Abounding Grace

Guest (Male): The importance of serving others and doing good. Next on Abounding Grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: In this cut throat doggy dog world, the love of God and demonstration and indeed is so needed desperately. Remember the world doesn't know who Jesus disciples because of the t-shirts we wear or the hats we dawn or the bumper stickers that we have or our doctrines or our buildings or our blogs or our seminaries. Jesus said that he the world will know that we're his disciples why how? By our love for one another and that love for one another. Really I believe he's saying that love for one another is like this is the place to practice Christian love.

It is actually easier to love other believers and as you're practicing Christian love, the love of Jesus Christ flowing through you, it will then enable you to have that love spill out of your life.

Guest (Male): It is good to be with you today as together we turn to 1st Samuel for hope and encouragement. This is Abounding Grace with Ed Taylor. If you'll recall, David is on the run for his life and today we'll see the right response when in those seasons and that is to seek the Lord. Pastor Ed will also pose and set out to answer the question why serve others and do good?

Pastor Ed Taylor: King Saul goes to himself, then he goes to Keilah to ignore the people and kill David and his men. David, what does he do? He goes to the Lord and he goes saves people. King Saul, he takes it all upon himself and he goes down to take advantage of David. Verse 9. When David knew that Saul plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar, the Abiathar, the priest, bring the ephod here. Then David said, oh Lord God of Israel, your servant has certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah to destroy the city for my sake.

Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? Oh Lord God of Israel, I pray, tell your servant. And the Lord said, he will come down. Now that's a discouraging answer to prayer. Are are they going to come and get me? Yes, they're going to come and get you. So I said, okay Lord. Then David said, will the men of Keilah deliver me and any of the men into the hand of Saul? And notice what God said, they will deliver you. So David and his men, about 600 arose and departed from Keilah and went wherever they could.

Then it was told Saul that David had escaped from Keilah, so we halted the expedition. So David when he hears about the plot of King Saul, we learn yet another great insight of David's life. Do you notice it there? As in verse 9, David knew that Saul plotted evil against them. He called the priest to him and then in verse 10 he says, oh Lord God of Israel, if you're taking notes, this is the second great thing that David does as he's facing life on the run. David inquired of the Lord. And you're thinking, wait a minute Ed, wasn't that point number one?

Yeah, it was actually point number one and point number two verse four and point number three verse 10. This is the right response. We're learning in this chapter how David sought the Lord, how David sought wisdom. This is truly a secret to abiding in the Lord, our prayer life. When he did that, he was walking in wisdom. When he chose not to, he was walking in his own understanding. Now you would think that after delivering the people from the Philistines, after going into the city of Keilah and rescuing them and fighting back the Philistines, that there would be a sense of appreciation from the people.

Don't you think that? Don't you you would expect that. I do good for you, you should remember me. I went down and I sacrificed my own life for you. Unfortunately, not everything works the way you think it should or the way that we would want it to. There's not always that response that makes sense or that response even even as I find from fellow believers, some of the greatest pains that we experience in life are from what? Other believers. Because not only is it the pain of the action, not only is the pain of what took place, but then there's the pain on top of that, but they're believers.

I used to walk to the house of God with them. They used to sit right next to me and worship. And this is a group of people who David fought for, who laid his life on the line and David asked, you know what, hey is Saul coming after me? Yep. And how about the people? If Saul comes down, what are they going to do? Now I thought it was great that he didn't just assume, oh they're going to protect me. They're going to take care of me. He didn't just assume. He asked and God said, you know what, they're going to sell you out.

They're going to sell you out. You're not going to get what you expect. God tells David they will deliver you. You see the value of inquiring of the Lord especially this is this is very important in our prayer life because God has something to say to us even when we think it's the opposite or we would expect it's the opposite because there is a sense of the Holy Spirit abiding in us that according to 1st Corinthians 13 the Bible says, love hopes all things. That is in you by the presence of the Holy Spirit that's in me.

I I hope all things. I generally believe the best about people. I generally believe that especially when it comes to believers or those we have I generally believe that they're going to do the right thing. I generally believe that they're going to hear from the Lord and and that is in us because the spirit of God, the spirit of love is in us. And yet even when we think we know the outcome, we need to inquire of the Lord. Not everything is the way it appears or even the way it should be. In Proverbs chapter 3 verses 5 and 6 let me read it to you from the New Living Translation.

I memorized in the old King James and the new King James, but let me read to you from a more modern translation, the New Living Translation puts it this way. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do and he will direct your paths. Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn your back on evil, then you'll you'll gain renewed health and vitality. I like that. Don't depend don't depend on your own understanding or the next verse, don't be impressed with your own wisdom.

You you think of past battles or I've been through this before or I understand. You know the the Bible really speaks to us that there's a fresh word of God in David. He inquires. He inquires and at the end in verse 13 he's freed from the situation. He's not trapped anymore. God led him out of the trap. We've got to seek and acknowledge God in all our ways and it's always a dangerous thing to presume or assume the answer, not seeking God for guidance and wisdom. David could have easily assumed, man these people are going to be for me, but instead he's begging God for his life.

He's begging God for wisdom. My life is on the line. God answer me. Tell me. Is Saul really coming? Yes. Well man if he's coming, what's going to happen? How's it going to go down? They're going to sell you out. And the very ones that were loved and cared for have become the very ones that intended to cause great pain to David. In 2nd Corinthians chapter 12 verse 15 Paul put it this way, and I would very gladly spend and be spent for your souls. Though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

This is a pattern throughout the men and women that God uses for his kingdom. Why even try then? The question comes. Why even try? Why help and serve people? I mean if we're going to help and serve people only to have them stab us in the back or stab us in the front or talk about us or greatly hurt us or any number of thousand things or give us up to our enemies or whatever it might be, then why help? Well let me give you a few things that by way of reminder of why it's good and wise and and so fulfilling to serve others and do good.

Why serve others and do good? Number one, our savior modeled it. Jesus modeled it for us. Serving others isn't for us, it's for him. Our lives belong to him. He's the one that took the towel and girded himself to wash the disciples feet. Why? Someone needed to wash their feet. And he modeled for us servanthood. He modeled for us humility. He modeled for us the path to take. Turn over to 1st Peter chapter 2 with me. 1st Peter all the way in the back to the right. 1st Peter chapter 2. Peter picked up on this.

It's a fascinating study as we're studying through the Gospel of John and we studied through the Gospel before. It is a fascinating study to follow the life of Jesus. We learned so much from him, so much that that he wants to adapt into our lives, so much that he wants to speak into our lives, so much that he wants to empower in us. Yet it's a equally fascinating study to follow those that follow Jesus. Did they get it? I mean they were with him. They were right there. Did they get it? Did they pick up on it?

Did they assimilate the very teachings of Jesus? Did they like Jesus said when they're perfectly trained become like their master? Well the answer to that of course is yes. Notice here in 1st Peter chapter 2 in verse 18. 1st Peter chapter 2 verse 18. Peter would say this, servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and the gentle, but also to the harsh. For this is commendable if because of conscience toward God. Remember why do we serve? Why do we do good? Why why do we help others? Why do we rescue others?

Why do we fight battles for? Why did David go down to Keilah only to get sold out? Well listen, it's commendable toward God. It's your conscience toward God. You and I we serve God and by our service unto God, our submission to God, we serve others. We don't serve others so that they can serve us. We we aren't in the ministry, if you will, so that we can get. We're here to give. We we are here to give and when we begin to expect again David could have been really upset. He could have wrote a whole new chapter on the people at Keilah.

Why didn't they get? You know they they he could have really been bumped out, but what he did was right. He just took off. He saved his life and the life of his men. It's commendable. What you're doing is commendable even to the harsh, even to those that don't pay you back, even to those that that don't love you back. It's because of conscience toward God that one, verse 19, endures grief suffering wrongfully. Is it possible for you to suffer wrongfully? Yes or no? Yes. For what credit is it, he says, when you're beaten for your faults that you take it patiently.

But when you do good and suffer for it, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. When you're wronged and you're in an in the process of actively being wronged and you take it under the Lord instead of taking it into your own hands, the Bible says this is commendable before God. Other people may not understand it. Other people may not even know it. Other people might explain you to why don't you take things in your own and why don't you go take care of that and but Peter said, if you suffer for doing good, it's commendable before God.

I believe some of you that that's what the Lord brought you here for. It is commendable before God to suffer for doing good. It makes sense that we would suffer for doing bad. It makes sense that we'd pay the price when we do something some knuckleheaded thing, but when you do good and you suffer for it, that's what happening with David here. He did good and he suffered for it. So number one, our savior modeled it. Number two, our world needs it. Why do good? Because our world needs it. In this cut throat doggy dog world, the love of God and demonstration and indeed is so needed desperately.

Remember the world doesn't know who Jesus disciples because of the t-shirts we wear or the hats we dawn or the bumper stickers that we have or our doctrines or our buildings or our blogs or our seminaries. Jesus said that he that the world will know that we're his disciples why how? By our love for one another and that love for one another. Really I believe he is saying that love for one another is like this is the place to practice Christian love. It is actually easier to love other believers and as you practicing Christian love, the love of Jesus Christ flowing through you, it will then enable you to have that love spill out of your life into the people in the world who desperately need it.

Why do good? Well Jesus modeled it. Why do good? The world desperately needs it. Thirdly, why do good? Because our lives are better for it. Our lives are better for it. Pain is often the price that we pay for love and we think what? What? That's sort of not the message that gets given to us in the world that it's love just leads to all these wonderful feelings and in many times it does. You think of the pain that we felt the last time you were betrayed. Why did you feel so much pain? Well the relationship of the pain that you felt is directly related to the love that you shared.

The more you loved that person, the more it hurts. The more pain you feel is directly related to the love that you extend. And what did that pain do? Well I hope it drew you closer to the one that loves you supremely. I hope it revealed to you with eyes wide open some of the flesh that is still alive in your life. I hope it revealed to you. I hope it reveals to me the desperate need that I have for the grace of God every day, every moment. The reality is is that my life is better for the pain that I experience.

My life is better when I do good and suffer for it. My life is better when I extend good deeds in the name of Jesus Christ. My life is better when I don't think take things into my own hands. When you serve others and you're unappreciated or even hurt by the very ones you serve, don't break down, look up. Look up. As you reward is secure in him, not in the appreciation or the accolade or the hand claps of other people. Good job. Good job. So many clamor for that pat on the back, good job.

When the Bible says that God will reward you openly for things that you've done secretly. Your reward is in heaven. Why do we do good? Well our savior modeled it. Our world needs it. Our lives are better for it. Fourthly, why do we do good? Because God commands it. God commands it. David, David why go save them? They're not going to repay you. Why go save them? Why put your life on the line? Why put the lie your life on the line and all the men with you? They're unappreciative. They don't care. They they just think of themselves.

They're only interested in their homes, their family, their kids. They have they don't care about you. As a matter of fact that's what God you you could say the God's answer to prayer is just showing you what kind of rats they were. Of course he didn't get that information before, he got it after, which we're grateful for that. But God commands it. Some of you might think why did you mention that last one, pastor? Seems like it should be mentioned first. Why is this last? God commands it. Well I understand, but I think it's intertwined in all the others, the command of God, his examples are our commands, his instruction are our commands.

The world that we live becomes a command, salt and light in the earth. The fact that we personally benefit by obeying God, they're all intertwined. Love and service and commitment are all a part of the package in serving God. They're all a part of what God's doing in your life and through your life that our lives would be invested in eternity and not just the here and now. See when you're put down or you're betrayed, as you do what's right, Jesus would say, you're going to have a great reward someday, son. There's a reward waiting you, sister, daughter.

You're in good company because people did the same thing to followers all throughout history. Good has been repaid for been repaid with evil from the beginning of time. It's nothing new in your life. It's nothing new from date for David. It's nothing new for us. See God commands us to do what's right. God commands us to step out in obedience. He commands us to follow the model of our savior. And his commands, remember, are also his enablements. So these aren't just empty commands, you go and I hope you make it, but rather you go and Jesus says, I'll be with you.

I won't catch up with you. I'll be with you empowering you and leading you. You go and you continue to do good and you continue to obey and you continue to shine the bright light in this world and I'll be with you. Now back in 1st Samuel in verse 14, David stayed in the strongholds in the wilderness and remained in the mountains in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. Notice that. Saul sought him, but God did not allow Saul to be successful. Aren't you grateful that God stands in the gap for you?

I I know right now that some of you go, wait a minute, if God really stood in the gap for me, he wouldn't let Saul pursue me. No no no, that's not what my Bible says. My Bible says that Saul sought him every day. And don't don't think of that as, you know, hey David, are you here? This is a military campaign taunting down a man and the men that were with him. You know there's a good 600 people with him right now according to the scriptures. That's no small thing to hide. 600 people if you start moving, the dust kicks up and you know there's caves that are large enough to hold 600 men and everybody I mean this is no this is a military campaign.

Saul's after him and it says every day, but I have that word those words circled and that's a great study by the way. If you have you can go online and go to a concordance and just look up the phrase but God. That's the answer. That 's the answer. Yeah, but Ed such and such and such. I know, but God. God is still with you and God did not deliver him into his hand. So David, verse 15, Saul that Saul had come out to seek his life and David was the in the wilderness of Ziph in a forest.

Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in the Lord. Some of your translations might say encouraged him. You know God has Jonathan's all around you to send to you just the right time when you're on the run. Saul's after you every day. The people of Keilah just sold you out after you fought this this this huge battle to fight back the Philistines. Then now you're on the run and you're in the caves and you're in the forest and then boom. Then Jonathan. But God he's got the hand of protection upon you, then Jonathan.

Then Jonathan. So beautiful. His Saul his he arose it says in verse 17 he said to him, don't fear for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be be king over Israel and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that. So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord and David stayed in the woods and Jonathan went to his own house. What was the key to Jonathan's encouragement? He said what was already true. He reminded David of the truth. This is all true. But you know how sometimes when somebody God send somebody alongside of you to say the thing that you already know and it just feels good that somebody else knows what you know.

You're like yes, I've been feeling that. I've been thinking I was all alone. God gave me this scripture. God gave me this sense. He he was speaking to me and then you go through a couple of days and you go, man I you know after a couple of days I wonder if the I mean every day this guy's after me. It's two years now. It's five years now. And then right when you're ready to throw in the towel, Jonathan shows up and he says exactly nothing new. Just like you're going to be the king. My dad knows it.

I just want you to know don't fear, it's going to be okay. God is with you.

Guest (Male): Today on Abounding Grace we've been in 1st Samuel chapter 23 with pastor Ed Taylor. Locate us online at aboundinggraceradio.com where you can hear these studies and more. Well pastor Ed, we learned today that serving others and doing good is worth it and we were encouraged to encourage someone in the Lord. Can you think of a time when someone did that for you and it was really impactful?

Pastor Ed Taylor: Well you know very I'm surrounded by encouragement and I'm so grateful for that whether it's text messages, emails, voicemails, personal times after service, the team here, my wife, my kids, you name it. I am surrounded by encouragement and I love it. When I think of a specific time, one just pops into my mind that was real recent. A young man came up after service. He was in the studies, just starting high school. God's using him greatly and he asked me how I was doing, talked about a few of the points that I made and then just asked me, has spiritual warfare increased for you, pastor Ed?

And I said, no, not really. And he began to talk about warfare and what he heard in the Bible study. And then he said, can I just pray for you? And I'm like, yes. And his prayer was so sweet and so wonderful and so encouraging. And he just wanted to be obedient to the Lord, but also encourage his pastor. And I mean all of those things are used by the Lord. If we just open ourselves to be obediently following the Holy Spirit, we'll be encouraging 100 times a day and not even realize it. So please step into it, pray for people, talk to them, text them, call them, leave a voicemail, a smile, say thank you.

There's so much that we can do to be used to the Lord.

Guest (Male): Thanks for sharing, Ed. Here in the month of October we picked out an excellent book written by Jim Simbala titled Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. If your desire is to live at the center of God's will and purposes, this excellent book will point the way to spiritual vitality not only in the church, but in your own life. Now I know you'll be encouraged as you read of how God moves in life changing ways. And we'll send you a copy with our thanks for a gift of $25 or more to Abounding Grace. Please remember it's through your financial support that we're able to come to you day by day on this station and others like it.

Your gift, whatever the size, would be greatly appreciated and put to good use. Request your book today by calling us toll free at 877-30 Grace. 877-30 Grace. You can also order the book online at calvaryco.store. And if you'd rather not have the book, but still want to make a donation, that can be done rather easily at aboundinggraceradio.com. We'd like to hear from you before the day is done. Say hello. Tell us what God is up to in your life when you visit aboundinggraceradio.com. Then click on contact us. Don't miss our next study in 1st Samuel with pastor Ed next time on Abounding Grace and may God richly bless you with his abounding grace.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church Colorado here in Aurora.