* The prophet Nathan was the one who rebuked David for his sin with Bathsheba.
* How did David reward him?
* First, he kept Nathan as a private advisor.
* Second, he named one of his sons whom he had with Bathseba, Nathan!
* One of Solomon’s older brother’s was named Nathan!
* That’s true honor.
1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (7/10/14)
July 10, 2014 • Benham Brothers
Jabez made a simple request of God, and God granted it to him. So who was Jabez? Observe:
1) He was the right WHO - he was honorable, which meant he lived in such a respectful way that he was distinguished among his bretheren.
Honorable people concern themselves more with WHO than DO - they want to BE the right person and not just DO the right things.
1 Sam 2:30 - "http://...if you honor ME I will honor you...."
He knew WHO he was - Jabez means "sorrow, trouble." His mom named him this because she didn't want him to forget the pain she went through to give him life!
Jesus did the same for us - He endured death to give us life!
Psalm 78:9 - "The men of Ephraim turned back on the day of battle because they FORGOT"
3) He asked for a blessing - he knew his history! He remembered God giving Abraham a blessing.
He aspired to be a part of God's blessing, because he knew that apart from God's blessing his life would be worthless.
He knew that God's blessing was for a purpose - for God to be honored!
4) He wanted God's presence - he knew about Moses denying the Promised Land if God didn't go in with them.
Jabez didn't want the blessing without the God of the blessing. He wanted God more than His blessing.
We often times go for the blessing but miss the God behind the blessing in the process.
5) He wanted to be clean - he saw how dirty Solomon got even though he was the wisest man ever.
He didn't want God's blessing if he was going to end up living a dirty life.
6) He got what he asked for - because he asked with the right intentions.
1 John 3:22 - we will get what we ask for when we ask with the right motives. Why?
When we seek to honor God we will live honorably, and when we live honorably we will make honorable requests - and God will never say no to an honorable request! It happened for Jabez and it will happen for us! It's all about HONOR!
1 Chronicles 5:20 (9/20/23)
September 20, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 1 Chronicles 5:20
* Trust and Obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to Trust and Obey.
* It all starts with Trust (security).
* 1 Chronicles lists the names of leaders and the number of fighters in each tribe.
* It was written to encourage those who were in Babylonian captivity to Trust and Obey.
* Couched in the middle of all these names, we learn about three of the tribes and how God rescued them from an insurmountable army.
* Vs 18-20 - “The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.”
* The Hagrites had over 100k troops.
* How would God rescue them?
* Notice three things:
* 1) The trained for battle - they sharpened their skillset.
* God gives ability, but we have to turn that into skill.
* God didn’t make these guys good with the sword - they had to train for it.
* 2) They trusted God - they didn't fully rely on their skills or weapons.
* They relied on God for deliverance.
* Whatever it is that you use in your day-to-day life (your tools, your gifting, your friends, your software, whatever) you must not rely on those things, you must rely on God.
* I USE my tools but I TRUST in God.
* If you're a farmer you use your tractor to plant crops but you trust in God to bring the harvest.
* An insurance salesman uses his ability to connect with people to sell policies but he trusts in God to provide for him financially.
* Victory comes when God knows that we trust Him more than the stuff He's given us to use.
* We USE stuff but we TRUST God.
* 3) The battle was the Lord’s - God ordained it because He had a plan for it.
* Two types of battles:
* Ones we cause - because of sin.
* Ones God causes - so He can do stuff!
* God allowed this battle because He was going to destroy the Hagrites and enrich the Israelites.
* Vs 21-22 - “They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.”
* How else would the Israelites get this stuff except through a fight?
* Think of your life, the battles you face.
* Is it from God?
* If so, then He’s probably sharpening you, dealing w/the person, and enriching you both on the other side!
1 Chronicles 7:39-40 (9/20/23)
September 20, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 1 Chronicles 7:39–40
* We are in desperate need of male leaders to step up today.
* Last week we talked about the Jezebel spirit - it seeks to emasculate and eliminate men.
* But what qualities should a man exhibit?
* The below gives us excellent advice as parents to raise up a generation of strong young men.
* Vs 39-40 - “The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel and Rizia. All these were the sons of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, heads of the princes…”
* Notice what is said about Asher’s sons.
* They had four outstanding qualities:
* 1) They were “heads” of their families.
* Asher raised his sons to be leaders.
* A leader knows where he’s going and shows others how to join him along the way.
* 2) They were “chosen men.”
* Asher raised his boys to be the cream of the crop.
* EX: Chosen for the team.
* They were the kind of men a father would choose for his daughter to marry.
* They were men of high character and strong ethical standards who accepted responsibility.
* 3) They were “valiant warriors.”
* They were men of valor, like those who fought alongside David in his many battles.
* They had a sense of boldness and conviction and were ready to take a stand when needed.
* A boy becomes a man when he knows how to properly use his strength.
* To provide for and protect others.
* 4) They were “chiefs among the leaders.”
* They were leaders among leaders.
* Another word for leader is “prince.”
* A prince is just a king waiting to happen.
* Our boys need to know they have a KING in them!
1 Chronicles 9:20 (9/27/23)
September 27, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 1 Chronicles 9:20
* We can do nothing on our own.
* We need the presence of God in our lives more than anything else in the world.
* 1 Chronicles is a long list of names (like http://geneology.com that helps people know who they are).
* Knowing your genealogy anchors you.
* In the middle of the list, there’s one name singled out that says, “God was WITH him.”
* Vs 20 - “In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar was the official in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him.”
* Remember the angel to Mary - “…the Lord is WITH you.”
* Having God with you means that He makes His home with you.
* He moves in and takes up residence.
* Revelation 3:20 - “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
* Think about having the richest, wisest, most powerful being in the Universe living in your apartment with you.
* Think about Him “wanting” to live with you because He likes you so much.
* So the question is, why was God with Phinehas?
* Because of his zeal for the Lord.
* When all the Israelite men were being sexually promiscuous with foreign women who were sworn enemies of Israel, Phinehas did something about it!
* He stood boldly for truth.
* Numbers 25:11-13 - “The Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”
* Your zeal for the Lord ushers His presence into your life.
* Standing courageously for Him touches His heart in a special way.
* If someone were to misrepresent you in public, and then a friend of yours stood up for you, what would you think about that friend?
* God feels the same for us.
1 Chronicles 11:1-3 (9/27/23)
October 4, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 1 Chronicles 11:1–3
- When you have a dream or vision in your heart, pursue it with your feet but die to it in your heart.
- Move toward it practically, but leave the results to God.
- Don’t let ambition jump into the driver’s seat.
- Wait for God to make it clear.
- Three stages of a dream:
- Birth of a dream - God puts it into your heart.
- Death of a dream - you let it go in your heart.
- Fulfillment of a dream - God brings it about in His time.
- David was a great example of what this looks like.
- Samuel anointed him to be king, but he went right back to tending sheep.
- That’s what death to a vision/dream looks like.
- He was faithful when nobody was watching.
- He fought the lion and bear long before he fought Goliath.
- He had several opportunities to take the throne but he refused.
- Vs 1a - “All Israel came together to David at Hebron …”
- They “came to David” - he didn’t have to go to them.
- Vs 1b-2 - “…and said, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, even while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”
- Apparently word got out that David was anointed king.
- David’s brothers probably blabbed their mouths!
- Before Saul’s death, people told David to take the throne (his men in the cave, etc).
- But David wouldn’t do it - He let God elevate Him when He chose.
- Vs 3 - “When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, as the Lord had promised through Samuel.
- Samuel had anointed David more than a decade earlier.
- It was a long time coming.
- During that time God made him into the man who could handle the job.
- Imagine the reaction of the Israelite leaders if David had killed Saul.
- They wouldn’t have willingly followed him.
- Dying to ambition allows God to make us into the person who can handle the place where He’s leading us.
- And it allows Him to work on the people who will be a part of our next chapter in life.
1 Chronicles 11:9-10 (6/15/17)
June 15, 2017 • Benham Brothers
* David’s kingdom grew greater and greater because of the people God brought to David.
* Much like the church - it’s strength is in the individual gifts of each person in it.
* All of these people banded together to make and keep David as king.
* He didn’t have to go and recruit them - they were magnetized to him.
* 1 Chronicles 12:1-2 - relatives of Saul joined him.
* 1 Chronicles 12:16-17 - if they came to join him in the fight, he would be “united” with them.
* 1 Chronicles 12:22 - they slowly built into an army.
* 1 Chronicles 12:38 - they were of single purpose to make David king.
* These people didn’t join David for the sake of unity - they did it because of what he stood for.
* They wanted to fight the same battles he was fighting - to honor God.
* It’s called “functional unity” - unity that comes as a reward for uniting around the battle (function).
* 3-R model of unity:
* The Requirement for unity is engaging in the battle.
* The Result of engaging in the battle is unity among believers.
* The Reward for the church being unified in battle is victory.
1 Chronicles 11:15-19 (6/14/18)
June 14, 2018 • Benham Brothers
* David’s men wanted to please him.
* He foolishly voiced a desire that he should have kept quiet.
* Leaders need to keep quiet about certain things - this shows prudence.
* But when his men risked their lives to get him what he wanted David wisely refused to drink it. Why?
* Because he didn’t want to give his men an example so others would risk their lives to simply please him.
* This is what a good leader does - he refuses to indulge his own desire in order to protect those who follow him.
* Good leaders recognize their people will:
* 1) Do things “for” them - because they want to please them.
* 2) Do things “like” them - because people naturally follow a strong leader.
* David foolishly voiced his appetite, but then he wisely controlled it at the end.
1 Chronicles 13 (6/24/21)
June 24, 2021 • Benham Brothers
1 Chronicles 14:2 (7/17/14)
July 17, 2014 • Benham Brothers
David realized God had made him king.
It's one thing to want to do great things for God, it's another thing to realize that wherever God has placed you is for a specific reason.
Replace your name in this verse - "And Jason realized that God had established me as owner of BREG for the sake of those who would join our company and to bring God glory!"
The secret to thinking like this is CONTENTMENT.
Contentment is recognizing that wherever God has placed you and whatever God has given you to do is for His glory.
We think our "sweet spot" is a destination, but it's actually a state of being.
So wherever you are make your spot sweet with contentment.
vs 14:1 - David was able to think like this because he saw himself as simply a tool in the hand of God.
How you see yourself determines how you conduct yourself.
1 Chronicles 14:3 - When God blessed David he began to accumulate power and influence and wealth, etc.
All of this came from God.
The problem with accumulation is that it often unlocks our ambition.
Then it becomes cyclical - ambition causes us to accumulate more, and the more we accumulate the more ambitious we get.
Even worse, we begin to accumulate in areas where we ought not to.
We need to only let God accumulate for us - to let Him cause our growth, not ourselves.
We need to replace our craving with contentment.
It starts by recognizing the source of our accumulation - is it God Who's bringing it or is it us who's taking it?
Christopher Columbus learned the hard way - he started off on the right foot but couldn't control his ambition.
Ambition is meant to be fueled by God and not by accumulation.
1 Chronicles 15:4 (10/4/23)
October 4, 2023 • Benham Brothers • 1 Chronicles 15:4
- God has made all of us to be king/priests (Revelation 1:6).
- In the OT, the king and priest were separate offices.
- They were made to work together - one didn’t function without the other.
- Kings take dominion and rule.
- Priests focus on the relational aspect between God and man.
- In the NT, Jesus was a king/priest.
- Now we are king/priests!
- We have to learn how to operate in that identity.
- Here’s the KEY - The key is to let the priest lead!!!!
- Act like a king, think like a priest.
- When you think like a priest, “how” you do something is more important than “what” you’re doing.
- Backstory - two times we see David attempting to bring the Ark of God to Jerusalem.
- The first time, he consulted all the leaders of the people but not the priests.
- That was a very "kingly" move - get your leaders involved in the decision.
- Good move.
- But he should have then consulted the priests on how to do it.
- They would’ve told him Levites should carry it on poles.
- But David used a cart since it worked from the Philistines.
- As a result, a man died and Jerusalem didn’t get God’s presence (1 Chronicles 13).
- Now, years later, David got it right.
- Vs 1-4 - “After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before him forever.” David assembled all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. He called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites.”
- Vs 11-13 - “Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and …the heads of the Levitical families - It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the Lord our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way.”
- On the first occasion, David let his kingly heart lead.
- But on this occasion, he fixed it and let the priest lead.
- Later in the chapter we see David wearing the same linen garments that the Levites wore.
- This was the outward sign of what was going on in David inwardly.
- He was thinking like a priest now!
- He was thinking in terms of his and Israel's relationship to God more than the task at hand.
- How do we let our inner priest lead our inner king?
- Have an eternal perspective - always consider God’s point of view before you do anything.
- Listen for God’s voice - get still, be quiet, focus your thoughts.
- Look for God’s hand - pay attention to what happens, knowing that God is speaking.
- Walk at the pace of our people (family).
- Keep ambition in the passenger seat.
1 Chronicles 15:22 (6/21/18)
June 21, 2018 • Benham Brothers
ronicles 15:22 - Excellence
* Chenaniah was leader of music “because he was skillful.”
* He was excellent at his job.
* Because of this he was chosen to be the leader.
* Leadership starts by being excellent at whatever we do.
* We work excellently when we work “as if” God Himself gave us the job.
* Imagine how distracting it is in the middle of a worship service for the piano player to be off key.
* Chenaniah wasn’t just gifted, he was anointed.
* He was a LEVITE! The Levites were called to lead in music.
* Today we hire gifted people for worship services but not anointed - there are many churches who don’t even require their people to be saved.
* But excellence is the key here - operate in excellence and it will prepare you for leadership.
1 Chronicles 15:25-26 (6/18/20)
June 18, 2020 • Benham Brothers
1 Chronicles 17:1-3 (7/22/21)
July 22, 2021 • Benham Brothers
* Abe Lincoln once said, “If you give me six hours to chop down a tree, I’ll take the first five to sharpen my axe!”
* If you want to achieve something of significance (like build a business), one of the best ways to “sharpen your axe” is to build your squad!
* We become like the people we hang around the most.
* “According to research by social psychologist Dr. David McClelland of Harvard, the people you habitually associate with determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life.
* But it’s even bigger than this - it’s not just your immediate friends - it’s your social network as well.
* Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler examined the data set from the Framingham Heart Study, one of the largest and longest running health studies ever, when they realized that it covered more than just the heart health of the participants. They were studied for all sorts of medical conditions, and during interviews they were probed with all sorts of demographic questions, including questions about family members and friends.
* So they started analyzing the data to see what the effects of family members and friends were on something fairly easy and objective: obesity. According to their results, if a friend of yours becomes obese, you yourself are 45 percent more likely than chance to gain weight over the next two to four years. More surprisingly, however, they found that if a friend of your friend becomes obese, your likelihood of gaining weight increases by about 20 percent — even if you don’t know that friend of a friend. The effect continues one more person out. If a friend of the friend of your friend develops obesity, you are still 10 percent more likely than random chance to gain weight as well.
* They found that if your friend smokes, you are 61 percent more likely to be a smoker yourself. If a friend of your friend smokes, you are still 29 percent more likely to smoke. And for a friend of a friend, the likelihood is 11 percent.
* Perhaps the most telling study was of happiness. The two researchers found that happy friends make you happier — no surprise there. If your friend is happy you are 15% more likely to be happy. A friend of a friend being happy gives you a 12% chance of being happier as a result. A friend of a friend of a friend gives you a 6 percent greater likelihood of being happy yourself.
* Why is all this important?
* Because it shows the importance of building your squad!
* David, the most famous and arguably the most successful man in the Old Testament, shows us the value of your squad!
* And it starts with your closest confidant.
* Vs 1 - David told Nathan first! Good move.
* Vs 2 - Nathan empowered David to do what was in his heart! Good friend.
* Vs 3 - God spoke to David THROUGH Nathan!
* David never got rid of Nathan after the rebuke (he even named one of his kids after him).
* Imagine if David shared this vision about the temple with Hiram first - he would’ve activated a plan to make it happen.
* But Nathan didn’t start planning, he started praying.
* Who are your closest friends? Do you have a Nathan in your life?
* The only way to achieve true success is with a squad.
* Even Jesus showed us this.
* Three things about your squad:
* 1) Surround yourself with people who make you better.
* 2) Surround yourself with people who will give you hard advice.
* 3) Surround yourself with people who are more concerned about the burden than the benefit.
1 Chronicles 17:1-5 (6/20/19)
June 20, 2019 • Benham Brothers
* Nathan shows us a great principle when we have a dream or when we’re at a crossroads.
* Move Forward!!!
* As you’re moving God will check if He doesn’t want you going in that direction.
* The key is your motive - don’t move until you know your motive.
* If your heart is to please the Lord, just pick a direction and move.
* He’ll stop you if He wants to.
* One of the ways you know you’re moving the right direction is that doors begin to open and you don’t have to scheme to get them open.
* Faith is living without scheming.
