April 24
2 Samuel 7:1-17; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15; 2 Samuel 7:18-29; 1 Chronicles 17:16-27; 2 Samuel 8:1-14; 1 Chronicles 18:1-13; Ps 60
The last great revival our nation has experienced was "The Jesus Movement" led by Pastor Chuck Smith in the late 1960's. Read his own words as he reflected, "I have to look at my own life and at all that God has done at Calvary Chapel, and I chuckle because I know how undeserving and how unworthy I am. Many people have been encouraged and say, "If God can do it for Chuck Smith, He can do it for anyone." I love it when I hear young men say, "When I heard Pastor Chuck teaching the Bible, I thought I could do it too." I don't take that as a put-down. I take it as a tremendous blessing that God would use me to show what He can do, by His power, through an unimpressive vessel. God is impressive!" Though Pastor Chuck went to be with the Lord, you can still hear this humble servant on his radio program, "The Word for Today" on stations throughout the nation, such as Bridge FM. Pastor Chuck goes on to say, "It sometimes seems that God looks for the least likely candidate to bestow His love and His goodness upon...God so often goes to the gutter to find the recipient for His grace. He lifts him out, washes him, transforms him-making him into a child of God fit for His kingdom. That's God's grace." If you want to see how the Calvary Movement moved forward, read the book, "Harvest". In it the lives of the next generation of pastors: Greg Laurie, Steve Mays, Jon Courson, Raul Rees, Jeff Johnson, Skip Heitzig, etc. are on display. These men openly discuss their unworthiness for this calling, as some were drug dealers, into mysticism, filled with rage, etc.
David desired to build a house for the Lord. The Lord responds with a Messianic promise that the future Messiah would come through his lineage. David does not see himself as deserving of this. He doesn't say to God, "You picked the right man for the job". We read his words in response to this great promise in 2 Samuel 7:18-20, "Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, know Your servant." David recognized his total unworthiness, seeing nothing but God's grace. David's son, Solomon, wrote in Proverbs 15:33, "The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility." Sadly, how often we get it wrong. All too often we have the tendency to "fix ourselves" first, then come to the Lord. The truth is we need only come to Him in humility, and He will fix us. We should never miss how Jesus transformed the world with His teaching of the Sermon on the Mount. He turned societal and religious views on it's head, as He taught in Matthew 5:3-5, "“Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth." He told them and us. to empty ourselves and come to Him in humility. Having done this, we will rightly see the sinfulness of our own lives and mourn over this. This will naturally move us to meekness, as we seek not our own strength, but His strength through us". Paul recognized this as he wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, "And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Our nation is in shambles, as is our world. If we desire to see revival, then it doesn't come with a 10-step program, it comes with genuine humility. God is sovereign. He has and always will be in control. We simply need to hand over the reins of our life over to Him.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: