Trascrizione completa di David: Choosing Sides - 1 Samuel 18:1-14

00:01:58,120 In fact, some of you may have heard of them. 42 00:01:58,120 --> 00:01:59,120 Some of you haven't. 43 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:04,000 There's a guy named Baskham Ray Lankin, or another way of saying his name is B.R. 44 00:02:04,000 --> 00:02:05,000 Lankin. 45 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:06,000 Has anybody heard of that name? 46 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Okay. 47 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,160 There's a couple who has never heard of that name before. 48 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:11,160 Okay. 49 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:12,160 Okay. 50 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:14,680 That's the vast majority of the people in here. 51 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:15,680 B.R. 52 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:21,040 Lankin was, I'm going to read what the title says on the painting. 53 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:22,040 Okay. 54 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:27,960 The B.R. Lankin was born on a farm near Forest, Fort Gay, West Virginia. 55 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:31,080 I'm going to go on to his ministry. 56 00:02:31,080 --> 00:02:36,840 He says, after attending Moody Bible Institute and pastoring several churches, he was called 57 00:02:36,840 --> 00:02:42,080 to assist E. Howard Cato at the Cato Tabernacle in Indianapolis, Indiana. 58 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:48,280 Upon Cato's death, Lagan became the pastor during the next 14 years, became the pastor 59 00:02:48,280 --> 00:02:53,680 and the next 14 years, the ministry grew until he was preaching to 10,000 people each Sunday 60 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:58,000 in addition to broadcasting to services nationwide. 61 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:02,080 He was given honorary doctorates from Bob Jennings University and Clesing College. 62 00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:08,880 In the early 1950s, Dr. Lankin began a 30-year itinerant ministry that included the largest 63 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:10,080 churches in America. 64 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:17,680 He traveled 50,000 miles annually and preached to an average of 4,000 people a week. 65 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:23,200 He witnessed more than 100,000 conversions to Christ. 66 00:03:23,200 --> 00:03:25,680 That's pretty cool, isn't it? 67 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,560 His sermons were a combination of sanctified wit, good Bible teaching, and a strong appeal 68 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:32,240 for people to, quote, come to Christ. 69 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:38,720 After more than 65 years of preaching, Dr. Lankin hung his sword on the summary walls 70 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:45,360 of the city of God, end quote, and went to be with the Lord on March 15, 1984. 71 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:50,480 His funeral was conducted at the Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and 72 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:56,320 was attended by more than 5,000 people. 73 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,080 I was talking to my dad because I'd heard him say, B.R. 74 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:02,840 Lankin's name year after year, and I was talking to my dad about him. 75 00:04:02,840 --> 00:04:07,840 He was a member of Temple Baptist Church in Titusville, Florida, which was my parents' 76 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:14,080 home church, and where I was, the church I was, I wasn't born in the church. 77 00:04:14,080 --> 00:04:15,080 But it kind of felt like it. 78 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:17,560 I think I was born on Sunday, and Sunday night I was in church. 79 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:19,760 That's how that works. 80 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,160 I've been in church a long time. 81 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:26,240 Brother Lankin, actually, the last few years of his life was a member of that church in 82 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:29,440 Pastor Wendell Carell with his pastor. 83 00:04:29,440 --> 00:04:38,680 My dad said he just knew Pastor Lankin's nephew lived in Titusville, Florida, and went to their 84 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:39,680 church. 85 00:04:39,680 --> 00:04:41,240 In fact, he was very good friends with my dad. 86 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:45,920 My dad said I just thought B.R. Lankin was a guy that wore pajamas most of the day and 87 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:47,640 watched St. Louis Cardinal baseball games. 88 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:49,400 That's what I thought he was. 89 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,200 He was amazed to find out the kind of impact that this particular guy had had. 90 00:04:54,200 --> 00:05:00,200 In fact, he started out in an era where he was, in terms of being an itinerant preacher, 91 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:08,080 was literally on a mule going from place to place preaching at different towns. 92 00:05:08,080 --> 00:05:12,560 That's how he started, was basically being a still a horseback, muleback, whatever you 93 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,320 want to call a preacher all those different years. 94 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:23,400 I say it like to say, where in the 1930s and 40s he may have been in large part because 95 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:28,640 of his broadcast and because of that large church that he was at, a household name, many 96 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:35,600 of you, some of you have heard of him, but many of you had not. 97 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:40,040 You've had people that had been more impactful on your life than a guy who has led 100,000 98 00:05:40,040 --> 00:05:42,160 people to Christ. 99 00:05:42,160 --> 00:05:47,320 What I'm trying to say is, Dr. Lankin or people like him, D.O. Moody, all the names we could 100 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:53,560 bring up, even guys today who are impactful in our lives, the fact that God uses us at 101 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,520 all is just amazing. 102 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:05,320 You don't have to preach to thousands every week and win 100,000 people to Jesus to be 103 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:07,960 used by God or to be valuable to God. 104 00:06:07,960 --> 00:06:16,960 In fact, God doesn't love a guy like that anymore than he loves you. 105 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:22,160 We find ourselves in this David series. 106 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,040 We're talking about King David and the life of David. 107 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:30,000

David is not yet a king, although he's been anointed in the first week of the series. 108 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:35,880 He studied how David was anointed by God to be the next king. 109 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:37,600 It's not something he had on his calendar. 110 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:41,960 He was out being faithful and to shepherd the sheep. 111 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:47,280 God directed Samuel to show up and to anoint him to be king. 112 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:52,880 In that particular message, we emphasize what the text seems to emphasize, that God taught 113 00:06:52,880 --> 00:06:58,760 Samuel and God is teaching us that man looks on the face, on the outward appearance, but 114 00:06:58,760 --> 00:07:02,280 God looks at the heart. 115 00:07:02,280 --> 00:07:05,120 That's right. 116 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,880 It's amazing that God uses people. 117 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,760 It's amazing that he uses us. 118 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:11,360 I think about Moses. 119 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,680 Moses spent 40 years, this is D.M. 120 00:07:13,680 --> 00:07:18,480 Moody said this, Moses spent 40 years thinking he was somebody when he was a prince. 121 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:24,360 He spent 40 years learning he was a nobody that was in the backside of the desert. 122 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:29,400 Somebody spent 40 years discovering what God can do with a nobody. 123 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:30,400 Give your life to God. 124 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,480 He can do more with it than you can, D.O. 125 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:34,160 Moody said. 126 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:40,920 What we saw in that first week is that God was working on David when he was in obscurity, 127 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,880 when he was on the backside of the desert, when he was out there shepherding sheep. 128 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:51,720 What we found last week was that God began to use David in a crucial moment. 129 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:59,160 Pastor Miles did a great job helping us remember the story of David and Goliath and how David 130 00:07:59,160 --> 00:08:02,080 trusted God and was used by God. 131 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:10,720 Today we're going to look at 1 Samuel, chapter number 18, and we're going to see what happens 132 00:08:10,720 --> 00:08:13,720 after David starts to be used by God. 133 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:21,120 David was kind of minding his own business, didn't ask to be used by God in a prominent 134 00:08:21,120 --> 00:08:22,720 way, but God did that. 135 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,840 He started to use him in this incredible way. 136 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,120 David is later called a man after God's own heart. 137 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:35,480 David is used to kill this giant, to save the children of Israel. 138 00:08:35,480 --> 00:08:36,480 It's a pretty amazing thing. 139 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:44,440 Then he goes back to working with his sheep and with his dad. 140 00:08:44,440 --> 00:08:46,520 He begins to start being used by God. 141 00:08:46,520 --> 00:08:49,760 We see that in the Goliath story. 142 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:56,400 Now we're going to see in 1 Samuel, chapter 18 how God starts to use David and how that 143 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,820 impacts his relationships. 144 00:08:59,820 --> 00:09:05,800 We must understand how God's using us can impact our relationships by seeing four responses 145 00:09:05,800 --> 00:09:07,760 his using us can bring. 146 00:09:07,760 --> 00:09:13,800 We talked about how there are people in your life that God used to impact you. 147 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,800 You have people in your life that God's used to impact you. 148 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:22,400 Sometimes God starts using somebody and impacts their relationships. 149 00:09:22,400 --> 00:09:27,840 We see four different responses that his using us can bring. 150 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:29,360 The first one is this. 151 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,240 When God uses us, it can bring friendship. 152 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,480 It can bring friendship. 153 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:41,360 Look at 1 Samuel, chapter 18, verse number one. 154 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,360 Here's what it says. 155 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:50,480 It came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul that the soul of Jonathan 156 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:54,440 was knit with the soul of David. 157 00:09:54,440 --> 00:10:00,160 Now there's a few things I want to talk to you about with this particular friendship. 158 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:04,320 Jonathan was Saul's son. 159 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:09,080 Jonathan being Saul's son was the next rightful heir as prince. 160 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:15,120 He's the next rightful heir of the first king of Israel. 161 00:10:15,120 --> 00:10:19,400 I believe certainly as we know that they got to be pretty close that Jonathan would have 162 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,080 known that David had been anointed. 163 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:26,720 That may have been something that had come up at some point in their relationship. 164 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,000 Here you see where it says literally there's a connection in the soul. 165 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:34,360 There's this friendship that has begun with this unlikely person. 166 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:37,720 It says that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David. 167 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:39,360 They were connected. 168 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:40,860 They were close. 169 00:10:40,860 --> 00:10:51,280 I believe that it's important for us to realize that there is, God wants us to have deep relationships. 170 00:10:51,280 --> 00:10:56,560 You know you can't have equally deep relationships with everybody who understands that. 171 00:10:56,560 --> 00:10:57,560 You're limited. 172 00:10:57,560 --> 00:10:59,200 We are finite creatures. 173 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:05,160 We only have so much time, so much energy, so much ability to do that. 174 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:10,480 Here there's this connection and some have made

it into something that it's not. 175 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,760 Here I believe so clearly that they just have this connection. 176 00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:16,800 It wasn't just a surface connection. 177 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:23,720 This was a connection that was born out of them both I believe loving the Lord and loving 178 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:24,720 each other. 179 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:28,800 In fact you see not just a connection in the soul, you see compassion that's sincere. 180 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:33,240 It says about this idea that it was knit with the soul of David. 181 00:11:33,240 --> 00:11:37,040 Jonathan loved him as his own soul. 182 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,680 Isn't that interesting? 183 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:43,040 He loved David as much as he loved himself. 184 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,440 I think that's really an interesting thing. 185 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,640 Saul took him that day talking about David and would let him no more go home to his father's 186 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:50,640 house. 187 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:55,480 As of this point Saul's connection with David is, hey now you work for me, you live with 188 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:57,360 me, you're part of the king's court. 189 00:11:57,360 --> 00:12:02,560 Now David has gone from the sheep and being a shepherd, being one of the kids in his dad's 190 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:03,560 home. 191 00:12:03,560 --> 00:12:08,960 Now he's around the king, around the king's son. 192 00:12:08,960 --> 00:12:17,200 You'll find out later in verse 5 down into verse 6 that he's around the men of war. 193 00:12:17,200 --> 00:12:19,560 We're going to see that in a minute. 194 00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,280 So he has this close connection. 195 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:27,480 It says in verse 3 we also see not only did he have a connection and compassion, we also 196 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:29,840 see that there's a covenant that's made here. 197 00:12:29,840 --> 00:12:36,680 Verse 3, then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. 198 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:38,800 That's the second time that's said. 199 00:12:38,800 --> 00:12:40,360 And now we see a contribution. 200 00:12:40,360 --> 00:12:46,480 Verse 4, and Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him and gave it to David 201 00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:53,240 and his garments even to his sword and to his bow and to his, what does it say, girdle, 202 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:54,240 right? 203 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,200 Here we see a contribution that's selfless. 204 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:03,360 When Jonathan gives David his robe, that robe would have been some kind of an indication 205 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,360 of his royal status. 206 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:12,800 This is Jonathan recognizing God is doing something, God is choosing something, and I'm going 207 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:20,280 to have a connection and a friendship and a love and make a promise to my friend David 208 00:13:20,280 --> 00:13:25,440 so much so that even if it means that I'm not going to be the king, there's this connection 209 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:26,440 that's there. 210 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:31,760 And he's willing to follow, he sees what God's doing in David's life. 211 00:13:31,760 --> 00:13:37,320 He gives, it says also, those are the three things, his sword, his bow, and his girdle. 212 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:44,040 These are in those days really important, right? 213 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:45,640 They are not toys to play with. 214 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:47,600 These are tools to work with. 215 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:54,440 These are military people in a military position, and now he's giving him essentially his protection. 216 00:13:54,440 --> 00:14:02,160 He's saying, I'm here to protect you, I'm here to be here for you, and he's making this 217 00:14:02,160 --> 00:14:05,200 covenant with David. 218 00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:14,200 Now when we're used by God, one of the greatest things that can happen when you get in ministry 219 00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:19,600 and when you begin to be used by the Lord is that sometimes God brings you friendship. 220 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:21,040 God brings you friendship. 221 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:26,080 Have you guys ever become close to people that you're serving with at church? 222 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:27,240 Yeah. 223 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:33,480 Some of the closest relationships I have are people that I were in ministry with. 224 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:37,640 You guys remember, who here remembers Eric Hiltabittle? 225 00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:38,640 Yeah. 226 00:14:38,640 --> 00:14:44,360 Eric Hiltabittle was the worship pastor here, and I knew Eric back when we were in school 227 00:14:44,360 --> 00:14:49,360 together, and then we worked together at the church, and Eric was there, there was a guy 228 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:54,360 named Robert Hagee that was across the hall from me, and sometimes when you do ministry 229 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:56,800 like this, you get to be really, really close. 230 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:01,360 You get to spend, you're basically living with each other as you do ministry together 231 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:02,360 full time. 232 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,400 That's how I feel what happens. 233 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,200 I told Corey today, actually, Sundays aren't for friendship. 234 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:09,400 We don't talk on Sundays. 235 00:15:09,400 --> 00:15:12,840 He's doing his thing, and I'm doing my thing, and we get to be friends during the week. 236 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:17,480 But my point being is we spend a lot of time together, and you can build these relationships. 237 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:19,720 That's how church ought to be, who agrees? 238 00:15:19,720 --> 00:15:23,240 We're a family, and we ought to love each other and care about each other. 239 00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:28,880 There is a trend in churches that the churches are meeting

less and less and less, and I 240 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:34,200 think that that's, I'm just here to say, I'm not saying that we will never cut anything, 241 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:38,320 we'll never stop doing some things, but I think we need to spend more time together, 242 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:39,320 not less. 243 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,960 I think we ought to have some deep relationships and deep friendships. 244 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,360 That's why I think I love missions trips. 245 00:15:45,360 --> 00:15:49,160 I want us to take missions trips, so we can go somewhere and minister together and see 246 00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:53,360 what God's doing around the world and spend time doing that together. 247 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:59,120 Sometimes God can bring friendship, and when He does, it's so important that we don't just 248 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:05,760 have things in common that are temporary, that are, oh, I like the, I like, I don't 249 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:11,720 like Michigan. 250 00:16:11,720 --> 00:16:14,640 And I can still be friends with the berries, right? 251 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,720 I can not like Michigan, but yet I can still be friends with the berries. 252 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:18,880 You know why? 253 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:20,440 Because who cares about college football? 254 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:23,280 A million years from now, college what? 255 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:24,280 What's a college? 256 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:25,280 We all know, who knows? 257 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,120 And eternity we may know, who knows? 258 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:32,400 But my point is, what is, what we're connected in is so much more important than college 259 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:33,400 football. 260 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,600 Are you with me? 261 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:38,880 We are supposed to be connected in a spiritual way. 262 00:16:38,880 --> 00:16:44,320 So God using us and doing ministry together and God beginning to use people can bring 263 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:45,320 us friendship. 264 00:16:45,320 --> 00:16:46,320 Here's another one. 265 00:16:46,320 --> 00:16:47,640 Here's the second one. 266 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:51,320 God using us can bring fandom. 267 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:58,200 I try hard to stick with my alliteration. 268 00:16:58,200 --> 00:17:00,040 Friendship and fandom, what do I mean? 269 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:01,040 Well look at what happens. 270 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:05,640 Verse five, and David went out with or so ever saw sent him. 271 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:09,640 Now this is, this is cool, right? 272 00:17:09,640 --> 00:17:16,040 David has been called, God divinely worked all this out, sovereignly worked all this 273 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:20,280 out so that David would be there in the king's court. 274 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:27,560 And David starts to be used by Saul to do whatever Saul told him to do. 275 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:32,520 And it says in verse five, and behaved himself what? 276 00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,520 Wisely. 277 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:38,400 David realized that God anointed him to be king. 278 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:41,400 And here's what I know to be true. 279 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:48,320 If you want people to follow you when you're a leader, you need to follow people when you're 280 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:49,400 not. 281 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:55,080 You need to be faithful when you're not the leader so that you can, this is called the 282 00:17:55,080 --> 00:17:56,840 law of sowing and reaping. 283 00:17:56,840 --> 00:18:00,160 And David, I love this, he's behaving himself wisely. 284 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:04,200 It says in Saul sent him over the men of war. 285 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:05,880 So David was valuable to Saul. 286 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:10,080 David was accepted here by his peers, it says at the end of verse five, and he was accepted 287 00:18:10,080 --> 00:18:15,080 in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 288 00:18:15,080 --> 00:18:17,360 So David continues to act wisely. 289 00:18:17,360 --> 00:18:22,920 He's being used by God and people can just see his heart in the way that he's living 290 00:18:22,920 --> 00:18:25,040 and what he's doing. 291 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:26,040 But look at what happened. 292 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:29,320 Verse six, here David was celebrated by the people. 293 00:18:29,320 --> 00:18:34,200 It came to pass as they came when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine 294 00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:41,200 that the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King 295 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:46,120 Saul with tab rays with joy and with instruments and music. 296 00:18:46,120 --> 00:18:48,480 And the women answered one another as they played. 297 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:54,480 So you have this, now there's a new popular song being played on the radio, right? 298 00:18:54,480 --> 00:18:56,240 It's a hit song. 299 00:18:56,240 --> 00:18:57,640 There's no radio, I get it. 300 00:18:57,640 --> 00:18:58,640 Go with me. 301 00:18:58,640 --> 00:18:59,640 Okay. 302 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:05,960 And they're coming and here comes King Saul and now they're playing with joy, instruments 303 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:11,040 and music and the women answered one another so that you have this antiphonal, like almost 304 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,000 like the song going back and forth. 305 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:15,920 They are saying it, then they're saying it, then they're saying it, then they're saying 306 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:16,920 it. 307 00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:18,160 It's call and response. 308 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:21,920 And said, Saul has slain his thousands. 309 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,320 And then they, I imagine the song to go like this. 310 00:19:25,320 --> 00:19:27,200 You guys be Saul has slain his thousands. 311 00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:28,200 Ready? 312 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:30,200

Right. 313 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:40,200 So, this is a hit song, man. 314 00:19:40,200 --> 00:19:43,080 I can tell you, that's pretty good. 315 00:19:43,080 --> 00:19:50,640 So they're going back and forth and so do you get the idea? 316 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:55,320 He's gone from being a friend, he's got these new friendships, now he's also getting some 317 00:19:55,320 --> 00:20:00,240 people noticing him, some fans, right? 318 00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:06,400 People start saying things about him that aren't, well, let me ask you a question. 319 00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:10,000 Is this true? 320 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,920 How many people had David killed? 321 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:15,040 Tens of thousands? 322 00:20:15,040 --> 00:20:20,720 No, not at this point. 323 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,920 We know he killed one. 324 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:24,560 And the guy was tall, right? 325 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:29,000 He was a big giant, right? 326 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:34,520 So this is just like, this is the kind of song they're singing and it's not even necessarily 327 00:20:34,520 --> 00:20:35,520 true. 328 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:38,560 Now here's some principles I want you to hear. 329 00:20:38,560 --> 00:20:42,080 We have to remind ourselves that when God uses us, just of a few things. 330 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:48,360 Number one, when we're used by God, it's His grace. 331 00:20:48,360 --> 00:20:53,160 And it should be for His glory, right? 332 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,720 Luke 17.7 says this, write this down, go look at it later. 333 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:58,520 Here's what it says. 334 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,920 This is Jesus talking into His disciples. 335 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:07,160 But which of you having a servant plowing or feeding cattle will say to Him, by and by, 336 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:11,480 when He's come up from the field, go and sit down to meet. 337 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:15,440 And will not rather say to Him, make ready whether I may sup and gird thyself and serve 338 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:20,200 me till I have eaten and drunk and afterwards I shall eat and drink. 339 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:24,200 He's saying, which thing happens more often? 340 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:32,160 The person who's in charge saying, okay, the time for work is done, go and sit down and 341 00:21:32,160 --> 00:21:37,200 I'll make you dinner or I'm going to sit down and you're going to fix me dinner, which is 342 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,920 more likely. 343 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:43,320 Typically I'm going to sit down and you fix me dinner. 344 00:21:43,320 --> 00:21:45,320 That's what He's saying. 345 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:49,760 Verse nine, doth He thank that servant because He did the things that were commanded Him? 346 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,120 I try not. 347 00:21:52,120 --> 00:21:55,640 So likewise ye, here's the point, verse 10. 348 00:21:55,640 --> 00:22:00,640 So likewise ye, when you have done all those things which are commanded you say, we are 349 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:07,840 unprofitable servants, we have done that which was our duty to do. 350 00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:10,040 You know what Jesus is saying? 351 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:17,440 When God uses you, when God chooses to use you as His servant, don't say, man, look at 352 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:19,320 me. 353 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,200 I'm lucky to have me. 354 00:22:22,200 --> 00:22:24,960 Look at all these things happening. 355 00:22:24,960 --> 00:22:26,560 I'm the man. 356 00:22:26,560 --> 00:22:28,080 Is that the right answer? 357 00:22:28,080 --> 00:22:29,080 No. 358 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:33,240 You simply say, I'm just doing what God's called me to do. 359 00:22:33,240 --> 00:22:36,600 And if something good happens, it's not all on me. 360 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:39,640 It's on the Lord, right? 361 00:22:39,640 --> 00:22:43,400 So you have David here and he's starting to get a public opinion. 362 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:48,640 And his public opinion is that he's just really a great guy. 363 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:52,400 And here's another principle that I want to tell you and this is something that I've been 364 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:57,240 taught and I try to remember, this is so important. 365 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:00,920 You're never as good as some people think you are. 366 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:06,280 You're never as bad as some people think you are. 367 00:23:06,280 --> 00:23:07,560 My dad taught me this. 368 00:23:07,560 --> 00:23:10,880 I've had other pastors that have taught me this. 369 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,520 Be careful of praise. 370 00:23:13,520 --> 00:23:16,960 Be careful of praise because it can get to here pretty quick. 371 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:22,600 But also be careful of criticism because it can get to here pretty quick. 372 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,000 Are you with me? 373 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:27,880 We got to be careful about that. 374 00:23:27,880 --> 00:23:31,520 Our identity is not in what other people think of us. 375 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:33,160 Our identity is in who? 376 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,560 It's in Christ. 377 00:23:35,560 --> 00:23:37,920 We are what Christ says we are. 378 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:45,840 And so the goal is to think of Christ more than to think of ourselves. 379 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:52,240 David's being used by God and certainly that can bring friendship but it also can bring 380 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:55,280 people who start to have opinions about us. 381 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:58,880 We need to be careful about how we interact with those. 382 00:23:58,880 --> 00:23:59,880 Here's the third thing. 383 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:00,880 Ready? 384 00:24:00,880 --> 00:24:02,000 Number three. 385 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,240 God using us can bring friction. 386 00:24:05,240 --> 00:24:09,320 Can bring friction. 387 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,040 The first thing was David and Jonathan. 388 00:24:11,040 --> 00:24:12,840 The second

relation was David and the people. 389 00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:15,720 Now we see David and Saul. 390 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:21,200 What do you think Saul thinks about this new hit song? 391 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:24,840 Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands. 392 00:24:24,840 --> 00:24:26,200 It says in verse eight. 393 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:30,440 And Saul was very wroth and the saying displeased him. 394 00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:35,920 He said they have ascribed to David tens of thousands and to me they have ascribed thousands. 395 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,080 And what can he have more but the kingdom? 396 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:39,600 You know what he's saying? 397 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:43,640 I'm worried he's about to be the next king. 398 00:24:43,640 --> 00:24:46,160 That's what's going to happen, right? 399 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:50,160 And Saul eyed David from that day forward. 400 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:52,480 God was using David. 401 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,160 People were noticing David. 402 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,480 And now David is being eyed by Saul. 403 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:00,440 Now he's got, hey, I got to watch this guy. 404 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:04,360 He came to pass on the moral of the evil spirit from God came upon Saul and he prophesied 405 00:25:04,360 --> 00:25:08,000 in the midst of the house and David played with his hand as at other times and there 406 00:25:08,000 --> 00:25:11,200 was a javelin in Saul's hand. 407 00:25:11,200 --> 00:25:16,760 And Saul cast the javelin for he said I will smite David even to the wall with it. 408 00:25:16,760 --> 00:25:18,760 Who likes violence? 409 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:19,920 It's pretty fun. 410 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:20,920 Okay. 411 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:21,920 Verse 11. 412 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,640 And Saul cast the javelin for he said I will smite David to the wall with it and David 413 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:26,760 avoided out of his presence twice. 414 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,960 And Saul was afraid of David. 415 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:30,760 Now that's interesting. 416 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:34,000 Saul was, who was afraid of who? 417 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:39,400 After I read something about, after you read something about somebody throwing a javelin 418 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:43,720 at somebody you would think they would say and David was afraid of Saul. 419 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:48,320 But the guy throwing the javelin was the one afraid, wasn't he? 420 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:55,360 He says, and Saul was afraid of David, why? 421 00:25:55,360 --> 00:25:58,280 Because the Lord was with him. 422 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:02,440 Now that's an interesting thing. 423 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:03,840 Saul was rejected as king. 424 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:05,280 Do you remember that? 425 00:26:05,280 --> 00:26:10,840 He said in the first week that the reason why God decided to go with David, at least 426 00:26:10,840 --> 00:26:15,240 as you saw that, remember Samuel was dealing with all that, was that Saul kept making these 427 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,600 wrong choices, these wrong mistakes. 428 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:21,160 Saul was doing things that were disobedient to the Lord. 429 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:22,680 So God says I'm done with Saul. 430 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,960 I'm moving on to David. 431 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:27,960 Saul was not being obedient to God. 432 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,560 Saul was not a man after God's own heart. 433 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:35,400 But it was a man after God's own heart and it was very, very clear that God was with 434 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:36,400 him. 435 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:43,960 And so sometimes when you align yourself with the Lord, it's condemning to those who don't 436 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,200 do that. 437 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:51,560 You see where this morning in Hebrews chapter 11, it said something interesting about Noah. 438 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:53,880 Do you guys remember what it said? 439 00:26:53,880 --> 00:27:02,280 It said that when Noah obeyed God, I'll read it, by faith Noah being warned of God if things 440 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:07,360 not seen as yet, move with fear, prepare an ark to the saving of his house, by the which 441 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:09,480 he what? 442 00:27:09,480 --> 00:27:11,480 Condemned the world. 443 00:27:11,480 --> 00:27:12,840 How did he condemn the world? 444 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:14,400 Because he's being obedient. 445 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:16,680 They have the possibility of being obedient. 446 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,160 God made the ark big enough to house a whole lot more people than it did and none of them 447 00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:22,160 came on board. 448 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:27,920 So when Noah was being obedient to God and everybody else was, it was a condemnation 449 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:29,960 to them. 450 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:35,680 Here with Saul, David is doing the right thing. 451 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:37,960 He's just being obedient where God places him. 452 00:27:37,960 --> 00:27:40,040 He's trying to bloom where he's planted. 453 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:45,120 And it's very obvious to people that are there that God was using David. 454 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:51,080 Because David had aligned himself with the Lord, he was aligning himself against Saul. 455 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:53,320 Did David ask for that? 456 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:56,400 David, he's just doing what he's told. 457 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:01,960 David's just a shepherd boy who God brings a prophet along to anoint and then now Saul, 458 00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:08,720 now he's got an opportunity to see what we saw last week where he's killed Goliath and 459 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:15,720 now he's being used to being in the king's court and he's doing all the right things. 460 00:28:15,720 --> 00:28:17,080 He didn't write the hit song. 461 00:28:17,080 --> 00:28:18,880 They wrote the hit

song. 462 00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,280 They're the ones singing it. 463 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:27,360 And it caused Saul to be scared of David. 464 00:28:27,360 --> 00:28:30,040 To the point that his fear led him to try to kill him. 465 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:34,440 And you'll see that over the next few chapters. 466 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:40,800 Therefore Saul removed him from him and made him captain over a thousand and he went out 467 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,480 and came in before the people. 468 00:28:43,480 --> 00:28:45,520 Saul was so angry that he promoted him. 469 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:48,840 He promoted him out of the, or demoted him, whatever it was. 470 00:28:48,840 --> 00:28:54,800 He got him out of the court and he was being used that way. 471 00:28:54,800 --> 00:29:00,760 You know when we decide that we're going to serve the Lord, when we align ourselves with 472 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:05,600 God sometimes that means we get an enemy. 473 00:29:05,600 --> 00:29:07,400 Right? 474 00:29:07,400 --> 00:29:12,000 Every Christian has three enemies, the world, the flesh and the devil. 475 00:29:12,000 --> 00:29:16,720 And when you are being used by the Lord sometimes that comes at a cost. 476 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:17,720 It can bring friction. 477 00:29:17,720 --> 00:29:20,800 Here's the last one. 478 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:24,120 God using us can bring favor. 479 00:29:24,120 --> 00:29:28,040 Now we see David's relationship with the Lord. 480 00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:34,160 It says in verse 12, what does it say about David? 481 00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:38,320 It says that the Lord was what? 482 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,040 You see that in verse 12? 483 00:29:40,040 --> 00:29:41,040 It's always afraid of David. 484 00:29:41,040 --> 00:29:42,040 Why? 485 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:45,840 Because the Lord was with him. 486 00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:47,920 David was developing his relationship with God. 487 00:29:47,920 --> 00:29:58,920 Verse 14, and David behaved himself wisely in all his ways and the Lord was with David. 488 00:29:58,920 --> 00:30:01,080 Who wants the Lord to be with him? 489 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:02,800 I want that. 490 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:03,800 I want that. 491 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:07,000 And I know you do too. 492 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:15,120 God chooses at times to use us. 493 00:30:15,120 --> 00:30:16,960 And when he does some great things can happen. 494 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:17,960 It can bring friendships. 495 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:20,600 Who has some friendships here at our church? 496 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:24,360 God being using us and together that's so important. 497 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:29,640 Sometimes God brings, sometimes when we serve God it brings recognition. 498 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:31,600 Recognition isn't always bad. 499 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:36,440 In fact, that's something we want to get better at at our church. 500 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:42,000 We want people who are being faithful and used to the Lord to know that they are recognized 501 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:43,160 and appreciated and loved. 502 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:45,840 I'm so grateful for you folks, so many people. 503 00:30:45,840 --> 00:30:49,400 Even right now there are people serving so that we can enjoy what we're enjoying here. 504 00:30:49,400 --> 00:30:52,560 I'm so grateful for that. 505 00:30:52,560 --> 00:31:01,520 But we got to remember to serve the Lord even if that fanfare doesn't come. 506 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:06,060 Sometimes when we serve the Lord it can bring friction. 507 00:31:06,060 --> 00:31:13,120 Sometimes when we are trying to be faithful, man, it brings about problems. 508 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:19,560 When you set your allegiance towards the Lord sometimes it brings a situation where you 509 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,640 become an enemy of those who don't love him. 510 00:31:22,640 --> 00:31:26,880 But when you're used to God, man, it can help grow your relationship with him. 511 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:34,280 And I think it's so important for us to understand that it doesn't matter really at the end of 512 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:35,280 the day. 513 00:31:35,280 --> 00:31:38,880 It is not more important what people think of us. 514 00:31:38,880 --> 00:31:44,560 The one who is the most important for us to think about or what's most important is what 515 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:47,400 God thinks of us. 516 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:48,400 How does that look? 517 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:55,920 Well, it looks like behaving ourselves wisely in all our ways and recognizing that the Lord, 518 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,160 we need the Lord's presence in our life. 519 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:04,320 John 15 says, tells us where our success can come from. 520 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:05,520 We want a fruitful ministry. 521 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:08,920 We want to be really used by God. 522 00:32:08,920 --> 00:32:10,040 We studied this. 523 00:32:10,040 --> 00:32:12,920 We tried to memorize this. 524 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:20,840 Abide in me and I in you as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abides in the 525 00:32:20,840 --> 00:32:21,840 vine. 526 00:32:21,840 --> 00:32:23,160 No more can ye accept ye abiding me. 527 00:32:23,160 --> 00:32:24,160 I am the vine. 528 00:32:24,160 --> 00:32:25,160 You are the branches. 529 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:27,520 He that abideth in me and I in him. 530 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:33,600 The same bringeth forth much fruit for without me you can do what? 531 00:32:33,600 --> 00:32:35,600 Nothing, nothing. 532 00:32:35,600 --> 00:33:04,600 Would you bear had to close your eyes on me?