WEBVTT 00:00:05.340 --> 00:00:10.000 This is a bit of a long chapter, but I think 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:12.839 in order to really understand it, we really need 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:16.839 to read all of it. So I'm going to read 2 Samuel 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:20.519 7, and I ask that you would give special attention 00:00:20.519 --> 00:00:28.000 to this reading of God's holy word. Now, when 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:31.730 the king lived in his house, and the Lord had 00:00:31.730 --> 00:00:34.670 given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, 00:00:35.469 --> 00:00:39.030 the king said to Nathan the prophet, see now, 00:00:39.549 --> 00:00:43.789 I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God 00:00:43.789 --> 00:00:48.130 dwells in a tent. And Nathan said to the king, 00:00:48.210 --> 00:00:51.950 go do all that is in your heart, for the Lord 00:00:51.950 --> 00:00:55.750 is with you. But that same night, the word of 00:00:55.750 --> 00:00:58.909 the Lord came to Nathan. go and tell my servant 00:00:58.909 --> 00:01:01.770 David thus says the Lord would you build me a 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:04.849 house to dwell in I have not lived in a house 00:01:04.849 --> 00:01:07.230 since the day I brought up the people of Israel 00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:10.489 from Egypt to this day but I've been moving about 00:01:10.489 --> 00:01:13.750 in a tent for my dwelling in all places where 00:01:13.750 --> 00:01:16.769 I have moved with all the people of Israel did 00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:19.810 I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel 00:01:19.810 --> 00:01:22.290 whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel 00:01:22.290 --> 00:01:25.450 saying why have you not built me a house of cedar 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:29.000 Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant 00:01:29.000 --> 00:01:33.260 David thus says the Lord of hosts I took you 00:01:33.260 --> 00:01:36.900 from the pasture From following the sheep that 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:39.879 you should be prince over my people Israel and 00:01:39.879 --> 00:01:43.400 I have been with you wherever you went and have 00:01:43.400 --> 00:01:46.540 cut off all your enemies from before you and 00:01:46.540 --> 00:01:50.099 I will make for you a great name like the name 00:01:50.099 --> 00:01:53.379 of the great ones of the earth and I will appoint 00:01:53.379 --> 00:01:57.340 a place for my people Israel and will plant them 00:01:57.340 --> 00:02:00.159 so that they may dwell in their own place and 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.719 be disturbed no more and violent men shall afflict 00:02:03.719 --> 00:02:07.700 them no more as formerly from the time that I 00:02:07.700 --> 00:02:10.120 appointed judges over my people Israel and I 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:14.379 will give you rest from all your enemies moreover 00:02:14.379 --> 00:02:17.099 the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make 00:02:17.099 --> 00:02:20.819 you a house when your days are fulfilled and 00:02:20.819 --> 00:02:23.819 you lie down with your fathers I will raise up 00:02:23.819 --> 00:02:27.219 your offspring after you, who shall come from 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:30.039 your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:33.979 He shall build a house for my name, and I will 00:02:33.979 --> 00:02:36.659 establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 00:02:36.860 --> 00:02:40.039 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to 00:02:40.039 --> 00:02:43.539 me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline 00:02:43.539 --> 00:02:46.479 him with the rod of men, with the stripes of 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:50.280 the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not 00:02:50.280 --> 00:02:53.969 depart from him. as I took it from Saul whom 00:02:53.969 --> 00:02:57.069 I put away from you from before you and your 00:02:57.069 --> 00:02:59.530 house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever 00:02:59.530 --> 00:03:03.330 before me your throne shall be established forever 00:03:03.330 --> 00:03:07.409 in accordance with all these words and in accordance 00:03:07.409 --> 00:03:12.330 with all this vision Nathan spoke to David then 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:14.729 King David went in and sat before the Lord and 00:03:14.729 --> 00:03:18.969 said who am I oh Lord God and what is my house 00:03:18.969 --> 00:03:22.210 that you've brought me thus far And yet, this 00:03:22.210 --> 00:03:25.389 was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You 00:03:25.389 --> 00:03:28.189 have spoken also of your servant's house for 00:03:28.189 --> 00:03:31.550 a great while to come. And this is instruction 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:36.509 for mankind, O Lord God. And what more can David 00:03:36.509 --> 00:03:39.750 say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord 00:03:39.750 --> 00:03:42.969 God, because of your promise. And according to 00:03:42.969 --> 00:03:45.490 your own heart, you have brought about all this 00:03:45.490 --> 00:03:48.389 greatness to make your servant know it. Therefore, 00:03:48.490 --> 00:03:51.969 you are great, O Lord God. for there is none 00:03:51.969 --> 00:03:54.810 like you there is no god besides you according 00:03:54.810 --> 00:03:57.930 to all that we've heard with our ears and who 00:03:57.930 --> 00:04:01.009 is like your people Israel the one nation on 00:04:01.009 --> 00:04:04.349 earth whom God went to redeem to be his people 00:04:04.349 --> 00:04:08.210 making himself a name and doing for them great 00:04:08.210 --> 00:04:10.990 and awesome things by driving out before your 00:04:10.990 --> 00:04:13.849 people whom you redeem for yourself from Egypt 00:04:13.849 --> 00:04:17.430 a nation and its gods and you established for 00:04:17.430 --> 00:04:20.269 yourself your people Israel to be your people 00:04:20.269 --> 00:04:24.149 forever and you oh lord became their god and 00:04:24.149 --> 00:04:27.550 now oh lord god confirm forever the word that 00:04:27.550 --> 00:04:30.350 you've spoken concerning your servant and concerning 00:04:30.350 --> 00:04:33.430 this house and do as you have spoken your name 00:04:33.430 --> 00:04:36.250 will be magnified forever saying the lord of 00:04:36.250 --> 00:04:39.029 hosts is god over israel and the house of your 00:04:39.029 --> 00:04:42.110 servant david will be established before you 00:04:42.110 --> 00:04:45.129 for you oh lord of hosts the god of israel have 00:04:45.129 --> 00:04:48.920 made this revelation to your servant saying will 00:04:48.920 --> 00:04:52.420 build you as a house I will bid you build you 00:04:52.420 --> 00:04:55.240 a house therefore your servant has found courage 00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.980 to pray this prayer to you and now Oh Lord God 00:04:58.980 --> 00:05:03.079 your God and your words are true and you've promised 00:05:03.079 --> 00:05:06.040 this good thing to your servant now therefore 00:05:06.040 --> 00:05:09.139 may it please you to bless the house of your 00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:12.220 servant so that it may continue forever before 00:05:12.220 --> 00:05:16.139 you for you Oh Lord God have spoken And with 00:05:16.139 --> 00:05:18.220 your blessing shall the house of your servant 00:05:18.220 --> 00:05:23.019 be blessed forever. This is God's holy and inspired 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:29.399 word. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we thank 00:05:29.399 --> 00:05:33.959 you for a trustworthy word from you. And we ask 00:05:33.959 --> 00:05:36.500 as we look at this text that you would strengthen 00:05:36.500 --> 00:05:40.120 our faith, Lord, and that if there be any within 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:43.139 the sanctuary who do not know you, that they 00:05:43.139 --> 00:05:46.980 would know you. God who keeps his promises seen 00:05:46.980 --> 00:05:51.259 most clearly in the promise of your son who came 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:55.060 To die for our sins grant us understanding by 00:05:55.060 --> 00:06:03.060 your spirit. We pray in Christ's name amen Within 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:06.180 the fellowship Sunday school class that many 00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:09.899 of you are in we've been looking at the doctrine 00:06:09.899 --> 00:06:15.879 of God's providence Providence of God. That God 00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:20.100 is really intimately involved in every single 00:06:20.100 --> 00:06:24.139 moment of our lives. That God is governing. That 00:06:24.139 --> 00:06:27.899 God is sustaining. That God is providing. And 00:06:27.899 --> 00:06:32.439 yet, if you're like me, many times you wonder, 00:06:32.540 --> 00:06:36.040 what is God doing right now? What is God up to 00:06:36.040 --> 00:06:40.819 in my life? Because it's sometimes difficult 00:06:40.819 --> 00:06:44.730 to see. Theologians have talked about providence 00:06:44.730 --> 00:06:48.209 and how you read it backwards. You can sometimes, 00:06:48.350 --> 00:06:52.209 because of God's kindness, look back and see 00:06:52.209 --> 00:06:57.170 what God was doing. John Flavel, who was a Puritan 00:06:57.170 --> 00:07:01.389 writer, he said, the providence of God is like 00:07:01.389 --> 00:07:05.970 Hebrew words. It can only be read backwards. 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:09.660 Have you had a moment? or moments in your life 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:11.500 where you were going through something and you 00:07:11.500 --> 00:07:14.300 weren't sure why. You weren't sure what God was 00:07:14.300 --> 00:07:17.379 doing. But later on, after time passes, you were 00:07:17.379 --> 00:07:20.279 able to look back and see perhaps what he was 00:07:20.279 --> 00:07:24.819 doing. I had a moment like this that stands out. 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.480 Years ago, when I was the part -time youth director 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:32.199 here and living in the house right there, many 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:35.220 of you knew and many of you were supporting me 00:07:35.220 --> 00:07:37.910 as I was raising money. to go on the mission 00:07:37.910 --> 00:07:43.569 field, to go to Bulgaria. And yet, as I was raising 00:07:43.569 --> 00:07:46.829 money for this mission, to go for two years, 00:07:47.730 --> 00:07:50.750 the money wasn't coming in as fast as I would 00:07:50.750 --> 00:07:54.170 have liked. And there were many missionaries 00:07:54.170 --> 00:07:57.550 who were left for the field, and they were talking 00:07:57.550 --> 00:07:59.829 to me and being like, hey, this is so great. 00:08:00.350 --> 00:08:03.089 It's amazing what God is doing. Can't wait for 00:08:03.089 --> 00:08:05.269 you to get to Bulgaria. Let us know. And it was 00:08:05.269 --> 00:08:09.569 taking months. And then over a year of raising 00:08:09.569 --> 00:08:11.829 money, and I thought, Lord, what are you doing? 00:08:12.149 --> 00:08:15.490 You've called me to this thing. Why am I not 00:08:15.490 --> 00:08:20.649 there making disciples in Bulgaria? And then 00:08:20.649 --> 00:08:22.670 right about the time the money started coming 00:08:22.670 --> 00:08:26.949 in, I met a pretty young doctor, a pediatrician 00:08:26.949 --> 00:08:29.449 who had moved to Greenville to do residency. 00:08:30.290 --> 00:08:33.690 And you know the story after that. But one day, 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:36.580 right before I went to Bulgaria, because I still 00:08:36.580 --> 00:08:39.200 went. I was sitting with my grandmother at her 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.340 kitchen table and she said, you know Kenny, if 00:08:42.340 --> 00:08:46.220 you had left when you wanted to, you would not 00:08:46.220 --> 00:08:51.460 have met Brittany. True words. Have you had a 00:08:51.460 --> 00:08:54.259 moment like that? Where you were going through 00:08:54.259 --> 00:08:56.279 something, you're crying out to God for help, 00:08:56.320 --> 00:08:58.159 you weren't seeing what he was doing, but later 00:08:58.159 --> 00:09:01.159 on you're able to reflect back and see that. 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:07.139 within our text today, we see providence at its 00:09:07.139 --> 00:09:10.679 best. There are multiple levels of prophecy coming 00:09:10.679 --> 00:09:14.340 to fruition in this text or from this text. There 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:17.539 is an immediate future that we see fulfilled 00:09:17.539 --> 00:09:22.279 within 2 Samuel 7. We see this promise by God 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:27.139 to build a house for the ark, to build a house 00:09:27.139 --> 00:09:30.259 for God. But David's not the one who does that. 00:09:30.409 --> 00:09:33.450 We see that the immediate fulfillment of the 00:09:33.450 --> 00:09:36.649 prophecy is actually in David's son, Solomon. 00:09:37.230 --> 00:09:40.490 But it goes beyond that, for the ultimate fulfillment 00:09:40.490 --> 00:09:45.070 of this text is in David's greater son. It's 00:09:45.070 --> 00:09:49.190 in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And so 00:09:49.190 --> 00:09:53.629 this text here has implications for you today. 00:09:54.610 --> 00:09:57.220 The way that I want to look at this now is I 00:09:57.220 --> 00:09:59.879 think you can split this text up into two big 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:02.720 parts. So firstly, we're going to look at God's 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:04.980 promise. And secondly, we're going to look at 00:10:04.980 --> 00:10:07.759 David's prayer. So promise and prayer today. 00:10:08.200 --> 00:10:11.659 When I use the word promise here, I'm using it 00:10:11.659 --> 00:10:14.720 as a synonym for covenant. This text, Second 00:10:14.720 --> 00:10:18.659 Samuel chapter seven, has been called the Davidic 00:10:18.659 --> 00:10:21.299 covenant. You might say, well, what's a covenant? 00:10:21.559 --> 00:10:24.240 Let's start with the basics here. What's a covenant? 00:10:24.659 --> 00:10:27.600 It's an agreement. Right? And agreement sometimes 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:30.559 between two or more people. You remember David 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:33.220 and Jonathan making a covenant together. But 00:10:33.220 --> 00:10:35.840 oftentimes in Scripture we have a covenant that's 00:10:35.840 --> 00:10:40.360 made between God and a person, or God and persons. 00:10:41.120 --> 00:10:43.460 And really when we start to look at the overall 00:10:43.460 --> 00:10:47.159 story of Scripture, we realize that it's told 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:52.139 in covenants. It is covenants that are promised 00:10:52.139 --> 00:10:55.649 through individuals within Scripture. We can 00:10:55.649 --> 00:10:59.370 see the Abrahamic covenant, the Mosaic covenant, 00:10:59.629 --> 00:11:02.129 and this Davidic covenant. And when you start 00:11:02.129 --> 00:11:04.870 to realize this, you see that there is a great 00:11:04.870 --> 00:11:08.809 framework to Scripture, that there's unity in 00:11:08.809 --> 00:11:11.850 Scripture. And while these are separate covenants 00:11:11.850 --> 00:11:14.350 through these separate people, they're really 00:11:14.350 --> 00:11:18.210 communicating the same thing. The same great 00:11:18.210 --> 00:11:20.929 thing is communicated in these covenants of Scripture, 00:11:20.970 --> 00:11:26.879 and that thing is redemption. That thing is grace. 00:11:27.299 --> 00:11:30.580 They are lumped together in the covenant of grace. 00:11:30.820 --> 00:11:33.940 And that covenant of grace has its beginnings 00:11:33.940 --> 00:11:38.539 in Genesis 3 15. We know what happens in Genesis 00:11:38.539 --> 00:11:41.840 3, right? Abba and Eve, they fall into sin. What 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:46.700 does God do immediately after that? The promise 00:11:46.700 --> 00:11:49.320 of a redeemer, the promise of redemption, the 00:11:49.320 --> 00:11:52.519 promise of Christ who shall come and stomp on 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:57.440 the head. And so you see that covenant weaved 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:02.259 throughout scripture right into our text today. 00:12:03.080 --> 00:12:08.559 Look at the text. You can see how it begins here. 00:12:08.840 --> 00:12:11.759 After all the battles that David has been fighting 00:12:11.759 --> 00:12:15.879 with the Israelites, finally they get a breather. 00:12:16.500 --> 00:12:20.879 They get respite from these battles. And during 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:25.679 this time of a break, David has this grand idea. 00:12:26.539 --> 00:12:30.039 I'm going to make a house for the ark of the 00:12:30.039 --> 00:12:32.259 covenant. I'm going to make a house for God. 00:12:33.700 --> 00:12:36.899 David has his own place. Why not the ark? And 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:39.240 so he tells this to Nathan. What does Nathan 00:12:39.240 --> 00:12:43.659 say? He says, in effect, yeah, go for it. Do 00:12:43.659 --> 00:12:47.100 it. But when we keep reading, we see this is 00:12:47.100 --> 00:12:50.559 not Nathan's best counsel. And so the Lord speaks 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:55.220 through Nathan to David. to give a counter offer. 00:12:55.779 --> 00:13:00.919 David, don't go making me a house. I'm gonna 00:13:00.919 --> 00:13:03.659 make you a house. But you might say, well, David 00:13:03.659 --> 00:13:06.019 already has a house, according to verse one. 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:10.899 No, it's going beyond bricks. It's going beyond 00:13:10.899 --> 00:13:13.440 stones. What he's talking about, what the Lord 00:13:13.440 --> 00:13:16.039 is talking about through Nathan to David is to 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:19.960 say, I'm gonna make you a kingdom, David. I'm 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:24.200 gonna make you a dynasty. And this word that 00:13:24.200 --> 00:13:27.639 he speaks has past, present, and future elements 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:32.139 to it. You see the past here in verse eight. 00:13:33.440 --> 00:13:36.279 Again, through Nathan, the Lord reminds David 00:13:36.279 --> 00:13:39.659 of where he has come from. I took you from the 00:13:39.659 --> 00:13:42.899 pasture. I took you from the sheep. I took you 00:13:42.899 --> 00:13:46.080 to be the prince over my people, Israel. So the 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:49.980 Lord reminds David of his humble beginnings. 00:13:51.360 --> 00:13:55.350 Again. Providence. David can look back and see 00:13:55.350 --> 00:13:58.029 these things. But there's also a present element 00:13:58.029 --> 00:14:02.149 to this. The Lord reminds David how he as king 00:14:02.149 --> 00:14:06.669 is able to be successful. Look in verse 9. And 00:14:06.669 --> 00:14:09.370 I've been with you wherever you went and have 00:14:09.370 --> 00:14:15.169 cut off all your enemies from before you. The 00:14:15.169 --> 00:14:18.950 Lord tells David why he's been successful. And 00:14:18.950 --> 00:14:23.860 it's not because David is a great warrior. It's 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:26.480 not because David has great abilities, right? 00:14:26.799 --> 00:14:29.980 The Lord is saying, I did this throughout this 00:14:29.980 --> 00:14:32.580 text. You can see numerous times where the Lord 00:14:32.580 --> 00:14:35.899 says, I did this, I do this, I will do this. 00:14:36.179 --> 00:14:39.820 The Lord is telling David, and by extension us 00:14:39.820 --> 00:14:45.379 as well, that God is at work. And he's at work 00:14:45.379 --> 00:14:48.120 in the life of David. He's at work in the lives 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:50.860 of the people of Israel. It's very reminiscent 00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:55.940 of Psalm 127. Part of Psalm 127 says, unless 00:14:55.940 --> 00:14:59.259 the Lord watches over the city, the watchman 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:03.899 stays awake in vain. The Lord is telling David, 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:10.460 I'm watching over you and I'm directing all things. 00:15:10.940 --> 00:15:15.139 But there's also a future element to this. The 00:15:15.139 --> 00:15:18.659 Lord tells David here that it's not just that 00:15:18.659 --> 00:15:21.559 David's going to be prosperous, but that he is 00:15:21.559 --> 00:15:25.480 going to have a kingdom that will never fail. 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:29.759 So this clearly goes beyond David. And this clearly 00:15:29.759 --> 00:15:32.419 goes beyond Solomon. What this text is doing 00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:36.639 is pointing us all the way to God's son, his 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:43.129 only begotten one, Jesus Christ. Still, there 00:15:43.129 --> 00:15:46.830 is the promise of an actual house for the Lord. 00:15:47.370 --> 00:15:50.149 It's just not built by David. Solomon is the 00:15:50.149 --> 00:15:55.009 one who will do this. But Solomon was not the 00:15:55.009 --> 00:15:57.629 forever king. If you really start to look at 00:15:57.629 --> 00:16:01.110 the text, you see this word forever or a word 00:16:01.110 --> 00:16:03.830 that is similar to it eight different times within 00:16:03.830 --> 00:16:07.149 the text. Three times something like forever 00:16:07.149 --> 00:16:10.889 is used by the Lord. Five times it's used by 00:16:10.889 --> 00:16:13.690 David. David. And so what's happening here is 00:16:13.690 --> 00:16:18.750 the Lord is reminding David and us of prior promises. 00:16:19.190 --> 00:16:22.029 What this is doing is picking up the Abrahamic 00:16:22.029 --> 00:16:24.950 covenant and running with it. If you remember 00:16:24.950 --> 00:16:29.649 these words from Genesis chapter 12 verse 2, 00:16:32.470 --> 00:16:36.889 and I will make of you a great nation and I will 00:16:36.889 --> 00:16:40.299 bless you. and make your name great so that you 00:16:40.299 --> 00:16:43.360 will be a blessing. What the Davidic covenant 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:47.139 is doing is picking up the Abrahamic covenant 00:16:47.139 --> 00:16:50.240 and running with it. And this is how the covenant 00:16:50.240 --> 00:16:54.799 of grace works. The Lord reminds us of his past 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:57.980 workings and his faithfulness and his promises, 00:16:58.159 --> 00:17:01.100 and this forms the foundation, the basis for 00:17:01.100 --> 00:17:06.069 our capability of being able to trust God. The 00:17:06.069 --> 00:17:09.289 Lord who has done all things, who is at work 00:17:09.289 --> 00:17:13.230 in every single way is saying, look back and 00:17:13.230 --> 00:17:17.430 see my promises and see how I have fulfilled 00:17:17.430 --> 00:17:23.470 them. So we as Christians on this side of the 00:17:23.470 --> 00:17:27.730 cross, on this side of the resurrection of Christ 00:17:27.730 --> 00:17:32.089 can look back in scripture and say, God was faithful 00:17:32.089 --> 00:17:35.869 here and here and here and here. such that the 00:17:35.869 --> 00:17:38.210 things that are still to be fulfilled, we can 00:17:38.210 --> 00:17:41.549 trust in those. Things like the return of Christ, 00:17:41.730 --> 00:17:44.049 you can trust in the return of Christ because 00:17:44.049 --> 00:17:47.930 Christ has come before. Or you can trust in the 00:17:47.930 --> 00:17:51.589 resurrection of the dead because Christ has been 00:17:51.589 --> 00:17:55.529 resurrected. You can trust in the promises of 00:17:55.529 --> 00:17:57.910 the new heavens and the new earth because God 00:17:57.910 --> 00:18:03.569 has been faithful with all of these things. And 00:18:03.569 --> 00:18:07.720 still, You might be sitting here in the sanctuary 00:18:07.720 --> 00:18:11.779 saying, I still struggle to trust God sometimes. 00:18:13.099 --> 00:18:17.220 I still struggle with my faith. Friends, if you 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:20.099 are struggling with your faith, if you're struggling 00:18:20.099 --> 00:18:24.000 to believe what is here, look back on these promises 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:28.119 and see how God fulfills them. Because what God 00:18:28.119 --> 00:18:31.380 does in cutting this covenant is he takes the 00:18:31.380 --> 00:18:35.299 focus off of the covenant breakers and he puts 00:18:35.299 --> 00:18:39.039 the focus upon the covenant keeper. God takes 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:43.700 our focus and puts it on the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:18:47.160 --> 00:18:51.900 And this is so true, and I believe the Holy Spirit 00:18:51.900 --> 00:18:55.460 wants you to get this, that this passage that 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:59.259 we look at is quoted, referenced, or alluded 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:04.630 to at least 40 times in Scripture. If you keep 00:19:04.630 --> 00:19:07.549 this word in your minds and you read other parts 00:19:07.549 --> 00:19:09.589 of scripture, there's a good chance you're going 00:19:09.589 --> 00:19:18.029 to see this again. Look at Psalm 89. Psalm 89 00:19:18.029 --> 00:19:21.890 2 through 4. I'm going to read this and listen, 00:19:22.730 --> 00:19:27.490 see if this sounds familiar to you. Psalm 89 00:19:27.490 --> 00:19:33.890 2 through 4. For I said steadfast love will be 00:19:33.890 --> 00:19:37.869 built up forever in the heavens. You will establish 00:19:37.869 --> 00:19:41.490 your faithfulness You have said I have made a 00:19:41.490 --> 00:19:44.829 covenant with my chosen one. I have sworn to 00:19:44.829 --> 00:19:48.730 David my servant I will establish your offspring 00:19:48.730 --> 00:19:53.549 forever and Build your throne for all generations 00:19:53.549 --> 00:19:57.589 and that Psalms not even written by David What 00:19:57.589 --> 00:20:06.819 about another one? Psalm 132, Psalm 132 verse 00:20:06.819 --> 00:20:16.359 11. The Lord swore to David a sure oath from 00:20:16.359 --> 00:20:19.799 which he will not turn back. One of the sons 00:20:19.799 --> 00:20:25.539 of your body I will set on your throne. Now you 00:20:25.539 --> 00:20:27.579 might say, well, that's Old Testament stuff. 00:20:28.519 --> 00:20:30.720 What about the New Testament? Does the New Testament 00:20:30.720 --> 00:20:34.059 use this text in any way? Absolutely, it does. 00:20:34.500 --> 00:20:38.079 Hebrews chapter 1 verse 5, and friends, this 00:20:38.079 --> 00:20:43.500 is a direct quotation of our passage today. Hebrews 00:20:43.500 --> 00:20:47.380 1 verse 5, just a portion of this, the quoted 00:20:47.380 --> 00:20:52.200 part, I will be to him a father and he shall 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:58.069 be to me a son. And so you see, As you look at 00:20:58.069 --> 00:21:00.950 2 Samuel chapter 7, the ultimate fulfillment 00:21:00.950 --> 00:21:05.369 of this passage is found in Christ alone. Christ 00:21:05.369 --> 00:21:08.829 is the only one whose reign could be characterized 00:21:08.829 --> 00:21:15.450 as a forever reign. But notice David doesn't 00:21:15.450 --> 00:21:18.309 just receive this as pious information. David 00:21:18.309 --> 00:21:21.089 doesn't just say, okay, Nathan, thanks for telling 00:21:21.089 --> 00:21:23.809 me that. I'm good here. No, Nathan takes this 00:21:23.809 --> 00:21:26.819 to heart. Look at. Look at the second half of 00:21:26.819 --> 00:21:30.240 this text here. Look at verse 18, because what 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:33.240 I want you to see is that David now prays and 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:36.980 he does so with praises and with faith. Verse 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:42.059 18, David says, Who am I, O Lord God? And what 00:21:42.059 --> 00:21:46.900 is my house that you brought me thus far? Who 00:21:46.900 --> 00:21:50.779 am I? Doesn't this sound like Psalm eight? where 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:53.380 the psalmist says, what is man that you are mindful 00:21:53.380 --> 00:21:56.519 of him and the son of man that you care for him? 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.960 David takes this word to heart. He remembers 00:21:59.960 --> 00:22:02.900 his humble beginnings. He's astounded by the 00:22:02.900 --> 00:22:06.400 Lord's kindness. David does not within his prayer 00:22:06.400 --> 00:22:08.259 say, well, of course, Lord, of course you're 00:22:08.259 --> 00:22:10.619 doing this for me. I'm a great warrior. I'm the 00:22:10.619 --> 00:22:13.400 one who took down Goliath after all, right? David 00:22:13.400 --> 00:22:15.920 doesn't do that. He doesn't comment on his own 00:22:15.920 --> 00:22:18.720 abilities. He comments on what the Lord is doing, 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:22.640 and he praises God for it. He recognizes God's 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:26.420 grace. Look in verses 22 and 23. Therefore you 00:22:26.420 --> 00:22:29.180 are great, O Lord God. There is none like you. 00:22:29.180 --> 00:22:34.099 There's no God like you. But also David recognizes 00:22:34.099 --> 00:22:37.420 that the kindness of the Lord here goes beyond 00:22:37.420 --> 00:22:44.640 just to David. Look in verse 19. This is a small 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.180 thing in your eyes. Oh Lord God You have spoken 00:22:47.180 --> 00:22:49.539 also of your servants house for a while to come. 00:22:49.799 --> 00:22:54.759 This is instruction for mankind Now commentators 00:22:54.759 --> 00:22:57.559 and different Bibles will translate this a little 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:00.380 bit differently Instruction for mankind, but 00:23:00.380 --> 00:23:03.740 either way, however, it's spliced I think we 00:23:03.740 --> 00:23:07.799 can definitely say this David realizes this word 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:11.480 for the from the Lord It's gonna affect people 00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:15.880 forever that it's not just directed to David, 00:23:16.839 --> 00:23:19.980 it's instruction for mankind. But also notice 00:23:19.980 --> 00:23:24.140 not just what David prays, but notice how God, 00:23:24.220 --> 00:23:29.259 how David prays. He does so with faith, and he 00:23:29.259 --> 00:23:31.400 acknowledges the greatness and the transcendence 00:23:31.400 --> 00:23:33.900 of God. He acknowledges the sovereignty of God, 00:23:33.940 --> 00:23:36.980 the past workings of God, and following a section 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:40.569 in which David has been leading in worship. He 00:23:40.569 --> 00:23:43.390 keeps the praise going. You remember in chapter 00:23:43.390 --> 00:23:47.910 six how that ends. David's dancing, but he keeps 00:23:47.910 --> 00:23:51.869 that praise of God going within this prayer. 00:23:53.410 --> 00:23:56.950 How does he do that? How can we praise God in 00:23:56.950 --> 00:24:01.210 our prayers? Well, one thing we can definitely 00:24:01.210 --> 00:24:05.670 say, David believes this word. Look at verses 00:24:05.670 --> 00:24:12.190 28 and 29. And now, O Lord God, you are God and 00:24:12.190 --> 00:24:15.970 your words are true. You have promised this good 00:24:15.970 --> 00:24:20.170 thing to your servant. How can David praise God 00:24:20.170 --> 00:24:23.789 like this? It's because he believes this. And 00:24:23.789 --> 00:24:27.329 we must believe it too. When the Lord speaks, 00:24:27.609 --> 00:24:31.130 we must listen and believe. When God shares through 00:24:31.130 --> 00:24:34.150 his word the covenant of grace and its finality 00:24:34.150 --> 00:24:39.269 in Christ, we must believe that. especially children 00:24:39.269 --> 00:24:41.890 today, children who are, you're still working 00:24:41.890 --> 00:24:44.410 through these things, you're still understanding 00:24:44.410 --> 00:24:48.329 the Bible, I want you to look to Christ. And 00:24:48.329 --> 00:24:51.869 I want you to know that God gives us a sure word 00:24:51.869 --> 00:24:55.230 that is for you. And you can trust the words 00:24:55.230 --> 00:25:00.509 of God found in the Bible. You can trust that 00:25:00.509 --> 00:25:07.420 Jesus really shed his blood for you. Want to 00:25:07.420 --> 00:25:10.000 take you to one more place in Scripture as I 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.740 begin to conclude if you will turn to 2nd Corinthians 00:25:14.740 --> 00:25:23.640 1 2nd Corinthians 1 19 through 22 I Want you 00:25:23.640 --> 00:25:27.559 to see from this that all of the promises of 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:33.119 God They have their yes and their amen in Jesus 00:25:33.119 --> 00:25:38.029 So within 2nd Corinthians chapter 1 Paul writes 00:25:38.029 --> 00:25:42.089 to the church at Corinth and says to them There's 00:25:42.089 --> 00:25:45.569 been a change of plans But he says I'm not fickle 00:25:45.569 --> 00:25:48.190 about this I'm not waffling back and forth on 00:25:48.190 --> 00:25:50.269 whether or not I should come to you and he relates 00:25:50.269 --> 00:25:54.809 this to the trustworthy word of God 2nd Corinthians 00:25:54.809 --> 00:26:02.269 1 19 through 21 22 for the son of God Jesus Christ 00:26:02.269 --> 00:26:06.059 whom we proclaimed among you Silvanus and Timothy 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:11.039 and I was not yes and no, but in him it is always 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:15.519 yes. For all of the promises of God find their 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:19.839 yes in him. That is why it is through him that 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:24.180 we utter our amen to God for his glory. It is 00:26:24.180 --> 00:26:27.299 God who establishes us with you in Christ and 00:26:27.299 --> 00:26:30.380 has anointed us and who has also put his seal 00:26:30.380 --> 00:26:33.579 on us and given us his spirit in our hearts. 00:26:33.819 --> 00:26:41.319 as a guarantee. The promises of God cannot, will 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:46.380 not be broken. You, they are sealed by the Holy 00:26:46.380 --> 00:26:49.299 Spirit. You who are in Christ, your sins have 00:26:49.299 --> 00:26:51.859 been paid for and you have a sure word from the 00:26:51.859 --> 00:26:54.680 Lord and the Holy Spirit claims you for himself. 00:26:56.059 --> 00:26:59.099 But if I can give you some practical application. 00:27:00.019 --> 00:27:04.240 If you're still struggling. to trust in the word 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:09.160 of God. You say, there's distractions all around 00:27:09.160 --> 00:27:11.839 me. I have a hard time trusting in God because 00:27:11.839 --> 00:27:13.920 I have people telling me to trust in myself. 00:27:14.259 --> 00:27:17.480 You have culture saying, trust in yourself, trust 00:27:17.480 --> 00:27:20.799 in man, trust in government, trust in technology, 00:27:20.960 --> 00:27:26.900 trust in whatever you want. No. God's word is 00:27:26.900 --> 00:27:31.099 a sure word, and you can trust in this. And so 00:27:31.099 --> 00:27:34.859 how do we do it? Go back to that second Samuel 00:27:34.859 --> 00:27:50.839 7 passage. Look at verse 25. If you're struggling 00:27:50.839 --> 00:27:56.559 to trust God, take this prayer of David and pray 00:27:56.559 --> 00:28:00.700 it back to God, Dear Lord, confirm this word 00:28:00.700 --> 00:28:04.519 to me. Help me to trust it. And as you pray that 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:09.059 prayer, do so with faith and with gratitude and 00:28:09.059 --> 00:28:11.900 keep those praises going because we have a God 00:28:11.900 --> 00:28:15.500 who always, always, always keeps his promises. 00:28:16.200 --> 00:28:16.720 Let's pray.