Sermons

Expository Sermon on 1 Chronicles 16
by Maylan Schurch
Bellevue Seventh-day Adventist Church 11/23/2024
©2024 by Maylan Schurch

NOTE: Because of the recent windstorm, our audio-visual system suffered disruption. Even though the service eventually made it to YouTube, it’s garbled in places. Here’s the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orfU8DvE6lc&t=3622s

Please open your Bibles to First Chronicles chapter 16.

Well, this is an interesting Thanksgiving Sabbath, isn’t it? Thanksgiving itself is next Thursday, but this is the Sabbath we targeted for our Thanksgiving potluck, and the day I have been planning to preach this Thanksgiving-themed sermon.

And then came Tuesday night. I was at the library about a mile from our house, and at a little after 6 o’clock I phoned Shelley, who was at home. While I was on the line, all the library lights blinked off and then on, and right then, Shelley said, “We just lost power.” And that’s the way it was, all the way up to yesterday afternoon. The house kept getting colder and colder, and our landline phone service was out, and so was the Internet – which meant that I couldn’t send out any general church emails– and the Internet was out everywhere I searched. The church Internet was out as well – but the church never lost electricity.

But you know, through all of that there were things to be thankful for. Most of the time it wasn’t raining, and the outside temperature actually began to inch up slightly. This could have been a snowy, icy event as well as a windstorm.

I hope your home’s power has come back on. And if it isn’t, I hope it comes back soon.

Anyway, here we are on Sabbath, ready to “do” Thanksgiving. And as I was thinking about what to preach on today, I remembered that King David was someone who knew how to do Thanksgiving right. David, as you know, wrote many of the praise songs in Israel’s hymnbook. He played a musical instrument so well that it soothed the mind of King Saul on at least a couple of occasions.

We can’t have David with us this morning to interview him, but I wonder how he would answer the question, “How do you do Thanksgiving?”

Actually, I don’t think we need to be uncertain about this, because First Corinthians chapter 16 tells us what happened at a major Thanksgiving service David planned. And as I studied this chapter, I believe that I can find four principles you and I can use to “do” Thanksgiving David’s way.

So why do we need to know this? The reason is that the Bible has a lot to say about gratitude. People didn’t tend to be tight-lipped about saying thanks. They were demonstrative. For example, Ruth was deeply grateful to her relative Boaz for being generous to her, and she told him so. David (Ruth’s great-grandson) often expressed his gratitude to people who had helped him, or showed kindness to him.
And in First Peter 2:9 – 10, Peter himself gives us several reasons to be thankful to God. Listen as he lists them?

1 Peter 2:9 – 10 [NKJV]: But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

So God deserves our gratitude, over and over. And in First Corinthians 16, David shows us how to do this kind of thanksgiving.

In this chapter, one of David’s greatest dreams will come true. David wants to bring the ark of God – the symbol of God’s presence – to the capital city of Jerusalem. And now, after several years (and one careless false start), this is really going to come true. Let’s watch it happen.

1 Chronicles 16:1 [NKJV]: So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it . . . .

If you like taking down sermon points, here is what I think we could call Sermon Point One. What is this chapter’s first principle in doing Thanksgiving David’s way?

Always make room for God.

When I was a little kid in school, I remember making Thanksgiving decorations. Sometimes we made Pilgrim hats, sometimes we made colorful turkeys, and at every Sabbath Thanksgiving potluck we’d always have pumpkin pie.

When you think back to what is often called the first Thanksgiving, at least in American culture, the Pilgrims made it a point to make room for God. As they celebrated a successful harvest, partly using farming techniques they had learned from Native Americans, they gave God the credit for the blessings that had come to them.

And all through the Bible, the people whose names have become famous made room for God. Joseph did, as a slave to Potiphar. David did – in the Psalms he wrote as a shepherd, and in other Psalms he wrote while hiding from Saul in a dark cave. Nathaniel, who would become a disciple of Jesus, hoped and prayed for the Messiah. Anna and Simeon, two aged people in the temple, and they got to meet the eight-day-old baby Jesus. These people made room for God.

How can we do this, even when it’s not Thanksgiving month? How can we make room for God? One way is to notice the times God shows up in your life. Keep an eye out for His miracles.

I noticed a little miracle, I think it was Wednesday as Shelley and I were driving in the car. It was raining, and the traffic was difficult, but as we came up to an intersection, I noticed that crawling across our rainy windshield was a green bug with long legs. I don’t know what kind of bug it was, whether it was good for the gardens or bad for the gardens, but I know that somehow it was holding onto my windshield in spite of the rain. That bug was a miracle of God, and back in the Garden of Eden, that bug’s ancestors had been part of God’s plan.

And remember how much of a miracle you yourself are. No matter who you are, no matter how educated you are, no matter the talents you have or don’t think you have, you are a true treasure of God. He would have died for you and you only if that’s what it took.

And let’s not forget the miracles that have happened in our lives. Think back on them. Think where you might be if God had not let that miracle happen to you. You’re in this building on a Saturday morning, and that’s a miracle. We need to think about these things, because they will remind us about what Paul told the philosophy-hobbyists on Mars Hill: “He [God] is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27)

And as this year draws to a close, this might be a good time to come up with some kind of Bible reading plan. If you’d like to read the Bible through in a year, there is a plan on our church website you can follow. Because when you read the Bible thoughtfully and prayerfully, you are allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to you. It was He who inspired the Bible itself, and He can help you understand it better.

Now let’s hurry back to that Jerusalem celebration. The ark is now safely inside the tabernacle tent David had prepared for it. Watch what happens next.

1 Chronicles 16: 1-3: So they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.

Here comes Sermon Point Two. What is another principle to do Thanksgiving David’s way?

The first principle is to always make room for God. David’s second principle is to always default to sacrifice.

Always default to sacrifice. What is a “default”? A default is a go-to response. Finish this sentence: “I love a peanut-butter and __________ sandwich.” What do you think the missing word most likely is? The default word is usually “jelly.” A default choice is the choice which seems most familiar or natural.

Think of what David could’ve done here. The ark is carried into its tent. David could have stood up and given a speech of welcome, thanked those who delivered the ark, and then dismissed everybody. The whole ceremony could’ve taken less than half an hour.

But David does exactly the opposite. The laws of Moses state the kinds of sacrifices that should be offered, and he makes sure those sacrifices are offered. The laws of Moses do not say anything about giving everybody a loaf of bread, piece of meat, and a cake of raisins, but David does this. David makes sure to sacrifice to the Lord, and he makes an additional sacrifice by giving everybody who attends this ceremony a tangible reason to be glad that God is in their presence.

That’s what’s going to be happening in a few minutes upstairs in the fellowship hall. Every Thanksgiving potluck, people sacrifice of their own time and talent and treasure to provide this celebratory meal. And this wild-weather week has called forth out-of-the-ordinary sacrifice from a number of people so this meal could happen. Thank you for going above and beyond when we needed you to.

Always default to sacrifice. I can remember another event that happened in this church 11 years ago. In September of that year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of this congregation. As we prepared for this, we decided to do some long-overdue renovation to this facility.

I remember being privately concerned about how we would raise the money for this. Should we take out a loan? Should we not do as much renovation as we were planning?

Fortunately, I did not try to assume the leadership in this area. In this congregation are far more experienced individuals than I am. And I watched in amazement as funds came in to entirely complete that Capital Improvement Project. When it came to renovating the house of God, our people immediately and systematically defaulted to sacrifice. And that 50th anniversary celebration Sabbath, and that entire weekend, was an awesome experience which I will never forget.

And this self-sacrificing spirit is still alive today. It was alive this past Sunday, as a group of at least 23 people responded to our head deaconess’ call to clean the interior of our facility in preparation for Thanksgiving. My own right shoulder is a little sore, because I brought my long extendable rod with a dust brush on the end. I think I got all the cobwebs, but if you see any, point them out to me and I will bring that brush from home next time I come to the church.

You see, it is the Holy Spirit who creates the “default to sacrifice” in the heart.

So how do we keep that default going within our own lives? First of all, we need to remember that God has provided guidelines which keep the spirit of sacrifice alive if we practice them. If I am returning a faithful tithe, and giving additional offerings to church budget and other causes, that keeps me limbered up for sacrifice.

Another way to default to sacrifices to keep our eyes open for people who need our help. Our neighbor across the street is a young man with a growing family, but he takes a special interest in Shelley and me. His electricity went out too, and he went out to buy some little logs to make a fire in his fireplace, and he offered to go get some for us. We told him that we have never used our fireplace, and that we had large bookcase in front of it.

Then yesterday afternoon, he was at work, but on his phone he got the Puget Sound energy notification that our cul-de-sac’s power was back on, and he quickly phoned me to let me know. We were up in Bellevue, and we were grateful to him for relaying the news to us.

One of the sweet and precious privileges of being in this congregation is noticing the continual “default to sacrifice” which glows and sparkles from member to member.

But now let’s move on to the third of David’s principles to doing Thanksgiving the way he would.

Verses 4 – 7: And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the LORD God of Israel: Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God. On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD:

Here comes Sermon Point Three. What is another principle to do Thanksgiving David’s way?

David’s first principle is to always make room for God. His second principle is to always default to sacrifice. His third principle is to always remember music.

Isn’t that interesting? David could’ve gone ahead and done the sacrifices, and then given the food treats to everybody, and then told them goodbye. But no, David remembered the music.

This is something that I myself need to remember. I was raised in a tiny church with not a lot of musicians. The older of my two sisters played the piano by note and by ear – and still does – and I learned to play the piano by ear. If I know a song, I can pretty much play it for you in any key you want. But I don’t know it, and you give me a piece of music, I’m pretty much dead in the water.

The reason I bring myself up at this point is that I have an uneasy relationship with music. I’ve always kind of been suspicious of it. I know how it taps into your emotions, and I know that sometimes this is not a good thing. Music can be manipulative. We are at the mercy of our songwriters.

But music still can reach out and get me by the heart, sometimes without warning. I’ll give you a recent example of this.

I know I’ve mentioned before that I was inspired to take voice lessons by hearing one of the top three tenors of the Metropolitan opera company, Richard Tucker, sing in a concert. As soon as I heard his voice, I needed to learn how to do what he did. So I took voice lessons.

Later, when I was still in college I had the chance to go to Minneapolis to hear the Metropolitan Opera’s traveling company perform Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida. The main reason I went was to hear the man who sang the tenor’s role – that same Richard Tucker.

The opera was the usual big lavish production, and had a lot of drama in it, and Richard Tucker’s voice was wonderful.

So—let me tell you what happened one night just a couple weeks ago. Shelley and I were sitting side-by-side on our living room couch, and we were looking at clips on YouTube. Suddenly I said, “Let me see if I can find the Triumphal March from Aida.” I searched around, and sure enough, there was a recent Metropolitan Opera production of the opera, and I heard the famous notes of the trumpet solo which introduces the procession.

And this was one of those times when music got a grip on me. I never really knew the opera’s plot. The only reason I went to see it was because Richard Tucker was in it. But because the music was actually triumphant, and because I had actually seen Richard Tucker lead that on-stage procession many years ago, I was overwhelmed by emotion, and shed a few tears.

So music is powerful. If it’s put to bad uses, it is evil. Lucifer the musician knows this, and uses it. But if music is put to good use is, it can lift the heart to heaven. God knows this, and David knew it.

So what do we do, now that we been reminded of this? Sing along in church, if you know the songs. Study the words of the more familiar hymns, because many of them are classical poetry, carefully constructed.

In a couple of minutes were going to be singing our closing song, which is a well-known thank-you hymn. But right now, let’s do a chorus probably most of you know, a little Thanksgiving chorus. I think we need to insert a little ear-worm in our heads right now.

Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul.
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole.
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
Your great salvation so rich and free.

To lead up to the final sermon point, let’s watch what happens next:

Verses 7 – 24: On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Israel His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones! He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. Remember His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac, And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting covenant, Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance,” When you were few in number, Indeed very few, and strangers in it. When they went from one nation to another, And from one kingdom to another people, He permitted no man to do them wrong; Yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, Saying, “Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.” Sing to the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.

Here comes Sermon Point Four. What is another principle about how to do Thanksgiving David’s way?

David’s first principle is to always make room for God. His second principle is to always default to sacrifice. His third principle is to always remember music. And his fourth principle is this: When praising God, always give details.

Again, David could’ve gone ahead and offered the sacrifices, and then given the food treats to everybody, and then had the musicians play an instrumental number, and then said goodbye. But no, David praised God by giving details.

It’s sort of like what happens after a Seahawks game is over. After the game, the coaches and players could just shake hands, and wave goodbye, and go out and get in their cars.

But no, you’ve got video highlights. You have interviews. You have press conferences. If you’re listening on the radio, you have at least a couple of hours of post-game analysis. Somebody keeps statistics on all the players. In other words, part of the joy is in the details.

This is why it’s so important to keep some kind of record of the blessings God has guided your way. On Wednesday nights at 7:30, we have our weekly prayer call by telephone. If you’ve ever called in, you know that we begin with brief devotional thoughts, and then devote the first half of the hour to allowing people to express their gratitude for what God has done for them, or for someone they know. And only then do we turn to requests we have for Him.

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that I have a hardback lined prayer journal, and when I sit down to write out my prayers to God, I always start with the thank you’s, and I make them as specific as I can. We will not know until heaven how differently and frighteningly things could have gone for us if God had not been on our side, and sent His angels to protect us.

In praising God, always give details. Let’s do that right now with our closing song. It’s a thank you song, and it mentions some details we need to be grateful for. Let’s stand and sing it together. “Now Thank We All Our God,” number 559.