Boot Camp: If God Be For You
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Transforming Truth: When you belong to Jesus, God is for you, not against you.
As we continue to study the life of King David, we see this truth represented as David continued to succeed amidst Saul's murderous advances. Through this, we learn at least three things: 1) Jesus intends for His people to excel in the midst of stressful circumstances, 2) we can discover the gospel in some of the most unexpected places and 3) when need be, God Himself will fight for us.
Excelling in the Midst of Stress
1 Samuel 19:1-8 Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan had taken a great liking to David and warned him, “My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I’ll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out.” Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?” Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death.” So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before. Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him.
David had done all things well in the court and army of Saul; yet instead of receiving praise, Saul's jealousies were driving Saul to have it out for David.
Have you ever felt like this in the workplace or in your relationships? If you have, you should, nevertheless, like David, look to bring benefit and maximized blessing to your family, school, company and relationships for as long as you are there.
Jesus set the ultimate standard for excellence and leadership in the midst of persecution from the religious leaders of His day:
Mark 7:37 People were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak.”
Handling stress in the workplace or relationships will be one of the markers of your deepening trust in Jesus. Jesus is a refuge, and when you run to Him, you will find safety. When you remain in the community of His people and receive the encouragement of His word, you will know peace.
The key is to stay the course.
Do you allow the pressures of your career to throw you off course from your priority of cultivating your relationship with Jesus, His church and engaging in His mission? As we read in the Psalms, though Saul was literally attempting to murder David, David remained steadfast in his devotion to the Lord, his people and the mission of advancing God's kingdom in the land.
Psalm 23:4-5 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
David was still winning victories in the midst of his hardships. To ensure this, you need to make sure that you are right with Jesus. Living a holy life is key:
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the Lord.
When you are living in the grace and favor of God, you begin to find advocates in all the necessary places for His purposes.
The Gospel in Unexpected Places
1 Samuel 19:8-17 Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. But an evil spirit from the Lord came on Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the lyre, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. Saul sent men to David’s house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t run for your life tonight, tomorrow you’ll be killed.” So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped. Then Michal took an idol and laid it on the bed, covering it with a garment and putting some goats’ hair at the head. When Saul sent the men to capture David, Michal said, “He is ill.” Then Saul sent the men back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so that I may kill him.” But when the men entered, there was the idol in the bed, and at the head was some goats’ hair. Saul said to Michal, “Why did you deceive me like this and send my enemy away so that he escaped?”Michal told him, “He said to me, ‘Let me get away. Why should I kill you?’
The Gospel through Jonathan
Jonathan could have naturally sided with his father Saul in protecting his own rights to the throne. Jonathan showed David kindness instead.
Jesus is our ultimate advocate who left His throne to come to our defense. The truth is that we all have an adversary in the devil who accuses us before God and one another day and night (Revelation 12:10). This adversary continually reminds us of our shortcomings and failings. However, even where there is legitimate guilt, Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross brings blessing where there should only be curses. As we repent and put our faith in His atoning work, Jesus comes to our defense offering forgiveness of sins and a life of purpose.
The Gospel through Michal The wages of sin is death. Jesus had to literally lay in our bed of wrath and cover over our idols with His shed blood that we might go free.
There are times that you will be the recipient of the type of gospel love that came from Jonathan, but we should also be aware that we are here to show that gospel love that was represented in Michal.
By coming to David's defense, she literally took part in saving David's life. Just like Michal, you have a role to play in the story of Jesus saving lives and transforming the city. "Each one reach one" should be our cry as we look to serve others with the same mercy that we've been shown from Jesus.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke
God is "Calling Everyone Up" as He did with David in the fields! God has His eye on each of you individually and calls everyone who is willing to repent of sin, put their confidence in Jesus and rise up to a life of service unto impact for His church and kingdom. The question is, "Where is your place of impact?" There are several opportunities in and through this church. Speak to someone after the service at our Volunteer Fair to find out how.
If God Be For Us
1 Samuel 19:18-24 When David had fled and made his escape, he went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there. Word came to Saul: “David is in Naioth at Ramah”; so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came on Saul’s men, and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Seku. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?”“Over in Naioth at Ramah,” they said. So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even on him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his garments, and he too prophesied in Samuel’s presence. He lay naked all that day and all that night. This is why people say, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
When the admonitions of Jonathan and the appeals of Michal were not enough to keep King Saul at bay, God himself intervened to come to David's defense. As you find yourself in His purposes, He will do the same for you.
“Gentle Jesus, meek and mild' is a snivelling modern invention, with no warrant in the gospels.” ― George Bernard Shaw
The Apostle Paul said it this way when he was speaking to those who had repented of their sin and put their trust in Jesus in the church at Rome:
Romans 8:31-39 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:“For your sake we face death all day long;we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Though stress factors may come, we are commissioned to be shaped by them, not crushed by them. When we understand that Jesus is for us and not against us, we'll have great focus to continue to excel in the midst of the hardships and receive help when needed from unexpected places. God longs to be for you not against you. Let's return to the Savior of our very lives today - Jesus who sees you, Jesus who redeems you and Jesus who gives you purpose as you embrace His sanctifying work in your life.
Second City Church- Boot Camp Sermon Series 2014