Abounding Grace

Larry: Coming up next on Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: If the enemy of our souls can't get to you, he'll begin to go after those that are closest to you. Your wife, your husband, your parents, your kids, your friends, your co-laborers, your co-workers perhaps. You know, if the enemy can't get you, he'll get anything he can to get to you. And how important it is for us not only to to get our lives on track, but to be very mindful of those that are close to us, praying for them, interceding for them, covering them, warning them, teaching them, discipling them.

Larry: Welcome once again to Abounding Grace. Maybe you like the man we'll hear about today, you are greatly distressed and in a crisis. What do you do at such times? Reach for a gallon of ice cream and go into seclusion? Well, actually there is a much better response. Pastor Ed Taylor has observed four things we can apply to these seasons of life in 1 Samuel chapter 30. We're learning how to defeat times of great distress today.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Open your Bibles to 1 Samuel chapter 30. 1 Samuel chapter 30 is where we are. We're almost at the end of our study in 1 Samuel. So if you started with us in chapter one, we are almost at the end which is chapter 31. Lord willing, we'll finish that next week. And if you did start with us in the beginning and you do go with us until next Wednesday, for many of you that will be the very first book of the Bible that you studied through verse by verse, a chapter by chapter from beginning to end.

Now when we finished first when we finished first Samuel, you can know that we're going to begin 2 Samuel as soon as we gather together again. So we're going to work our way through first second Samuel, first second Kings, first second Chronicles together because they all go together and you'll see the overlap and you'll see the history of a very important time in the life of the nation of Israel. Now last time we were together, we learned that God will often use the rock bottom of a person's life to get their attention. Now he doesn't always have to and I don't think that he takes great delight in it, but he'll use it.

Just like we saw as we paused and we went over to Luke's Gospel and we took a good look at the prodigal son. Because as this son of a father decides that he wants to do his own thing and go his own way and take his inheritance early and disrespect his dad and live in a way that was dishonoring of God and dishonoring of his dad and dishonoring of his family name. It's it was dishonoring in every way you can think. His father allowed him to do what he thought was best even though his father knew what was best for him.

He gave him the freedom, he gave him his inheritance and we learned that in Luke's Gospel we learned that the prodigal son hit rock bottom. Things happened to him that he couldn't expect, that he had no idea. He ran out of money and when he ran out of money, he ran out of friends. And when he ran out of money and he ran out of friends, a famine that had no one knew, a famine hit the land. A great difficulty. And he got a job feeding pigs and it was there at rock bottom that God God his attention.

Well, it's also what happened in David's life. We looked at just the first few verses of chapter 30 last time. We we focused in on that beautiful truth of how David encouraged himself in the Lord. David himself was in a bad place. And being in a bad place, it was rock bottom in his life that he returns to the Lord. And so notice by way of review verse one, it happened when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag attacked Ziklag and burned it with fire.

They'd taken captain the captive the women and those who were there from small to great. They did not kill anyone but carried them away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city and there it was burned with fire. Their wives, their sons, their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives, Ahinoam and the Jezreelitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal the Carmelite had been taken captive. Now Ziklag literally means winding or twisting.

And life can be that way sometimes. Life has as we've seen its twists and turns. Especially it seems when we find ourselves in a place really wanting to be, you know, get right with the Lord perhaps like David here. David has made a good decision. And we somehow think that when we make good decisions, only good will follow. And and we think the opposite too, when we make bad decisions, boy, we're going to get in trouble. We make good decisions, good things can happen. However, we've learned in all of our Bible studies together as a church and I think we've also learned in experience that sometimes you can do good and be repaid with bad.

Sometimes you can do bad and get repaid with good. Sometimes you can do bad and be repaid with bad and sometimes you can be you can do good and be be repaid with good. You just don't know. And here David is making the right decision but he comes upon Ziklag a twist in the road. He comes upon Ziklag thinking that all will be well. I've come to my senses. I'm coming back home. And instead of meeting the father ready to throw him a party like the prodigal son did, he comes back to the city where he left his families only to find out it's been destroyed and all of his families have been taken captive.

You see, you start to examine your life and you find that everything seems to be what you want it to be. You you you begin to make decisions that God is obviously blessing and you want to walk in the blessings of God only to come to like David does a Ziklag, a twist, a turn. Here David it comes back after making a good decision to lose everything. Now we know that he came back to great loss specifically because he was backsliding. And while he was away, the enemy took advantage of his fleshly choices. But the reality is is that we need to expect spiritual warfare and we need to expect and not be surprised by difficulties when we set our lives toward obeying God.

In a very simple way, that's what's happening with David. He has decided to obey God and now he is facing a crisis, a test upon that decision. He meets with the difficulties of the Amalekites as we have seen many times before, a type of the flesh. And the Amalekites attacked David at his weakest point. They didn't attack him face to face. They didn't go after and chase him and his men. They went after that which was unprotected. They went after that which was neglected by David. I also see a principle here that's important to grasp for those of you that are loyal to God and you love Jesus Christ and it's simply this.

As you decide to follow him, as you decide to get serious, maybe this is going to be the service or you're listening out on the radio right now. This is the time you're going to get serious about the things of God. All this stuff is happening in your life and and you are you are finally convinced that serving God is what he desires, the best decision for your life. And as you make that decision and move forward, you will be met with great resistance, great difficulty. The Bible describes that as spiritual warfare. There is a spiritual battle.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. There is an ongoing battle. It often is waged within the physical but it's really a spiritual battle. And there you are, you're ready, you're taking a strong stand. And as you're taking a strong stand, the enemy is making no progress against you. Now you would think, you know, I think I would want it if the enemy's not making any progress against me, he would just quit. Just leave me alone. Just just stay away. And and you might even feel a little bit of of removal of the pressure.

But here I see in the attack of David's family a warning to us all. And it's simply this. If the enemy of our souls can't get to you, he'll begin to go after those that are closest to you. Your wife, your husband, your parents, your kids, your friends, your co-laborers, your co-workers perhaps. You know, if the enemy can't get you, he 'll get anything he can to get to you. And how important it is for us not only to to get our lives on track, but to be very mindful of those that are close to us, praying for them, interceding for them, covering them, warning them, teaching them, discipling them.

You can see now some of what Jesus warned us about and that if our house is divided, it won't stand. We'll be very vulnerable. And in this case we see progress from the Amalekites. We see progress from the enemy of God. The house if you will was divided. David was off with the Philistines where he didn't belong, backsliding almost to the point where he would be enlisted to fight against the children of Israel. He left his family unprotected, unguarded, uncared for. And for a brief moment he pays the price. They're all taken away captive. We're not told what's done while they're away captive.

But knowing the Amalekites, they were evil people, vicious people, nomadic type of people that cared not much for anyone other than themselves. And it doesn't surprise us now, does it? That it says in verse four that David and all the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they had no more power to weep. They understood the significance of this. What happens David in verse six is, you might want to mark these words. He's not just distressed, he's greatly distressed. Why? Well, the Bible tells us the people spoke of stoning him.

Not only has he lost everything, not only is he having to deal with these backslidden years and coming, not only does he have all this going on but the very people that were loyal to him, that were even with him when he was backsliding, they want to kill him. That's their solution. Because all the people were grieved, it says, every man for his sons and daughters. And yet David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. Now not while none of us want to be in want to be distressed. And certainly none of us want to be greatly distressed.

It's good to remember that it's often this place of great distress where God's work is really seen, where God's deliverance really shows up. I mean truly, how would you and I ever experience deliverance unless we found ourselves in a place where we needed to be delivered? Greatly distressed. Places where we come to the end of ourselves, where we see that our way is not God's way, when we're hurting, when we're attacked, when the enemy of our soul steals that which belongs to God. And so in the rest of the chapters we unfolded together, I want to show you four things that David does in response to being greatly distressed.

Four things that he does in times that are desperate. And we've already looked at one of them at the end of verse six. Number one, David strengthened himself in the Lord. In some translations it says that David encouraged himself in the Lord. This is always where change starts. This is what we need to do to get back all that God has all the enemy has ripped off from our lives. We can sit there and wallow in the sadness which will probably lead me to wallow in self-pity or I can turn to the Lord. When I'm down, I need to encourage myself and remember the good things that the Lord has shown me.

In Psalm 103 verse 17 it says, but the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those that fear him and his righteousness to the children's children to such as keep his covenant to those who remember his commandments to do them. In a place of great distress, it's important to learn to strengthen yourself in the Lord. Notice verse seven. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, please bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the Lord saying, shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?

And he answered him, pursue for you surely will overtake them without fail and recover all. So David went, he and the 600 men who were with them and came to the brook Besor where those stayed who were left behind. But David pursued, he and 400 men for 200 men stayed behind who were so worried that they could not cross the brook Besor. So when you and I are greatly distressed, number one, we encourage ourselves in the Lord. Number two, we noticed David inquired of the Lord. He came to a place where he recognized that God is his help and he asked for it.

He brought the priest. I wonder and again that the the text isn't doesn't tell us and and it's only hypothetical but I wonder sometimes how much grief David could have avoided if he would have inquired and brought Abiathar to him a lot more. How much God wants to speak to our lives if we'll just ask, if we'll just inquire, if we'll just ask him, God what? God how? God when? This is always a wise decision for us. God, what do you want me to do? Okay, I'm I'm out of the I recognize. You know, I encourage you know, notice that with David he encouraged himself in the Lord but his circumstances didn't change.

He's still in a place of losing everything. But instead of staying in that place and dwelling on the fact that he's lost everything because of his backslidden ways and the attack of the enemy in his weakest point, he asked God, should we go after them? Now doesn't it make sense you would go after them? I think I'd go I automatically where's my wife? I 'm going after them. I mean it's the logical choice but is it from the Lord? Well, he found out if it was from the Lord. He asked and God said, yes, go after him.

Not only to go do go after him but I want to let you know I'm going you're going to get them, you're going to catch them, you're going to win. And I love what he says at verse eight, you are without fail going to recover all. You're going to get it all back, David. I 'm going to give it to you. Why do we wait so long to inquire from the Lord? I don't know. But when we do choose to inquire, we'll often get his answer so quickly, so directly that it'll shock us. And we look back.

I'm sure you've had these times having you like, oh man, why didn't I pray earlier? This makes so much sense. You tried to figure it out, you tried to put all the pieces together, you tried and and and it didn't work but you began to pray and ask God. He gave you wisdom in an instant. He's so faithful, so gracious to us. He tells him in verse eight he'll get them back. In Psalm 77 verse one it says, I cried to the Lord with my voice to God with my voice and he gave ear to me.

In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord. My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing. My soul refused to be comforted. Isaiah chapter 26 verse 16 says, Lord, in trouble they visited you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was upon them. See God wants to answer you. He wants to speak to that situation. He wants to speak into your pain. He wants to speak into your discouragement. He wants to speak into your situation but the devil's always whispering, oh you're not good enough, don't even ask. He's not going to hear you.

He doesn't care. He's got more issues than you. And so you kind of pass on asking the Lord what to do. He say, well, you know, what you're in. I mean easily he could have I could hear the whispers of the devil with David, it's your fault. Why are you going to ask God for help? It's your fault. If you were here and if you weren't with the Philistines and you know, I could hear all of the con condemning types of things that if the devil's not doing it, you'll do it to yourself. But David he not only encouraged himself in the Lord but secondly he inquired of the Lord.

Thirdly, we notice in verses nine and 10 that David obeyed the Lord. You want to deal with your great distress, turn to the Lord, encourage yourself, inquire of the Lord, ask him. And then thirdly, when he answers, obey him. So what does he do in verse nine? So David went. He and the 600 men who were with him, he went. I love those phrases. So David got direction, what did he do? Did he ask for a committee? Did he ask everybody's opinion? Did he wonder what to do? No, it just says, so David went. That's a far cry from a place of being stoned, great distress and grief, which shows me that God can do a quick work of encouragement in your life.

He can take you from a place of great grief where you cry and you can't weep anymore to a place of mustering the troops. By the way, this is no small thing. This is a neat relationship between David and these men. Not all of them as we'll see in a moment but it's a really neat relationship because in one second they want to stone him. In the next moment they're ready to go fight with him. Go get their people back. It's really cool, you know, because in relationships you go through things. You go through ups and downs.

You know, I don't know if you've ever had anyone that's wanted to stone you and kill you and then you go fight with them but hey, if you have, God bless you, you know. But we all have our issues, you know. We all have our down times. Relationships go through ups and downs. The downs are really hard but man how encouraging it is with these He said 600 men went with him. David pursued. He took 400 men all the way because 200 weren't able to go. Wow. Obey the Lord. After praising God and after praying to God, David now pursues the enemy to get his family back.

There's a time, there's a time to wait, there's a time to act and God answers. When God gives the green light to act, our only choice is to respond in obedience because God blesses obedience. God doesn't at any time bless disobedience. The Lord says, take a step of faith and I'll be with you. I'll fight for you but fighting isn't passive. Remember Elijah got into a place where he was greatly discouraged. He was dealing with this very discouragement as Jezebel had threatened to take his life. He had just had the greatest victory in his life up on Mount Carmel and at the words of Jezebel he went from the heights of encouragement to the depths of discouragement and he ran away for his life and hid in a cave.

And you'll recall when God came to the cave and you know, there was all this noise and then remember that's where we learned that God doesn't speak in the lightning or all the thunder and the earthquakes. He speaks in sometimes in a still small voice. And the voice that was given to Elijah was very simple. He says, what are you doing here? Why are you here? And there's just times in the caves of discouragement that you hear the voice of the Lord saying, why are you here? You get up, anoint yourself. I'm with you. It's a hard time right now but I'm with you.

It's so encouraging. For your reference due to time, 1 Kings chapter 19, maybe you need to review it those of you in deep discouragement today. Why are you here? Get up and anoint yourself. It's time to go. It's not time to be in the cave. So number one, he encouraged himself. Number two, he inquired. Number three, he obeyed. In verse 11 it says, then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and they gave him bread and he ate and they let him drink water. They gave him a piece of cake and figs and two clusters of raisins.

So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him for he'd eaten no bread nor drunk any water for three days and three nights. Then David verse 13 said to him, to whom do you belong and where are you from? And he said, I'm a young man from Egypt, a servant of the of an Amalekite and my master left me behind because three days ago I fell sick. We made an invasion of the southern area of the Cherethites in the territory which belongs to Judah and in the southern area of Caleb and we burned Ziklag with fire.

And David said to him, can you take me down to this troop? And he said, swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master and I will take you down to this troop. So here David is and his men are on the move and and providentially in the sovereignty of God, they find a guy that was left behind, one a servant of an Amalekite. And after they he's weary and sick recovering, they feed him some food. He gains a little bit of strength and he's going to tell them exactly where they are.

I mean that's what happens. You start taking steps of faith. God meets you there. And what do we do? We wait and we wait and we wait. We want it all to be planned out. Tell me what it's going to be like. Tell me how it's going to be. And what about this? And we sit here waiting for God to explain it all and God is simply waiting for you to obey. And when you take the step of faith, man there's an Egyptian. How could you ever meet the Egyptian in the middle of the Sinai desert, man?

How you know, he he would you you have to be on the move obeying the Lord and when you are, God will lead you into great things.

Larry: We're learning how to defeat times of great stress today on Abounding Grace through a study of 1 Samuel 30 with Pastor Ed Taylor. To get this a second listen, all you need to do is visit aboundinggraceradio.com or oneplace.com or you can listen through our app that can be found in the App Store or Google Play. And Pastor Ed, it is quite likely someone listening right now is in a time of great distress and they're discouraged. What word of encouragement would you like to leave them with as we close?

Pastor Ed Taylor: I I had a word of encouragement that just popped into my mind, Larry, as you were speaking. It's Jesus. I it's just in my mind right now, Jesus speaking in John 14 where he says, let not your hearts be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go and prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also.

And where I go, the way you know. And just get that sense the Holy Spirit saying through these words of Jesus bringing them back to our remembrance. Don't let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Trust him. I love this phrase. Sometimes we read right past it. He says, if it were not so, I would have told you. And what that tells me is that Jesus gives us and speaks with us and shares with us everything we need to know in the moment. And perhaps that's just where you're at right now where you're just thinking if I had more information, if I knew more, if if God would just tell me why that it would be okay but the but the Lord's telling us right here, no.

If there was something to say, I would have told you. I mean if there's something you need in the moment, I would have told you, don't let your heart be troubled. Take those cares and concerns to him. Let him encourage you and wash over you with the water of his word and the presence of his spirit.

Larry: Thanks, Pastor Ed. Abounding Grace is made possible through the generosity of our listeners. Each gift that comes in serves to help us present the teaching of God's word on both the radio and the internet. And think of this, you'll be helping thousands all over the world learn about God's amazing grace and how to grow by it. And today when you give a donation of $25 or more, we'd like to say thanks by sending you Pastor Ed's latest book just released. It's how to take notes. As you're listening to Bible studies on the radio or a church, I'm sure you want to get the most out of it and practically apply what you're hearing.

Well, taking notes is a good way to accomplish that goal. And this helpful book will lead and guide you through the process. Just call 877-30-GRACE to make your request and your donation today. You can also order online at calvaryco.store. Again, 877-30-GRACE or calvaryco.store. And thanks again for joining us today for Abounding Grace with Pastor Ed. May God richly bless you with his abounding grace.

Guest (Male): This is an amazing grace. This is an unfailing love. That you would take my place. Then you would bear my cross. You laid down your life that I would be set free. Oh Jesus I sing for all that you've done for me.

Larry: Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church Colorado here in Aurora.