Illus: This reminds us of the young male clerk who was working at a department store's fabric counter. A very pretty girl said to the young male clerk, "I want to buy this material for a new dress. How much will this fabric cost?"
He smilingly said, "Only a kiss a yard!”
"That's fine," replied the girl. "I'll take ten yards."
With expectation and anticipation showing all over his face, the young clerk hurriedly measured out ten yards and wrapped the fabric up, then held it out and puckered up for ten big kisses.
The beautiful girl took the package, smiled a big smile at him and then pointed to an old man with tobacco juice running out of the side of his mouth, and said, "Grandpa will pay the bill! Goodbye!"
Not only will words get us in trouble, sometimes people use them to avoid doing something they do not want to do.
Illus: Did you hear about the little girl, Peggy Ann McKay? She said, "I cannot go to Sunday School today:
I have the mumps
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry
I'm going blind in my right eye
I’ve got the measles, I am covered with sores
I've counted sixteen. And there's one more - that's seventeen
And don't you think my face looks green
My leg is cut, my eyes are blue
I'm sure that my left leg is broke
My hip hurts when I move my chin
My belly button’s caving in
My back is sprained and pains each time it rains
My nose is cold, my toes are numb
I have a pain in my thumb
My neck is stiff, my spine is weak
I hardly whisper when I speak
My tongue is filling up my mouth
I think my hair is falling out
My elbow's bent - my spine ain't straight
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear
There is a hole inside my ear
And my heart is-
...WHAT?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is...Saturday? I thought it was Sunday,
I'm going out to play!"
Someone said that the most difficult word for us to understand seems to be the small word “No”. It certainly is a word our children have a hard time understanding.
Someone else said that by the time we are five years of age, we have heard the word “No” 40,000 times. But not only do children have a hard time understanding this little word, so do we adults.
It is a very important word in our vocabulary.
• We teach our pets the meaning of the word “No”.
• We quickly learned its meaning as toddlers when we reached for mom or dad's car keys.
• First Lady Nancy Reagan used the word “No” to build and entire national anti-drug campaign.
It has become a very important word in our vocabulary. Even though it is a two letter word, we need to learn how to use it regularly:
• We need to learn to use the word “No” when the boss man tries to make us work on Sunday, and squeeze God out of our lives.
• Young ladies need to learn how to say “No” when a boy gets out of line on a date.
• We need to learn to use the word “No” when Satan tries to tempt us to do evil.
The word “No” is not only a word we use, but it is often a word that God uses in dealing with His children.
There are times when God tell Christians “Yes,” and we certainly like it when He does. But it does not take us long to get bent out of shape when God says, “No” to something we want to do!
But before you are too hard on yourself for being like this, we find that even that great servant David was in a similar situation. David wanted to do something great for God, but God said "No!"
Let’s look at this passage of Scripture in our text. One of the things that we see is David’s -
I. GREAT AWARENESS
Look at verses 1-2, we read, “And it came to pass, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest round about from all his enemies; That the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.”
David’s attitude toward the things of God show that he was a man that really loved the Lord. He lived in a nice cedar house, and it bothered him that the house of God was in temporary quarters, in no more than a tent.
He had fought many wars, but it was a peaceful time among God’s people, and he felt it would be a good time to build a temple for the God He loved.
But David did not just do things spasmodically. His good friend Nathan, the prophet, was very close, and he decided he would bounce this idea off him and see what He thought about it.
Look at Nathan’s reply in verse 3, we read, “And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.”
Nathan's response after hearing about King David’s desire to build a temple for God was, "Sound's good to me! Go for it! God is with you."
There was nothing wrong with David's desire. Nathan could see the value of a permanent house for God. But Nathan gave his approval based on what sounded good. And so many times what sounds good is not always what God would have us do.
Certainly if Nathan had sought God before he gave his approval, he would not have done such a thing. But we can see how and why it was easy for Nathan to approve of such a good idea. People who love God, also love the HOUSE OF GOD!
Illus: We can go off on vacation and see all kinds of beautiful things, but we do not have to be gone too many days, and we begin to feel that longing in our heart to get back to our homes.
And I believe the same can be said for the children of God, they might have to miss church every now and then, but there is a longing to get back to our Father’s house (church).
David certainly was AWARE OF GOD’S HOUSE, and based on his ability to do it, he wanted to build a permanent house for the Lord.
• It was a time of peace and the time was right
• He had the resources and he could do it
SO WHY NOT DO IT?
We looked at David’s GREAT AWARENESS, now let’s look at-
II. GOD'S ANSWER
When Nathan got home that evening, in the stillness of the night God spoke to him. We live in a noisy world, and it is difficult sometimes for us to hear the still, small, voice of God from within, because of the noise that surrounds our life.
When people go home today, many times they go to a noisy home. Outside noise and inside noise has invaded their homes, and you can almost bet the television is playing in one room loud enough so you can hear it in the next area code, and the radio is on in the next. It is difficult for God to speak to us today in this noisy world in which we live.
We live in a noisy world and this noise pollution is a greater problem then most folks realize. While many are aware of the dangers of AIR POLLUTION and WATER POLLUTION, they are not aware of the danger of NOISE POLLUTION.
For example, it has been proven that noise can affect human health and well-being in a number of ways, such as:
• Annoyance reaction
• Sleep disturbance
• Interference with communication
• Performance effects
• Effects on social behavior and hearing loss
Illus: The AEC (Australian Environment Council 1988) research reports the effects of noise on human health. It has caused many people to rely on sedatives and sleeping pills.
Also, their research has shown that exposure to noise is also associated with a range of possible physical effects including: colds, changes in blood pressure, other cardiovascular changes, increased general medical practice attendance, problems with the digestive system and general fatigue.
There is fairly consistent evidence that prolonged exposure to noise levels at or above 80 dB(A) can cause deafness. The amount of deafness depends upon the degree of exposure.
We are paying a tremendous price PHYSICALLY and SPIRITUALLY for all the noise pollution that we are plagued with each day.
One result is that people can not hear the voice of God any more, because they do not have a “Quiet Place” to sit at the feet of Jesus and have Him to speak to them.
Illus: When our young people are not listening to television, they walk around with radio headphones pumping stuff in their ears. WHEN CAN GOD SPEAK TO THEM IF THEY DO NOT HAVE A QUIET TIME?
During the days that Nathan lived here on earth, he did not have these distractions, and in the stillness of his home, God spoke to Nathan and he heard him speak.
Look at verse 4-5, we read, “And it came to pass that night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying, Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?”
In verses 6-10, God told Nathan to tell David how good He had been to him, and how proud He was of His service, and tell him HE WOULD BUILD HIM AN HOUSE THAT WOULD BE LONG REMEMBERED!
Look at verse 11, we read, “And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.”
David was not going to build the house, but God would allow his Son Solomon to do that. Look at verses 12-13, we read, “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.”
As great a prophet of God as Nathan was, he messed up. Most likely when he got alone with God, and the excitement of being within the King’s palace diminished, then God could speak to him. And he had to go back to King David and say, “Ooops! I was wrong, God said “No” to your plans for building Him an house.”
One of the hardest things to do sometimes is to admit that we are wrong. Our pride keeps us from being humble enough to say, "I blew it. I was wrong." Making a mistake can be a terrible thing in our life, and most of us have made our share.
Illus: Let me show you some of the mistakes that people have made in sending out their resume?s.
These are from actual resume?s:
• "I am extremely loyal to my present firm, so please don't let them know of my immediate availability."
• "Note: Please don't misconstrue my 14 jobs as 'job-hopping'. I have never quit a job."
•“Here are my qualifications for you to overlook."
People have messed up big time in many ways.
Illus: Did you hear about the Irishman that applied for an engineering position at an Irish firm based in Dublin. An American applied for the same job, and both applicants, having the same qualifications, were asked to take a test by the department manager. They were put in the same room side by side to take the test, and the American finished first and the Irishman finished only a few moments later. Upon completion of the test, both men had only missed one of the questions on the test. Both had the same nine correct, but the both missed the same question. The manager went to them after grading the tests and said, "Thanks to both of you for your interest, but we've decided to give the American the job." The Irishman said, "And why would you be doing that? We both got 9 questions correct. This being Ireland and me being Irish, I should get the job!" The manager replied, "We have made our decision not on the correct answers, but on the question you missed." "And just how would one incorrect answer be better than the other?" asked the big Irishman. The manager replied, "Simple. The American put down for question five, 'I don't know.' You put down, 'Neither do I.'"
But the test of a good man is that when he is proven to be wrong, he will admit it! Nathan was wrong about the advice he had given David, and he admitted it. He went back to King David and said, “I made a mistake, God said, “No!”
WHY WOULDN’T GOD LET HIM DO IT?
It was not God’s plan for David to build Him a temple, God’s plan for him was to lead God’s people into many wars, until all the heathen were cleaned out of the land.
We have looked at David’s GREAT AWARENESS, and GOD’S ANSWER. But let’s now look at-
III. GOD'S ALTERNATIVE
Look at 2 Samuel 7:5-13, we read, “Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? Whereas I have not dwelt in any house since the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle. In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar? Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in 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; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house. 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.”
Notice, it is not God’s plan for a temple not to be built, it just simply was not God’s plan for David to build the temple.
Nathan was to tell David that God will raise up one of his sons and he will sit on the throne and God will allow him to build a temple.
David was told later by God that because he was a soldier, a man of blood, he would not be allowed to build the temple.
Look at 1 Chronicles 22:8-10, we read, “But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight. Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever.”
When God says "no" to something we want to do, it would do us well to remember all the ways God has blessed us and has used us.
In verses 8-9, David was to realize just how much God had blessed Him. God had taken him from being a humble shepherd to being a great king with a great name. David was being blessed of God, in spite of the fact that God did not want him to build a temple.
Also, remember that God has different jobs for each of us. God allowed Solomon to build the temple. God gifted him in such a way when it came to building, that the temple was such a magnificent structure, that even today it is one of the marvels of architectural design.
We need to remember that God will not give us every job. He has not qualified us for every job. But whatever job God has given us, we should do well for Him.
Look at 1 Peter 4:10, we read, “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Listen,:
• Everyone can not teach a Sunday School class, but if God has gifted you to teach, you ought to use all the skills God has given you to teach, and build that Sunday School Class for the Lord.
• Everyone can not sing, but if God has gifted you to sing, you ought to use this gift to glorify the Lord, and come to choir practice and be the best singer you can be.
• Everyone can not drive a church bus, but if God has gifted you to do this you ought to make time to visit absentees, and make time to recruit new folks to ride your bus.
• Everyone can not give large amounts of money, but if God has blessed you with an income so you can give, you ought to do all that you can to promote the Lord’s work with this gift.
David was a man of war, and God did not want him to build a temple. But Solomon was an architectural genius, and God gifted him to build the temple.
IV. GREAT ACCEPTANCE
In verses 18-29, we see that David accepted the will of God for his life. But he not only accepted God’s Will, David accepted God's plan for his life with joy. David was overwhelmed with what he had been told. He saw that what he was given was by the grace of God, and he was grateful.
Look at verses 18-22, we read, “Then went king David in, and sat before the LORD, and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant. For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”
Conclusion:
David was allowed to focus on what he had, and not on what he didn't get.
Now, I don't know what God has said "no" to you about, but we have to always remember, He knows best.
But I do know that He has a plan to use you in His way. Why not ask God to show you what it is, and accept it, even if it was not what you planned on. Maybe God will let you prepare or help someone who will fulfill the dreams that you have had, but God has said "no" to.
I. GREAT AWARENESS
II. GOD'S ANSWER
III. GOD'S ALTERNATIVE
IV. GREAT ACCEPTANCE
