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Hello and welcome to the
Middletown Baptist Church podcast,

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where we are proclaiming the
truth to the world.

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My name is Pastor Josh, and I
want to thank you for listening to

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this podcast.

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I hope that this podcast can
be a blessing to you and strengthen

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you in the word of God.

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Now, come along, let's look
into the Bible and see what God has

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for us here today.

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Well, we're going to pick up
in our study in 1st Samuel.

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I know it's been a little
while, and maybe for some of you,

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you haven't been with us in
this study.

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And so we ended at the end of
chapter 10.

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Last time we were here, it's
been a few weeks.

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And so that means we'll start
in chapter 11.

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And so if you can turn with me
to First Samuel, chapter 11, we'll

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go ahead and get started in
our study tonight.

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And I will do my best to recap you.

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But really, where we're at in
the narrative here in First Samuel

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is Saul, Israel's first king,
has been anointed by God and by Samuel.

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And we know that that was
literally done through a vial of

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oil being poured out upon
Saul's head.

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And that was not only a visual
picture of God choosing him, but

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also that the.

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The Spirit of God would be
upon him.

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And we know, and in this
chapter we'll see that the Spirit

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of God does come upon Saul.

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And so Saul sometimes gets a
very negative testimony, rightfully

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so, for many of the bad
decision that he makes.

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But there are people, periods
of time in Saul's life where he does

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obey the Lord.

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And even though seemingly it
looked like Saul was the people's

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choice, even though they did
have a choice in that, but God ultimately

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is in control.

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And that's really in our own life.

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A spiritual lesson that we all
can understand is that no matter

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what decision we make or no
matter what inclinations that we

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have or our opinions,
ultimately God's in control.

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And everything that does
happen is allowed by him, whether

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we consider it to be good or
bad, whether we consider Saul to

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be a good king or a bad king,
God was ultimately in control.

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And we're going to see a good
example of King Saul when he follows

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God's obedience here in
chapter 11.

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So if you have your Bibles,
again, look at with, with me, chapter

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11, verse 1, it says then Nahash.

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Now we're going to stop there.

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There's this guy named Nahash
in this chapter, and you need to

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know a little bit about him
because he is an ammonite.

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An ammonite was The a group of
people that came against the Israelites,

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one of the many people that
came against the Israelites here

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in first Sam.

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But the name Nahash actually
has a really important meaning.

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The name Nahash means serpent
or snake.

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And what we can tell through
this passage is that Nahash was a

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real person.

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We understand that, but we
also understand that Nahash is a

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picture of Satan and the way
that he works in our life as he attacks.

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And so a lot of times we'll
see that in the Old Testament, we'll

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see someone who is literally
there in the story, in the narrative,

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doing there, that work as a
human, but also a symbol or a picture

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of something else.

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So, for example, some people
consider Joseph to be a type of Christ.

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There's other examples of
Joshua being a type of Christ.

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And we see in this case,
Nahash is a type of Satan.

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Now, I'm not saying that
there's different Satans in the world.

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What I'm saying is this an
example of Satan.

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So then Nahash the Ammonite,
came up and encamped against Jabash

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Gilead.

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So he and his army circles
this place called Jabash Gilead.

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And it says, and all the men
of Jabesh said unto Nahash, make

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a covenant with us and we will
serve thee.

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And so what we see here is
that the people of Jabesh Gilead

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were struck with fear.

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And.

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And there's an.

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A response here, a fleshly
fearful response.

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And that is a response of
compromise, meaning this, this Ammonite,

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this man named Nahash, is evil.

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He causes us to fear because
he's going to come and he's going

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to take us.

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He's going to kill us.

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And so what we need to do is
instead of standing up against him

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and trusting in our Lord,
we're going to submit to him.

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And as we see, there's two
things that they do.

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It says that they want to make
a covenant with him.

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And so making a covenant with
him would.

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Would essentially be this.

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We're going to agree upon some
kind of terms and will allow you

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to tell us what to do.

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And essentially they say that
at the end of the verse, they say,

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yes, we want to make a
covenant with you, and in that covenant

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we will serve you.

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And what we see in verse
number one is a picture of spiritual

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compromise.

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When the attack is there, when
Satan comes and he throws fiery darts,

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as the book of Ephesians says.

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And when Satan comes and lies
to us, as the Bible says, he's the

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father of lies, he's A the
great deceiver when he comes in.

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And.

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And he is really what he's
trying to do here, what Nahash is

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trying to do is he's trying to intimidate.

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And that's what Satan does.

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And if we.

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We sang it tonight, there's no
condemnation to them who are in Christ

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Jesus.

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So Satan cannot condemn us and
Satan cannot steal our souls.

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He cannot take away our hope.

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But what he can do is he can
intimidate us to act like we have

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no hope, to act like we have
no confidence, to act like we have

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no future.

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And that's what we really see
happening here.

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So the Ammonite enemy Nahash
surrounds this Israelite city.

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And by doing this, his demands
are clear.

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He wants to completely destroy them.

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He wants to take over.

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He wants them to surrender and
he wants to conquer them.

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And that's what Satan wants to
do with us.

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He wants to conquer us.

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He wants to have us to a place
of surrender in our life to him.

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And so the.

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The people there in Jabesh
Gilead felt like their only hope

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for survival was compromise.

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And I think that there's a lot
of people in this world today that

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respond in similar ways.

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They.

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They are faced with a trial,
they're faced with a temptation,

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they're faced with some type
of evil in their life.

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And they believe that the only
response is to give in.

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The only response is to really
submit to the.

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The enemy.

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And that's what we see
happening here.

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They.

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They say, we want to surrender
and we will serve you.

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Please make a covenant with us.

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And they think that really the
only two options are this surrender

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to this evil person or be killed.

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And really that's a false
dichotomy because what we see here

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is that there's another choice.

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The other choice would be to
submit to their God and to say, no,

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we're not going to compromise.

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We're not going to give in.

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We're not going to allow
ourselves to serve you.

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We're going to serve our Lord.

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And that's sometimes what we
see within our own spiritual lives.

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We think that there's only
really two options.

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It's either give in to the
temptation or die.

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Really, the Bible says that
there's another path, and that's

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trusting in the Lord.

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And so let's see what Nahash's
response is here.

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Because essentially what
they're doing is saying, nahash,

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we'll do anything.

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Please give us some type of
peace, some type of mercy.

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And they're asking the wrong
person for mercy.

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Verse 2 and Nahash the
serpent, the Ammonite, answered them.

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And he says, okay, on this condition.

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He's a schemer, just like our enemy.

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And he says, on this condition
will I make a covenant with you.

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So he says, I'll make a
covenant with you.

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I'll make some type of promise
with you.

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But then what's the condition?

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And by the way, we need to
know the conditions of the promises

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that we're making to the enemy.

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We need to know the conditions.

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Because a lot of times people
are jumping right in and accepting

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this temptation, accepting
this type of sin, but yet they don't

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understand what comes along
with that.

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So here we see Nahash telling
them what the condition is.

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He says, that I may thrust out
all your right eyes and lay it for

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a reproach upon all Israel.

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So he says, okay, this is what
we'll do.

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I will spare your life if you
allow me to take out your right eyes.

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All of your right eyes.

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And so when the, the men of J
Bash Gilead asked for a covenant,

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I don't think they were
expecting this, but what they did

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basically was come to a place
in which they were allowing Nahash

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to be the one who dictates the terms.

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And so it says here that he
says, I want all of your right eyes.

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And, and what does that mean?

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Well, he's, he's being serious
about this.

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And what it.

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There's, there's a couple of,
I think, layers to this request.

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One, obviously the first and
foremost indication of his heart

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is this.

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He wants to take out their
right eye so that they're not able

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to fight.

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Right?

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They, that.

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That would make them somewhat lame.

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Their depth perception is
going to be gone.

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He doesn't make them
completely blind because he wants

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to use them for something, but
he doesn't want them to be fighting

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against him or having any type
of aggression back towards him.

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So one thing would be the
right eye would limit ability.

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But then also we see at the
end of verse number two, he says,

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really the ultimate goal would
be to lay it for our approach upon

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all of Israel.

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And so, so by making this move
of gouging out their right eyes,

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it would, yes, it would bind
them physically, but it will also

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bring humility to the nation
of Israel and humility to the Lord.

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And so it would.

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It would make the testimony of
the Lord shrink.

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And that's the, that's the
mindset of, of Nahash here.

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And so this is, I believe, a
picture of, of many people in this

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world that think that there is
no other way so there ha.

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They have to be like the best
of two or three evils, so to speak.

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And so that's exactly what's
happening here.

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They say, well, we want to
make a covenant with you.

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We, we want to serve you.

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And he says, fine, but I'm
going to take your right eye.

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And we can see a similarity of
how Nahash is working this temptation

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into their life.

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As, as Satan works in our
life, Satan attacks us.

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And he wants us to think that
there's no other hope.

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Satan wants to steal our hope.

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Satan wants to steal our joy.

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Satan wants to steal our clarity.

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And so Satan attacks us.

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But really, really, in this
case, Satan wants complete surrender.

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Just as God wants us to
surrender to him, Satan wants us

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to surrender him.

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And that's what Nahash is
saying here.

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Obviously, Satan wants us to
serve him.

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Satan wants us to do the
things that he wants us to do.

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And so he does that through intimidation.

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And that's exactly what Nahash
is doing here.

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Satan wants to humiliate us,
and that's what Nahash is doing by

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taking out their right eye.

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And ultimately he says, I want
to do it not just to harm you, but

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to bring reproach upon all of Israel.

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And so there's a mention here
of complete destruction and I think

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even another picture.

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Satan wants to blind us.

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Satan wants us to not see the
things that are going on around us.

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I mean, obviously he can try
to deceive us and, and, and try to

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pull us away from where the
truth is.

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But ultimately what Satan
might try to do is just try to blind

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us or get us to look a
different direction.

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Sometimes that's how we live
our lives.

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We live with blinders.

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And so that's essentially the,
the parallel we see between Nahash

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and Satan.

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Verse 3.

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And the elders of Jabesh said
unto him, give us seven days respite

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and that we may send
messengers unto all the coast of

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Israel.

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And then if there be no man to
save us, we will come out to thee.

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And so obviously they're
thinking, that's a big ask for us

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to give up our right eye.

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And so please give us seven
days to think about this.

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And basically in these seven
days we're looking for a Savior.

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But we see even in verse three
that there's hopelessness because

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they said maybe, maybe there's
someone to save us.

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And so the, the men of this
city were in a difficult spot.

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They're in fear.

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They're petrified by fear.

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They know that they, in their
minds, they know that they have no

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other choice.

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And they have already
submitted to Nahash.

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And Nahash has said, okay, I'm
going to take your right eye.

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And really their question was,
is there really anyone that can save

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us?

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Now we know the answer.

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We know that there's someone
that can save them.

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Obviously, they're God, the
one who got them out of Egypt and

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brought them to the promised land.

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We know the God who's been
faithful to them, the one that sent

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manna from heaven, the one who
provided, the one who's guiding.

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But in their minds, they have
lost their hope in their Savior.

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And they put it to basically a
sense of, well, is there anyone out

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there that can save us?

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And that's their desire.

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And I think that's.

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Sometimes as Christians in our
own life, we look away from what

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God has given us.

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By way of example, throughout
history, God has been faithful after

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1, 2, 3, 4 instances.

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And he's been faithful
probably in more instances in our

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life.

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But yet in this case, they're
looking for some other type of survival,

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some other type of salvation.

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And so they knew that there
was no hope for themselves, and they

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knew that they must be saved
by someone else.

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And so it says in verse number
four that then came the messengers

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to Gibeah, and that's where
Saul is.

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And so Saul hears the message.

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Saul hears what's happening
over in this other place with this

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guy named Nahash.

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And it says, and told the
tidings in the ears of the people.

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And all the people lifted up
their voices and wept.

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And behold, Saul came after
the herd out of the field.

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So this is very interesting
because Saul has already been anointed

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king, but yet he really hasn't
been coronated.

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Yet he hasn't really come to a
place where he's sitting on the throne.

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He's out in the field working.

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This shows at this point in
time, Saul's humility.

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And Saul said, what Aileth?

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The people that they weep.

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00:12:52,350 --> 00:12:55,470
And they told him the tidings
or the news of the men of Jabesh.

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And so Saul hears what's
happening, and he hears that his

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people are submitting to evil.

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00:13:01,110 --> 00:13:04,070
He hears that there's
spiritual compromise, and there's

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00:13:04,070 --> 00:13:05,470
a lot of ways that he could respond.

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00:13:05,470 --> 00:13:09,470
But we see in verse number six
that he gives a proper response to

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00:13:09,470 --> 00:13:11,710
his people compromising spiritually.

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00:13:12,030 --> 00:13:16,050
And he says in verse six, and
the Spirit of God came upon Saul.

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00:13:16,850 --> 00:13:20,010
So that indication right there
at the verse, verse 6, the start

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of verse 6, tells us that Saul
is working in the guidance and in

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00:13:24,810 --> 00:13:26,610
the power and in the wisdom of God.

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00:13:27,010 --> 00:13:29,490
Because what we're about to
read at the end of verse six might

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00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:32,130
look like he's acting in his
own flesh.

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00:13:32,290 --> 00:13:35,490
But because verse six tells us
that the Spirit of God came upon

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00:13:35,490 --> 00:13:38,250
Saul, we see that the way that
he's acting is righteous.

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00:13:38,250 --> 00:13:40,690
We see that the way that he's
acting is obedient.

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00:13:41,170 --> 00:13:43,690
And so the Spirit of God comes
upon Saul and it says, when he heard

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those tidings, and his anger
was kindled greatly.

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00:13:48,450 --> 00:13:52,130
So we all know that the Bible
says, be angry, but sin not.

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00:13:52,130 --> 00:13:53,770
That's in the book of Ephesians.

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00:13:53,770 --> 00:13:57,170
And there is a time and a
place for us to get angry.

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There is a time and a place
for us to stand up against evil.

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00:14:01,050 --> 00:14:04,610
But most of the time when we
get angry within our Christian lives,

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00:14:05,570 --> 00:14:08,850
and you know, you might say,
speak for yourself, Pastor, I'm always

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00:14:08,850 --> 00:14:09,850
righteously angry.

322
00:14:09,930 --> 00:14:12,170
But let's be honest with
ourselves here this evening.

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00:14:12,170 --> 00:14:14,850
Most of the time when we're
angry about something, it's about

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00:14:14,850 --> 00:14:18,010
a selfish thing that we are
hung up on.

325
00:14:18,490 --> 00:14:21,130
So for me, when I get angry,
it's when someone doesn't do things

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my way.

327
00:14:21,850 --> 00:14:26,650
Or sometimes when I get angry,
someone, they insult me or, or they

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00:14:26,650 --> 00:14:29,290
come against me, or they
question me, or they.

329
00:14:29,290 --> 00:14:31,050
They don't meet my expectations.

330
00:14:31,050 --> 00:14:34,610
But we see here in this
specific scenario that righteous

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00:14:34,610 --> 00:14:36,010
indignation is.

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00:14:36,010 --> 00:14:37,930
Is anger against sin.

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00:14:37,930 --> 00:14:40,490
It's anger against unrighteousness.

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00:14:40,490 --> 00:14:44,170
It's anger against this shame
that Nahash wants to bring upon the

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00:14:44,170 --> 00:14:46,610
people of Israel and
ultimately the God of Israel.

336
00:14:46,930 --> 00:14:50,530
And so this was a good spirit
led anger within Saul.

337
00:14:50,530 --> 00:14:55,090
So there is a time and a place
for us to get angry at sin, angry

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00:14:55,090 --> 00:14:58,610
at things that go against the
Lord's word and his will.

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00:14:58,910 --> 00:15:02,230
But I do want us to take a
note here that most of the time we

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00:15:02,230 --> 00:15:03,230
should not be angry.

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00:15:03,630 --> 00:15:06,990
Most of the time we should be
filled with grace and joy and patience.

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00:15:07,310 --> 00:15:10,190
But there is a time and a
place to stand up against evil.

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00:15:10,350 --> 00:15:11,794
And so Ephesians 4.

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00:15:11,866 --> 00:15:16,070
26 says that we can be angry
and not sin, but in most cases, our

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00:15:16,070 --> 00:15:17,270
anger does lead to sin.

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00:15:17,270 --> 00:15:20,230
So we have to be very careful
that even righteous anger doesn't

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00:15:20,230 --> 00:15:23,750
lead us to a place of sin in
our life, because that's sometimes

348
00:15:23,750 --> 00:15:24,430
how it can start.

349
00:15:24,900 --> 00:15:28,020
Sometimes it starts with a
righteous indignation against sin.

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00:15:28,340 --> 00:15:32,500
But many of you seen in
throughout history that an individual

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00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:36,140
might be angry at a sin, but
then eventually be angry at the person

352
00:15:36,140 --> 00:15:39,500
and eventually be angry at a
whole group and eventually lead to

353
00:15:39,500 --> 00:15:43,700
a place of bitterness in one's
heart that leads to selfish anger.

354
00:15:44,020 --> 00:15:47,820
And so in this case in verse
6, it's the Spirit of God driving

355
00:15:47,820 --> 00:15:49,060
Saul in his anger.

356
00:15:49,060 --> 00:15:51,620
And it's going to lead him to
obedience and lead him to do something

357
00:15:52,060 --> 00:15:52,900
that he should be doing.

358
00:15:52,900 --> 00:15:53,300
It's a.

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00:15:53,300 --> 00:15:56,740
It's in a righteous concern
for the cause of the Lord and his

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00:15:56,740 --> 00:15:57,020
people.

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00:15:57,100 --> 00:16:00,060
So if you wanted a good
definition of righteous anger, it

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00:16:00,060 --> 00:16:00,620
would be this.

363
00:16:00,700 --> 00:16:03,020
It would be anger in.

364
00:16:03,020 --> 00:16:07,100
In a righteous concern for the
cause of the Lord and his people.

365
00:16:08,620 --> 00:16:11,540
So I. I think that that could
be a whole other lesson in and of

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00:16:11,540 --> 00:16:11,860
itself.

367
00:16:11,860 --> 00:16:12,620
When should be.

368
00:16:12,620 --> 00:16:12,940
When.

369
00:16:12,940 --> 00:16:14,540
When should we be righteously angry?

370
00:16:14,700 --> 00:16:18,140
And when should we just extend
patience and let things go?

371
00:16:18,590 --> 00:16:21,270
And I would say in most cases,
if it's against me in a personal

372
00:16:21,270 --> 00:16:24,590
slight, Jesus spoke to that
turn the other cheek, right?

373
00:16:24,590 --> 00:16:24,910
That's.

374
00:16:24,910 --> 00:16:27,750
If it's a personal slight
against me, I don't need to get righteously

375
00:16:27,750 --> 00:16:28,190
angry.

376
00:16:28,430 --> 00:16:32,590
But when it's about the will
and the word of God and his people,

377
00:16:32,590 --> 00:16:33,990
that's when we should stand up.

378
00:16:33,990 --> 00:16:37,070
So let's see what he does
here, because what he does here is

379
00:16:37,070 --> 00:16:37,950
pretty shocking.

380
00:16:38,270 --> 00:16:41,430
I mean, this seems like
something that someone would do in

381
00:16:41,430 --> 00:16:43,630
a movie, the, you know,
threaten another person.

382
00:16:43,630 --> 00:16:45,820
And this is exactly what he's doing.

383
00:16:45,820 --> 00:16:49,060
He's trying to really turn
around and challenge the people of

384
00:16:49,060 --> 00:16:50,780
Israel to stand up against Nahash.

385
00:16:50,780 --> 00:16:51,420
Verse 7.

386
00:16:51,420 --> 00:16:54,620
And he took a yoke of oxen and
hewed them in pieces.

387
00:16:55,340 --> 00:16:56,780
So you guys know what he did?

388
00:16:56,780 --> 00:17:00,700
He took a bunch of oxen, cut
them up, and sent them throughout

389
00:17:00,700 --> 00:17:03,420
all the coast of Israel by the
hands of messengers.

390
00:17:03,500 --> 00:17:07,500
So he tells these messengers,
take these to all the places in Israel

391
00:17:07,580 --> 00:17:12,920
and say this, whosoever cometh
not forth after Saul and after Samuel,

392
00:17:12,920 --> 00:17:15,930
and meaning Saul and Samuel
are in the way of God, we're going

393
00:17:15,930 --> 00:17:17,210
to go defend the truth.

394
00:17:17,210 --> 00:17:18,690
We're going to go defend righteousness.

395
00:17:18,690 --> 00:17:20,010
We're going to go defend our land.

396
00:17:20,090 --> 00:17:21,690
We're going to defend our God.

397
00:17:21,770 --> 00:17:22,890
He says, so if.

398
00:17:22,890 --> 00:17:25,810
If you don't come with us, and.

399
00:17:25,810 --> 00:17:29,130
And it says in verse seven,
and the fear of the Lord fell upon.

400
00:17:29,290 --> 00:17:30,890
And this is the response of it.

401
00:17:30,890 --> 00:17:33,610
He says, if you don't come
with Saul and Samuel, so shall it

402
00:17:33,610 --> 00:17:34,930
be done unto his oxen.

403
00:17:34,930 --> 00:17:39,970
Meaning this, if you don't
stand up with me and with Samuel

404
00:17:39,970 --> 00:17:42,690
and with God, this is what's
going to happen to you.

405
00:17:43,010 --> 00:17:46,010
I mean, Nahash is not just
going to stop with Gilead.

406
00:17:46,010 --> 00:17:47,570
He's going to go on to every
other place.

407
00:17:47,570 --> 00:17:50,530
And if we don't stand up now,
spiritual compromise is going to

408
00:17:50,530 --> 00:17:52,330
spread throughout all of the land.

409
00:17:52,330 --> 00:17:54,290
And we got to stand up and cut
it out right now.

410
00:17:54,530 --> 00:17:58,570
And the response is, it says,
the fear of the Lord fell upon the

411
00:17:58,570 --> 00:18:01,730
people and they came out with
one consent, meaning they respond

412
00:18:01,730 --> 00:18:04,210
properly to the preaching of
the Word of God.

413
00:18:04,210 --> 00:18:06,130
They respond with a fear of God.

414
00:18:06,710 --> 00:18:09,670
And I think that's important
to note there in verse number seven,

415
00:18:09,670 --> 00:18:11,470
the fear of the Lord fell on
the people.

416
00:18:11,470 --> 00:18:11,830
Not.

417
00:18:11,910 --> 00:18:14,710
Not the fear of Nahash,
because that would be.

418
00:18:14,870 --> 00:18:18,270
That would be another way to
respond would be, wow, if Nahash

419
00:18:18,270 --> 00:18:20,790
is coming, man, we need to
maybe make a compromise with him.

420
00:18:20,790 --> 00:18:22,470
Maybe we need to make a covenant.

421
00:18:22,550 --> 00:18:26,390
Maybe we're willing to give up
our right eye for our safety, but

422
00:18:26,390 --> 00:18:28,270
instead we see it's the fear
of the Lord.

423
00:18:28,270 --> 00:18:29,990
And really that's what we can
do in our life.

424
00:18:29,990 --> 00:18:36,880
We can either fear the enemy,
we can fear the world, we can fear

425
00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:40,280
sin, or we can fear the Lord
and respond properly.

426
00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:41,080
And that's what they do.

427
00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,320
And we know that they respond
properly because it says in verse

428
00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:46,400
seven, and they came out with
one consent, meaning they were unified.

429
00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:47,160
They're.

430
00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:50,560
They're coming together in
unity to fight for the Lord.

431
00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:53,920
And so Saul's message to them worked.

432
00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:59,940
When those pieces of oxen went
out unto them and Israel saw what

433
00:18:59,940 --> 00:19:03,420
was at stake, they knew that
the Lord called them to unite against

434
00:19:03,420 --> 00:19:04,180
the enemy.

435
00:19:04,580 --> 00:19:06,900
And that really, that's the
message for all of us as Christians,

436
00:19:07,540 --> 00:19:13,140
we should pray, as Jesus
prayed In John chapter 17, to live

437
00:19:13,220 --> 00:19:15,860
a life within the church with unity.

438
00:19:16,420 --> 00:19:16,820
Why?

439
00:19:16,820 --> 00:19:21,780
Because Jesus understood and
experienced what happens when God's

440
00:19:21,780 --> 00:19:23,220
people fight against each other.

441
00:19:23,940 --> 00:19:26,860
Because if God's people are
fighting against each other and not

442
00:19:26,860 --> 00:19:29,460
unified, they're not going to
be able to fight against the real

443
00:19:29,460 --> 00:19:32,620
enemy which is coming like
Nahash, from the outside.

444
00:19:33,820 --> 00:19:36,820
And what we can see within the
church and what we can see within

445
00:19:36,820 --> 00:19:40,700
one Samuel with the people of
Israel, is that when God was at work

446
00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:43,220
and the fear of the Lord was
in their presence, and when they

447
00:19:43,220 --> 00:19:46,660
realized truly what they were
fighting against, they unified themselves

448
00:19:46,660 --> 00:19:47,020
together.

449
00:19:48,060 --> 00:19:51,580
Now we see a world today
that's really characterized by division.

450
00:19:52,540 --> 00:19:56,290
We see a country divided, we
see a world divided.

451
00:19:56,530 --> 00:19:58,690
And oftentimes we see a church divided.

452
00:19:59,090 --> 00:20:01,170
We're not just talking about
our church, but I'm talking about

453
00:20:01,170 --> 00:20:02,050
Christians at large.

454
00:20:02,770 --> 00:20:06,130
And really what we see here is
that the reason why many times, I

455
00:20:06,130 --> 00:20:09,210
believe, and I think
scripturally it's true, the reason

456
00:20:09,210 --> 00:20:12,690
why we're divided is because
we're not unified with the Fear of

457
00:20:12,690 --> 00:20:13,010
the Lord.

458
00:20:13,010 --> 00:20:16,370
We're not unified with the
same purpose, and we're living in

459
00:20:16,370 --> 00:20:20,610
the spirit of fear instead of
a fear of man, the fear of the enemy

460
00:20:20,610 --> 00:20:21,730
instead of the fear of God.

461
00:20:22,430 --> 00:20:24,990
And so I love the way that
verse seven ends because it says

462
00:20:25,230 --> 00:20:28,350
that as the message goes out,
there's this realization that there's

463
00:20:28,350 --> 00:20:29,150
a real threat.

464
00:20:29,710 --> 00:20:32,030
And by the way, the Bible
tells us in the book of Ephesians

465
00:20:32,030 --> 00:20:33,390
that there's a real threat.

466
00:20:33,710 --> 00:20:36,710
We're not fighting against
flesh and blood, but against principalities

467
00:20:36,710 --> 00:20:38,790
and powers and all these
different types of things in this

468
00:20:38,790 --> 00:20:42,910
world that's spiritually
coming to attack not only the unsaved,

469
00:20:42,910 --> 00:20:44,590
but also to attack the church.

470
00:20:44,590 --> 00:20:48,460
The Bible says that Satan is
firing his darts at us and that ultimately

471
00:20:48,460 --> 00:20:51,140
what he wants to do is he
wants to discourage us and he wants

472
00:20:51,140 --> 00:20:51,780
to divide us.

473
00:20:51,780 --> 00:20:56,020
And that's why Jesus prays in
John 17 to the Father that it is

474
00:20:56,020 --> 00:20:58,100
his will that the people walk
in unity.

475
00:20:58,980 --> 00:21:00,300
And so that's the idea here.

476
00:21:00,300 --> 00:21:03,740
In verse number seven, it says
they walk with one consent, with

477
00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:06,700
a unified spirit, with a
unified heart against the common

478
00:21:06,700 --> 00:21:07,220
enemy.

479
00:21:07,220 --> 00:21:09,820
And let me tell you here this
evening, all of us have a common

480
00:21:09,820 --> 00:21:10,260
enemy.

481
00:21:10,820 --> 00:21:13,220
You say, yeah, I have a common enemy.

482
00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:14,020
It's this person.

483
00:21:14,020 --> 00:21:15,890
Well, no, that's, that's not
what I'm talking about.

484
00:21:15,890 --> 00:21:18,890
I'm talking about the common
enemy of, Of Satan, of.

485
00:21:18,890 --> 00:21:19,170
Of.

486
00:21:19,170 --> 00:21:21,130
Of sin, of the evil one.

487
00:21:21,370 --> 00:21:24,890
And therefore we must be
unified together so we're able to

488
00:21:24,890 --> 00:21:28,930
fight against the one who is
coming after all of us and wanting

489
00:21:28,930 --> 00:21:29,850
us to be separated.

490
00:21:29,850 --> 00:21:32,410
You know, an interesting part
of the armor of God, if you do a

491
00:21:32,410 --> 00:21:34,970
study in the armor of God, one
of the interesting parts of the armor

492
00:21:34,970 --> 00:21:36,730
of God is studying about the
shield of faith.

493
00:21:36,890 --> 00:21:39,050
And most of you know what the
shield of faith is.

494
00:21:39,530 --> 00:21:41,370
But the shield of faith is, is our.

495
00:21:41,370 --> 00:21:42,680
Is our salvation.

496
00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,360
It's our foundation of
believing in God and what he says.

497
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:46,880
And literally, the, the.

498
00:21:46,880 --> 00:21:47,520
The shield.

499
00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:51,120
Paul was describing the shield
as a Roman shield.

500
00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,440
What they would have done is
they would have covered the shield

501
00:21:53,440 --> 00:21:56,280
with animal skins and they
would have drenched it in water so

502
00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,640
that as the fiery darts came,
they would stick into the shield

503
00:21:58,640 --> 00:22:00,000
and they would be extinguished.

504
00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:03,520
And that's really the hope
that we have in faith is that those

505
00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:06,720
fiery darts can be
extinguished when we're able to use

506
00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:10,160
that in faith, when we're able
to lean into what God has called

507
00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:11,675
us to do by trusting in him.

508
00:22:11,675 --> 00:22:13,020
And, and I also will say this.

509
00:22:13,020 --> 00:22:15,820
One of the other aspects of
the shield of Faith, which often

510
00:22:15,820 --> 00:22:20,500
doesn't get talked about, is
part of Roman defense, was that when

511
00:22:20,500 --> 00:22:24,060
they would get together and
there would be people firing darts

512
00:22:24,060 --> 00:22:25,940
at them, they would all lock
their shields together.

513
00:22:25,940 --> 00:22:29,060
There was a way that all their
shields would interlock, and then

514
00:22:29,060 --> 00:22:31,580
they would be able to
basically build what they called

515
00:22:31,580 --> 00:22:33,340
a turtle shell or a tortoise shell.

516
00:22:33,340 --> 00:22:36,020
They would all lock their
shields and they would all stand

517
00:22:36,020 --> 00:22:38,820
together so that no one could
get them from behind, no one can

518
00:22:38,820 --> 00:22:40,620
get them from the top, no one
can get them from the front.

519
00:22:40,990 --> 00:22:44,310
And so a part of the shield of
faith is not only having individual

520
00:22:44,310 --> 00:22:46,750
faith, but it's having
corporate faith together with other

521
00:22:46,750 --> 00:22:50,310
people in unity so that we can
lock shields and have a defense.

522
00:22:50,310 --> 00:22:52,430
So that I've got your back and
you've got my back.

523
00:22:52,430 --> 00:22:54,110
Ultimately, God's got all of
our backs.

524
00:22:54,110 --> 00:22:56,670
And that's the idea that we
see here in verse seven, is that

525
00:22:56,670 --> 00:22:58,510
they came together with one consent.

526
00:22:58,510 --> 00:22:59,870
They came together in one accord.

527
00:23:00,270 --> 00:23:01,990
And that's the idea of the
shield of faith.

528
00:23:01,990 --> 00:23:04,430
And so we go a little bit
further, verse 8.

529
00:23:05,150 --> 00:23:08,110
And when he had numbered them
in Bezek, the children of Israel

530
00:23:08,110 --> 00:23:10,790
were 300,000 and the men of
Judah 30,000.

531
00:23:10,790 --> 00:23:13,250
And they said unto the
messengers that came, thus shall

532
00:23:13,250 --> 00:23:16,450
ye say unto the men of Jabesh,
Gilead, tomorrow, by that time the

533
00:23:16,450 --> 00:23:17,370
sun will be hot.

534
00:23:17,850 --> 00:23:19,130
Ye shall have help.

535
00:23:19,370 --> 00:23:19,930
Meaning this.

536
00:23:19,930 --> 00:23:20,810
There's we're coming.

537
00:23:20,970 --> 00:23:21,930
Help is on the way.

538
00:23:21,930 --> 00:23:22,810
Don't give up.

539
00:23:23,770 --> 00:23:26,370
And I think that that's a
message, too, that some of us need

540
00:23:26,370 --> 00:23:29,290
to hear that, that I've needed
to hear in many cases in my life.

541
00:23:29,850 --> 00:23:32,490
I don't know if you've ever
been going through a trial and you've

542
00:23:32,490 --> 00:23:35,410
been tempted to quit, you've
been tempted to give in, you've been

543
00:23:35,410 --> 00:23:38,010
tempted to surrender to the enemy.

544
00:23:39,060 --> 00:23:41,660
The advice that we all should
have to one another, and the advice

545
00:23:41,660 --> 00:23:43,540
that God gives us is, just
stand fast.

546
00:23:43,780 --> 00:23:44,900
Help is on the way.

547
00:23:45,620 --> 00:23:47,540
Rest in the goodness of God.

548
00:23:47,780 --> 00:23:50,100
Look to the hope that you have
in him.

549
00:23:50,100 --> 00:23:51,740
And that's what he says in
verse eight.

550
00:23:51,740 --> 00:23:53,620
Tell them that help is on the way.

551
00:23:53,700 --> 00:23:55,700
Verse eight and nine, he says,
it's coming.

552
00:23:55,940 --> 00:23:58,460
And so verse number nine, he
says, and the messengers came and

553
00:23:58,460 --> 00:24:00,740
showed it to the men of
Jabesh, and they were glad.

554
00:24:01,220 --> 00:24:07,230
So with encouragement comes
joy, with encouragement comes peace.

555
00:24:07,790 --> 00:24:09,750
And I think that's one of the
things that we need to think about

556
00:24:09,750 --> 00:24:10,070
as well.

557
00:24:10,070 --> 00:24:10,990
We sang tonight.

558
00:24:11,710 --> 00:24:13,630
I've got the joy of the Lord
in my heart.

559
00:24:13,630 --> 00:24:16,110
I got the peace that passes
all understanding in my heart.

560
00:24:16,590 --> 00:24:20,069
And oftentimes we think about
those things and we think about them

561
00:24:20,069 --> 00:24:22,550
as circumstantial joy and
circumstantial peace.

562
00:24:22,550 --> 00:24:27,270
So, for example, I think of
think about your happy place and

563
00:24:27,270 --> 00:24:28,750
I don't know if any of you
guys have a happy place.

564
00:24:28,750 --> 00:24:29,390
You know what I mean?

565
00:24:30,130 --> 00:24:32,970
Some of you it might be the
mountains or some people, it's the

566
00:24:32,970 --> 00:24:33,330
beach.

567
00:24:33,410 --> 00:24:35,090
Some people it's the city.

568
00:24:35,090 --> 00:24:37,810
I don't know how in the world
the city could be your happy place.

569
00:24:37,810 --> 00:24:38,410
But that's.

570
00:24:38,410 --> 00:24:40,690
That gives me anxiety and stress.

571
00:24:41,330 --> 00:24:44,090
But whatever it is, you have a
place where you're like, okay, that's

572
00:24:44,090 --> 00:24:45,170
my place of peace.

573
00:24:45,170 --> 00:24:47,410
And I'm not saying those are wrong.

574
00:24:47,650 --> 00:24:50,450
But what I'm saying is
biblical peace is not just getting

575
00:24:50,450 --> 00:24:52,290
away and being in your happy place.

576
00:24:53,650 --> 00:24:57,850
Biblical peace is being in the
midst of the battle and having the

577
00:24:57,850 --> 00:25:01,130
calmness and the serenity of
God in your life so that you don't

578
00:25:01,130 --> 00:25:03,890
panic and that you don't run
away, that you don't give up.

579
00:25:03,970 --> 00:25:05,250
It's the same thing with joy.

580
00:25:05,250 --> 00:25:08,250
I used to think that, well,
that means that God's going to remove

581
00:25:08,250 --> 00:25:09,170
me and give me peace.

582
00:25:09,170 --> 00:25:11,530
That's going to mean that
God's going to make all these joyful

583
00:25:11,530 --> 00:25:13,930
things happen in my life and
I'm never going to have any problems.

584
00:25:13,930 --> 00:25:15,850
But that's not biblical peace
and joy.

585
00:25:15,850 --> 00:25:19,970
Biblical peace and joy is I'm
in the battle, but I can have joy.

586
00:25:20,930 --> 00:25:24,450
I might have something not
happy happening to me right now,

587
00:25:24,800 --> 00:25:26,040
but I also can have joy.

588
00:25:26,040 --> 00:25:29,200
I can have a sense of
contentment in the midst of trials.

589
00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:31,600
And so that's what we see
there at the end of verse nine.

590
00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,080
Nahash hasn't left yet, by the way.

591
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:38,800
The guy, the people there, the
guys in J. Bash Gilead did not find

592
00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,160
gladness when Nahash left.

593
00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:44,400
They found gladness to know
that God was coming with help, with

594
00:25:44,400 --> 00:25:45,520
the support of others.

595
00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,440
And I think that's important
to note at the end of verse nine

596
00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:50,180
is that their gladness is.

597
00:25:50,330 --> 00:25:52,650
Didn't come from a
circumstance changing.

598
00:25:52,890 --> 00:25:55,850
It came through understanding
that there's support in the Lord

599
00:25:56,010 --> 00:25:58,730
that he is coming and that
they have victory in him.

600
00:25:58,890 --> 00:26:02,090
And I want to extend that to
you here this evening, that encouragement

601
00:26:02,090 --> 00:26:05,130
that things might not get
better tomorrow.

602
00:26:05,530 --> 00:26:06,569
Circumstantially.

603
00:26:07,210 --> 00:26:10,690
I know for me when I. I
recently had a situation and some

604
00:26:10,690 --> 00:26:13,930
of you agree and know what I
mean by this, you have some physical

605
00:26:13,930 --> 00:26:14,490
pain.

606
00:26:14,570 --> 00:26:19,050
What's our immediate ask to
the Lord, Lord, take this pain away.

607
00:26:19,050 --> 00:26:23,490
I completely wholesale think
that it's okay to ask the Lord to

608
00:26:23,490 --> 00:26:24,170
take the pain away.

609
00:26:24,170 --> 00:26:24,970
Don't get me wrong.

610
00:26:24,970 --> 00:26:25,810
I'm not saying that.

611
00:26:25,810 --> 00:26:28,090
I'm not saying we should stop
asking God to heal us.

612
00:26:28,090 --> 00:26:29,170
I'm not saying that either.

613
00:26:29,170 --> 00:26:30,650
But what I'm also saying is this.

614
00:26:30,650 --> 00:26:33,090
In the midst of the pain,
don't doubt that God is real.

615
00:26:34,210 --> 00:26:36,610
Don't question him if he
doesn't immediately take it away.

616
00:26:37,010 --> 00:26:40,130
And I think that's the idea
here, is that Nahash is not gone,

617
00:26:40,130 --> 00:26:41,730
but they know that there is support.

618
00:26:41,730 --> 00:26:43,570
And we must understand that.

619
00:26:43,570 --> 00:26:44,570
The advice is this.

620
00:26:44,890 --> 00:26:49,770
Don't look to your outcome as
your joy, as your confidence.

621
00:26:49,770 --> 00:26:52,090
Look to your Savior as your confidence.

622
00:26:52,250 --> 00:26:52,810
Verse 10.

623
00:26:52,810 --> 00:26:56,730
Therefore, the men of Jabesh
said, tomorrow we will come out unto

624
00:26:56,730 --> 00:27:00,490
you, and you shall do with us
all that seemeth good unto you.

625
00:27:00,890 --> 00:27:05,650
And so the idea here is this,
that they're going to be submissive

626
00:27:05,650 --> 00:27:09,770
to the Lord, and ultimately
Saul is going to come with that support.

627
00:27:10,290 --> 00:27:14,570
Saul is going to be the
figurehead in showing them the power

628
00:27:14,570 --> 00:27:15,170
of God.

629
00:27:15,570 --> 00:27:19,530
And so before, they didn't
know if anyone was going to save

630
00:27:19,530 --> 00:27:19,770
them.

631
00:27:19,770 --> 00:27:22,930
Remember, back all the way,
they're like, give us seven days.

632
00:27:22,930 --> 00:27:23,570
I don't know.

633
00:27:23,570 --> 00:27:24,530
We don't have any hope.

634
00:27:24,530 --> 00:27:25,570
Who's going to save us?

635
00:27:25,570 --> 00:27:27,570
They went from that type of hopelessness.

636
00:27:27,890 --> 00:27:30,210
Now they have someone on the
way to save them.

637
00:27:30,450 --> 00:27:31,810
And so really, it's this.

638
00:27:32,050 --> 00:27:35,730
Knowing that they have
salvation brings them joy.

639
00:27:36,450 --> 00:27:39,850
And that's the way it should
be for us, knowing that we have ultimate

640
00:27:39,850 --> 00:27:41,570
salvation, we have a Savior.

641
00:27:41,570 --> 00:27:43,250
That's what brings us joy.

642
00:27:44,050 --> 00:27:47,490
And so there's going to be this.

643
00:27:48,130 --> 00:27:51,810
Essentially they kind of do
like a deception to Nahash.

644
00:27:51,810 --> 00:27:54,770
They say, tomorrow, by that
time we're gonna come out and we're

645
00:27:54,770 --> 00:27:55,330
gonna be there.

646
00:27:55,330 --> 00:27:55,890
Verse 11.

647
00:27:56,050 --> 00:27:59,490
And it was so on the morrow
that Saul put the people in three

648
00:27:59,490 --> 00:27:59,810
companies.

649
00:28:00,050 --> 00:28:01,210
This shows his leadership.

650
00:28:01,210 --> 00:28:03,170
He breaks them, breaks them up
into three different groups.

651
00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:06,040
And they came in the midst of
the host in the morning watch and

652
00:28:06,040 --> 00:28:08,200
slew the Ammonites until the
heat of the day.

653
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,520
And it came to pass that they
which remain were scattered so that

654
00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:13,600
the two of them were not left together.

655
00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:17,640
So this speaks again of a
complete defeat through.

656
00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:22,680
Through Saul's action, through
his obedience to the Lord, and ultimately

657
00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:26,600
through God's power and his
blessing, we see that the.

658
00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:31,850
The army of the Ammonites and
Nahash really had no hope to have

659
00:28:31,850 --> 00:28:32,250
victory.

660
00:28:32,250 --> 00:28:33,370
And that's the same thing with Satan.

661
00:28:33,370 --> 00:28:34,850
Satan is a defeated foe.

662
00:28:35,090 --> 00:28:38,330
And I think we have to go back
and remember that oftentimes we think

663
00:28:38,330 --> 00:28:39,170
evil is winning.

664
00:28:39,170 --> 00:28:41,250
We think Satan is going to
come out on top.

665
00:28:41,250 --> 00:28:42,770
And sometimes it looks that way.

666
00:28:42,770 --> 00:28:44,370
But Satan is a defeated foe.

667
00:28:44,770 --> 00:28:45,930
The defeat happened.

668
00:28:45,930 --> 00:28:48,210
I mean, you could argue it
happened from the very beginning.

669
00:28:48,210 --> 00:28:49,010
He had no hope.

670
00:28:49,090 --> 00:28:52,730
But really, you could really,
I believe, argue that the defeat

671
00:28:52,730 --> 00:28:55,170
was on the cross, the feet,
the feat was through the resurrection.

672
00:28:55,670 --> 00:28:57,430
Just what we celebrated this
past weekend.

673
00:28:57,590 --> 00:29:00,710
But Satan is a defeated foe,
just as Nahash was a defeated foe.

674
00:29:00,710 --> 00:29:01,630
And we have to live that way.

675
00:29:01,630 --> 00:29:03,030
We have to stay confident in that.

676
00:29:03,190 --> 00:29:03,910
Verse 12.

677
00:29:04,150 --> 00:29:07,670
And the people said unto
Samuel, who is he that said, shall

678
00:29:07,670 --> 00:29:08,950
Saul reign over us?

679
00:29:08,950 --> 00:29:11,190
Bring the men that we may put
them to death?

680
00:29:11,510 --> 00:29:12,270
Now, you might not.

681
00:29:12,270 --> 00:29:12,590
If you.

682
00:29:12,590 --> 00:29:14,790
If you haven't been with us in
the study, you might not understand

683
00:29:14,790 --> 00:29:16,550
what was just asked to Samuel.

684
00:29:17,190 --> 00:29:22,150
But if, if you do remember in
chapter 10, where we just left off,

685
00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,520
there were people, they were
called the children of Belial, which

686
00:29:26,520 --> 00:29:29,560
means they were the children
of emptiness, children of vanity,

687
00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:31,080
children of worthlessness.

688
00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:36,600
They questioned God and Samuel
and Saul and basically said this,

689
00:29:36,600 --> 00:29:38,360
how can this man save us?

690
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:40,280
How can Saul be our leader?

691
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,560
And it says that they despised
him and brought him no presence,

692
00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:45,720
and Saul held his peace.

693
00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:51,540
And so now the people that are
excited about this victory turn to

694
00:29:51,540 --> 00:29:54,260
Samuel and say, Samuel, who
are those people that were questioning

695
00:29:54,260 --> 00:29:54,540
Saul?

696
00:29:54,540 --> 00:29:58,420
We need to bring them in and
we need to put them to death because

697
00:29:58,420 --> 00:29:59,940
they had no right to question Saul.

698
00:29:59,940 --> 00:30:01,060
Look how great Saul is.

699
00:30:01,060 --> 00:30:02,340
And then let's see what happens.

700
00:30:02,340 --> 00:30:03,180
Let's see what Saul does.

701
00:30:03,180 --> 00:30:03,660
Verse 13.

702
00:30:03,660 --> 00:30:07,740
And Saul said, there shall not
a man be put to death this day, for

703
00:30:07,740 --> 00:30:10,340
today the Lord hath wrought
salvation in Israel.

704
00:30:10,340 --> 00:30:12,180
So Saul has another good response.

705
00:30:12,180 --> 00:30:13,740
He says, no, no, let's not put
them to death.

706
00:30:13,740 --> 00:30:15,060
Let's have grace on them.

707
00:30:15,060 --> 00:30:15,420
Why?

708
00:30:15,660 --> 00:30:17,100
Not because they need it.

709
00:30:17,100 --> 00:30:20,890
Not because they earned it,
but because why the Lord hath wrought

710
00:30:20,890 --> 00:30:22,010
salvation in Israel.

711
00:30:22,010 --> 00:30:26,410
So it was essentially their
salvation in that moment that allowed

712
00:30:26,410 --> 00:30:29,490
for Saul to extend grace and
mercy to them.

713
00:30:29,490 --> 00:30:32,490
So the lesson that we can
learn through that is as we experience

714
00:30:32,570 --> 00:30:35,730
God's grace and mercy, we
should turn and extend grace and

715
00:30:35,730 --> 00:30:36,650
mercy to other people.

716
00:30:37,690 --> 00:30:39,890
It's like this, you know, if.

717
00:30:39,890 --> 00:30:40,650
If you're for.

718
00:30:40,810 --> 00:30:42,610
God's forgiven you of
everything, right?

719
00:30:42,610 --> 00:30:42,970
There's a.

720
00:30:42,970 --> 00:30:45,500
There's a parable about this
in Scripture, but God's forgiven

721
00:30:45,500 --> 00:30:48,180
you of so much, and then
you're not willing to forgive.

722
00:30:48,420 --> 00:30:51,820
God's given you grace and
mercy and patience, but you're not

723
00:30:51,820 --> 00:30:54,020
willing to have grace and
mercy and patience with other people.

724
00:30:54,100 --> 00:30:55,380
There's a disconnect there.

725
00:30:55,380 --> 00:30:57,940
So how do we tap into being
more gracious?

726
00:30:58,660 --> 00:31:03,540
How do we tap into being more
peaceful and patient and merciful

727
00:31:03,540 --> 00:31:04,420
and forgiving?

728
00:31:04,580 --> 00:31:06,180
Well, we don't just try harder.

729
00:31:06,340 --> 00:31:09,300
Because then, you know,
everything I've ever tried to do

730
00:31:09,300 --> 00:31:13,100
in my life, just by trying
hard, I eventually fail because I'm

731
00:31:13,100 --> 00:31:14,300
inadequate in those things.

732
00:31:15,020 --> 00:31:17,700
So the way that we grow in all
the things that God has called us

733
00:31:17,700 --> 00:31:22,940
to do is by looking to his
example, by understanding his forgiveness.

734
00:31:22,940 --> 00:31:27,740
And there's so many parallels
to First Samuel, chapter 11 and Ephesians

735
00:31:27,740 --> 00:31:28,540
chapter 4.

736
00:31:28,860 --> 00:31:32,260
And I think that it's a verse
that all of us should look to as

737
00:31:32,260 --> 00:31:34,540
a sense of a challenge in our life.

738
00:31:34,540 --> 00:31:36,260
For me, it's such a
challenging verse.

739
00:31:36,260 --> 00:31:37,140
Ephesians, chapter 4.

740
00:31:37,140 --> 00:31:41,410
If you look at the very end of
the chapter, it tells us the reason

741
00:31:41,650 --> 00:31:43,410
why we should forgive one another.

742
00:31:44,130 --> 00:31:47,170
Essentially, Saul is forgiving
those people that question him.

743
00:31:47,810 --> 00:31:51,010
Saul had every right in the
eyes of the people in Israel to say,

744
00:31:51,010 --> 00:31:51,410
you know what?

745
00:31:51,410 --> 00:31:52,370
They questioned me.

746
00:31:52,690 --> 00:31:54,050
They're dead, they're gone.

747
00:31:54,449 --> 00:31:55,170
Forget them.

748
00:31:55,810 --> 00:31:58,210
You know, get off the truck or
you're going to get run over.

749
00:31:58,210 --> 00:32:00,370
That's what essentially Saul
could have said.

750
00:32:01,010 --> 00:32:05,810
But as he's resting in the
spirit of the Lord, he responds with

751
00:32:05,810 --> 00:32:11,200
what Ephesians 4:32 says, and
be kind, one to another, tenderhearted,

752
00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:12,240
forgiving one another.

753
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:14,160
Why?

754
00:32:14,160 --> 00:32:15,280
Because it's good for your health.

755
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:16,400
Well, some people say that.

756
00:32:16,400 --> 00:32:18,960
Some people say the reason why
you should forgive is just because

757
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:21,280
it's this burden upon you and
it's going to make you sick.

758
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:24,880
Well, maybe true, but that's
not the theological reason why we

759
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:26,240
are supposed to forgive other people.

760
00:32:26,720 --> 00:32:30,760
It says here, forgiving one
another, even as God for Christ's

761
00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:32,480
sake, hath forgiven you.

762
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:35,640
Meaning the reason why we
forgive is not because it's good

763
00:32:35,640 --> 00:32:36,080
for my health.

764
00:32:36,080 --> 00:32:37,430
The reason why we forgive is.

765
00:32:37,500 --> 00:32:39,820
Is not so that people will be
nice to me and forgive me.

766
00:32:39,820 --> 00:32:43,020
The reason why we forgive is
because we've been so forgiven by

767
00:32:43,020 --> 00:32:44,460
the Lord through Jesus Christ.

768
00:32:44,780 --> 00:32:46,580
And that's what Saul is
essentially doing.

769
00:32:46,580 --> 00:32:49,780
Even though Saul in his mind
is probably not thinking about all

770
00:32:49,780 --> 00:32:52,580
of those implications of the
Messiah, he's looking here and he

771
00:32:52,580 --> 00:32:54,620
says, hey, let's not put them
to death.

772
00:32:54,620 --> 00:32:54,860
Why?

773
00:32:54,860 --> 00:32:58,700
Because today we experience
salvation, and that's really how

774
00:32:58,700 --> 00:33:01,180
we should respond to people
that are coming against us.

775
00:33:01,180 --> 00:33:01,900
You know what?

776
00:33:01,900 --> 00:33:03,060
I'm not going to respond.

777
00:33:03,060 --> 00:33:03,980
Evil for evil.

778
00:33:03,980 --> 00:33:04,260
Why?

779
00:33:04,260 --> 00:33:06,140
Because God has given me
something better than that.

780
00:33:06,290 --> 00:33:09,250
That vengeance is mine, I will
repay, sayeth the Lord.

781
00:33:09,250 --> 00:33:13,410
And so S. Now, now I will tell
you, Saul is not a master at this.

782
00:33:13,410 --> 00:33:16,370
Because later on, Saul does
take opportunities to get revenge.

783
00:33:16,690 --> 00:33:18,690
We even know that with David, right?

784
00:33:18,690 --> 00:33:22,170
Some of you know, the Saul
that chases after David and has no

785
00:33:22,170 --> 00:33:24,370
reason to kill him, but wants
to kill him because he's jealous.

786
00:33:24,450 --> 00:33:28,170
That's what the picture of a
person who isn't walking in the Spirit

787
00:33:28,170 --> 00:33:28,770
acts like.

788
00:33:28,770 --> 00:33:31,930
But someone who is walking in
the Spirit is filled with what we've

789
00:33:31,930 --> 00:33:32,210
seen.

790
00:33:32,620 --> 00:33:35,020
Unity, gladness, forgiveness.

791
00:33:35,660 --> 00:33:39,060
And so verse 14, then, then
said Samuel to the people, come and

792
00:33:39,060 --> 00:33:42,140
let us go to Gilgal and renew
the kingdom there.

793
00:33:43,020 --> 00:33:45,700
And as many of you know,
Gilgal is that picture of strength.

794
00:33:45,700 --> 00:33:47,060
It's the picture of.

795
00:33:47,060 --> 00:33:48,460
Of trusting in the Lord.

796
00:33:48,620 --> 00:33:54,460
And so through this military
victory and really through the spiritual

797
00:33:54,460 --> 00:33:57,420
victory, we see them have
unity, gladness, forgiveness.

798
00:33:57,500 --> 00:33:59,940
And even what we see here is
motivation and strength.

799
00:33:59,940 --> 00:34:01,900
He says, and renew the kingdom.

800
00:34:01,900 --> 00:34:02,390
There's.

801
00:34:02,460 --> 00:34:04,540
There's that renewal, that revival.

802
00:34:04,780 --> 00:34:05,100
We.

803
00:34:05,100 --> 00:34:07,380
We hear many people within our church.

804
00:34:07,380 --> 00:34:09,220
You know, I. I think of Pastor
Carlos all the time.

805
00:34:09,220 --> 00:34:10,460
He says we're praying for revival.

806
00:34:11,020 --> 00:34:12,540
Where does revival come from?

807
00:34:13,020 --> 00:34:15,740
Because sometimes we just say
that word revival or renewal.

808
00:34:15,980 --> 00:34:18,980
What revival used to mean for
me was that there was a tent outside

809
00:34:18,980 --> 00:34:21,980
of our church and there was a
guy who would preach all week and

810
00:34:22,140 --> 00:34:22,540
that.

811
00:34:22,540 --> 00:34:23,180
I don't know.

812
00:34:23,180 --> 00:34:25,420
Like, we got fired up that
week and we got excited.

813
00:34:25,420 --> 00:34:26,940
Next week we went back to normal.

814
00:34:27,020 --> 00:34:27,940
That's not revival.

815
00:34:27,940 --> 00:34:28,940
That's not renewal.

816
00:34:29,260 --> 00:34:31,700
Renewal and revival is a
change of heart, really.

817
00:34:31,700 --> 00:34:35,340
If you think about renewal and
revival, it's always linked to repentance

818
00:34:35,900 --> 00:34:38,860
because repentance is
physically turning away from something

819
00:34:38,860 --> 00:34:40,300
and turning to something.

820
00:34:40,940 --> 00:34:41,300
So.

821
00:34:41,300 --> 00:34:45,099
So for the Christian, it's
turning away from sin and compromise

822
00:34:45,099 --> 00:34:50,500
and hopelessness and my own
works and turning to Christ and longing

823
00:34:50,500 --> 00:34:52,340
for his grace and his mercy.

824
00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:54,780
So I think about that when it
comes to renewal.

825
00:34:55,020 --> 00:34:58,100
For the repentance for them
was at the very beginning of this

826
00:34:58,100 --> 00:34:58,460
chapter.

827
00:34:58,460 --> 00:34:59,380
They were hopeless.

828
00:34:59,540 --> 00:35:02,780
They were thinking that there
is no hope because, hey, this guy

829
00:35:02,780 --> 00:35:04,380
Nahash is right out in front
of us.

830
00:35:04,380 --> 00:35:05,460
He's about to kill us.

831
00:35:05,460 --> 00:35:06,820
So we gotta compromise.

832
00:35:06,820 --> 00:35:09,940
They went from that type of
hopelessness now to having complete

833
00:35:09,940 --> 00:35:10,900
spiritual victory.

834
00:35:11,220 --> 00:35:13,900
And now they say, okay, now
it's time for renewal.

835
00:35:13,900 --> 00:35:15,140
Now it's time for revival.

836
00:35:15,220 --> 00:35:18,660
And if we want revival within
our church, we have to start thinking

837
00:35:18,660 --> 00:35:21,900
differently, start believing
differently, and start acting differently

838
00:35:21,900 --> 00:35:23,200
and saying this, you know what?

839
00:35:23,200 --> 00:35:24,400
I'm not going to be hopeless.

840
00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:27,760
I'm not going to act like the
world, every other country in the

841
00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,120
world at that time, every
other land in that world at that

842
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:32,520
time, it would have been
completely understandable for them

843
00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:35,520
to act like this because they
say, hey, there's an enemy against

844
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:35,720
us.

845
00:35:35,720 --> 00:35:37,440
We got to compromise, we got
to save ourselves.

846
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:38,440
We have no other hope.

847
00:35:38,440 --> 00:35:39,840
We have no God that can save us.

848
00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:43,240
But Israel was different
because they had a God of salvation

849
00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:44,640
that had already proven himself.

850
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:47,680
So Israel was called to act
differently than the world.

851
00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:48,790
If you don't know, know that.

852
00:35:48,790 --> 00:35:50,390
Read the whole book of Leviticus.

853
00:35:50,550 --> 00:35:51,950
The whole book of Leviticus.

854
00:35:51,950 --> 00:35:54,230
A lot of people think it's
just a bunch of laws, which it is,

855
00:35:54,230 --> 00:35:57,790
but it's also a distinction
from all the other nations of the

856
00:35:57,790 --> 00:36:00,870
world to be different, to not
be like the world.

857
00:36:01,030 --> 00:36:04,630
And so God's plan for his
people has always been to be different.

858
00:36:05,030 --> 00:36:06,150
So what does that mean?

859
00:36:06,150 --> 00:36:06,870
That means this.

860
00:36:07,030 --> 00:36:12,070
When the Nahash comes against
us, whoever, whoever Nahash is for

861
00:36:12,070 --> 00:36:17,450
you, when, when that situation
comes up in our life, we don't act

862
00:36:17,450 --> 00:36:20,090
like every other person in the
world that doesn't have hope.

863
00:36:20,170 --> 00:36:22,890
We act like a person who has a
savior, who has hope.

864
00:36:23,130 --> 00:36:25,050
And that's, and that's the
idea of victory.

865
00:36:25,290 --> 00:36:27,290
We have, we have, and I've
been there.

866
00:36:27,370 --> 00:36:30,890
We have too many Christians
that are acting like the world acts.

867
00:36:30,890 --> 00:36:32,970
When temptations and trials
come our way.

868
00:36:33,050 --> 00:36:36,330
We feel like there's no other
choice but to choose the way of evil.

869
00:36:36,570 --> 00:36:39,850
And, and then ultimately, hey,
well, we just have to compromise.

870
00:36:40,420 --> 00:36:42,820
We're not going to completely
deny God, but we're going to give

871
00:36:42,820 --> 00:36:43,780
up a ground.

872
00:36:43,780 --> 00:36:45,140
We're going to give our right eye.

873
00:36:45,700 --> 00:36:47,780
And that's really what we see
here in this passage.

874
00:36:47,780 --> 00:36:53,020
And so they push forward in
belief and God gives them renewal.

875
00:36:53,020 --> 00:36:53,580
Verse 15.

876
00:36:53,580 --> 00:36:55,300
And all the people went to Gilgal.

877
00:36:55,380 --> 00:36:57,300
So they go to this unified place.

878
00:36:57,300 --> 00:37:02,580
And there they made Saul king
before the Lord in Gilgal, and there

879
00:37:02,580 --> 00:37:06,020
they sacrifice sacrifices of
peace offerings before the Lord.

880
00:37:06,350 --> 00:37:09,350
And there Saul and all the men
of Israel rejoiced greatly.

881
00:37:09,350 --> 00:37:13,950
So this is the product of the
renewal or the revival.

882
00:37:14,510 --> 00:37:17,870
It would be this, that there
were sacrifices and peace offerings

883
00:37:17,870 --> 00:37:18,470
before the Lord.

884
00:37:18,470 --> 00:37:18,990
What's that?

885
00:37:19,390 --> 00:37:20,910
That was the way that they worshiped.

886
00:37:21,550 --> 00:37:26,910
So, so link to renewal and
revival is a heart of worship to

887
00:37:26,910 --> 00:37:30,190
the Lord and, and folks, we
have so many reasons to worship.

888
00:37:31,310 --> 00:37:32,910
I would encourage you to sit down.

889
00:37:33,240 --> 00:37:34,240
We did a little bit about this.

890
00:37:34,240 --> 00:37:37,160
If some of you were here on
Saturday and you remember, we just

891
00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:39,920
sat down and thought of
reasons that we should worship the

892
00:37:39,920 --> 00:37:45,000
Lord for his character, all
the character traits that he has,

893
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:47,320
his characteristics for what
he's done.

894
00:37:47,320 --> 00:37:49,800
I mean, you could sit there
and you should be able to sit there

895
00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:52,040
and think about all the
reasons to worship him.

896
00:37:52,840 --> 00:37:58,040
And I've often been in a
church service where worship is happening

897
00:37:58,280 --> 00:38:00,680
through songs or through
prayer or through preaching.

898
00:38:01,150 --> 00:38:02,550
And I have not had the heart
of worship.

899
00:38:02,550 --> 00:38:05,110
And I think all of us could
identify a time in our life where

900
00:38:05,110 --> 00:38:06,950
we were going through the
motions and we had everything in

901
00:38:06,950 --> 00:38:08,110
our mind but worship.

902
00:38:09,070 --> 00:38:11,870
You know, thinking about all
the problems that we have at home

903
00:38:11,870 --> 00:38:15,870
or at work, or thinking about
how chaotic it was just to get into

904
00:38:15,870 --> 00:38:18,470
church that day, or thinking
about the job that we have to do

905
00:38:18,470 --> 00:38:21,270
on Monday, or thinking about,
you know, that person across the

906
00:38:21,270 --> 00:38:22,350
room that harmed me.

907
00:38:22,430 --> 00:38:25,430
And we have everything in our
minds and in our hearts other than

908
00:38:25,430 --> 00:38:25,950
worship.

909
00:38:25,950 --> 00:38:26,630
Folks, that's.

910
00:38:26,630 --> 00:38:30,060
That's not a place of renewal
and repentance and revival.

911
00:38:30,220 --> 00:38:33,740
We're never going to find
rejuvenation in the Lord if our hearts

912
00:38:33,740 --> 00:38:34,780
are placed somewhere else.

913
00:38:35,020 --> 00:38:38,660
So what we have to do is, what
they did in this place is they came

914
00:38:38,660 --> 00:38:42,060
to the Lord and they submitted
themselves to him and they said,

915
00:38:42,060 --> 00:38:44,139
here's our offerings, here's
our sacrifices.

916
00:38:44,139 --> 00:38:45,740
And then the result would be this.

917
00:38:45,900 --> 00:38:48,100
And they all rejoice greatly.

918
00:38:48,100 --> 00:38:49,580
And there's that joy of the Lord.

919
00:38:49,660 --> 00:38:51,020
Joy of the Lord is our strength.

920
00:38:51,660 --> 00:38:53,820
And so, you know, I wasn't looking.

921
00:38:53,900 --> 00:38:56,220
I purposefully didn't turn
around and look.

922
00:38:57,020 --> 00:38:59,980
But I've been the one that's
singing a song in church.

923
00:39:01,340 --> 00:39:02,420
The joy of the Lord.

924
00:39:02,420 --> 00:39:04,220
You know, I got the joy, joy,
joy, joy down in my heart.

925
00:39:04,220 --> 00:39:07,340
And my face is like, I've got
the joy, George.

926
00:39:08,540 --> 00:39:09,580
You know, it's.

927
00:39:09,900 --> 00:39:10,620
I know we're.

928
00:39:10,620 --> 00:39:11,300
I know we're tired.

929
00:39:11,300 --> 00:39:11,860
I know it's Wednesday.

930
00:39:11,860 --> 00:39:12,940
I know we got a lot going on.

931
00:39:12,940 --> 00:39:16,580
I look, so I. I don't know,
but I've been the one that's been

932
00:39:16,580 --> 00:39:19,060
singing the song about how
great my father's love for me is.

933
00:39:19,060 --> 00:39:22,220
And I'm sitting there just
like, not thinking about it, really.

934
00:39:23,220 --> 00:39:26,620
And I think that what we have
to do is truly, if we don't have

935
00:39:26,620 --> 00:39:30,020
the joy of the Lord, I'm not
here to condemn you if you don't

936
00:39:30,020 --> 00:39:30,740
have the joy.

937
00:39:30,900 --> 00:39:33,940
I'm not like those Christians
that say, if you don't have the joy,

938
00:39:33,940 --> 00:39:34,900
there's something wrong with you.

939
00:39:35,220 --> 00:39:35,620
But.

940
00:39:35,700 --> 00:39:38,020
But truly, in my life, where.

941
00:39:38,020 --> 00:39:42,380
Where I have come to a place
of understanding is this.

942
00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:45,140
If I don't have the joy of the
Lord, I need to inspect my life.

943
00:39:45,780 --> 00:39:48,980
There's something that has
taken the Joy of the Lord.

944
00:39:48,980 --> 00:39:52,260
And, and even David says,
renew in me the joy of my salvation.

945
00:39:53,170 --> 00:39:55,930
So, so if there is no joy in
the Christian's life, what should

946
00:39:55,930 --> 00:39:56,370
we do?

947
00:39:56,370 --> 00:39:59,410
We'll just get more upset,
find more reasons to complain.

948
00:39:59,410 --> 00:40:03,410
No, we inspect our life and
ask the Lord to give us clarity.

949
00:40:03,410 --> 00:40:04,290
As David said.

950
00:40:04,290 --> 00:40:05,210
Search me, oh God.

951
00:40:05,210 --> 00:40:05,850
Know my thoughts.

952
00:40:05,850 --> 00:40:06,370
Try me.

953
00:40:06,450 --> 00:40:06,970
Try me.

954
00:40:06,970 --> 00:40:07,810
Know my thoughts.

955
00:40:08,130 --> 00:40:09,970
And, and what I would
encourage you to do is if.

956
00:40:09,970 --> 00:40:12,330
If there is a place in your
life where you lack the joy of the

957
00:40:12,330 --> 00:40:19,070
Lord, inspect your thoughts,
inspect your beliefs, inspect.

958
00:40:19,540 --> 00:40:22,540
Inspect your intake, inspect your.

959
00:40:22,540 --> 00:40:23,460
Your output.

960
00:40:23,860 --> 00:40:26,900
Inspect everything and say,
well, you know what?

961
00:40:27,140 --> 00:40:29,820
Maybe the reason why the joy
of the Lord is not my strength is

962
00:40:29,820 --> 00:40:33,140
because at this point in time,
my focus is on something else.

963
00:40:33,780 --> 00:40:36,700
Maybe, maybe I don't have joy
right now because I have a harbored

964
00:40:36,700 --> 00:40:37,540
sin in my life.

965
00:40:37,860 --> 00:40:41,260
Maybe I don't have the joy
because a physical thing is pulling

966
00:40:41,260 --> 00:40:42,820
my attention away.

967
00:40:43,620 --> 00:40:45,020
And so think about it this way.

968
00:40:45,020 --> 00:40:48,990
You have the attention, the
affection, the orientation.

969
00:40:49,390 --> 00:40:52,430
These are all things that we
need to get back to in coming to

970
00:40:52,590 --> 00:40:55,030
a sense of joy of the Lord in
our lives.

971
00:40:55,030 --> 00:40:58,590
And so, First Samuel, Chapter
11, I believe, is a great story,

972
00:40:59,070 --> 00:41:03,550
a great account of a guy named
Nahash who is a picture of Satan

973
00:41:03,550 --> 00:41:05,390
who's coming against the
people of God.

974
00:41:05,390 --> 00:41:08,270
There's the temptation to
quit, there's a temptation to compromise,

975
00:41:08,270 --> 00:41:09,870
there's a temptation to serve him.

976
00:41:09,870 --> 00:41:13,470
But ultimately, it's the Lord
and the obedience of God's people

977
00:41:13,970 --> 00:41:17,370
and truly the righteous
indignation of God's people and the

978
00:41:17,370 --> 00:41:21,330
action of God's people that
cause a sense of understanding of

979
00:41:21,330 --> 00:41:22,770
the salvation that God can provide.

980
00:41:22,770 --> 00:41:25,810
And that brought about
gladness, that brought about unity,

981
00:41:25,970 --> 00:41:29,490
that brought about worship,
that brought about all these things

982
00:41:29,490 --> 00:41:32,210
that we mentioned here this
evening that ultimately brought renewed

983
00:41:32,290 --> 00:41:34,690
revival and rejoicing in the Lord.

984
00:41:35,010 --> 00:41:37,770
And so I hope that's a
challenge and encouragement for you

985
00:41:37,770 --> 00:41:38,610
here this evening.

986
00:41:39,090 --> 00:41:42,070
I will say that I wish I could
tell you that the rest of the story

987
00:41:42,070 --> 00:41:44,550
for Saul was that he stayed in
this path, but he didn't.

988
00:41:44,870 --> 00:41:47,790
And we know that there were
certainly some things in Saul's life

989
00:41:47,790 --> 00:41:51,110
that causes him to turn away
from the joy of the Lord.

990
00:41:51,510 --> 00:41:55,590
And you see him in the story
with David where he has no joy at

991
00:41:55,590 --> 00:41:55,710
all.

992
00:41:55,710 --> 00:41:55,950
He's.

993
00:41:55,950 --> 00:42:01,430
He's plagued by all of these
torturous things of darkness, sadness

994
00:42:01,430 --> 00:42:03,190
and anxiety, depression.

995
00:42:03,350 --> 00:42:06,550
And I'm not saying that all
those things are stemming to a spiritual

996
00:42:06,970 --> 00:42:09,850
aspect, but what I am saying
is that we know Saul's was.

997
00:42:09,930 --> 00:42:12,570
We know, Saul's was connected
to where his heart was connected

998
00:42:12,570 --> 00:42:12,890
to.

999
00:42:13,450 --> 00:42:18,410
And in comparison, Saul and
David sin.

1000
00:42:18,490 --> 00:42:23,170
I think we all understand that
Saul had sins in his life, David

1001
00:42:23,170 --> 00:42:24,090
had sins in his life.

1002
00:42:24,330 --> 00:42:26,850
One could even argue that some
of the things that David did were

1003
00:42:26,850 --> 00:42:28,090
more egregious than Saul.

1004
00:42:28,330 --> 00:42:29,290
But what was the difference?

1005
00:42:29,290 --> 00:42:30,370
We're going to get to David.

1006
00:42:30,370 --> 00:42:33,290
David was a man after God's
own heart.

1007
00:42:34,010 --> 00:42:36,130
And so it's not always a
matter of what we've done in our

1008
00:42:36,130 --> 00:42:38,330
life, but it's a matter of
where our heart is connected.

1009
00:42:38,650 --> 00:42:42,330
And David's heart, though he
sinned, was always a repentant and

1010
00:42:42,570 --> 00:42:43,770
contrite spirit.

1011
00:42:43,850 --> 00:42:46,850
Where Saul's did not respond
in a contrite spirit, it actually

1012
00:42:46,850 --> 00:42:48,730
was more pride and more ego.

1013
00:42:48,730 --> 00:42:50,650
And that's where we see his demise.

1014
00:42:50,650 --> 00:42:53,610
And so it's not a matter of
perfection because David wasn't perfect,

1015
00:42:53,850 --> 00:42:55,850
but David was a man after
God's own heart.

1016
00:42:55,850 --> 00:43:01,030
And that was the delineation
between the man of Saul and the man

1017
00:43:01,030 --> 00:43:01,710
of David.

1018
00:43:01,950 --> 00:43:04,350
And we'll talk more about that
as we continue on in the study.

1019
00:43:04,910 --> 00:43:08,350
Well, let's go ahead and pause
there and we'll come back, Lord willing,

1020
00:43:08,350 --> 00:43:11,870
next week and look at chapter
12 in First Samuel.

1021
00:43:13,230 --> 00:43:18,430
And there will be an urge to
follow God in the land of Israel,

1022
00:43:18,430 --> 00:43:22,310
and hopefully we will grow in
our understanding of how to do that

1023
00:43:22,310 --> 00:43:22,990
in our own lives.

1024
00:43:24,190 --> 00:43:26,750
Thank you again for listening
to the Middletown Baptist Church

1025
00:43:26,750 --> 00:43:27,390
podcast.

1026
00:43:27,820 --> 00:43:29,980
I hope that this sermon has
been a blessing for you.

1027
00:43:30,620 --> 00:43:32,900
If you would like to find out
more information about our church

1028
00:43:32,900 --> 00:43:36,460
or this sermon, you can find
us at middletownbaptistchurch.org

1029
00:43:36,700 --> 00:43:39,260
or find us on Facebook or YouTube.

1030
00:43:39,980 --> 00:43:44,420
You can also email me directly
at Josh Massaroiddletownbaptistchurch

1031
00:43:44,420 --> 00:43:48,900
dot com if you've enjoyed this
podcast, please subscribe and follow

1032
00:43:48,900 --> 00:43:51,660
along for future podcast and updates.

1033
00:43:52,380 --> 00:43:53,340
Thank you so much.

1034
00:43:53,580 --> 00:43:54,300
God bless.

1035
00:43:54,540 --> 00:43:55,820
Have a wonderful day.