Abounding Grace

Pastor Ed Taylor: Today on Abounding Grace. You are untouchable in the Lord. You are. How many times are they going to send people after you, send people after you, send people after you? In the spirit, you're untouchable.

In the flesh, you're on your own. And you have less than a 50/50 chance of surviving anything that gets thrown your way. Most likely in the flesh you're going to respond in the flesh and it's going to make things worse and the devil's going to win.

Guest (Male): I think most of us can look back on our lives and see the protective hand of God. Perhaps it was on the roadway, maybe on the operating table. Whether we see it or not, God protects His children and restrains evil. And we'll see a good example of that today on Abounding Grace as we open 1 Samuel chapter 19.

If you recall, Saul is envious of David and wants to kill him. But the Lord restrains Saul from harming David. Just as He protected David, He can protect you too. Here's Pastor Ed Taylor starting at verse 11.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Now Saul, verse 11, sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. Didn't he just say he wasn't going to kill him? Yes. And now he's ready to do it again. Why? Because that was the depth of his heart. I'm sure you've heard the phrase before, but words are cheap. Words are cheap. Action speaks louder than words.

And we can see that King Saul, to his son to appease him, everything's fine. But truly his heart is unchanged, unfortunately. And here he sends messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him. And Michal, David's wife, told him saying, "If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed."

So Michal let David down through a window. And he went and fled and escaped. And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats' hair for his head, and covered it with clothes. So when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick."

Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed that I may kill him." And when the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed with a cover of goats' hair for his head. Then Saul said to Michal, "Why have you deceived me like this and sent my enemy away so that he has escaped?" And Michal answered Saul, "He said to me, 'Let me go, why should I kill you?'"

David's getting more and more attention. Remember back in chapter 18, verse 7, the ladies were already singing about him with his great exploits at war, comparing him to King Saul. And King Saul is so far from God that he was open to the work and the influence of the demonic realm. They were at home in his life. And then he picks up the spear again. Then he goes after it at his house where his daughter is, wanting to take David out.

Hold your places here. Would you turn over to Psalm 59 with me? Psalm 59 is a great place to turn as we get a little bit of background on what's going on in this time in David's life. Psalm 59. You'll notice in the title it says to the chief musician, set to "Do Not Destroy," a michtam of David when Saul sent men and they watched the house in order to kill him. Where is that? 1 Samuel chapter 19.

So this psalm is on his heart during this time. This is what was going on in David's heart. Verse 1: "Deliver me from my enemies, O God. Defend me from those who rise up against me. Deliver me from the workers of iniquity and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life. The mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O Lord. They run and prepare themselves though no fault of mine. Awake to help me and behold.

"You therefore, O God, Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations. Do not be merciful to any wicked transgressors." And then that word Selah, remember in a psalm, is a pause. It's a musical instruction, but it also can be interpreted as a pause where you take just a deep breath to think about something.

This is a heavy psalm to write as David is, again, not taking things into his own hands, but fleeing for his life. He goes home to a place that should be safe. And verse 6: "At evening they return, they growl like a dog and go all around the city. Indeed, they belch out with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, for they say, 'Who hears?'"

They think they're getting away with it. "But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them. You shall have all the nations in derision. O You his strength, I will wait for You." What a great place to be. "For God is my defense. My merciful God shall come to meet me. God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.

"Do not slay them, lest my people forget. Scatter them by Your power and bring them down, O Lord, our shield. For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips, let them even be taken in their pride, for their cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them that they may not be. And let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth."

Another deep breath. "At evening they return, they growl like a dog, they go all around the city. They wander up and down for food and howl if they are not satisfied. But I will sing of Your power. Yes, I will sing aloud of Your mercy in the morning. You have been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble. To You, O my strength, I will sing praises, for God is my defense, the God of my mercy."

There's a little insight of what's going on in David's heart. And you can see he's crying out for God's righteous judgment. He's back and forth. He goes, "Take them away." "No, don't take them away." "God, You're my defense. Defend me." "No, You are my defense." It's beautiful.

Verse 18 now. So David again fled and escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and stayed at Naioth. I wonder how that conversation went. He went and told Samuel everything that Samuel warned the nation about when they chose the king the first time.

How hard that must have been for Samuel to hear. Why? Because of the people's choices, the people are suffering. They wanted a king, they got their king. And their king is corrupt. Their king so quickly turned his back upon the Lord. And not only is David paying the price, but so are others. This is how Saul ran his kingdom.

Now it was told Saul saying, "Take note, David is at Naioth in Ramah." Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul and they also prophesied. And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time and they prophesied also.

This is pretty funny. This is a funny thing that's being described in the Scriptures. As Saul is sending people to go take David, when they come upon the prophesying, they get caught up in the prophesying. And don't see this as they become spiritual men all of a sudden. They just get caught up in the action and they couldn't follow through. So word gets back to Saul. He sends another group. Samuel's there in the spirit.

There's really a great picture here, and that's simply this: you are untouchable in the Lord. You are. How many times are they going to send people after you, send people after you, send people after you? In the spirit, you're untouchable.

In the flesh, you're on your own. And you have less than a 50/50 chance of surviving anything that gets thrown your way. Most likely in the flesh you're going to respond in the flesh and it's going to make things worse and the devil's going to win.

But here they are, they get caught up in well, David runs to Samuel. A picture of Samuel, this prophet of God. He's in that protective place, running to the right place at the right time. He's not running back into the world, although we will see that. We'll see some really sad things in David's life.

But at least now he runs to Samuel, that representative of God. He runs to the right place. He's in the right place, and that puts a place of protection of God upon him. God is protecting him. It's not his decisions. His decisions are putting him in the right place. The protection comes from God. God has His hand upon him.

And so it says in verse 22, he also went to Ramah, came to the great well that's at Sechu. So he asked and said, "Where are Samuel and David?" And someone said, "Indeed, they're at Naioth in Ramah." And so he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God was upon him.

And also he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

Very interesting. A very interesting situation as Saul, at this season of his life, is humiliated by the protection of God. Not only were they able to talk, but they went together, Saul and Samuel and David. Not only were they able to be encouraged and uplifted, but they were able to go to the next town. And what a time of encouragement David needed this, as we saw in Psalm 59.

It reminds me of the beautiful comfort that comes to God's people by friends, God's spokesmen. Turn over to Proverbs chapter 25. Let's look at a few proverbs together. How important your words are, church. How important your voice is in the plan and the direction of God.

I mean, of course, with your mouth you can make big mistakes. But with your mouth you can really encourage someone. You can really speak a word in due season. Proverbs chapter 25, verse 11. And how I pray that you and I would use our mouths in a way that would build up and not tear down. That we would edify.

In Proverbs chapter 25, verse 11, it says, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver." A word fitly spoken. Look at chapter 15 now, verse 23. Proverbs 15:23. It says, "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." I'm reading verse 22 because I just want to throw that one in. It wasn't a mistake. It was just throwing it in. "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established."

Verse 23: "A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season, how good it is." Have you ever had a word spoken to you in due season? There's so much technology now that words can be spoken in due season all over the place.

If you've got a smartphone, you could set up your smartphone just to remind you with a good word in the morning. You can say, "Siri, wake me up with a good word." Whatever she wants to say. It's like, man. You could set up reminders. You can send texts now. There are so many things that even if God hasn't sent somebody in your life, you could speak a good word to yourself.

You can encourage yourself in the Lord. How important it is. But how great it is when God sends a friend your way, sends a note in the mail, sends an email perhaps, or a knock on the door or a phone call. Somebody walks over to your cubicle from the other side of the building, just God moving upon their hearts, moving upon your heart to speak a word in due season.

Turn over to Proverbs chapter 24, verse 26. Proverbs 24:26. Within our fellowship family, it's so vital to speak a word in due season. I mean, you can bring so much joy and happiness to someone by simply giving them what God has given you.

Look at verse 26. Proverbs chapter 24, verse 26: "He who gives a right answer kisses the lips." Now you know a kiss is an intimate thing. It is something of intimacy and closeness. This isn't speaking of a romantic kiss, but rather the kind of kiss of fellowship, the sweetness of intimacy by your words.

It's not literally having you go up and, "Hey, I've got a good word for you," and you're just known as the weird person that kisses all the time. Not like that at all. It's not even culturally acceptable in our culture right now. We do the handshake and the hugs and those types of things.

But have you ever thought of your words? Have you ever thought of your words being that close and intimate to bless someone else? It's just beautiful. It's so much better than talking smack. And it's so much better than sarcasm. And it's so much better than talking about things that have no eternal value.

It's so much better than just talking about things where, while they may not be sinful and no big deal, I'm asking you to come back to a sensitivity to use your mouth in a way that when you answer, you have the right answer. It's that reminder of the intimacy that we have in the body of Christ.

Now, back in 1 Samuel, we can't move on from this section without talking just a little bit about this gift of prophecy that the Bible teaches is within the body of Christ today. Remember Romans chapter 12?

In Romans chapter 12, verse 6, it says, "Having then gifts differing according to the grace that's given to us, let's use them: if prophecy, then let's prophesy in proportion to our faith." There are some among us today, you have your primary gifting, the thing that moves you is that prophetic gifting.

And what I mean by the prophetic gifting is not what some would say today where you're always "thus saith the Lord," "thus saith the Lord," "thus saith the Lord," and you're trying to prophesy or predict the future. That is not the New Testament gifting of prophecy.

Many people will think of prophecy and think, "Well, it must be 'thus saith the Lord' and it always has to be 'thus,' old King James language, 'thus saith the Lord.'" It could be anything, but that's how folks have been taught and disciplined, "thus saith the Lord." And indeed, God has said much.

In the Old Testament, the gift of prophecy was often in the realm of foretelling, for sure. Telling the future. God had a purpose in giving forth the future through a man's voice. The Scriptures yet to be written.

But the Bible says that we've been given the faith. We've been given the faith, it's once for all delivered. The Bible, as its revelation of God, is closed. God is not giving new revelation. He's not adding pages to the Scripture. We have the word of God handed to us and delivered to us over the centuries.

So then what is this prophetic gift? Well, first of all, we don't have time to get into the depth of this. So I would encourage you to go, you can use the app or go to the website, CalvaryAurora.org, and I taught through those primary giftings in Romans chapter 12.

We spent one week per gift. And then a few weeks before that to explain spiritual gifts and the spiritual realm so you know you don't serve in the church like you serve in the world. You don't serve just with good training or going to class. Like God has dumped a spiritual gift or two or three into you.

And if the prophetic gifting is yours, we need you because it uses your mouth. We need you to speak forth the words that God has given you from His word. So it's not just foretelling, the New Testament use of this gift is more forth-telling, speaking forth the word of God.

And the definition of what true the true prophetic gift is. You know, it's not just when we gather for afterglows, although when we do gather together for believers' meeting in afterglows, we're always desperately praying for those that have the gift of prophecy to speak forth the word. Of course, we want to know. We want to receive. We want to understand.

And not only that, this is what happens when you prophesy. Jot it down. 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 3 says, "He who prophesies speaks edification, exhortation, and comfort to men." You get three things from that gift, or one of three things, or two of three things, or all three of three things.

You get number one, you have edification. That's what? To build one another up. We've already looked at that part of prophecy, speaking forth God's word. Or exhortation. Exhortation is movement. Movement.

You can compare exhortation or you could contrast, I should say, exhortation with encouragement, those two things. Somebody with the gift of encouragement, which we all want people around us to have the gift of encouragement, don't you?

I mean, how who would you not want to hear just somebody coming along and building you up? "Yes, that's awesome. And yes, let's go do that." Encouragement. Encouragement takes a person and lifts them up. And who doesn't want to be lifted up?

I mean, I know you might have times, I totally understand and completely relate with those dark and dreary days where you just don't want to answer the phone and you don't want to talk to anybody. You've got to be careful in those, you can be very self-absorbed and you want, even if you're not praying, somebody's praying that an encourager will come your way just to lift you up.

Because you don't want to stay there. It's a very difficult place, very dark times. I do know it happens and I do know that even David went through this as we'll see. But you want an encourager. You want somebody to lift you up. Who doesn't want somebody to lift you up? Of course.

Now, an exhorter, not everybody likes exhorters. Because exhorters don't lift you up, they push you on. You know, they move you forward. And when you get pushed around, let me tell you something. I don't know you all that well, but I could tell you this: you don't like it.

You don't like to be pushed. You don't like to be pushed physically. I mean, think about it. You're there, you're in line at Safeway. There's only two people in line, but the person behind you, they're pushing their cart so close to you they get the back of your ankles. Do you like that? Just think of exhortation.

It's like, "What are you doing?" It's like, "Hold on, there's only two of us. There's nobody here. Relax." "No, no, we've got to get going, got to get going, got to get going." Or somebody that gets, you know, sometimes you'll be speaking to people and and they'll get in your space.

I don't know what your space is, but I meet a lot of people, I talk to a lot of people and some people are like right here. And you kind of, you know, you're being very gentle and very kind, you kind of turn over and then they're like right here. Think exhortation next time that happens to you.

Because they're getting a little too close for you. You've got that little artificial place that this is my space. Yeah, and you have the same thing in your life spiritually. You like to stand in line at your own pace.

You know, I was not too long ago, I don't know what day it was, it was sometime this week, but I was in my lane at the red light and then right there at Smoky Hill and Reservoir, right there by the church. And then there was the turn lane and I saw the light turn green.

And I wanted to tell that person to take off, but I didn't. The guy next to me honked. And I don't know what was going on in that gal, but she missed the light. And I was curious because I thought she's texting. No doubt about it, she's texting, Mr. Non-Judgmental Pastor Guy that I am.

And so I peek, as that person she didn't make the light, the guy behind her didn't make the light, and as I'm driving by and peaking through the window, what was she doing? Texting. And the Lord was saying, "It's okay, Ed. I got you covered, man."

So you think, you know, maybe you miss a light sometimes, maybe it's not texting, maybe you're just so caught up with the kids or you just miss it, you kind of daydream. That happens to us all. And somebody's behind you honking. You know what you should think? Exhortation.

They're not rolling down their window saying, "Can you please move forward with the green light? We all have somewhere to go. You'll be happy, I'll be happy." That's encouragement. You never see it like that. It doesn't happen like that.

But exhortation, it's moving, moving, moving, moving. And in our spiritual lives, we stand in line at a casual pace and we need to be moved on sometimes. In our spiritual lives, we daydream or we're caught off guard texting, we're doing something we should really shouldn't be doing at all.

And God will send what? Someone with the gift of exhortation moving us on. How is that? Well, it's the gift of prophecy often. The person that's given the gift, the person with the gift of prophecy is going to move you on. And God will send that person.

Thirdly, those with the gift of prophecy can also bring comfort. It comes different ways. It's speaking forth. God has given some men and women in the church the supernatural ability to take God's word and use it appropriately in our lives. Just at the right time. Instantly.

The gift of prophecy as it moves among the church today is giving forth the word of God through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It's not just taking it, it's not like flipping through and letting the fan catch a word.

It's like, no, you are so in tune with the Holy Spirit and you are gifted. You see the characteristics, you're a person that seems to see things in black and white. And when you see a situation, the Lord just gives you a word. And you know you should listen to that study.

I think many of you have the gift of prophecy and you're like, "I don't even know what gift I have." You've got to know your spiritual gifts. We spent week after week after week, not only in Romans, but also in 1 Corinthians saying, "This is what it looks like.

"This is what it looks like in your life. Exercise it." I believe one of the accountability we're going to have at the Bema seat of Christ will be why and when we didn't use our giftings. While we sat on them.

And God's going to say, "Well, didn't you go to Calvary Chapel Aurora?" "Yes." "Why weren't you?" "Yes." Well, give me two crowns for that. You know, or whatever that is. I don't know how it's all going to go down.

But we're responsible to use our giftings for the kingdom of God. We're not just church-attenders. This world needs a tangible touch of God. And the way that He touches people is through the Spirit of God in believers of God with the word of God. That's how He does it. Amazing things take place when you yield yourself to the things of God. Amazing things take place.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Abounding Grace and part of Pastor Ed Taylor's study in 1 Samuel. You can hear it again at AboundingGraceRadio.com, OnePlace.com, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Here in the month of September, we have picked out an excellent book from our friend in the ministry, Ron Rhodes. It's The End Times in Chronological Order. You'll learn when the important end times events will happen in relation to each other, who the major players in the end times will be, and how to interpret the signs of the times.

And we'll send it to you when you support Abounding Grace with a gift of $25 or more today. Reach us toll-free at 877-30-GRACE or go online to CalvaryCO.store. And thank you for your generous support. It helps us get the word out on stations like this all across the nation.

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Our time together sure goes by quickly, but we're already looking forward to our next study in 1 Samuel right here on Abounding Grace with Pastor Ed. God bless.