Title: Look at what God has promised (From the life of David)
Text: Psalm 138:8
Read Text!!!
Pray!!!
Introduction:
Two men were riding a bicycle built for two when they came to a steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the men to complete what proved to be a very steep climb. When they got to the top the man in front said to the other, "Man, that was a hard climb!" The guy in back said, "Yes it was. And if I hadn’t kept the brakes on all the way we would have rolled down backwards."
An American attorney had just finished a guest lecture at a law school in Italy when an Italian lawyer approached him and asked, "Is it true that a person can fall down on a sidewalk in your county and then sue the landowners for lots of money?"
Told that it was true, the lawyer turned to his partner and started speaking rapidly in Italian.
When they stopped, the American attorney asked if they wanted to go to America to practice law.
"No, no," one replied. "We want to go to America and fall down on sidewalks."
- We as people have a plan in life, to make money, buy a house or car, raise a family, retire, spending time with grand kids etc
- God has a plan to, and His plans for us and the church as a whole is bigger then we can imagine.
- It’s exciting and requires a lot of faith.
Transition:
- Lets look at the life of David and see the blessings and struggles he went through.
- God had a plan for David, even in the midst of intense struggle and hardship.
- God’s plan for David was to be King of Israel, and govern them as God wanted him too.
- But after David was anointed King, he experienced hardship.
- He faced Goliath and won
- Saul was jealous and wanted David killed, so David was running from this man and his army.
- After God had delivered David from Saul’s hand, David ruled in righteousness until he committed sin with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah killed in battle.
- As a result of this, there son died.
- And also God pronounced judgement on David’s house and said, “The sword will not depart from your house”
- Out of that Absolom, David’s son wanted to take the throne by force from his father David.
- Absolom was later killed for his rebellion.
- David’s last years as King was
a. A three year famine (II Sam 21:1-14
b. War with the Philistines (II Sam 21:15-22
c. David’s Psalm of Praise (II Sam 22:1-51)
d. David’s last words (II Sam 23:1-7
e. David’s mighty men (II Sam 8-39)
f. David takes census and God’s plague (II Sam 24:1-17)
g. David’s Intercession and God’s Mercy (II Sam 24:18-25)
- David’s life had blessing, but also struggle and hardship as we see in his life.
- But yet David in one of his Psalms says these words:
“The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me, your love, O Lord, endures forever, do not abandon the works of your hands.”
- The text doesn’t say, “The Lord will work out my plans for my life, or The Lord will work out the plans I want for my life.” It says, “The Lord will work out His plans for my life.”
- I want to give you this evening 3 truths about God’s plan for your life.
- But it’s not only for your life, it’s for our homes, and churches.
- These truths are God’s plan for our lives and families, we need to know them and write them down.
Point 1: God’s Plan Is Bigger Than Our Plan
Before going to Europe on business, a man drove his Rolls-Royce to a downtown New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000. The loan officer, taken aback, requested collateral and so the man said, "Well then, here are the keys to my Rolls-Royce."
The loan officer promptly had the car driven into the bank’s underground parking for safe-keeping, and gave him $5,000.
Two weeks later, the man walked through the bank’s doors, and asked to settle up his loan and get his car back. "That will be $5,000 in principal, and $15.40 in interest," the loan officer said. The man wrote out a check, got up, and started to walk away.
"Wait sir", the loan officer said, "While you were gone, I found out you’re a millionaire. Why in the world would you need to borrow $5,000?"
The man smiled. "Where else could I safely park my Rolls-Royce in Manhattan for two weeks and pay only $15.40?"
- The millionaire had a plan that was beyond the banks comprehension, and that is what I am trying to say with this point.
- God has a bigger perspective. Just like the Millionaire had.
- He wanted to park his car, needed a safe place, and cheap price.
- God has all the details worked out in His plan for this church and our lives.
- But we sometimes don’t know what God is up too and we need to walk in faith.
- I am sure David had no idea, that God’s plan for his life would be King over His people.
- When Samuel was coming to his house, he wasn’t even there.
- Not only did he not see the bigger plan he had for him, nobody else saw it either.
- David was quite content to be a shepherd boy and watching over the pasture.
- But God’s plan is bigger than our plan.- We have no idea how much God wants to bless this church and our personal lives
- We have no idea what God could do through our life if it was totally, completely, absolutely sold out to Him.
- We have no idea how God could use this church in great ways.
- God is using this church to bless the world, but let us never forget and strive for more of God’s plan because it is often bigger and grows.
Point 2: God’s plan is often more painful.
A certain preacher awoke to perfect golfing weather one Sunday morning. It had been either cold, raining, or too windy for a couple of months and, as he thought it over, the temptation was just too great. He called up one of his deacons and told him, "You all are going to have to cover for me today. I have to go out of town on urgent business."
He felt a little bit guilty as he drove to another town, but the birds were singing, the sun was shining, the sky was bright blue, there was no wind at all, and the temperature was just perfect, so he found ways to justify his absence "just this once."
As he stepped up to the first tee, St. Peter said to the Lord, "Look. Isn’t that one of your men on that golf course? And on a Sunday?"
The Lord said, "Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him."
The preacher hit a perfect drive, in fact the best he’d ever hit in his life. It soared about 250 yards, bounced twice, hit the green, and rolled right into the cup! St. Peter looked at the Lord, but he didn’t say anything.
The preacher was ecstatic as he quickly teed up for the second hole, where his shot was just as good. He’d made another hole in one -- the second one in his life!
At that St. Peter turned to the Lord, "I thought you said you would take care of him," he demanded.
"I did," answered the Lord. "Who’s he going to tell?"
- God’s plan for our lives and churches can be hard to live out. Just like this pastor will have a hard time keeping his golf game a secret.
- Sometimes it’s difficult. It’s often confusing. Often it doesn’t make sense. It certainly didn’t make sense to David.
- The plan God had for David’s life was much more difficult and harder than the one he had.
- I mentioned some of the difficulty David went through in his life, but I am sure we are only seeing a portion of his struggles.
- I am sure there was jealousy in his brothers concerning David being King and not the first born son.
- David walked his life with a lot of misunderstanding concerning who he was.
- God had called him, David was not doing this by chose, he was minding his own business.
- It was not an accident either, but rather a calling in his life. All of us have something to do.
- This church as a whole is here because God called it to be here and used people to start this church back in 1925.
- Nothing in life is an accident.
- There is a purpose behind every problem. It doesn’t ever surprise God. He knew everything that was going to happen in our life before it happened.
- Even the bad. He doesn’t cause the bad.
- But He takes bad and even brings good out of it. For Example:
- Did God bring good out of the cross? I guess so!! Did bad happen to His Son? Yes! Did He stop it? No.
- So God’s plan for your life and church family is going to be often harder.
Point 3: God’s Plan For Our Life Is Always Better.
- When you cooperate with God’s plan for your life you can relax and you can stop being overwhelmed.
- God looks at our life from an eternal perspective, not just the here and now.
- God will always sacrifice short-term comfort in our life in order to gain long term glory in our life.
- God will sacrifice short-term comfort in order to build character in our life that’s going to bless us for eternity.
- God is not interested in making us comfortable.
- God is interested in preparing us and this church for eternity where we are going to spend gazillions of years.
- He knows what’s best and He knows what’s good and He loves us.
- That’s why being overwhelmed can actually be good for us.
- It throws us to our knees saying, “God, I’m going to have to depend on You.” And God says, “That’s exactly where I want you!
Conclusion:
- I want to close with this story to sum up all I have been saying:
A man fell into a pit and couldn’t get himself out...
~ A subjective person came along and said, "I feel for you down there."
~ An objective person walked by and said, "It’s logical that someone would fall down there."
~ A Pharisee said, "Only bad people fall into pits."
~ A mathematician calculated how deep the pit was.
~ A news reporter wanted the exclusive story on the pit.
~ An IRS agent asked if he was paying taxes on the pit.
~ A self-pitying person said, "You haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen my pit."
~ A fire-and-brimstone preacher said, "You deserve your pit."
~ A Christian Scientist observed, "The pit is just in your mind."
~ A psychologist noted, "Your mother and father are to blame for your being in that pit."
~ A self-esteem therapist said, "Believe in yourself and you can get out of that pit."
~ An optimist said, "Things could be worse."~ A pessimist claimed, "Things will get worse."
Jesus, seeing the man, took him by the hand and lifted him out of the pit.
- Jesus wants to lift us out of the pit we find ourselves in at times.
- Understand that Jesus has a purpose for the pits we find ourselves in, and it’s not to analyze it or try to figure it out.
- It’s allow Jesus to help you get out of your pit.
- Let us be used of God to help other people get out of there pit.
- David wrote Psalm 138 in a difficult time of his life. But yet had a confidence that God will fulfill His purpose in his life.
- When I think of our lives, and our church, despite all the hardship we go through, and the trials we face, we can have confidence knowing that God will fulfill His purpose for us.
- Always remember that
1. God’s Plan is always bigger
2. God’s Plan is often more painful
3. God’s Plan is always better.
- This requires faith on our part to trust in God for our lives, homes, marriages, and churches. That God is working out His plan, for eternity.
Lets Pray!!!
