Presence

Please keep 2 Samuel 7 open in front of you.

I'm going to pray for us.

We're going to get stuck into the next installment in our series.

Father God, we thank and praise you for bringing us here tonight.

We thank you for your word in which you reveal yourself to us.

Lord, I ask that you would give us open ears and open hearts to hear you speak.

Keep us from picking the bits that we want and ignoring the bits that are hard to hear.

But rather, God, may we hear your voice clearly.

May you shape us and change us by your spirit as a result of what we look at tonight.

Lord, may we grasp more fully the incredible blessing and privilege it is that you are with us tonight.

Amen.

Something I've discovered as I work with people of all different ages is that universally humans have an ability.

It may be better described as a disability, but it is the art of selective hearing.

It doesn't matter how old or young you are.

It doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl.

We can all do this amazingly well when it suits us.

I remember a few years ago in a previous ministry situation that I was in,

I was chatting to a young guy who was having some relational difficulties with his girlfriend.

And they had had a very serious chat about their relationship.

And he came to me and he was chatting about how things were.

And he relayed to me a little bit about how the conversation had gone.

And he'd said, you know, it was great.

She told me that she still really cared about me.

And she told me that, you know, she really respected me.

And she told me that, you know, she really admired my faith.

And she told me that she just wanted to have a break to make sure that we could both be in a good place with God.

And for him, he was sure that what she meant was,

we'll just have a break for a little while, get ourselves back on track.

And because she still cares about me, we'll be together again soon.

It wasn't until about a week and a half later when she had another boyfriend

that it became apparent that he had misheard some of the phrasing in the conversation.

I'm not sure how you can take break up any other way,

but he had managed to hear a short break until we get back together.

But it's interesting that when we want to hear something,

we often hear exactly what we want to hear.

It reminds me when I was younger receiving school reports.

There was kind of a refrain in all of my school reports growing up

that when something like,

Sam has great potential if he would apply himself.

And I would get these school reports.

This was in the day when they gave them to you at school,

foolishly trusting that you would hand them straight to your parents.

And I would get them and I would open it up

and I would walk away feeling fantastic, thinking,

my teachers love me, look how much potential they think I have.

I'm going to take over the world with all this potential.

But for some reason, my mum read my reports really differently

and I could never understand why she was so frustrated with me

each time I brought a report card home

and I would have to deal with some sort of punishment

when I'm sitting there thinking,

am I being punished for my potential?

But apparently there was something else in there.

And we often do this.

Maybe you're one of those people

who only hears the positive when someone's talking to you.

They'll be letting you know something about maybe how you look

and they'll go, you know,

that shirt looks really good compared to your pants

and you just hear my shirt looks good

and you're floating for the rest of the day.

But maybe you're at the other end

and you just hear the negative.

You could hear 15 compliments

but then just that one thing about,

what's that on your face?

And that's all you're thinking about

for the next couple of days.

And it's interesting how we all do it

in a whole bunch of different situations

but we're never aware of it at the time.

We pick out the thing that we want to hear

and that's the thing that is ringing in our ears.

But the problem comes when we start to do that

when we come to God.

When we open the Bible and we read His commands

and we read His promises

and we read Him speaking to us

and we just pick out the bits that we want to hear.

We pick out the things that are kind of easy to hear.

We pick out the things that are encouraging or affirming

and we take what we want

but we miss the main point.

We actually don't hear what it is

that God is trying to teach us.

And in a series like this,

we're trying to wade through the whole Bible.

That is a pretty significant undertaking.

We're trying to understand

how the kingdom of God is unfolding,

how God is establishing His kingdom.

And if we come into this sort of a series

with our selective hearing,

we're in great danger of actually

misinterpreting the whole Bible.

It's really important that we come

and we are ready to hear whatever it is

that God has to say

as He gradually reveals His plan

for building His kingdom.

Because we began with Adam

in the Garden of Eden

and this amazing potential,

the spectacular failure of Genesis 3

and then the rescue mission began.

We saw the promises to Abraham.

There was a fairly frustrating pattern of sin

through Genesis.

Last week we got to Moses

and God shows up spectacularly

at Mount Sinai.

He gives His people the law

and everything feels like it's moving

in a good direction.

But the problem that we're going to discover tonight

is that Israel has been listening to God

but just listening for the things

that they want to hear.

So Israel has some pretty exciting promises

to hold on to.

God has promised Abraham blessing.

God has promised Abraham land.

God has promised Abraham

he will be a great nation.

God has promised Abraham

that he will be famous.

And so there is this national pride

and identity

that they are all looking forward to.

But the problem is

that's all they're hearing.

They're hearing we're going to get some land.

At the moment we're wandering around

but we are going to have our own country.

God's going to kick people out

so we get some space for our own.

And it's not just going to be any land.

It's going to be land

flowing with milk and honey.

It's going to be fantastic.

We're going to be a great nation.

People are going to look up to us.

People are going to fear us.

God's going to give us stuff.

We're going to get blessings.

But can you see that all of a sudden

Israel has become driven

by what they can see

in all the nations around them.

We want to have land

better than that nation.

We want to have an army

more powerful than that nation.

We want to be respected

more than that nation.

In fact they even wanted a king

better than the other nations.

But they've misunderstood

that the point of the kingdom of God

the point of the covenant

the point of the promises

is for God to restore

what was broken

in Genesis chapter 3.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

That's his whole agenda

through all of scripture.

That is what the kingdom is.

The kingdom is the fix

of the fall.

In fact the promise

in Genesis chapter 12

Genesis 12 · chapter mention

that God makes to Abraham

in one sense

is kind of obvious

for us to look at.

The blessing that he's promising them

is himself.

The blessing isn't

that they will be a nation

that they will be famous.

Those are some things

that God's going to do

but the blessing

that God is promising

is he's going to give them himself.

That was what was there in Eden

and that is God's agenda

God's desire

that he would be able

to dwell with his people again.

Eden was this amazing picture

where God walked in the garden

and spoke with Adam and Eve

and his agenda

is to restore

that relationship

where he will dwell

with his people.

And so we come to 2 Samuel 7.

We have skipped a significant part

of the Old Testament

and I encourage you

to address it in your own time

but in the interest

of recapping for our sake

let's just try and understand

where we've come to.

So there's a fair bit

of travelling going on.

Last week

Israel was at Mount Sinai

in the desert.

God was establishing them

he gave them the law

he told them

you're headed to Canaan

that's the land I'm giving you

and then for the next

fair while

they wandered around

kind of stuffing up.

God would say

do this

they'd do something

slightly different.

God would say

go to this place

they'd go to a slightly

different place.

God would say

it's ready

they'd say no it's not

and they would just

keep spinning the wheels

and never actually

getting to the place

where they wanted to

but finally

just before our passage

tonight

Israel has moved

into the land

there's been some

pretty spectacular battles

you know

the walls of Jericho

have fallen down

and now God

has cleared house.

This land of Canaan

is suddenly free

from all the people

who used to own it

who used to live there

and God has given it

to his people Israel

just like he promised.

And there's a really

interesting verse

right at the beginning

of chapter 7

have a look

after the king

was settled in his palace

and the Lord

had given him rest

from all his enemies

around him.

See things seem

to be progressing

really well

considering all the rubbish

that's been happening

so far in our series

now Israel is in the land

that God promised.

Now they have rest

from the enemies around them

they have been at war

for generations

and it says here

they have rest.

God has been blessing them

David is a king

he's living in a palace

they're not moving around

in tents anymore

everything seems to be

advancing really fantastically

and the most important bit

the bit that started

with our sermon last week

with Moses

is that God is with them.

God is present

with his people.

He's turned up

and he is living

in their community

in the form

of the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark is basically

a big box

that they carried around

which had the commandments

in it

and a few other bits

and pieces

and that was symbolic

that God is living

with his people

and that box

was put inside a tent

which was an inner room

inside another room

inside another whole bunch

of curtains

in the tabernacle

but that was where

God lived

in that box

in that room

inside those tents

of the tabernacle.

So God was with them

but he was limited.

It's not like they could

just wander up

and have a chat

whenever they wanted.

The bits that we skipped over

all of Leviticus

is just all of the laws

that God requires

the sacrifices

that he requires

so that people

could interact with him.

I mean he's there

so it's like we're moving

in a good direction

but surely

this isn't

what God promised.

Surely this isn't

the pinnacle.

Surely this isn't

what we've been

looking forward to

because even though

God is there

this is nothing

like what it was like

before the fall.

It's not even close.

God is still

limited

to this box.

These people

aren't free

to just come

and approach him.

There is a priestly

system

between him

and them.

There is a sacrificial

system

between him

and them.

There is a limit

to how much

of God's presence

they can actually

take.

But the crazy

thing is

this is actually

an act of grace

on God's part.

See back on

Mount Sinai

when God showed

up he shook

the mountain

there was lightning

there was fire

there was thunder

and the people

realise

maybe we shouldn't

be getting too

close to God

just yet.

And they're right

because they are

not worthy

of relating to

God.

The issue

that comes out

in Genesis 3

where they reject

him is still

an issue.

And so if God

just showed up

and started living

amongst them

wandering around

saying hello

they would just

get destroyed.

The holiness

of God

the perfection

of God

would just

obliterate

the nation

if God

just turned up

and suddenly

moved in

and acted

like everything

was fine.

So God

gives them

this limited

version of

him living

with them.

It's a huge

blessing because

not that long

ago they were

slaves in a

country not

their own

and had no

idea about

God's plans

for them

and now he

has shown up

and he has

arrived and he

has said he's

with them

and he's made

promises

it feels

like we're

making significant

progress for the

kingdom doesn't

it?

I mean if you

put it through

the grid that

we've got of

people place

and rule

they're God's

people he's

chosen them

he's living

sort of with

them.

They're in the

promised land

that is his

place it's the

place he sent

them to

and sure the

rule thing's

never quite

perfect but

even though

we've advanced

so far

we are still

so far away

from the picture

of the kingdom

that we get

even just

from the

promises

to Abraham

because the

kingdom of

God is about

fixing the

fall.

The kingdom

of God is

about restoring

that relationship

that God had

and wants

with his

people.

The kingdom

of God is

about God

dwelling with

his people

and it's

just not

there yet.

Lots of

other things

are great

lots of

other things

are fantastic

but the

whole point

of the

kingdom

we're not

there yet.

It's kind of

strange in this

passage I find

if you look

down at verse

one again of

chapter seven

it's almost

like Israel

is so much

enjoying all the

things that God's

given them and

then after it's

all arrived David

thinks hang on a

sec we should

get God to

come and hang

out with us.

We've got this

fantastic land

now he's blessed

us with this

city we're in

charge our

enemies are

gone and so

it says almost

like an

afterthought in

verse two he

said to Nathan

the prophet

here I am

living in a

palace of

cedar while

God remains in

a tent and

Nathan replied to

the king

whatever you have

in mind go

ahead and do it

for the Lord

is with you.

It seems like

God is completely

happy with

everything that's

happening so even

the prophet

Nathan says

David do

what you want

I'm pretty

sure you're

moving in a

good direction

I'm pretty

sure God's

going to be

on board with

anything that

you say but

it's like David

got all the good

stuff and then

went hang on a

sec God should

probably be in

here somewhere

God should

probably have

some fancy

house and you

know the thing

is we often do

something similar

in our own

relationship with

God we love to

get things from

God we love the

idea of

forgiveness

sounds fantastic

of eternal

life we love

the idea of

comfort and

refuge and

strength when

we're struggling

and then we

think hang on a

sec God's got

something to do

with this maybe

if I start

hanging out with

him for an

hour on Sunday

nights that

would be

appropriate maybe

if I could set

aside 15 minutes

each morning to

open the Bible and

hang out with him

that would make

sense because he's

given me all this

stuff but it comes

as this afterthought

we think God's

agenda is to give

us stuff to look

after us and

Israel has fallen

into the exact same

trap they're feeling

completely content

we've got our nation

we've got our king

we've got our armies

we've got our palace

we've got peace

everything's fantastic

but there is still

separation between

God and his people

the main problem

is still the main

problem they

haven't made

progress yet

the issue in

Genesis 1 to 3

is sin

the issue is that

people are not

treating God the

way he deserves

the issue is that

people are choosing

to act like they're

in charge instead of

God being in charge

and that is still

the issue

even though God

has been gracious

and generous to

them and given

them so much

it's like they've

just missed the

point

it's like they've

forgotten what the

issue is

it's like they've

been watching TV

and seen a 40

hour famine ad

and thought you

know what I can

do to help those

kids I'm going to

send over a few

brand new Mercedes

those are nice

cars

they'd be pretty

happy with those

I think

they're good cars

they are

they go fast

they're shiny

they smell nice

but I don't know

how much benefit

it's going to be

to a kid who's

starving

Israel has

completely forgotten

the problem

the problem for

them has become

we need land

the problem for

them has become

we need to be

stronger than the

people around us

but the problem

is still

we are separated

from God

the problem

is still

we are unworthy

of relating to

God the way

that he desires

the problem

is still

that God

would be

well within

his justice

to destroy us

at any moment

they have been

distracted by the

good things that

God has given

them

and forgotten

that the whole

agenda is that

God wants to

be with them

that God wants

a relationship

with them

and I wonder

if that ever

happens to you

if you enjoy

the good things

that God gives

us

and there are

so many good

things that

God gives us

but you let

those things

distract you

from the main

game

God's main

game is that

he would know

you and you

would know him

and you would

relate

as creator

and creation

the other

interesting thing

here in 2

Samuel 7

is that even

though Israel

has stopped

looking to what

God might do

in the future

God still has

a future agenda

he's not even

done blessing

them yet

that's the crazy

part

I mean did you

get it

David comes up

with this idea

which sounds

like not a bad

idea even if it

was an afterthought

it sounds like

a good idea

to want to

build a fancy

temple for

God

and how does

God respond

he says

not a bad idea

I've got something

better for you

and he just

pours out this

incredible

blessing

have a look

down there in

chapter 7

again

verse 8

now then

tell my servant

David

this is what

the Lord Almighty

says

I took you

from the pasture

and from following

the flock

to be ruler

over my people

Israel

I have been

with you

wherever you

have gone

I have cut

off all your

enemies

from before you

now

I will make

your name

great

like the names

of the greatest

men of the earth

and I will

provide a place

for my people

Israel

and will plant

them so that

they can have

a home of their

own

and no longer

be disturbed

wicked people

will not oppress

them anymore

as they did

at the beginning

and have done

ever since the

time I appointed

leaders of my

people Israel

I will also

give you rest

from all

your enemies

the Lord declares

to you that

the Lord himself

will establish

a house for you

now

just look

carefully at

what God

has just said

in verse 10

he says

I will provide

a place

for my people

they're already

living in the land

that he promised

to give them

how does that

work

isn't this the

place that we're

looking forward

to

God says

no I've got

something better

for you

Canaan's great

Canaan's got

milk and honey

Canaan's fertile

Canaan is fantastic

but I have

something better

for you

in verse 1

we're told that

God has already

given him rest

from his enemies

but then again

he says

I will give you

rest from all

your enemies

he says

it's not just

about the nations

around you

there is at least

one more enemy

that needs to be

defeated

there is at least

one more enemy

that stands between

my kingdom

and you as a

people

and that is the

enemy of death

and so he begins

to unpack

how he will

overcome

this final enemy

there's a promise

here of a

forever king

a king

that will sit

on the throne

forever

and that can

only happen

if death

is defeated

it's not just

a euphemism

for somebody

who's king

for a really

long time

God is promising

someone's going

to be in charge

forever

God is trying

to lift their

eyes and say

listen

the kingdom

is not about

a nation

the kingdom

is not about

how many people

you have

how much money

you have

the kingdom

is about

a relationship

between God

and his people

you know the

reason that God

establishes a

kingdom is because

a kingdom is the

sphere in which

we relate to God

correctly

see God

establishes a king

who rules on his

behalf and we

are established

as subjects

who submit

who obey

who worship

it's not a

relationship

where the king

oppresses

or takes money

from

it's a relationship

where the king

leads and cares

for and provides

for his people

and God's agenda

here is that

that right

relationship

of submission

and obedience

to God

would be a

forever reality

for us

the crazy thing

is even though

Israel has gone

so far wrong

here

God is showing

them even more

grace

this isn't a

new plan

this is the

agenda from

Genesis 3

when he promised

he was going to

crush the head

of the serpent

when he promised

that he was going

to bless

Israel

when he promised

that he was

going to bless

all nations

through Israel

he was already

planning to

send a king

and what he's

doing here

is in his grace

just revealing

a little bit

more of his

plan

just showing

them a little

bit more

of what's in

store

a little bit

more of what

he is doing

and showing

them that the

issue

that was there

in the beginning

is still there

God and his

people have a

broken relationship

and only when his

kingdom arrives

will that relationship

be finally

restored

and enjoyed

and we turn

to a passage

like Hebrews

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10

and we read

this

therefore brothers

since we have

confidence to

enter the most

holy place

by the blood

of Jesus

by a new

and living

way opened

up for us

through the

curtain

that is his

body

and since we

have a great

high priest

over the house

of God

let us draw

near to God

with a sincere

heart in full

assurance of faith

having our hearts

sprinkled to

cleanse us from

a guilty conscience

having our bodies

washed with pure

water

let us hold

unswervingly to

the hope we

profess for he

who promised

is faithful

Israel never knew

what it was to be

confident to

approach God

they approached

with fear and

trepidation

with sacrifice

after sacrifice

they approached

through the

priestly system

but for us

because of

Jesus

once for all

sacrifice

finally the

barrier is

removed

finally the

obstacle is

dealt with

finally the

kingdom is

established

finally God

can dwell

with his

people

finally the

kingdom is

beginning to

advance

Steve challenged

us earlier in

the service

that when we

talk about

church we

don't mean

this building

sometimes we

fall into the

trap of

thinking that

God's

presence even

since Jesus

has died and

risen and

sits on the

throne in

heaven we

think that

God's presence

exists in a

place or in

a time but

that's not the

promise of God's

word that was

never God's

agenda that we

would replace

the old box

that lived in a

tent with a new

box that's

slightly fancier

and has

electricity

in 1

Corinthians

Paul challenges

the Corinthians

don't you know

that you

yourselves are

God's temple

and that God's

spirit lives in

you

God has

poured out his

spirit

God himself

dwells in

those who

bear his

name

we no longer

need go to

a temple

but we

ourselves are

the temple

that means God

is with us in

any and every

situation

that means that

there is no

place to hide

from him

that means that

there is no

need to hide

from him

because we have

confidence to

draw near to

him

the kingdom is

about a

relationship a

right relationship

between God

and his people

God's agenda

from the start

has been that

he could dwell

with us

that he could

live with us

without barrier

and in Jesus

that reality

has begun

we look forward

to when it will

be an even

greater experience

of that reality

when God will

finally remove

all sin

all opposition

to him

but even

now

God is

indwelling

those who

bear his

name

by his

Holy Spirit

right now

in Jesus

we have

confidence

to draw

near to

the God

that struck

fear into

the hearts

of Israel

God's deep

desire has

always been

to dwell

with his

people

and now

he does

leave us

with one

last question

knowing that

God himself

dwells in

us

how should

that shape

the way

that we

live

knowing that

it's not

about when

we come to

this building

that we

meet with

God

we do

meet with

God

here as

we open

his word

but

hearing

scripture

say that

God

himself

is

indwelling

us

by the

Holy Spirit

how should

that shape

the people

that we

are

how should

that shape

the relationships

that we

have

I want to

suggest three

things

firstly

it should

lead to

some form

of reverence

and awe

in the way

that we

use our

lives

in the way

that we

use the

breath

and strength

that God

has provided

we have

something to

learn from

Israel

here

Israel

at least

understood

that approaching

God was

something

significant

they at

least understood

that there

was a

cleansing

that had

to happen

and yet

for so

many of

us

we take

Jesus

as an

excuse

to treat

God

like he's

not that

impressive

anymore

maybe you

come to

church and

think it's

time to

be serious

it's time

to be

good

it's time

to dress

a certain

way

it's time

to act

a certain

way

but God

is dwelling

in you

every minute

of every

day

so at

very least

there should

be some

consistency

a couple

of years

a couple

of years

Barack

Obama

became

potentially

the most

powerful

man

in the

world

his

government

hasn't done

him any

favours in

the last

little while

and he

might have

dropped a

couple of

pegs

but at

some

point

he was

probably

the most

powerful

man

in the

world

at this

particular

point in

time

and I

remember

watching

not long

after he'd

been

officially

appointed

and his

daughters

would still

play with

him in

camera

I'm sure

that it

was all

set up

and it

was part

of making

us understand

that he's

a family

man

but it

was interesting

to watch

the freedom

they had

to hug

their dad

the freedom

they had

to muck

around with

him

to poke

him

to call

him dad

but can

you imagine

if one

of his

cabinets

started

treating

him the

same

way

it would

be

inappropriate

wouldn't

it

God's

presence

with us

the barrier

that has

been removed

by Jesus

the confidence

we have

to draw

near the

freedom

and forgiveness

that we

know

doesn't

change

who God

is

it

doesn't

change

that he

spoke

the earth

into

motion

it

doesn't

change

that all

creation

is accountable

to him

for the

life

that it

lives

it

doesn't

change

that he

has promised

that he

will not

let the

guilty

go unpunished

and we

would do

well to

refocus our

eyes on

the God

who dwells

in us

every minute

of every

day

how might

that shape

the way

we treat

one another

how conscious

might that

make us

to obey

God

not just

for an

hour a

week

not just

for a

few minutes

a day

but in

every minute

of every

second

surely

God's

presence

in our

lives

demands

reverence

it

doesn't

deny

joy

it

doesn't

deny

the

confidence

we

have

but it

does

demand

reverence

secondly

surely

it demands

thankfulness

that the

God of

the universe

has given

us the

best gift

he could

possibly

give

surely

drives us

to thank

him

not just

in the

form of

a song

that we

sing at

church

on Sunday

but every

morning

to wake

up and

think

God

gave me

the best

thing

he had

to give

he gave

me

himself

surely

that

drives

us

to

fall

on

our

knees

daily

almost

speechless

at the

incredible

love

and

generosity

and

mercy

of

God

lastly

surely

God's

presence

in us

among

us

demands

that we

treasure

Jesus

above all

else

we

have

the

most

valuable

thing

there

is

nothing

better

there

is

nothing

worth

holding

on

to

more

there

is

nothing

worth

desiring

more

surely

God

dwelling

in us

by his

Holy

Spirit

demands

that we

value

him

above

all

else

now

I

know

I

can't

just

tell

you

that

he's

the

most

valuable

thing

and

then

you

just

decide

to

value

him

that's

not

how

it

works

I

know

I

can't

even

convince

you

that

he's

the

most

valuable

thing

it's

a

fact

I'm

not

apologizing

for it

it's

a

fact

but

there

is a

change

in our

heart

that

has

to

happen

if

we're

going

to

grab

hold

of

the

best

gift

that

God

has

offered

us

one

of

my

favorite

verses

in

all

of

scripture

is

Psalm

34

8

taste

and

see

that

the

Lord

is

good

if

you

don't

know

the

goodness

of

a

relationship

with

the

God

who

made

you

if

you

don't

know

the

unmatchable

joy

and

contentment

that

comes

with

that

alone

please

just

taste

and

see

ask

God

to

remove

the

barrier

ask

God

to

give

you

a

chance

to

experience

his

love

and

forgiveness

to

experience

what

it

is

to

have

a

relationship

with

him

and

I

guarantee

if

you

taste

you

will

see

if

you

don't

know

Jesus

yet

it

doesn't

matter

how

many

other

things

you

have

you're

missing

out

and

if

you

do

know

Jesus

what

it

looks

like

to

treasure

him

is

to

joyfully

and

willingly

deny

everything

else

to

joyfully

and

willingly

exclaim

Jesus

is

more

than

enough

to

joyfully

and

willingly

put

everything

else

aside

that

you

may

seek

and

serve

and

love

Jesus

with

everything

that

you've

got

let's

pray

father

god

we

want

to

acknowledge

that

so

often

we

get

distracted

by

the

things

that