Anchors of Truth

Why War Who?

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: C.A. Murray

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Series Code: AOT

Program Code: AOT000043


00:22 Good evening friends and welcome to the 3ABN
00:25 Worship Center here in the smallest big city in the world -
00:28 at least I believe that, that's why I live here -
00:31 in Thompsonville, Illinois. And we welcome you once again
00:34 to the third in our series of "The Winds of War"
00:38 presented each night by Pastor C.A. Murray.
00:40 And tonight's title is: What War... Why?
00:44 or When War... Who? more specifically.
00:48 And the titles have been very unique...
00:50 not ones that you'll easily forget
00:52 but ones hard to put together because there's an
00:55 oxymoron behind some of them.
00:57 And the messages are very unique in that they are really not
01:00 about military wars as they are about the wars
01:04 that are taking place in our hearts.
01:06 I remember when the world was shaken up by the Orson Welles
01:09 enactment of a war that really did not exist.
01:12 Well, this war is very real
01:15 and so we invite you to stay tuned tonight as the Lord
01:17 speaks to your heart... speaks to our hearts
01:20 about the war that is raging within us:
01:22 the war fighting against the Spirit of Christ
01:25 waiting to develop us. But before we invite our speaker
01:29 Pastor C.A. Murray to bless us once again
01:31 I invite you to join us as we go to the Lord in prayer.
01:35 Our gracious Father in heaven,
01:37 we thank you so much. Truly, the Word of Life is in fact
01:40 just that... it knows our needs.
01:44 It knows where we are in the process and in the progress
01:47 of becoming more like Jesus.
01:49 It sees us at intervals in our growth
01:52 and thank you, Lord, that the work that You have started
01:55 You have committed Yourself to complete it before Your return.
01:58 So tonight, Lord, speak to our need.
02:01 There are some watching this program whose tempers right now
02:04 may be raging... their day went very badly.
02:07 Some families may be split and hearts may be offended,
02:11 lives broken.
02:13 And Lord tonight speak to us so that we can find healing
02:16 and recovery in Jesus.
02:18 Bless Your manservant, Pastor Murray,
02:20 to bring to us that which You conduct through him
02:24 we do pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
02:27 And now our speaker for this evening: Pastor C.A. Murray.
02:37 We bid you good evening
02:38 and happy Sabbath.
02:41 Been waiting all week to say that.
02:43 Seems like when you stand up here you should just say
02:45 happy Sabbath. I can't blame Pastor John too
02:48 much... the titles are a bit tricky.
02:52 What War... When?
02:54 And the last of the first is always the first of the next.
02:56 When War... Why?
02:58 Why War... Who?
03:01 When War... How?
03:03 War No More.
03:04 So tonight is Why War... Who?
03:07 I almost... I almost tricked myself. It's Why War... Who?
03:11 And I'm going to ask you to turn if you will
03:15 to II Samuel chapter 21.
03:20 II Samuel 21.
03:24 Before we read and pray, I rather suspect that
03:28 any study of the wars of Israel
03:32 if we are to learn lessons
03:34 somewhere during that time we must talk about
03:37 the life and times of King David.
03:40 And we will do so this very night.
03:44 So just a couple of verses in II Samuel chapter 21...
03:51 verses 15 through 17.
03:55 That is 15 through 17.
04:00 Shall we pray? Father God,
04:03 again we thank you for so many, many things.
04:07 We are thankful for the sacred Sabbath hours.
04:11 We are thankful for rest,
04:14 for an opportunity to meet with You
04:19 to cast aside the cares of the world
04:23 and the work of the world for even a little while
04:26 and to spend some time in Your presence.
04:31 And so we ask, dear Lord, that You would be the honored guest.
04:34 Again we ask for open ears,
04:39 receptive hearts,
04:41 that we may know the truth and walk in that truth
04:48 and seek to learn from the mistakes
04:52 of our forefathers and to benefit
04:57 from their successes.
04:59 Help us, dear Lord. Walk with us again this night.
05:03 And we thank you in Jesus' name, Amen.
05:07 I'm in II Samuel chapter 21
05:10 beginning our reading at verse 15.
05:15 The Bible says, and I'm reading from the New King James:
05:36 Some Bibles simply say he "fainted. "
06:16 You know, when I read that text
06:18 the first thing that came to my mind when the Bible says
06:21 the Philistines were "at war again... "
06:24 obviously God's people had slipped again.
06:27 How patient is the God that we serve!
06:31 Isn't He? Again and again and again and again.
06:37 And yet we serve a patient, longsuffering God.
06:44 So Israel had slipped from the path yet again
06:49 and God again allowed war to serve as the rod
06:54 of His chastisement.
06:56 On this particular occasion
06:59 the rod was their age-old foe... the Philistines...
07:03 who ruled from the Philistine pentapolis:
07:07 the five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon,
07:11 Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath.
07:14 From these cities they struck out to conquer.
07:17 They were a people of the sea, and their origins are somewhat
07:20 shrouded in history. But they were Israel's most consistent,
07:24 persistent, and dangerous enemy Ellen White says.
07:28 The Philistines were always there, always around,
07:32 always lurking, and always dangerous.
07:36 This incident takes place well into David's
07:39 40-year reign.
07:42 And the sad truth of the matter is
07:45 that David's reign is compromised.
07:49 There is a shadow that is never lifted
07:53 and he is never able to get out from under it.
07:57 God forgave him his time with Bathsheba
08:04 but the truth is there was no peace in his hands,
08:10 no peace in his kingdom,
08:13 no peace in his family,
08:16 no trust among David's friends and relatives,
08:20 and endless torment in David's own heart.
08:26 He was king of a nation
08:28 and yet a moral misfit until the day he died.
08:35 His life was a continual reproach
08:37 to the God he claimed to serve.
08:41 He was called to rule a country but he is
08:44 incapable of ruling his own family.
08:49 Though the Bible gives us clear indication
08:51 that he repented of his act with Bathsheba,
08:55 the fact is that he never left her.
08:59 In fact, he could not.
09:04 David was trapped by his own actions.
09:08 He committed an act that was so heinous
09:13 that even God's forgiveness
09:18 could not undo the consequences
09:21 of the web that he spun for himself.
09:25 Make no mistake about it: God forgave him
09:29 and yet he was trapped in his own web
09:33 and he could never get free... not ever.
09:39 And as bad and as demonic
09:43 as it was to take another man's wife,
09:46 sleep with her, murder her husband,
09:52 he couldn't leave her.
09:55 For how scandalous,
09:57 how scurrilous,
09:59 how dishonorable, how socially reprehensible
10:03 would it have been to do that to Bathsheba
10:08 and then toss her away.
10:12 It would have opened up David AND Bathsheba
10:15 to public disgrace that his kingship could not have
10:19 withstood. He HAD to stay with her.
10:23 And so war never left David's house.
10:28 War and intrigue.
10:31 War and incest.
10:34 War and assassination.
10:36 War and espionage.
10:39 War and cabal.
10:41 War and treachery.
10:43 War and treason.
10:46 War and murder.
10:48 War and rape, and war and revenge.
10:54 He could not leave her.
10:56 You know, it is interesting
10:59 search though you will you will never find a record
11:03 that says "David loved her. "
11:06 Nowhere.
11:09 In the Spirit of Prophecy, in the Bible...
11:12 there's no record that David ever loved Bathsheba.
11:16 Now surely he had two sons at least with her,
11:20 but David had children with all of his wives except for Michal
11:23 and that was because of a little stunt that Michal pulled
11:27 that God chose not to forgive on that wise.
11:32 But there's no record that he ever loved Bathsheba
11:35 and yet he could not leave her
11:38 and add sin to sin.
11:43 Bathsheba's presence in the palace
11:46 was an affront to decency
11:50 that filtered its way into every aspect
11:54 of Israeli life and Israeli living.
11:58 The lady Bathsheba outlived her husband
12:02 and the pall of shame never left the king or his kingdom,
12:09 and so David's son, Amnon,
12:14 raped his half sister Tamar.
12:18 And David's response?
12:21 Do nothing.
12:27 Absalom and Tamar are full brother and sister.
12:32 Their father is David, their mother: Maacah.
12:36 Amnon and Tamar are half brother and sister.
12:41 Their father David, their mother: Ahinoam.
12:46 And commentary affirms that Absolom was a very
12:52 handsome young man
12:54 and Tamar an exceptionally beautiful and lovely young lady.
13:01 And a plot is cooked up
13:04 with David's brother's son Jonadab,
13:09 who II Samuel 13:3 says is a very crafty guy,
13:15 and his cousin Amnon
13:19 to get Tamar alone with Amnon in the house.
13:25 You see the intrigue in the family
13:27 occasioned by David's sin?
13:32 And it is Jonadab who tells Amnon
13:37 "fake illness" and then when David comes to see you
13:43 ask him to send Tamar to feed you hand to mouth.
13:48 And so the order that sent Tamar to Amnon's house
13:53 is given by David.
13:57 Then Amnon assaults her and throws her into the street.
14:02 And look at the impact of that act.
14:07 I read now II Samuel 13:16.
14:10 II Samuel 13:16.
14:13 Tamar speaking:
14:31 That goes back to David and Bathsheba.
14:35 That's why David could never send Bathsheba away.
14:39 Once he committed the act with Bathsheba
14:42 he had to stay with her till the day he died.
14:45 He could not leave.
14:47 And Tamar realizes that to assault someone and then
14:52 toss them out is a heinous crime.
14:55 Amnon could have had Tamar as his wife
14:59 had he chosen to, but that was not his intent.
15:04 So Tamar is telling him: "to do this to me
15:08 and toss me aside is worse than the original act. "
15:16 And then the next verse he tells his servants
15:20 "throw this woman out and bolt the door. "
15:25 A calculated, presumptuous, pernicious, evil act.
15:33 The Bible says in verse 21 when David heard about it
15:36 he was VERY angry!
15:39 But what did he do?
15:41 Nothing.
15:44 He did nothing.
15:49 Nowhere does the Bible say he ever responded
15:53 to this assault of brother on sister.
15:59 And so Absalom chooses to become
16:03 judge, jury, executioner,
16:07 and ersatz demigod.
16:10 He waits fully two years.
16:13 Invites Amnon to a harvest feast.
16:16 Gets Amnon drunk and then has his servants
16:20 murder Amnon in retribution.
16:24 And David does nothing.
16:30 In fact, we find that David forgives Absalom,
16:36 reinstates Absalom,
16:39 but Joab does not.
16:43 And what is interesting is that Absalom
16:47 never really forgives David.
16:51 He holds in his heart the idea
16:56 that David's daughter and his sister
17:00 was assaulted, disgraced in public,
17:04 and my dad never did anything.
17:11 And so later on Absalom attempts a coup.
17:15 He wants to take the kingdom from his dad.
17:18 David has so much turmoil in his life and family
17:25 that he has become an indecisive, impotent, insipid
17:29 family leader. He can't make moral decisions
17:33 because he has no moral platform to stand on.
17:39 And Absalom takes advantage of David's indecisiveness.
17:45 He stations himself outside the gate
17:48 and he begins to sway people's minds.
17:52 So when someone comes for judgment
17:55 and they can't get a hearing
17:57 Absalom says:
18:00 "Come here... come over here.
18:05 If I were the king, I'd take care of you. "
18:12 "If I were the king, you wouldn't have to wait in line. "
18:19 "If I were the king, I'd solve your case
18:22 just like you wanted. "
18:25 "Now I know that guy in the palace is my father,
18:28 but he can't handle it any more.
18:32 You need to come to my side. "
18:36 And he begins to foment rebellion.
18:42 He begins to sway the hearts of the people.
18:48 Let's look at something: II Samuel chapter 12 verse 11.
18:52 II Samuel chapter 12 and verse 11.
18:55 Reading from the NIV.
19:00 This is God's response to the Bathsheba affair
19:05 and little parenthetical insertion right here.
19:08 II Samuel 12:11:
19:33 Now that's part of God's response to the Bathsheba
19:36 affair. Verse 12:
19:39 "You did it in secret, but I will do this thing
19:45 in broad daylight before all Israel. "
19:51 Absalom wants to take the kingdom from his dad
19:58 but he also wants to disgrace and humiliate David.
20:02 There's something more than just insurrection.
20:05 There's something more than just a political coup.
20:08 Absalom wants to disgrace his father.
20:12 I say it again: he never got over the fact
20:14 that David did nothing when his sister was attacked.
20:18 And so in an absolute carcinogenic conspiracy
20:26 that Ellen White herself says is a "hellish plan, "
20:32 formed and fashioned in hell
20:34 by two men who in II Samuel chapter 12
20:39 God predicts that something is going to happen
20:44 and He chose not to stop it.
20:47 And so Satan enters the heads and hearts of two men
20:52 who were both wounded by David.
20:54 Bathsheba, Ahithophel's granddaughter:
20:59 impregnated by David,
21:01 her husband murdered at David's order.
21:04 Absalom: his sister ordered to the bedroom of a man
21:10 who sexually assaulted her and never punished by him.
21:15 And so Absalom, David's son,
21:19 turns to Ahithophel, David's best friend,
21:24 and says: "What can I do to destroy my father?
21:30 I don't want to just take his kingdom.
21:33 I want his reputation destroyed
21:36 and I want his heart ripped out. "
21:39 And so Satan tells Ahithophel
21:43 say this to Absalom:
21:46 "Remember Bathsheba?
21:49 Remember Tamar?
21:51 Let's give him a taste of his own medicine. "
21:54 And so in II Samuel chapter 16 verses 21 and 22
21:59 this is the solution that they had.
22:02 " 'Lie with your father's concubines
22:07 whom he has left to take care of the palace. '
22:10 And so they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof
22:16 and he lay with his father's concubines
22:19 in the sight of all Israel. " In fulfillment of that prophecy.
22:22 God told David: "You thought you were doing something in secret
22:27 but your punishment is going to be open. "
22:31 And so Absalom, in an attempt to disgrace his own father,
22:37 sleeps on the palace roof
22:39 with all of his father's wives.
22:49 Joab...
22:53 the instrument of David's murder...
22:56 also has a long memory,
22:58 and Absalom's rebellion is short-lived.
23:03 You know the story.
23:05 A battle ensues. Absalom tries to run away.
23:09 He is caught by his hair,
23:12 and Joab puts three javelins in his heart
23:15 and then dares David to cry.
23:18 Ahithophel commits suicide.
23:23 This then is the backdrop
23:26 for II Samuel chapter 21 verse 15.
23:36 I need to say something parenthetically.
23:44 We need always to keep our hand
23:48 in the hand of Jesus
23:51 because Satan studies us.
23:56 Satan knew David.
24:00 God knew David.
24:04 It seems the only one who didn't really know David
24:07 was David.
24:09 Ellen White says this about King David...
24:13 She says in his early years
24:17 there was never a finer man to sit on any throne
24:22 in any country anywhere in the world.
24:27 David, she says, stood head and shoulders with any king
24:32 anywhere. Name the king:
24:34 David was his equal if not his superior.
24:37 He was young; handsome;
24:41 he was God fearing; he was God led.
24:45 He was surrendered to God.
24:48 He was wise; he was fair.
24:51 He was honest; he was caring.
24:55 And she also said he was a pretty good man in a fight, too.
25:00 David went out with the army. Could handle a sword.
25:03 He could negotiate if negotiation was what was needed.
25:09 And when it was time to fight he could pull out his sword
25:12 and handle that too. And...
25:14 he played a pretty good harp.
25:19 One of the finest ever to sit on the throne of any kingdom
25:24 and God knew it and so did the devil.
25:31 Before Bathsheba,
25:34 David's record was spotless.
25:40 But the devil knew David's... David's habits
25:46 better than David did.
25:48 Want to do a little homework assignment?
25:50 Go back just a few chapters and be introduced to a man
25:54 named Nabal.
25:58 Now given Nabal's indiscretions and some of the things
26:04 Nabal said and did, but the truth is
26:09 when David met Nabal
26:13 Nabal was alive.
26:18 By the time David leaves Nabal
26:22 Nabal is dead and Nabal's wife,
26:27 Abigail, is now David's wife.
26:32 That sound familiar?
26:34 Husband dead... wife belonging to David.
26:38 So Bathsheba wasn't the first.
26:44 Interesting history.
26:47 And Satan was aware of who and what David is and was.
26:53 That is why... That is why we cannot hope to serve the Lord
26:57 without the help of the Lord.
27:00 We cannot hope to be righteous
27:05 unless One who is righteous lives in us.
27:08 We cannot hope to follow Christ
27:12 unless Christ has a hold of our hand
27:15 because God never sleeps and never slumbers
27:19 and neither does the devil.
27:24 David had a fine and sterling record until he met Bathsheba.
27:34 So now in II Samuel 21:15 we see a David
27:38 who is physically spent but more importantly
27:42 spiritually beat up.
27:45 He is no baby. He has been fighting most of his life
27:49 battling self-created foes in self-induced wars.
27:54 And this life of turmoil has taken its toll
27:58 on the once proud king.
28:02 And the war that James speaks about that we spoke about
28:05 that first night - the war inside -
28:10 is turning itself in David's heart and turning itself
28:15 in David's family. And that war becomes a communal war.
28:18 And it becomes a societal war.
28:21 And it becomes a national war.
28:23 And it becomes an international war simply because
28:26 a once almost invincible king
28:30 let Satan get in and push God out.
28:36 Now when faced with this new giant
28:39 the Bible record is clear:
28:42 David waxed faint.
28:47 Is this David's first war? No.
28:51 Is this David's first giant? No.
28:55 Is this David's biggest giant? No... Goliath was bigger.
29:01 So what happened?
29:04 What kind of warrior is David?
29:09 Well, Hushai, Absalom's adviser, makes a very strong statement
29:14 in II Samuel chapter 17 and verse 6.
29:16 He says: "For all Israel knows that your father
29:20 is a mighty man. " You see, Absalom was trying to decide
29:23 "How am I going to fight my dad? "
29:25 Ahithophel said "Let's go in for a frontal assault.
29:27 Let's go just get the army and head right in. "
29:30 And Hushai said "Better not do it. "
29:32 Said: "Your father is a mighty man.
29:35 That will be your first and last battle.
29:38 Don't do that because he fights like a mother bear
29:42 robbed of her cubs. You don't want to do that.
29:44 You don't want to do a frontal assault with David. "
29:47 He said: "Ahithophel's counsel is bad.
29:50 You don't want to go in with your swords flashing
29:54 because you won't come out. "
29:57 He said: "David and his men are smart, valiant, fearless.
30:02 Your guys will get slaughtered. "
30:05 Now that's the kind of fighter David was,
30:07 the reputation that David had.
30:10 David was revered as a soldier and a leader of men.
30:14 Before he was even king... you know the story.
30:17 They sang: "Saul has killed his thousands;
30:20 David has killed his ten thousands. "
30:25 So what's different?
30:28 Why did he faint before Ishbi-Benob
30:32 when he was so valiant before Goliath?
30:37 Did he have what he needed?
30:40 Did he know who he was fighting?
30:44 Why War... and Who?
30:49 Was it the ferocity of the enemy
30:52 or did David just not know what he was doing?
30:58 What are the concrete lessons that we have to learn
31:01 and that we can draw for ourselves today?
31:11 And I mean what I say.
31:21 Don't be fooled. Each day the battle rages
31:26 for that day. And just because you were successful on yesterday
31:32 does not guarantee you'll be successful today
31:35 unless you start and end your day with Jesus.
31:39 Paul wrote in I Corinthians chapter 1
31:43 I Corinthians, rather, chapter 15 verse 31...
31:46 I like this: "I die daily. " Amen.
31:51 "I die every day. "
31:53 He says: "I mean that, brothers. Just as surely as I glory
31:57 over you in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily. "
32:02 And so the secret to life is daily death.
32:06 Amen.
32:09 Start today by dying... death to self.
32:14 I like this statement that Ellen White...
32:16 And I hope I can get to it before my time gets away.
32:18 I've got... I want to show you something in just a little bit
32:19 that... You know, I've cried three times writing this stuff.
32:22 I cried again when I saw something...
32:25 Let me stop talking about it and get to it.
32:28 This is My Life Today, page 10.
32:31 Um, Ellen White says:
32:42 Surrendering your power to God simplifies the problems of life.
32:46 Now I'm going to throw you guys a curve, so I want to stop there
32:48 for just a second then come back to it.
32:51 Giving yourself to the Lord makes things easy.
32:55 Amen! It does!
32:59 Should we go out and drink? No.
33:03 Amen.
33:06 There's a pretty girl but she's not Christian.
33:10 She doesn't love the Lord.
33:12 Should I date her? No.
33:18 Simple.
33:20 Somebody left some money on the ground.
33:27 I saw it fall out of their pocket but I need some money.
33:32 Should I take it? No.
33:37 Ellen White says: "Giving yourself to the Lord
33:40 simplifies things. " Doesn't it?
33:42 I've got my tithe -
33:47 um-hmm -
33:49 and I need to spend it 'cause I'm broke.
33:54 Should I spend my tithe?
33:59 No.
34:02 Giving yourself to the Lord makes life very simple:
34:06 it's yes or no.
34:10 Amen? That's what she says. Now let's go back to it.
34:13 Let's go back to it.
34:30 Had David thought about this?
34:33 Who's that on the roof?
34:35 That's Bathsheba... Uriah's wife.
34:38 So what do you do now?
34:40 Do the same thing you were doing
34:42 when your children got in trouble: nothing.
34:45 Amen?
34:46 Somebody else's wife... very simple.
34:49 You don't do anything because you're trying to serve the Lord.
34:52 Christ's Object Lessons page 403.
35:12 You know this is actually something that I struggled with
35:14 and worried about. Let me read a little further:
36:13 And you ought to say "Amen. "
36:15 Now let me walk through that because that's a lot.
36:19 This is something I've thought about often in my life
36:21 and that's why I am so thankful that we serve a God
36:25 who's got every base covered.
36:29 I can't go to the jungles of Africa
36:36 and face death. There was a missionary back in the 60's.
36:41 Peter Konaffer, went to Papua, New Guinea...
36:44 one of the first Adventist missionaries.
36:46 Killed and eaten by highland natives.
36:53 His record is in the kingdom.
36:56 He made the ultimate sacrifice.
36:58 I can't do that so how do I get any "points" with God?
37:04 I use that terminology.
37:06 What she says here is when you're home
37:12 and when you're in your family and you stand up for Jesus
37:18 amid provocation
37:21 and you hold the banner of Prince Emmanuel high
37:26 in your little sphere, as far as God is concerned
37:31 you get the same - I'll use this term - "points"
37:35 as that missionary who went thousands of miles away
37:40 and gave his life for the cause of Christ.
37:42 So when somebody steals something from you
37:45 or lies on you or cheats you
37:48 or assassinates your character
37:50 and you don't fight back and you don't go and beat them up
37:54 and you don't put nails in their tires. You just
37:56 stand there and take it like a good soldier of the cross
38:00 God says: "I've got that written down
38:02 and in My book you're just as valiant a soldier
38:06 a missionary, as Mother Teresa or anybody else
38:10 who gets the credit and the kudos for going to Africa
38:14 or India or China or anyplace else.
38:17 You right here in the states holding on and standing up
38:20 for Jesus same in my book. "
38:25 Was talking to somebody last night
38:30 and they said: "You know, I had one item of value:
38:35 a pair of sunglasses.
38:38 And a family member stole my one item of value.
38:43 Stole my sunglasses...
38:47 and I called him on it.
38:49 And I said: 'Did you take my sunglasses? '
38:52 And he cursed and slammed the phone down.
38:54 He said: 'I knew by that response that he had them
38:57 'cause if you don't have them there's no need to get
38:59 crazy. ' "
39:01 And so he said: "You know, I planned what I was going to do
39:04 when next we met.
39:07 I was going to knock him out.
39:16 But I'm a Christian now.
39:18 I love Jesus now
39:21 and if I let that thing brew in my heart it will consume me
39:26 so every time I think about it I think about Jesus. "
39:31 Now according to this reading
39:33 God wrote that down in heaven
39:38 and He said: "You may never get to a mission field.
39:41 You may never get to some far-away place.
39:45 But you, swallowing your pride and standing up for Jesus,
39:51 in the annals of heaven you get the same credit. "
39:54 Amen?
39:56 Thinking about my in-laws down in Panama.
40:01 Wife so mean and so hateful to the Lord that her husband
40:07 had to come home on Sabbath afternoon and lock himself in
40:09 his own bedroom to keep from the assaults of his wife.
40:16 But he took it for Jesus.
40:20 He took it.
40:22 The cursing, the swearing, the abuse... took it.
40:27 Never fought back; never screamed... just took it.
40:32 Do you think that kind of sacrifice goes unnoticed by God?
40:38 Every tear... written down.
40:41 Now that wife is a member of the church of God
40:48 because "a soft answer turns away wrath. "
40:52 So you may never get to China.
40:54 You may never get to darkest Africa.
40:56 You may never get to Papua, New Guinea,
40:58 or the highlands of the outback in Australia.
41:01 Just let your light shine where you are.
41:05 God says: "I see your suffering
41:10 and I see you standing up for Jesus. "
41:14 Amen? That's why God is so good!
41:17 God is so very, very good
41:21 and we love Him so much.
41:27 David made a mistake
41:34 that stayed with him throughout his life.
41:41 That is why, ladies and gentlemen,
41:44 we need to train our children from their earliest days
41:50 because you can make mistakes in your youth
41:52 that you never get free of.
41:55 And the consequences for David were there till the day he died.
42:00 Let me just... I just saw something real quick
42:02 that I just... Let me go back to something.
42:04 Um, Christ's Object Lessons.
42:08 It's called "Pity and pray for oppressive leader. "
42:11 This goes back to what we were talking about before.
42:13 I just want to get this in.
42:15 Ellen White says: "Because of the wrongdoing of those
42:18 in positions of trust don't be envious
42:21 and don't let bad feelings fill your heart. "
42:25 If you're working for somebody or with somebody
42:28 that's just giving you the devil, Ellen White says
42:33 "pray for them and pity them. "
42:37 Don't retaliate; don't fight back...
42:40 because God's going to take care of that.
42:43 So you don't have to lie awake nights thinking of ways
42:46 to get even with somebody who's dogging you.
42:51 Just pray for them and pity them
42:54 because unless they repent of those sins
42:56 they will never have eternal life.
42:59 So you don't want to lose your salvation
43:01 thinking of ways to get back at someone.
43:04 Let God do that. Amen?
43:07 Just stand strong for Jesus and God knows your battle.
43:12 Give it to Jesus and God will take care of it.
43:16 Just a couple things. She says: "Consecrate yourself to God
43:19 in the morning. Make this your first work. "
43:38 So then, yesterday is not today.
43:42 The Ishbi-Benob of today is not the Goliath of yesterday.
43:45 The Bible says Ishbi-Benob had a new sword.
43:51 We are living in a brand new day.
43:56 There are more ways to be distracted.
44:01 Kindles, iPods,
44:04 iPads, Droids,
44:07 computers, BlackBerrys,
44:10 smart devices, MP3 players,
44:14 laptop computer, GPS systems.
44:18 There are more ways to get sick, more ways to get injured,
44:22 and more ways to die. We live in a dangerous world
44:29 and so you've got to have Christ every day.
44:31 There is a cute commercial in New York City.
44:33 I don't know if they still run it, but years ago
44:37 they used to have it. It was a lady driving down
44:40 a New York City freeway very, very fast.
44:44 She's got the visor down,
44:46 and she's looking in the mirror.
44:49 She's got lipstick in one hand.
44:52 She's got the eyebrow pencil in the other hand.
44:55 She's got her head cocked as she's talking on her cell phone
44:58 and she's steering the car with her elbows
45:02 and she's flying down the highway.
45:04 And then the words come out: "She's out there...
45:08 want to meet her? "
45:11 And it's a commercial for insurance.
45:15 But the truth is there are more ways to get hurt,
45:18 to get sick, and to die. It's a dangerous world!
45:23 You cannot afford to leave your house without Jesus
45:26 because you never know what you will meet in the world.
45:32 You know, this may sound strange:
45:37 I wouldn't mind being a few years younger.
45:44 Amen. Amen.
45:49 But I would never want to be a child again.
45:53 I say that seriously.
45:55 Tough being a child in this day and age.
45:59 As we're preaching the big college scandal.
46:05 Young men, little boys. Tough being a child.
46:10 There are so many predators in the world.
46:13 Predators online; predators in the Internet.
46:18 Predators in the shopping mall;
46:20 children disappearing all the time.
46:22 By the thousands slavery in these modern days.
46:26 Looking at something just the other day.
46:28 It's tough being a child today. Tough growing up today.
46:32 I wouldn't mind having a few years back.
46:34 I would never want to be a child again
46:36 'cause there are more ways to get sick,
46:40 more ways to get injured, and more ways to die.
46:44 You can make one wrong move...
46:49 ladies and gentlemen... one wrong move
46:54 and your life forever be destroyed.
46:58 II Samuel chapter 11 and verse 1. It says:
47:03 "It happened in the spring of the year
47:06 at the time when kings go off to battle
47:10 that David remained in Jerusalem. "
47:15 Now why is that there? It's not an idle statement.
47:19 Things were going well.
47:21 The Syrians had already surrendered
47:25 and the Ammonites were about to surrender
47:28 and so David said: "No use me going to the battle.
47:32 I'll let Joab handle it. I think I'll just hang around
47:34 here and find something to do. "
47:39 And we know what he did.
47:42 David remained in Jerusalem.
47:44 He neglected to do what he should have been doing
47:49 and ended up doing what he had no business doing.
47:55 And he made a decision that defined the rest of his life.
48:01 This, then, is a message for young people.
48:05 This, then, is a message of utmost urgency.
48:11 Get God. Get Him early and don't ever let go!
48:16 The wise man said in Ecclesiastes 12:1 New King James
48:21 "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy - your - youth
48:25 before the difficult days come and the years draw near
48:29 when you say 'I have no pleasure in them. ' "
48:34 You know, the only regret you have when you give your life
48:36 to Jesus is that you didn't have enough sense
48:38 to do it earlier. You know what I mean?
48:41 That's the only regret you have: why didn't I do this years ago?
48:45 I was talking with my step daughter, Becky, the other day.
48:48 We were sitting around the table just talking.
48:50 And she made that statement: "You know, I didn't want to
48:53 hear it back then. Didn't want to be bothered.
48:56 Didn't want to hear that. Mother always wo-wo-wo-wo...
48:59 Always in my ear: come to Jesus, come to Jesus, come to Jesus.
49:03 I didn't want to hear that stuff. "
49:04 Now that I'm in, I'm wondering "what was wrong with me? "
49:10 Anybody? Your only regret is that it took so long
49:14 that the skull was so thick that I had to break my ankle
49:17 two times before I got it through my head
49:22 that God comes first.
49:25 Your life, your peace in later years, is in many ways
49:29 a consequence of the wars you fought or didn't fight
49:34 as a youth.
49:38 Number three: God is not a talisman.
49:47 Amen.
49:48 Now what's he talking about?
49:50 God is not a talisman. A talisman is an amulet
49:53 or something you put around your neck
49:54 to keep you out of trouble or get you out of trouble.
49:57 That's not God. Amen?
50:00 God is not a talisman; He's not a good luck charm.
50:05 He really can't be just your Savior
50:10 if you don't let Him be your Lord.
50:13 Amen! He's got to be Savior AND Lord.
50:17 As Savior He gets you out of trouble;
50:21 as Lord He keeps you from getting into trouble.
50:26 God is not the kind of person you just call on
50:29 when you get in hot water. That's a talisman.
50:32 That's an amulet. They tried that back in Bible days.
50:37 They were losing to the Philistines.
50:40 Someone got the bright idea: "Let's take the ark of the
50:44 covenant into battle. Yeah, that'll save us. "
50:47 That's a talisman. "Let's take it in... "
50:50 Never asked God; never consulted with the Lord.
50:54 "This ought to work: let's take it into battle with us. "
50:57 And on that day the ark was taken by the Philistines.
51:01 Hophni and Phineas were slain.
51:03 The high priest, Eli, got the news, fell over backwards,
51:07 broke his neck, and died.
51:09 God's not a talisman.
51:12 You've got to surrender to Him.
51:14 Don't just call on Him when you're in trouble.
51:16 Anybody got any friends
51:18 every time they get in hot water
51:19 that's when they're on the phone to you?
51:21 When you see that number on your cell phone, what do you do?
51:24 I think I'll let it ring.
51:26 You don't do that with the Lord.
51:29 Call on Him every day so when trouble comes He's there.
51:36 God is not a talisman.
51:40 Finally: perhaps the greatest sin is the statement
51:45 that was never made at Ishbi-Benob...
51:50 or with Ishbi-Benob.
51:52 David said to Goliath: "You come to me with the sword. "
52:05 You don't find that statement in the fight with Ishbi-Benob
52:08 because people were fighting by then in their own strength.
52:13 And the truth is: in the spiritual battle
52:16 you have no strength.
52:19 All your strength comes from the Lord.
52:22 And if you try to fight in your own strength,
52:25 you are defeated before you even get started.
52:31 There's a cute little saying in the New Testament.
52:37 The disciple are arguing about who's going to be greatest
52:41 in the kingdom. They're really going at it.
52:44 Along comes a fellow with a demon-possessed son
52:48 tries to get the disciples to cast the devil out.
52:53 Not going to happen.
52:55 Ellen White says "they didn't even know that in their arguing
53:00 the Spirit of God had stepped back. "
53:04 But Satan knew... and they were on their own.
53:09 And so later on when Christ answered their question:
53:13 "How come we couldn't cast them out? "
53:15 He said: "This one only goes out by fasting and prayer. "
53:18 But the implication was "you lost the presence and power
53:23 of the Spirit. "
53:25 You may not know it, but Satan does know.
53:30 Righteous living is the response
53:34 to righteous living.
53:37 Do nothing of your own.
53:40 Do nothing that will lessen your power.
53:42 Do nothing that will separate you from the Lord.
53:46 Trust God in every decision.
53:49 And if you bring Him into the little decisions
53:51 He will be there for the big ones.
53:53 Trust Him in all things.
53:55 Do not trust in yourself. Make no decisions without Him,
53:59 and submit every decision to the mind of God.
54:04 For just when you think you've got it all together,
54:07 just when you think life is easy,
54:10 just when you think there are no more battles,
54:13 no more hurdles,
54:15 Satan will show you that he has not given up on you
54:20 and he still claims you as his own.
54:25 You must fight on manfully
54:30 and never let go of the glorious hand of Jesus Christ.
54:36 And so in his old age
54:39 David, the mighty king, faints and falls
54:45 before this new foe.
54:49 And the brethren said:
54:52 "I don't think we're going to take you out any more
54:56 because you're going to destroy the lamp of Israel. "
55:00 But the one thing I want you to notice in closing.
55:03 The Bible says in verse 17
55:09 II Samuel 21:
55:11 "Abishai struck the Philistine
55:16 and killed him. "
55:20 I think one of the greatest blessings
55:23 for the church is brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen.
55:28 To have somebody to stand by you.
55:30 To have somebody to stand with you.
55:33 To have somebody to get your back when it's necessary.
55:38 To have somebody who believes like you believe.
55:42 Our strength is in our numbers.
55:46 And I say this... I've said this to every church
55:49 I've ever pastored. I've told them
55:52 "Like it or not, all I've got is you
55:59 and all you've got is me. " Amen?
56:04 "So we'd better love each other
56:06 and care for each other
56:08 and protect each other
56:10 and hold onto each other in Jesus' name
56:15 because they'll know we are Christians by our love
56:21 one for another. "
56:24 Hold onto Jesus.
56:26 Make every decision in the light of His Word.
56:30 Then you'll be strong.
56:33 Then you'll be faithful.
56:35 But more than that you'll be victorious
56:40 in Christ Jesus.
56:43 Shall we pray? Father God,
56:45 we thank you, dear Lord,
56:48 for the promise that we have
56:51 of victory in You.
56:55 Father, we look at the life of people like David
56:57 and we see where he fell.
57:01 But help us, Lord, to look to our own work
57:07 so that we will not stumble and fall.
57:10 So that we will be strong in Jesus.
57:13 So that we will fight, indeed, the good fight of faith
57:18 and gain victory through our Lord and Savior
57:23 Jesus Christ. We love You; we praise You.
57:27 We thank you and re-commit ourselves to You
57:31 in Jesus' name. Amen.


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Revised 2014-12-17