Unlikely Hero: Living In Plan B

 

Series Summary

David has been described as a man after God's own heart (Acts 13:22). But as we read through the books of 1 and 2 Samuel, as David enters the narrative of Israel's history, David was unknown. He was young. He was a shepherd. He was overlooked. He was unlikely. But God pointed him out to Samuel and said, "David is my choice. He's the next king. And he's the one I will use to build the family line from which the Messiah will one day come." But David was a very unlikely choice. He failed, and he failed often. Bathsheba... Absalom... The census... And yet God describes him as a man after his own heart. Why? David was chosen by God because of his character. Character doesn’t mean perfection. David was far from perfect. But David always pursued the Lord. David maintained his character, no matter what. All the way to the point of repentance when necessary. This summer, we will look at several events that take place in the life of David: His calling. His victories. His friendships. His failures. His legacy. We will look at the life of David. But David is not the main character. The main character is Jesus. What we will see in David is a life that foreshadows Christ. And we will see how we can better reflect Christ in our own character, and in our own lives.

Sermon Summary

The final chapter of 2 Samuel describes one final failure of David. In 2 Samuel 24, David takes a census that is displeasing to God. His intentions were likely good, and a census in itself is not a bad thing. But when we begin to trust in our backup plans, that becomes offensive to God. We all have our contingency plans. We all have our backups. We all have our safety nets. We all have a Plan B. The problem with such things is that, often, we can begin to place our trust there instead of in God, where it should be.  And when we do that, we set something else in that place in our lives that should be for God alone. According to the Bible, that's idolatry. Does this mean we shouldn't plan ahead? Of course not. God wants us to be wise. But when it becomes that thing we trust more than God, that's when it can become a problem. So... What's your Plan B? Isn't it time we set it aside for God's plan, and God's plan alone?