David
The character of the servant king
Last time- How to respond to difficult times
* Winston Churchill’s ever patient wife told him that him that loosing the election immediately after the war might be a blessing in disguise.
* His response was ’at the moment its certainly very well disguised’
* But a few months later saw it differently ’I feel a great sense of relief...others having to face the hideous problems of the aftermath..it may all indeed be ’a blessing in disguise’’
* Trust in God and Keep your powder dry
The character of the servant King
* As a humble man David surrounded himself with wise advisors- not a know it all!
* He genuinely served the people rather than serving himself
The character of the King
* "The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from my guilt. So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight." (Psalm 18:20-24, ESV)
The character of the king
* David had a relationship with God
* He loved the Law
* Law keeping that comes from relationship is there in both Testaments
* We mustn’t work to please God, but we should keep the law because we know God is already pleased with us
* "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you." John Owen
Loving the law
* Ps 19:7ff "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Loving the law
* Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
(Psalm 19:7-14, ESV)
Attitudes to the Law
• The puritans describe the law as ’the needle that draws the gospel thread’ Samuel Bolton
• Wycliffe- The highest service to which a man may attain on earth is to preach the law of God
• Wesley ’I suggest preaching nine tenths law and one tenth grace’
• Finney ’Failure to use the law is almost certain to result in false hope, the introduction of a false standard of Christian experience and to fill the church with false converts.’
• Bunyan ’The man who does not know the nature of the law cannot know the nature of sin’
Attitudes to the Law
• Luther ’The first duty of the gospel preacher is to declare Gods law and to show the nature of sin’
• Spurgeon ’They will never accept grace till they tremble before a just and holy law’
• Piper ’The quickest way to the heart is through a wound’
• BUT Print on a page can never make us holy on its own!
The problem with the Law is US
* God’s law is perfect, but we are not!
* If you are a legalist you will always struggle with pride or condemnation
• "Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian," (Galatians 3:23-25, ESV)
• The law shows us what sin is like, what God is like and what we are like!
Life changing Grace
* Je 31:31-34 “This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.
* True freedom comes from a genuine understanding of the grace of God, this leads to a welling up of grateful love for God and others and change that comes from within
* When we are given something we don’t deserve it prompts us to respond appropriately.
* We almost incidentally fulfil the law as it is now written on our heart
Life changing grace
* We study the law to establish its values and principles, not legalistically
* Biblical principles applied with Godly wisdom and the leading of The Spirit are our guide, not ever more detailed human laws to protect Biblical ones
* NO church ’book of rules’
Fulfilling the law
* Not simply religious obedience
* Rather obedience from the heart
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40, ESV)
Both of the above are direct quotes from the OT Law
Jesus lay down his self
* Are YOU self conscious?
* self indulgence, self sufficiency self importance, self righteousness, selfish gain, self confidence, self assertiveness self love, self pity, self worth, self centred, self destructive, self actualisation
Our ministry is not for us
* Jesus lay down his very self for us so now we should lay down our selves for others
* Love is all about give and give not give and take
* Sacrifice of yourself for others is rewarding- we were made for it!
* Our ’calling’ is Where your deep gladness and the worlds deep hunger meet
All ministry in the church requires love (cf Eph 4)
* Pastors love Christians
* Teachers love books
* Evangelists love non-Christians
* Prophets love God
* Apostles love the Church
* They all do this so WE can learn to love everyone!
* You can’t say I don’t love God, only books….!
In conclusion (for now….)
* ‘Love God, and do what you please’ Augustine
* Being at peace rather than angry that we didn’t get our own way is the secret to a happy life
* Trusting God to fight our battles for us and letting him has his way in our lives is for out good
* What really matters is how you are when things are not going your way
* Why should a servant of God complain?
