Sunday Nights Blessed Message done at Brookview Baptist Church Pastor Aaron P.Wilkerson, Humbled Bondservant of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Master-Savior. LESSONS FROM THE BATTLEFIELD 1 SAMUEL 17:1-54 Background: In order to better understand Chapter 17, it is important to have read Chapters 8-16, so let us briefly summarize these chapters... *Ch. 8-10: We see where the Prophet Samuel was the (last) Judge (in the OT) of Israel at the time, and as he had gotten older, he had 2 sons, and the became judges as well, they sadly did not follow his righteous ways, so Israel decided the wanted a king to lead over them, for they desired to be like other nations (when you read this, remember what happened with the people during the time of The Tower of Babel, and how they too, had same feeling and they were punished), so Samuel went to The Lord in prayer and counseled with Him, and being upset, Samuel asked God why this happened, and God told him, do not worry Samuel, it is not you they reject, it is Me(God). God then says to give them what they want, but warn them that this king will take everything of theirs and make it/them (including people of Israel and ALL that they possess), his, including their armies and money and women. When warned, the people didnt care, as long as they had a king they could see, touch, feel and one that is in person (they grossly desired a tangible materialistic worldly king, and they got one.) God also warned (and Samuel relayed this warning), that when they complain about this worldly selfish king (the people desired a king for selfish reasons, Spiritually and literally they were given a selfish king that hoarded all of them as his servants), and when they complain, (God warned them), He will not listen to their pleas. They didnt care they desired a king regardless, so God gave them Saul. *Ch. 11-12: We see where Samuel(working under Gods direction), anointed Saul (privately) and introduced him to the public, and warned them again, but he also, taught and warned Saul all of Gods Words and His Ways known by what God had told him to teach. So the Spirit (Holy Spirit) came upon Saul that day. *Ch. 13: Saul started off successfully, walking in Gods ways, but...he sinned by giving sinful sacrifices, and... *Ch. 14: Selfish curse, and... *Ch. 15: Incomplete Obedience, leading to God rejecting him as king over Israel and him losing Gods Spirit and instead left with an evil spirit in His (Holy Spirits) place. *Ch. 16: God annoints David as king and gives him His Spirit,and David ministers to Saul to lift his spirit, and everytime David sang and played his harp for him, The Spirit of God would come temporarily in Saul, but would leave, since he was not annointed anymore. Whic leaves us to todays Message, let us begin, open your Bibles tonight to 1 Samuel 17:1-54, we will be looking at the story of David and Goliath, with the title being called, Lessons from the battlefield, let us begin... ~Read v1-35~ I. v3 Mountains and Valleys We all have had our Mountaintop moments in our Christian walk, and sadly we also have had our Deep Valley lows as well, but take heart, and be encouraged for regardless, high or low, the same God on those Mountaintops, is the same God in those very deep and lowly valleys, and He is the same God when climbing up them with struggling, and the same God when we slide into an avalanche of despair into those dark valleys. I am reminded of a old gospel hymn called God on the Mountain you can hear that song here...https://youtube/watch?v=RCTl4tUYIAg II. v8-10 The Mocker The devil is a mocker, he is one who threatens, he aggravates, he lies, he stumbles people, he uses, and he persecutes and he is a coward. We do not fight against people, we are Spiritually fighting against evil that is cowardly portrayed through others. But take heart, even though, as Jesus said, we are like sheep led to slaughter, as long as we are saved by His Grace, and covered in His Blood and Sealed by His Spirit, we shall overcome, and the fact that we are blessed when we are reviled (mocked)and persecuted. The devil can not do anything without us letting him, so when we are in a Spiritual battle, please know and be encouraged and assured, that if God is for us, who can be against us? And also, count it all joy, (as Peter said in Acts) that you are found guilty in his eyes and are persecuted, for you must be doing something good for God to be found guilty by the devil. Amen? III. v11, 24 Why fear? In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. Even more wisdom, and properly more important, The Word of God says, We are not given a Spirit of fear, but instead we are given a Spirit of Faith... Fear is the opposite of faith, and anything not of faith is a sin. Notice here that v11 shows that Israel became fearful and fled when they heard Goliaths threats and mockery. V24 shows that Israel became more fearful when they saw him doing it. Now STOP for a moment, think and realize this truth...Faith is not by sight, it is about hearing every Word of God So putting a deaf ear to what God promises and being attentive to the worlds (the devils lies) threats and taunting, is counterproductive when one is on a Spiritual battlefield and will end up in a terrible defeat without The Lord and the direction of The Holy Spirit and His Word. IV. v16 Judgment call The Philistines stood ther for 40 days and nights. Anytime when studying The Word, that you see the number 40 in this context (40 days and nights or 40 by itself), it always means judgment. SO, therefore Spiritually speaking, the Philistines were judging themselves and they thought they were judging Israel. My beloved, when we stand as Judge to others, we will be judged in the same way we judge. Take this situation as an example...They judged Israel, Gods people, and as we will see as we continue, they are rightly judged and feel the wrath of God fully. V. v15,20 Feeding and Caring of The Sheep In both cases, we see where David (a Shadow of Christ Jesus), first feeds his sheep, and when entering the battlefield, he leaves them with the keeper. Be encouraged, for Jesus does the same thing for us, He feeds us His Word, and also leaves us with The Keeper, The Holy Spirit so we may be assured that while we are on those battlefields, He is always with us and shall never leave us. Amen? VI. v26 Public Profession of Faith Here David professed his faith in The Lord openly to the Israelite army by asking who was this lost person defying and mocking The Lord and His Army? We should openly profess/confess our Faith in the Lord, for Jesus warns and encourages and teaches us in Matthew 10, where He says, (i paraphrase this), those who confess me in front of their peers publicly, i will publicly confess them in front of my Father, yet, those who publicly reject me in front of their peers, i will publicly reject them in front of my Father. We are commanded to openly, publicly profess/confess our faith in front of everyone, not doing so, shows our cowardice and blatant disregard of our duty to do as The Lord commands and there is no excuse but we shall reap what sow, good or bad, and will answer to our response and actions on the day of Judgment regardless. Are you willing to profess Who Christ is to you by faith to others publicly? If you do not do so, not only will you and i be judged, but also we can not be a disciple of Him. VII. v28-31,33 Facing opposition by our own peers David faced persecution by his brother Eliab, and by Saul. It was because they worked off their own fear, and since Spiritually they couldnt apply faith from their heart, they strained to oppose him, by opposing what The Lord has done, can do, and is doing through David. How often have you, ever tried to do what The Lord said, and only come up being refused, rejected, and ridiculed by your own family or friends or coworkers? Be encouraged and assured, it is not you they reject, it is not you, that they have a problem with, it is The Lord, and all we can do is pray for them and keep doing as The Lord guides and tells us to do. Do not lose heart and stand firm and keep running the good race of Faith. Amen? VIII. v32 Stepping out in Faith David reassured Saul, to not lose heart over what this alrady condemned man was threatening and mocking them over. Jesus has always taught and assured us, to abide (remain) in Him and His Word and Spirit, we are always encouraged and assured as long as we are saved, His Love and Grace is assurance enough. There will be times where we will lose heart, but please, you do not have to stay in that situation for long, all we need to do is pray, talk to The Lord, ask Him to help you. Also, if you are doing this for others, to help them by ministering (encouraging) them to perk them up (pep talks), then remember, this takes you to step out in faith, rely on The Spirit and have Him tear the chains of Bondage from you, the bondage of comfortability, that ugly comfort zone should be in your rear view mirror and not your windshield, and do not look back. Sometimes, since we are fishers of men, we are going to have to get deep in that water of faith and be chin deep while we do the Will of God, but again, take heart, for The Holy Spirit is with you, and you can do all things, in Christ that strengthens you, it is automatic all you need to do is pray that He uses you, heed what He says, and respond correctly when told, and do so obediently without complaining and without procrastination. God says go, you go, not tomorrow but today and now. Amen? ~Read v36-44~ IX. v38-39 What Armor are you wearing? Are you wearing your own armor? Are you wearing mans version of armor? Or are you wearing Gods Armor? Think carefully please. Apart from Christ, any armor we wear that is not of God, will not fit! Now we can look at this Armor that David tried on as literal, and we should, but we should look deeper, we should also look at this Spiritually. Do you know why it didnt fit? Because David (a man after Gods own heart), knew that the ONLY Armor he needed, was that of Gods, for he was in The Spirit of God. Remember, The Israelites, and we are warned of what happens when we selfishly desire a king chosen by man without God, and what happens when God raises up a king for them. let us recall what Chapter 8 of 1 Samuel said, about mans king (in regard to his armor and goods)... ***Pay attention to the key words he and his and notice how their choice of a king (Saul) made everything of theirs, his now*** 1 Samuel 8:10-18 King James Version (KJV) 10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked of him a king. 11 And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 13 And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 15 And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 16 And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 18 And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. .... Now let us look at the valid Armor, The full Armor of God (what we wear when we are born again, and The Holy Spirit indwells in us. We wear this, but we need to pray to ask The Lord to assure us we are wearing it at ALL times, since, as Jesus warns and teaches, that we are like sheep led into the Slaughter daily)... Ephesians 6:10-20 New King James Version (NKJV) The Whole Armor of God 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. ... Which Armor are you wearing? Man or Gods? ~Read v45-54~ X. v40-54 Giving a Defense and Rightly Dividing The Word and using The Rock of Ages to bring down the Giant Here is David, preaching the Judgment of God on Goliath and the Philistines, and he does not do this for his own pride, nor his own glory, nor on his own will, nor motive, he does not even speak for himself, he is speaking in The Holy Spirit, The Spirit of God Himself is speaking through David, and he delivers the final blow afterwards, with The Rock, and Goliaths own sword. let us breakdown the 3 above evidential lessons we can learn from these final verses, they are... 1) 1 Peter 3:15-16 New King James Version (NKJV) 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 2) 2 Timothy 2:15 New King James Version (NKJV) 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 3) OT Proof that Jesus is The Rock...Psalm 144:1 New King James Version (NKJV) A Song to the Lord Who Preserves and Prospers His People A Psalm of David. 144 Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle— 4) NT Proof that Jesus is The Rock... (proof 1) 1 Corinthians 10:4 New King James Version (NKJV) 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. 5) NT Proof that Jesus is The Rock...(proof 2) 1 Peter 2:7-8 New King James Version (NKJV) 7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” 8 and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. Are you standing on that Solid Rock? DO you know Him? Is He the One you desire and embrace? APPLICATION: (What we learned from todays Message) 1) The Spiritual Battles in our Life is The Lords Battles. 2) The Victories of these Spiritual Battles in our life are The Lords Victories. 3) We reap in the rewards of these Victories by accepting Jesus as Savior, and reflecting Him, by living in The Spirit and Heeding Him and obeying Him and His Word. 4) Courage, Boldness, Strength, Power, and Faith does not come from us, it all comes from The Holy Spirit alone because of what Christ did on Calvary and the empty grave by God in Whom gives the Grace and love to save us through Christ. We can not save ourselves. 5) Do not fear, remember, God promised us, Fear not for I AM with you always, and will not forsake you 6) Jesus is The Rock, and applying our faith is the sling and God equips the Armor and every Soldier in His Army. 7) We do not battle against people, we battle evil forces (the devil and his minions) 8) Stand firm in faith and stay obedient and trusting in God and give Him that glory and increase in Him as we stay humbled (decrease self). 9) Finally we learn the THE POWER OF NOTHING A-NOTHING CAN FRUSTRATE THE PLAN AND WILL OF GOD!!! B-NOTHING CAN PREVAIL OVER THE CHURCH, NOT HELL,NOT DEATH, AND NOT THE GRAVE!!! C- NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST US CAN PROSPER!!! D- NOTHING CAN SEPERATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS!!! E-MAN CAN RECEIVE NOTHING UNLESS IT COMES FROM HEAVEN!!! F-NOTHING CAN TAKE US OUT OF THE GRASP OF JESUS!!! G-THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE IN CHRIST!!! H-NOTHING CAN CAUSE US TO LOSE OUR SALVATION!!! _________________________________________________ DO YOU DESIRE TO HAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD? DO YOU DESIRE TO BE SAVED? PRAY AND ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, AND CONFESS IN PRAYER THAT JESUS IS YOUR SAVIOR AND BELIEVE IT IN YOUR HEART AND YOU SHALL BE SAVED. NOW REMEMBER YOU NEED TO CONFESS BY MOUTH PUBLICLY TO OTHERS AS ROMANS 10:9-13 IMPLIES. ~CLOSE~ LET US PRAY... Merciful Lord, you are never weary of speaking to my poor heart. Grant me grace that, if today I hear your voice, my heart may not be hardened. Amen. NOW GO IN THE PEACE OF OUR LORD.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 07:03:21 +0000