of Israel in David's time. David took over the Jebusite city, you remember the story. That becomes home base for him. In the meantime, there's a guy up north in Lebanon named Hiram, and Hiram lived in Tyre. He was the king of Tire. He was a friend of David's.

Hiram chopped down choice trees-- cedars of Lebanon-- and built a home for David-- a palatial estate. And David lived in a beautiful home in Jerusalem, which makes him a little bit unsettled in our story. But let's pick it up.

In verse 12, right in the middle of the verse-- so David went from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with gladness. Mark that. There is gladness before there was sadness, right-- when Isaiah fell over dead.

And so it was when those bearing the Ark of the Lord had gone six paces that he sacrificed oxen and fatted sheep, and then David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of a trumpet.

One thing we notice about this king is that he was very musically inclined. He was a musician himself. He played before King Saul. He gave to Israel most of the worship songs that they sang. He established a beautiful choir later on in his kingdom, and the guy gets involved himself.

That's a very interesting thing for a king. He's not up there on a throne watching this. He's actually leading the procession. In fact, he's not even wearing royal garments and a crown. He's got like a T-shirt on-- a linen ephod, something that's a loose fitting cotton shirt that goes down to the waist like a T-shirt. And he's dancing before the Lord, having a great time. It's very musical, it's very worshipful, it's very celebratory to David.

Now probably the closest we come to that is our thanksgiving service, where we parade around the church with our banners. But you ought to be in Israel for a feast. When I was in Israel the first time living on a kibbutz, and it was in the fall time, and there was Shavuot-- the Feast of Tabernacles. And I watched the young men and the young women with their traditional garments come out with baskets of fruits and vegetables, and they would twirl and dance, thanking God for the harvest.

I thought, that is cool. It's so awesome. It's so different from just a grumpy look on somebody's face not getting involved just calling that worship. It was celebratory. It was awesome. Or Independence Day in Jerusalem-- my tour guide knew years ago. I'd always go to Jerusalem-- wanted to be there in May for Independence Day, because nobody throws a party like they do in Jerusalem for their own Independence Day.

And they worship, and it's very celebratory. And David-- he's into it. It is thought, by the way, that Psalm 68 was written during this time. Most scholars would attribute Psalm 68 to David bringing the ark up. And he's dancing before the Lord, and there's trumpets blaring. And I'm not going to read it all, but there are some verses that I think help us get the feeling of the event.

Let God arise. Let his enemies be scattered. Let those who hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away. As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad. Let them rejoice exceedingly.

Does this look like rejoicing exceedingly? I mean, you can imagine what it was like for David and these people bringing the ark up-- how excited they were. Sing to God, sing praises to His name. Extol him who rides the clouds by his name Yah, and rejoice before him.

I believe that joy is one of the first evidences of a person who's come to Christ. You'll notice it. You notice it. You notice an excitement. You may not notice a lot of changes in their lives at first, but you notice this joy, this peace. I feel different, they say. And one of the first things you can pick up on that something is different is the joy that is exhibited.

When Philip went and preached in Sumeria in the Book of Acts, and they listened and they believed, it says, and great joy filled the city. Salvation leaves its mark. How's your joy? Have you checked it lately? Is following God still making a difference for you, or have you relegated the peace, the joy, the love, the excitement to oh, yes, that's what neophyte Christians experience?

They get all excited, and they have all of this bubbly effervescent joy. It's because they don't know any better. But when they learned the finer points of theology, they get grumpy.

Here's David, a king-- mature, grown up as a child of God, mature in the Lord, worshipful, excited. This is God. This is God at the center of the nation. Somebody once said that you can measure spiritual maturity by what it takes to steal your joy. How easy is it to steal your joy?

Hey, listen. I've been busted a lot of times. I've flown out of church excited. God's so good! And then I get on the freeway, and it just takes one bad driver to challenge all of the joy that I had. And I feel like I have to roll the windows up, because the joy is going to just leave. Oh, man.

And as the Ark of the Lord came into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looking through the window, saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord. And she despised him in her heart. What a sad verse, isn't it? Here's a husband, a king, a leader. He's leading the home in spirituality.

Most wives would go, my husband loves God! This is like a miracle. This is what I've prayed for.

Listen, I've talked to women today who do pray for that. And traditionally in the church, it is the women who become involved quicker and more intensely than men do. Men sort of drag behind, because they're cooler. Women bring the bibles to church, men don't need to, because they know every verse. I'll just look over at yours, honey. They don't lead.

So here's a guy leading, loving God, and she despised him. You know, I confess to you in some respects, it sounds a lot like church. In any church, you will have some who love God, love to worship, get into it, and others who just sort of fold their arms and watch others loving God and getting into it, thinking critical thoughts the entire time. What's he doing? That's ridiculous. Look at her, hands raised. Give me a break-- putting a damper on something that God is filling their heart with joy over.

You see, some sing joyfully, and others-- same congregation, same God, but they look like they've had Botox injections. Just nothing. No ability to smile or anything. I'm thinking, is this the same God we're talking about?

Robert Louis Stevenson said, he wrote in his diary, I went to church today, and I'm not depressed-- as if it was miraculous. Why do we think such thoughts? Why do we think that if you're godly, you have to be miserable, sad, dour, not laugh, not have fun? What is more fun than loving God and worshipping God and enjoying the fellowship and the openness with one another? What is better than that?

Acceptance, no pretense, just before God-- just being who you are. Blessed is the man, or oh, how happy is the man who delights in the law of the Lord. Do you delight in God? Are you happy because of God?

Well, David was. His wife wasn't, though. She despised him in her heart, and her attitude will affect the relationship very adversely. So they brought the Ark of the Lord, they set it in its place in the midst of the Tabernacle that David had erected for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

You mark that. Mark that. Make that the focus of the chapter. Forget David dancing and arguing about was it spiritual or not. Forget about Uzzah dying because he touched the ark-- all the things we worry about in the chapter-- and focus on a man who made God number one, who sought first the kingdom of God and His righteousness so that all these other things would be added unto you.

Love God with all of your being, and who cares what anybody else thinks about that? Isn't that a great way to live, just to live freely like that? I love God with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. Well, I don't like that. Tough toast. I'm going to stand before God, not you.

David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. He blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Hosts. He distributed among all the people-- among the whole multitude of Israel, both women and men, to everyone-- a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. What a great king.

So all the people departed, everyone to his house, then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David and said, how glorious was the King of Israel today, uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants as one of the base fellows-- shamelessly uncovers himself. Well, what a thing to arrive home to. Oh, man,

You know, when a guy gets home, he wants a wife who will equally bless him as he's come to bless the family. David came to bless his household. And then to have this, you know-- oh, Lucy, I'm home. What are you doing home? Why are you here? I saw you today.

Notice that her complaint is that he uncovered himself. Now, he did not dance naked. It said he was wearing a T-shirt, and he had his garments on. But he wasn't wearing royal attire. He wasn't dressed like royalty should dress. Where's the crown? Where's the robe? Where's the fur? Where's the jewels?

Evidently, her dad Saul was into that kind of pomp and circumstance-- the outward display of the kingdom. David wasn't. David was a man of the people. David dressed down like one of them.

And she thought, this isn't right. He's undressed. He needs to put his royal garb on. It would be like saying, I can't believe your senior pastor rides a Harley. Or jeans-- what kind of a pastor is that?

She climbs all over David's case, because he didn't act the part of a king. Now, here's the domestic spat. So David said to Michal, it was before the Lord who chose me instead of your father and all his house. You know, bitter words do engender other bitter words, don't they?

Now, David shouldn't have said that. It is true that he didn't have to say that, but he's now ticked off. And so she says something, and he says, OK, well, let me just tell you something. God chose me. Your dad happens to be dead, and I'm like the king now, OK? This is really the formal end of their relationship here. It is.

Proverbs 15 says a soft answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. And her harsh words stirred up David's anger, though he could have just said, goodnight, honey. God bless you. But he didn't do it. Harsh words stir up anger. To appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord over Israel, therefore I will play music before the Lord, so there.

How do you feel when somebody cuts you verbally? You may have a bright mind and a sharp tongue, and those are a volatile combination. You're witty. You can think of something. In fact, you're thinking I could say something right now that would just be so wonderfully devastating to you.

And you're tempted, especially when you're close to somebody like a husband, a wife, a child, a parent. You know the dynamic, and you know what button if you push it will just go set them off. And you're awfully tempted, now that they have said this to you, to reduce them to ashes.

Well, what should you do? James said no man can tame the tongue, so only God can. You stop and you pray. God, help me, right now, right here. Restrain my tongue, because I could say the coolest, most decimating, crushing thing. Help me.

Winston Churchill was famous for his verbal jabs against one Lady Astor. One was the nemesis of the other. One was always competing publicly with the other. On one occasion, Sir Winston Churchill was at a function of state. He had been drinking, and lady Astor came and stood at his table and announced in a loud voice, Mr. Churchill, you're drunk, as if to embarrass him in front of all his guests.

And he stood up and he said, madam, you're ugly. And in the morning, I will be sober. He had a sharp tongue.

On another occasion, she said, if you were my husband, I'd give you arsenic to drink. To which he replied, if I were your husband, I'd drink it. And this went on through his career, and it taints David's career as well.

Therefore, I will play music before the Lord, and I will be even more indignified than this, he continues, and will be humbled in my own sight. But as for the maid servants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor. In other words, look, I'm willing to humble myself inwardly in my heart, as well as before the lowliest of servants. I don't care. I don't care what people perceive me to be-- that I'm not wearing the right kind of clothing for a king.

Much like Jesus who made himself of no reputation-- took on the form of a servant, walked among men. Therefore, Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death. There had no relationships, no children born.

Now it came to pass. Here's the heart. In fact, can I say a few things just before we jump in of chapter 7? Chapter 7 is one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible. If you don't understand chapter 7, you will not understand the Bible from here on out. There are certain promises that keep being referred to throughout the whole Bible-- Old and New Testament.

It is a covenant that God makes with David. It's called the Davidic covenant, as was alluded to in the video. Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6-- the prediction of the Messiah-- unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. His name should be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father. Upon the throne of David to order it and to establish it, from this time forth, even forever more-- a promise referring to 2 Samuel 7.

The New Testament opens with a reference to 2 Samuel chapter 7. Matthew chapter 1 verse 1-- the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David. The New Testament ends with the promise referred to in 2 Samuel 7. Revelation 22-- Jesus introduces himself as the bright and morning star, the offspring of David, showing that he is the fulfillment ultimately of the promise that God made to King David,

Let's get into it. Came to pass-- the king was dwelling in his house. The Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around. The king said to Nathan the prophet, see now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwells inside tent curtains. And Nathan said to the king, go do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.

Nathan was a great guy, but like a yes man. I agree with you, King. Right on, bro. Do whatever you want to do. You can just picture the scene. It may have been a rainy evening in Jerusalem. David's in a cedar house. You know what cedar smells like.

Can you imagine a house paneled in cedar like a cedar closet? All your shoes smell good. All your clothes smell good. It's just that aroma. And maybe it's pitter pattering-- the rain's outside, and he hears even some of the rain falling on the tent. And he goes, what's wrong with this picture? An ex-shepherd kid dwelling in a palace? The Ark of God that symbolizes the presence of God with his people is camping out in my backyard.

That's his logic. He's thinking, I got to build got a house-- a temple. Nathan is a prophet, and he goes, hey, do all that is in your heart. Now, Nathan the prophet is wrong here, and God will tell him he's wrong. He's dead wrong.

We must be careful when we counsel people when they have ideas. You don't want to put a wet blanket on an idea birthed by the Holy Spirit. But somebody may have an idea. You just want to make them feel good, and so you give them this emotional boost by saying oh, yeah, man. Whatever you want to do man. Go for it, bro. Be careful.

You should always encourage people. Let's pray about that. Let's wait on God to see if that's what he wants. And yet, I'll admit to you I'd have probably done the same thing Nathan did.

I mean, if someone came up to me and said, Skip, I want to underwrite your entire radio ministry in New York City. OK. I wouldn't even say, well, I'll pray about it. I'd probably just go, well, amen. But I should pray about it, because this isn't God's plan for David's life.

It happened-- verse 4-- that night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, go tell my servant David, thus says the Lord, would you build a house for me to dwell in? That's a good question. OK, you're going to build God a house. How big should it be? How many bedrooms should it be? Big kitchen? Living room?

I mean, Solomon recognized after he builds the temple the heaven of heavens can't contain God, much less this house that I've built. This is sort of a token building for us rather than for God. It reminds us of God rather than God living in it. There is a mistake-- speaking of the church-- that the church building is the house of God.

I remember as a little boy and the church I grew up in. It was a very traditional church, but I couldn't laugh. I couldn't poke my brother. I had to walk slowly. If I walked too loudly-- because of the wood floors in the pews, if I ran, I was dead meat. How dare you run in the house of God, they would say to me.

Now, one day, I thought about that. I thought, this is God's house? He couldn't do better than this? We better take up an offering if this is God's house.

And I've even heard some of these sentiments here when the kids are jumping off the stage or throwing pillows or running in the foyer. They're having fun. They're kids. And I'm thinking, I'm glad they can be in church and grow up thinking, man, I grew up in church, I jumped off the stage, I had a great time, without somebody saying, thou shalt not jump off the stage. This is the house of God.

Newsflash-- this is not the house of God. This is the house of God. You are the house of God. He lives in you. He dwells in people. And God will say more or less the same thing.

Would you build a house for me to dwell in, for I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a Tabernacle. Hey, I've been homeless. I haven't complained. In all the places where I have walked with the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel saying, why have you not built a house of cedar?

You see, God identified with people, not property. The building was never an issue with God. It's nice to have a building. It's nice to have conditioning. Seats are better than asphalt. I agree, no problem, but it is not the issue.

God identified with people, that's why the tent. It could be taken down, it could be set up, it could be moved about. There were people around the tent. God was walking, dwelling, fellowshipping with his people. It wasn't this austere temple.

God said, I've never wanted a big house. I've never complained that I've been in a tent. It is so much like the Lord Jesus, when he came from heaven to the earth, the word became flesh and literally tabernacled amongst us-- pitched his tent of flesh, lowly flesh amongst us-- God identifying with his people.

Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David-- verse 8-- thus says the Lord of Hosts, I took you from the sheepfold-- from following the sheep-- to be ruler over my people over Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off from your enemies from before you and have made you a great name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. Moreover, I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them-- that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more, nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them any more as previously. Since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel and have caused you to rest from your enemies, also the Lord tells you-- here it is-- that he will make you a house.

When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you who will come from your body. And I will establish his kingdom, and he shall build a house for my name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

I will be his father, he will be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men, but my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever according to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

Love this story. Picture it. David fretting, planning, strategizing-- I am going to build God a house. I'm going to make plans for God. God says, Nathan, give this message to David. David, have I got plans for you. Forget the house, David. Forget the temple. Listen to my plans for you.

Now, there is a principle. You cannot out-give God. Whatever you plan to do for God-- in fact, if you think, I am God's gift to the world, I'm going to do some great thing for God, God will have to teach you. Well, you really can't do anything for me. I'm God, remember? Don't need anything.

Like at Christmas-- what do you give to the guy who has everything? What do you give to the God who has everything? Well, you give him yourself in humility. You give him your brokenness. You let him restore you, patch you up, and let God do something for you and through you. And he'll do His work through you, but He'll do the work. I'm going to build you a house, David.

David is thinking of a house literally. God is thinking of a house dynastically-- that is an offspring who will reign over Israel forever. Now, you have to divide this up into two. There is a merging, and I think you caught it on the first read, probably. There's a merging of the immediate future fulfillment and the far off distant fulfillment.

First, God promises that David will have a son. We know his name is Solomon. God says that son will build a temple. If he sins, I'll purge his iniquity. Solomon sinned. He needed that. But Solomon was the one that built God the temple.

Second part of this doesn't refer to Solomon, it refers to the greater son of David as alluded to in the prophecies I mentioned in Isaiah, in Matthew, in Luke, in Revelation-- the Messiah. So we have the son of David-- that is Solomon-- who is an archetype of the greater son of David, and that's the second part of this prediction-- the throne of David, the dynasty of David through the messiah.

The reign of King David was interrupted-- that is, his lineage sat on the throne-- David, Solomon, sons, et cetera. It was interrupted at the Babylonian captivity. It was reinstated in the New Testament when Jesus the Messiah came momentarily to pay for sins and left. And now we're waiting for Jesus to return to fulfill the promises-- to forever and ever sit upon the throne of David in a literal sense, as God promised to Abraham, as God promised to David, et cetera.

For the next five minutes, I need your attention. I need you to think critically with me for a moment. Here's the premise-- if God's plan for the world included the existence of a nation and the continuance of that nation, if you could destroy the nation, you have thwarted God's plan, correct? If God's plan for the world includes the existence of a nation, if you can obliterate that nation, you can thwart God's plan.

Moreover, if that nation is presented for the Messiah to come through, leave, and then come back and rule over, all the more reason to destroy it. Do you remember back in Genesis when Adam and Eve fell? And God said, I will put enmity-- to the serpent, he said-- between you and the woman, between your seat and her seat. And God made a promise. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.

Now, the bruising of the heel is not as big of a deal as the bruising of the head. To bruise one's head is a biblical metaphor for destroying your authority. Somebody is going to come, God said to Satan, and crush your skull-- destroy you. Now, wouldn't you think if somebody made you a promise that I'm going to crush your skull that you would do everything you could to make sure your skull doesn't get crushed?

If the person sitting next to you said, hey, before the night's over, I'm going to crush your skull. God bless you. You think, man, is he serious or she's serious? Gosh, maybe they could do it. I got in the parking lot, he's going to crush my skull. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I don't get my skull-- I'll leave early. I'll run to my car. I'll get somebody to tackle him-- something.

From that promise on, there is an invisible war throughout the Bible. Once you understand this, it changes the whole complexion of scripture. There is a promise that the seed will come to destroy Satan's kingdom. So we see Cain killing Abel-- Satan's first attempt to destroy the seed, the good seed, the righteous seed. Abel is dead. God raises up Seth.

Satan goes on to corrupt the entire world. God sends a flood-- destroys everyone except for one family. Preserves the seed-- Noah and his family repopulate the earth. Later on, Esau tries to kill Jacob. Later on, pharaoh gets this bright idea. Hey, let's kill every male Hebrew child-- every child born, throw it in the river.

Why so gruesome? It was Satan's attempt to control a leader to destroy a people called Israel so that the seed could not come and crush his skull. Haman in Esther decided to put out a decree to kill every Jew-- same thing. Now, as history unfolds, as prophecy unfolds, as God reveals more and more of his plan that the Messiah will come through the tribe of Judah-- the lineage of David-- as that is revealed, Satan's attack is a specified counterattack to kill off David to kill off Judah.

Saul tries to kill David on numerous occasions. Why? Kill David, you kill the line through which the Messiah will come. We don't have time to turn to it, but go home on your own and read 2 Chronicles chapter 21 and 22. You will discover that things get so bad-- don't try to do it now. Things get so bad that one crazy woman-- Athaliah-- destroys all of the royal seed of Judah except one little baby so that the royal line is one baby away from total extinction.

And you see how God preserves all the way through. Then we get to the New Testament. Why does Herod say kill every baby in Bethlehem? You kill every baby in Bethlehem, you're going to get the seed that's going to come through-- as the prophets said-- Bethlehem, David, Judah, and crush my skull. It's this invisible war going on all the way through.

Do you ever wonder when you read the New Testament why there are two genealogies, and they don't match? You read them and go, huh, something's up here. I read Luke's genealogy and Matthew's genealogy, and those guys don't like each other, because they don't agree. That's because one gives the genealogy of Jesus through Mary, one gives the genealogy of Jesus through his foster father Joseph. It is supposed that Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus back to David, starting with Heli, the father-in-law of Mary, going all the way back through to David through Nathan-- another son of David.

Matthew traces Jesus' genealogy-- the royal line-- back to David through Solomon et cetera. Now, you're hearing that going, OK, cool. So what? So what? That solves one of the biggest problems in the Old Testament. Did you know there was a curse put upon the royal line of David-- a blood curse?

Would you turn with me to Jeremiah 22. Hey, even if we don't finish the chapter, this is cool. Well, the curse isn't cool, but how God solves it is cool. Jeremiah 22, verse 24. As I live, says the Lord, though Coniah-- which is another name for Jeconiah, the son of Jehoiachin, the King of Jodah. This is the royal Davidic lineage, right? The dynasty of David.

Were the signet on my right hand, yet I would pluck you off, God said, and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life and into the hand of those whose face you fear-- the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, the hand of the Chaldeans. So I will cast you out, your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born, and there you shall die. But to the land which they desire to return, there you shall not return. Now listen to this poetic curse.

Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? Is he a vessel in which is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, and cast into a land which they do not know? Oh, earth, earth, earth-- solemn oath-- hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord, write this man down childless. A man who shall not prosper in his days, for none of his descendants shall prosper sitting on the throne of David and ruling any more in Judah.

Now that's heavy. That's heavy, and it happened. It was true. after Jeconiah, none of his sons took over. His uncle succeeded him. Well, now we have a problem. We have a blood curse put upon Jeconiah and all of his descendants-- the royal line of David.

Question-- how is the Messiah going to come through the royal line of David if God curses the bloodline? Answer-- heaven virgin born so that you can trace David's legal right to the throne through his foster father Joseph, and you can trace Joseph's lineage right back to David through Jeconiah all the way through Solomon. He has the dynastic legal right to the throne.

Oh, but the bloodline is cursed. That's OK. He has the legal right based upon Joseph, but Joseph isn't his real father. Holy Spirit conceived in the womb with Mary. So by having him born of a virgin-- and Mary's lineage does go back to David, but around Jeconiah, skipping Jeconiah, skipping Solomon, going another route through Nathan, and then up to David. He has the blood line of David, but not the cursed legal bloodline of David. He has the right to rule dynastically, but he's virgin born, so he escapes the blood curse.

So God cursed the line and got around his own curse by having the Messiah born of a virgin. Isn't that cool? It solves a huge problem. It's a problem that no Jew today can solve by taking a natural lineage course. It absolutely necessitates the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

Now, David didn't understand all that at the time. He just heard God say, you're going to have a son. He's going to rule. But I'm going to establish the throne forever, forever. And when Jesus comes again, he will occupy that throne in the millennial kingdom.

We have time just to finish up a few of these verses and close. David has a very natural response. King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me this far? And yet, this was a small thing in your sight, O Lord God, and you have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come. Is this a manner of man, O Lord God?

And what more can David say to you? For you, Lord God, know your servant. For your word's sake, and according to your own heart, you have done all these great things to make your servant know them. He's overwhelmed. He is speechless. I don't deserve it, God.

And that's the best way to approach God when he gives you a blessing, instead of it's about time God. I've been praying for this for a long time. I've been faithful. You know what the best approach is? Oh, Lord. I deserve hell. You've saved me, and I'm alive right now. You've blessed me. Look what you've entrusted to me.

1 John 3-- behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God. And then he goes on to say, not only are we that, but what God has for us in the future hasn't been revealed until Jesus comes. God's plan for you includes your past, your present, and your future-- package deal. So he prays, and he thanks God in verse 28.

And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. And you have promised this goodness to your servant, now therefore let it please you to bless the house of your servant that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with your blessing let the house of your servant be blessed forever.

I like this guy. True humility, not false humility. You know what false humility is? If God says, I'm going to do this for you-- oh, no, no. David said, I don't deserve it. I can't believe it. I'm speechless. OK, God, bless me. Bless me.

You promised that you would, I trust that you will. I ask you to do it. I rest upon what you said. If you said you're going to do it, you're going to do it. Thank you. Go for it.

How do you treat the promises of God? Well, I underline them in yellow. OK. That's cool. Take it another step. Stand on them.

If God has spoken something to you, as simple as for God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life-- stand on that. Step out on that. Grab a hold of that. That's your lifeline.

Man who wrote the email-- they said I'm going to hell. Jesus said, if you believe in me, you'll have everlasting life. If you believe in Jesus Christ tonight, right now, right here, and you cling to Him, and you call upon Him, you'll have everlasting life if you believe-- rest on his promises. Abraham believed God. Moses believed God. David believed God. Do you believe God?

Lord, so many promises fill your word-- even this amazing covenant promise-- that eventually will come one who will establish the throne forever and ever and ever. That means Jesus must come and must rule in Jerusalem from Mount Zion over the house of Israel to fulfill your promise to David and Abraham. Lord, you've made so many promises to us, and not one of them has failed.

Tonight, it may be, Lord, that you are making a new promise to someone who has never truly trusted in you before. They have been religious. They have been spiritual-- believing somewhat that God exists, that church is probably a good thing to go to. All of that, short of a surrender, short of what Jesus said must be done before we can enter heaven. And that is we must be born again-- a new birth, a spiritual awakening.

And that comes, Lord, as we understand your word by receiving the free gift that comes through the one Jesus who paid for our sins on the cross so that we might come into your presence freely. Lord, some of these we've prayed for for a long time-- they're husbands, they're wives, they're children, they're parents, they're friends, even boyfriends or girlfriends, cousins. We've prayed for them. They're here, Lord, tonight, right now. And they're sensing that you love them, and that you're making promises that they need to stand on, and I pray they would.

And as we're praying right now for people around this auditorium, if you're gathered here tonight, and you've not surrendered your life to Christ-- or maybe you did a long time ago, you made some decision as a child and you never really followed Christ, you just made that childlike decision. But you want to come back home to Him and really give your life to Him. You're ready to surrender tonight. You're ready to repent of your sin-- to turn it all over to Him and to follow Jesus.

And if you mean business with God, He'll mean business with you. If you come to Him, Jesus said He won't cast you out. He'll receive you. But you must come, you must believe, you must reach out to Him, because he's already made the first move.

If you want that-- if you want to do that, if you want to receive forgiveness and everlasting life, it won't be forced on you, but you have the opportunity. As we're praying, I want you to raise your hand up. And keep it up in the air so I can notice your hand, and I'll pray for you as we close.

Additional Messages in this Series

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2/5/2003
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2 Samuel 1-3
2 Samuel 1-3
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2/12/2003
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2 Samuel 3-6
2 Samuel 3-6
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2/26/2003
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2 Samuel 8-10
2 Samuel 8-10
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3/5/2003
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2 Samuel 11
2 Samuel 11
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3/12/2003
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2 Samuel 12
2 Samuel 12
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3/26/2003
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2 Samuel 12-13
2 Samuel 12-13
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4/2/2003
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2 Samuel 13:19-14:33
2 Samuel 13:19-14:33
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4/9/2003
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2 Samuel 15-17
2 Samuel 15-17
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4/23/2003
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2 Samuel 18-19:2
2 Samuel 18-19:2
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4/30/2003
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2 Samuel 19-20
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5/21/2003
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2 Samuel 21-22
2 Samuel 21-22
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5/28/2003
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2 Samuel 23-24
2 Samuel 23-24
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There are 12 additional messages in this series.
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