Jump Start # 1495

Acts 13:36 “For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay.”

  Last evening I went to a performance of the Nutcracker. It was really good. The program said that this was first preformed in 1895. That was amazing to me. I wonder if the composer ever thought that 120 years later in another part of the world, his work would still be preformed? I have a few books on my shelves that are 150 years old. Again, I wonder if the writers ever thought that what they wrote would still be around that long. In art galleries across the world there are some very old paintings. There are a few hymns in our song books that are 150 year olds. But these are all rare exceptions. Most of the things and most of the people from generations past are gone and forgotten. I can trace part of my family back to the 1600’s, but it’s just names. I know nothing about those people.

All of this can be unsettling to some. They want to create a lasting name or a legacy that carries on. Few if any will. Our work is now. Our work is to this generation. Most sermons that are preached, most articles that are written, will be gone when we are. That can trouble us. We might say, “why then put so much work and energy into it?” The answer is found in our verse.

Acts 13 is a chapter devoted to the resurrection of Jesus. Paul refers to that often in this chapter. The mention of David, is connected to the resurrection of Jesus. David served his generation. David doesn’t serve this generation. The work of David is over. There is nothing that David did that can help us. His example can be studied, but his policies as king, his days as a warrior, the buildings that he built, do nothing for us today. David finished his work. And in a very graphic manner, our passage tells us that he died, was buried and underwent decay. He rotted away, we might say. He returned to the dust as God designed. That is in contrast to Jesus, who also died, and who was also buried, but unlike David, He arose. And Jesus’ work continues. It didn’t stop in the first century.

And unlike David, Jesus serves all generations. Some of my family were among the early and first Christians in Indiana. They were helped by the Lord. That has been consistent through all these generations. As I hold my little grandbabies, Jesus will serve them and help them. Jesus, alone, is the one that transcends all generations. Jesus is the help for all generations. There were times when brethren gathered together to pray for their young men who were off in a war far away. Those wars have ended and God is still being prayed to. There were times we prayed after national tragedies. Those times pass, and God is still there to help us.

Our passage brings us to two common realities—one about us and one about God.

First, we are limited in what we can do. What we do is limited to this generation. What we do will have little impact in future generations. Our time and our work is among the people now. We don’t preach sermons with the idea that “this sermon will be preached over and over for hundreds of years.” That simply won’t happen. We don’t write articles with that intention. Someday, these Jump Starts will stop. The good that they do is for today. I do not think 50 years from now anyone will ever mention them. That doesn’t bother me. Outside a few in my family, I don’t think anyone will be mentioning me in 50 years. That’s true with most of us. Our work is now. Our work is to this people.

Second, God is eternal. He is not limited. Since those early days when Jesus was walking those Galilean roads teaching people, His work and His message has been changing lives. It will continue to do so until He returns. God is not limited by time, space nor geography. Folks in far away lands know about Jesus. It is the resurrected Jesus that makes a difference.

So we do our work. We do it to the best that we can. We work hard. We work well. We try to change lives for Jesus. It is not us, but the Lord that will be remembered. It is not us, but the Lord that can change eternity.

David did his work in his generation. David died. The same ought to be said of us. We must be doing the will of God now.

Roger