Who Wuda Thunk It?
Sermon
Out From The Ordinary
First Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (First Third)
In 1969 the New York Mets won the World Series, becoming the world champions of baseball. Riding the strong arms of Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan, and "Terrific Tom" Seaver, the Mets beat the Baltimore Orioles. Many baseball experts considered the Baltimore Orioles to be the best team to come down the pike in years, but the Mets beat the Orioles in convincing fashion. Just a few years earlier, the New York Mets had set records for losing 120 games in a single year. They were called the "amazing Mets," because they found a new way to lose every day. They had been the epitome of futility, but in 1969 they won the World Series and earned the title the "Miracle Mets." The headline in Sports Illustrated quoted former Met manager Casey Stengel in his classic "Stengelese" when he said, "Who wuda thunk it?" "Who wuda thunk" that the New York Mets would be World Series champions?
And who would have thunk that David, anointed king twelve years earlier, was finally king of Israel? The very same David who was anointed king as a young shepherd boy; the very same David who was the eighth son and not even the favorite son of an obscure Bethlehem farmer; the very same David in whose veins flowed no royal blood; the very same David who was taught under a Judean sky and not by a palace tutor; the very same David who as a boy stood before the towering giant, Goliath, risking life and limb; the very same David who narrowly escaped two attempts on his life by the very king he replaced; the very same David who for at least seven years was hunted like an animal with dogged persistence by powerful King Saul; the very same David who survived battles with the Geshurites, Grizzites, Amalekites, and the sophisticated and learned Philistines; the very same David who withstood partial mutiny by his own men; the very same David who survived seven years of war with the House of Saul for the rightful kingship over the united tribes of Judah and Israel. This very same David was now king of all Israel! All that power and potential was his. Who wuda thunk it?
How did David go from being a shepherd boy to being a shepherd king? David was a gifted individual, no doubt about that. The Bible also says that David was a man of honor and integrity. Twice David had the opportunity to take Saul's life, but he refused to do so. David, no doubt, felt that as the anointed King of Israel God had a plan and purpose for his life. The Scripture is very plain about how David did it. The Scripture says that David didn't do it at all -- God did it! David became more and more powerful (v. 10) because God was with him. It was God who made David king over Israel. It was God's guidance through those entire twelve years that kept David on his God-chosen path to become King of Israel. God did it! God's guidance made it possible, and David's response of gratitude for God's guidance enabled him to claim the power and potential that already were his. The only question that remained was: What kind of king will David be? David was finally king! Who wuda thunk it?
When the rulers of Israel came to David, they were very specific in what kind of king they felt God wanted David to be. They said, "We want a limited kingship. We want a kingship that is governed. We want a kingship whereby you cooperate with the people, David, and remember, David, you are one of us. Even though it was you who led Saul's armies when he was winning all the victories, you are one of us." They talked to David about being a ruler who would shepherd them, a ruler who would feed them, and a leader who would lead the flock. They did not want a ruler who would try to control and manipulate the people of God for his own selfish end.
The elders did not call David king. Their statement to David was to the effect that you will be a shepherd and a prince under the kingship of God. They reminded David that his leadership and power would come from God, because it was God who had chosen him. It was God who had guided him. It was God who had placed him, and every ounce of power, every single talent, every bit of giftedness that David possessed was to be used in cooperation with God to shepherd his people. These were wise elders. These were elders acting on behalf of God to show to David that his power, authority, and leadership would be governed and limited in God's purpose for his people. Wow! That sounds great!
What does that say to us? Does that have any kind of meaning and purpose for us? Sounds good! It happened over 2,000 years ago! It's a beautiful picture from the pages of the Bible, but does it have any meaning and purpose for us today? I believe that it does. I believe that it does, not only from the standpoint of our own personal giftedness, power, and potential, but also from the standpoint of a congregation of faith as well. I think the Scriptures tell us that we must realize that all of our giftedness, all of our power, and all of our potential are gifts from God. They are given to us for a purpose. Everything we have, all that we are, and all that we ever hope to be are God's gifts to us. Our gifts and power are to be used in cooperation with God to bring about his purpose. God's power in us is released when we do what we are called to do, sometimes beyond our imagination. Everyone has power and potential that can be a blessing or a curse, used or abused, applied or abdicated.
The most powerful person ever to live upon the face of the earth, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was Jesus Christ our Lord. He did things of which people only dreamed. In doing so he governed and subjected his power to the purpose and plan of God. He felt everything he had been given was to be used for God's purpose toward others. We must do the same. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we can only use those gifts as we respond in gratitude and offer them back as a gift to God.
One may say, "That worked for David. He was a poet, a warrior, a scholar, and a musician. I'm not David! I'm none of those things. I don't have that kind of power and authority." But you do! Take inventory of the power and authority and giftedness that you have. We are all gifted of God, some more than others. But we all have gifts and power and abilities to be used by God. In his early life John D. Rockefeller tithed his weekly salary of $4.35. Anyone can give. Some can give more, some must give less, but we all can give. We all can give in proportion to that which has been given to us even if it's only a tithe from only $4.35.
A young and inexperienced pastor went to visit a leader in his church whose wife had just died. The young pastor didn't know what to say. They sat there for six hours -- the leader and pastor -- in silence. Years later the leader came up to him and said, "I would never have made it through that night without you." What did he say? Nothing! He was just there. We all can exercise the ministry of presence.
Perhaps the most astounding accomplishment in the history of education in the United States was accomplished by a woman who was born deaf and blind and could not speak. We can all try. We may not do what Helen Keller did, but we all can do something. Recently I was standing in line to pay for my purchase at the hardware store when a woman walked in and placed a 99-cent tube of Chapstick on the counter, and said, "That must have fallen into my sack, I didn't buy it!" She then turned and walked out. A 99-cent tube of Chapstick! She didn't pay for it and she didn't want it. We can all be honest. We can all be people of integrity.
For my last semester at seminary, I took my three-year-old son Chris with me to register. On the way to the registrar's office, I stopped by to see one of my favorite professors, Dr. Wayne Ward. He said, "Why don't you leave Chris with me?" When I came back about thirty minutes later, Dr. Ward was down on the floor on the seat of his britches playing with my son. True greatness! We all can extend a hand of love and encouragement to a child. There is something you can do. There is a talent, a power, and potential within you that was given to you by God and God wants you to use it for him. God is not so much concerned about our ability as he is concerned about our availability. Whatever ability we have, we need to make it available to him.
Jack McEwen, Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, Tennessee, tells the story of when Frederick Buechner spoke at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga several years ago. A person spoke up and said, "You call yourself a minister and all you ever do is write books. You don't pastor a church, you don't visit the sick, you just write books. You call that a ministry?" Buechner paused a thoughtful moment and graciously said, "Well, who is to say?" Wow! What a statement! Who is to say? God is, that's who! God is to say what you do. God is the one to say that your ministry is valid and that your gifts are to be used for him. Your potential is to be developed for him. Your power is to empower others. God in his loving wisdom has gifted you and invested in you power and potential to be used for him. I'm not a David, but I am me. I would make a sorry David, but I make the best me anywhere, and the same is true with you.
When we decide to discover our potential, something wonderful happens that is greater than we anticipate. David simply took the next step and God's power was released. If you had looked up "uranium" in the dictionary only a few years ago it would have read: "Uranium -- a small, white metallic substance, extremely rare, which has few known uses." How times have changed! The entire world became different when the power and potential of uranium were discovered. What a difference it makes when we allow God to recreate and rediscover the power and potential that he has placed within us.
John Claypool said that some of us want to "be" something and some of us want to "do" something; some of us want the title and some of us want the work. What has God called you to do? How do you know what to do? Do what you know to do, and as you do, God will release the power and potential that is within you. Only as we go will he continue to empower us.
He was a young man who made a bad decision. The bad decision he made was to drop out of high school. What a bummer! He dreamed of being a famous musician. At 22 years of age he found himself totally broke after years of playing the piano in bars. He was sleeping in a laundromat because he had no house. His only saving grace was his girlfriend, but she soon dropped him. Why? He didn't have anything to offer. He planned to commit suicide but could not follow through. He reclaimed his dream of being a famous musician by admitting himself to a mental institution. It was there that he saw people with real problems. It was a turning point in his life. It was a time for him to revitalize the power and potential that God had placed within him. When he was released, feeling much better about himself, he wrote a song called "Piano Man." He wrote a few others. My favorite is "I Love You Just the Way You Are." His name is Billy Joel.
There is something about being in it for the long haul. For thirteen years David had the dream and the vision that God had placed within him that he would be the king of Israel and all of his power and potential and giftedness would be used for that purpose. David was in it for the long haul. What about you? God has a dream, a goal, an ambition, and a purpose for your life. All the giftedness and power and potential God has given to you is to be used for him.
A movie was made several years ago called The Candidate. It chronicled the life of a young man who went from near obscurity to being a senator. Robert Redford played the candidate. The final scene of the movie showed the newly-elected senator sitting down with a celebration party going on all around him asking the question, "Now what?"
You're king of Israel, David, now what?
Christ died for you -- God loves you -- he has chosen and empowered you! Now what?
And who would have thunk that David, anointed king twelve years earlier, was finally king of Israel? The very same David who was anointed king as a young shepherd boy; the very same David who was the eighth son and not even the favorite son of an obscure Bethlehem farmer; the very same David in whose veins flowed no royal blood; the very same David who was taught under a Judean sky and not by a palace tutor; the very same David who as a boy stood before the towering giant, Goliath, risking life and limb; the very same David who narrowly escaped two attempts on his life by the very king he replaced; the very same David who for at least seven years was hunted like an animal with dogged persistence by powerful King Saul; the very same David who survived battles with the Geshurites, Grizzites, Amalekites, and the sophisticated and learned Philistines; the very same David who withstood partial mutiny by his own men; the very same David who survived seven years of war with the House of Saul for the rightful kingship over the united tribes of Judah and Israel. This very same David was now king of all Israel! All that power and potential was his. Who wuda thunk it?
How did David go from being a shepherd boy to being a shepherd king? David was a gifted individual, no doubt about that. The Bible also says that David was a man of honor and integrity. Twice David had the opportunity to take Saul's life, but he refused to do so. David, no doubt, felt that as the anointed King of Israel God had a plan and purpose for his life. The Scripture is very plain about how David did it. The Scripture says that David didn't do it at all -- God did it! David became more and more powerful (v. 10) because God was with him. It was God who made David king over Israel. It was God's guidance through those entire twelve years that kept David on his God-chosen path to become King of Israel. God did it! God's guidance made it possible, and David's response of gratitude for God's guidance enabled him to claim the power and potential that already were his. The only question that remained was: What kind of king will David be? David was finally king! Who wuda thunk it?
When the rulers of Israel came to David, they were very specific in what kind of king they felt God wanted David to be. They said, "We want a limited kingship. We want a kingship that is governed. We want a kingship whereby you cooperate with the people, David, and remember, David, you are one of us. Even though it was you who led Saul's armies when he was winning all the victories, you are one of us." They talked to David about being a ruler who would shepherd them, a ruler who would feed them, and a leader who would lead the flock. They did not want a ruler who would try to control and manipulate the people of God for his own selfish end.
The elders did not call David king. Their statement to David was to the effect that you will be a shepherd and a prince under the kingship of God. They reminded David that his leadership and power would come from God, because it was God who had chosen him. It was God who had guided him. It was God who had placed him, and every ounce of power, every single talent, every bit of giftedness that David possessed was to be used in cooperation with God to shepherd his people. These were wise elders. These were elders acting on behalf of God to show to David that his power, authority, and leadership would be governed and limited in God's purpose for his people. Wow! That sounds great!
What does that say to us? Does that have any kind of meaning and purpose for us? Sounds good! It happened over 2,000 years ago! It's a beautiful picture from the pages of the Bible, but does it have any meaning and purpose for us today? I believe that it does. I believe that it does, not only from the standpoint of our own personal giftedness, power, and potential, but also from the standpoint of a congregation of faith as well. I think the Scriptures tell us that we must realize that all of our giftedness, all of our power, and all of our potential are gifts from God. They are given to us for a purpose. Everything we have, all that we are, and all that we ever hope to be are God's gifts to us. Our gifts and power are to be used in cooperation with God to bring about his purpose. God's power in us is released when we do what we are called to do, sometimes beyond our imagination. Everyone has power and potential that can be a blessing or a curse, used or abused, applied or abdicated.
The most powerful person ever to live upon the face of the earth, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was Jesus Christ our Lord. He did things of which people only dreamed. In doing so he governed and subjected his power to the purpose and plan of God. He felt everything he had been given was to be used for God's purpose toward others. We must do the same. Everything we have is a gift from God, and we can only use those gifts as we respond in gratitude and offer them back as a gift to God.
One may say, "That worked for David. He was a poet, a warrior, a scholar, and a musician. I'm not David! I'm none of those things. I don't have that kind of power and authority." But you do! Take inventory of the power and authority and giftedness that you have. We are all gifted of God, some more than others. But we all have gifts and power and abilities to be used by God. In his early life John D. Rockefeller tithed his weekly salary of $4.35. Anyone can give. Some can give more, some must give less, but we all can give. We all can give in proportion to that which has been given to us even if it's only a tithe from only $4.35.
A young and inexperienced pastor went to visit a leader in his church whose wife had just died. The young pastor didn't know what to say. They sat there for six hours -- the leader and pastor -- in silence. Years later the leader came up to him and said, "I would never have made it through that night without you." What did he say? Nothing! He was just there. We all can exercise the ministry of presence.
Perhaps the most astounding accomplishment in the history of education in the United States was accomplished by a woman who was born deaf and blind and could not speak. We can all try. We may not do what Helen Keller did, but we all can do something. Recently I was standing in line to pay for my purchase at the hardware store when a woman walked in and placed a 99-cent tube of Chapstick on the counter, and said, "That must have fallen into my sack, I didn't buy it!" She then turned and walked out. A 99-cent tube of Chapstick! She didn't pay for it and she didn't want it. We can all be honest. We can all be people of integrity.
For my last semester at seminary, I took my three-year-old son Chris with me to register. On the way to the registrar's office, I stopped by to see one of my favorite professors, Dr. Wayne Ward. He said, "Why don't you leave Chris with me?" When I came back about thirty minutes later, Dr. Ward was down on the floor on the seat of his britches playing with my son. True greatness! We all can extend a hand of love and encouragement to a child. There is something you can do. There is a talent, a power, and potential within you that was given to you by God and God wants you to use it for him. God is not so much concerned about our ability as he is concerned about our availability. Whatever ability we have, we need to make it available to him.
Jack McEwen, Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Chattanooga, Tennessee, tells the story of when Frederick Buechner spoke at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga several years ago. A person spoke up and said, "You call yourself a minister and all you ever do is write books. You don't pastor a church, you don't visit the sick, you just write books. You call that a ministry?" Buechner paused a thoughtful moment and graciously said, "Well, who is to say?" Wow! What a statement! Who is to say? God is, that's who! God is to say what you do. God is the one to say that your ministry is valid and that your gifts are to be used for him. Your potential is to be developed for him. Your power is to empower others. God in his loving wisdom has gifted you and invested in you power and potential to be used for him. I'm not a David, but I am me. I would make a sorry David, but I make the best me anywhere, and the same is true with you.
When we decide to discover our potential, something wonderful happens that is greater than we anticipate. David simply took the next step and God's power was released. If you had looked up "uranium" in the dictionary only a few years ago it would have read: "Uranium -- a small, white metallic substance, extremely rare, which has few known uses." How times have changed! The entire world became different when the power and potential of uranium were discovered. What a difference it makes when we allow God to recreate and rediscover the power and potential that he has placed within us.
John Claypool said that some of us want to "be" something and some of us want to "do" something; some of us want the title and some of us want the work. What has God called you to do? How do you know what to do? Do what you know to do, and as you do, God will release the power and potential that is within you. Only as we go will he continue to empower us.
He was a young man who made a bad decision. The bad decision he made was to drop out of high school. What a bummer! He dreamed of being a famous musician. At 22 years of age he found himself totally broke after years of playing the piano in bars. He was sleeping in a laundromat because he had no house. His only saving grace was his girlfriend, but she soon dropped him. Why? He didn't have anything to offer. He planned to commit suicide but could not follow through. He reclaimed his dream of being a famous musician by admitting himself to a mental institution. It was there that he saw people with real problems. It was a turning point in his life. It was a time for him to revitalize the power and potential that God had placed within him. When he was released, feeling much better about himself, he wrote a song called "Piano Man." He wrote a few others. My favorite is "I Love You Just the Way You Are." His name is Billy Joel.
There is something about being in it for the long haul. For thirteen years David had the dream and the vision that God had placed within him that he would be the king of Israel and all of his power and potential and giftedness would be used for that purpose. David was in it for the long haul. What about you? God has a dream, a goal, an ambition, and a purpose for your life. All the giftedness and power and potential God has given to you is to be used for him.
A movie was made several years ago called The Candidate. It chronicled the life of a young man who went from near obscurity to being a senator. Robert Redford played the candidate. The final scene of the movie showed the newly-elected senator sitting down with a celebration party going on all around him asking the question, "Now what?"
You're king of Israel, David, now what?
Christ died for you -- God loves you -- he has chosen and empowered you! Now what?
