1 Chronicles chapter 29. 'To God be the Glory'
Texts: 1 Chron 29; Daniel 7:13,14; John 5:18-27; 13:3; 17:1-5; Phil 2:8-11; Heb 1:8; Rev 5:11-14; & others
G.S.Munro. From http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gsmunro/resource.htm
There is a story about a statue of Christ in a European village during World War II. The statue was knocked over and its hands broken, during the fighting. After the war, when the villagers came to repair the statue, the hands were nowhere to be found, so they left it as it was.
Now this kind of story just begs to be made into a sermon illustration, and so it is that that the `handless Christ' has been used many times to say that Christ today is exactly like that statue. According to this illustration we are His hands, and we are responsible for doing His work in the world. To quote an old poem:
"He has no hands but our hands, to do his work today..."
Well, where does this illustration fit in with 1 Chronicles 29? Actually, it DOESN'T!! It may be an appealing illustration, but the `handless Christ' idea is at best a half-truth (which of course is a half-lie!). It's a wrong picture of the way God works.
As we consider some of the implications of this passage in 1st Chronicles I think we will see that, even though we may like to think otherwise, WE are not absolutely vital to God's purposes, nor does he need us to accomplish them. We do not serve a handless Christ, but one who has been given all authority on earth and in heaven. By his Word and his Spirit he can and does accomplish whatever he wants to, with or without us. And yet, in his graciousness and mercy, Christ does use us to do his will and accomplish his ends. Let's turn to the passage, and I want to look specifically at verses 10-20, but first a word on the context in verses 1-9.
-David advanced in years, Solomon is being anointed as co-regent.
-David sets example to Princes of Israel by giving generously to
the work of building the Temple which Solomon will do.
It's hard, if not impossible, to reckon the worth of the gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, stone, marble and precious gems comtributed by David and the leaders of Israel in equivalent modern terms, but it would be in millions, possibly billions, of dollars. It would make Jimmy Swaggart's fund raisings look like the weekly collection at St.Peter's!(Richmond, not Rome). It was truly a generous and freely offered giving to the work of the Temple.
This then is the historical context, as the people gather together in the assembly {ie the church} for David's psalm of praise in vv 10-13. Let's now examine something of David's perception of who God is...
Firstly, God is the covenant-keeping God of his people Israel. (see vv10,11,18) David calls God by his covenant name of YHWH, and focuses his praise for God on the fact that God has been faithful to the covenant, the treaty, the pact, He made with their forefathers.
Secondly, God is great and awesome. He owns the whole of creation and His is THE greatness and THE power and THE glory and THE majesty and THE splendour. His is THE Kingdom. "You are exalted as head over all!"
Thirdly, God is the source of all authority. He not only has all authority, but is the source of all human authority. V.12 -
`"Wealth and honour come from you;
You are the ruler of ALL things.
In your hands are strength and power
to exalt and give strength to all."'
It is this aspect of God's character and work - the supreme ruler who holds all authority and power and who delegates strength to whom He wishes, that I now want us to consider specifically.
In this passage, especially vv10-29, we see how God gave power and authority to David and Solomon to sit on God's throne (v.23) over His people Israel. We know that David and Solomon were Types (ie patterns or living parables) of the King who was to come - the Lord Jesus. The way God dealt with them was pointing to the power and authority to be given to the Lord Jesus Christ from the Father. The following Scripture passages illustrate this. Keep your bibles open at 1 Chron.29:10-13, and listen carefully as these passages are read out. Watch out for words and phrases reminiscent of the language of 1 Chronicles 29, such as `greatness', `authority', `glory', `majesty', `splendour', `kingdom', `wealth', `honour', `strength', `power', `praise', etc.{Allocate passages to selected readers}
i) Daniel 7:13,14.
ii)John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God.
iii)John 5:18-27
iv) Hebr 1:8 But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the sceptre of your kingdom."
v) John 17:1-5
vi) Philippians 2:8-11
vii)Revelation 5:11-14
Not only has Jesus been given greatness, power, glory, majesty, splendour, strength, all rule and authority, and indeed EVERYTHING in heaven and earth, as v11 of 1 Chron.29 states, but He has also become the source of all power and strength for his people. In this way he graciously allows us to participate in his work in the world, because we are `in him'. 1 Cor.3:21 -
'All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or the world or life or death or the present or the future - all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.'
It is not as though we have power or ability or authority of our own, which God then calls upon us to employ for him. Rather, we are empty and worthless vessels, into which God pours his own power. It's God's power imputed to us.
Christ during his earthly ministry gave his disciples the authority and power to do God's work which his Father had given him. Thus they were able to cast out demons, heal the sick, and boldly preach the Word of God. He told Peter that what he bound on earth would be bound in heaven. The important thing to remember is that the Apostles had no power within themselves. They were only acting as ones under authority. Indeed the word `apostle' simply means one who is sent, an envoy, one who goes on the behalf of another with their seal of authority. It was Jesus whose strength and faith worked the miracles through his sent ones. Remember, even Judas Iscariot did miracles!
Let me illustrate - imagine the Deputy Principal of the local Public School wants to speak to one of the sixth class boys in her office. She sends a little girl from third class to fetch him from his classroom for her. Now, ordinarily that little girl would have absolutely no power to do that. If she was doing it only by her own authority, the 6th class teacher would not let her take the boy from his class - and the boy, who would be much bigger and stronger than her, would not obey her anyway. But she comes with the authority imputed to her by the Deputy Principal, and is able to say, "Mrs Hogan says can Johnny Smith please go to her office right now!".
That's just how it was with the Apostles, and how it is with us too. There are many parts of Scripture which show us that Jesus, by pouring out his Spirit at Pentecost, has given us authority and strength and power to live as children of God and ambassadors of Christ in the world. We don't have time to look at them, but you might like to read later such passages as
John 1:12,13; John 17:20-26; Matt 28:18-20; 1Corinthians 3:21,22. One I will read, however, is Ephesians 1:15-23 -
`For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills everything in every way.'
Accompanying the authority we have received from Christ are the gifts He has given the church. Who had greater gifts and more generosity than David? (To go back to Chronicles again). Yet what was the attitude of this great one in the kingdom of God? Look at 1 Chron.29:14 and following. `"But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this?.."', and so on. When God graciously uses us in his service, as he does, this is to be our attitude - humble thanksgiving and praise. Jesus said to his disciples (Lke 17:10),`"When you have done everything you were told to do, you should say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.'"'
Are we the hands of an impotent Christ in a world he can't control without our help? Does God need us for anything? No indeed. If you look up the words "arm" and "hands" in your concordance, you'll notice how, particularly in Isaiah, the Lord's strong arm works in the world even sometimes DESPITE the activity of God's people. He is able to raise up sons of Abraham from the very stones. Doesn't need our help.
And yet, we are more than the hands of Christ. What are we? {not a rhetorical question} That's right, we are His body, and he is the head. By his Spirit he graciously allows us to participate in what he is doing in the world.
We should then, follow the example of our forefather David and give God, with honest intent and joy and thanksgiving, the whole of the New Life in Christ he has given us. He gave to David wealth with which to furnish the earthly Temple. He has given us spiritual treasures with which to build up the temple in which he now dwells in the world - his body, the Church of God.
Let's praise God in the words of David's prayer, and our final song.
PRAYER: [Read] 1 Chronicles 29:10-13, ...through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
HYMN: Psalm Praise 22