Christ is still reigning; be strong in him

Text 1 Chronicles 28 Time 10 11 21 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)

We come this week to the last but one chapter of 1 Chronicles. In these final two chapters of 1 Chronicles we come to the great moment the writer has been working towards when the Temple is built by Solomon. In Chapter 28 we learn how David spoke to all the people and explained to them how he had it in mind to build the Temple but was told rather that his son Solomon was to be the one to do it. He exhorts the people to be faithful and his son Solomon to be faithful too and to be strong and to do the work. David gives Solomon the plans for the Temple that the Spirit has given him and weighs out the various materials that his son will need to complete the task. The chapter ends with David speaking word of encouragement to Solomon and urging the people to obey his successor.

So it is an important chapter - the end of David's reign and the beginning really of Solomon's and the moment when work on the great temple is about to be begun. it is an important chapter for us to know in the history of Israel but is there anything more we can learn from it.

At first it seems a little difficult as both David and Solomon are types of Christ, that is to say in certain respects they each point forward to something of the future person and work of Christ. So what do we do when they both appear in the same chapter? Probably the way to deal with this is that David shows one aspect of the reign of Christ and Solomon another.

Broadly speaking, David reminds us that Christ has come and has died on the cross and so has overthrown the devil and brought in peace. He is the one who laid plans that there might be a church and he provides all the materials necessary for it. He has now ascended to heaven but he has not left us as orphans, no he has sent his Holy Spirit into this world.

Solomon then reminds us of Christ's reign now he has ascended to heaven. Christ is building his church but he is doing it today through the power of the Spirit in his people. One can imagine I suppose a situation where Christ remained on earth after his resurrection and ruled his church from Jerusalem or somewhere else. It would be a little bit like the Roman Catholic idea where a man in Rome is considered to be head of the church on earth. But no, Christ ascended into heaven and it is from there he reigns, the Holy Spirit indwelling all God's people here on earth.

With these ideas in mind let's look at the chapter then and let's focus on four main things.

1. Christ's earthly work: his victory over Satan, his shed blood, his preparation for the future

So the chapter begins with David summoning all the officials of Israel to assemble at Jerusalem: the officers over the tribes, the commanders of the divisions in the king's service, ... commanders of thousands ... commanders of hundreds ... officials in charge of all the royal property and livestock ... the palace officials ... warriors ... all the brave fighting men. A mass gathering then of the good and the great. King David stood before them and said: "Listen to me, my fellow Israelites, my people. I had it in my heart to build a house as a place of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, for the footstool of our God, and I made plans to build it." So David explains how originally it was his plan to build a Temple for God.

But he says (3) God said to me, 'You are not to build a house for my Name. The reason given is that David was a warrior and had shed blood.' 

Yes, he is God's chosen man over his people, the one chosen by God from his whole family to be king over Israel forever. Early on God chose Judah as the leading tribe and then, says David, from the tribe of Judah he chose my family, and from my father's sons he was pleased to make me king over all Israel.

But that was not the whole story.

Next came the matter of a successor to David. David reminds the people how (5-7) Of all my sons - and the LORD has given me many - he has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel. He said to me: 'Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish his kingdom forever if he is unswerving in carrying out my commands and laws, as is being done at this time.'

Now in a similar way, while yes Jesus of Nazareth, a descendant of David, is the Messiah God has chosen to establish his kingdom not at the present time with Christ on earth leading the whole thing but with Christ in heaven and the Holy Spirit active on earth in God's people. Just as David was a warrior and he shed much blood so on earth Christ shed his own blood on the cross and so won the victory over Satan and all the forces of evil. Colossians 2:15 speaks of him disarming the powers and authorities and making a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. He drove out the prince of this world (John 12:31) he tied up the strong man, as it were. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended, the Second Coming, although there is a sense in which for a short time he is free.

Like David too he is the one who has made preparations for the times in which we now live, after his ascension and before his return.

So think of Christ's earthly work - his victory over the forces of evil, his pouring out of his blood on the cross and the fact that he has made preparations for the future which is now here.

2. Christ's Spirit: probing, rewarding. seeking obedience, committed service, active strength

In the light of what he has told them David goes on in verses 8-10 speaking first to the people So now I charge you in the sight of all Israel and of the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God: Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever.

And then to Solomon And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work.

All those words now apply to God's people who have the Spirit of Christ in them to some extent. There are five things to notice

1. Be obedient and so be blessed. Be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land and pass it on as an inheritance to your descendants forever. Now we know that salvation is not obtained by good deeds. Salvation is by faith. However, in order to enjoy the Christian life we must be obedient. Obedience is what God wants from us. We ought to be careful to follow all the commands of the LORD (y)our God. Are we conscientious about obedience?

2. Commit yourself to serving the Lord. Acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind. It is important that we do not forget that we are called to serve God. We must do that, as it says here, with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind. Are we devoted to God with all our hearts and is there a willingness to honour him always?

3. Remember that God examines motives. David adds for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. We should never forget this. Motives are important.

There's a story of the Baptist minister Andrew Fuller collecting money for the work in India. He was back home in Soham where he came from when an old friend when asked for a donation said, “Well, Andrew, as it’s you, I’ll give you five pounds.” “No,” said Fuller, “I can’t take your money for my cause, if it is for me,” and he handed the money back. The man saw his point. “Andrew, you are right. Here’s ten pounds, as it is actually for Jesus Christ.” It is not the amount we give to the Lord’s work that matters as much as the motive with which we give.

4. Seek him and you will find him. This thought may make us a little slower to go to God but David says, as the Lord Jesus himself later says in similar words, If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

You all know what a google search is I'm sure. I don't know how often you do them but sometimes you never seem to find what you're looking for. I read about a man who wanted a glass-fronted bookshelf. When he searched for "glass-fronted bookshelf" that's what he expected to find but instead he got a vacuum cleaner, an outdoor gazebo, a cello, retractable crowd control barriers, sports bags, a multi-purpose ladder, a baby carriage and a motorised folding arm awning. But when you seek God, it's not like that. God is much more reliable than Google. We will find him, if we seek him with all our heart. If you seek him, he will be found by you.

5. Remember the work you are called to so be strong and do it. Finally, here Consider now, says David to Solomon for the LORD has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary. Be strong and do the work. We too need to remember that our main task in life is to see his kingdom advance, the church built. And so we need to be strong and to do the work.

3. Christ has plans for the church and provides all that we need for it to rightly function

We come next to the point where David gives his son Solomon the plans for the portico of the temple, its buildings, its storerooms, its upper parts, its inner rooms and the place of atonement. These plans we are told (12) are the plans that the Spirit had put in David's mind for the courts of the temple of the LORD and all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of the temple of God and for the treasuries for the dedicated things. It goes on He gave him instructions for the divisions of the priests and Levites, and for all the work of serving in the temple of the LORD, as well as for all the articles to be used in its service. We then have a series of verses telling how He designated the weight of gold for all the gold articles to be used in various kinds of service, and the same for all the silver articles and the gold lampstands and their lamps ... and the weight of silver for each silver lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand ... the gold for each table for consecrated bread; the weight of silver for the silver tables; the weight of pure gold for the forks, sprinkling bowls and pitchers ... for each gold dish ,,, the silver for each silver dish and the weight of the refined gold for the altar of incense. He also gave him the plan for the chariot, that is, the cherubim of gold that spread their wings and overshadow the ark of the covenant of the LORD.

So here we see that David provides the exact blueprint to Solomon for the Temple and the service of the Temple and he provides all the silver and gold that Solomon was going to need in order to construct the temple according to the plan.

Now it seems to me that is very instructive. We can say that in a very similar way Christ provides the blueprint for the church and not just that but the very material we need in order for the church to be built. In Ephesians 4 Paul talks about the gifts and the captives Christ supplies from heaven. He goes on (11-13) So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. How this should encourages us - that Christ has provided all that is needed.

4. Christ has plans for the church so be actively strong, unafraid, encouraged; God won't fail you until the work's done

In the last few verses (19-21) David recaps All this, he says I have in writing as a result of the LORD's hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan.

He also says to Solomon his son, Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command.

There are again five final things to notice.

1. Again, Christ has the plans, the blueprint. All this ... I have in writing as a result of the LORD's hand on me, and he enabled me to understand all the details of the plan. So David has the plans and he understands them. How encouraging for Solomon to know this. In a similar way, we know that Christ has the plan and he understands it. How encouraging.

2. Be actively strong and courageous. All we need to do is to Be strong and courageous, and do the work. It is so easy to become distracted. We must not be. Rather we must go on working.

3. Don't be afraid or discouraged for God is with you. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. When the great John Knox was buried one commentator said "There lies he who never feared the face of man!" His secret, of course, was that he feared God. We need fear no-one either, if we fear God.

I heard a story a missionary in India who was praying one night when a great python lowered itself from the rafters of his bungalow and encircled his body with its cold and powerful coils. It made no attempt to constrict, though the missionary knew that if he struggled the snake would tighten its coils and crush him. With marvellous self control and courage born of faith, he went on quietly praying, until in the end the animal unwound itself and went back into the roof. That's the sort of courage we need!

4. God will not fail you or forsake you until the work is done. Tremendously encouraging this He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. There is a work going on and until it is finished we can be sure God will not forsake his people or let us down. Keep looking to him.

I heard a story about the Swiss Calvinist Samuel Gobat who worked in Jerusalem. One time he'd been on a long and discouraging missionary journey and came home totally dispirited. He felt that God had forsaken him. He decided to go into a cave nearby and there poured out his heart to the Lord, saying how forsaken he felt. It was very dark in the cave but as his eyes adjusted to the light he began to realise he was not alone. Also in the cave was a wild hyena and her cubs. What would the animal do to him? But God protected him; the hyena never moved. God's hand was keeping him at the very hour in which he thought that he was forsaken and he left the cave unharmed. Even when we think we are forsaken we are not.

5. Everything is ready and God's people will obey. Finally David says The divisions of the priests and Levites are ready for all the work on the temple of God, and every willing person skilled in any craft will help you in all the work. The officials and all the people will obey your every command. We are all helping each other in this great task. We can be sure that God's people will obey. There is every reason for confidence.