Depending on God

Scripture

2 Samuel 24:1–9 NIV

1 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.” 3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?” 4 The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel. 5 After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. 8 After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.

Introduction

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.

The scientist walked up to God and said, "God, we've decided that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and get lost?"

God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the scientist was done talking, God said, "Very well, how about this? Let's say we have a man-making contest." To which the scientist replied, "Okay, great!"

But, God added, "Now, we're going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam."

The scientist said, "Sure, no problem" and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God looked at him and said, "No, no, no. You go get your own dirt."

Questions

Today I want to ask you a very important question and that is ARE YOU DEPENDENT ON GOD?

Now I am sure everyone will say - yes we are dependent on God but the truth of the matter is that many times our actions shows that we are not very dependent on God at times

Many times I know that I can behave like these Scientists and depend on myself and my abilities and not on God and I am sure if you are truthful you will admit to yourself that you also can at times not depend on God but on yourself

For example

5 Minute Fix for Computers Story

The truth is I was depending on my ability and if I had taken the time to depend on God first i would have done much better and much faster

God wants us to come to that place where we can say - apart from you I can do nothing

I am nothing without you

A car without gas is nothing

A watch without the battery is nothing

Man without God is nothing

You see God without man is still God but man without God is nothing

Today I want to speak to you all today about being Dependent on God

We will get back to that scripture we just read in a little while but first of all I want to tell you about what it means to be dependent on God

What Does It Mean to be Dependent on God?

Every child faces a life of dependence from the moment he is conceived. At the very start of his new life he must look to his mother for nourishment in the womb. Once he is born, he is dependent on his parents for food, clothing, and shelter. He cannot provide any of those resources for himself. Unlike other earthly creatures, he can’t even come to her, she has to come to him.

An infant is also incapable of caring for himself in terms of cleanliness. He is dependent on his mother and father to give him baths, clip his nails, comb his hair, and otherwise make him presentable. Once he becomes more mobile, the child is incapable of determining what is safe or harmful. Without his parents’ guidance, he could fall down stairs, burn himself, eat something poisonous—any of which could permanently disable him or even kill him. No one would argue the necessity for round-the-clock care for infants.

In much the same way, Christians are like infants when it comes to total dependence on God. Just like infants, we are ultimately dependent on God for food, clothing, and shelter. Just as infants get dirty throughout the day, we live in a world of sin that pollutes our walk with Christ. While our Lord has paid the penalty for our sins past, present, and future, we still sin each day. We need to come to God confessing our sins so He will cleanse them and restore us to fellowship with Him. And just as infants desperately need the protection of their parents from harmful things, we are dependent on God to guard us from the circumstances in our lives that can hurt our spiritual walk.

You see being dependent on someone is something we have all learnt to do and we are accustomed to being dependent.

A parent expects their child to no longer be dependent as they get older and have a job etc….

However God expects his children to continually be dependent on him for all things and for every area of their lives.

In this portion of Scripture we see that David who is a man who usually depended on God for all things - it was a trait that sets him apart from most people.

David was called a man after God’s own heart and 1 reason why is because he always depended on God however we see in this portion of Scripture that he did something that displeased the Lord.

He asked for a census.

J. D. Greear Sermon Archive Still Searching for a King: 2 Samuel 24:1–25

Now, at this point, many of you ask, “What was wrong with what David did?” I mean, getting a count … Sounds organized. How is that bad?

I mean the first time I read this i wondered what was wrong as well.

Becuase it is a question that we may ask at times.

If I am the Leader of an army I myself may want to know how much fighting men I have on my team.

J. D. Greear Sermon Archive Still Searching for a King: 2 Samuel 24:1–25

OK, here is what was wrong with what David did:

● The key is in that word “delighted.” David finds a delight in how strong his army is. There are probably 3 things behind this:

1. pride—he is trying to rejoice in how strong he’s made the institution;

2. lack of faith—he wants to see how well they’re going to be able to defend themselves against their enemies—he’s not trusting promises of God; David and Goliath … where it doesn’t matter how big the giant is … that was when I was young and poor … now, I’ve matured, and we count our armies

3. military aggression—one of the reasons you figure out how many fighting men you have is because you are thinking about picking a fight, right?

J. D. Greear Sermon Archive Still Searching for a King: 2 Samuel 24:1–25

These things make David made delight in his army. David should have been delighting in God; he should have been trusting in God; He should have had his eyes on God’s grace, not the potential conquest of other nations.

He asked for this census because he wanted to show how strong he and his army was and how much battles were won because of their strength.

He had forgot that it was the Lord who was giving him the victory and not his men and their abilities

I am afraid that we can also become like David.

APPLICATION

Now I believe we who are in Ministry we can become like David

We need to be careful

Sometimes a Pastor can ask - give me a listing of many members we have

Somtimes they may ask another pastor how many members they have

Or look how we living in a time of digital ministry

We can say - oh when I do a devotional for covenant city church - I get more views, I get more comments, I get more shares

the competition which Michael won

Oh when I preach I get more Amens than you - let us count the Amens in every service - see who gets more

Oh when I lead in worship - the people dance - when you lead in worship you barely get them to move.....

lots of scenarios we can think about

Who are we depending on today?

Are we committing the sin of David

ILLUSTRATION

I heard about a woodpecker that landed on a tree and began frenetically pecking away. Suddenly a storm came up and a bolt of lightning struck the tree, splitting it in half and knocking the woodpecker to the ground. Dazed momentarily, he picked himself up, flew away, and came back moments later with several friends in tow. ‘There it is, boys,’ he bragged, ‘I did it all by myself.

Courson’s Application Commentary, Old Testament Volume 1 (Genesis–Job) 2 Samuel 24:2, 3

counting the people rather than counting on God for strength.

Who and What are you counting on today?

What are you leaning on today?

God is looking to people who will depend on him

We are nothing without him

You see God without man is still God but man without God is nothing

Why Should We Be Dependent on God?

Because Jesus was Dependent

If it’s one thing about Jesus - he was very dependant on his Father to accomplish anything.

If Jesus who was God the Son was dependant on Divine Help who is we?

Lots of time in the Scriptures Jesus stressed how dependant he was on the Father’s Help

John 5:19 NIV

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

John 8:28 NIV

28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.

John 5:30 NIV

30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

Before he chose the Disciples - he prayed

He was constantly going to a Solitary place to pray for help and guidance

His life was in absolute dependence upon God the Father.

He is our example and we are to learn from him.

God is really all we can depend on in this age

A lot of people say they will depend on their family and friends etc but let me tell you something.

People are not always dependable

A lot of people are just filled with talk and not dependable

A man who had Covid speaking about his friends

Men are going to let you down

Your family, your friends

No human is perfect and we have to understand that

I might be there for you sometimes but not all the time

God is the only person who is by your side 24/7

who you depend on could be the difference between constant stress and frustration and peace and harmony.

Really, the only person who we can totally depend on 100% is God. Why? Because He always shows up, He always does what is best for us (even if we don’t like it) and He is always trustworthy.

Acts 17:28 NIV

28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

WE LIVE - BECAUSE OF HIM

WE MOVE - BECAUSE OF HIM

WE ARE HERE TODAY BECAUSE OF HIM

Don’t walk away from your greatest source of strength

He knows better than we do

Another reason why we should depend on God for all things is because he knows better than us

As we go through life we are faced with many decisions and if we depend on our own intellect to make decision we will find ourselves in constant stress

If we depend on our heart all the time we will get heartache

We need to depend on God for all things because he knows better than I.

Let me share something with you that you need to pay close attention to.

NOT EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT COMES YOUR WAY IS OF GOD

Promotion comes from the Lord

Some are sent to distract you

Not all

But you need to pray concerning it

Danny shared a good example about getting promoted in one of his past companies to be large and in charge of a lot of trucks etc.

He had to say no

We need to pray about decisions and ask God to help us to make the right decisions.

Some may write SEA and not get the school of their choice

If that happens - God knows what is best - God can still help you succeed in that school

Diandra passed for her last choice

We need to learn to trust that God knows what is best for us

God knows everything we are going through at this very moment and everything we will go through in the future.

He knows the best way to handle every situation so we get the best possible outcome and we need to trust him with that.

We need to follow his path and trust that he knows best, because he does.

How Can We Depend on God?

Prayer

I believe one of the first ways we can show our dependence on God is by asking for him

Think of a child who wants something

They know mama or papa can get them what they want

There is the famous Lord’s prayer in the Bible and it says - GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD

We need to pray to God DAILY to meet our needs

I believe that our prayer life is an indicator of our dependence on God

If we hardly pray then that means we hardly depend on God - If we pray a lot then we are a dependent people on God

On a Thursday we have the corporate prayer time and we pray for the same thing week after week

How is your prayer life today

Some people say well I have no time to pray - you dont know my schedule

Some of you might be thinking well Brian you dont have no wife and child to see about you know

You have time on your hands but me I busy with a family

Well in that case I can guarantee you - let your wife or child get COVID and you will see how much time you have to pray

Nobody will be able to pray as much as you

The truth is we all have time to talk to God

It’s just not a priority right now

Especially when things are going good we don’t need God

Are we with open hands saying, “God, we cannot do this day without you. Give us what we need this day to carry out your will

Rev praying over his food in Camp

God without Man is still God. Man without God is nothing

Philippians 4:6 NIV

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Read The Bible

Prayer is how we talk to God and the Bible is how God talks to us

Where are you getting your wisdom each day to live your life?

Jesus said Man shall not live by bread alone but by every Word that comes out of the mouth of God

Some of us we only eating physical food and no spiritual food

No wonder our lives are in a mess

Our ancestors would give millions to have what we have today and that is access to God’s Word

We need to depend on God for answers

If you live in dependence to God’s Word your life will be so much more stress free

If we chose to find a husband or a wife that has values that are written in the Word of God it would save ourselves a lot of headaches in the future

The Divorce rate will go down -

Where are we going for guidance

THE PROPHET?

SOME PROPHETS TELLING HUSBANDS LEAVE THEIR WIVES

The Bible basically addresses all issues of life

Find time for the Word

The Word of God has information, instructions, examples, and promises for New Testament believers. Read from the Bible every day.

when there is a conflict between what the Bible says and what anyone else says, go with the Bible.

Get an easy translation that you can understand and read from it each day and see a big difference in your life

Don’t just read it for yourself but share the wisdom with your children so they can have guidance for their future

Your future depends on the Word and Your future is in the Word

Be Obedient

Obedience is one of the most important ways to show your dependence on God

There is a song that says TRUST AND OBEY

Lyrics goes

1 When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way! While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

When we pray and read the Bible we need to be obedient to what his Word says

A lot of us have headaches and pain because we do not obey God

The Bible continually says that Obedience is better than sacrifice

If God already has shown you to do something and you haven’t done it, then don’t ask Him to show you something new to do. Go back and do what you were already supposed to do. Obedience to revealed truth guarantees guidance in matters unrevealed. - Greg Laurie

Are we Obedient to God?

God’s Word says he will be our provider when times are hard but we choose to steal then we end up in jail

God’s Word says we ought not to commit adultery but we find the grass looks greener in the other side

We end up losing both our spouse plus the outside person

If we will learn to realise that God’s Word is a guardrail to actually protect us from problems

We create many of our problems by being a disobedient person

When David committed the sin of adultery he lost his child due to his disobedience

2 Samuel 12:7–8 NIV

7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.

When we are dependent on God we would take God at his Word even if it seems a bit hard

God’s word says to go right but we, being stubborn-minded decide to go left instead.

by practicing obedience to God’s word we are depending on Him to help us remain faithful.

Conclusion

What do we do with the Glory?

Camara get Rev 4:9-11

John 3:30 NIV

30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

He had a huge following

He never compromised - he said Repent

Are you the Messiah

I am not the light I just came to testify concerning the light that you may believe in him

He is the super star

im just a guy who cries like a girl when a jep stings me

aint nothing special about me

What do we do with the Glory

WE LAY OUR CROWNS DOWN

Revelation 4:9–11 NIV

9 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

We can’t stop people from putting crowns on our head but we can stop those crowns from having the throne of our heart

We must decrease and he must increase

God without man is still God but man without God is nothing