The Kingdom is established - Pray for it to be advanced

Text 1 Chronicles 14 Time 25 11 20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)

We are taught by the Lord Jesus Christ to pray Father in heaven hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. God's kingdom is his invisible and spiritual rule under his Son the Lord Jesus Christ. For the kingdom to come is for it to advance and grow. Some would argue that we no longer need to pray this prayer as the kingdom has come with the coming of Jesus Christ. But Christ is going to come for a second time and it is only then that his kingdom will be fully established. Meanwhile, we ought to be praying that the kingdom will advance every day in our own lives and in the lives of others.

What we are taught about David and his kingdom has a lot to teach us about the kingdom and its coming. David's kingdom is the subject of the chapter we want to look at tonight - 1 Chronicles 14. In the chapter we read of how (2) David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. We then read of two attacks on the kingdom by the dreaded Philistines. On both occasions they are repulsed as David seeks and receives the Lord's guidance and help. The chapter closes with this verse (17) So David's fame spread throughout every land, and the LORD made all the nations fear him.

Now what we read of David here - all in very earthly terms - will teach us something about the kingdom of God today and how it is established and how its fame is spread throughout every land, and how we might see all the nations fearing the Lord.

Four things then

1. See that the kingdom is established with the King as Lord over his people

In verses 1-7 the writer shows us how David was fully established in Jerusalem as king. He gives three evidences. Now these are quite physical and earthly things but they translate, if we can see it, into corresponding spiritual marks. So

1. A palace has been begun

In verse 1 we read Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace for him. All David's internal enemies had been overcome and at last there was peace. It was now time to build a palace for himself. Kings inhabit palaces.

Part of the majesty of our own Royal family is that they live in a palace. Yes, they have other houses - Balmoral, Sandringham and Windsor, etc, but their official residence is Buckingham Palace in London. It is typical of kings to have a palace and that is what David begins to organise here.

In the New Testament, talking about heaven, Jesus says at the beginning of John 14, Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? This does no doubt refer to the work on the cross that he is about to accomplish but beyond that there is preparation being undertaken in heaven to prepare a place that has many rooms - a palace.

Part of the glory of the kingdom is the work that Jesus is now doing in heaven to prepare a place for us.

2. Knowledge of establishment and high exaltation

Then in verse 2 we read And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

Now such a reference again throws us forward to the Lord Jesus Christ and his kingdom today. When the Lord Jesus rose from the dead he knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel. He then spent six weeks teaching his disciples before he ascended into heaven, highly exalted on behalf of his people. It is for our sakes that he has now gone into heaven to appear before the Father on our behalf.

Also part of the glory of the kingdom then is Christ's resurrection and exaltation to the right hand of the Majesty on High. How we should rejoice that God has so established his kingdom.

3. A growing family

Then thirdly in verses 3-7 it says that In Jerusalem David took more wives and became the father of more sons and daughters. These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet. That's 13 altogether.

Now, of course, on the one hand, for a man to take more than one wife is not God's desire. David is acting like a typical eastern potentate and God was willing to wink at such behaviour prior to the coming of Messiah. Today although a man can become a Christian even if he has more than one wife, he cannot be a leader of God's people as David was. That is not allowed.

The thing that we ought to see here, however, in the flourishing of David's family is the way that today Messiah's family is growing - many wives and even more children, if we can put it in those terms. After his exaltation to heaven you know that the Lord Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit on all flesh and since that time the Spirit has been at work converting more and more people.

They say that there are 619 million evangelicals in the world today (as of 2016). That is only about 8% so there is plenty of work to do but there is reason to be encouraged. We are part of a growing family just as David was.

Give thanks for every true believer. Pray that the kingdom will come and that more and more people would come to faith. If we all saw one more person converted in the next five years that would double the numbers. Pray for the kingdom to grow. The gates of hades cannot prevail against the advance of God's church.

2. Understand how the enemies of God's people respond and how the King deals with it

1. Understand how the enemies of God's people respond - they seek out God's people eager to destroy them

What we read in verse 8 shouldn't surprise us When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they went up in full force to search for him ... They were searching for him not because they wanted him to be their king but because they they wanted to destroy him and bring his kingdom to an end. The Philistines have long disappeared but there are still plenty of people who want that for Christ and his kingdom. This is the desire of the Devil and all who follow him and we must expect God's kingdom to often be under attack. If it is not direct persecution then there will be opposition of a more subtle sort. We must expect it. This means, as we have often said, that our lives will be a battlefield. We should expect opposition.

2. Understand how the King deals with it

1 They are repulsed with the Lord's help

But we read at the end of verse 8 David heard about it and went out to meet them. Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: He probably spoke to God by means of Urim and Thummim, held by the High Priest. It was a means of gaining yes or no answers to questions, probably using two dark stones and two light ones. Otherwise, God may have spoken through an unnamed prophet. "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?" David asks. The LORD answered him, "Go, I will deliver them into your hands." What a wonderful promise. At the first sign of trouble we should turn to the Lord and pray. That is always the right thing to do. His promise is that the gates of hades will not prevail against the advance of the church. His kingdom will go on, even though it may know a setback here or there. Take courage. The Lord himself will lead us into battle.

2 There is victory

And then in verse 11 we read So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand." So that place was called Baal Perazim. It's like turning on a tap we may say in modern terms. You simply look to the Lord and all will be well. Now I know that the trouble is that sometimes we are filled with doubts and fears and we fail to do that but it is still true, nevertheless, and it is right that I should remind you.

3 They are left in disarray

Finally, verse 12 The Philistines had abandoned their gods there, and David gave orders to burn them in the fire. The Philistines were so roundly defeated that they abandoned their idols Dagon and Ashteroth or Astarte and Beelzebub. If anything proves the uselessness of idols the thought of a battlefield full of abandoned gods should drive it home and yet idolatry is alive and well today in a hundred different subtle and not so subtle forms.

It should encourage us to know that again and again God has roundly defeated the foes of the kingdom. Here is an example. If you want one from the New Testament, picture the believers in Ephesus burning their evil scrolls. Acts 19:18-20 says that in response to Paul's preaching Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

Or to take an example from church history, and sticking with the bonfire theme, do you know the story of the Dominican monk Girolamo Savonorola in Florence at the end of the fifteenth century?

The bonfire of the vanities of 1497 has become famous. In response to the fiery preaching of Savonorola people collected and burned thousands of objects such as cosmetics, art and books at a Shrove Tuesday festival. Francesco Guicciardini's The History of Florence gives a first-hand account of the bonfire of the vanities that took place. The focus of this destruction was on objects that might tempt one to sin, including vanity items such as mirrors, cosmetics, fine dresses, playing cards and even musical instruments. Other targets included books that were deemed to be immoral, manuscripts of secular songs and artworks, including paintings and sculpture.

3. Note how the enemies of God's people counter attack and how again the King deals with it

How encouraging. Christ's kingdom is established and although it is opposed Christ is strong enough to counter attack and his enemies are often left humiliated. But that is not the end. Next we say

1. Note how the enemies of God's people respond - they counter attack

Verse 13 Once more the Philistines raided the valley. Roundly defeated the Philistines do not give up, nevertheless. They come back and fight again. Their persistence always reminds me of those horror films where you think "ah, now the monster or the zombie or whatever is defeated. That's the end." And then you see it stir again and come out in attack afresh. Or sometimes it is just a teaser that the enemy will be back for a sequel. So it often is with those who oppose God. This is true in at least two senses - they keep coming back for more and the way ancient heresies are resurrected again and again and just when you think they are dead and gone, back they come with a new lease of apparent life.

2. Note how the King deals with it

1 They are again repulsed with the Lord's help

How are they repulsed this time? There is nothing strikingly new here, although there is a variation. 14 so David inquired of God again, that is always the way. But there is something different - the principles stay the same but strategy is important. And God answered him, "Do not go directly after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. Verse 15 is very interesting then As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move out to battle, because that will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.

This point is made in very many ways throughout the Old Testament and the New. The battle is not ours but it is the Lord's. Here God promises to allow David to hear his own army on the march going ahead of David's army.

Now we need to employ a strategy something like that when we are in a spiritual battle. Yes we must fight but we are not the ones who are going to win the battle; know it is the Lord's battle and he will bring the victory about. We must look to him and to his power.

2 There is a further victory

And so verse 16 So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer. They gained a famous victory and by the simple stratagem of waiting on the Lord and relying on him. That is the way to victory. Just wait.

4. How this all increases the fear and fame of the King

The final verse to consider is verse 17 So David's fame spread throughout every land, and the LORD made all the nations fear him. The victory over the Philistines was noted everywhere. Everyone knew about it. That is how it is when God gives his people a famous victory. It was like that when the Thessalonians were converted through Paul. At the end of 1 Thessalonians 1 it says that the Thessalonians became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you Paul says not only in Macedonia and Achaia - your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead - Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

Or to take a striking example from church history of an individual. In the 19th century there was a very godly minister called Robert Murray M'Cheyne, a Scotsman, who travelled to Egypt for his health. We are told how one day in the hotel in which he was staying in Alexandria a woman was holding forth to her companion against the hypocrisy of Christians. She then asked her companion if she had ever met a Christian whom she could regard as a genuine 'man of God'. She replied: 'Yes, I saw one, a man, a minister in this hotel, a tall spare man from Scotland. He was a man of God. I watched him, and felt that he was a genuine Christian. His very look did me good'. "His very look did me good" she said. He had said nothing but his very look showed her his godliness. Christianity really is contagious. It can be, at least, if we will simply live it out, regardless of the opposition.