Naylor Community
Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to 1 Chronicles
17:1-14
1
Chronicles 17:1 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the
prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant
of the Lord is under a tent.”
2
Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with
you.”
3
But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
4
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one
to build me a house to dwell in. 5 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I
brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to
another, from one dwelling place to another. 6 Wherever I have moved with all
the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to
shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
7
“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took
you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my
people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut
off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names
of the greatest men on earth. 9 And I will provide a place for my people Israel
and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be
disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the
beginning 10 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my
people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.
“‘I
declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: 11 When your days are
over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to
succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is
the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.
13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away
from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 I will set him over my
house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’”
-- in 1942, a dream was born in
rural south Georgia – while studying God’s word, the eyes of a young man were
opened to the reality of social and economic injustices and inequalities in the
south – instead of adopting the ubiquitous racism of his society, Clarence
Jordan began to see how the culture and society of the south at that time were
not congruent with the message of God’s word
-- and while recognizing that he
could not change society as a whole, he could do one thing – he could take the
resources that he had been given, and seek to make a difference in his
community – and with that vision and with a goal of emulating Christ’s kingdom
on earth, Clarence Jordan created what he called the Koinonia Community – “a
place where everyone — no matter race, gender or wealth — would be welcomed”
-- working side-by-side with his
poor black and white neighbors alike and in the face of sometimes extreme
opposition and persecution, Jordan’s vision grew and the 400-acre farm became
profitable, changing the trajectory of the lives of those involved as they
tried to implement biblical principles into their overall lives together
-- when economic realities took over
and the younger members of the community decided to leave to seek better
economic opportunities elsewhere, Jordan looked at the dwindling membership at
Koinonia and realized that more than just community was needed – people needed
to be able to transform their beliefs into tangible economic realities that
would sustain them in the future – and part of that was improving their living
conditions
-- partnering with Millard Fuller, “they
developed the concept of “partnership housing” — whereby those in need of
adequate shelter would work alongside volunteers to build affordable houses.
The houses would be built at no profit. Homeowners would pay no-interest loans
over a 20-year period. Those payments, along with money earned by fundraising,
would create “The Fund for Humanity,” a revolving fund which would enable the
continual construction of homes for more families.”
-- this movement would eventually
become the heart of the ministry, and Habitat for Humanity was born – an
international ministry that works to provide housing to the most needy and to
help them transform their lives – economically – materially – and spiritually –
by helping them realize their greatest hope – a home of their own1
-- the greatest hope and dream of
most people today is having a home – a place of their own – a place of safety
and security in the midst of the storms of life – a place where you can go and
be safe from the evils of the world outside
-- it’s always nice to travel – to
go out and see new places and meet new people – but one of the best things
about a trip is when you come home – when you unload the car and you take your
bags inside and you set them down – for in that moment, there is a sense of
peace – a sense of belonging – a sense that everything is right and secure
again – home means something special
-- and in a very real sense, this
hope is the promise of the gospel – for through His atoning death on the cross
and the resurrection, Christ has given us the promise of a home with Him in
eternity – and it is this promise of home that gives us hope and that sustains
us through our lives here on earth today
-- the Israelites certainly
understood the hope that was inherent in a desire for a home – for generations,
they lived with the hope of the Promised Land – as they were captives in Egypt
– as they were exiled in Assyria and Babylon – as they were scattered
throughout the world – their hope was always in home – in returning to a place
that would be their own – established for eternity as promised by God
-- this desire – this longing – for
a home is something that God has placed in all of our hearts – all humans,
everywhere, have this desire and longing – and the homes that we all enjoy –
the homes that we all will return to after this service – are but a picture of
the eternal home that God has promised us in His word – this is our hope – this
is the promise of Christmas
II. Scripture Lesson (1 Chronicles 17:1-14)
-- as we continue on in our Advent
season and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ, I wanted us to look at
a passage from the Old Testament where God implicitly links the promise of home
with the Messiah
-- if you would, look back with me
now at 1 Chronicles 17:1-2
1
Chronicles 17:1 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the
prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant
of the Lord is under a tent.”
2
Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind, do it, for God is with
you.”
-- as this chapter opens, we find
David firmly established in Jerusalem as the king of all Israel – the civil war
within Israel was over, with Saul and his sons having been killed in battle by
the Philistines, effectively ending his pursuit and jealousy of David –
recognizing God’s anointing of David and his military prowess, the people of
Israel gathered at Hebron to make David king of all Israel – and he made
Jerusalem the seat of his government
-- it was shortly after this that
David had the Ark of the Covenant moved to Jerusalem and the tabernacle – the
tent that God had Moses prepare in the wilderness – set up in Jerusalem as the
official place of worship for all Israel
-- one day, as David is relaxing in
his palace, the thought came to him that God had blessed him with a house and a
home, and he desired to do the same for God – to build for God a permanent
structure where God’s presence could reside among the people of Israel
-- it seemed like a good idea – and
initially, Nathan the prophet agreed with David to press forward with his goal
– but later that night, God spoke to Nathan in a dream
-- verse 3-6
1
Chronicles 17:3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
4
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the one
to build me a house to dwell in. 5 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I
brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to
another, from one dwelling place to another. 6 Wherever I have moved with all
the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders whom I commanded to
shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’
-- as you know, the Ark of the
Covenant represented the presence of God for the Israelites – it was there –
above the Ark in the Holy of Holies – that God would meet with the High Priest
and the Shekinah glory of the Lord would be manifested
-- it was there that atonement was
made for the people on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – the one day of the
year when the High Priest was allowed through the veil and into the presence of
God to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people
-- for over 400 years -- ever since
the people of Israel had been redeemed from Egypt and brought across the Red
Sea during the exodus, the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant had moved
with them – as they had wandered in the wilderness and as they had entered into
the Promised Land, God had the tabernacle move alongside them – His presence
going with them wherever their feet might trod
-- and God reminds Nathan here in
this dream or vision that at no point during this wandering had He commanded
anyone to build Him a permanent home – a house of cedar where the Ark might
reside permanently
-- I think there was a reason God
did that – I think there was a reason God chose not to establish a permanent
home among the Israelites up to that point – you see, our hope is in eternal
life with God – our hope is in an eternal home with God – a permanent dwelling
place with Him in heaven
-- by having the tabernacle move and
the presence of God on earth move with it, God was reminding the Israelites
that this world was not their home – that even the Promised Land of Israel and
the city of Jerusalem was not their home – and the Holy of Holies where the Ark
and His presence resided pointed to the hope of a permanent home with God in
heaven forever
-- this wandering was to keep the
eyes of the Israelites fixed on their true hope – not a land in which they
could dwell – but a home with God forever
-- verse 7-10a
1
Chronicles 17:7 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord
Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and
appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you
have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make
your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9 And I will provide a
place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of
their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them
anymore, as they did at the beginning 10a and have done ever since the time I
appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.
-- the main difference between the
nation of Israel and the nations around them was how they related to their gods
– Israel knew the One True God – Yahweh – the Lord God Almighty – who had
called out to Abram in Ur and given him the hope of a home in the Promised Land
– who had called the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob His own – the
chosen – the ones that He had elected out of all the world to be the bearers of
His name – the race through which His Word and His Messiah would come
-- and the Israelites recognized
that all they were and all they had came from the hand of their God, Yahweh – it
was He who blessed them – it was He who had done such great and wonderful
things for them – God had called them and chosen them by His grace to be His
people – and this was different from the way the other nations looked at their
gods
-- in their religions, their gods
had called them and created them to serve – because their gods were not capable
of doing all things on their own, the people were created to meet the needs of
their god – they were created to serve and provide for their god – and their
worship of idols and sacrifices they made were ways to appease their god and
provide for them what they needed
-- God affirms that difference here
in these verses – He tells Nathan to remind David of the blessings that God had
given David – that it was God who took David from the pasture and anointed him
as the ruler of God’s people Israel
-- it was God who empowered David to
lead the armies of Israel to victory against their many enemies – it was God
who blessed David and made his name great
-- it was God – omnipotent –
omnipresent – omniscient – all powerful – all present – all knowing – that did
all these things – so, what could David do for Him?
– if God had wanted a permanent home on
earth, then God would have made it happen – He would have commanded it –
because He was not like the false gods around them – He did not need men to
serve Him as these gods did – because the God of Israel was the Lord God
Almighty and all things and all blessings flowed from Him to us and not vice
versa
-- so, as David expresses his desire
to serve God by creating a permanent house for the Ark of the Covenant, God
reiterates the promise that had been made in the beginning – He tells David
that He will make David’s name like the names of the greatest men on earth –
and He would provide a place for Israel and plant them there so that they could
have a home of their own
-- this would be a place of peace
and safety and security – no longer would they be disturbed – no longer would
they be oppressed – no longer would their enemies come against them, because
God would subdue all their enemies
-- now, something you need to
realize here is the dual fulfillment of prophecy that we see in the Bible –
remember, that everything – that all the promises of God – that all the
prophecies of God – ultimately point towards Jesus and the salvation that He
brings
-- with a lot of the prophecies in
the Old Testament, there is an immediate fulfillment of the prophecy that is experienced
by the people that the prophecy is given to – but there is a complete
fulfillment of the prophecy at the end of time – that is the case with this
prophecy and promise that God is giving to David through Nathan
-- for a time, the nation of Israel
would enjoy peace and security under David – David would continue on and subdue
all his remaining enemies through the power of God and God’s will – God would
make a secure and firm place for the nation in Israel and put His presence in
Jerusalem – but it would not be permanent
-- lest we forget, not long after
David dies, the nation of Israel is split into two – the people stray from the
true worship of God and chase after idols and false gods – and are
punished
by exile into a foreign land
-- and even after returning to the
Promised Land, the nation no longer is free but remains under the authority of
other nations – all the way through the time of Jesus, when the Romans ruled
over Israel – and all the way through modern history – as the Jews were
dispersed throughout other countries in the world and had no nation of their
own, until 1948 when the modern nation of Israel was formed
-- so, this promise of God to David
here is a temporary promise for David and Solomon – it has an immediate
fulfillment through David and his son Solomon, but it does not last
-- instead, it points to a future
fulfillment through Christ – when, at the end of time, the people of God will
receive their permanent home with Him forever
-- look at verse 10b-14
1
Chronicles 17:10b “‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you:
11 When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise
up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish
his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will
establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I
will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.
14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be
established forever.’”
-- once again, we see one of those
promises from God that has an immediate and an eternal fulfillment
-- God tells David that David will
not build a house for Him, but that He will build a house for David – speaking
of the legacy of David’s lineage
-- He says that one of David’s own
sons will succeed him and that the kingdom will be established through him – He
will be the one who builds a house for God, and his throne will be established
forever
-- God will be his father, and he
will be God’s son – God will never take away his love from him, as He took it
away from Saul – David’s descendant will be set over the house of God and His
kingdom forever, and His throne will be established forever
-- so, what’s going on here? –
obviously, God is talking about Solomon here – for we know that Solomon becomes
the king of Israel after David and we know that Solomon builds the first temple
for God – the permanent structure that mirrors the tabernacle and that will
serve as the place of worship for the nation of Israel – it is here in this
temple that God will allow the Ark of the Covenant to be installed in the Holy
of Holies as a permanent location where His presence interacts with earth and
with His chosen people
-- but there are things that God
promises here that don’t fit Solomon – we know that Solomon died and that his
son Rehoboam failed in his leadership of Israel, leading to the split of the
nation into two separate nations – we know that the temple no longer exists –
it was destroyed around 587 BC when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took
the people captive to Babylon – and we know that there is no king in Israel
today – there hasn’t been since the last king was taken into captivity in
Babylon – so, what’s going on here?
-- this promise that God is giving
to David here is the promise of the Messiah – all that God promises here will
be fulfilled by Jesus, the son of David – Jesus is the Son of Man and the Son
of God – the Bible tells us that God is His Father and He is God’s Son – we
know that God’s love has never been taken from Him – and we live in the hope
and promise of the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Kingdom on earth, which will
happen when Christ returns
-- but what about verse 12, where
God promises that the Messiah is the one who will build a house for Him? – what
does that mean?
-- does this mean that Jesus is
going to build a temple for God in Jerusalem when He returns? – the answer is
“no” – in Revelation 21:22, we read that there was not a temple in the city of
God that comes down from Heaven at the last days because the Lord God Almighty
and the Lamb are its temple
-- the thing you need to realize
about the temple of God is that it not about a structure or a building – that’s
the whole point that God is trying to make to David here in this message He is
sending him through Nathan
-- the temple itself was not holy –
the tabernacle itself was not holy – this building we are sitting in is not
holy – it is not the permanence of the structure or the purpose of the
structure that makes it sanctified – it is the presence of God therein
-- the tabernacle and the temple
were merely the locations where God’s presence interacted with earth – where
God’s presence was made manifest to man – the tabernacle and the temple were no
more holy than the burning bush – but in all of those places, God’s presence
made them holy – in all of those places, God was found
-- so, in the last days, we do not
need a place to go to find God because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are
there – they are the temple – that doesn’t mean that they are a building or a
structure or a house – but they are the place where man finds God
-- so, if Jesus is not going to
build a house for God in that sense – if Jesus is not going to build a new
temple in Jerusalem – a building – a house – for us to go to, then what is God
talking about here in verse 12? – what is the house that Jesus is going to
build for Him? – and what is the place that Jesus said He was going to prepare
for us in John 14:3?
-- I’m glad you asked, because I
know where the answer is – remember, the house we are talking of is going to be
the place where God is found – just as God was found at the burning bush and in
tabernacle and in Solomon’s temple, there will be another place for all
eternity where God’s presence resides
-- 1 Corinthians 3:16
1
Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that
God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?
–
we are that place! – we are the temple of God – the place where His presence is
found today – the church of God – the people of God – filled with His very
presence in the person of the Holy Spirit – is the temple of God today
-- the house that Jesus was going to
build for God was not a building of stones and timber – instead, it was a house
made of living stones – the people of God – who come together to make a home
for God in this world today
-- Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:5, that
we are like living stones being built into a spiritual house so that we might
become a holy priesthood – offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God
through Jesus Christ
-- when God told David that his Son
would be the one who would build a home for Him, He was not referring to
Solomon, but to Jesus – who would build His church through His death and
resurrection – who would build His kingdom through the people that were indwelt
with His Spirit
-- so, our home is found in Jesus –
and our ultimate hope – that desire for home that we all have – finds its
fulfillment in Christ as the Head and Cornerstone of His church and His kingdom
-- this is the promise of God to us
this Advent Season – it was this temple and this house for God that the people
of Israel longed for – and it is us – God’s people, filled with His presence,
who are living in the reality of this promise today as we look forward to its
ultimate fulfillment in Christ at the end of days when Christ returns and
dwells with us forever
-- I want to close by reminding you that
this promise that God gave to David was given to us in Isaiah 9:6-7, as we are
told that the Son of God is coming to establish His Kingdom forever, just as
David was promised here in 1 Chronicles 17
-- listen as I read this passage to
you
Isaiah
9:6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his
shoulders.
And
he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He
will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing
and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The
zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this.
-- and with this hope in our hearts
today, let us close in prayer and look forward to the return of Christ and the
establishment of His Kingdom on earth forever
-- Let us pray
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1
Paraphrased from story on webpage, Love Never Quits,
https://www.habitat.org/stories/love-never-quits
