1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,600 I invite you to take a Bible from the Pew in front of you or 2 00:00:04,600 --> 00:00:11,840 your own Bible perhaps, and to turn to First Chronicles 29 page 3 00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:18,120 521, First and Second Samuel, 1st and 2nd Kings, First and 4 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,440 Second Chronicles. That helps you find it. 5 00:00:21,840 --> 00:00:25,120 And while you're looking, another Thanksgiving that I'm 6 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:29,640 just, I hope the microphones are on down in the nursery. 7 00:00:30,800 --> 00:00:33,960 We got dozens and dozens of people who gave up this service 8 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,040 this morning. So you parents could be here 9 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,600 this morning. And if you're listening down 10 00:00:38,600 --> 00:00:42,120 there, we really appreciate you being there. 11 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:55,350 Thank you so much. Chapter 29 of First Chronicles. 12 00:00:55,350 --> 00:00:59,510 I'm going to read a longer passage, verses 6 to 20, because 13 00:00:59,510 --> 00:01:02,270 it's almost a sermon in itself. And then I'll just make brief 14 00:01:02,270 --> 00:01:09,840 comments on it and we'll worship again before we go, starting at 15 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:14,240 verse 6. This is an interpretation of the 16 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:18,120 meaning of freeing the future as it happened in David's day and 17 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:24,000 as it happened in our day. Then the rulers of the father's 18 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,560 households and the Princess of the tribes of Israel, and the 19 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:33,600 commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the overseers 20 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:37,240 over the King's work, offered willingly. 21 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:40,880 And for the service of the House of God. 22 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:45,160 They gave 5000 talents and 10,000 derricks of gold, and 23 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:50,640 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of brass, and 24 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:56,680 100,000 talents of iron. And whoever possessed precious 25 00:01:56,680 --> 00:02:00,720 stones gave them to the treasury of the House of the Lord, in 26 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:05,920 care of Jahil, the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced, 27 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,400 because they had offered so willingly, for they made their 28 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,880 offering to the Lord with a whole heart. 29 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:15,760 And King David also rejoiced greatly. 30 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:20,400 And so David blessed the Lord in the sight of all the assembly. 31 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:26,440 And David said, Blessed art thou, O Lord God of Israel, our 32 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:30,400 Father forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, 33 00:02:30,400 --> 00:02:34,120 and the power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty. 34 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:37,000 Indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth. 35 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:43,240 Thine is the dominion, O Lord, and thou dost exalt thyself as 36 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:47,160 head over all. Both riches and honour come from 37 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:49,560 thee, and thou dost rule over all. 38 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:55,160 And in Thy hand is power and might, and it lies in Thy hand 39 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,960 to make great and to strengthen everyone. 40 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:04,040 Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee and praise Thy glorious 41 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:09,880 name. But who am I, and what are my 42 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:16,080 people, that we should be able to offer as generously as this? 43 00:03:16,920 --> 00:03:22,760 For all things come from Thee, and from Thy hand we have given 44 00:03:22,880 --> 00:03:26,560 Thee. For we are sojourners before 45 00:03:26,560 --> 00:03:30,400 Thee, and tenants, as all our fathers were. 46 00:03:31,520 --> 00:03:36,800 Our days on earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope. 47 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,880 Oh Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided 48 00:03:41,880 --> 00:03:44,320 to build Thee a house for Thy holy name. 49 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,720 It is from Thy hand, and all is thine. 50 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:52,960 Since I know, O my God, that Thou triest the heart and 51 00:03:52,960 --> 00:03:56,600 delightest in uprightness, I, in the integrity of my heart, have 52 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:58,480 willingly offered all these things. 53 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:05,720 So now with joy I have seen Thy people who are present here make 54 00:04:05,720 --> 00:04:11,120 their offerings willingly to Thee, O Lord the God of Abraham, 55 00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:15,400 Isaac, and Israel. Our fathers, preserve this 56 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:20,760 forever in the intentions of the heart of Thy people, and direct 57 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:26,800 their heart to Thee, and give to thy son Solomon a perfect heart 58 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:31,200 to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, thy statutes, and 59 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:35,800 to do them all, and to build the temple for which I have made 60 00:04:35,800 --> 00:04:39,280 provision. Then David said to all the 61 00:04:39,280 --> 00:04:45,280 assembly, Now bless the Lord your God, and all the assembly 62 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:49,760 blessed the Lord the God of the fathers, and bowed low and did 63 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:53,080 homage to the Lord and to the king. 64 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:59,520 Bless the Lord our God, say those words with me, bless the 65 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:03,760 Lord our God, say them one more time and mean them, Bless the 66 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:09,080 Lord our God. Now verses 6 to 9 here are just 67 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:11,760 the facts. They're just the raw facts. 68 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:15,600 The human level fathers, Princess commanders, overseers 69 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,600 gave gold, silver, brass, iron, and there was enormous 70 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:23,560 generosity and everything was provided so that Solomon one day 71 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:27,000 would have everything he needed to build the house. 72 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,600 And the question arose, how do you account for this? 73 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:34,240 And verse 9 stresses the human factor, which is real. 74 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:44,560 Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, 75 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:50,160 for they made their offering to the Lord with a whole heart, so 76 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:54,360 they were not coerced. These were choices, human 77 00:05:54,840 --> 00:06:00,920 choices, made with joy. David does not shrink back from 78 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:07,160 highlighting the will of man in this accomplishment. 79 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:13,480 If the news media had arrived there in Jerusalem, they would 80 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:16,840 have reported what they could see. 81 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:23,040 They would have said perhaps the cause was perceived as exciting 82 00:06:23,960 --> 00:06:29,280 and David was a charismatic leader and the overseers and the 83 00:06:29,280 --> 00:06:34,600 Princess and the commanders set an an inspiring example and 84 00:06:34,800 --> 00:06:40,960 Jahil Paul Johnson is a good financial officer and and he won 85 00:06:40,960 --> 00:06:45,240 the trust of the people along with Scott Lesstein and Chuck 86 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,960 Morris. And then they would say it, it 87 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:50,640 was a bullish year that year in the economy. 88 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,280 And so that is part of the explanation. 89 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:56,160 And then they would have said that it's a proud thing to have 90 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,120 a building of your own. And then they would have had the 91 00:07:00,120 --> 00:07:04,360 cameras pan out over the soon to be templed spot and somebody 92 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:09,200 with a very serious kind of voice would have said this is 93 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,920 where the temple will stand someday if the amazing free will 94 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:18,200 of God's people keep generating this kind of commitment. 95 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,320 And they would have come and they would have seen, and they 96 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,240 would have reported, and they would have missed everything 97 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:33,000 that counts. What matters on this day then 98 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:36,720 and this day today is not what you can see with the eye and 99 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,800 report with a camera or an interview. 100 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,280 What matters is the great invisible reality. 101 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:51,680 This text is designed through the prayer of David to pull back 102 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:55,240 the curtain of the invisible reality of what freeing the 103 00:07:55,240 --> 00:08:03,640 future really means. No camera would pick up God. 104 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:08,800 No reporter could interview God then or now. 105 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:14,560 There are always psychological and sociological and economic 106 00:08:14,680 --> 00:08:18,600 explanations for what happens. Technically, there are no 107 00:08:18,600 --> 00:08:21,800 miracles here, no signs and wonders. 108 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:28,440 But David says it is all about God. 109 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,760 This is a lesson for us this morning much wider than freeing 110 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:36,559 the future. This is a lesson for you as to 111 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:42,360 whether or not when you view events and persons in your life 112 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:45,880 and in the church and in the world, whether you will see what 113 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:51,360 cameras see, or whether you will see behind the veil the 114 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,240 invisible hand of God in everything. 115 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:59,680 So that the main issue becomes God in your life and in all that 116 00:08:59,680 --> 00:09:04,080 you see. Let's start with verse 10 here 117 00:09:04,080 --> 00:09:11,600 to see this veil removed. So David blessed the Lord in the 118 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:14,040 sight of all the assembly assembly. 119 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:18,240 So he's responding to what he says is human willingness. 120 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,280 With willingness and with joy and with generosity. 121 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:30,240 Human beings chose to give to the temple and he blesses God. 122 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:39,160 Must be some connection there in David's mind. 123 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,440 What does bless mean? We've used it dozens of times 124 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:47,240 this morning. Great songs. 125 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:52,320 Bless the Lord, O my soul. What's the soul doing when it 126 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:56,880 blesses God? Here's the way I would define it 127 00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:59,880 for different ways, but let's, let's just try this one. 128 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:06,960 To bless God is to speak good and true and wonderful things 129 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:10,600 about Him that account for what happens in the world. 130 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:15,680 Speaking good and true and wonderful things, blessings, 131 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:20,840 saying good things with your mouth about God from your heart, 132 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:25,360 which account for what happens in the world. 133 00:10:25,360 --> 00:10:32,400 Now in this prayer of David, there are 12 things at least for 134 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:37,200 which he blesses God and what freeing the future means 135 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:42,560 therefore is a manifestation of God through these 12 things. 136 00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:45,800 And I want to highlight them with you and just pause over 137 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,560 each one for a few seconds. And let me just say something to 138 00:10:50,560 --> 00:10:54,440 the children here. Many of you children are in 139 00:10:54,440 --> 00:11:00,560 Sunday school classes where these kinds of names of God and 140 00:11:00,760 --> 00:11:04,520 characteristics of God or attributes of God are being 141 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:08,680 written on your walls and dealt with in your Sunday school 142 00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:11,200 lessons. So one of the things you could 143 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:15,800 do right now if you're taking notes or just thinking is list 144 00:11:15,840 --> 00:11:20,200 the names of God that I'm going to give you in the next few 145 00:11:20,200 --> 00:11:23,880 minutes. OK, here we go #1 starting at 146 00:11:23,880 --> 00:11:28,960 verse 11. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness 147 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:36,120 #1 God is great. He's expansive, He's large, He's 148 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,520 bigger than anything in the world or in the universe. 149 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:44,800 He's not small and insignificant, but magnificent 150 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:47,760 and great. If there's any greatness in this 151 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:51,600 world that moves you and stirs you any great extravaganza, it 152 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:56,120 should always send your heart leaping up to God, who is 10,000 153 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,640 times greater #2 I'll just follow through right here in 154 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,440 verse 11. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness 155 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,960 and the power. God is powerful. 156 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:11,960 He's not just big, he's strong. Atomic power like a hydrogen 157 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:16,040 bomb, or natural powers like a hurricane or the rising tides. 158 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:20,120 When I think about tides, human beings can't begin to arrest the 159 00:12:20,120 --> 00:12:24,160 power of a tide where the Pacific Ocean goes 60 feet up in 160 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:28,560 the air and down again, 10,000,000 and millions of tons 161 00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:32,200 of water just and up and down because the moon's got this 162 00:12:32,760 --> 00:12:36,520 absolutely scientifically unexplainable power called 163 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:40,080 gravity that God simply thought into being. 164 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:43,560 Or you've got stars exploding and coming into being out there. 165 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:48,480 God did all of that. He is very powerful #3 Thine, O 166 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,760 Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory. 167 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,880 This isn't the usual cavode Hebrew word for glory. 168 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:57,920 It's Teferit. It's the word beautiful when his 169 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:02,800 bigness and His power conspired to do and display. 170 00:13:02,880 --> 00:13:06,840 What it displays is to ferret beauty. 171 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:14,000 God is a gloriously beautiful being #4 Thine, O Lord, is the 172 00:13:14,000 --> 00:13:18,560 greatness and the power and the glory and the victory. 173 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:23,240 God is victorious. The Hebrew word here, it means 174 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:29,120 endurance, that is enduring and prevailing and persisting and 175 00:13:29,360 --> 00:13:34,040 persevering so long until all the resisting forces fall away 176 00:13:34,160 --> 00:13:38,360 and all that's left is the reigning God in triumph. 177 00:13:38,600 --> 00:13:44,480 And so it's translated victorious #5 Thine, O Lord, is 178 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:48,120 the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and 179 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:52,720 the majesty. This word means it's like 180 00:13:52,760 --> 00:14:01,640 royalty or kingliness. When God passes by, you take off 181 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:09,200 your hat and you salute. You don't slouch and you don't 182 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,840 slumber. You don't joke and you don't 183 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:21,360 jest when God passes by, because there's majesty in God. 184 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:25,920 Number six thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the 185 00:14:25,920 --> 00:14:30,920 glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that 186 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:36,560 is in the heavens and the earth. God owns everything. 187 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:38,680 He owns you. He owns your house. 188 00:14:38,680 --> 00:14:41,800 He owns your television, He owns your car, He owns your 189 00:14:41,800 --> 00:14:44,240 computers. He owns your your land. 190 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:49,240 He owns your portfolio, He owns your mind, He owns your 191 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:53,880 affections, He owns your will, He owns your body, He owns your 192 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,360 soul. He gives it as a stewardship for 193 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:01,480 you to use in trust for His glory, and He takes it when He 194 00:15:01,480 --> 00:15:05,000 pleases and does nobody any wrong, whether he takes it at 195 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:12,960 age 151522335680 or 100, you belong to God. 196 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:15,440 He gives and takes whenever He pleases. 197 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:21,080 Death is His right over us. God owns all things in the 198 00:15:21,080 --> 00:15:24,480 world. What a perspective to dwell on. 199 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:29,760 Oh how it would revolutionize our lives if we reckon with the 200 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,280 fact that everything, our clothing, our toys, our 201 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:39,400 transportation, our energy, our jobs, they're gods. 202 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:44,280 They're gods. We only have them in trust. 203 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:51,160 We are trustees, not owners, and therefore we must consult the 204 00:15:51,320 --> 00:15:58,360 owner as to the stipulations of the trust at every turn. 205 00:15:59,720 --> 00:16:02,720 How we use our eyes, men and women on the Internet. 206 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:09,240 How we use our hands, How we use our hearts, our mouths. 207 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:14,520 Oh, if we could tame the tongue and bring it into alignment with 208 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:21,720 our God's trust #7 Verse 11. Still thine is the dominion, O 209 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:23,240 Lord. In other words, not only does he 210 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:30,120 have this royal splendor and this authority, but he rules as 211 00:16:30,120 --> 00:16:35,240 king over everything. He has ruling authority #8 Thine 212 00:16:35,240 --> 00:16:39,640 is the dominion, O Lord, and thou dost exalt thyself as head 213 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:44,000 over all. In other words, not only does he 214 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:49,360 have this leadership headship, by virtue of his reality, he 215 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:54,320 chooses to have it. He chooses to exalt himself as 216 00:16:54,320 --> 00:16:56,760 head. He doesn't say, yes, I am head, 217 00:16:56,920 --> 00:17:02,440 but I will withdraw and conceal myself as head lest I be known 218 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:07,359 and praised. Rather, he puts himself forward. 219 00:17:07,480 --> 00:17:13,960 He exalts himself as head over all things #9 verse 12. 220 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:18,599 Now both riches and honor come from thee. 221 00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:25,560 God doesn't just own all things. He doesn't just rule all things. 222 00:17:25,880 --> 00:17:28,520 He doesn't just exalt himself over all things. 223 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,680 He is the source in your pockets and in your bank accounts and in 224 00:17:32,680 --> 00:17:38,760 your hands of all things. From a human standpoint, it 225 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:42,000 would be reported well, what happened at Bethlehem this year 226 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:48,640 was that some inheritances came due and some stocks made good 227 00:17:49,160 --> 00:17:53,120 and some shrewd real estate deals were cut and some saving 228 00:17:53,120 --> 00:17:58,280 accounts were emptied and some hard work was performed. 229 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:08,640 And David says riches come from God, The invisible hand behind 230 00:18:08,640 --> 00:18:11,520 the hand, in the hand underneath the hand. 231 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,000 If you wrote a check, God wrote the check. 232 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,880 God behind the check provided the funds. 233 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,040 It's not about what you can see with your physical eyes, folks. 234 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:30,200 Life is not about what you can see with your physical eyes. 235 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:35,720 It's about what God, the invisible hand, is doing behind 236 00:18:35,720 --> 00:18:41,800 freeing the future. I feel this morning more 237 00:18:42,320 --> 00:18:47,200 dedicated than ever to that mission, spreading a passion for 238 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:52,040 the supremacy of God in all things, for the joy of all 239 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,400 peoples. Because so few people in our 240 00:18:55,400 --> 00:19:01,320 land and in this world give God the credit for this ninth point 241 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,400 that both riches and honor come from God. 242 00:19:05,520 --> 00:19:10,400 Who today ask yourself, who today exalts the supremacy of 243 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:14,640 God in their paycheck? Who today exalts the supremacy 244 00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:18,200 of God in the stock market? Who today exalts the supremacy 245 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,120 of God in year end bonuses? Hardly anyone. 246 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:26,160 And that's why we exist. Bethlehem exists to call 247 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:30,120 attention to the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of 248 00:19:30,120 --> 00:19:35,040 all peoples #10 verse 12 continuing, Thou just rule over 249 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:39,480 all, and in thy hand is power and might, and it lies in thy 250 00:19:39,480 --> 00:19:43,360 hand to make great and to strengthen everyone. 251 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:49,400 It lies in thy hand not only to give the resources, but to give 252 00:19:49,400 --> 00:19:53,680 the greatness and the strength. If someone were to ask me, was 253 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:58,160 there any great systems management through Tim Johnson, 254 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:03,400 was there any great? Management of people by Shar and 255 00:20:03,640 --> 00:20:08,080 Joby for those home groups. Was there any great financial 256 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:12,000 management by Scott and Paul and Chuck? 257 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:21,040 God would say it is in my hand to make great and to strengthen 258 00:20:21,640 --> 00:20:25,120 everyone. God has been opening his hand to 259 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:30,800 us at Bethlehem. That's the meaning #11 He pauses 260 00:20:30,800 --> 00:20:35,040 in verse 13 to burst with Thanksgiving and and praise. 261 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:42,640 And then in verse 14, I would say here he reveals his mercy to 262 00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:45,520 us. Look at this verse 14. 263 00:20:46,120 --> 00:20:49,560 But who am I? Who am I? 264 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:56,520 David says and I say, And who are my people, that we should be 265 00:20:56,520 --> 00:21:00,320 able to offer as generously as this? 266 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:07,080 For all things come from thee, and from thy hand we have given 267 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:11,120 thee. In other words, God has helped 268 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:18,760 us to give like this. We have given from God to God. 269 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:22,160 All things are from Him, through Him and to Him. 270 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,680 And wherever we have reached, wherever you reach to get your 271 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,120 money, to give, to freeing the future, you reached into the 272 00:21:29,120 --> 00:21:31,320 hand of God. That's what verse 14 says. 273 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:36,880 All things come from God and from God's hand have we given to 274 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:42,240 God. So the 11th tribute to God here 275 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:46,200 is that He is merciful because it says, who are we? 276 00:21:47,120 --> 00:21:50,360 Meaning we sure don't deserve to be able to do this. 277 00:21:51,240 --> 00:21:54,120 And that's absolutely right. You see, at the end of verse 15, 278 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:58,880 it says there is no hope. I think that means there is no 279 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:04,720 hope for people like us except for one thing, the mercy of God. 280 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:10,080 And so we extol the mercy of God in freeing the future. 281 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:14,520 And finally #12 let's jump down to verse 18. 282 00:22:16,280 --> 00:22:21,560 God's enabling in this matter is not simply that He provides the 283 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:28,680 funds that we give back to Him, but He gives the willingness to 284 00:22:28,680 --> 00:22:33,120 give. Remember what He said up in 285 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:37,560 verse 9? Then the people rejoiced because 286 00:22:37,560 --> 00:22:45,920 they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to 287 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:50,520 the Lord with a whole heart. So here you have the human 288 00:22:50,760 --> 00:22:56,960 dimension, human beings experiencing an inclination of 289 00:22:56,960 --> 00:23:07,180 the will to give. Where did that come from? 290 00:23:08,020 --> 00:23:13,660 Let's read verses 18 and 19. Oh Lord, the God of Abraham, 291 00:23:13,660 --> 00:23:21,320 Isaac, Israel, our fathers, preserve this, this willingness 292 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:29,240 forever in the intentions of the heart of thy people, and direct 293 00:23:29,240 --> 00:23:38,080 their heart to Thee, And give to my son Solomon a perfect or a 294 00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:43,760 whole heart to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, 295 00:23:43,760 --> 00:23:48,840 thy statutes, and to do them all, and to build the temple for 296 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:54,320 which I made provision. So let me ask you now, where is 297 00:23:54,320 --> 00:24:00,560 Solomon going to get a heart to keep the commandments of God? 298 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:05,920 And the answer in the text is from God. 299 00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:14,400 O God, give to my son Solomon a whole heart to keep thy 300 00:24:14,960 --> 00:24:18,400 commandments. And So what about you? 301 00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:24,080 And what about those Jewish Saints who gave so generously, 302 00:24:24,080 --> 00:24:30,320 so willingly, so freely of their own accord? 303 00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:36,280 Where did that come from? Verse 18. 304 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:43,880 O Lord, keep this forever in the intentions of the heart of Thy 305 00:24:43,880 --> 00:24:48,000 people, and direct their heart to Thee. 306 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:57,640 When a Sinner like John Piper directs his heart toward God, 307 00:24:59,640 --> 00:25:07,720 that prayer is answered. Direct my heart toward You. 308 00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:12,680 You direct my heart the direction of my heart. 309 00:25:13,160 --> 00:25:22,200 Money, sex, fame, family, success and all kinds of things. 310 00:25:22,400 --> 00:25:31,960 Which way will my heart go? My father Bill Piper has prayed 311 00:25:31,960 --> 00:25:37,960 for me 5000 times what David prayed for his son. 312 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:45,400 Direct my son's heart to you. And God has done it again and 313 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:52,160 again and again. And where did that generosity 314 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:58,280 come from? It says, oh Lord, keep it there, 315 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:03,400 keep it there, keep it there. God works to do that. 316 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,400 Apart from God, we do not give willingly. 317 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,160 Apart from God, we do not direct our hearts to God. 318 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:13,600 And that's why David prays, because prayer is asking God to 319 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,760 do what I can't do. And in these nine months, oh, 320 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:22,000 how you have prayed. Do you remember all those Friday 321 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:27,560 morning, Monday morning, Wednesday night, Sunday morning 322 00:26:27,560 --> 00:26:31,280 prayer times when freeing the future was pleaded and pleaded 323 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,720 and God heard and worked it. So what's the meaning of freeing 324 00:26:35,720 --> 00:26:37,640 the future? I conclude with this. 325 00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,400 The meaning of freeing the future is that it is a 326 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:46,880 manifestation of God, that He is great and powerful and glorious 327 00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:52,280 and victorious and majestic, the Owner of all things with 328 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:55,560 dominion over all things, exalted his head over all 329 00:26:55,560 --> 00:27:00,680 things, the source of all riches and honor, giving greatness and 330 00:27:00,680 --> 00:27:04,960 strength to all, merciful to those who do not deserve mercy 331 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:09,880 like us, and giving the heart and the willingness to give 332 00:27:09,880 --> 00:27:14,240 freely and joyfully to him. Freeing the future is a 333 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,720 manifestation of God. And very specifically, I end on 334 00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:23,320 this note, very specifically, it is a manifestation of God's 335 00:27:23,640 --> 00:27:30,840 passion to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all 336 00:27:30,840 --> 00:27:32,640 things, for the joy of all peoples. 337 00:27:32,640 --> 00:27:38,360 Now, if that's true, if the meaning of freeing the future is 338 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:43,760 an expression of the passion of God for God's supremacy in all 339 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:48,840 things, for the joy of all peoples, than to the degree that 340 00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:53,560 we live for that mission, that this church embodies that 341 00:27:53,560 --> 00:27:58,800 mission, to that degree, incredible things are in store 342 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:02,800 for the next decade of this church's ministry. 343 00:28:03,680 --> 00:28:07,000 He will be faithful and we're going to sing about it now. 344 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:10,280 Let's bow for prayer as we prepare our hearts to sing about 345 00:28:10,280 --> 00:28:15,280 His faithfulness. Oh God, we have seen you in 346 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:20,280 these months. We have seen you in our debt 347 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,920 free condition. We have seen you now in the Word 348 00:28:24,920 --> 00:28:32,960 as the veil has been pulled back by your inspired writer, and now 349 00:28:32,960 --> 00:28:37,240 we want to open our mouths for just a few more closing minutes 350 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:41,040 in response to what you have revealed about yourself. 351 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:47,960 Would you now, I pray, receive our acclamation that you have 352 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:53,760 been, are now, and always will be a faithful God.