First, we want to look at this verse that is really in my heart, even though I am sharing on some different men. It is the verse in 2 Timothy 2 concerning vessels of honor. Let us look at that verse as we begin tonight.
Turn to 2 Timothy 2. We will read verses 19 through 21. Hopefully these verses will get hold of your heart, and you will realize that this is a deep desire of God’s heart, especially in this day.
There used to be a day when we could fool around. The church was so big, so powerful, and so successful here in the United States. Church was the in thing. There was a lot of that one day.
But now, to stand for the Lord is a task that surely involves embracing the cross and being faithful to the Lord. Paul reminds Timothy of the crux of the ministry he is undergoing.
Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God standeth, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His: and, Let every one that nameth the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.
Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some unto honor, and some unto dishonor.
If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, meet for the Master’s use, prepared unto every good work.— 2 Timothy 2:19-21
Now, I hope you understand and see that the foundation of the house of God is the Lord Jesus. Upon that foundation, the Lord knows those who are His. That is His side. He chooses vessels; He knows those who are His.
But there is also our part as members of the house of God. Realizing that we have been chosen by God, and realizing the foundation upon which we stand, we who name the name of the Lord are to abstain from wickedness. This is the foundation of the recovery work God is doing today in the house of God.
Brothers and sisters, you cannot be responsible for all the other Christians who name the name of Christ. You cannot simply imitate them or fall in with them. But you are to be faithful to the Lord, striving to be a vessel of honor in this day when there are so many vessels, so much mixture, and so much confusion.
But the Lord knows those who are His. May you be faithful, and realize that the Lord has given you, as a resource, others who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Join with them. Pray with them. Seek help with them. The Lord wants you to be a vessel of honor.
Do you notice that there are many vessels in the house of God? Even those that are dishonorable are vessels in the house of God. But beyond being saved, there is this question: Are you willing to abstain from wickedness and allow the Lord to do that work in your life that our brother Jim was speaking about this morning—the physics of the Christian life?
Last night, we looked a little at the life of Samuel. We saw that the key to Samuel’s life, if you look deeply into it, was the intimacy of consecration.
Samuel was separated for the Lord from birth. He was a Nazirite. His parents gave him to the house of God, and he grew up there. But many Christian young people grow up in the house of God. Their parents are Christians; they go to church from the time they are eight weeks old; they grow up through all of this.
Yet it is one thing to be in the house of God. It is wonderful when the Lord calls your name and begins to speak. But now comes the critical matter. It sounds like such a small thing, but the critical point in Samuel’s life was when he said, “Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth.”
The Lord wants a response. Maybe you have been hearing the Lord for a long time, but you are just not responding. Maybe you have Him tuned in on your CD radio. You hear His communication. He is calling you, calling you, calling you, but you are not saying, “Yes, Lord.”
At some point, you have to step into this process. When we get together, we have little experiments. A brother sings a song, and then there is silence. The Lord says, “Calling Grace, calling Grace. How about saying a prayer?”
It is just a small voice. But here is the blessing: “Okay, Lord.” And she prays. This is happening all over the meeting. Tonight, I see some people have become sensitized again. “Let’s sing this song.” Okay, so you are getting brave. You are asking for songs. That is good.
But beyond that, the Lord wants worship also. He is speaking up. All I am saying is that there is a still, small voice, and the key to a life of intimacy is to say, “Speak, Lord.” The more you respond, the more you learn to know His voice.
This was in the middle of the night for Samuel. Maybe he had been at a bonfire inspiration time the night before and was very tired. But in the middle of the night the Lord says, “Are you willing to say, ‘What, Lord?’” At four o’clock in the morning, sometimes the Lord wakes you up. Are you willing to say, “What, Lord?” Or do you say, “Later”?
Maybe you are fooling around with people, and suddenly the Lord says, “Hey, what are you doing?” You can respond. Maybe you are in a workshop, and the Lord says, “Ask a question.” So many times it is this still, small voice.
You say, “Well, is it a voice, or was it the pie I had tonight?” Check it out. Check it out. You will soon find out.
Maybe somebody in this room says, “Okay, I have to respond every time I hear the Lord.” So for the next two days they are praying twelve times during the meeting. Sooner or later, they are going to find out that it was the pie. Somebody is going to tell them, “Hey, you know, pi r squared.” They will get the message.
But if you want to be a useful vessel to the Lord, you need your ear open. You need to hear that still, small voice. The Lord does not often speak with an echo. He does not say, “Grace, Grace, Grace, Grace, wake up, up, up, up!” It is a still, small voice. But if you say, “Speak, Lord,” you are learning the life of consecration.
Tonight, we want to look at the life of David. Turn to 1 Chronicles 29, where David’s life is at its end. Here in 1 Chronicles we see the highest point in David’s life and ministry.
Then David the king said unto all the assembly, Solomon my son, whom God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for the Lord God.
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; onyx stones, and stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
Moreover also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it unto the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house.
Who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself this day unto the Lord?— 1 Chronicles 29:1-5
The rulers of the fathers’ households—that means the twelve tribes—the princes of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and the overseers over the king’s work offered willingly. Those who possessed precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord.
Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
— 1 Chronicles 29:9
Father, as we come to You tonight, we realize all that Your Son has given for the house of God. We join in to consecrate ourselves, to add in all that You have given us, with great rejoicing and grace.
O Lord, may Your house be built as a beautiful house. Everything that we can give, let it be the best of the gold and the silver and the precious things. Lord, we give our attention to You tonight.
We ask You to quicken our mortal bodies and help us to get over the heat and stuffiness of this room. Give our lives to You as an offering, even tonight. O Lord, have Your way. May we be lost in You. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
First and Second Chronicles were originally one book, the Book of Chronicles. The time in which Chronicles was written is very important for understanding the story of David.
At the end of 2 Chronicles, chapter 36, verses 22 and 23, we read:
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all His people, the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up.— 2 Chronicles 36:22-23
Of course, this passage had to have been written after that happened. This book of Chronicles was written at a critical time, just as Samuel was born at a critical time in Israel’s life. It was written at a critical moment in Israel’s history.
Do you know what was happening? The vessels were going back to Jerusalem. If you continue reading in Ezra, the gold and silver vessels that had been kept in Babylon for seventy years were brought back to Jerusalem. The captivity was over, and the vessels were returning.
God sovereignly raised up vessels—a remnant of people. Out of perhaps two million Jews in Babylonian captivity, fifty thousand were stirred in their hearts by the Lord and said, “I am going back to Jerusalem to build the house of God.”
Oh, precious vessels of God! These people were willing to consecrate themselves, go back through the desert toward Jerusalem, which was completely in ruins, and sacrifice their whole lives—their jobs, their safety, and everything they had in Babylon—to go back to a place inhabited by jackals and wild animals.
They went back to build the house of God according to God’s will and according to the decree. But when they got back, the enemy began to surround them on horseback. They had no wall, no protection, and no spears. They were completely at the mercy of God.
They prayed to God, and they found grace to build the foundation for the temple they would eventually build. Oh, how they rejoiced when they built the foundation! But first they built the altar—sacrifice, sacrifice, sacrifice. “Oh, God, help us. Oh, God, have mercy on us.”
Then the enemy came in and threatened them. They felt so weak. They looked at themselves: so small; the enemies: so big; the work: so great. They were overwhelmed by it all. They said, “Maybe we need to put a little moratorium on the building.”
At this point Ezra had a burden. He wanted to teach these vessels the importance of building the house of God. He wanted to inspire them. He was burdened that they remain consecrated.
Would it not be terrible if these fifty thousand people sacrificed everything for the house of God, went back to Jerusalem, and yet did not complete what they were called to do? What a tragedy that would be.
Most people believe that Ezra wrote Chronicles. Ezra was a priest, and he had a burden for this consecrated remnant that was returning to the land. He had a burden for the house of God to be built.
Priests understand consecration. In Ezra 7:5, Ezra’s lineage is traced through Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, and Aaron the chief priest. Ezra was part of the priesthood.
The priest had to consecrate everything in Israel. The priest consecrated sacrifices, the tabernacle, offerings, marriages, and many other things. This was the priest’s work. Ezra understood consecration and how important it was.
But it was more than his job. Ezra himself was a consecrated vessel.
For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.
— Ezra 7:10
Ezra set his heart to study the law, to practice it, and to teach others the law. In this burden to teach, he had a burden for the house of God and for the remnant back in Israel.
Whenever Ezra wrote Chronicles, it was somewhere during the building process of the temple. Perhaps it was during the delay. Perhaps it was after the prophets began to tell the saints to build the temple. Whenever it was, Ezra had a burden concerning consecration.
Chronicles is a history. It covers the same history found in 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and 2 Kings. Why did Ezra rewrite this history? He wrote it from a very important angle.
Ezra had discovered a connection between two very significant things. He wrote a history centered on the house of God—the temple in Jerusalem.
Whenever the kingdom of God prospered and was strong, the house of God prospered and was strong. When the people saw the house of God in Jerusalem as the center, worshiped there, and carried out service in the house of God, Israel prospered and the kings prospered.
But when they neglected the house of God, the kingdom also fell into disrepair. At certain points in Judah’s history, the temple was completely closed down. They lost interest entirely. There were no offerings and no priesthood. They all went to work as auto mechanics.
During those times, the nation of Judah went down into its deepest depression, sinfulness, and hunger. Ezra saw this connection and wanted to tell the remnant about it.
“Listen, I know you are going back to build this temple in Jerusalem, and perhaps you are asking, ‘Why am I here building this temple?’ But I am telling you: if you get the center straight, if you get your heart straight, if the heart of the nation is right, then God can rebuild the whole nation.”
The Lord always sees what is going on at the center. It is there, in the house of God, that the condition of the whole nation is determined one way or another.
Ezra brought to light and emphasized two kings especially, who would inspire the remnant in the building of the temple: David and Solomon.
First Chronicles is almost completely about David, but from a different angle: David and his love for the house of God. Everything he did was preparation for building the house of God.
Second Chronicles is largely about Solomon and the wisdom by which he built the house of God. If you want to know the details of the temple when it was built, look at 2 Chronicles. But in 1 Chronicles you see the preparation. David prepared materials, Levites, singers, and every kind of service. He had everything ready.
Why? Because he loved the house of God.
Tonight, we are going to look at David and this simple aspect of consecration. The subject tonight is the inspiration of consecration.
Let us go back to 1 Chronicles 29. David says:
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God…
Moreover also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God… I give it unto the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared.
Who then offereth willingly to consecrate himself this day unto the Lord?— 1 Chronicles 29:2-5
Here we see David at the end of his life. In the same chapter, at the end, David dies. Yet at the end of his life he still loves the house of God.
His last official duty, could we say, was to give everything to the house of God. “I have one thing I have to do. I give everything to the house of God, in my delight.” What an inspiring moment! He gave everything.
David received tribute from many nations: gold, silver, and all kinds of treasure. He could have kept it, saved it, put it in the bank, put it in stocks. Surely he provided for his family. But in his delight for the house of God, he gave, above everything he had given before, his personal treasure.
Earlier, David had said:
Now, behold, in my affliction I have prepared for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight; for it is in abundance: timber also and stone have I prepared; and thou mayest add thereto.
— 1 Chronicles 22:14
This came out of his affliction—his conflicts and wars. When David became king, he began conquering. Whenever he won battles, he took the spoil and rewards and put them into the treasury for the house of God.
Everything was for the house of God: victory money to the house of God, tribute money to the house of God, income to the house of God. He said, “Now, in my delight, I give it all. Who is willing to consecrate himself?”
What happened? You read the story beginning in verse 6. Every father’s household, every prince of the tribes, the commanders, soldiers, overseers—everybody came willingly.
David’s offering and his consecration inspired the people. They all began to give. Somebody said, “I got an income-tax return.” Another said, “I have a checking account.” Everybody gave, and the money poured into the house of God because of the inspired moment and this inspired man, David.
Those who did not have money gave their skills.
Behold, there are the courses of the priests and the Levites, for all the service of the house of God: and there shall be with thee in all manner of work every willing man, that hath skill, for any manner of service.
— 1 Chronicles 28:21
David told Solomon, “I have lined up people who do not have money, but they have skills, and they are donating their skills.” This was an immeasurable offering for the house of God.
David said, “I am going to build a tremendous house for God. This is not just any house. This is a house for God.” He gave everything. Everybody else joined in and gave everything.
Then, beginning in verse 10, we come to one of the high spiritual moments of the kingdom of Israel. Here is King David, acknowledging that God is really the King of the kingdom.
Blessed be Thou, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honor come of Thee, and Thou rulest over all; and in Thy hand is power and might; and in Thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Now therefore, our God, we thank Thee, and praise Thy glorious name.— 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
David senses the mercies of God and says:
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of Thee, and of Thine own have we given Thee.
For we are strangers before Thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no abiding.
O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build Thee a house for Thy holy name cometh of Thy hand, and is all Thine own.— 1 Chronicles 29:14-16
O my God, I know that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy Thy people, that are present here, offer willingly unto Thee.
O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy people, and prepare their heart unto Thee.
And give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep Thy commandments, Thy testimonies, and Thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.— 1 Chronicles 29:17-19
The people bowed low before the Lord and the king. The next day they made sacrifices to the Lord: a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. They ate and drank that day before the Lord with great gladness.
Brothers and sisters, this is what it is like to live in the kingdom. God rules over all. He has all things, and He pours them generously upon His people. We give them back to Him freely. We eat together and feast in His presence with great gladness in our hearts.
David is on the throne, but God is ruling. Here is the kingdom upon earth. This is God’s picture and God’s intention. One day Jesus will come back, and this is exactly what the kingdom will be like—but in fullness and perfection.
Jesus, the Son of David, will sit upon the throne. He will give all things to the Father, and the Father will dispense all things through the Son. We will bask in this generosity, and we will be able to give freely because He blesses us so much. This is the kingdom that is coming.
Ezra wrote this history to inspire the people of God, who in their difficulty felt impoverished and unable to build the house of God. Ezra says, “No, no, no. This is a great pattern in the house of God.” Then, virtually on the next page, Solomon begins to build the house of God.
The point is what I am calling the inspiration of consecration.
Brothers and sisters, David, even to this day, is the hero of Israel. Everybody loves David. Israel says, “Oh, we wish the Son of David would come.” They are blind to the fact that Jesus indeed is the Son of David.
They long for the sure mercies of David. Ever since David died, they have never had a king that good. They speak of David with powerful nostalgia. He inspires them so much.
David inspired devotion and consecration to God among all whom he met.
The first full picture we see of David is in 1 Samuel 17—the story of David and Goliath. When David went down into that valley, Saul was checking out his life insurance. But David went down there with simple faith, and he inspired the army.
His six older brothers were standing on the hill with armor and everything, while David went down the hill with a slingshot. When David struck Goliath in the forehead with a stone, then jumped upon him and took his sword, suddenly the whole army got brave.
They said, “Let’s go get these Philistines!” They ran down the hill and defeated them. David was already inspiring the whole body. They came back with David carrying Goliath’s great sword, and everybody was shouting. What an inspiration!
After this happened, Jonathan, the brave son of Saul, was inspired by David.
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
— 1 Samuel 18:1
David found a companion, a best friend. Jonathan was a brave man, and David was a brave man. Jonathan was inspired by what David did.
David even inspired the women to write a song.
And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music.
And the women sang one to another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.— 1 Samuel 18:6-7
Saul said, “Hey, wait a minute. Who wrote that song?” The women were inspired.
Then Saul became jealous and began to chase David. But even when David was hiding in a cave, people came to him, willing to leave everything.
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father’s house heard it, they went down thither to him.
And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.— 1 Samuel 22:1-2
They were in a rough situation. Some were in distress, some were in debt, and some were discontented. Some of them were rebels. Yet David inspired them, even more than King Saul.
When David became king, 1 Chronicles 11 begins to list the mighty men who were with him.
Now these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who showed themselves strong with him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
— 1 Chronicles 11:10
Who were these mighty men? They were the most courageous soldiers in Israel, and they strongly supported David.
At one point David said, “Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” Three of these great men broke through the enemy camp to get him water. They took their lives into their own hands just to give David a drink.
David said, “I cannot drink this. It is the blood of these men.” He poured it out before the Lord. David inspired people in everything he did.
Not only did David inspire the mighty men of God; brothers and sisters, he inspires us.
In 2 Samuel 23:1, David is called “the sweet psalmist of Israel.” There is hardly a Christian who has not been inspired, changed, helped, or brought to another level by reading the Psalms.
David could inspire people. His songs inspired. When King Saul was troubled, David played songs that brought relief. David inspires us with the Shepherd Psalm and with the Psalms that speak of God’s love for us.
What was the secret of this inspiration, this power, this contagion? What was the secret of David’s inspiring consecration?
He loved the Lord with all his heart. That was his secret. That is why he was so inspiring. He was wholehearted. He was a man after God’s heart.
When Saul was rejected, God said, “I have sought Me a man after Mine own heart.” Even in Acts, when the apostles preached about David, they said that he was a man after God’s heart.
David was inspiring because his heart was wholly God’s. He was one hundred percent wholeheartedly in love with God.
Brothers and sisters, how we need inspiration today from vessels who are consecrated with a wholehearted life for the Lord.
I have seen young people’s groups that were so down in the dumps you wondered why they were even meeting. Then suddenly one or two young people became devoted wholeheartedly to the Lord, and it turned the whole thing upside down.
I have seen groups this size where everybody was careless about God. They did not care about anything. Then one or two people totally gave themselves to the Lord, and the whole group changed. What an amazing power—the inspiration of consecration.
It can happen in any kind of circumstance. I have had opportunities to minister with people and go different places, but give me a wholehearted person any time. When you are ministering with someone whose heart is wholly for the Lord, it is like flying.
Have you ever worked with someone who really loves the Lord? It stirs up everybody’s prayers, everybody’s faith, and everybody’s courage. Can you imagine witnessing with the apostle Paul? Forget about it! Paul would be out there, people would get saved, and he would say, “Here, give it a shot.” Suddenly Timothy would rise up and become a bold, powerful witness.
Paul’s wholeheartedness inspired Timothy. That is why Paul could say, “Now I am in jail, Timothy. You have to keep on going. It is the Holy Spirit, not me.”
It just takes somebody whose heart is whole. It turns a whole situation upside down.
Some of you go to a Christian school. You go to one class with Mr. Block and another class with someone else, and then you go into a class where there is a brother or sister who is wholehearted for the Lord. It is wonderful. It is like a pool in the midst of the desert—your school.
I remember having a pool in my desert. I went to seminary to study for the ministry. That seminary was bent on liberal doctrines and modernist theology. I went to all these classes, and they were wrong. Their brains were so big they were breaking my brain. They were saying things I did not even understand, arguing in Greek and Hebrew.
But once a day, I thank God for a precious brother who has gone to be with the Lord now, Dr. D. L. Moody—same name as the famous evangelist. I would walk into his systematic theology class, and he would preach Jesus. I would just start crying.
He was the one thing that kept the incense burning in a dry school. Thank God for that man. He had a heart for God. He made such a difference in my life.
It does not have to be one person. It can be two. It can be three. I remember the University of Richmond campus several years ago. The University of Richmond is a Baptist school, but there are a lot of vessels in that household.
There were some young people who started getting together every morning to pray. At first there were two or three, then ten, then twelve, then fourteen, then twenty. Then they started having a weekly meeting, and people were getting saved. They had revival on that campus because of a couple of young people who became wholehearted for the Lord.
Do not tell me that wholehearted people cannot inspire others. David inspired a nation.
D. L. Moody said, “It remains to be seen what God will do with a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”
We do not know exactly how David became this way. His young life is a mystery. But here is the point, brothers and sisters: this wholehearted love happened when he was young.
From his Psalms and writings, we can gain a little insight. David, as a youth, got hold of three things that held him for the rest of his life.
Even though David was a sinner, and even though sometimes he fell away from God, he never left the still, small voice. When God spoke to him concerning his sin, he fell before God and asked forgiveness. Something had grabbed hold of him.
Psalm 19 is a beautiful psalm because in it we see something of David’s early life and something that he discovered.
When you read Psalm 19, you might think verses 1 through 6 should be one psalm and verse 7 onward should be another. But these two things belong together, because they brought David to God and to wholehearted love.
In verses 1 through 6, David opens his eyes to the silent testimony of creation, speaking of the greatness and glory of God. Here is a shepherd boy under the stars. He had a lot of time. Shepherd boys stayed out with the sheep all night. They did not go home and come back at eight in the morning.
All night long, David watched the stars cross the sky. He saw shooting stars. Occasionally he saw the moon eclipsed. Every night, for years, especially in the summertime, he was out there watching.
The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament showeth His handiwork.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
And night unto night showeth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language;
Their voice is not heard.
Their line is gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
In them hath He set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course.
His going forth is from the end of the heavens,
And his circuit unto the ends of it;
And there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.— Psalm 19:1-6
David looked into the heavens, and they testified of God. “Oh, God is so great. He is so big.” In Psalm 8, David says, “When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers…” This is God’s fingerwork.
The morning stars, which God set; the sun that keeps coming up every morning; the moon that keeps going through its cycle every month—David considered all these things. He said, “What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?”
David discovered that mankind has a very important place in this whole world. He got this from the silent testimony of creation. God is holy. David was dazzled by creation.
I hope you are dazzled by creation. I love creation. I wish I were more of a scientist. If you pursue science, do not do it for the money. There is no money in science! Do it because you are interested in these things—for the beauty of it, for the worship. It all ties together somehow.
God’s creation is wonderful. It should humble us. It testifies to God’s nature and God’s power. Look microscopically; look macrocosmically. What an amazing creation all around us.
I love people. It is amazing to watch all these faces, all the glasses, all the beautiful hair. Is this not the most wonderful life? This garden, this great creation, all these things. Some people do not like people. Maybe you love dogs. Dogs are wonderful too.
David got the message: God is big. He has done a huge thing. And He is interested in man.
Beginning in Psalm 19:7, David got hold of something else when he was young. Somehow he got hold of the Word of God.
David loved the Word of God. He searched it. He read it one way and read it backward. He studied it, turned it over, meditated on it, and thought about it. “I wonder what that means—Adam and Eve, the bruised heel, and all of this.”
Of course, David did not have the full revelation of Jesus. But he meditated upon the Law—the first five books of the Bible—day and night. The shepherd was under the stars, meditating on the Word of God.
Perhaps Jesse, his father, had a scroll in the house. Perhaps David was the only child interested. He would read a little, go out with the sheep, and think about something: one of the laws, one of the things that God did, the great Exodus, or the sovereignty of God.
David said, “I meditate on Thy law. Oh, beautiful. I love Thy Word.” You have to admit, that is an unusual person.
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul:
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart:
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever:
The ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
They are more to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
Sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb.— Psalm 19:7-10
There is a man who loved the Word of God. Brothers and sisters, you can tell me that you love the Lord with all your heart, but if you do, you will have an interest in this Word.
I know the devil wants to make you bored with the Word. Whatever you need to do to maintain your interest, do it. If you have to buy a different version every year, buy one and read it. For the next five years, buy a different version. One year get the NIV, one year get the American Standard Version, one year get another translation. Keep reading.
The Bible is so interesting. I saw Eugene Peterson’s translation of the prophets in a bookstore today. I have to get it. I will read it. I have read the prophets I do not know how many times. Here we go again. Has the Word gotten old? No.
What was the third thing? As a youth, something else took hold of David. It can be said in the simple psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd.”
Somehow David knew that God loved him. Brothers and sisters, I think that is sometimes the hardest thing for Christian young people to really grasp.
Do you know what David’s name means? It means “beloved.” This was the character of David. He was wholehearted. He was full of emotion and love for God. He was beloved by God, and somehow he knew it.
He did not know the gospel in the way we know it. Jesus had not yet come. But somehow he knew, “The Lord is my Shepherd. He loves me. I do not have to worry about lacking something. He takes care of me. He protects me in the midst of my enemies. He sees me.”
And now David says, “I want to dwell in His house all the days of my life.” Some people think he wrote that as a young boy. He got hold of it: God loved him.
Do you know how a person’s life changes when they know God loves them? “Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God.” If our hearts do not condemn us, and we do the things pleasing to God, we have great boldness.
David was this amazing young boy. He gave his whole heart to the Lord, one hundred percent. As a result, he had a certain freedom, zeal, and spontaneity that inspired people everywhere.
How wonderful it is when somebody wholly loves the Lord. You may not have David’s sparkling personality. We read last night that he was ruddy, fair, handsome, a warrior, and skillful. He had a lot of good things going for him.
But you do not have to be handsome, skillful, or anything else. If you are wholehearted and marked by the Lord, there will be a testimony that inspires people and lifts them out of their compromise and problems—for the life, for the calling, for the inspiration of consecration.
Jonathan Edwards was a famous preacher in New England. He was responsible in part for a great revival in the Northeast. According to history, the revival began when he preached a sermon in his home church called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
It is a powerful message. He swings you over the coals of hell. He swings you slowly, and he swings you close.
But Jonathan Edwards was a squeaky-voiced man who had thick glasses and could hardly see. He read his messages. He would read, “Sinners in the hands of an angry God. God will swing you over the coals of hell.” He read it like that, and people fell down crying.
It does not take a great speaker. Jonathan Edwards’s heart was wholly for the Lord, and he brought revival to New England.
This true inspiration of consecration goes further than simply being moved in our hearts. That is why Ezra found the testimony of Chronicles, the history of David and Solomon, so useful.
Here is the second point: real consecration moves from the heart to the hand.
Real, true consecration begins with the heart and moves to the hand.
Ezra knew that the remnant who returned for the Lord had hearts for the Lord. But they became stalled by fear, distracted by building their own homes, and overwhelmed by feelings of insignificance, weakness, and inability. Though they had consecrated hearts, they were paralyzed and could not make the work move forward.
Ezra had the perfect fuel for inspiration: David’s consecration was not only of the heart; it was also of the hand.
A priest understands this. In the priestly Old Testament, there are two important Hebrew expressions connected with the word consecration.
In 1 Chronicles 29:5 David asks the question, “Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day unto the Lord?”
In 2 Chronicles 29:5, Hezekiah says:
Hear me, ye Levites; now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the house of the Lord, the God of your fathers, and carry forth the filthiness out of the holy place.
— 2 Chronicles 29:5
The house of God had been closed so long that there was debris and garbage in it. Hezekiah opened the house and said, “Now it is time to consecrate this place. Take the uncleanness out from the holy place.”
The usual Hebrew word for consecration is qadesh. It means to make holy, to set apart, to sanctify.
The priests consecrated the lamb that was pure and spotless. They set it apart. They consecrated it. When they took a young man to make him a priest, they set him apart, washed him, put clean clothes on him, and anointed him. This is the word for what happens in our hearts.
When the Lord wanted to explain to Israel what it meant to consecrate something, He gave them a lesson at Mount Sinai. He said, “I am going to consecrate Mount Sinai.” Sinai was one mountain in a chain of mountains, but God said, “I am going to draw a line around that mountain. From now on, it is consecrated; it is separate.”
Then the fire of God came down on the mountain. This is a picture of how God sanctifies what He separates. He makes it holy by the fire of purity. Then He puts His name upon it. It is no longer just Sinai; it is the mountain of the Lord. It is God’s mountain.
This is a picture for you and me. What does it mean to be made holy? Does it mean to be separated in the sense of sitting in a corner and not talking to anyone? “I cannot have any fun. I am being separated. Everybody else is over there having a good time, and I am over here because I have been separated.”
No. God separates you, and then the sanctifying fire of the Holy Spirit comes down upon you and begins to cleanse you. Then He possesses you. He says, “He is Mine. She is Mine. I put My name right there. That is My child. That is My chosen one.”
You are separated for Him to take hold of you. You are His, and He is yours. This is what God intended for all Israel: “You shall be unto Me a holy nation,” separated unto Him.
This is always God’s plan. It is true for the church as well. Jesus came not only to separate us by the work of the cross, but to sanctify and cleanse us by the Holy Spirit, so that one day He can say, “You are Mine—My bride.”
This is the process of consecration: separation. It begins in the heart as the Lord consecrates our hearts. Always see that your heart is before the Lord and consecrated.
But it has to move from the heart to the hands.
In 1 Chronicles 29:5, the actual Hebrew expression is, “Who then is willing to fill his hand this day unto the Lord?” Who is willing to fill their hands for the Lord?
Ezra understood that consecration has to be completed; it has to be fulfilled. It is one thing to consecrate your heart, but consecration is not filled and fulfilled until your hands are filled.
Every priest knew this. To be consecrated as a priest, according to Exodus 29, first they washed his body. Then they put clean clothes on him. Then they put blood on his ear, thumb, and big toe. Then they put oil on his ear, thumb, and big toe. They got him ready, clean, and consecrated.
Then what? “Now I am a priest. I am separated.” But I am no good unless I am carrying something. So Moses filled their hands with offerings.
Moses would fill the priest’s hands with the offerings. “Here, hold this bull.” The law was that priests never came before God with empty hands. We are consecrated so that we can be useful, have our hands full, and serve God.
This is the end result of the consecration of our hearts: that we might be useful, fit, ready, and prepared for every good work, always with our hands full. This was the law of the priesthood.
There was also a law for every man in Israel. Let us look at Deuteronomy 16:16.
Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty:
Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath given thee.— Deuteronomy 16:16-17
God’s intention was for all Israel to be a kingdom of priests. Even though the Levites and the house of Aaron were the actual priests, three times a year every man became a priest for his family.
The law was this: when you come for the feast time, do not come empty-handed. If you can afford only a dove, bring a dove. If you can afford a ram, bring a ram. But come with your hands full. Do not come before the Lord empty-handed.
The same thing applies to us. You say, “Oh, I love the Lord with all my heart.” The Lord says, “Okay. Here, I have filled your hands with something. Now offer Me something.” And we say, “Oh, no, no, no. I cannot.” But somewhere consecration has to move from your heart to your hand.
For the fullness of consecration to be realized, the heart and the hands must be joined.
In 1 Chronicles 29:17-18, David says:
O my God, I know that Thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy Thy people, that are present here, offer willingly unto Thee.
O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy people, and prepare their heart unto Thee.— 1 Chronicles 29:17-18
There are two important words here: the intention of the heart and integrity. What is the intention of the heart? Is your heart set on the Lord? Is your heart for the Lord? Have you given your heart to the Lord? That is the intention of the heart.
Hebrews 4:12 says that the Word of God is living and active and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart. What is the intention of your heart? Only God can read that. Some of us look holy, but we are not. But is our heart actually for the Lord? He tests the intention of your heart.
But God also looks at the integrity of our lives. What does integrity mean? An integer is a whole number. Integrity is when your life is whole. Put simply, integrity is when your hands and your heart agree.
David says, “I desire and love You, God, with all my heart, and here is my proof: my hands are full of giving You everything.” We say, “We love the Lord. Amen, we love the Lord. We love the Lord with all our hearts.” Then He says, “Okay. Show it to Me. Who is willing to fill their hands this day for the house of God?”
This is integrity. Sometimes we say we have so much going on in the heart, that we love the Lord so much in our heart, but our hands are not showing that consecration has become full. There is a blockage there.
The remnant had returned to build the house. They loved the Lord and sacrificed everything to come back and build His house. But Ezra says, “Now move from the heart to the hands, and God will be with you.” Then they began to do the work.
The equation is practical and significant:
The proof of a heart wholly given to the Lord is hands given to the building of His house.
Turn to Romans 12. Do you hear the equation? Give your heart wholly to the Lord Himself, and give your hands for the building of the house of God.
We all know the passage in Romans 12. Consecration is so much the issue among us all.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.
— Romans 12:1
We know this passage on consecration. We give ourselves, our lives, and our hearts to the Lord—wholly to the Lord.
Yet, as Paul spells it out, what does it mean to be a living sacrifice, wholly given to the Lord? Here is what it means: beginning in Romans 12:3, fill your hands as the Lord has given you grace and faith.
The priest could not fill his own hands. Moses filled Aaron’s hands. The people came with offerings, the priest’s hands were filled, and he offered them up. This was his job. The Lord had to fill his hands, or he had nothing to do.
We present our hearts and consecration to the Lord. What is the outcome? The Lord fills our hands with grace and faith.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;
Or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching;
Or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.— Romans 12:6-8
According to the faith given to you and the grace measured to you, if you prophesy, prophesy. If you serve, serve diligently. If you have mercy, show mercy with kindness. Whatever He puts in those filled hands, use it in building the house of God.
Romans 12:1 is wholly to the Lord. Romans 12:3 and following is serving in the house of God. This is the fullness of consecration.
This is the wholeheartedness we saw in David. David not only had a desire to serve God with his heart; he served the house with his hands.
David’s story is complete because his heart and hands were both involved. We know that David loved the Lord with all his heart. When he became king over all Israel, what was the first thing he did?
He took Jerusalem. His heart cried out, “God wants a house. God wants a house. First He needs a place for the house.” As a child, David delighted in the Law and had learned that God had a place where His people were to bring offerings, sacrifices, and feasts.
David said, “I love You, God. What is the place?” As soon as he became king, he took Jerusalem. He was the first man who understood that Jerusalem was God’s holy city. How did he know? Love in his heart, and work with his hands.
Then he said, “We have the place. What good is the place without His presence? Where is the ark? Where is God’s presence?” The ark had been missing all those years. David wanted to bring it to Jerusalem.
He put his love into action. He tried to bring the ark up to Jerusalem, and at first he got into trouble because it was not done according to God’s order. But his intention was right.
Then they had a great procession. They brought the ark into Jerusalem and put it in a tent. Everybody was happy, went home with raisins and cakes, and celebrated. But the next day David said, “Something is wrong.”
David said, “I love God with all my heart, and here I have this house. I have gates, everything electronic, a moat, everything I want, televisions all over the walls—and God is in a tent. I have to build God’s house. That is what I have to do. That is what I want to do.”
David made a vow. He said:
Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house,
Nor go up into my bed;
I will not give sleep to mine eyes,
Or slumber to mine eyelids;
Until I find out a place for the Lord,
A tabernacle for the Mighty One of Jacob.— Psalm 132:3-5
Then God said, “You cannot build it.” That was probably the greatest disappointment in David’s life. His dream was to build God a house. They found the place. They brought in the ark. They wanted to build the house. But God said, “You cannot build it. You are a man of war.”
Some people would be offended by that. But David’s heart was wholly captured.
God said, “You cannot build My house, but here is the deal: because you asked to build My house, I appreciate that. I am going to build your house forever. I do not need a building; I need children. I am going to make sure that one of your sons will always be upon the throne.”
God was speaking about Jesus. The Bible calls it the sure mercies of David.
David heard that and said, “God, who am I? What is my house, that You even care about me? I am a nobody, and You have exalted me to this status as king. Now You have told me that You are going to put one of my sons, one of my descendants, upon the throne forever. O God, this is too wonderful. It is Your mercy.”
David was captured by the mercy of God. He could not be offended with God, even when he could not fulfill the dream of his life.
How does a wholehearted person respond to disappointment? David said, “If I cannot build the house, I will get everything necessary to build it. If I cannot build the house, I will find the place. If I cannot build the house, O God, please give me the plans.”
God gave David the plans. David said, “If I cannot build the house, then at least I can give everything I have for the house and make my son build it.”
Brothers and sisters, this is someone who loves the Lord with his heart and his hands.
Can you picture King David in his latter days? He is going around with his little architectural table: “Oh, God, what about this? How many lampstands? Oh, yes, right there.” He made the plans, and he said, “These plans were given to me by the hand of God.”
He obtained materials. Every time he won another battle and received more treasure, he said, “Oh boy, more bullion for God.” He was excited. He kept telling Solomon, “You are going to build that temple. You are a young man, so you had better listen. You had better do it right. Give your heart one hundred percent to God.”
Then he came to this last day, just before he died, and he gave everything to God.
“If I cannot build the house, I can have assurance in my heart that this house will be built. I will give everything I possibly can to help the house be built.” There is a heart that is wholly for the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, do you have a heart for the Lord? Do you have this kind of wholeheartedness that inspires people?
Do not feel that you have to have some kind of jumbo personality or be some kind of entertainer. Even a person who is quiet and shy, if he really has a heart for the Lord, inspires other people to find the Lord.
There is no greater evangelism today than someone whose heart is one hundred percent. It is not that you have to preach to every school friend you have. If your heart is one hundred percent, Jesus leaps out of you. They will want to know what makes you so happy, so full of purpose, and so strong when they feel so weak and empty.
Is your heart wholly for the Lord? That is where it begins.
And if your heart is wholly for the Lord, are your hands for His house? Sometimes we say we love the Lord, but we do not like the fellowship we are in. We do not like the young people’s group. We do not like these things, so we fold our hands. But David never did that.
Of course, we have One greater than David. David had creation to inspire him. He had the Word of God to inspire him. But what do we have? Jesus in our hearts.
Jesus is the most inspirational leader anybody has ever had. David is small potatoes in comparison. Jesus inspired people to lay down their lives. Jesus’ consecration brought us salvation. You cannot compare anybody with Jesus.
He never lets you down. He has always been your friend. He has always understood. When everybody else threw you out or judged you, He never did. He asked to reason together with you.
We have an inspirational leader in Jesus. Have you given yourself wholly? That is what this is all about.
The inspiration of consecration comes when somebody is one hundred percent. There is an old Negro spiritual that says:
Ninety-nine and a half won’t do.
Ninety-nine and a half won’t do.
Jesus wants one hundred.
One hundred for my Lord.
O Jesus, You ask for one hundred percent—for first love, a heart wholly given, and hands wholly serving. Lord, this is the vessel You are looking for in this day.
How we need inspiration in our youth group, even this weekend. How we need the inspiration of those who will step forward, forget about themselves, and share the love of Jesus they have in their hearts.
A whole change could come. A new level could come when there are such people.
Lord, I know there are those in this room who are already there, so precious in Your sight. You know those who are Yours. O Lord, keep those vessels sanctified for Yourself.
Fill their hands as they go to the workshops and hear about gifts, service, the body, and the unity of the body. O Lord, may there be that response, as in Romans 12: “O God, whatever You put in my hand, I want to use.”
But let there be the heart set aside, baptized with the fire of Your love, owned by You.
Tonight, brothers and sisters, I am not asking those who have already come to that place. I am asking those who know that they are ninety-nine and a half percent, or fifty percent, and who want to be wholehearted.
I am going to ask you to stand up so we can pray. I am talking to those people who want to be one hundred percent for the Lord, who feel perhaps they have wandered away, who are not there, but want to be there.
I want you to stand up so we can pray together. One hundred percent is as near as your heart and as near as your mouth.
God wants you one hundred percent. Ninety-nine and a half will not do. You cannot fold your hands and serve the Lord. You cannot have other things in your heart and serve the Lord.
O, for some brothers and sisters who have such a heart.
Lord, You know the hearts of those who stand here tonight. You know those who are sitting in confidence that they have already done this and are continuing to do so. We thank You for everyone gathered in this grace.
O Lord, may it be. Take this offering—hearts wholly Yours—and let there be that joy, freedom, spontaneity, and holiness that testify, praise, and give thanks, coming from a heart so fully Yours.
Help us see again the majesty of creation and the beauty of Jesus in the Word. Help us be inspired by the wonder of the gospel of Jesus, our Savior and now our inspiring Lord.
May it be that everybody here can say, “I am a lover of Jesus. I am not ashamed to say it. In this world, I want to walk as a gold vessel and a silver vessel, because Jesus is my Lord.”
O God, we sing those songs, and sometimes they are so far beyond our feelings. Right now, we want by faith to catch up with our feelings and express with our lives that we love You. We give our all.
Take these people who stood up here, Lord. You know who they are. You know those who are Yours. They know that they need to abstain from all wickedness.
Let this firm foundation be established tonight: that we have been saved by the grace of Jesus, and that we love Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Let it be transparent in each one standing before You now. We pray in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
I think we should all stand. Let us all stand and sing this wonderful hymn: “Take My Life, and Let It Be.”