Kings & Queens need Him

Today we are wrapping up our / / Hear My Cry series. It’s been a short little run through some of the life of David, who is regarded as the greatest of the Kings of Israel.

We’ve looked at a couple different things. First, how David facing a very literal, 9ft 4in giant is something we can learn from, even though there is a good chance we will never be in the same scenario as him. But, our giants, whether they are physical, emotional, internal or spiritual shout at us just the same.

/ / Giants are:

Bigger than Us

Stronger than Us

Louder than Us

/ / Sometimes the people around us agree with the giants more than they support us

/ / That giant will test our resolve and our faith when it charges at us...

At some point all of our belief is put on the line when that giant comes charging at us head on.

So, we choose to take the posture like David did:

Remind ourselves that we have a / / (1) faith built on experience. God has been evident in our lives before, and he will be again.

We remind ourselves that / / (2) God has given us what we need.

I find many times the things I face, although big, and scary and loud, when I really look at it, I usually know what I need to do, it’s just going to take a real concerted effort to do so. And so, in way of ourselves we are often prepared, but even greater still, we have the Holy Spirit.

We choose to / / (3) declare the truth. Who God is, What HE says and what He can do. David said very clearly to the giant standing in front of you. The Lord will conquer you, this is the Lord’s battle, so, I come at you, not in my own name, not in the king’s name, not even in the name of our nation of Israel whose army stands before you, but in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies...

We / / (3) stand our ground, believe and charge ahead. We looked at that in our series on the armor of God Be Prepared. Ephesians 6:13 says, / / Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.

Sure, there might be a battle, and sometimes we feel like we’re in the thick of it. But when we remind ourselves that the battle is the Lord’s, that he has prepared us, that we have his very spirit with us, then we face that thing in front of us, and move forward in confidence.

And then of course, even though it wained at times, like David, we choose to be and / / (5) stay humble before God.

I love 1 Peter 5:6, it says, So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares for you.

Talk about a promise! But like most promises this is God leading us toward life, and we have to be those who follow!

Then last week we looked at the very real struggle David had as he became famous, became king, became complacent, and when humility took a back seat to desire it led him on the journey toward sin rather than the journey toward life.

St Augustine, was alive somewhere around 1700 years ago, one of the greatest Christian thinkers there has bee. It’s said he is perhaps the most significant philosopher since Paul who wrote most of the New Testament. And he said that the journey to sin starts with

/ / Desire - what we would call the desire of our flesh. Things we want, often triggered by our senses - sight, smell, touch...

/ / Contemplation - When that desire moves from an idea, or a thought to a place in our minds and hearts where we dwell. That mental obsession I talked about last week. David could have left that roof and gone and got a snack and went to bed, but he didn’t, he stayed there and then called someone to ask who that was and to bring her to him.... At that point, your mind has been made up, and your body is probably just following the marching orders it’s been given by your brain. Which leads to the third stage of this journey to sin:

/ / Consent - Consent of the will, when the sin of thought becomes the action of sin itself. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 5, / / “You have heard it said...” and talked through some of the commandments that God had given to the nation of Israel. He actually says that phrase six times, either “You have heard it said...” or “You have heard the commandment [or law] that says...” or “You have heard that your ancestors were told...” And then he brings a new thought into it.

Last week we read from Matthew 5:27-28, Jesus says, / / “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Before that he had brought this little one… / / “You have heard that your ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgement.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgement!” [Matthew 5:21-22]

Why? Because before consent comes the sin of thought. I’ve made up my mind before my body follows through. This is why we often feel guilt if we think the wrong thing but still don’t act on it. Guilt isn’t a bad thing. Guilt is simply a recognition of wrong doing. It’s simply the recognition that we missed the mark, we need to turn back, reorient ourselves and get back on the journey to life.

Jesus said to his disciples in John 16 that if he would go away, then he would be able to send the Holy spirit, and in vs 8 he says, / / “And when he comes [speaking of the Holy Spirit], he will convict the world of its sin...

Paul says in Romans 7:7, / / …it was the law that showed me my sin. I would never have know that coveting is wrong if the law had not said, “You must not covet.”

There’s nothing to fear from recognition of sin. It’s the first step to being free from it. If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong and that as a result you are in bondage to that, then how will you ever be free? And the worst thing that can possibly happen is for someone to not even know they are a prisoner. To be so tricked that they think how they are living and what they’re going through is just normal life.

We see it all around us all the time. People living so stuck in their ways but not even realizing they are stuck, or that they are suffering because of that. They just assume that’s how life works. “Well, it’s my lot in life...” “These are the cards I was dealt.” Sure, maybe that’s what is going on right now, but it doesn’t have to be.

And here’s the thing, Paul says in Romans 6:16, / / Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

What’s he saying? He’s saying the choice is yours, and you will choose which road to go down, the journey to sin, which leads to death, or the journey to following Christ, which leads to life.

I’m absolutely convinced we’re all walking somewhere, and very rarely are people just stationary in life. You’re either walking toward life or you’re walking toward death, albeit very slowly sometimes. But without the light of Jesus Christ the journey we are all on doesn’t ultimately lead to life. Jesus said in John 8:12, / / “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

1 John 1:5-7 says, / / This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.

A thousand years earlier it’s like David knew… Psalm 27 says, / / The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid?

One translation says, / / The Lord is light and my Savior; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

It’s beautiful.

So, today we are wrapping this series up with a simple thought:

/ / Kings & Queens need God, and we are no different!

So, this week is an interesting week. And we would be remiss not to mention certain things. We all have these moments in life where we remember exactly where we were when something happened. Today is of course September 11th, and I would venture a guess that every one of us knows exactly where we were 21 years ago the moment we heard that the US had been attacked on US soil.

I was in Toronto. I had just arrived the day before to the Bible School that Kelley and I went to in Toronto. My sister had just got married that previous Saturday on the 8th. I was 19 years old and had no concept of what was going on. I was in a new city, my first time away from home, and I can remember, we were in a meeting when the news came in and our meeting was interrupted with, “America is under attack!”

I really didn’t have much of a relationship with God at the time. And I remember being completely consumed with self in that moment. I didn’t know how to handle any of that news. I didn’t know how to handle the obviously and rightfully hysterical Americans that were at the school. I remember thinking, “Get me out of here, I just want a cigarette”… I had given up smoking 2 days prior.... Figured that was the right thing to do walking into Bible College.

But, regardless of what was going on in me, I’ll never forget that day. And now I think on some of the documentaries and things I watched last year, especially after the 20th anniversary of that tragic and horrible event, and where 21 years ago I was a young immature thoughtless kid who didn’t know how to process those things, now I feel the heart of humanity, the pain of sin, the wickedness we see in this earth, and I also see the sacrifice and dedication of those who committed to doing all they could to save as many as they could. That single event shaped countless lives. The lives of those who lost someone. The lives of those who went through it and survived. The lives of those who took up a call to try and make it right. Countless lives were impacted that day, not just those who lost their lives that we take time to remember today.

And now again, not on the same level, but another moment now from this past week. Especially for our friends in the United Kingdom, but for many other nations and people around the world, with the loss of Queen Elizabeth, a shockwave of feeling, of emotion, of question that will be cemented in the minds of so many who will never forget where they were and what they were doing when they heard, “The Queen has passed.”

70 years on the throne. The longest standing monarch in the United Kingdom, and I think second longest in all of history. Less than 10% of the world’s population is older than 70....

And although we have these moments of tragedy and sorrow, of pain and hurt that most of the time we can’t control and we wished would have never happened, I think the approach that Queen Elizabeth took can help us in those times. Because there are moments in our lives that remind us of what God has done. It was something King David held on it. It was something Queen Elizabeth held on to:

Kings & Queens need God. Isn’t it obvious we do too?

As a church we posted a quote from a statement that she had made just a month ago. / / “Throughout my life, the message and teachings of Christ have been my guide and in them I find hope.”

Another post I saw had a quote from her last Christmas greeting and it said, / / “Jesus whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith. His birth marked a new beginning. As the carol says, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Both of those quotes from Queen Elizabeth give light to the same thing that David utilized in his leadership - His connection to the one true God. Yes, Queen Elizabeth through the example, teaching and life of Christ, which of course David lived a thousand years before Jesus was born on this earth as a man. But we can never forget, Jesus the man may have been born 2000 years ago, but the Son of God has always been, is now, and forever will be, in all eternity past and eternity to come, He is God.

Which is why I believe we see so much of a Messianic presence in the poetry of David, because by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, David saw what would be for all mankind the saving grace of God. Jesus even quotes one of the Psalms in a conversation about the messiah with the religious teachers and pharisees in Matthew 22… He quotes Psalm 110 which is one of the most quoted Psalms in the entire New Testament because of it’s clear references to a coming Messiah.

And we read from Psalm 27 already, right?

Where David said, / / The Lord is my light and my salvation.... [Psalm 27:1] Jesus said, I am the light of the world… [John 8:12]

Where David said, / / Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path… [Psalm 27:11] Jesus said, If you follow me you won’t have to walk in darkness… [John 8:12]

So, today we’re going to finish this out by looking at three of David’s best qualities. Not just because they are good qualities and He had them and that’s how he became the greatest King of Israel, BUT, because each of these things is 100% fully and readily available to each and every one of us.

There is no point to look back at the life of David and simply say, “Wow, what a story...”.

In Luke 24:44, Jesus has been crucified, buried and is raised again back to life, and he’s with his disciples teaching them and he says to them, / / “When I was with you before [meaning, when he was alive], I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

And right before that, in Luke 24:27, in another conversation it says, / / Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

When we look back at Scripture we see more than just the story that was there. We see all of the humanity in its brokenness, the God who loves the humanity that he created, and we see the working of the Spirit and the promise of a Savior!

So, rounding out or short look at the life of David, let’s look at some of his better qualities

/ / 1. He was Anointed

We read this in the first week, but let’s revisit it quickly. The story is, Saul is king, Saul decided to disobey the instructions God had given him, and as a result God decided it was time to have someone anointed that would replace him. Not immediately, but the arrangements were being made.

The story, if you want to read it is in 1 Samuel 16. But we’ll just read what is important for this morning. David is the youngest of eight brothers, and the prophet Samuel comes to the house of Jesse, David’s father, because that is where God has led him to go. And he arrives, asks him to bring his sons along with him so they can go make a sacrifice to the Lord. Samuel looks over each of the boys and God says ‘no’ to each one of them. Finally Samuel has to ask, “Are there not any other sons?” And Jesse remembers, “oooh, ya, right, umm…David, he’s out with the sheep...”

David is called in and immediately Samuel knows this is the one. And 1 Samuel 16:13 says, / / So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on...

The Message translation says it this way, / / The Spirit of God entered David like a rush of wind, God vitally empowered him for the rest of his life.

Now, in the Old Testament scripture this is a unique moment. This doesn’t happen often. There is no promise of the Holy Spirit being resident in people in scripture before Christ. There are moments where the Spirit would move on people. And there are indications that the Spirit was active in particular peoples lives, but this was an uncommon things.

Moses is told to anoint Joshua in Numbers 27:18 and it says, The Lord replied, / / “Take Joshua son of Nun, who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.”

A man named Othniel in Judges 3:10 received the Holy Spirit for a purpose. It says, / / The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. This was about leadership, just like in the case of David and Joshua.

Even of King Saul, it says in 1 Samuel 10:10 that he had been met by a group of prophets, and it says, / / Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophecy.

Samson is another story where the Spirit of the Lord is directly present with someone. In Judges 13:24-25 it says, / / When her son was born, she named him Samson. And the Lord blessed him as he grew up. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him… The MSG says, began working in him. Another translation says, the Spirit of the Lord began to go out with him...

Those are all moments. It seems to me that throughout the Old Testament there was, let’s call it, limited access for limited use.

The Spirit would come for moments of leadership, or moments of direction, or moments of strength. But of David in 1 Samuel 16 it says / / the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David FROM THAT DAY ON.... indicating something different and unique.

This is a quality that we see through his poetry.

Psalm 23, which is thought to be written while he was king, says, / / You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings. Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life...

David, looking back at that moment where he received from God the Spirit.

Reflection. Remembrance.

Even in his guilt and anguish. Remember the turmoil that David went through as we looked at his short comings last week. Out of the entire situation he has with Bathsheba he writes Psalm 51 where he says, / / Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

Even at that point, he recognizes he’s got something special.

Now, what does that mean for us?

Jesus says in Luke 11:11-13, / / You fathers - if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

John 7:37-39 says, / / Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him...

He also said in John 16:7, / / “But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you…” Again, speaking of the Holy Spirit.

And Ephesians 1:13 says, / / And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

David was anointed, specifically by the prophet Samuel to be the next King, and in that moment he received the Holy Spirit. You, me, and anyone else who recognize our need for a Savior and confess that we need Jesus, that we cannot do this life on our own. That we need more than we have, step into something that was once only available for a very few, and we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now, we could jump off right there and go into all the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit does and wants to do in our lives.

But let’s just leave it at this.

/ / The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth - meaning you have access to real, wonderful, freedom producing truth at all times. Not my truth, not your truth, not what may seem to be true, but what God says is true, and He has the final authority on ALL things because he created all things.

/ / The Holy Spirit is our teacher - John 14:26, / / But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative - that is, the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

He wants to speak to you.

/ / The Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives if we allow him to grow in our lives. Galatians 5:22-23 says, / / But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

When we give place to the Holy Spirit in our lives, he can produce in us a whole farm of wonderful fruit. But we have to be soil that wants that plant in us, that wants that plant to grow deep, that does what we must to water and nurture and make way for that plant to produce. You don’t produce it, but you can create the environment for it to grow. You aren’t responsible for the fruit of a tree, but you can give it the proper place to grow...

So, David was anointed. Let me speak to you this morning. If you have confessed that you believe in Jesus Christ, and by that I mean you have made a commitment to follow after Him. Then you HAVE received the Holy Spirit.

And if you have kind of sort of maybe thought you might need or want Jesus, but you haven’t made that commitment, it’s as easy as saying to Him, “I want to be a follower of You, Jesus.” There’s this point in John 6, Jesus had taught some things that were pretty hard to follow and some people actually left, they chose to no longer follow his teaching. Jesus turns to his closest disciples and asks, “Are you going to leave me too?” and Peter says this, which is just absolutely beautiful, and I want to invite you to say this same thing today… John 6:68 says, / / Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”

Can you say that this morning. Jesus, you are the one who has the words of life. I believe you are the Son of God. I believe you are the Savior of the world.

You don’t need to know all of what that means. Trust me, I don’t know all of what that means. That’s the point. I’ve made a commitment to follow. That’s the best we can do.

And if you can say that this morning, Jesus said you will receive the Holy Spirit.

Likewise Queen Elizabeth, when she was only 21 years old, 6 years before she became queen, so Princess Elizabeth, said in a speech in 1947, / / “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong. But I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join it with me, as I now invite you to do: I know that your support will be unfailingly given. God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share it.”

Before she was Queen she knew there was no way she would be able to fulfill any of what she was meant to without God… And six years later, on her Coronation day - the day she was crowned queen, she said, / / “Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendour that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God’s Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen.”

If Kings and Queens need the anointing of God to make it through this life...so do we!

The second quality that David held that we want to look at today is:

/ / 2. He Listened to God’s Voice

We know King David didn’t get it right all the time. We know Queen Elizabeth didn’t get it right all the time. By looking at what they held to be true, and what they did do right, we’re not saying they were perfect.

Some people have chosen to drag up things the queen did wrong in the wake of her passing. Some people can’t see what David did as a man after God’s heart because of his failings. And that’s the whole point. I have to choose, and really, because of my own ability to fall short, to understand that perfection doesn’t define whether I can learn something from someone or not. And failing doesn’t mean that someone’s whole life was without good or godly influence.

So, despite all of his failings and shortcomings - David exhibited moments where he valued and honored the voice of God in His life, and it is evident through the poetry of his Psalms that those moments defined him more than his failures.

Let’s look at a few key moments where David turned to God to hear what he was meant to do.

First story we’ll look at is in 1 Samuel 23. This is before David has been crowned King, but after he’s defeated Goliath and Saul has turned against him. Saul has chased him out of the city, and David is running for his life because Saul is actually trying to kill him.

David hears that the Philistines are again being troublesome and are stealing grain from people, and he wants to do something about it. Instead of just going after them, this is what he does. 1 Samuel 23:2 says, / / David asked the Lord, “Should I go and attack them?” “Yes, go and save Keilah,” the Lord told him.

But David’s men said, “We’re afraid even here in Judah. We certainly don’t want to go to Keilah to fight the whole Philistine army!”

So David asked the Lord again, and again the Lord replied, “Go down to Keilah, for I will help you conquer the Philistines.”

Well, Saul finds out where he is and sets out to capture him. David hears of the plan and again turns to the Lord. 1 Samuel 23:10-12, / / Then David prayed, “O Lord, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come and destroy Keilah because I am here.” Will the leaders of Keilah betray me to him? And will Saul actually come as I have heard? O Lord, God of Israel, please tell me.”

And the Lord said, “He will come.”

Again David asked, “Will the leaders of Keilah betray me and my men to Saul?”

And the Lord replied, “Yes, they will betray you.”

So he gets out of dodge, which of course saves his life.

The story isn’t the important part here, although it’s a fascinating story. The real point here is in the phrase, / / David inquired of the Lord.

David asked the question.

David prayed.

He sought an answer from God rather than just what might seem good or not. Even his men were afraid to go down to fight the Philistines, but he says, “Let’s ask God first, and then we can be sure...”

/ / The voice of God can quiet the fears.

/ / The voice of God can bring reassurance in time of question.

Following when God says GO is important. Equally, if not more important is following when God says don’t!

In 2 Samuel 5:22-25, David is now King and Scripture says, / / But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” The Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar trees. When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.” So David did what the Lord commanded.

That one came with a “do not do....do this instead...”

Have you ever got a check in your heart, I shouldn’t do that?

Have you ever wondered if that was God?

Have you ever felt, I should do this?

And have you ever wondered if that was God?

This happened to me a couple weeks ago. By way of people in our community reaching out to us, I was able to deliver a bicycle to someone who needed one. And I had a couple gift cards in my desk and I had the thought as I was leaving, I should grab one of those. I am sure this person could use it. I started walking back into my office and I just had this feeling I wasn’t supposed to do that.

Odd, right? Don’t give someone a gift card that can probably use it. It wasn’t a lot, I think $20.00. But that’s not the point.

I said to myself in that moment, I have to trust what I sense because how else will I learn how the Lord is leading me.

This is a constant. I’ve been practicing this for many years, listening to God’s leading. Learning to hear his voice. Learning to follow his leading. But the reality is I did not have an audible voice tell me that. I did not have a finger writing on a wall like one of the stories in the Old Testament. I had a feeling.

Sometimes the stories in the Bible can make us think that this is more complicated than it is.

How did David hear what he heard? Was it a feeling, a sense, something he just felt inside? Was it an audible voice? Was it an internal voice, like our thoughts? Was it the gentle leading and guiding of just knowing what to do without being able to explain it?

/ / Don’t resist the desire to hear from the Lord for fear you won’t.

You’ll never know if you don’t begin to seek the Lord in faith. Remember Hebrews 11:6, / / …it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Have faith. Believe God WANTS to speak to you. And begin to try it out.

So, I decided in that moment, I have to listen to this feeling. I turned around, left the card in my desk and drove off. While I was dropping the bike off I felt so strongly as I was leaving that God wanted to do so much more than the small gift card I had in my desk.

See, up until that point I was questioning and doubting. Man, I missed it. I definitely should have brought that gift card.... it wasn’t until I heard something different that the instruction to leave the card made sense!

I called Kelley and said, “This is what I feel like God is saying…” and she said, “Ya, I can see how He would say that to you in this situation...”

I was “this close” to limiting what God wanted to do by doing what was good. Giving someone a gift card of any amount would be good. Of course. It’s a free gift. Nothing wrong with that, right? But I would have limited the good that could’ve been done because after that I probably would not have done more. I gave a card, I did a good thing. Instead, God was able to capture the moment in me and lead me to something greater.

We all, each and every one of us, have the ability to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, however He chooses to speak to us.

Queen Elizabeth, and you’ve probably noticed this morning I’m bringing a King’s perspective and a Queen’s perspective, each on either side of the moment of Christ in this earth, each on either side of what we call the covenants, each in their humanity and shortcomings, but both we can draw some truth from...

She said in a speech in 2000, / / “To many of us our beliefs are of fundamental importance. For me the teachings of Christ and my own personal accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult times from Christ’s words and example.”

If Kings and Queens need His leading, why not us?

/ / 3. He Honored the Presence

There is honoring God for who He is, and then there is honoring God by making a place for Him.

Many people honor God by saying He is God, but don’t actually invite Him into the process of their lives. “You can be God, but stay in heaven...”

And although it is good to honor God in that way, for who He is. Psalm 11:4 says, / / The Lord still rules from heaven.

Isaiah 66:1 says, / / This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.”

Psalm 103:19, / / The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything.

Of course, God is the Almighty God of heaven’s armies and we honor Him for being that. BUT, there have always been moments, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament and today where the presence of God was felt by people. And if there is one thing I have experienced in my life that I can say 100% will change your life for the better, it is prioritizing and making space and invitation for the presence of God.

The bible says that he will never leave us or forsake us, but there is something quite different about actually making room for him.

I like to think of it this way. You are in my presence right now. But that’s very different than me and you sitting at a table having a conversation, sharing our hearts and getting to know each other. We will have a very different experience engaging with each other’s presence rather than just being around each other.

Take it one step further. There is a big difference between Kelley and I sitting in our living room watching TV on opposite sides of the room, because she’s been nursing a cold the last week, to other times when we are sitting on the couch together.

There is presence, and there is connection.

There is knowing someone is around, and then there is engaging with them.

And when we honor the presence of God, we make room for an experience with Him.

David knew this. David knew that the nation of Israel was better off if the Presence of God was honored.

In the Old Testament the Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God. No, it didn’t just represent it, it carried His glory. It carried the raw power of God. So much so that God warned Moses when it was built that only certain people were allowed to touch it, because if someone that wasn’t in that group did, they would die. God had given really specific instructions about transporting the ark. In Numbers 4 it says that if Israel were to move the ark that first the priests had to enter the tabernacle where it was, cover the ark with a curtain, then cover that curtain with goatskin leather - presumably to protect it, but also, to protect people from the power it contains. Then they would take poles that had been made to carry it, and put them through rings that were attached to it, so that the whole thing was carried without anyone actually touching it. And in Numbers 4:15 it says that after all of the sacred items had been covered the Kohathites, a clan within the people of Israel, were to come in and carry these items to wherever they were going. but it says, But they must not touch the sacred objects, or they will die.

Just like the law, this isn’t punishment for not listening and touching it, this is forewarning that the ark of the covenant carries the very raw and powerful presence of God and humanity can’t touch it without being overwhelmed by it.

I know, not a good start in telling you to prioritize the presence of God, saying that it will kill you. But go with me here because this is where honor really plays a big role.

After David becomes King he realizes they must have the Ark brought to Jerusalem, so he goes with 30,000 soldiers to bring it back. Did he need 30,000 soldiers? Or did he need the priests to cover it properly and the Kohathites to carry it? David actually made a big mistake here.

He doesn’t follow the instructions on how to move the ark, he has them build a new cart, which is nice, and no one is touching it, so we’re all good, until they’re walking and one of the oxen pulling the cart stumbles. A man named Uzzah is walking next to the cart and reaches out to steady the Ark so it doesn’t fall. And Uzzah dies.

David is both angry and afraid. So he parks the ark at the closest house, the house of a man named Obed-edom. And 2 Samuel 6:11-12 says, The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has done because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. And David danced before the Lord with all his might...

And I think it’s no small coincidence that the series of events that follow show what the same effect that Obed-edom was experiencing, happened with David. The next chapter starts with, / / When David was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all the surrounding enemies....

And for the next four chapters there don’t seem to be any issues, There’s this beautiful prayer in 2 Samuel 7 that David prays before the Lord, then chapter 8 talks through the victories David experienced, chapter 9 his kindness to one of Saul’s grandsons, it’s a beautiful story of compassion and reconciliation.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Ark brought blessing. Of course that lasts for a while, and then we get to chapter 11 which we read through last week with David’s choices concerning Bathsheba and all that entailed. But that, in my opinion only goes to show and greater identify the trajectory of our lives based on what we choose to honor.

Paul says in Galatians 5:16, / / Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.

But you have to be giving honor and preference to the presence of the Holy Spirit to be able to follow His leading. You won’t feel those “desires” that the Holy Spirit wants to give you that are opposite of our sinful nature, you won’t feel those if you’re not prioritizing His presence in your life.

James 1:22 says, / / …don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says.

In the same way we could say, / / You aren’t actually a follower of Jesus if you aren’t actually following Jesus.

Don’t just say you honor God, actually honor the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life by giving him time and space to lead you and then actually follow that leading.

Again, Queen Elizabeth had a good thought. She said in her Christmas address of 2013, / / “For Christians, as for all people of faith, reflection, meditation and prayer help us to renew ourselves in God’s love, as we strive daily to become better people. The Christmas message shows us that this love is for everyone. There is no one beyond its reach.”

Reflection, meditation and prayer… giving place to God’s presence. Giving space to His purposes.

The ark sat in Obed-edom’s house for 3 months and everything he did was blessed… What if you began to invite the presence of God into your home. And not just “of course the Holy Spirit is welcome in our home...” But what if you actually took the time to honor His presence in your live, in your day. This is a daily practice, not a once in a while. This is a necessity, not just a nicety.

Yes, it is nice when we experience God. It’s nice when we come to church, and worship, and his presence is here. Kelley and I were leading worship the other day for a meeting online that we are part of with our network of Churches, Harvest Alliance. And one of our friends sent a message afterward, “Thank you, I felt His presence”...

And I was left thinking, “I don’t ever not want to...”

In his lament, David prayed in Psalm 51, / / Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

And like I said, it’s not a matter of losing or not losing His presence, it’s about recognizing that being in the same space as someone is not having an experience with them. And to experience God’s presence we must prioritize His presence.

I want to end this morning and this series with reading a selection of verses from Psalm 27. I think it does well in describing out of the poetry of David’s heart these three things we’ve looked at today.

/ / You are Anointed - We have the spirit of God, don’t doubt that. IF you believe in Jesus, you have received. Never again let anyone tell you or doubt yourself that the Spirit of God is with you.

/ / You CAN hear His Voice - We can listen for His Voice, He is speaking, leading, guiding, and as we turn our ears to Him, we will be led by Him.

/ / You can experience His presence by honoring His presence - David had a literal Ark that held, or represented the power and presence, the glory of God, but we can receive an even greater experience because of what Jesus did on the cross, both Corporately and personally. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, / / Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

Psalm 27

/ / (1) The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid?

The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

(4) The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most - is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

(5) For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock.

(7) Hear me as I pray, O Lord. Be merciful and answer me!

(8)My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

(11) Teach me how to live, O Lord. Lead me along the right path...

(13) …I am confident I will see the Lord’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living.

(14) Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.