Pain Brings Potential

morning. Welcome. Good to see you all. I got my notes open here. Yes, we’re good. So I heard a pastor friend described leading a church during Covid as hang up. There we go Group project You ever heard of everyone would ever do a group project growing up in high school or college. They were terrible and I was the worst group Project person always cherry picking other people’s work. So I hate group projects. Got some A’s out of those group projects, but I didn’t do a work and so covid leading a church during covid. Kinda like leading a big group project. And so there’s many people in many different places as we keep moving the team downfield. I just thank you for the freedom to try stuff as a church. One. Leadership blessed. I think we’ve learned from many, but one is every Covid plan you have as a church is subject to change with the whims of covid, and so we we as a church, it’s our hope and our prayer, like all of you, that our country and our society will progress back to more of a norm and praise God. The numbers have been coming down as a nation. That’s celebratory. And so it’s our hope and prayer that in the future, coming weeks and months, we could, you know, lean into making this just a mask. Optional service and the first one is a mass required service. That’s kind of our hope. Hopefully, we can do that in the future, but I’m we are hoping to bring back next Sunday the 21st Sunday school. So that’s a step in the in the direction of returning to life as we know it. And so we’ll be offering a mask Sunday school at 9 a.m. And at 10 30 Sunday school. That reflects this room, if that makes sense. So if you have any thoughts, concerns, questions just grabbed me afterwards. We can talk about it. I think already talk to all your parents. So if your parents have any thoughts concerning the questions, let me know. I’ve already talked. I think almost all your parents in this room. So, um, that’s our hope and prayer. That’s exciting. Um, I let’s pray. Let’s jump right into it this morning. God, thank you for today. Thank you for what we’re looking at today. And Samuel, we love you. We trust you. You’ve been a good god to us. You’ve taken good care of us as individuals and as a collective group. This last year, we just It’s been a different year. It’s been a tough year. It’s been an interesting year. It’s been a brutal year for many people. Lord, I feel like I’ve become an old man this last year. I thank you for what? You’ve leadership lessons you’ve been teaching me. You’ve been teaching all of us. You’ve been drawing us closer to you. Jesus in the wilderness. Lord, I thank you that it seems like things are training in the right direction. I purchased. Really Help us to finish. Well, we love you. I picked you. Just get all you can out of these passages. We’re looking at this morning. Really. Just imprint our souls. Our hearts, our minds just really imprint us as a young church. With the lessons we see in the Scripture today we commit this time to you, Lord, glorify your name with your word in your church. Jesus name we pray. Amen. All right, So 1st and 2nd Samuel, if you’ve done like an eyeball test. There is I proposed to you. There’s more of your Bible that is built around David before David, during David and after David than the four Gospels. You get what I’m saying and if you add on top of that half of the Book of Psalms. David wrote 75 of 150 chapters in The Book of Psalms, David wrote, We know more. I propose about what David is thinking and feeling whatever other people are doing than any other character in the Bible. I mean, today’s passage. Ironically, God lined it up with my personal readings. In the one year Bible was David’s reflections and praise and his concerns about the passage we’re looking at this morning. So it’s like you hear about something, but you rarely don’t get to know what they’re thinking in real time as they write down their thoughts, their praises, their reflections. And so David has been a fun HBO documentary to look at it. It’s not like a clean little, squeaky clean biography. It’s there’s blood and scandals, and it would be rated material. Audience is looking at this book of the Bible. There’s a lot of Gore and fun, and it’s something I enjoy as a history major. I love first Samuel. Second Samuel First Kings, second Kings, first Chronicle, Second Chronicles. I just I just love the life of David and we get to watch his life and the highlights and the lowlights, the best moments of his life and the parts of his life. You’re like, Oh, my goodness, there’s times in the chapter. You’re like, I just want to slap you. David, what are you doing? And there’s other parts of the book you’re like. That’s my guy David’s got. He lives all in front of us. He’s described as a man after God’s own heart and what you and I know is. David was anointed king by Samuel and said he would be the future king of Israel. And then a few chapters later, he kills Goliath, and he’s on this journey. He’s on the run like Zane looked at last week, running in the wilderness for his life from Saul. Saul is bipolar mood swings attempted to kill David multiple times in his life up till now, and so David was on the run. And so last week, you remember last week we ended in first Samuel, 23 Verse 29. David had his small group of men on the run. Saw was closing in about to catch him, and then word got to solve that. The enemies of Israel were closing in on an area of Israel. Saul and his 3000 soldiers left, and David returned off to a fortress in and Gotti, and they would pick up in first Samuel, 24. It’s like a repeat of the last chapter we just read. Saul is again out hunting David with 3000 soldiers in the wilderness pursuing David, and this picks up the first four versus uh, Saul is relieving himself in a cave, and I will limit myself to one bathroom joke. But Saul is all alone and exposed, and he’s dangerously vulnerable in a cave. If you’ve been in a cave, they’re echoey. They’re hard to hide. And so David is hidden back in the cave with his soldiers, the smaller group of men at this time in solids relieving himself. And there is a high stakes, with whisper debate occurring between Saw David and someone who’s been saying to kill Saul. I’ve had a high stakes with whisper debate with my wife with like a newborn infant in someone’s arms, were trying to transfer the infant from a car seat to a crib or something. I’ve done that before, but this is an interesting narrative we’re picking up in Verse four. So they, his soldiers said to David, Look, this is the day they’re whispering. I’m sure into his ear. Look, this is the day the Lord told you about I will hand your enemy Saul, over to you so that you can do to him whatever you desire. Then David got up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. Afterwards. David’s conscience bothered him because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe, he said to his men. I swear before the Lord, I would never do such a thing to my Lord Saul, the Lord’s anointed. I will never lift my hand against him because he is the Lord’s anointed. We see in this little little narrative description between David’s guys and David that he is a man of compassion. He’s a man of conviction. We’ve seen that in the previous chapters, but we really do see David as a man of convictions. He has a conscience, and he is listening to his conscience and vows and commitments he’s made to God about not lifting his hand against the Lord’s anointed more than he is the blood. 30 bloodthirsty soldiers. He’s running with this group of soldiers. And if I’m like, if you’re rolling off a seal team and you’re hiding in a cave in the wilderness and incomes in the guy who’s you’re on the run for your life, like about 10 years of 10 to 13 years of David’s life, he is on the run and his men are on the run. So, like, this is it. We can connect these dots. This is our moment. He’s telling these guys that settle down. Soldiers were not going to cut the cut the head off the beast right now we’re not gonna take us all out right now. I think they’re in such a bad situation. If if Salt Lake hears them talking, he could run out until 3000 soldiers there in there. Then they can smoke them out, starve them out, kill them out there, trapped in a cave. This is a dangerous situation, A dangerous high stakes whispered debate is occurring between David and his men. But David, you see his conscience, his commitment. He’s made to God about not lifting a hand against the Lord’s anointed the idea David has, which you’ll see later in the chapter. It talks about how he puts his head low and the God will raise his head up at the right time. He does not want to lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed king Saul. God interrupted David’s life and anoint him King of Israel, saying, In a future day, you will be king and then he was on the run from a 20 year old guy to about 30 is what we see in this chapter. And so he his conscience is still leading him as a man from the high stakes whisper campaign continues, We end in Verse seven with these words. David persuaded his men, and he did not let them rise up against Saul and then saw goes out into the out of the cave after they’re not trapped. I imagine they scamper the top of the hill when they’re about to make another run from these 3000 soldiers, and he shouts out to Saul and tells him about the situation, and we pick up in verse. Verse 12, Chapter 24 Verse 12. David is talking between him and Saul. He says this May the Lord judge between me and you and may the Lord take vengeance on you. For me, for my hand will never will never buy for my hand will never be against you. As the old proverb says, Wickedness comes from wicked people, and my hand will never be against you. Who has the king of Israel come after? Who are you chasing after a dead dog? A single flea? May the Lord be judged and decide between you and me, and may he take notice and plead my case and deliver me from you. And so then we see this whole thing. David’s heart low, his head low. God will raise me up at the right time. I’m submitting my will, my plans, my desire, my ambition to God’s sovereign will God’s sovereign hand over my life. David shows a deep humility and a deep trust in God’s timing. That God’s favor God’s blessing on his life is more valuable to him than grabbing hold of what he aspires for. And this next verse 16. There’s a key point here. I’d like to camp out with you a little bit. Verse 16. When David finished saying these things, Saul replied, Is that your voice? David, my son. Then Saul wept aloud and said to David, You are more righteous than I for you have done what is good to me, though I have done what is evil to you. You yourself have told me today what good you did for me when the Lord handed me over to you. You didn’t kill me. When a man finds his enemy, does he not let him go unharmed? May the Lord or pay you with good for what you have done for me today. Now I know for certain you will be king and your Kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. And there’s an idea here that we really see in this next verse we see that Saul returned to the nation of Israel and all the wealth, all the prestige and prominence that he had, and David returned to the fortress that he was hiding out on the edge of the wilderness. We can make a quick escape. But we really see and David something key for leadership searching for a leader. There’s leadership lessons and Dave, there’s many lessons in here that we can pull out. But there’s one leadership lesson here that is key that I like to highlight for you. It’s an idea that David is prone to being bitter and lacking, not giving this man forgiveness. And you’re like forgiveness, bitterness there, the bars that hold in your soul from leading out with your whole heart. And we talked a couple weeks ago about bitterness in the battle of bitterness. We see this again, this theme about David reconciling with Saul to a point. We talked about praying for your leaders and praying for people in the passage of conflict with. But that prayer protects you. But David is very pragmatic. He forgives Saul. He’s not holding this over Saul. He’s trust that God’s hand is on this. And then he goes off. He doesn’t go home with Saul. He doesn’t get in and get in the convoy and follow us all back to Israel. He doesn’t go home with him. He doesn’t rejoin him as a military commander. He doesn’t do any of that. He pragmatically distanced himself from salt. Forgive. This means when you’re dealing with someone who’s toxic, who’s dysfunctional, who is not well, who is not walking. Saul is not walking in God’s will for his life. Saul is openly sinning, Rebel against God and the people of God. His heart is hardened. He’s unapproachable. He gets these crocodile tears. He’s Oscar winning moments here, where he cries and says, David, my son, you’re a better man than me. And then he they split up and then you’ll see it. And at the end of this time today, he’s back at it, trying to hunt David again for, like, the third or fourth or fifth time in David’s life. In this Bible, salt is not genuinely repentant. He doesn’t. He has manly sorrow, but not he has a worldly sorrow and manly sorry. He doesn’t have a biblical sorrow. He hasn’t had a change of life. David could easily have said, I believe you when you show me Saul, when your life changes and you quit throwing spears at me and quit trying to hunt me a 3000 soldiers, then I believe you’ve had a change of heart. But until that day, Saul, David very pragmatically goes off to a fortress again. I just think we can get confused about forgiveness and going back into that same dysfunctional situation. You need to protect yourself and be pragmatic when you’re dealing with toxic, crazy, dysfunctional stuff like Saul. When you have Saul situations in your life, you’ve got to be very pragmatic about it. You can forgive them, and you can protect yourself from bitterness, but you’d have to expose yourself to that same crazy cycle. David was realistic about his father in law, his family. He knew his family was dangerous and toxic, and he forgave them. But he didn’t forget the things that happened in their life. Someone could be in your life who repeatedly cries and then seeks forgiveness and then does the same exact dysfunctional thing over and over and over again. And they’re broken in a broken pattern of sin, and you can forgive them and you can release them and not become bitter about the pain and the heartache that happens. But we shouldn’t blindly walk back into dysfunctional situations over and over again and a never ending cycle. You can forgive people but still protect yourself from opening yourself up to dysfunctional, unrepentant people. David’s been running for 10 years. He’s not naive, and we shouldn’t be naive either. Christian True repentance means there’s a change of life. True repentance means, we believe, but there’s some obedience. There’s some demonstration of your belief. There’s some show me attached to that belief and true repentance. We can’t be manipulated by fake worldly sorrow. Manipulative Saul Sorrow. There’s toxic people in our city that have actions that speak louder than words. And when you’re dealing with someone who’s unrepentant and rebelling against God and murder, hunting some your son in law down and killing them, that’s not morally what God has designed salt to do. Forgiveness doesn’t mean you’re forgetful. You can take some pragmatic steps to protect yourself, and if you’re like David’s not married to solve, so it’s not the end of the world, but you’re like I’m married to someone who’s got challenges. If you are, that’s brutal. Talked to Shane or I after the message, grab one of us. There’s help. There’s help we can help you with. But there’s. But for most of you, this is just something because Christians continued to be kind of naive about things in the world they live in. I think we can take this verse of the bank about. Saul returned to Israel and Jonathan returned. David returned to to a fortress, Verse 22. So all went home and David and home to his home in a stronghold. Pray for people. Forgive people would be pragmatic. Be practical. We pick up the verse. One. Chapter 25 Samuel Dies. Samuel was the last judge in that season in the nation of Israel’s history. Samuel dies the city, the people are mourning and David moves in light of the death of Samuel. He moves to the wilderness of parents, and that exposes us to verse two. Another Bible billionaire. The unique thing about who were reading about noble here is he. He’s on Team Saul. So if you’re like, you know, team David hashtag team Sol hashtag you’ll see from reading this passage is that he’s a team. Saul, he defines, describes David as a servant who run away from his master. But the ball is not just a billionaire rich guy. We hear he’s a rich, rich man from his amount of sheep and goats 3000 sheep in 1000 goats. So in layman’s terms, for that day and age, he had a thick four oh, one K and a fat I R A. He had a lot of Bitcoin before. It was cool, you know, and the ball was rolling in it. And so we hear about Verse three. A Little Bible trivia. Abigail Eastern Rachel. What’s unique about those three ladies? There’s many beautiful women described in the Bible, but those three ladies are defined as beautiful and wise and smart. Abigail was known as for her beauty and her intelligence. Beautiful and smart. She was in an arranged marriage. Her father probably was a poor man, scholars speculate, and they thought that it was an arranged marriage to care for her family. And so she’s married to an opposite. She’s married in the ball. The ball means fool. He’s known for his harsh and evil in how he deals with people, and then so Chapter 25 verses. Four through eight, David sends 10 young servants that are with him and his growing on charge of soldiers. When you find out there’s 600 soldiers with him. He sends 10 servants with with a message for Nepal and the balls in the middle of a sheep shearing festive time where they’re celebrating what God has done bringing in the crops, shearing the sheep, eating the sheep. Having a big party. It’s like a shareholder meeting. They’re coming together and enjoying life as a celebratory thing. And David sends those 10 young servants to him and say, We’ve been protecting your sheep in the wilderness. Will you give us something? He’s expecting the ball to be generous. They’re basically been for hire mercenaries surrounding his flocks in the wilderness. For this for chunks of time. And I imagine David at a heart for shepherds. He felt bad for how hard it is to be on the wilderness with sheep, and there’s people and there’s animals attacking the sheep. So David had his mercenaries, his guerilla warfare soldiers protect the flocks. The sheep of Nepal, expecting a quid pro pro, report you so expecting to be given a gift at shearing time at the annual shareholders meeting for an eyeball incorporated, David wants to reap what he says for protecting the flock and David expecting him to respond generously and we find out that’s not in the balls intention at all. We see in verses nine and 10. They came in the name of David, and the ball blew off the request. He’s crazy. Cheap is not a generous man. Remember, his name means full. He’s very harsh and evil and how he responds to those 10 young representatives of David’s camp. So the 10 men return home versus 12 and 13 to David. And then we see something changed. Something big changed. David, up to this point in his life, has been like the white knight, the savior of you know, Israel. Everything he touches turns to gold. All he does is win. He saved them from Goliath. He saved them from the Philistines. He led them in the Army he’s got. He’s been very open handed about, you know, Goliath. He’s been very open handed and yielded about the Philistine battles. After battle after battle, he went to He’s been very humble and open handed and yielded to Saul and his kingship, and he could have killed him so far, two times, and we’ll see a third later today, up till then, but then something changed in David when he hears from those 10 young men that nobody is not going to give them any food for his soldiers and not give them a gift to thank you gift. He shifts from this benign, humble God will raise one up and bring another down. God will, God will do it. I’m not going to fight against someone. God will fight for me. God will fight my battles. He shifts to committing genocide and tells his soldiers, Grab your sword. We’re gonna go kill every single male in that little clan tribe. That’s a big shift. That’s a That’s a big shift. He’s He’s angry either. He’s worn down. He’s tired from fatigue from being in the wilderness and being on the run. But something big happens in David’s like that’s enough. I’m going to kill them all. We are going to get your swordsman and his soldiers get their swords, and they’re getting amped up to go kill them. And so the passage tells you 200 stay at their gear and their families and growing possessions. They have to protect their stuff, and 400 soldiers are getting ready to go to the balls. Family and kill every male verse 14. One of the balls young men informed Abigail. Remember? Beautiful, smart Abigail Noble’s wife. Look David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them. The men treated David’s men treated us very well. When we were in the fields, we weren’t harassed, and nothing of ours was missing. The whole time we were living among them, they were. They were a wall around us both day and night the entire time we were with them, hurting the sheep for 17. Now consider carefully what you should do, because there is certain to be trouble for our master and his entire family. He is such a worthless fool. Nobody can talk to him. And then versus 18 and 20 we see Abigail and her wisdom. She rolls out the red carpet she sends like food and grain and bread, and she rolls out. This catered chef grandly, generously gave food and gifts to David and his men. And then we see Verse 21 22. Now David’s head space in 400 other trained soldiers Headspace is in. We’re about to go kill people. They’re gearing up with weapons and swords and stuff David’s mind and his heart. He’s now made a rash vow about killing the ball, and all the men in his family and 400 soldiers just got disrespected and he’s going to kill them. Genocide. This is David preparing to send. He’s about to lead his 400 men into sinning. And what is what is the big threat? Here is just a character assassination of David not being a man after God’s own heart. David not being a servant King, a humble king but David being a vengeful, vindictive man led by his flesh, his whole who he is, a little heart playing shepherd boy who killed Goliath, who God uses that whole character of all that is about to take a strong right turn, and he’s being hunted by Saul Jealously. He’s been the victim for so long, and now he’s about to give into genocidal killing of people. So like what just happened? David’s been worn down and weary. He’s been on the run for 10 years. It’s hard for us to wrap your mind around that. We have trouble for 10 minute wait at the restaurant will be 10 minutes. I’m going somewhere else. Where is the help? I’m gonna reveal you. I mean, 10 minutes takes us off. 10 years. We haven’t most of us haven’t won a year. Waited a year for anything. 10 years is brutal, something you haven’t been walking of God 10 years. It’s hard to think of. 10 years is a long time waiting for the promises of God to arrive. The ball has done something that no one none of David’s other enemies have done so far. He successfully brought David down to his level of harsh me. I mean, that’s escalation. I protected your your flocks. I sent 10 servants to ask for some gift from you during the time when everyone’s getting gifts and you were a jerk to them. And so I kill everyone in your family. That’s quite the escalation in my mind. That’s very quick for how he he went to their I think the pain from his past from running, I think persecution from running from salt. I think wilderness is taking a wear and tear on his soul. But David is angry, and when you’re angry, you’re not your best. When I’m angry, I’m not my best the anger, angry moments of your life and when your speech are the low lights, the low light reel of your life where you like cringe to watch those moments in your life when your whole life is played back in front of you the moment you just angry, Raging out is going to be a very cringeworthy part of your life to watch some day. But what we see here is one of the smartest speeches you will read in your Bible. I love how scholars gave that Abigail, and I agree with it after studying it and the opposites attract. She’s so different than the ball. She’s so different than her husband. How is he? In Verse 23 when Abigail saw David, she she sent ahead of her all that food. Remember, they’re all in front of the servants and the food saying, This is for those 10 young men. This is the gift from them. Verse 23. She gets there, and so the gifts disarming David Verse 23 she hops off her camel. I’m assuming her horse or donkey. When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and knelt down with her face to the ground and paid homage to David. She knelt at his feet and said, The guilt is mine, my lord. But please let your servants speak to you directly. Now, this was a deal. This was a big deal because women at that time, culturally at that time and this time in history, reviewed his property. Reviewed as a servant review is lesser than a man. The fact that this conversation is happening was good. And it was good that it was good that David, listen to her verse. Verse 24. Listen to the words of your servant. Verse 25. My lord should pay no attention to this worthless fool the ball, for he lives up to his name. His name means stupid and stupidity is all he knows. Ah, your servant didn’t see my lords, young men, when you sent whom you sent 26. Now, my lord, as surely as the Lord lives and as you self live it is the Lord who kept you from participating in bloodshed and avenging yourself by your own hand. May your enemies and those who intend to harm you, my lord, be like noble. She sees the 400 men strapping up their swords, you know, getting getting ready to go fight people. And she’s trying to disarm them and say what they should be doing, not what they are doing. 1st 27 let this gift your servant has brought to you, my lord, be given to the young men who who follow my Lord. Verse 28. Please, Lord, your servants, please forgive your servants offense for the Lord is certain to make a lasting dynasty from my lord because he fights the Lord’s battles. And obviously, this is not the Lord’s battle. What he’s about to do. This is a vengeful battle. It’s not the Lord’s battle throughout your life. May evil not be found in you. Someone is pursuing you, Saul. And it tends to take your life. My Lord’s life is tucked safely in the place where the Lord your God protects the living. But he is fleeing away your enemies like stones from a sling. She wisely goes back to his very first big god moment where God used the stone to kill Goliath. Verse 30. When the Lord does for my Lord all the good he promised you and points you ruler over Israel. There will. There will be remorse. There will not be remorse or a troubled conscience for my lord, because of needless bloodshed or my Lords revenge. She’s calling him out to a conscience clear conscience, guilt free living. She reminds him of his identity, reminded him of the promises of God on his life, reminding of the stories of what God has done said, I’m on team. I’m on team David, not Tim Saul. Obviously you’re being unjustly pursued. And when the Lord does good things for my Lord Mayor, Sir, may you remember me, your servant. We don’t see David. Pray we don’t see David acquire the Lord. We don’t see David Appeal counsel. We see David grabbing a sword and going to kill his enemy. Abigail wisely goes to David, who’s on the path to sin to evil not just in his thoughts in his speech, but actually kill people. And she knows, and he knows. And they both know what he is doing isn’t wrong. And she wisely diplomatically disarms him in 400 other soldiers from killing all the men in her family. David doesn’t have to fight his battles he knows that. But this is the first time David is planning on fighting his own battle, and his motive is revenge and bloodshed. And she disarms him. She speaks to his identity. She speaks to the promises of God. She beautifully ties in the very first life. The stone sling God sling your enemies away. I mean, it is It is well written, well spoken passage that we just looked at from a from a very wise woman. And she referred to a younger David when God first Miley moved in his life, she wincingly appeals, wincingly, reminds and speaks to David in his moment of sin. I mean, like, vein pulsing rage, murderous David. She disarms him. And in Verse 31 the last line of her speech is very smart, very smooth. Think David, you’ll find at this time you know they would know it, but you’ll find out later on in this chapter that Saul married his daughter that was married to David away. So David’s been bachelor. Ring it up for this 10 to 13 years on the run in the wilderness alone, and the last line seemed very smooth of her. She’s remember a beautiful woman who’s a wise woman. Imagine lock size of David and says, Remember me, David, when the Lord your God does good things for you, My lord, remember me, your servant. She wisely calls him out and calls him up to his identity and is calling in his life. It’s a guilt free, conscious, free living. She hopes David fix his eyes on the eternal perspective, not the temporary short term perspective of what’s happening around her. She diffuses David and helps him realize that God is his deliverer and not himself. And this is what’s hard for us because we value as a culture in America. We value self made women, self made men who grabbed their bootstraps and pull and who fix their own problems and grab their own swords and fix things. That’s what we value as a culture. I know that this whole concept of letting God fight your battles and letting God go before you and let God be your judge, letting God defend you. It’s not in my nature. I love to own people in debates when they’re wrong, and it’s good for me to let God debate people instead of me because I can win a little turf for, but God’s got to win a soul war of changing the heart, men and women. If that’s how I feel, I know there’s many of you in this room that feel the same way to you. Like to fight your own battles and win your own wars. It’s what we do, David. The ones got to fight and defend him. I want to camp here a little longer than necessary because I got to find something that we focus on as a church. Um, Abigail has some real lessons for us, and I want to camp here longer because I think this will be the number one reason why our church might die in the future. I told you the past like churches start and then you can just plan them ending. 50 years later, most churches and so the lifespan of a church. And so we’re young as a church. But I do really think this is an opportunity for us to be wise young people and learn from these characters we just read about. I think we have been tested in this area as a church just last year, and I’m confident. We’re gonna continue to be tested this area this past year, and we’ve been okay. We’ve done fine, but I’m confident that if there is a spiritual tombstone here lies So our church cause of death is what we’re talking about right now. There are two ways to say things. There’s the Abigail Way, which is disarming peacemaking. Consensus building statement, ship disarming, loving, speaking the best, calling out the best in a loving kind reminder of your identity. Who you are in Christ, you’re better than this. The conscience. I mean, there’s a winsome, wise, loving way to speak to people that are about to send right. We just saw it. That’s Abigail’s way. Or there’s a harsh, belittling, triggering, talking down to tone, unhealthy interest in controversy way that we can have about communicating to each other. It’s very belittling, very loveless way our speech can be that is real and Christianity’s culture right now in the big city church in America that is very real. And as a young church, I think we’re doing fine. But I think it’s very important that we lean into the Abigail Way, the wise honoring believe the best speak highly of be a peacemaker. That is, who were called to be as Christians. Jesus had some very strong words that the church should be united. The church will be united like there’s two playbooks. There’s Avago playbook that talks lovingly and kind and honorable and believes the best. Then there’s the ball playbook that speaks belittling and harsh and mean. I guess. David, this times in that camp, he’s going to go kill someone, get some vengeance. There’s ways we can speak about each other that is very arrogant. Lisk or no obelisk. That’s harsh. Mean, critical, foolish folks, folks. People shouldn’t feel attacked by a conversation with you. If you’re biting the sheep, that’s not good. Think of like my dad had sheep and we had, like, I think, one sheep that bit other sheep, that some biting fetish where I’d like to chew on cheap pool. And so Dad put a muzzle on that sheep. So we quit biting sheep because you know sheep’s wool. It’s not good if there’s pieces missing when you share it, it’s not good, and it’s not good for the sheep is not good for the sheep being bit of the sheep. That are biting. This is not good. So she’d get muzzled. You know what else bites? Sheep? Wolves bite sheep. There’s this destructive divide trash talking, belittling, unloving speech that is very much the devil’s playground and how he wants Christians to talk about each other of dividing the church, dividing a small group dividing a family From our speech, Christians James, 1 20 Ben told me, This is a young pastor, James 1 20 He said the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. You should memorize the first if you’re prone to being David, grab our swords. Let’s go, James 1 20. The anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God desires. It doesn’t produce the righteousness in your life. It doesn’t produce righteous in their life man anger on pride or offense or perceived threat. It doesn’t do its job. Proverbs 15 to says it’s the tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of fools belch out foolishness. Proverbs 10 Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrong. And then another proverb. An offended brother is harder to reach than a fortified city in quarrels are like the bars of a fortress from the fruit of a person’s mouth. His stomach is satisfied. He is filled with the product of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit show discernment. Young Christians, old Christians. If you’re my age or younger, all their show discernment, show love and how you speech show a high emotional like you speak in a way that is, believes, the best in each other. Satan loves the divided family, loves the divider. Church loves divided brother and his sister. He doesn’t need your help stirring up division in the church. Don’t be like nah, ball, who’s a fool in what he says. Be like Abigail, who’s wise and loving and how she speaks truth and speaks the best. She’s so truthful, so sweet and so salty. David seems to get confused that he’s getting corrected and he gets corrected, and Dave responds very humbly. We’re biting each other over what, seriously, there’s no reason to be biting people in the culture, biting people on social media, biting people in private conversations. That is how a young and mature, foolish Christian speaks as a culture that is happening in Christianity now. Our world, our world. It’s a lot smaller, so we’re not exposed all of Christianity. But that is out there. Be careful. Jesus was very strong. He prayed that the church would be united 1st 32. Then David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel. Who sent you to meet me today? Let me see. David repented. He was humble. He repented. He was humble. When was corrected. Nepal. Nepal was harsh, cruel speech, and he was a fool that God ultimately destroyed. We as a church. I’m excited because I do think we have a lot of Abigail’s. We have a lot of David’s in our church. We have a lot of people that are humble, who lean into conflict, who are humble when they’re corrected. They trust the process of forgiveness and they find forgiveness. There’s a lot of humble young men, and women in the church are learning and growing, and it’s hard to be mad at a humble, growing young Christian, David is a man at heart after God’s own heart, and whenever his heart was confronted with sin in his life, he humbled his heart and made it low. Saul whenever saw or the ball was confronted with sin in their life. They hardened their heart and became proud, and they raged against it. A word on Abigail. I spent my life growing up at five sisters, and they many a times shared a timely word with me about they were like Abigail many times told me a timely word at the right time to save me from being an idiot. And I’m grateful that we have a lot of Abigail’s in this church. We have a large amount of God fearing wise. Abigail’s in this church who love the Lord, love his word and are very sweet and salty. I love that about you church, right? So keep being salty and sweet but so sweet that it’s hard to tell if you’re being salty. Keep doing it, ladies Verse 37 38. We’ve seen the ball becomes like a stone, is what scholars say. The outside match the inside of his heart, and he had a stroke and he dies 10 days later. And then Verse 39 all you young single men pay attention. David makes his move and Mary’s Abigail very quickly. Come on, man. Can’t get counsel from the Lord. Get some council and go get some coffee. Fortune favors the bold men. Go make a move. A wise woman fears the Lord and a wise man follow the Lord’s. Amen. You guys are good men hanging their young men. Alright. So Verse 43 44 David then does a very dumb thing. Saul gave his wife away, which is very cold. And then David does a very, very dumb thing. In verse 43 44 he marries another woman. And so he has two wives, which is a huge mistake in his life that has huge consequences of the unraveling of David. And it seems like David does well in the public eye with Goliath, with Army battles against the Philistines, with Saul with the cave, with all these highlight reels of his life and all eyes are on him. He does fine. He doesn’t actually okay, he was actually pretty good. But it’s his private life that gets him the unraveling of David’s character, his conscience, his convictions. That happens because of his family life. So it’s a huge mistake. David made, which we’ll see later on in David’s life. But Verse 26 I’m going to blow through this chapter, summarize it. What’s going on in 26? So Chapter 26 the same exact thing happens. David roles in of his 3000 soldiers and Saul comes in from 3000 Soldiers and Hunting David Again and David’s On the Run and God’s Purpose and his plan was to refine David’s character is what we’ll find. And so what’s interesting is think about that he’s a He’s a simple country boy managing sheep out in the wilderness. That’s David’s life, and then I I’ve been reading through the one year Bible plan. Like many of you, if you want a Bible there in the lobby, we can get you one. But this last week I’ve been reading half the Book of Psalms, David wrote. I wrote down a couple of sound bites from a couple different chapters as it talks about David’s life. Simple Country guy is about to step into leading the Kingdom of Israel with 12 clans that are fighting rebellion against each other. They’re all these eclectic little claims that don’t like each other. All the time and don’t like the King. And there’s only two lead and everything. Every time things get bigger, becomes more about politics. Becomes about money. There’s corruption, there’s leaders, leading leaders. There’s cantankerous leaders. There’s There’s the Kings. On top of that, David’s going from a very simple life. Two incredibly complex, emotionally relational e stressful life. And what is happening in this 10 years in the wilderness? David is on the run. David is running for his life, and God is teaching David this simple country guy. Some very key leadership lessons. I’m going to cherry pick some verses if you really care, you can take a picture of this later, but I’m going to. Here’s some verses about David talking, he says, Content to be lord against those who contend against me. Fight against those who fight against me for throat. For through wisdom, your days will be million years. We have your life. If you’re wise, your wisdom rewards you vindicate me and your righteousness. Lord, my God, Do not let them gloat over me. Fight my battles, Lord, vindicate me. I desire to stand behind you all the days of my life Lead me, guide me direct me, Protect me. Give me knowledge and wisdom. That’s the wrong passage of day, that I’m gonna go somewhere. I’m sorry. Whoa! It’s all over Psalms. But here’s what I like. Last week I wrote down my thoughts. Trouble me and I am distraught for they bring down suffering on me and to sell me and my anger. This is David’s words in Psalms 55 my heart is in anguish against me. Fear and trembling have beset me all day long. Psalms 56 All day long they twist my words. All their schemes are from my ruin. Have mercy on me. My God, have mercy on me for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. I am the midst of lions. I am forced to dwell among ravenous beast men whose teeth are like swords and arrows whose tongues are like spears. David is experiencing the stress of leading people. There’s an emotional growing up that’s happening with David souls to be a man who pursues and fears God and gets his confidence and trust in God, and we end this week’s sermon like we started the sermon. David is on the run. David’s tired and worn out. He was tempted, and now he’s running again. And 3000 soldiers of Saul hunting him again. Again, I’m not. We’re not like the Groundhog Day. The servant happens over and over. I mean, is the third time I think, four times fifth. And it happened so many times. David running for his life, David discouraged. He’s weary. I think many of us can relate to that. This last year, many of us have been through a discouraging where some depressed, awful anxious, frustrating year. None of us enjoyed this last year. None of us look forward to last year repeating that again and David’s on the run again in Psalms. And then first Samuel, 26. His own clan betrays him again, as if it’s and they tell David they tell Saul. Well, David is, and a 60 year old Saul is pursuing a 37 year old David, and this time he’s got 600 men plus wives. They’re growing their families. They have a possessions, crops, farms, livestock there, not a lean, mean hiding machine in a cave. So it’s a higher stakes stressful situation of leading 1000. Some people that’s hard to hide. 1000. Some people, they aren’t as fast. But David David and his men find out that Saul and his army gets put in a deep sleep. And so then David, from Verse 6 to 20 which I won’t read, I’ll paraphrase. They go down into the camp and they have another interesting whispered conversation about. They go right in the middle of the camp, where Saul is lying and the soldiers like I’m going to kill them and David’s like, has to convince him not to kill him. And there’s 3000 people sleeping in this valley because, like, I don’t have to swing. I’ll swing just once, and I’ll skill with his own spear. And instead they steal the jug from his spear and they go up and they have the same exact seen as the first cave scene. And then Saul goes home, and David goes back to goes back to the Wilderness Fortress and prepares to keep running. Saul’s life went back to normal in David’s life, went back to normal men and women. The wilderness is what teaches us how to be a godly men and women. The wilderness of pursuing God during painful situations is what gives you the character that brings about your full potential. The title The Sermon is Pain brings potential. The painful moments in your life is what God uses to really teach you lessons that you have to learn. You don’t learn from prosperity. You don’t learn from everything going well and getting A’s on every report card. You learn from failing stuff and trying again. You learn from 2020 years. Give you the 2020 vision to go forward. Painful moments in your life is what brings out your full potential. Christian. The painful 10 to 13 years David was in the wilderness prepared David to be the man of God to lead the nation of Israel. Pain brings your potential to the foreground. Men and women, God you salt to bring David’s life to a full potential God you salt to purify character impurities. In David’s life, God used pain in David’s life to transform his character and give them life skills. Because, like your character and your skill set, er these two equations in your world, you like your this gifted character of a man and woman in this much character, and your skill sets get you the job your character keeps the job like your sweet, charming guy can woo a girl to get a date. Your character that she’ll be revealed continues to keep the relationship going. Your ability to code, let’s say, gets you the job, but your character to show up and be respectful and be under authority and work hard. That keeps the job many women. The character of the Christian is what we need to really focus on during the painful moments in our lives. God wants to grow and refined your character in the wilderness in ways that pain teaches us. Saul was a huge instrument of bringing glory and good out of David’s life to build up the nation of Israel. Saul was David’s spiritual boot camp. It is amazing what God is doing in this church. I do think highly of you all, and I’m very grateful for the church that I get to work with. It’s an honor to be one of the pastors. Shane, Ben and I got it made great. We got it made in the hay working for you guys I hear other pastors talk candidly about their world and their church, and I’m like, Oh, Lord, thank you for our people. You guys are great But I do think we need to keep a humble heart like David that every time were corrected. Every time we need to grow, we get low and we repent. And we yield to men and to God and to women and learn and scribe to strive to be of God leader, man or woman. If we have that heart, the heart of David, harder for God’s own heart, a heart that is humble and low that repents when it’s corrected. I think God can do amazing things in your life church. If we develop a heart of Saul or hard on the ball, they both die men and women I trust. And I know I believe God is doing a great work in your life. But we have to lean into that humility to lean into that submission that getting low. Let’s pray as we conclude here. If Lincoln God, I thank you for Thank you for this church. Thank you. That Jesus completes everything that we lack. Thank you. That Jesus is the guy that makes everything right. Appreciate it. Really help us to finish Well, finish this week. This month this year Help us to be known by you for our humility and our submission. I just purchased really doing amazing work and help us not to waste our wilderness not to waste the painful moments in our life. Help us to think the problem is me and grow and learn. Lord, we love you and commit this time to introduce his name and