1 Chronicles 27:25-34

THE KEEPER OF THE OIL

 

Intro:  What we have in these verses is a list of the officers who served in David's court along with the duties each carried out.  It must have been a great honor to be chosen by the king for a place of service.  Imagine if the President were to call on you to fulfill some office in his administration.  Most folks would consider it a great honor.

      But, have you ever considered that the Lord chooses out men and women to serve Him?  As a matter of fact, He has given every believer a place of service in the body of Christ, Eph. 2:10; 1 Cor. 12:7, 11.  What a blessing to be used of the Lord!  It is a blessing beyond compare to be chosen, gifted and used by the Lord.

      This list of officials from David’s kingdom can teach us some lessons about serving the Lord. 

1.  Each Person Had A Place Of Special Service.  (God chooses what we do, where we do it and to what extent it is done.  No one else can do the job you have been specially designed to do!)

2.  Each Person Was Called By Name - (God knows each of you by name, He cares for and keeps up with His Own, Matt. 10:29-31.)

3.  Each Person Served In Different Capacities - (God puts us where we are.  We are to grow where He plants us!)

4.  Each Person Was Placed Where They Were By The King - (Anywhere the Lord places you is a special place of service.  He knows where He can best us your gifts for His glory and for the edification of the whole church, Eph. 4:10-13; 1 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 4:16, “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”)

      We could spend time talking about each of these duties assigned in these verses, but I want to concentrate on verse 28.  I want to look at the man named Joash, who was the keeper of the cellars of oil.  Here is a man who was in a place of special service to the king.  However, his job was not flashy or one that attracted a lot of attention.  He served his king, but he did so in a dark, damp and deserted cellar.  Let's look in on Joash and the job he was called upon to fulfill. I want to consider this man and I want to look at the cellar as a place of service.

      You might wonder what you and I can learn from a passage such as this.  Well, we can learn a lot about faithfulness to the Lord in our service.  You see, Joash represents much of the church this evening.  Like Joash, many Christians serve the Lord in obscurity.  Yet, the service they provide is absolutely essential in the life of the church.  Tonight, let’s look in on the life of this man named Joash as I preach for a while on this thought: The Keeper Of The Oil.

 

  I.                               THE DUTIES OF HIS JOB

A.  Keep The Oil - (Ill. Oil was very important in Jewish society – It was used Religiously (Lev. 2:1; 7:1ff; 14ff); And as Lamp Fuel (Ex. 27:20); As an Item of Commerce (1 Kings 5:11); As a Medicine (Luke 10:34); In Cooking and in Cosmetics. (Oil was extremely important!)

      (Oil is also a symbol - It represents the Holy Spirit!  We need some saints of God who will be keepers of the oil in our day! (Ill. We need some who will keep old-fashioned preaching, praying, praising the Lord and personal holiness alive in our day.) In that day, the keeper of the oil literally kept the lights on in Israel.  The keepers of the oil in the church today literally keep the lights on at the house of God! Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:22-25; Acts 1:18)

B.  Stay In Place - (Ill. It must have been hard to stay in the cellar!) (Ill. If you want to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord just be faithful to Him to serve Him where He has placed you - 1 Cor. 4:2.  If you want to always be in the will of the Lord, then keep on doing the last thing the Lord told you to do until He tells you to do something else.)

C.  Watch For Intruders - He was to keep an eye on the oil and be sure none was stolen.   (Ill. We need watchers in our day! We need some people who are wide awake, ensuring that the oil of the Spirit is not stolen by the thieves of complacency, apathy, worldliness or popularity. (Ill. The duties of the ancient Watchmen.  We need some with that same kind of commitment today! - 1 Cor. 16:13) (Ill. Rom. 16:17; 2 Thes. 3:14)  (Ill. Some would take our oil - Rev. 3:1-2.) (Ill. It would be easy to let the guard down when alone and discouraged in the cellar!  Ill. 1 Pet. 5:8)

 

 II.                       THE DISADVANTAGES OF HIS JOB

A.  It Was Unnoticed - (Ill. A thankless job!)  (Ill. The others and their recognition!)  Do it for the King, He sees every effort, Pro. 15:3! (Rev.22:12) (Ill. Marlin and Jim!) (JUST KEEP THE OIL!)

B.  It Was Uncomfortable - (Ill. The cellar - Dark, Damp, Deserted!)  All of God's assignments are not pleasant!            God's call to a task says that God has faith in you.  Your obedience, even in a difficult place shows you have faith in God!  (Ill. Paul, Jesus, Stephen!)  (Our duty is to deny self and obey the Lord - Matt. 16:24!) (JUST KEEP THE OIL!)

C.  It Was Lonely - (Ill. Sometimes the Lord's work is lonely work!  You will be misunderstood and misrepresented)  But, every now and then, the King will come to visit!  (Ill. Mephibosheth - 2 Sam. 19:30.  Ill. Why Mephibosheth felt this way – 2 Sam. 9:1-13.)  All is well and the job worth it when the King comes to visit!  (Ill. "Well done!" - Matt. 25:21) (JUST KEEP THE OIL!)

D.  It Was Unappreciated - Ill. Others must have mocked Joash!  People will not always understand you, but serve the Lord and him first, and He will pour out the blessings on you!  (Ill. Matt. 10:33-38) (JUST KEEP THE OIL!)

 

III.                              THE DEMANDS OF HIS JOB

A.  Stay Until The King Calls - Be faithful until He calls you home, or He changes your assignment.  (Ill. Our job is only to be faithful!)

B.  Don't Come Out For Any Reason - If you are serving the Lord, you are doing the       greatest work in the world!  Anything else is a step down!  (Ill. Nehemiah - Neh. 6:1-4 Ill. Say “Oh no!” when the devil says “Come down.”) 

            It is a special person who will just stay put and serve the Lord, even when there is harassment, difficulty, fatigue, and what they do goes unnoticed.  It takes a person who cares more about the Lord than about self!)  It takes a person who is Spirit-filled and Spirit-led!  Ill. Joash = "Jehovah-fired"!  The person energized by God Himself will do the job of keeping the oil!

C.  Obey The King - He is the only one you need to try and please!  Just keep the oil and all will be well!  (Ill. God wants your obedience - 1 Sam. 15:22)

 

Conc:  Are you a keeper of the Oil?  Are you faithfully fulfilling your duties before the Lord?  There are a couple of facts that we need to hear concerning this type of servant.

1.  They are Humble - Willing to do any job. (Ill. King David was willing to be a doorkeeper - Psa. 84:10)

2.  They are Helpful - Looking out for the good of all.  (Il. Hur - Ex. 17:12)

3.  They are Hopeful - Know they will be rewarded for faithfulness to their King!  It doesn’t matter to them if others see or notice what they do.  They know they are where the king has placed them and they just keep the oil, knowing their king sees and takes notice of their service! They do it all out of love for their king.

 

      Church, just keep the oil and God will bless!