Preparing for the Journey

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Introduction
Introduction
Tonight as I pondered on what to share with you, I came across this portion of Scripture, and with that, God really spoke to my heart on this thought ‘Preparing for the Journey’ The journey being the one we take when we leave this earth.
By the time we get to 1Chr. 22, we find that David is aged and getting ready to leave this world. For the next 7-8 chapters, we see what David did to ‘Prepare for the Journey’ - and I think it a good model for you and I today.
Now many of you might think ‘Well, I’m not much interested in that right yet, I’m still young & have plenty of life ahead of me. I’m not making that journey for a while, so this won’t benefit me much today’ - and if that’s you, may I just say, that’s a foolish perspective.
Church, death is no respecter of persons. (Ill.) Just a week or so ago, our community was taken aback by a 39 year old husband and father & son that left this world unexpectedly.
(Ill.) Beginning in middle school every year someone I went to school with died. Travis Jordan, Nicci, BJ, Craig Laurent - as a pastor, I’ve preached funerals of the aged, and little tiny caskets as well - death is no respecter of persons.
I say that to say this: You may look at some in this room & think that they are closer to death than you… but it just might be that you’re closer than the rest of us!
David was at this point in life aged and looking with expectation the day he would leave this world. In these passages, we see David preparing for the journey.
I encourage all of you today to live like you were dying. Prepare for the journey, for you know not when your journey will be.
So how did David prepare for the Journey?
I. He Prepared His Heart
I. He Prepared His Heart
This is key. None of the rest matters without this.
Part of preparing your heart is what we’ve already discussed - having the understanding that life could be over for each of us at any moment.
What else did David do to prepare His heart?
He Put Away His Past
David lived a well known & storied life.He had great victories of faith, and great sin in the sight of God.
But in order to prepare his heart for the journey, he had to put all of those things away.
Consider his victories:
None greater than his slaying of the giant Goliath.
It was truly a great victory, and worthy of remembrance - but not resting on it.
(Ill.) You’ll see this a lot in elderly people - they sit back & remember the ‘good ol’ days’. And they’ll talk about how things used to be, or victories of days gone by. Now, there’s nothing wrong with reflecting on those things, but too many begin to rest there… so much so that they can’t accomplish what God has for them now!
(Ill.) Imagine how unproductive David would have been in his old age had he sat back in the rocking chair and recounting how he slew that giant 60 years earlier!
David wasn’t resting in his past victories, he’d put them away.
David also wasn’t lamenting his past sin either…
Consider his sin:
One could reflect upon Bathsheba - but that wasn’t David’s only sin… Just prior to this in 1Chr. 21; David took a census and the LORD was wroth with him. David’s punishment was a pestilence covering the land and it killing 70,000 men. How horrible it would be to note that your sin caused the death of that many people!
But do you know what David did? He put it behind him. He repented & made atonement, then he put it away.
There’s a lot of people who cannot move forward and do great things for God because of the sin of their past. Even though they repented and God’s forgiven them, they will not forgive themselves.
Church, if you’re to prepare for the journey forward, you must not allow your past to hinder you.
He put away his past
He Placed His Focus on God
As you continue forward in the text, do you know what you see? David focusing solely on God.
Let me just read you to text headers from my Bible:
David Helps Solomon Prepare for the Building of the Temple
David Instructs Solomon about Building God’s Temple
David Commands the Princes to assist His Son
David Organizes the Levites to Serve in the Temple
The Organization of the priests / Levites
David Appoints Musicians for the Temple
David Appoints Porters for the Temple
David Appoints Treasurers for the Temple
God wasn’t on the outskirts of David’s thinking - David was fully focused on God!
What did David write? Psalm 1:1–2 “Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
Church, if you’re going to prepare for the journey, you have to recognize a duplicity in your walk.
Many Christians are straddling the fence. They have one foot in & the other out.
Remember the admonition of God: James 1:8 “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.”
David Placed his Focus on God
David Prepared His Heart
II. He Prepared His Home
II. He Prepared His Home
David set Solomon up for Success
Church, as parents, we have the ability to set our children up for success or failure. Whether or not they succeed or fail is ultimately up to them, but you can prod them in one direction or the other.
He Gave Him a Plan (1Chr. 28:11-13)
We see that David gave unto Solomon in essence the blueprints for the Temple. We don’t necessarily have all the details like we do with the Tabernacle, but David received it by the Spirit and passed them along.
We spoke this morning about the Jew, and who’s the real Jew & such. I want to revisit that for a moment:
Romans 2:28–3:2 “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”
What was the profit of the Jew? They had the plan! They had God’s Word! The heathen didn’t.
Church, the heathen don’t have God’s Plan, therefore cannot set their children up for success because they got the wrong blueprints! But we don’t! We have the right plan, we just need to make sure that we’re imparting it upon our children!
He Gave Him a Plan
He Gave Him Provisions (1Chr. 22:14-16-a)
Not only did David give Solomon a Plan, but gave him the tools to carry it out.
What are the tools that we supply to our children to carry out the plan today?
Church
Devotions
Example
Personal instruction
It would be irresponsible of us to give our child a Bible and say ‘Here you go, figure it out’.
1 Chronicles 29:2 “Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for things to be made of gold, and the silver for things of silver, and the brass for things of brass, the iron for things of iron, and wood for things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, glistering stones, and of divers colours, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.”
If we’re to set our children up for success, we must supply them with the appropriate tools to get the job done as well.
He gave them Provisions
He Gave Him Purpose (1Chr. 22:16b)
Ultimately, David gave Solomon his son purpose in this life. Something that would stand the test of time.
Purpose is what’s missing in the lives of many.
Let me ask you - what’s your purpose? What is it that God has created you for, and are you accomplishing this?
We don’t think about it much, do we? We just go through life and before you know it, it’s over!
(Ill.) In Sunday School this morning, we were speaking about Joseph & that God has a specific plan for his life. I shared the truth that God has a specific plan for everyone’s life, then asked ‘How many are fulfilling that plan?’
Solomon is an interesting case study, in that he had a specific purpose, was setup for success and outwardly had it - but inwardly, he’d rejected the instruction found in 1 Chronicles 22:12–13 “Only the Lord give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the Lord thy God. Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the Lord charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.”
As we read in Ecclesiastics, what you’ll find is an older man who had everything, but was miserable and not satisfied with anything.
Do you know why? He deviated from his purpose!
David gave his son Purpose
David Prepared His Heart; His Home
III. He Preached to Help
III. He Preached to Help
He Preached the Word of God (1Chr. 28:3; 6-7)
David said ‘Thus saith the LORD’. David proclaimed the Word of God - and that’s what made the difference!
Church, do you know what’s going to help our society?
Not the words of ancient philosophers
Not the opinions of the Hollywood stars / starlets
Not the ramblings of politicians
Not cute little quotes on facebook / instagram
What has the power to make the difference in the lives of men is the Word of God!
Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
You and I would fare far better in this life the more we invest in the Word of God. The more we:
Study it
Hide it in our hearts
Submit to it
Share it
The Word of God is what makes a difference - and as David was preparing for the journey, he preached the Word of God
He Preached the Way (v8)
David didn’t just preach what it said, but what they should do with it.
(Ill.) I don’t believe myself to be some great orator. I don’t believe any of you come to church simply to hear this eloquent message that is delivered in a way that tickles the ear… I believe that for many of you, you trust that I will not only tell you what the Word of God says, but what it means to you - and what you should do with it!
It’s futile to preach the Word of God without application - David preached the Way
He Preached a Warning (v9)
David preached not only blessings but cursing of God. He preached the truth.
(Ill.) I mentioned Billy Graham this morning and the ecumenicism that he embraced. He was on Larry King one time and
Larry King: “What about those other faiths… The Jews, the Muslims who don’t…
Billy: “that’s in God’s hands, I can’t be their judge”
Larry: ‘How do you feel when you see these strong Christian leaders who go on television and say “You are condemned. You will live in Hell if you do not accept Jesus Christ - and they’re forceful, and judgmental”.
Billy: “They have a right to say that, and they are true to a certain extent, but that’s not my calling. My calling is to preach the love of God and the forgiveness of God…”
But church, tell me:
How do you preach the love of God without magnifying the sin that separates God and man?
How do you preach the forgiveness of God without preaching what you need forgiven for?
How do you preach a Heaven to gain without a Hell to shun?
You know what Jesus said of John the Baptist? Luke 7:28a “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: …”
Do you know how John the Baptist preached? (Read Mat. 3:6-12)
We need to be warning people - as David did
He Provided a Witness (1Chr. 29:1-5)
David didn’t just talk the talk, he walked the walk.
Also note that it made a difference! (Read v6-9)
David provided a Witness
David Prepared His Heart; His Home; He Preached to Help
IV. He Prayed to be Heard
IV. He Prayed to be Heard
David was unashamed to pray & praise the LORD
If you want to prepare for the journey, you should be a praying / praising person!
He Praised the LORD (1Chr. 29:10-13)
When is the last time you praised the LORD? (Read these verses together)
David Praised the LORD
He Prayed for the People (v18)
David prayed for the people.
Church, are you praying for one another? I put the new prayer warrior sheets back there today, are you using them?
David Prayed for the People
He Prayed for His Son (v19)
David prayed now for his son.
Momma’s & Daddy’s - we need to be praying for our children.
Conclusion
Conclusion