Are You Being Served?
December 24, 2011
Dec 18, 2011 II Samuel 7:1-11,16
While you serve God, He is the true Servant.
Are You Being Served? by Pastor Myron Heckman
Are you being served? Sometimes at a crowded restaurant or store you might be asked that question. And if you are not, you are relieved that someone asked you.. What if you were asked that in regard to your spiritual needs? “Are you being served?” You might protest that as self-focused.
But you might be surprised at how you are being served, by of all persons – God.
“No wait, He’s not serving me! I’m serving Him.” You would think that would be the stance of proper respect for God. But God, as He always does, surprises us.
There is an interesting story in the Old Testament book of Ii Samuel that gives a new perspective on our service.
I) Setting of the story II Sam. 7:1-3
Now it came to pass when the king was dwelling in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies all around, that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells inside tent curtains.”
Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the LORD is with you.”
David has settled in nicely in Jerusalem, and has a wonderful palace. He can’t help but notice the contrast to where the Ark of God dwells. He is in a house of cedar; the Ark is in a house of curtains. “That isn’t right,” David thinks. He will build a house for God.
He tells that to his spiritual adviser, the prophet Nathan, who hears from God and speaks of God. Nathan says: “David, do what is in your heart. We’ve seen how the Lord is with you.”
It’s a story that speaks well of the devotion of David.
You may have noticed that God thinks differently than we think. The Lord had something different in mind.
Read v 4- 11
But it happened that night that the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying, “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’ 8 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 11 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.
This is turned upside down – David thought of doing something for God – building Him a house. But God says, “No, David, I’m going to build you a house.”
Now what kind of house is God going to build David? A salt box by the sea? A Greek Revival near the village center? No, God is not thinking of that kind of house, nor a palace, nor a McMansion.
Go down to vs 16, it’s a key verse.
“And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you, Your throne shall be established forever.”
God is telling David that his royal line, his throne will be an eternal throne
That is the house he will build – the House of David.
Two generations later David’s house had a split in it, as the northern ten tribes of Israel broke away. About 400 years later, the King of Judah, David’s descendant. Was deposed from the throne by Babylon. 900 years later, when Jesus was born, the Herodian dynasty sat on the throne.
But God is not anxious about roadblocks to his promises. He was building a house for David, with an eternal throne, and that would be accomplished by an eternal King. So Jesus was born – “he will sit on the throne of His father David, and of the increase of his government there shall be no end.” Jesus inaugurated this at his first coming, and He will complete it at his second coming.
God says: “So David, you want to build me a house? No, I’m going to build you a house.”
The same dynamic is true of the Christian life.
II) While we do serve God, He is the true builder.
A) He plans, He initiates, He declares, He makes it happen. Salvation is of the Lord. The part where you have been saved is of the Lord, the part where you are being saved is of the Lord, and the part where you will be saved is of the Lord.
Jesus said about himself: “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” – (you!) (Mark 10:45) When Jesus was born God was serving us, as He sent a substitute.
Jesus has a building project going now –
He said “I will build my church.”
And He has a house-building project going on.
Jesus said: “In my Father’s house are many rooms…. I go to prepare a place for you… that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:2-3)
You are not building a place of Jesus, He is building a place for you
B) We do serve the Lord. Peter said he was a servant of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist said: Serve the Lord with gladness. Joshua said: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” But it is never service in the sense that He needs something from us.
Acts 17:25 tells of God’s self-sufficiency:
“He is not served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything.”
C) The finished work of Jesus Christ is the great service to us.
Jesus spoke three very important words on the cross – “It is finished”. Those words are liberating. Jesus finished the atoning work. You don’t add to that atoning work, join with Christ in it, you don’t wait for it to happen. It is finished. You need to take hold of the finished work of Jesus Christ. And when you see how unpolished you are, and God shows you deeper needs and rebellion in you that you ever realized, you need to hit the refresh button over and over again. Jesus Christ did it.
You don’t need to keep struggling for the position, the power, the promotions, the prosperity, the preeminence, the praise, or the passing pleasures that you’ve so desperately pursued for so long. How fatiguing that is. That wears you out. You can find rest in Him.
This is a spectacular truth. Before you and I serve Him, you and I need to learn how to be served by Him.
D) Let’s take a look at Ephesians 1:3-14, and see if we can find the part where we are actively in charge.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Se how it is God’s action so far? Let’s watch for ours.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
Our part must be coming soon!
In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.
I see two parts that instruct us to do something –
to hope in Christ, and
having also believed
We hope in who Christ is, we hope in what he does, we believe Him.
The theme is God who has done things for us – and has transferred us into an eternal kingdom.
Conclusion: This is a key to Christian growth – not figuring out how to get more maturity and patience, but to have a deeper understanding of what God has done for us in Christ.
Christian growth, in other words, does not happen first by behaving better, but believing better—believing in bigger, deeper, brighter ways what Christ has already secured for sinners. We’re not building Him a house, He’s built us a house.
Be sure of this – that if God has saved you, that you have transferred trust from your own abilities and accomplishments to Christ’s abilities.
Are you being served? This is astounding – yes, you are. By the Lord of the universe.
He has already qualified you, delivered you, transferred you, redeemed you, forgiven you.
You’re not building Him a house; He’s built you a house.
posted by Jerry | 6:03 AM
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