For our scripture reading, we're going to do Old Testament and New Testament. Our text will be from 2 Samuel, and so we'll start there. 2 Samuel, chapter 7, page 330 in your pew Bible. Hear God's Word. We'll read verses 1 through 16. 2 Samuel chapter 7. Now when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent. And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that's in your heart, for the Lord is with you. But that same night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, Go and tell my servant David, thus says the Lord, Would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, Why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make you a great name like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more as formerly from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men. But my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. Now turn with me to Luke chapter 1. Luke chapter 1, and we'll read 26 through 33. Luke chapter 1, starting with verse 26. In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you. But she was greatly troubled at the saying and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. And then if you jump up, we'll read what is said to the shepherds also in chapter 2, starting there with verse 8. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you. You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Now, I imagine most of you would agree with me that Christmas time is a great season. It's a great break from our normal routine in life. Lots of traditions, lots of gatherings with family and friends that go along with it. We have many, many different things that we do. And as we celebrated here, one thing I often hear, especially from students who aren't from around this area and aren't familiar with our climate here, as we sit outside in December in shorts, they say, but it doesn't feel like Christmas. I remind them right away that Southern California, with its climate, is a lot closer to Israel in Christmas than someplace like Michigan. We have biblical weather here. There's nothing biblical about a white Christmas. Now, I introduced that not because we're going to talk about the weather when Jesus was born, and not because there's anything wrong with a lot of the traditions and celebrations that we go and hold at this time of year. But we have to be careful not to confuse those things with our celebration of Christ's birth and the circumstances surrounding it. And so tonight what I want to do is to help us think more clearly about that, about the birth of Jesus that first Christmas and what it was like, specifically, as we read there in Luke, there was this talk of a king, a king, one to sit on this throne of David. We sung about that in some of our songs. Why was Israel looking for a king? What were they expecting this king to do? What was their hope for this king? We see in the Psalms, Psalm 146, verse 3, the psalmist says, Put not your trust in princes. We certainly learn to do that as we see our politicians. So what was Israel doing putting their hope and their trust in a king? This king to come. Well, our text, 2 Samuel 7, gives us the answer to that. Israel was looking forward to this king because God had made promises about this king. The covenant to David that we read spoke about this son to be born. And it's that birth that we celebrate here at Christmas. And that's why I've titled this now the Christmas Covenant. We could talk about it that way. But as we think about kingship, we should remember that Israel didn't always have a king. We have been going through, Pastor Gordon's been going through the book of Exodus. We see Moses, he's a leader there, but he's not a king. And we see how Israel's faring under Moses, not always so well. But then what happens with Israel? They make it through the wilderness. They get to the promised land. And now Joshua, he leads them in. But he's not quite a king either. But he leads them in in the conquest. But there's no successor to Joshua. Joshua dies and now Israel is in many ways without any sort of leader. There's no successor. And so Israel, they were responsible for obeying God's law, for practicing rightly his worship, for enforcing justice throughout the land. That's what they were called to do. Well, how did it go? What comes after the book of Joshua? The book of Judges. And as we read Judges, we see how Israel did without this leader. We see this cycle. Israel fails again and again. They do evil in the eyes of the Lord. God punishes them and sends somebody against them to oppress them. They cry out. He raises up a judge who saves them. And then the cycle starts all over again. And as you read the book, what you're supposed to see is at the beginning and at the end, where has Israel gotten to? Well, you read the end of the book of Judges, and it's rather dark. They're now worse than the Canaanites they had cast out, leading each other into idolatry, leading, right, terrible perversions of justice, leading to civil war throughout Israel. And the book ends in an interesting way. It says, in those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. So, is that the answer? Well, we come to the book of Samuel, and that's really what Samuel's dealing with. Is kingship this answer of what Israel needs for their apostasy, for their lack of justice? Well, the people demand a king. God gives them one. He gives them Saul and they find out right away, not only do they need a king, they need the right king. Saul comes and he's worse than no king. And so what does God do? He has Samuel go out and anoint a king after his own heart. A king that wasn't recognized on the outside. He goes and anoints David. And so David is this anointed one. And we have to remember that's Messiah, that's Christ. He was the Christ, the anointed one of God, His king at that time. And what do we read of David? Well, he unites the people together now. Instead of civil war, he's uniting them. He's promoting justice in the land. He's showing a dedication to God. We sang about that in Psalm 132 there. His desire for the ark to be with him in Jerusalem, to bring it there. Though it had long been out in a dusty garage somewhere. And so we could say in many ways, David comes with this right king. Things were going very well, if you will. David really had made Israel great again. But that all forms the background for our passage. David has just moved the ark to Jerusalem. And God has given him, as the first verse says, rest from his enemies round about. And so he's secure in his kingdom there. And so David starts out wanting to do something for God. He says, I have this great house, God's only dwelling in a tent. And so Nathan says, do what's in your heart, but God quickly responds. And what we see here is God has to put David in his place a little bit to remind David who's in charge and who's really doing something for whom. And so we see that right away in our text, starting with verses 5 through 7. we see that God tells David, I don't really need a house. Go and tell my servant David, thus says the Lord, would you build a house for me to dwell in? I haven't lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of whom I commanded to shepherd my people of Israel, saying, why have you not built me a house of cedar? God hasn't asked for a house. He doesn't need a house. And so he has to remind David of that. David, I'm not in need here. That's not what this is about. And then he goes on and he reminds him in the next verses there who it was that brought David to where he is and reminds him why he did that. It was for his people. And so starting there in verse 8, he says, Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. I'm the one that made you David. I'm the one that has used you, and it has been for my people. I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make, you will continue to do things, I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones on the earth. And then we get in verse 10, we get, in many ways, what was this kingship about? Was it to just have great men running around Israel? Well, no, it was, as we saw, there was a problem with Israel. And kingship is helping us see the solution. God is using this kingship. And so this kingship is for the people. So in verse 10, I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. Kingship was so that God's people would have this rest. Would have this rest and be disturbed no more so that they could dwell there securely and safely as it goes on. and violent men shall afflict them no more as formerly, from the time that appointed judges over my people Israel. It wasn't a people to serve a king, it was the king to serve the people. And that's what God had raised David up for, and what David had been doing. But then, then God goes on, and he brings about this great reversal. How is this going to come about, this thought that they will dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more? Will David provide that exactly? Well, he says that you wanted to build me a house, but I'm going to build you a house. Verse 11 there, the last half. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled, and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. God is the one who shall build. God is the one who will rise up. And this house, this will be a special house. Look what he says in verse 13. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And then we could jump up to verse 16, where he says much the same. And your house and your kingdom shall be sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. This will be an everlasting house. Thus, tied in with that everlasting security, God was going to provide for his people. And so here, again, God is looking to David and showing him who's the one who is acting here. The success of David's line isn't because of David, but it's because God was using David. And this one who he is rising up, it will be because God has attached these promises to him. He will make his house forever. He will make it everlasting. Now, as we think about that, and as we think of Israel, that promise changes everything. Israel as a people now could put their hope in this king, this one that's promised, because God has attached his promises to them. God is the one who says this king will do this. This king will be this everlasting one. This king will have this lasting kingship that will provide this peace for the people. This king is the one that would bring that about. And so as Israel was to look to that king, they are really putting their faith and trust in God and his purposes. God and his promises. Because God is the one who will establish that king. Now, what happens in Israel? There are sons of David. And Israel learns rather quickly they need not just a son of David, they need the right son of David. Solomon comes, and in all his glory, and yet they find out right away even he isn't this one promised. And God mentions that in the covenant as he talks about in verses 14 and following this idea that there could be discipline. He says, I will be a father and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripe of the sons of men. but my steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. David's son, his line, may not always obey God's law as they ought, and God will punish them. But that doesn't mean the promise goes away. And that's what we find as we read on in the book of Kings. We see how that plays out with many of David's sons that are not, right? They are not wholly true, or they're sometimes outrightly opposed to God. And so it goes on until we come to the exile, when suddenly the Davidic line is cut off. And this is what Psalm 89 is probably looking at. We sang that at the beginning. Psalm 89 is this long psalm reminding God of this covenant that he made, these promises that he made. And so from verses 1 through 4, as we sang, I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord forever with my mouth. I will make known your faithfulness to all generations. For I said, steadfast love will be built up forever. In the heavens you will establish your faithfulness. You have said, I have made a covenant with my chosen one. I have sworn to David, my servant. I will establish your offspring forever and build your throne for all generations. And then in the psalm, it goes on and says, but what's happened? In the exile, that was cut off. And so he says, verse 38, But now you have cast off and rejected. You are full of wrath against your anointed. You have renounced the covenant with your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust. You have breached all his walls. You have laid his strongholds in ruins. All who pass by plunder him. He has become the scorn of his neighbors. You have exalted the right hand of his foes. You've made all his enemies rejoice. You've also turned back the edge of his sword. You have not made him stand in battle. You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground. You have cut short the days of his youth. You have covered him with shame. And so then he prays to God. He says, remember that covenant. He says, how long, O Lord, will you hide yourself forever? How long will your wrath burn like fire? Remember how short my time is for what vanity you have created all the children of man. What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Lord, where is your steadfast love of old which by your faithfulness you swore to David? Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked and how I bear in the heart the insults of all the many nations with which your enemies mock, O Lord. with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed, your Christ. And so we have Israel praying these. Praying these prayers that those promises would come about. And we see it also in the prophets. The prophets, they look to the future and they look to this promise coming to fulfillment. When will this be? When will this son of David come? This one who is this one to have an eternal throne. Isaiah 9, 6 through 7. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end. on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord will do this. Those promises were still valid. Jeremiah looks to it. Jeremiah 33, 14 through 17. Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah in those days and at that time I will cause a righteous branch to spring up for David and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely and this is the name by which it will be called. The Lord is our righteousness. For thus says the Lord, David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel. Well, that last one in the Old Testament to sit on that throne in Israel, he was brought into exile or he was killed in 586 B.C. And so this hope of the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one, the coming one of God, it continued on, century after century, generation after generation, almost 600 years after the last king was in Jerusalem. And so we read at Jesus' birth, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simon. And this man was righteous and devout, one who had kept this hope of the Messiah, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ, the Anointed One. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word, For my eyes have seen your salvation, that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. The king had come. And this king had come who would be everlasting because this king was God himself. That was the only way to fulfill that promise. was God himself becoming man and fulfilling what he had said would happen and he would do. And what does this king do? Well, look back with me at verse 13. What is it this king will do? It says, he shall build a house for my name. Ye shall build a house for my name. David had wanted to build a house for God's name. What David desired, God said, this promised one would accomplish. But what does it mean to build a house for God's name? Solomon came. He built a house. He built a temple. And yet, that wasn't the fulfillment of this promise. So just like God said to David, I'll build a house for you, that was no building. So also, this house is no building. It's instead a people. That's what this king would do. He would come and he would build a people for God. That people that would dwell securely. And so as we sit here, we can look around at each other. We are that house. We are that house built by the Messiah, this King, this one who came. Not by wood or stone, but by something much more precious. By his very own blood shed on the cross. And so, this Christmas season, we rejoice, we remember, we celebrate that the Anointed One, The Messiah, the Christ, he has been born. The hope of Israel, our hope. David's greater son, our Savior, and our King, God incarnate. Hark, the herald angels sing. Glory to the newborn King. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, we do thank you that your promises are true. And we see that in Jesus Christ. All of them are yes and amen. And may that be the hope that is in us and may that be what spurs us on as we go about this life, knowing that we are your people and we are the house that Jesus has built. We pray this in his name. Amen.