"God's Unshakeable Promise"

Imagine a group of friends trying to build the tallest tower with Jenga blocks. Each time they added a piece, the tower wobbled, yet they laughed because they dared to test their luck. In life, we may feel like that tower, unstable and ready to fall. But God's promises stand firm like a well-built foundation; they keep us upright, even when it feels like everything is shaking all around us, making us a bit giddy in the process!

Proposition - As we look to chapter 7 this morning we are going to look at God’s unshakeable promise. We will see: 1) God’s plan, 2) God’s promise, 3) God’s kingdom, and 4) the response to God’s plan.

Interrogative Question - How does understanding God's promise to David inspire you to trust God in your own life?

Logos AI - Summary: In this passage, God establishes a covenant with David, promising to make his lineage everlasting and to build a house for His name. This moment is pivotal as it reflects God's faithfulness and His plan for redemption through David's descendants.

Application: Understanding God's promise to David can encourage teens in their own lives, helping them to trust in God's plans even when circumstances are uncertain. It reassures them that God remains faithful to His promises and that they are part of a bigger story that involves God's love and commitment to humanity.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that God is a promise-keeping God who establishes covenants and remains faithful throughout generations. It emphasizes that our God acts in history and personal lives in a transformative way, reassuring us of His sovereignty and love.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage foreshadows the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, who fulfills God's promise of an eternal kingdom. It connects to the New Testament where Jesus is presented as the fulfillment of God's covenant with David, highlighting God's unbroken commitment to His people.

Big Idea: God's promises are unshakeable and bring hope that transcends time, inspiring us to trust Him and His plan in our own lives.

1. God’s Plan -

2 Samuel 7:1–7 NASB95

1 Now it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within tent curtains.” 3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.” 4 But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, 5 “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Are you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in? 6 “For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been moving about in a tent, even in a tabernacle. 7 “Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’

During what time of David’s life do you think vs 1 takes place?

Who is Nathan?

What does Nathan tell David to do? (why do you think he says this)

What happens in vs. 4?

In what ways is it hard for you to wait on God’s timing?

The MacArthur Study Bible (Chapter 7) 7:5 Would you build a house. Verses 5–7 are framed by two questions asked by the Lord, both of which pertain to building a temple for Him. The first question, asking if David was the one who should build the temple, expected a negative answer (see 1 Chr. 17:4). According to 1 Chr. 22:8; 28:3, David was not chosen by God to build the temple because he was a warrior who had shed much blood.

Logos AI - You could begin by exploring how God prepares David's heart by recognizing his desire to build a temple. This shows God's awareness of our intentions and His plan's sovereignty even when we aim for good. Encouraging teens to trust God with their dreams, and understanding that divine plans might unfold differently than imagined, is important here.

2. God’s Promise -

2 Samuel 7:8–11 NASB95

8 “Now therefore, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. 9 “I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the earth. 10 “I will also appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will the wicked afflict them any more as formerly, 11 even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you.

Who many “I Wills” are there?

What does the Lord remind David of through Nathan the prophet?

What are some promises that God has given us in the Scriptures?

The ESV Study Bible (Chapter 7) 7:8–17 God will not let David build him a house; rather, he will build David a house, i.e., a ruling dynasty (see note on 1 Chron. 17:10b–14). According to 1 Kings 5:3, Solomon said David was not able to build the temple “because of the warfare with which his enemies surrounded him,” and in 1 Chron. 22:8 David says the Lord said he could not do so because “you have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth” (see note on 1 Chron. 22:6–16).

Logos AI - Maybe focus on God's promise to establish David's lineage, pointing out how God initiates covenants by His grace. As God took the shepherd David to make him a king, He can also raise us into positions to fulfill His purpose. For teens, this offers hope and reassurance that God sees and prepares great things for them.

3. God’s Permanent Kingdom -

2 Samuel 7:12–17 NASB95

12 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” 17 In accordance with all these words and all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

Summarize these verses in your own words?

What kind of a promise do we see here?

What does David have to do in order to get the promise?

The ESV Study Bible (Chapter 7) 7:12 Your offspring after you refers to Solomon. 7:12 God’s covenant with David has a proximate fulfillment with Solomon (1 Kings 1:46; 8:15–21). But Solomon fails (1 Kings 11:1–10). God preserves the line of offspring (1 Kings 11:12, 36; 15:4; 2 Kings 8:19) until Christ the everlasting king comes (Matt. 1:1–16).

The ESV Study Bible (Chapter 7) 7:14 Hebrews 1:5 applies the words I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son to Christ because, as Messiah, Jesus inherits David’s role as representative of God’s people (his “son,” Ex. 4:22–23; cf. Ps. 89:26–27).

Logos AI - Perhaps outline how God's covenant transcends David's immediate plans by promising an everlasting kingdom. This foreshadows Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of this promise. Encourage teens to anchor their lives in God's long-term vision, which brings lasting hope through Christ, emphasizing eternal significance over temporary concerns.

4. Response to God’s Work -

2 Samuel 7:18–29 NASB95

18 Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 19 “And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, O Lord God, for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant concerning the distant future. And this is the custom of man, O Lord God. 20 “Again what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God! 21 “For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your servant know. 22 “For this reason You are great, O Lord God; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 “And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? 24 “For You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God. 25 “Now therefore, O Lord God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do as You have spoken, 26 that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. 27 “For You, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You. 28 “Now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant. 29 “Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord God, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

What is David doing in these verses?

Why is David praising the Lord?

The MacArthur Study Bible (Chapter 7) 7:18–29 See 1 Chr. 17:16–27. David prayed with awe and thanksgiving over God’s sovereign claim to bestow the divine blessing on his seed and nation.

Logos AI - You could encourage a response of gratitude and praise as David did when receiving God's promise. Highlight the importance of recognizing God's faithfulness and expressing trust in His covenant. For teens, this is a call to personal worship and trust in the God who speaks into their future with promises of hope and purpose.

SO WHAT?

How does understanding God's promise to David inspire you to trust God in your own life?

In what ways can you express gratitude for the blessings you have received from God?

How does knowing that God has a plan for you shape the way you approach your future?

What dreams or goals do you think God might be preparing for you, even if they look different from your expectations?

How can you encourage friends who are struggling to trust in God's promises for their lives?