Pastor Cal Lord's Recent Sermons
What Will You Be Remembered For?
II Samuel 23:1-7 November 26, 2006
* “‘Tis well.” – George Washington.
*“Stonewall” Jackson said, “Order A. P. Hill to prepare for action! Pass the infantry to the
front rapidly! Tell Major Hawks … Let us cross over the river and sit under the shade of the
trees.”
* “Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!” cried Joan of Arc.
John Kennedy said, “That’s obvious.”
* P. T. Barnum said, “How were the circus receipts in Madison Square Garden?”
* “Friends applaud, the comedy is over,” stated Beethoven.
* Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”
What do all these quotes have in common? They are famous (and some not so famous) last
words. Everyone has heard about famous last words.
Last words, and farewell speeches, are what some people are often remembered for. We think of
General MacArthur saying, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
The words we read a few minutes ago in 2 Samuel 23:1-7 are probably the last words that came
from David’s mouth. It is his farewell statement. They may not seem like much, but I think we
can learn some things from them because they speak so well to what he lived and believed. The
first thing is that…
First, our BACKGROUND doesn’t matter. David wasn’t ashamed of where he came from. He
freely admitted that his father was Jesse and Jesse was a common man. David grew up chasing
sheep outside the backwater town of Bethlehem and shepherds were a dime a dozen. Going a little
further, David was the eighth son of the family and rather small and insignificant compared to his
brothers.
You would think that David would marvel at the fact that God had plucked him out of the pasture
to be king of Israel. That is not the case though, for David innately understood that God often
used insignificant people by the world’s standards to do great things.
* The prophet Amos was a shepherd, and God used him to deliver his message to the people of
Israel.
* Nehemiah was a cupbearer, a servant of the Persian king, and God used him to rebuild the walls
of Jerusalem.
* Peter, James and John were fishermen, and God used them to light the fire that started the
Church. The religious officials of the days saw them as uneducated men.
* When God called the prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah replied, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know
how to speak, for I am only a youth.” Jeremiah thought he was too young to serve the Lord.
* When the angels told Abraham, at the age of 100, that he would father a child with his 90-year-
old wife, his wife laughed at the proposition. She thought she was too old to serve the Lord.
* Moses was a murderer and the child of slaves when he led Israel out of Egypt.
None of that matters though and David knew it. He understood from his own story and form the
testimony of the scriptures, that God can use anybody for his purpose. We can think of more
recent examples. Joni Erickson Tada is a quadriplegic who speaks more eloquently about the
grace of god than anyone I know. Nicky Cruz is a former street thug who has saved thousands
with his testimony. And he can even use you and me.
I marvel at the fact that God can use a poor kid from a broken home, a kid who even messed up
in college and was asked to leave because he was fighting depression and alcoholism, a young
man who lived on macaroni and cheese and worked his way through college in a grocery store
and later as a janitor. You see it doesn’t matter where you come from as much as if you have a
heart that is willing to yield to God’s call.
When I first answered the call to ministry I felt unworthy and ill equipped. But you see the
second thing god does, and David testifies to the fact, is that god equips those whom he calls. He
gives them what they need to succeed.
There is a saying: “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.” God gives us the ability,
the talents, the skills, the words to do what he calls us to do. Think about this: He took a ragtag
bunch of disciples that included fishermen, a tax collector, a political radical, and a few others,
and turned the world upside down on the Day of Pentecost.
He actually uses our story, our background, our failings and turns them into tools that allow us to
reach where others cannot go. He adds his own ingredients, his own gifts and sets us up in places
where we will bring him honor and glory.
You see, it’s not about us, it’s about God. We can depend on him. David knew that and freely
acknowledges that God is the source of his security. In verse 3 he says, “The Rock of Israel has
said to me.” The term “Rock” in the Old Testament is a title for God relating to stability, safety,
and security.
When we think of rocks we may think of the Rocky Mountains or the Green Mountains. They are
strong, steady and sturdy. They aren’t going anywhere. They have weathered storms, winds, and
rain. We have blasted tunnels through the mountains with dynamite, but they have not collapsed.
The fact is God is our ROCK.
The old song goes, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” When the storms
of life batter us, God is our Rock that offers us stability, safety and security.
In Psalm 62, David wrote, “On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge
is God.” God is as faithful as anything. We want guarantees in life. Our cars, houses, computers,
and anything else that we buy, come with a guarantee. The longer, the better. Well God’s
guarantee is eternal. And that’s what David was telling us in his last words. That the God who
walked with him in life, would be with him for eternity.
How did David know this? Because God HONORS his promises.
God’s Word is permanent and unchanging. God’s Word is not dependant on our actions. The only
thing God requires of us is faith in Him. And David saw God come through on his promises time
after time. Even when things seemed to b e going against him for a time, God found a way to
honor his promises.
We recall that God made a covenant with David recorded in 2 Samuel 7 that the Savior would
come through his descendants. In chapter 11, we find David guilty of lying, adultery and murder.
We would expect God to rescind his covenant with David and choose someone else, but that isn’t
the case.
In verses 3 and 4 of our passage, David paints the idyllic picture of a leader. For the most part
David was an excellent king in Israel. He was the measuring stick against whom all future kings of
Israel were measured, but he wasn’t perfect.
He reminds us in verse 5 that God had made an “everlasting covenant” with him. God’s Word is
true, and we can count on it. Jesus said that God’s Word is truth. Despite the problems that David
had, God held true to the covenant that he had made.
God’s covenant with us is that he offers us salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. The offer is as
good today as it was ten years ago. It doesn’t matter where we come from or what kind of life
we have lived, God still offers us salvation because his love is true. In John 3:16 we read, “for
God so loved the world.” It wasn’t because we deserved it or earned it, it was simply because
God loved us first.
David knew that. He also knew that God had no qualms about punishing those who went against
him. He talks about the fate of the wicked in verses 6 and 7. He declares that worthless, or evil,
men will get their reward. God will destroy them.
But as David utters his last breath, he confirms what we all know and have heard. It isn’t so
much about where we grew up or where we’ve been or what we’ve done, it is the state of our
heart that matters most. That is what we will be remembered for.
It says in scripture that David was a man after God’s own heart. For all of his faults, he loved
God and was willing to serve him. When push came to shove, David would abandon his own will
and follow God’s lead.
We may think of his failings, his days of discouragement, his fighting with God, but when all is
said and done, David will be remembered for walking with God and serving him all his days.
What will you be remembered for? God is calling us to trust him and act on that trust. God may
ask us to do something we never thought we could. I have heard the stories of countless people
who have done great things for God, things they never thought they could do. It’s not just
missionaries and pastors. It’s ordinary people, people like you and me who simply trust God to
lead them forward.
We never know how our obedience will affect someone. There was a teacher in a New York City
school who one day felt impressed to do something unusual. She called each student up to her
desk, and told them how much she appreciated them. She gave each person a ribbon of gratitude.
She then handed everybody another ribbon and told them go and give the ribbon to someone else.
One of the girls took the ribbon to her part-time job. She went to her supervisor and gave her the
ribbon and told her she was appreciated. The student then asked her supervisor to do the same.
The supervisor went to her supervisor. She told her supervisor that he was appreciated and gave
him a ribbon. He thanked her. He took a ribbon home. He went and knocked on his son’s
bedroom door. The son told him to come in. The dad noticed that the son was writing and
thought that he was studying. The dad told him that he loved him. The son said, “Dad, today was
a terrible day. I had a fight with my best friend, and my girlfriend broke up with me. I was
beginning to wonder if you cared, or if anyone cared. I was just sitting down to write a suicide
note.”
We never know what our obedience will yield. The teacher at the school had no idea that a young
man was in such desperate need when she called her students to her desk to tell them that they
were appreciated.
When we yield to God, we can do great things. Our faults will be forgotten as the glory points to
God. I pray that all of us will be remembered as men and women who had a heart for God, just
like David. Our last words may or may not, be significant, but our faith will shine on long after
we have gone on to heaven.
II Samuel 23:1-7 November 26, 2006
* “‘Tis well.” – George Washington.
*“Stonewall” Jackson said, “Order A. P. Hill to prepare for action! Pass the infantry to the
front rapidly! Tell Major Hawks … Let us cross over the river and sit under the shade of the
trees.”
* “Hold the cross high so I may see it through the flames!” cried Joan of Arc.
John Kennedy said, “That’s obvious.”
* P. T. Barnum said, “How were the circus receipts in Madison Square Garden?”
* “Friends applaud, the comedy is over,” stated Beethoven.
* Jesus cried out, “It is finished!”
What do all these quotes have in common? They are famous (and some not so famous) last
words. Everyone has heard about famous last words.
Last words, and farewell speeches, are what some people are often remembered for. We think of
General MacArthur saying, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.”
The words we read a few minutes ago in 2 Samuel 23:1-7 are probably the last words that came
from David’s mouth. It is his farewell statement. They may not seem like much, but I think we
can learn some things from them because they speak so well to what he lived and believed. The
first thing is that…
First, our BACKGROUND doesn’t matter. David wasn’t ashamed of where he came from. He
freely admitted that his father was Jesse and Jesse was a common man. David grew up chasing
sheep outside the backwater town of Bethlehem and shepherds were a dime a dozen. Going a little
further, David was the eighth son of the family and rather small and insignificant compared to his
brothers.
You would think that David would marvel at the fact that God had plucked him out of the pasture
to be king of Israel. That is not the case though, for David innately understood that God often
used insignificant people by the world’s standards to do great things.
* The prophet Amos was a shepherd, and God used him to deliver his message to the people of
Israel.
* Nehemiah was a cupbearer, a servant of the Persian king, and God used him to rebuild the walls
of Jerusalem.
* Peter, James and John were fishermen, and God used them to light the fire that started the
Church. The religious officials of the days saw them as uneducated men.
* When God called the prophet Jeremiah, Jeremiah replied, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know
how to speak, for I am only a youth.” Jeremiah thought he was too young to serve the Lord.
* When the angels told Abraham, at the age of 100, that he would father a child with his 90-year-
old wife, his wife laughed at the proposition. She thought she was too old to serve the Lord.
* Moses was a murderer and the child of slaves when he led Israel out of Egypt.
None of that matters though and David knew it. He understood from his own story and form the
testimony of the scriptures, that God can use anybody for his purpose. We can think of more
recent examples. Joni Erickson Tada is a quadriplegic who speaks more eloquently about the
grace of god than anyone I know. Nicky Cruz is a former street thug who has saved thousands
with his testimony. And he can even use you and me.
I marvel at the fact that God can use a poor kid from a broken home, a kid who even messed up
in college and was asked to leave because he was fighting depression and alcoholism, a young
man who lived on macaroni and cheese and worked his way through college in a grocery store
and later as a janitor. You see it doesn’t matter where you come from as much as if you have a
heart that is willing to yield to God’s call.
When I first answered the call to ministry I felt unworthy and ill equipped. But you see the
second thing god does, and David testifies to the fact, is that god equips those whom he calls. He
gives them what they need to succeed.
There is a saying: “God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.” God gives us the ability,
the talents, the skills, the words to do what he calls us to do. Think about this: He took a ragtag
bunch of disciples that included fishermen, a tax collector, a political radical, and a few others,
and turned the world upside down on the Day of Pentecost.
He actually uses our story, our background, our failings and turns them into tools that allow us to
reach where others cannot go. He adds his own ingredients, his own gifts and sets us up in places
where we will bring him honor and glory.
You see, it’s not about us, it’s about God. We can depend on him. David knew that and freely
acknowledges that God is the source of his security. In verse 3 he says, “The Rock of Israel has
said to me.” The term “Rock” in the Old Testament is a title for God relating to stability, safety,
and security.
When we think of rocks we may think of the Rocky Mountains or the Green Mountains. They are
strong, steady and sturdy. They aren’t going anywhere. They have weathered storms, winds, and
rain. We have blasted tunnels through the mountains with dynamite, but they have not collapsed.
The fact is God is our ROCK.
The old song goes, “Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” When the storms
of life batter us, God is our Rock that offers us stability, safety and security.
In Psalm 62, David wrote, “On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge
is God.” God is as faithful as anything. We want guarantees in life. Our cars, houses, computers,
and anything else that we buy, come with a guarantee. The longer, the better. Well God’s
guarantee is eternal. And that’s what David was telling us in his last words. That the God who
walked with him in life, would be with him for eternity.
How did David know this? Because God HONORS his promises.
God’s Word is permanent and unchanging. God’s Word is not dependant on our actions. The only
thing God requires of us is faith in Him. And David saw God come through on his promises time
after time. Even when things seemed to b e going against him for a time, God found a way to
honor his promises.
We recall that God made a covenant with David recorded in 2 Samuel 7 that the Savior would
come through his descendants. In chapter 11, we find David guilty of lying, adultery and murder.
We would expect God to rescind his covenant with David and choose someone else, but that isn’t
the case.
In verses 3 and 4 of our passage, David paints the idyllic picture of a leader. For the most part
David was an excellent king in Israel. He was the measuring stick against whom all future kings of
Israel were measured, but he wasn’t perfect.
He reminds us in verse 5 that God had made an “everlasting covenant” with him. God’s Word is
true, and we can count on it. Jesus said that God’s Word is truth. Despite the problems that David
had, God held true to the covenant that he had made.
God’s covenant with us is that he offers us salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. The offer is as
good today as it was ten years ago. It doesn’t matter where we come from or what kind of life
we have lived, God still offers us salvation because his love is true. In John 3:16 we read, “for
God so loved the world.” It wasn’t because we deserved it or earned it, it was simply because
God loved us first.
David knew that. He also knew that God had no qualms about punishing those who went against
him. He talks about the fate of the wicked in verses 6 and 7. He declares that worthless, or evil,
men will get their reward. God will destroy them.
But as David utters his last breath, he confirms what we all know and have heard. It isn’t so
much about where we grew up or where we’ve been or what we’ve done, it is the state of our
heart that matters most. That is what we will be remembered for.
It says in scripture that David was a man after God’s own heart. For all of his faults, he loved
God and was willing to serve him. When push came to shove, David would abandon his own will
and follow God’s lead.
We may think of his failings, his days of discouragement, his fighting with God, but when all is
said and done, David will be remembered for walking with God and serving him all his days.
What will you be remembered for? God is calling us to trust him and act on that trust. God may
ask us to do something we never thought we could. I have heard the stories of countless people
who have done great things for God, things they never thought they could do. It’s not just
missionaries and pastors. It’s ordinary people, people like you and me who simply trust God to
lead them forward.
We never know how our obedience will affect someone. There was a teacher in a New York City
school who one day felt impressed to do something unusual. She called each student up to her
desk, and told them how much she appreciated them. She gave each person a ribbon of gratitude.
She then handed everybody another ribbon and told them go and give the ribbon to someone else.
One of the girls took the ribbon to her part-time job. She went to her supervisor and gave her the
ribbon and told her she was appreciated. The student then asked her supervisor to do the same.
The supervisor went to her supervisor. She told her supervisor that he was appreciated and gave
him a ribbon. He thanked her. He took a ribbon home. He went and knocked on his son’s
bedroom door. The son told him to come in. The dad noticed that the son was writing and
thought that he was studying. The dad told him that he loved him. The son said, “Dad, today was
a terrible day. I had a fight with my best friend, and my girlfriend broke up with me. I was
beginning to wonder if you cared, or if anyone cared. I was just sitting down to write a suicide
note.”
We never know what our obedience will yield. The teacher at the school had no idea that a young
man was in such desperate need when she called her students to her desk to tell them that they
were appreciated.
When we yield to God, we can do great things. Our faults will be forgotten as the glory points to
God. I pray that all of us will be remembered as men and women who had a heart for God, just
like David. Our last words may or may not, be significant, but our faith will shine on long after
we have gone on to heaven.
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