“SEIZE THE MOMENT!” 1 Chronicles 29
FBCF – 10/20/24
Jon Daniels
INTRO – Sermon about sacrifice – Anyone ever been to Mt. Rushmore? 4 faces – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, & Teddy Roosevelt. TR most known for the “Rough Riders.” When everyone else was reluctant to take San Juan Hill in Spanish-American War, TR took charge. Seized the moment, charged up the hill leading his men & sealed his place in American leadership & his place on Mt. Rushmore.
When you look at biblical characters, King David certainly rises to the top as another pivotal person in human history – a man of passion, of victory, of defeat, whose life reminds us of the powerful influence of leadership & sacrifice. At a crucial moment in the history of God’s people, David seized the moment, stepped forward, & made a significant gift that led many others to do the same.
Some folks are timid & hesitant, who wait for just the right moment before taking the step of faith. Everything must be just right for them. Every question must be answered. Circumstances must be perfect. If everything is OK, then & only then will these folks move forward.
Then there are folks who recognize significant moments, windows of opportunity, those “once in a lifetime moments.” Don’t wait for perfection. They know & understand that it takes faith to step forward & they do it!
FBCF is facing such “once in a lifetime” moment. God is working in our lives, in our church, & in our community! It’s an important moment in the life of our church as each of us is being challenged step out in faith for the growth of the K’dom work that FBCF is called to do in this community & in our world. Let’s look at this text & see how God moved in David’s life & how it applies to us today.
APPLICATION: At the strategic moment, God’s people seize the moment & step out in faith-filled sacrifice.
1 Chronicles 29 (p. 356) – 3 statements of sacrifice:
SACRIFICE BEGINS WITH A VISION – We must have a vision for God’s work. After King David had conquered his enemies & brought peace & prosperity to God’s people, his mind turned to building the house of God.
- Heb word for “David” suggests someone who seethes or boils w/ passion. There was nothing half-hearted about this man! He was a man after God’s own heart & passionately desired to obey God & experience His work in his life. He desperately desired for the people to experience all that God had for them to experience.
God had told David that he could not actually build the temple b/c he was a man of war (28:2-3). His son, Solomon, would actually see that the temple was built.
- Even though he would not see temple built, still had the vision to make provision for the house of God. What happened in God’s house passionately mattered to David!
v. 1 – David’s motive was pure. If the temple had been a monument to David & his accomplishments, or to the nation of Israel, the motive would have been impure & unworthy. But the motive was pure. The sacrifice was made not “for man but for the Lord God.”
What about our motive for this sanctuary? Our motive must not be to honor an individual or a group of people. Our motive must not be to make a statement about our church culturally, socially, or economically.
The only right & true motive for our sacrificial giving must be to honor & glorify God & God alone! – NOT “Look @ us” but “Look @ GOD!”
- We will give sacrificially so that the name of God will be lifted up, the love of God will be shown & shared, the Word of God will be taught & preached, & by God’s GRACE, the church of God will be built.
- When the sounds of this church FAMILY worshiping the Lord Jesus echoes inside the walls of a sanctuary; when the sounds of joyful fellowship among the people of God is heard inside the foyer of a sanctuary; when the sound of the Gospel being shared w/ someone inside a sanctuary; when the sounds of the truths of the Word of God being taught in Life Groups; when the sounds of children & youth & adults of all ages & families gathering to lift up the name of Jesus; when the sounds of the church rejoicing together raises the roof off a sanctuary; it will be b/c of our vision to honor & exalt God & God alone!
Look at how David stepped out in faith. First, he made regular, planned gifts to the vision – v. 2 – But he took another step. He went above & beyond w/ a very personal, additional gift – v. 3
- Heb for “treasure” – segullah – a treasure of incredible importance – “personal treasures” (NIV) – “private treasures” (NLT)
- “Furthermore, because my heart is in this, in addition to and beyond what I have gathered, I’m turning over my personal fortune of gold and silver for making this place of worship for my God” (MSG).
- Even though he owned all the land, kept a treasure box, a personal security against unexpected hard times – his safety net. Bet some of you have one.
- When he gave his segullah to God’s work, he forfeited his personal security. Willing to risk his material well-being in the future for the work of God in the present.
- In the face of this “once in a lifetime” opportunity, this great giver became an even greater giver. What an example of faith he set for the people & for us!
SACRIFICE CONTINUES WITH A RESPONSE – A leader IS a leader b/c people respond. John Maxwell: “He that thinketh that he leadeth & hath no one following him is only taking a walk.”
David’s leadership gift to God’s work was astounding in its quantities: 190 tons of gold & 375 tons of silver – worth $17.3 billion today. His gift stirred the people’s hearts. After he gave his gift, issued challenge – v. 5
- “And now, how about you? Who among you is ready and willing to join in the giving?” (MSG)
Response of the people was joyful & generous – v. 6.
- All the other leaders responded & seized the moment to give above & beyond – v. 6
- Then the people responded by giving above & beyond – v. 9 – “Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.”
Strong sense of unity characterized the giving by the people of God here.
- Few churches can depend on the giving of a few wealthy members. Takes all of us giving faithfully.
- As we consider the challenge of building a new sanctuary, it will take every member of every level of income coming forward to seize the moment.
Outside San Francisco, unusual forest called Muir Woods – national park of coastal redwood trees. Unlike giant sequoias that have deep roots. For these 1000 yr-old trees to stand, their roots must intertwine. Each massive tree stands b/c its roots are wound together w/ the roots of the trees next to it. They literally hold each other up.
- Same is true in the church. Hold each other up in so many ways. We each do our part in every area of the church. Each small contribution is important in the bigger picture.
- Percussionist in an orchestra. Waits beside his instrument, the triangle, throughout most of the symphony until precisely the right moment when he is called upon to play his tiny instrument. At that moment, no other instrument can provide what his provides. It takes all the instruments, large & small to make the symphony a beautiful musical creation.
- Giving to God’s work is like that. May think that your small tithe doesn’t make a difference. You may think that your sacrificial gift to “Immeasurably More” is nothing more than a small “ping.” But it’s not the amt that is given that’s important – it’s the significance of the sacrifice – “Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.” When we ALL seek the heart of God & sacrifice as HE leads, then HE will do unbelievable things in our midst – “immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine!”
SACRIFICE RESULTS IN PRAISE – Look what happened in response to their sacrificial giving – v. 10-13 – In our day when so many are so focused on themselves & what’s “mine”, the praise of this congregation corrects that focus. Notice focus of their praise – NOT “Look @ what we’ve done…or what we’ve built…or what we have now.” Passionate praise grows out of serious sacrifice!
- Bumper sticker: “Honk if you love Jesus.” Someone else: “Tithe if you love Jesus. Any goose can honk!”
Imagine taking the high road of personal sacrifice, so much so that our lifestyles change, but we get to see the “immeasurably more” things that God can & will do?
- For the next 3 yrs, are we willing to give sacrificially so that GOD will be praised & exalted, even if it means a change in our lifestyles?
- Are we willing to postpone or alter our vacation plans...willing to postpone the purchase of that new car or truck – or if we absolutely must have one, willing to buy a used one…wait on that new hunting lease? Are we willing to eat a few more PB&J or tomato sandwiches at home?
Faith-based giving places us in a position of humility & dependence on God, the place we should live anyhow. It’s from this position that we can truly praise God, worship God, & recognize who we are & who He is.
V. 14 – key verse – Instead of “Who are they down at the church to ask me for money?”, we should ask “Who am I?” like David asked in v. 14.
- “But who am I, & who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, & we have given you only what comes from your hand.” (NIV)
- Our perspective changes when we view sacrificial giving as an act of praise & worship of our Lord!
We are transient people – v. 15 – “Our days on earth are like a shadow” – This opportunity for praise-filled faith-filled giving is limited to our life on earth.
CONCLUSION – This “seize the moment” challenge before us is b/c FBCF is alive! Another church was in a similar place. One of its members complained to a friend that church was always asking for money & continued to criticize the church. His friend told a story. Friend had a son. During the pregnancy, $ was spent fixing up the nursery at home. $ spent on prenatal dr visits, then on the delivery of boy. Dr sent a bill, so did hospital. Boy started school & more $ spent. Boy entered teen yrs & $ need increased dramatically…$ for a car, insurance, sports equipment for teams he was on, etc. Then college required most $ of all.
Then friend said, “Then my son died in an accident. Now he doesn’t cost us anything. He cost us $ b/c he was alive. So is your church.”
FBCF is alive!!! In a day when some churches are deciding to close down buildings b/c of lack of use, we are in need of more space. Just heard of 2 churches in area in the process of closing their doors & another in south MS that’ closing. In a day when some churches are not even attempting to reach their communities w/ the Gospel, we are praying “God give us Flora!” In a day when some churches are immovable & unwilling to make changes necessary to reach this generation for Christ, we are facing those decisions w/ courage & faith, even when it brings uncomfortable change into our lives.
We need to give sacrificially b/c we are alive! This church has had a vision for a long time for a new sanctuary to be used for God’s K’dom work here in this community & beyond. Will we be like David & the people of God & rise to the challenge & seize the moment? Just imagine what the praise & worship that will result from this God-sized work will be like! It will be unlike any other time ever in the 137-yr history of this great church as God alone does His “immeasurably more” work in & through us by HIS power & for HIS glory!
So, FBCF, we’ve got to decide: Is THIS the moment that we “seize the moment”?
