Sermon Central
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When God Says "No” Series
Contributed by Doug Johnston on Jan 2, 2002 (message contributor)
Summary: When God tells us "no" to one of our requests, it does not mean He does not care for us, it usually means He has something else for us
And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee,
which shall proceed out of thy bowels,
and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build an house for my name,
and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
Things for David were as good as they might ever be:
-He was king over the entire nation
-He had established a new capital, “the city of David”
-He could sit at home in the evening with family and friends
-He had a new close spiritual advisor, the prophet Nathan
-He was living in a time of peace everywhere (7:1)
David began to dream. Dreams are usually:
-Noble
-Great resolves
-Idealistic
-Goal-driven.
David talked to his prophet friend, Nathan. Nathan said yes, God is with you (7:3). But, God told David “no,” he would not build (1 Chronicles 17:3-4). Nathan was wrong at first.
It’s hard to know what God wants. It’s even harder when God says you can’t have what you want.
Even though God said “no:"
-He reminded David how precious he was (7:8-9)
-He did not reject David, just re-direct him
-He left David where he placed him: as a soldier, not temple-builder
For us:
+When God says “no,” it often means He has a better way. We need to support it.
+My best reaction is cooperation and humility
