THE FORWARD WALK – PART TEN
“THE WALK OF PRAISE”
I CHRONICLES 28-29 - ©LARRY L. THOMPSON (2003)
In this next to the last message from the sermon series “The Forward Walk,” I will share with you from 1 Chronicles 28 and 29 on the subject of “The Walk of Praise: The Celebration of Obedience by God’s People to our Great Jehovah!”
In this great passage we find King David eagerly desiring to build a great temple for the glory of God. God said no. David was a man of war and God would not allow him to build the temple, but he would allow David’s son Solomon to do so. However, God would give David the plans for the building and plans to raise the money. So David did obediently went to work.
I. THE PLAN OF GOD
a. God’s Plan for the Foundation
The plans for the temple were given to David by God Himself, including the details of construction and the furnishings. God is a God of planning, and we should plan as well. I’m reminded of a little story Jesus told in the 14th chapter of Luke: “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’” I am proud of the leaders of this church in that they have always been deliberate and thorough. They have planned with an eye to the future, and in my opinion that is one of the reasons why God’s blessing has continued upon us.
The purpose of a House of God was made perfectly clear when David said, “This palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.” Likewise, our goal in expanding our facilities is not to build a monument; it is not to have the biggest church in South Florida; it is not to outdo the Mormon Tabernacle in aesthetics. It is to build a place where God can be worshiped as fully as He deserves, and where He is honored through our evangelism, discipleship and fellowship.
b. God’s Plan for the Funding
Then at the beginning of chapter 29 David reveals his simple plan to pay for the house of God. He declared his giving first, then the leaders declared theirs, and finally the people gave. David gave over $2 billion and the leaders about $4 billion. Now these figures boggle our minds, but we have to understand that this was a project undertaken by a whole nation. There were certainly more leaders in Israel than there are in this church, and they had deeper pockets than we have. What we want to learn from their example is not how much they gave, but that they gave willingly.
Verse 9 shares the people’s response, “The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly.” A few verses later we see that the people gave the rest of what was needed, apparently more than the King and more than their leaders, for the eventual cost of the temple was in the neighborhood of $12-16 billion.
II. THE PATTERN FOR GIVING
Now the pattern David set out here for raising the money for the temple is the pattern we have adopted for the building of the Community Life Center. Someone asked me this week, if we did it the way Israel did it, then the Pastor should have declared his giving first, followed by the leaders, followed by the people. Well, I thought about that, but then I concluded that it is not the Pastor who is parallel to King David, but rather the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one who inherited the throne of David for ever and ever. Now did He ever declare His giving to us? He certainly did. Consider these verses: “God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son.” “Every good and perfect gift is from above.” “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.”
The leaders of our church understand the biblical pattern for giving and are preparing this week to make a faith based commitment to give what God has commanded them to give over a three year period that commences on June 1, 2003. Our leaders will have that opportunity to lead with their commitment this Friday evening at the Leadership Rally with John Maxwell. Our people will then have the opportunity to follow the example of our leaders and making your commitment next Sunday morning.
I do believe that no organization will rise corporately any higher than the level of commitment that is illustrated in the life of their leaders. David did make his commitment known and it was an encouragement to the other leaders and to the people. Today, after weeks of prayer I will tell you that Cynthia and I are making a commitment of giving one year’s salary over the course of the next three years. I am praying that God will allow us to give even more and we trust Him for the ability to see that desire become a reality.
III. THE PRAISE FOR HIS GLORY
“David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, ‘Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. {11} Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. {12} Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. {13} Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
{14} ‘But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. {15} We are aliens and strangers in your sight, as were all our forefathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope. {16} O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you. {17} I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.
{18} ‘O LORD, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you. {19} And give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees and to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.’
{20} Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Praise the LORD your God.’ So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king. {21} The next day they made sacrifices to the LORD and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. {22} They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the LORD that day.
Having seen the plan, the purpose, and the payment for a House of God, we now find David rendering praise for the God of this Great Structure that would be dedicated to His glory and honor.
The last phrase of verse 9 says that “David the king also rejoiced greatly.” He rejoiced at the giving of the leaders and the people, but he didn’t praise the people, nor did he praise the leaders; he certainly didn’t praise himself. He praised God. There are not many passages in the Bible that can hold a candle to this one as a tribute to our great God. If you’ve spent much time in the Psalms, you shouldn’t be surprised that the author of most of the Psalms is the same one who penned this great poem about the nature and character of God. Three great divine attributes of praise that burst forth from this text.
OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL. (10) He is God from everlasting to everlasting. His history of faithfulness goes back to Moses and Joshua, who led the Jewish people from Egypt to the promised land some 400 years earlier. It goes back a full millennium before David to the patriarchs--Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph--men from pagan stock who were called out to be a people of God. It goes back to time updatable when Enoch walked with God and Noah experienced His grace at a time when God decided to bring unprecedented judgment upon the human race because of their sin. Through generations of homelessness and slavery and war God remained faithful to His people, from everlasting to everlasting.
You know, we worship the same God today. We who are gathered here today represent but a minuscule part of the people of God worldwide (and we’re even a tiny portion of the people of God in South Florida). But we have been the recipients of many evidences of the faithfulness of God. His fingerprints are all over this church.
OUR GOD SOVEREIGN. (11) How could God’s sovereignty be expressed in any more profound way than it is here in verse 11? Look at the terminology David uses: greatness, power, glory, majesty, and splendor. There are no words in the Hebrew language that surpass the words used here as descriptive of God’s sovereignty. He is Lord over everything in heaven and earth; He is head over all.
OUR GOD BENEVOLENT. (12) Consider your net worth. Where did it come from? Think about your home, your cars, your savings, your job, your health, your furniture, your clothes, your collections, your memorabilia, your trophies, your degrees, your children. Where did it all come from? To the extent that we enjoy wealth and honor and strength, we owe it all to God. As David put it, “Wealth and honor come from you.” I think of the words of Andre Crouch’s song, “My Tribute.”
“How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved, yet You GIVE to prove Your love for me.
The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude--All that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.”
You say, “But wait a minute, I work hard for everything I have. My beautiful home, my high-paying job, my athletic trophies, my bank account--these are the result of hard work, astute investments, shrewd planning, and carefully cultivated relationships.”
“Have you seen the TV ad with Emmitt Smith, the star running back of the world champion Dallas Cowboys, in which he says, “All men are created equal; some just work harder in the preseason”? Friends, don’t believe it. There are a thousand other factors that determine one’s success in life. If Emmitt had been born of the Hutu tribe in Rwanda, how much would his hard work count for? If Carl Sagan had been born with Downs Syndrome, how much would his mental effort count for? If Shaquille O’Neal had been born vertically challenged, how much fame would his athletic skill bring him? If Chuck Swindoll had been born with a cleft palate, how much would his brilliant word-smithing achieve? You see, as much as we like to think we are responsible for our own success, the fact is that every success we have ever enjoyed is a gift from the sovereign God of the universe.”
“In your hands,” David says to God, “are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” If you are a success in any way--academically, economically, athletically, artistically--it’s because God has exalted you.
These attributes of God--faithfulness, sovereignty, benevolence--are sufficient reason for David to draw a conclusion in verse 3: “Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.” That is what we have done this morning as we have sung great songs of praise to the glorious name of our God.
David continues his prayer in verse 14 by spelling out some priorities for the people of God.
THE PRINCIPLES THAT GUIDE GOD’S PEOPLE (17-20)
a. PRINCIPLE OF GENEROSITY. (14 -16) We tend to view generosity as a personal trait that is very noble and honorable, but David takes a different look at the issue: “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”
How different that perspective is from how most of us feel about generosity. We have earned our money or through our astute investing we have multiplied it. We decide that we will give a portion of it. Aren’t we generous and shouldn’t God be impressed? Friends, it’s all His in the first place; it remains His even as He loans it to us; and when we are generous we are doing nothing more than opening our tight fists and allowing God to use and multiply what He Himself has given to us.
b. PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRITY (17) “I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.” The motive must be right if the gift is to be of value. Generosity is never in and of itself a proof of spirituality. People can give for a wide variety of reasons, and some of them are not very noble. In fact some are downright evil. One can give out of a motive of pride, or give in order to get, or give in order to manipulate, or even give to humiliate someone. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount,
“Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.”
If you give to be honored by your generosity, your check will come back to you stamped on the back, “Paid in full.” The honor you receive from men is the entire honor you will ever get. But if you give with integrity and honest motives, the reward will come from God Himself, and it will keep on coming.
Have you noticed the emphasis on willingness in this text? You know something, God never shakes his people down, and the church must never shake them down either. They must give willingly, as the Holy Spirit moves them to give.
c. PRINCIPLE OF LOYALTY (18) “O Lord, God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you.” There are so many things to distract us from loyalty to God. There are evil things, of course, but there are also neutral things, and even good things. In fact, the good is often the enemy of the best. When Jesus visited in Martha’s home and heard her complain because her sister simply sat at Jesus’ feet while she had to do all the work, He said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is best.” Loyalty is what God desires in the hearts of His people.
d. PRINCIPLE OF OBEDIENCE (19) “Give my son Solomon the whole-hearted devotion to keep your commands, requirements and decrees.” As important as the building of the temple was to David (and he had dreamed about it for years), he recognizes here that what is even more important is wholehearted devotion to keep God’s commands, requirements and decrees. In fact, if there is no obedience in the lives of God’s people, their places of worship become monuments of hypocrisy with “Ichabod” written over the door. “Ichabod” is the name Eli’s daughter-in-law gave to her son when the Philistines seized the Ark of the Covenant. It means, “The Glory is departed.” Many church buildings have become spiritual mausoleums because of the lack of obedience in the lives of the pretenders who worship there.
You know, there is a temptation for us to try to buy God off with a generous gift and continue in our apathy or disobedience, but He tells us time and again, “I desire obedience, not sacrifice.” Friends, do not use your Faith Promise today as a substitute for obedience. It would be better for you to tear up your card and envelope and spend the rest of this day in confession before God than to give a large gift in the hope that God will be impressed with your generosity and wink at your sin.
e. PRINCIPLE OF PERSERVERENCE (19) “Give my son Solomon the wholehearted devotion to do everything to build the palatial structure for which I have provided.” Time has a way of dulling our vision. If everything goes perfectly it looks like the earliest we will occupy a new Community Life Center will be Easter of 2005. That’s a long time, and I can assure you that things almost never go perfectly, especially where pulling permits are involved. It’s quite possible that Dedication Sunday for our new Community Life Center could coincide with the glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Savior in 2005. That time period seems forever and there will be a temptation to lose the current enthusiasm and allow the vision to become cloudy. We should pray now that the Lord would give us a spirit to persevere and keep the vision alive and encourage one another to keep His people committed.
f. PRINCIPLE OF PRAISE (20) Finally, his prayer concluded, it says in verse 20, “Then David said to the whole assembly, ‘Praise the Lord your God.’ So they all praised the Lord; they bowed low and fell prostrate.”
This principle of praise is basic to all we do as believers. I’m going to ask that we do something unusual this morning. I’m going to ask Ed Smoker, who has been a great cheerleader to the rest of us over this past year, to come and lead us in a prayer of praise to God. And those who desire to do so can simply kneel where you are, as the Israelites did. Don’t feel any pressure to do this, for the position of our heart is more important to God than the position of our body. But if you wish, you can kneel now as Ron comes forward.
I see one more thing in our text that is a fitting conclusion to all that has gone on to this point.
IV. PARTYING IN GOD’S PRESENCE (21, 22)
“The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord and presented burnt offerings to him: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams and a thousand male lambs, together with their drink offerings, and other sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. They ate and drank with great joy in the presence of the Lord that day.”
Please note that this is not dedication day. God’s people were not celebrating the COMPLETION of this monumental project but rather the COMMENCEMENT. They are celebrating because they have had the privilege of participating in providing the resources for it.
It’s been a long time since I have been to an all-church party, but I think it’s about time we had one. We need to schedule a PRAISE PARTY shortly after next week’s commitment Sunday and party hearty as we celebrate the commencement of God’s project and His people’s obedience. It will be our opportunity to rejoice and party in the presence of God.
Some of you who tend to think on the dark side may be thinking, “But what if the results of our Forward by Faith aren’t that great? Won’t that be a real downer to a party?” Friends, nothing will keep us from celebrating God’s goodness. One of our deacons said to me the other day that if we only get a hundred dollars in Forward by Faith Commitments, it would have been worth the effort because of what it has done to focus our vision for the future, to place our trust firmly with Christ, and to bring us together in this spiritual journey as a church family. I totally agree.
CONCLUSION:
The message that comes through loud and clear is that God’s people cannot out give God. If we give Him our best, He will give us His best, and His best is far better than ours. May God be with each of you as you give your best.
Close with illustration of L.E.
