Building the Future by Phil Kinney
"Then King David rose to his feet and said, “Hear me, my brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to build it. But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.’" (1 Chronicles 28:2-3, NKJV)
"....the Lord tells you that He will make you a house. “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”" (2 Samuel 7:11-16, NKJV)
David wants to build a permanent home for worship of God. Up to this point the place of meeting was a tent (1 Chronicles 15:1). He wants to leave a legacy in the House of God for future generations to worship God in.
But God stops Him. God says that because he is primarily a man of war, he cannot build then house of God. But God tells David that his son Solomon will be the one to “build a house for My name” (2 Samuel 7:13).
David is faced with an interesting situation. He has a desire to see the house of God built but he is at a point in his life where he cannot do much – the baton is being passed on to his son. Rather than sitting back sulking, or criticizing the younger generation, or taking a vacation, David looks at what has to be done and wants to empower the next generation coming through. So David reaches into his wealth and influence and gathers materials in abundance or Solomon to use to build the house.
" Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel; and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God. And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure, and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all countries. I will now make preparation for it.” So David made abundant preparations before his death. Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. And David said to Solomon: “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord my God; but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight. Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. His name shall be Solomon, for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days. He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ Now, my son, may the Lord be with you; and may you prosper, and build the house of the Lord your God, as He has said to you. Only may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the Lord charged Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and of good courage; do not fear nor be dismayed. Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond measure, for it is so abundant. I have prepared timber and stone also, and you may add to them. Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skilful men for every kind of work. Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit. Arise and begin working, and the Lord be with you.” David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has He not given you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. Now set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”" (1 Chronicles 22:1-19)
David blesses the next generation in any way possible. He goes against the trend and serves them through provision, blessing and encouragement. He looks to make a difference in the lives of the youth.
Let me ask you – what sort of a legacy are you leaving? What are you doing to build for future generations? What are you giving to ensure the house of God remains strong when you have moved on? How are you blessing and encouraging the generations to come?
I want to see my kids achieve more than me, go higher and further than I ever have. I want to lay a foundation for them to build stronger and better upon. I want to see this reach to my grandchildren when they come, that they may have a greater impact than I did, and then my kids did.
I also want this for the younger generation in the church. I see them as spiritual children, and I want to see them rise up and go higher and bigger and further than we ever could.
Together we can leave a legacy in the house of God that will see the coming generations in this place make a bigger impact in this city. We can leave a church that is financially strong, spiritually strong, full of life and hope – creating a platform for them to strongly impact and change this city. Does this come easy? No. Does this require sacrifice? Yes. But it leaves a lasting legacy in heaven and on earth that has the potential to impact and change the city.
Will the younger generations make mistakes? Yes. Even David recognised that Solomon was young and inexperienced. But then we were all young and inexperienced and some stage..... and even now we still make mistakes. But as we extend grace and encouragement to our physical and spiritual children we give them the opportunity to grow and develop further than we ever could.
Let me read to you what the prophet Haggai says of the times to come:
"“For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.”" (Haggai 2:6-9)
A legacy has been left in this house for the younger generations. A foundation stone has been laid through sacrificial giving of time and finances. Now is the time for you to step up and take the baton. Age is relative. David was in his last days in the above story. Many in this place are in the prime of their life – or coming up to the prime of their life. Now is the time to sort through your priorities and ask yourself what is important.
Talk About
What sort of legacy would you like to leave behind you?
What would you like to be remembered for?
What can you do or give to help the church become stronger? (Leader: this can be big or small things - encourage follow through to action)
This is s good time to promote the "You're Gifted" course and encourage those in the group who haven't done it to get involved. How about all registering and doing the course as a group?
