"When God's Dream Is Bigger Than Yours" (Audio) - Nov 28, 2004 Text: 2 Samuel 7:18-28
“When God's Dreams Are Bigger Than Yours” Date: November 28, 2004
Scripture: Genesis 11:17-12:9
Series: “The Bible's Story of Creation and Redemption” Pastor: Larry Kirk
WHEN GOD'S DREAMS ARE BIGGER THAN YOURS
How do you think most people, given a multiple choice test, would answer this question: “The Bible teaches that most people are (1) too hard to please (2) too easily pleased”?
I think a lot of people would guess the Bible's perspective is that people are too hard to please. But would that really be the best answer? It's true that the Bible talks about the virtue of contentment. But there is another line of teaching in the Bible that tells us one of the greatest dangers in life is to be too easily pleased.
The Bible frequently warns about the danger of living only for the physical and material concerns of the body. It warns against neglecting the deeper, spiritual issues of a relationship with God that begins in this life and is then consummated and continued in eternity. The Bible doesn't say that money, work, love, and leisure are evil, but it does tell us that those things aren't enough. If we are OK with a life that consists only or even primarily of work, money, food, and occasional entertainment or leisure, maybe we are too easily pleased.
C.S. Lewis put it memorably in a celebrated essay called The Weight of Glory:
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling around with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.
What a powerful picture that is. Sometimes we are indeed like children settling for the little pleasures we know, making mud pies in a puddle, because the larger richer blessings to which God is inviting us both in this life and in eternity are beyond our wildest dreams. Have you ever considered that God's dreams for your life are bigger than your own? If you discovered that God's dreams for you were bigger than your wildest dreams for yourself, what would your response be?
In the Scripture we're looking at today from 2 Samuel 7, one lesson we learn is that . . .
God Wants Us to See How Great His Grace and the Promise of His Kingdom Really Are
Second Samuel 7:18-19 reads: “David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said: ‘Who am I, O Sovereign Lord.’” The point is that he was overcome with the greatness of what God had done for him and what God had promised him. The first word in verse 18 is "then." Something had happened that prompted this response from David. The interesting thing is that God had just said: no to something that David wanted to do.
Sometimes God Says No to Our Dreams Because He Wants to Reveal His Own Dream, Which Is Different, Bigger, and Better
That's what happened with David. To better understand what happened, we have to look back at the larger story of God's grace in this man’s life.
The Bible says that when David was just a boy, watching over his father's sheep, God chose him to one day be king over Israel. The first great event that took place was his battle with Goliath, a huge warrior in the Philistine army. He was more than nine feet tall. In our encyclopedia at home there is a picture of a man who was eight foot six. Sometimes hormones go haywire, and boys have been known to grow to more than eight feet tall and 400 pounds before they are eighteen. Goliath was such a man. When everyone else was afraid of the giant, God stirred up David's courage and confidence so that David went out to face him.
David said to the Goliath, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.” When Goliath attacked, David nailed him in the head with a stone from his shepherd's sling and killed him (1 Samuel 17:45). From that point on, David's life was one adventure after another in which God worked graciously and powerfully in his life. God delivered David from danger time after time and exalted him, raising him all the way up to be the king.
Imagine how you might feel if you were David. You would look back at your life and see how God chose you, empowered you with courage and skill, protected you, and exalted you to be king of Israel. Now you want to do something for Him. What David wanted to do was to build a house, a temple, for God. But God sent the prophet Nathan to tell him: “This is what the Lord says, ‘I took you from the pasture and from following the flock and made you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you and now I will make your name great. You are not going to build me a house [a temple], I am going to build you a house [a royal dynasty]. I am going to honor you and raise up your offspring to succeed you and your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever’” (2 Samuel 7:5-16).
God was saying, “David, you aren't going to do something great for Me. I'm going to do something great for you. I am going to choose you to be the one through whom the greatest of all kings will one day come, and a king from your family will rule over My people in a kingdom that will never end.”
God Was Weaving David's Story into the Larger Story of God's Kingdom That's at the Heart of the Entire Bible
David understood what God was telling him. The king who had been promised in some of the Bible's most ancient prophecies, the ultimate and ideal king who would be both Lord and Savior forever, would come from his offspring.
God used a key word when he spoke of David's offspring (2 Samuel 7:12). It was the same word He had used with Eve. He said that from her offspring He would create a people who would stand for Him and that He would send a Savior who would conquer Satan. It was the same word he used a thousand years before David, when the Lord said He would give Abraham offspring in number like the sands of the seashore and that through his offspring the whole world would be blessed. God now was telling David that it would be through his offspring that all these promises would be fulfilled.
The great prophets understood the meaning of the promise. Three hundred years after David, the prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Jesus Christ with these famous words: “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. Of the increase 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 (Isaiah 9:6-7).
When the angel appeared to Mary, he connected the birth of Jesus to the promise given David. He said, “You are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:31-33).
Throughout His life, Jesus was constantly identified as the son of David, and He talked and taught about the kingdom of God. When He preached, His message was “The kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15).
In the very last chapter of the last book of the Bible, Revelation 22:16 introduces the conclusion to the book with this statement: "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."
One of the major themes in Bible's story is that Jesus Christ is the God-given king who fulfills the promise given David and brings the kingdom of God to the people of God.
The Bible breaks down the fulfillment of the promise this way:
• At His first coming Jesus created a spiritual kingdom in the hearts of all who trust in Him as Savior.
• At His second coming, Jesus will establish the kingdom of God on earth, over which He Himself will rule as Lord and king.
We need to understand both of those realities.
If you are trusting Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you belong to His kingdom today. He is your king. Colossians 1:13-14 says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Jesus said it is only through a spiritual rebirth that one can see and enter His kingdom in this present day. You have to have your spiritual lights turned on. There has to be a work of God in your heart. When that happens, the new birth brings not only forgiveness of sins through faith in Christ but also a renovation of the heart through His presence as king in your life.
A pilot was practicing high-speed maneuvers in a jet fighter. She turned the controls for what she thought was a steep ascent--and flew straight into the ground. She was unaware that she had been flying upside down. Author Dallas Willard says that's a parable of human existence in our times. It's not that everyone is crashing, though there is a lot of that, but most people are living at high speed and often with no clue as to whether they are upside down or right side up (The Divine Conspiracy, pp. 1-2)
When Christ says, “The kingdom of God is here, repent and believe the good news,” what is being offered you is the reality of Christ Himself, ruling as king in your life, turning you right side up in life, and renovating you from the inside out. As a result, you experience the goodness of the rule of God in the depths of your heart and work for the goodness of God’s rule in the world around you. That is the kingdom of God within you. That's the present reality.
But there is also a future hope. Every time we celebrate the Lord's Supper, Communion, we're reminded that in Matthew 26 Jesus says, “I will not eat this bread or drink this cup until I eat it with you in my father's kingdom.” Christ will one day establish His perfect kingdom on this earthly planet. Everyone who is part of the spiritual kingdom today will be a part of the fuller manifestation of God's kingdom when Christ returns. In that future day when God's kingdom fully comes, the serpent will be crushed and the world will, for the first time since the Fall in Eden, experience the righteousness, peace, and joy for which it was originally created.
Some people are uncomfortable with the future hope of the kingdom of God. But Christ clearly, undeniably, tells us that this is the promise of His kingdom. The idea of the kingdom, which was promised to David, and which will come through Christ, is so woven into the fabric of the Christian life and message and spirituality and morality that you cannot tear it out without destroying the whole faith-system of the Scriptures. The reason Christ tells us about the kingdom so clearly is because He knows that it is reality and it is a reality we need to know. The promise God gave to David is and will be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
You and I are invited to step into the story and be a part of the promise!
In the book of Revelation there is a well-known passage in which Jesus is pictured knocking at the door of our lives. In Revelation 3:20 Jesus says, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Now, that's a beautiful verse. It paints an inviting picture. It tells you that the one who died to pay for your sins and rose again from the dead wants to have a relationship with you. It also says you have to open the door to allow Him into your life. You must turn to Him and trust in Him. When you do, He comes into your life to have a real friendship with you. That in itself is a promise of God's grace. But we often hear this verse quoted without going on to the next verse.
What does Christ promise in the next verse? Revelation 3:21: “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.” Do you see how great this grace is that God offers you? Christ is saying not only will He come into your life now with His presence and friendship, but He also will give you the right to sit with Him, sharing His kingdom authority, on His throne in His kingdom.
That's what C.S. Lewis was talking about when he said:
Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.
God wants us to see how great His grace and the promise of His kingdom really are because . . .
When Your Vision of God's Kingdom Grace Is Magnified, Your Spiritual Life Is Empowered
How is our spiritual life empowered by the vision of God's grace and kingdom?
We Are Given the Spirit of Humble Gratitude
You can hear humility and gratitude in the questions David asked. Verse 18: "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” Verse 20: "What more can David say to you?” One also senses humility and gratitude in the way he talks about God. In verse 22 he says, "How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you.”
There's a test you can apply to yourself to see if you understand how great and how gracious God's dream for you really is. Here's the test: Do you feel sorry for yourself? Do you think, I live a pretty good life, but my life isn't going the way it should. What's wrong? What's wrong with God? Life isn't fair. God isn't fair. God hasn't done enough for me.
We know difficult trials come into every life, and there are times when we can all feel overwhelmed and beaten down. But chronic feelings of self-pity are a pretty sure sign that you don't understand how big God's grace toward you really is.
If, instead of David's attitude of “Who am I that You should do so much for me?” your attitude is “What's wrong with You that You haven't done more for me?” and if you're thinking you deserve better than what God has given and done and promised, then maybe you don't see the truth about yourself and God's grace and His big dream for you and your place in His kingdom. You see, the truth that God has promised you a place in His kingdom is an incredible gift of His amazing grace. In order offer you that place in His kingdom, Jesus Christ had to die for your sins. Your sins are so contrary to all that is right and good that the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ was absolutely necessary for you to be allowed to enter the kingdom of God. When you see that, it changes everything. Your heart softens, self-pity dissolves, and gratitude take shape.
Perhaps at Christmas someone gives you a gift, and when you open the gift you are amazed because it is far more costly, valuable, or thoughtful than you expected. What is the giver saying? He is saying, “You mean more to me than you know.” That's what God is saying to you when He gives you Christ and His kingdom grace. When you see that, you have to say with David, "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, that You have done so much for me?”
Through a larger vision of God's kingdom and grace we're given humble gratitude and . . .
We Are Given the Courage to Pray with Confidence for the Fulfillment of God's Promises
Verses 25-28: "And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you. O Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So your servant has found courage [the Hebrew literally says “your servant has found heart”] to offer you this prayer.”
Here's another test you can apply to yourself to see if you understand how great and how gracious God's dream for you really is. Consider this question: Do you have the courage, the heart, to pray with confidence? People who don't understand the nature of God's grace don't have courage in their prayers.
We're not talking about self-centered prayers that focus on superficial or selfish wants and wishes. The prayer that's talked about in this Scripture is prayer for God's promises to be fulfilled in our lives. The promises of God and the prayers of His people go together in the Scriptures. What God has promised to do He has chosen to do through the prayers of His people. So when God makes a promise in the Scriptures, that is an invitation for God's people to take that promise to heart and pray that promise into reality.
Look at the prayer of David in verse 25: "And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised.” And then in verse 26, “So that your name will be great forever.”
Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer, we are praying for the very things that God has promised as part of the kingdom of Jesus, which He has give to us by His grace.
This, then, is how you should pray:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours in the Kingdom and the power
and the glory forever and ever, Amen.”
There are promises in the Bible, from God, that relate to every challenge and difficulty you are facing. Learn them and pray them with courage.
If you can pray with courage for the promises of God's kingdom, then you can live with courage also. Look at verse 28: “O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant.” You see, courage in prayer comes from confidence in God. He is sovereign, His words are trustworthy, and His promises are good.
This week I picked up a book that my wife had checked out from the library. It was true stories of storms at sea. I was surprised to find this Scripture mentioned in the book.
I had opened to a chapter that was talking about the hymn Amazing Grace. It told the familiar story of how John Newton, the author of the hymn, had come to faith in Christ during a terrifying storm at sea when he thought that his ship was going to sink. But it also told that the actual writing of the hymn was sparked when he read these words in verse 18, "Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?” So that's what inspired the third verse of Amazing Grace, which says:
Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.
Open your eyes, open your heart to the awesome greatness of the dream of God's grace. It's bigger than your wildest dreams. It’s the dream of the eternal kingdom of God and of Christ and of your place in that kingdom because of His grace toward you. Let the promises of God's kingdom empower your life. If Christ is your Savior and king, His grace has brought you this far and His grace will bring you home to His kingdom. That's big.