From The Desk of Pastor Toby Powers
Truth Baptist Church
Bremen, GA
JUST KEEP THE OIL
1 Chronicles 27:25-34
Intro: What we have in these verses is a list of the officers who served in David’s court along with the duties each carried out. It must have been a great honor to be chosen by the king for a place of service. Imagine if the President were to call on you to fulfill some office in his administration. Most folks would consider it a great honor. But, have you ever considered that the Lord chooses out men and women to serve Him? As a matter of fact, He has given every believer a place of service in the body of Christ, Eph. 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” It is a blessing beyond compare to be chosen, gifted and used by the Lord.
This list of officials from David’s kingdom can teach us some lessons about serving the Lord.
1. Each Person Had A Place Of Special Service. (God chooses what we do, where we do it and to what extent it is done. No one else can do the job you have been specially designed to do!)
2. Each Person Was Called By Name. (God knows each of us by name. He cares for and keeps up with His Own, Matt. 10:29-31, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”)
3. Each Person Served In Different Capacities. (God puts us where we are. We are to grow where He plants us!)
4. Each Person Was Placed Where They Were By The King. (Anywhere the Lord places us is a special place of service. He knows where He can best use our gifts for His glory and for the edification of the whole church, Eph. 4:11-13, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.” Eph. 4:16, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”)
We could spend time talking about each of these duties assigned in these verses, but I want to concentrate on verse 28. I want to look at the man named Joash, who was the keeper of the cellars of oil. Here is a man who was in a place of special service to the king. However, his job was not flashy or one that attracted a lot of attention. He served his king, but he did so in a dark, damp and deserted cellar. Let’s look in on Joash and the job he was called upon to fulfill.
Joash represents much of the church today. Like Joash, many Christians serve the Lord in obscurity. Yet, the service they provide is absolutely essential in the life of the church. I want to preach on: The Keeper Of The Oil.
I. The Duties of His Job
A. Keep The Oil
1. The Oil’s Societal Place- It was used: Religiously in the Offerings (Lev. 2:1), For Lamp Fuel (Ex. 27:20), As an Item of Commerce (1 Kings 5:11), As a Medicine (Luke 10:34), In Cooking and in Cosmetics. Oil was extremely important!
2. The Oil’s symbolism- It represents the Holy Spirit! We need some saints of God who will be keepers of the oil in our day! We need some who will keep old-fashioned preaching, praying, praising the Lord, and personal holiness alive in our day. In that day, the keeper of the oil literally kept the lights on in Israel. The keepers of the oil in the church today literally keep the lights on at the house of God! Eph. 5:18, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”
B. Stay In Place- It must have been hard to stay in the cellar! If you want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord, just be faithful to Him to serve Him where He has placed you- 1 Cor 4:2. If you want to always be in the will of the Lord, then keep on doing the last thing the Lord told you to do until He tells you to do something else. Keep the last orders you got from headquarters until God changes them!
C. Watch For Intruders- He was to keep an eye on the oil and be sure none was stolen. We need watchers in our day! We need some people who are wide awake, ensuring that the oil of the Spirit is not stolen by the thieves of complacency, apathy, worldliness or popularity. 1 Cor. 16:13, “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.” Guard against these thieves that would rob all the blessings of God from you! It would be easy to let the guard down when alone and discouraged in the cellar! But 1 Pet. 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
II. The Disadvantages of His Job
A. It Was Unnoticed- It was a thankless job! The others had some type of recognition! This man, however, toiled in obscurity. He got no recognition. He just did his job for the King. But I am glad that He sees every effort! Proverbs 15:3, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Rev.22:12, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” I Cor 15:58. JUST KEEP THE OIL! GOD WILL REWARD YOUR LABOR!!
B. It Was Uncomfortable- He abode in the cellar- Dark, Damp, Deserted! All of God’s assignments are not pleasant! God’s call to a task says that God has faith in you. Your obedience, even in a difficult place, shows you have faith in God! Our duty is to deny self and obey the Lord- Matt. 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” JUST KEEP THE OIL!
C. It Was Lonely- Sometimes the Lord’s work is lonely work! You will be misunderstood and misrepresented, but, every now and then, the King will come to visit! All is well and the job is worth it when the King comes to visit! When he says, “Well done!” it will surely have been worthwhile! JUST KEEP THE OIL!
D. It Was Unappreciated- Others must have mocked Joash! Why do you stay with that old oil? Man, I wouldn’t have a job like that! You’re foolish. The king wouldn’t notice if you left for just a little while-- People will not always understand you, but serve the Lord and him first. He will pour out the blessings on you! Matt. 10:33-38. JUST KEEP THE OIL!!
III. The Demands of His Job
A. Stay Until The King Calls- Be faithful until He calls you home, or He changes your assignment. Our job is only to be faithful! We that are faithful over our few things assigned to us in this world will be made ruler over many!
B. Don’t Come Out For Any Reason- If you are serving the Lord, you are doing the greatest work in the world! Anything else is a step down! (Nehemiah was building the wall of Jerusalem. Some wanted him to come down and discuss quitting his post. Nehemiah 6:1-4, “Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;) That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief. And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you? Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.” Say “Oh no!” when the devil says “Come down.” It is a special person who will just stay put and serve the Lord, even when there is harassment, difficulty, fatigue, and what they do goes unnoticed. Joash means "Jehovah-fired"! The person energized by God Himself will do the job of keeping the oil!
C. Obey The King- He is the only one you need to try and please! Just keep the oil and all will be well! God wants your obedience- 1 Sam. 15:22, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.”
Conclusion: Are you a keeper of the Oil? Are you faithfully fulfilling your duties before the Lord? There are a couple of facts that we need to hear concerning this type of servant.
1. They are Humble- Willing to do any job. King David was willing to be a doorkeeper - Psa. 84:10.
2. They are Helpful- Looking out for the good of all.
3. They are Hopeful- Know they will be rewarded for faithfulness to their King! It doesn’t matter to them if others see or notice what they do. They know they are where the king has placed them and they just keep the oil, knowing their king sees and takes notice of their service! They do it all out of love for their king.
JUST KEEP THE OIL, AND GOD WILL BLESS!
