August 20, 2023 - Raised On High
Notes
Transcript
On a hot July afternoon in 1967 - a 17 year old teenage girl went to a beach on the Chesapeake Bay for a swim. The water was murky, and she didn’t bother to check the depth when she hoisted herself onto a raft anchored offshore.
She dove in and instantly felt her head hit something hard — her neck snapped and she felt a strange electric shock. Underwater and dazed, she felt herself floating and unable to surface for air.
When she was pulled out of the water, she saw her arm slung over her shoulder, and yet, she couldn’t feel it.
She knew then that something awful had happened. Later, at the hospital, she learned she had severed her spinal cord and would be left a quadriplegic for the rest of her life.
What is her name?
Joni Eareckson Tada...
In 1967 she was 17… which means - Today - she’s 73, almost 74.
56 YEARS - unable to walk… unable to fully use her arms and hands.
a LIFETIME - of doubts and questions...
Yet back when it happened - Joni - Lying in the hospital remembers praying to God:
“God, if I can’t die, then show me how to live.”
She KNEW - in that moment - She could NO LONGER live in her own strength...
It was completely - gone.
TODAY - we come to chapter 23 of 2 Samuel...
And we come to - the Introduction of what is titled in the Bible as - The last words of David...
We’re going to look at 1 verse today....just 1.
Yet - I feel like we can pull so much from this verse - and gain so much encouragement from it....it’s worth lingering here for a bit.
1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
Now - as you can see we won’t ACTUALLY get to the LAST WORDS of David...
We’re just gonna linger here today...
This DESCRIPTION of David.
But there’s much here.
If we look closely at this verse - we see a PROGRESSION of sorts.
We see the story of a man...
From his beginning -
to his end.
And where does it start? (half the verse)
1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
NOW - we know where David ended up...
We’ve been walking thru it.
We know David is the KING of Israel...
YET - here we are...
he started as - who?
David - the son of Jesse!
When we think about Joni Eareckson Tada and the IMPACT that she has had in the world...
When we begin to say that name - We can all FINISH it can’t we?
Joni Eareckson Tada...
TODAY - EVERYONE knows who she is....
She’s Joni Eareckson Tada...
What was her name the DAY BEFORE she was paralyzed?
Joni Eareckson
Same name! (married Ken Tada in 1982)
She was Joni Eareckson before EVERYONE knew her...
And she’s still - Joni Eareckson
Before David was known as KING DAVID - he was known as -
David - Son of Jesse
Same GUY…but what was the difference?
GOD was the difference!
It’s like that popular line from The Chosen - “I was one way.... and now I am completely different - - and the thing that happened in between…was Him!”
What’s the Lynch Pin in this verse?
Back to the VERSE...
1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
David goes from (HIGHLIGHT - the Son of Jesse) to...
(HIGHLIGHT - the anointed KING of Israel)
HOW?
Next slide: (Green Highlight - “the man who was raised on high”)
1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
David goes from the Son of Jesse - to the Anointed King of Israel..
Because he was RAISED ON HIGH…!
Raised up BY GOD to BE the King!
Jesse himself (David’s father) wasn’t anyone special in Scripture...
We don’t find chapters written about him and his life...
he was - just a guy.
Like every guy in here.
And DAVID was no different!
He was - just a guy!
And when he was known as the Son of Jesse...
Just a KID - even!
The KING of Israel - was David.
the Son of Jesse - was - David.
SLIDE: Raised On High: If You’re Unqualified, You’re Qualified
Raised On High
Raised On High
Again - David was just a guy…nothing special...
Listen - He wasn’t even SPECIAL in the eyes of his own family!!!
When Samuel went to the house of Jesse to anoint “ONE OF HIS SONS”...
Who did Jesse parade before Samuel?
10 And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
Jesse himself would have chosen EVERY other son…OVER David…to be King.
David was - LAST one picked!
by his OWN family.
UNQUALIFIED - in the eyes of those CLOSEST to him...
And God looked down and said - He’s the man!
THAT’S the ONE!!
But are we surprised!!??
26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.
27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are,
THIS is our God...
He takes the UNQUALIFIED - and He uses them in MIGHTY ways!
God takes the WEAK of this world - and thru THE WEAK - He displays His strength!
God takes the SHAMED of this world - and THRU the SHAMED - He displays His righteousness
God takes the WORTHLESS of this world - and thru the WORTHLESS - He displays His infinite WORTH!
God takes the POWERLESS and displays His power.
God takes the BROKEN of this world = and displays His grace and MERCY
And so - GOD on display - THRU the HUMILITY of man.
This is HOW GOD works!
SLIDE:
God is not limited by our limitations
What limitations would David have had in his life?
Youngest of 8 boys…
EIGHT!! Think of that!
After 3 I call Tenley - TIA all the time!
Brian - Brandy...
Nick - Danielle…how do you do it?
After 3 kids - our 3rd (Tenley) could very easily just get dragged around town every day due to the activities of the older kids...
David was the youngest of 8 boys...
By the time he was born - a lot of his brothers would probably had been decently independent...
There are times when Rachel and I will go to Amish country...
And we see like 4 and 5 year old’s working vegetable stands ON THEIR OWN...
David could have easily been the “forgotten child”...
And that CERTAINLY seems the case when it came to Jesse bringing his sons to Samuel for the anointing of the King...
David was - basically FORGOTTEN -
He wasn’t EVEN considered AN OPTION by Jesse - Until Samuel REMINDED him that he had another son...
Do you think David - FELT that in his life?
Do you think David FELT at times - like the FORGOTTEN child??
of COURSE he did....No doubt!!
And at times - he may have BELIEVED it.
By his own family - LOOKED OVER - time and time again!
BUT - during that time - the WHOLE time - God was working!
God was making a KING!
God was preparing this young man - for KINGSHIP!
God was bringing LION-SIZED trials David’s way...
God was bringing BEAR-SIZED trials David’s way...
WHY?
Preparation!
34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
35 I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
You know what this is?
This is part of the process of God - Raising Up David!
This LION...
THIS BEAR...
Would one day become the enemy of the living God!
v36
36 Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”
37 And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
David - In facing this NEW TRIAL in his life - thinks to himself -
I’ve BEEN HERE BEFORE...
I’ve DONE this before!
GOD has WORKED IN ME before!
And He’ll DO IT AGAIN!
KNOW THIS:
SLIDE:
The trials we face prepare us for the next one to come. We, as followers of Christ, are always in training!
David would have agreed with the song we sang this morning...
“I may be weak - but Your Spirit’s strong in me!”
I KNOW - that many of you feel - UNQUALIFIED - to do THIS or THAT…when it comes to serving God!
How do I know that?
1. Because - you’ve told me so.
you’ve told me so - VERBALLY...
2. And (2) you’ve told me so - in your actions...
Turning down an opportunity...
Laughing it off...
Disregarding it - AS THOUGH there will be MANY more opportunities to come!
There MAY NOT BE…!
We ALL feel unqualified to do something for God…right?
But think back in your life…and think about the various - RANDOM trials that you’ve walked thru… (the seemingly NON-church related trials…)
We need to know - that God walked you THROUGH that trial - to QUALIFY you for the WAVE of tomorrow!
He wants you - where?
Out on the waves!
NOW - getting out of the boat can be SCARY...
UNLESS - we understand that God has been preparing us for that VERY thing!
SO go there NOW!
THINK back to the TRIAL you walked through -
10 years ago...
5 years ago
Last year...
The one you’re in right now...
God HAS WORKED in you...
He IS WORKING in you....
Which means - You’re NOT forgotten!
HEAR ME - He hasn’t left you to the wolves
Listen to this… next slide
SLIDE:
Providence is the sovereignty of God made palpable. It’s the outworking of his power and authority for his children in space and time, which means, in the things we schedule, the air we breathe, the moments we move. Providence is observed, experienced, tasted. We may even say it’s the distinctively Christian term for reality.
Since God is sovereign, and this world is His, then every moment, in a sense, is a moment of providence. Wherever you find yourself right now has come by the process of events he ordained. Every past moment of your life has led to your now. The same will be true tonight, and tomorrow, and ten years in the future. Our experience of providence is our experience of the present, which we know has been wondrously woven together by God.
And because God is behind it all, we, as those united to Christ by faith, are assured of this: God’s providence neither gets it wrong nor lets us go, ever.
Rarely does it feel like every event in our lives is for our good. But providence, in its mysterious movements, flanks the arguments about how we may feel and compels our faith in the God who is doing “ten thousand times more” than we realize. This doing, whether seen or unseen, whether painful or pleasant, is resolutely and effectively targeting our eternal joy. We will be like Christ . . . with him . . . forever
49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.
God brought that lion to David - so that David would be MORE CONFORMED into the image of Christ!
God brought Goliath to the front lines - so that David would be MORE CONFORMED into the image of Christ!
The VALLEY you walked through in your past...
The valley you’re walking through NOW...
Was brought to you - BY GOD - to make you more LIKE HIM!
Does it HURT?
yes...
Is it hard?
yes...
Is it lonely?
Can be...
But ARE YOU ALONE?
Absolutely not...
The God of love behind absolutely everything in your life never gets it wrong and never - ever lets go.
God - RIGHT NOW - is working in you...
He’s - RAISING YOU UP!
The unqualified...
And how COOL IT IS - when God uses...
the weakest...
the most elementary...
the shyest
The LAST ONE PICKED...
to SHOCK the world!
Listen - EVEN NOW...
He’s Raising you up!
He has entrusted you - to walk through the PAIN…and darkness…and confusion...
…and loneliness...
Because ONE DAY - as you continue to PRESS into HIM...
He will bless you beyond measure...
And the FULLNESS of joy that resides in His presence
…will be yours
And so instead of trying to convince you that you WILL smile again...
That your next smile is JUST AROUND the bend...
I hope that you find HOPE in this truth…and realize - there’s reason to smile - NOW.
The GOD of the UNIVERSE… is FOR you...
He LOVES you SO MUCH - He has decided to make you like Jesus...
He’s WITH you...
And as Christians - we ALL should say - to each OTHER...
“And as long as [I’m] alive - I’m here with you too”
The King of Israel - was at ONE POINT in his life...
Forgotten
BELOW average
Nobody special
UNQUALIFIED!
YET - He (David) - was RAISED UP by God...
For what purpose?
Back to our text...
1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
David - the lowly shepherd boy...
Became the King of Israel...
And so what we need to know from this - is this...
SLIDE: Raised On High: The Impossible is Possible
Raised On High
Raised On High
Back to our text...
1 Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
Not only does God USE the UNQUALIFIED....
But He’ll TAKE the unqualified to places UNIMAGINABLE!
From Shepherd to KING?
Really?
That’s how God works!
How about Moses?
How did Moses first respond to God’s call for him to go free His people?
He complained...
He doubted...
He showed weakness
He DECLINED!
Sounds like a GREAT leader huh?
Of COURSE not!!
Sounds like the WORST leader ever!!
YET - God chose HIM!
What’s God DOING?
IMAGINE God being the head of HR at a Hospital!
Yeah, we need a doctor!
Ok, I”M ON IT!
Got this guy here - just hired him.... He didn’t finish high school and he has experience selling soap on Amazon!
He’s gonna start doing SURGERY tomorrow!
What would we say?
Uhh....You’re FIRED! And we’re not gonna ask you to find your own replacement!
What is God DOING HERE?
WHY?
Here’s WHY - - To show that this WHOLE THING is ALL ABOUT GOD - and His power!!
Think about it… think about the TRANSFORMATION that took place in Moses...
He goes from DECLINING God’s call to go free the people...
TO what...
24 By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter,
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
26 He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward.
27 By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.
From INITIALLY refusing to answer God’s call to free the people...
to (v25 - choosing RATHER to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin)
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
How did that happen?
How did THAT CHANGE happen?!!
God RAISED HIM UP!
TRIAL after TRIAL…after TRIAL!!
With God - the impossible is ALWAYS possible....BUT - MOST TIMES - it will take time!
· Abraham - waited 25 years for God’s promise to come to fruition… (God was RAISING HIM UP)
· Moses - wondered 40 years in the wilderness...
· Joseph - waited 13 years on the Lord
· David - waited around 15 years to become King
· Daniel - waited 21 days
· Paul - 14 years of ministry preparing him for his first missionary journey, and the 10 years to follow… (God was RAISING HIM UP)
And so - FOR US - as we hear this truth today...
That God PREPARES us for the trials to come - by walking us THROUGH trials...
PERSPECTIVE is going to be huge for us.
I know a lot of times - we find ourselves in the midst of a trial..
And we’re just trying to - survive.
I think perspective plays a huge part in this…and can provide us with HOPE - IN the trial...
2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
Knowing that the God of the Universe - is WORKING in my life - PERSONALLY - when the valleys are DEEPEST - brings me comfort…not sure about you.
It helps me to know that no matter how CRAZY things get - God is still with me.
He’s STILL working....
He’s STILL carrying out this promise...
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
The IMPOSSIBLE - is possible…with God.
Listen - your story isn’t OVER yet...
WHILE we ARE who we will ALWAYS BE - (His - by faith)...
We are YET to BE WHO we WILL become.
He’s still working in you...
Not only can God take you into a DIRECTION that you would have NEVER chosen for yourself...
Not only can He do THAT...
But He can also RESTORE you - to BLESS you beyond measure… even AFTER you feel like God is DONE WITH YOU!
Think about this...
AFTER - Peter denied the Lord Jesus 3 times in front of the world!
God allowed Peter to INFORM - ENCOURAGE - and BLESS the church - by writing 1 and 2 Peter!
And one of the MAIN THEMES of 1 Peter - is that we live obediently - no matter what your circumstance.
Go figure!
Your story is NOT over yet!
God is WORKING IN YOU…NOW...
to RAISE YOU UP for His purposes!
He has NOT left you in that valley....
He has NOT left you in the dark!
…in your suffering!
He loves you - you are His!
SUMMARY:
Raised On High
If You’re Unqualified, You’re Qualified
The Impossible is Possible
And so what’s the call? for us?
“Lord - give me faith”....
faith to believe this!!
to believe this on the Mountain tops - and ALSO in the valleys.
Song and prayer