Right Ambitions
1st Kings chapter 1:1-10
Have you ever wanted something so bad that it didn’t matter what you did to get it? This blind ambition caused the downfall of more than one person in history. We are staring our study this week in the book of 1st Kings It takes us from the rule of King Solomon through the many kings that Israel had. The good, the bad and the not so bright. And there is something we can learn from each of them. This morning oru focus is however on one of King David’s sons who try to take the throne ahead of his brother Solomon. Lets read what happened.
Read 1st Kings 1:1-10
1. The wrong path- David’s older sons followed a path unlike his own. While David had waited years to ascend to the throne of Israel in God’s time his sons were impatient opportunist. In his early years there were many times that David could have taken the Kingdom of Israel from Saul. He was popular among the people, he had the charisma, he could have easily overthrown the king. But He waited on God. He had such a fear of the Lord and a respect for whoever God had anointed to lead that he dare not take things into his own hands even though King Saul pursued and tried to kill David. He still did not take matters into his own hands. Now David is coming to the end of his reign as King of Israel. And rather than following in his fathers footsteps one of his sons Adonijah decides to take this opportunity to take the kingdom from his father.
A. Self importance-Instead of being legit and going about things the right way. Adonijah tries to take the reigns of power by a coup not unlike what happens in small south American countries today. Now we may not be trying to take over a small country but we can live in such a way that we our “putting ourselves forward” just like Adonijah. It is hard to resist the pull of the world and the pull of our own selfish pride. We are schooled all our life to go up the ladder of human promotion, to be outstanding, to succeed and win the prizes.
God is not against ambition. But we must redefine success. It is pleasing God rather than our self by becoming more like Christ. We must tune our ear to hear heaven’s applause rather than the temporary praise.
B. Does the end really justifies the means? Adonijah isn’t really thinking this through. He is ignoring what is right, he is doing things his own way, as long as he gets the throne it doesn’t matter how he does it or who he hurts along the way. This is kind of an end justifies the means attitude. Get power however you can, no matter what it takes. And we see this not only with political leaders but in everyday life. People often “put themselves forward” by pulling others down.
You may see this at your workplace where someone wants a promotion so much that they are willing to make others look bad to get ahead. Rather than just working hard and letting their work speak for itself they play the company politics. And everybody knows it. They often leave causalities in their wake, people they have walked over to get to were they are.
C. What does it cost?-Yes you may get the promotion, yes you may get the raise but at what cost? The trust and admiration of your peers, the respect of those you lead? The problem with taking power like that is it that it comes at a price. Those who live like that always have to be looking over their shoulders for the next person that’s going to attempt the same thing. It isn’t worth it. And for the Christian this is not something we should engage in. How we get there is just as important as getting there. Or put another way, the journey is just as important as the arrival. Why because it affects our integrity, who we are as a person and our witness to others about God’s power to transform our lives. As Christians we ought to be wearing a sign that says “not for sale” not because of any greatness on our part because we have already been purchased by the blood of Jesus on the cross. character cannot be for sale to the highest bidder because in the end when we pass from this life we will not be judged by the promotions we received or awards we won or how famous we were.
Howard Hughes became synonymous with money, power and control. "Every man has his price, or a man like me couldn't exist," he would say. Yet, for the last fifteen years of his life, no one could say for certain whether he was alive or dead; much less, what he looked like. He controlled thousands of lives and hundreds of thousands of jobs. Even governments depended on him. Yet, he lived a sunless, joyless, half lunatic life. His scraggly beard hung down to his waist. His long, unwashed hair hung to the middle of his back. His fingernails were two inches long. His toenails hadn't been trimmed for so long, they looked like corkscrews. He lived with a horrifying fear of dying. All that accumulation . . . yet, today it does him no good. All that wealth, and all that unhappiness. His name meant, "authority," yet, his life meant nothing. It's the classic tale of time verses eternity. Howard Hughes had it backwards. .
Mark 8:34-38 (NIV)
34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37 Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Transition: (I wonder how many examples it takes to burst the bubble of us Christians that ambition that is not focused on the glory of God and the good of others ultimately leads to futility. )
2. Where does your council come from?-When your going down the wrong path check who your hanging out with. Who are you talking to? Adonijah had sought the council of Joab who was the general of David’s armies an Abithar the high priest. Joab was an opportunist. He had a tended to have worldly view of things and no doubt seeing the popularity of Adonijah decided it would be to his advantage to go along with this coup.
A. Worldly advice or godly wisdom?
Psalm 1:1 (NIV)
Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.
We really need to be careful who we are getting advice from. Co-workers, friends, family whoever it might be might have good sounding advice but does it check out with scripture. Don’t just look for someone who will agree with you or justify your emotions. Often I find that in counseling many people just want someone to tell them what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear. True wisdom is only received with humility. If you already made up your mind than what do you need council for?
Psalm 1:2-3 (NIV)
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
I like to listen to those who I know are meditating on the Word of God. I surround myself with people that love God and seek his council. Also this idea of meditating means not reading a whole chapter or just going through a reading plan but actually taking a verse or a single passage of scripture and thinking about how that applies to life in general and than how I can apply it in my life. It means quieting my heart and mind and even memorizing the scripture.
B. Parental wisdom
-1 Kings 1:6 (NIV)
6 (His father had never interfered with him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.)
This sentence is in the past tense indicating that David did nothing to correct his son’s arrogant actions. This is a very disturbing verse because it indicates one of the biggest flaws in David’s life. It seems pretty clear that after the incident where David committed adultery with Bathsheba it affected his ability to father. He didn’t feel that he could give input into his kids lives. He didn’t correct them or try to discipline them. We need to be careful that we also don’t fall into this kind of pattern. “Thinking that because of what I did in the past it would be hypocritical of me to correct my children.” Past sins don’t negate present responsibility. There is no guarantee that you will stop your kids from doing some of the same things you did but that shouldn’t stop you from giving them wise advice and speaking into their lives.
3. Glorifying God-So where should are ambitions lie?
The comedian Jim Carrey stars in the movie Bruce Almighty. He plays a TV reporter who thinks his being overlooked for promotions and various other misfortunes mean that God doesn’t care, or at least has let him down. When God, played by Morgan Freeman, shows up to offer Bruce His own power for a season to see if he can do any better with it, Bruce accepts the deal.
Soon Bruce is indulging himself in the fulfillment of his fantasies and manipulating his way to the coveted anchor position. This obsession with advancement causes an estrangement with his girlfriend Grace, who discovers how low down on the priority list she has become.
Bruce discovers that a part of God’s job is answering prayers, and there are billions of them. Lacking God’s wisdom, he grants a blanket “Yes” to all requests, and trouble begins. Not only that, but because he can’t violate human free will, he finds he is losing Grace, and all the power in heaven and earth cannot make her come back to him. His ambition, coupled with great power, has resulted in his life being a bigger mess than ever.
In one of the best scenes of submission to God’s will ever put on film, Bruce realizes he has much to be thankful for, and that someone else can run his life better than himself. He learns that he is not fulfilled by the desired promotion, but by serving others with his God-given gifts (“My Will Be Done, Alex Wainer, Breakpoint).
The main reason that most of the Kingdom of God, that is the church, does not get involved in the work of God is that our ambitions are either misdirected by worldly pursuits or we live well meaning lives but our energy is spread out over too many activities instead of being focused on those few things that make a big difference.
What this results in is many come into the church wanting to be spiritually fed but because they have made no room in their lives for ministry and because they are so tired from other activities only a small percentage actually want to turn around and do the feeding. Many come wanting their needs to be met but very few actually ask what needs they can meet in the church. This this is so deeply rooted in our culture that pastors are often taught the Paretto Principle that is that 80% of the ministry will be done by 20% of the church. Even Jesus foresaw this
Matthew 9:36-38 (NIV)
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Those workers in the harvest field that Jesus is talking about is every Christian. And it’s not just about evangelism. It’s having compassion on the helpless and the harassed, it’s being available to pray with and ministry to those in need. It’s be that person at the church or even at the office on Monday that brings a word of comfort and a listening ear, its that person that opens their home for bible study where people can grow closer to God.
When I think of this one life that we have to live I think about WHAT KIND OF LEGACY I will LEAVE?
Sir Nicholas Winton was a stockbroker in 1938 when Hitler’s troops began to march into Czechoslovakia. In his gut he knew that something evil was underfoot. He quit his job as a stockbroker and began to charter trains, raise money, and transport Jewish children out of Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia and Poland. Because of him, 699 Jewish children escaped what would have been imminent death in Nazi prison camps. Vera Gissing, one of the 699 children who escaped remarked, "He did not only save 699, he saved a generation. We have had children and grandchildren. Because of him, there are about 7,000 of us alive."
Let us be in the business of saving lives. Let us leave a legacy that says we spoke the truth of the gospel, that we took opportunity to add something to the life of another. Because in the end that is what lasts, that is what makes it through the fire and that is what will determine our reward.
