“Let God Go Before You”
1 Chronicles 14:2, 8-17
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Introduction: The last few weeks we have been talking about how “advancement comes when you do not settle for the status quo, but believe that God is always making things better.” With this in mind, we must acknowledge that as a church, and as a people of God, God is always wanting us to progress in our faith, our ministry, our outreach, and our love!
So for God to advance us, “to bless us,” we need to understand that we will feel attacked at times, frustrated because things won’t always seem to be going right; we need to have a good spiritual diet where we are feasting on God’s word and loving fellowship; we need to strengthen our hearts with “compassion, patience, God’s power, and wrapped in God’s love;” we need to acknowledge and confess our sins on a regular basis; and we need to have a passionate concern for reaching out to those who are lost and share Jesus with them!
This morning, I want us to understand that the blessing of God is for every person and every church. You don’t have to have a seminary education, or think of yourself as highly gifted to earn God’s favor. In fact, those who are humble and simple people before God will be the ones that connect with God the most, and be blessed the most.
I. God’s Presence- (1 Chronicles 14:2, 8-10; 1 Peter 5:8; John 5:19)
a. Forever foes- Let’s look at an example in the Old Testament of King
David, but before he was king, back when he was a boy. David didn’t start out being the King of Israel, he started out as a simple shepherd boy. But he went from this shepherd boy, to becoming the king. How did this happen? It happened because God was with him. The Bible is clear about this; people are blessed when God is with them.
Key Thought #1- “Although God exists everywhere at the same time, God
is not with everybody in the same way.”
If you have ever asked the question, “Why isn’t God blessing me right now?” you probably need to look at what is going on in your life. There is probably something that is hindering your connection to God, and thus hindering God’s blessings in your life. God isn’t with everybody in the same way! And even when God is with you, sometimes you might not feel it because of the attacks you are under.
After David was chosen to replace Saul as king, David had to survive ten years of being hunted by a jealous King Saul. Once King Saul died, David could then take over as king, and as 1 Chronicles 14:2 tells us, there was excitement in Jerusalem because “the Lord had established (David) as king over Israel, and …. his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.”
But Saul wasn’t David’s only foe. In verse 8 of 1 Chronicles 14, at the high point of David’s popularity, we read: “When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went in full force to search for him….” No matter how wonderfully the Lord has worked on our behalf, there will always be spiritual foes against us!
You see, one of Satan’s best strategies is to attack us right after a spiritual high. For those of you who have gone on the Alpha retreat, or really any retreat for that matter, you know that at the end of the weekend you are on a spiritual high. You have experienced a loving atmosphere, been bathed in praising God and hearing the teaching of God’s word, you have been in good, solid fellowship. But so many times I have heard stories from people ,that right after this powerful spiritual experience, something has occurred in their life which has knocked them down.
Satan is a relentless foe, seeking to discourage us when we relax at the high spiritual moment. That is why we are told in 1 Peter 5:8- “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
b. Inquiring of God- Story: “Don’t Tear Paper,” Amusing Grace, p. 213, #737- There is a story told by Mel Brooks about a man named John who
had an uncontrollable desire to rip up paper into little pieces. His family tried to get him to stop, but this did not help. He had psychoanalysis, but this did not cure it. Finally the family took John to a new psychiatrist in town. After the first visit John was cured! The family kept close watch on him, thinking he would revert back to his old ways, but after a few months they believed he was cured. One day John’s mother went to the psychiatrist to thank him for his success, and asked him what he had done to cure John. The psychiatrist answered, “I simply said….don’t tear paper.”
In life there are many places to get advice. But not all advice is good advice. Obviously, the psychiatrist telling John to not tear paper was good advice. But when you encounter advice from people, you can’t always be sure if it will be good or bad. Like the woman who called her electric company to complain that her electricity was out. What should I do? She asked. The voice on the other end of the line said to her: “Open your freezer and eat all the ice cream.” (Nelson’s Big Book of Laughter, p. 5).
When we inquire from God, we know that it will always be good! We see this as the story of King David continues…. (verses 9-10)- “Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: ‘Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go, I will hand them over to you.’”
David chose to not just rush out and attack the Philistines, even though that might seem to be the obvious choice. David, even though he was king, humbled himself before God and requested divine direction. But not just divine direction. David also asked the Lord if He was going to be with him. David did not want to be in the wrong battle at the wrong time.
We too constantly need the Lord’s direction and we need to know we are doing the right thing if we want God to be on our side! Even Jesus Himself practiced this, as we see in John 5:19- “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”
God will honor our desire to seek his will and blessing!
II. God’s Power- (1 Chronicles 14:11-17)
a. Overcoming obstacles- So the story continues even more, as we read in 1
Chronicles 14:11- “So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. David said, ‘As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.”
David’s careful prayer for God’s direction resulted in a stunning victory over the Philistine army. But did David give himself the glory or think it was his own power? NO! David said “…God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” David was the vessel used by God to do God’s will.
Key Thought #2- “When we consult the Lord concerning his will for our lives
and when we desire his presence above all else, the result will be “breakout”
power.
This means that there are no obstacles that can’t be overcome by God’s power if it is in God’s will. The place where David defeated the Philistines, “Baal Parazim,” means “the Lord who breaks out.” Why does God use this breakout power on our behalf? Because he wants us to be set free so that we can serve him.
Now, we are all probably in this dilemma today. It could be obstacles in your: marriage, in your living situation, with your kids or grandkids, with your health, with a job situation, and so on. We are always faced with obstacles in our lives. Don’t forget that we have a God with “breakout” power!
But it won’t begin until we slow down, humble ourselves, and pray.
Illus. I was at the Presbytery meeting for our Presbytery a while back, and I heard a story that really hit hard. An elder from one of the churches in Newport Beach was in the mountain in Africa, talking with one of the tribesman there. This tribesman was a Christian, and he was going to have the opportunity to come to California to visit the church of this woman. So she asked him: “What are you going to want to see when you come to California?” Now she was expecting the answer of “Disneyland,” or “the beach,” or something unique to California. But this is what he said…….. “I want to see how people, in the midst of their busy schedules and hectic lives can find the time to hear God’s voice and experience God’s power!”
WOW!!! That is a powerful statement. How can we expect to connect with God’s breakout power if we don’t take the time to humble ourselves, pray, and listen???
b. Overcoming conflicts- But along with obstacles in our lives, we also have
conflicts. It would be nice if we could live without any conflicts, where everything is just smooth going. But this is not the case. We have conflicts with our spouse, our kids, our neighbors, our family, our friends...We have conflicts in our lives, it is a natural part of life that there will be times of conflict.
This is true for King David as well. His conflict was not over.
1 Chronicles 14:13- “Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again.” We cannot think that seeking God once, or following God’s will once is enough. We must seek out God again and again, every time we face a conflict! The spiritual realm is wrought with conflict.
We again see David not rushing to judgment, but sought the Lord before he made a single move. This time God added some specific instructions:
1 Chronicles 14:14-16- “ ‘Do not go straight up, but circle around them and
attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of
marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that
will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.’”
So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine
Army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.”
God is a wonderful God. He gave King David specific directions of how to be victorious. Now you might want to argue that David got to hear from the Lord and that we don’t hear God in this way. You might think that God doesn’t give you specific directions. But that would not be true, for God speaks to all of His people.
III. God’s Plan- (Psalm 34:4-7)
a. Stay in touch- Ex. Nelson’s Big Book of Laughter, p. 87- There is a story of
a tourist in Tel Aviv who picked up a hotel telephone one night and asked the desk for a 7-Up. The switchboard operator answered: “7-Up? Yes sir.” The man waited and waited but never got his drink. He finally decided to go to sleep. The next morning he was promptly awakened at 7 a.m.
You might feel like God doesn’t speak to you. He does speak, but you just
might not understand. The lessons, the directions, are there, we just might not see them. To see them we have to stay in touch with God; we have to be in close communion with God. We can’t just have reflex responses where we try to react to situations as we think God might want us to. We can’t act in the present as we think God has told us to act in the past. We have to continually seek God for fresh guidance. We have to be sensitive to God’s timing. As we learn to wait before the Lord we will learn to hear the sound of the Holy Spirit’s voice in our hearts.
Ex. I know for all of us that there are certain people that when they call, they don’t have to say more than two words for us to know who it is. We know the sound of their voice. We have to get to this place with the Lord, so that when He speaks to us, we know the sound of his voice right away.
In the Gospel of John 10:14 Jesus tells us, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know
my own, and my own know me.”
If God directed David, against the Philistines thousands of years ago, will he not also guide us in the way we should go? It is amazing to me how people can change jobs, move to another state, start a business, make a big family decision, buy a house, without first inquiring of the Lord, and then, get upset at God when things don’t seem to work out.
The same thing is true for the church. When I plan my sermons, I take a day where I can be alone, and seek God out, and pray for what God wants me to speak to the church as a message from Him! When our Session meets to oversee the work of the church, we start by reading our Mission Statement, then a Bible Study, and we open and close with prayer!
God has not stopped speaking to his people. We just have to learn to listen better.
b. Spiritual hardness- The truth is, it is easy to not be right with God; to
have a spiritual hardness about ourselves. Spiritual hardness can keep us from hearing a message from God, whether it be the sermon here on Sunday morning, or what God is trying to say to us when we read the Bible on our own, or blocking us from hearing “the voice of God” when we are in prayer with God.
The only way to break through spiritual hardness is to pray.
Example- I know that when I spend time during the week bathing my sermon in prayer, and praying over the sanctuary, that after the Sunday service many people will say to me: “That was a really good sermon,” or “that sermon really touched me,” or my favorite is “Pastor, did you write that sermon for me?”
Now when I hear these responses, I don’t pat myself on the back and get all prideful. I quietly thank God for His Holy Spirit being at work, softening the spiritual hardness of our hearts.
Every Sunday an elder signs up to be “the prayer” of the morning. Now we should all be praying on Sunday mornings, but this elder’s job is to pray during the service. So during the praise songs the elder is praying for the song to convict and minister to all of us who are singing. During the sermon they are praying that our hearts would be soft to hear and apply the message. And so on their prayer goes…
In Psalm 34:4-7 we read- “I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”
Conclusion: Story- A three year-old is with his grandma, and he says to her: “Grandma, you know what you and God have in common?” And the grandma sits up a little straighter, tries to put on her best saintly face as she asks: “What dear?” A the three year-old responds: “You’re both old.”
Leave it to a three year-old to tell it to you straight. My goal here over the last few weeks is to tell it to us straight. We serve a marvelous God, but if we don’t put ourselves in a place where we can be blessed, we won’t be blessed. The blessings of God are not automatic when you become a Christian. We have to open ourselves up to God’s transforming power, and let His characteristics come upon us and let God help us to overcome the obstacles and conflicts that keep us from doing great things for the Lord. And most of all, we have to pray, pray, pray, for God’s Spirit to fill us and use us.
As you think about what I have said this morning, and over the last few weeks, you might feel that you need to recommit yourself to God; take your faith a little more seriously; give yourself over to God with more energy and effort. You might even want extra prayer in this. If this is the case, as I great you at the door, let me know about your decision, and I will promise to pray diligently for you in this. Let the power of God come upon you as you move forward in your relationship with God. Amen.
1 Chronicles 14:2, 8-17
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Introduction: The last few weeks we have been talking about how “advancement comes when you do not settle for the status quo, but believe that God is always making things better.” With this in mind, we must acknowledge that as a church, and as a people of God, God is always wanting us to progress in our faith, our ministry, our outreach, and our love!
So for God to advance us, “to bless us,” we need to understand that we will feel attacked at times, frustrated because things won’t always seem to be going right; we need to have a good spiritual diet where we are feasting on God’s word and loving fellowship; we need to strengthen our hearts with “compassion, patience, God’s power, and wrapped in God’s love;” we need to acknowledge and confess our sins on a regular basis; and we need to have a passionate concern for reaching out to those who are lost and share Jesus with them!
This morning, I want us to understand that the blessing of God is for every person and every church. You don’t have to have a seminary education, or think of yourself as highly gifted to earn God’s favor. In fact, those who are humble and simple people before God will be the ones that connect with God the most, and be blessed the most.
I. God’s Presence- (1 Chronicles 14:2, 8-10; 1 Peter 5:8; John 5:19)
a. Forever foes- Let’s look at an example in the Old Testament of King
David, but before he was king, back when he was a boy. David didn’t start out being the King of Israel, he started out as a simple shepherd boy. But he went from this shepherd boy, to becoming the king. How did this happen? It happened because God was with him. The Bible is clear about this; people are blessed when God is with them.
Key Thought #1- “Although God exists everywhere at the same time, God
is not with everybody in the same way.”
If you have ever asked the question, “Why isn’t God blessing me right now?” you probably need to look at what is going on in your life. There is probably something that is hindering your connection to God, and thus hindering God’s blessings in your life. God isn’t with everybody in the same way! And even when God is with you, sometimes you might not feel it because of the attacks you are under.
After David was chosen to replace Saul as king, David had to survive ten years of being hunted by a jealous King Saul. Once King Saul died, David could then take over as king, and as 1 Chronicles 14:2 tells us, there was excitement in Jerusalem because “the Lord had established (David) as king over Israel, and …. his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.”
But Saul wasn’t David’s only foe. In verse 8 of 1 Chronicles 14, at the high point of David’s popularity, we read: “When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went in full force to search for him….” No matter how wonderfully the Lord has worked on our behalf, there will always be spiritual foes against us!
You see, one of Satan’s best strategies is to attack us right after a spiritual high. For those of you who have gone on the Alpha retreat, or really any retreat for that matter, you know that at the end of the weekend you are on a spiritual high. You have experienced a loving atmosphere, been bathed in praising God and hearing the teaching of God’s word, you have been in good, solid fellowship. But so many times I have heard stories from people ,that right after this powerful spiritual experience, something has occurred in their life which has knocked them down.
Satan is a relentless foe, seeking to discourage us when we relax at the high spiritual moment. That is why we are told in 1 Peter 5:8- “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
b. Inquiring of God- Story: “Don’t Tear Paper,” Amusing Grace, p. 213, #737- There is a story told by Mel Brooks about a man named John who
had an uncontrollable desire to rip up paper into little pieces. His family tried to get him to stop, but this did not help. He had psychoanalysis, but this did not cure it. Finally the family took John to a new psychiatrist in town. After the first visit John was cured! The family kept close watch on him, thinking he would revert back to his old ways, but after a few months they believed he was cured. One day John’s mother went to the psychiatrist to thank him for his success, and asked him what he had done to cure John. The psychiatrist answered, “I simply said….don’t tear paper.”
In life there are many places to get advice. But not all advice is good advice. Obviously, the psychiatrist telling John to not tear paper was good advice. But when you encounter advice from people, you can’t always be sure if it will be good or bad. Like the woman who called her electric company to complain that her electricity was out. What should I do? She asked. The voice on the other end of the line said to her: “Open your freezer and eat all the ice cream.” (Nelson’s Big Book of Laughter, p. 5).
When we inquire from God, we know that it will always be good! We see this as the story of King David continues…. (verses 9-10)- “Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of God: ‘Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?’ The Lord answered him, ‘Go, I will hand them over to you.’”
David chose to not just rush out and attack the Philistines, even though that might seem to be the obvious choice. David, even though he was king, humbled himself before God and requested divine direction. But not just divine direction. David also asked the Lord if He was going to be with him. David did not want to be in the wrong battle at the wrong time.
We too constantly need the Lord’s direction and we need to know we are doing the right thing if we want God to be on our side! Even Jesus Himself practiced this, as we see in John 5:19- “The Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.”
God will honor our desire to seek his will and blessing!
II. God’s Power- (1 Chronicles 14:11-17)
a. Overcoming obstacles- So the story continues even more, as we read in 1
Chronicles 14:11- “So David and his men went up to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. David said, ‘As waters break out, God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.”
David’s careful prayer for God’s direction resulted in a stunning victory over the Philistine army. But did David give himself the glory or think it was his own power? NO! David said “…God has broken out against my enemies by my hand.” David was the vessel used by God to do God’s will.
Key Thought #2- “When we consult the Lord concerning his will for our lives
and when we desire his presence above all else, the result will be “breakout”
power.
This means that there are no obstacles that can’t be overcome by God’s power if it is in God’s will. The place where David defeated the Philistines, “Baal Parazim,” means “the Lord who breaks out.” Why does God use this breakout power on our behalf? Because he wants us to be set free so that we can serve him.
Now, we are all probably in this dilemma today. It could be obstacles in your: marriage, in your living situation, with your kids or grandkids, with your health, with a job situation, and so on. We are always faced with obstacles in our lives. Don’t forget that we have a God with “breakout” power!
But it won’t begin until we slow down, humble ourselves, and pray.
Illus. I was at the Presbytery meeting for our Presbytery a while back, and I heard a story that really hit hard. An elder from one of the churches in Newport Beach was in the mountain in Africa, talking with one of the tribesman there. This tribesman was a Christian, and he was going to have the opportunity to come to California to visit the church of this woman. So she asked him: “What are you going to want to see when you come to California?” Now she was expecting the answer of “Disneyland,” or “the beach,” or something unique to California. But this is what he said…….. “I want to see how people, in the midst of their busy schedules and hectic lives can find the time to hear God’s voice and experience God’s power!”
WOW!!! That is a powerful statement. How can we expect to connect with God’s breakout power if we don’t take the time to humble ourselves, pray, and listen???
b. Overcoming conflicts- But along with obstacles in our lives, we also have
conflicts. It would be nice if we could live without any conflicts, where everything is just smooth going. But this is not the case. We have conflicts with our spouse, our kids, our neighbors, our family, our friends...We have conflicts in our lives, it is a natural part of life that there will be times of conflict.
This is true for King David as well. His conflict was not over.
1 Chronicles 14:13- “Once more the Philistines raided the valley; so David inquired of God again.” We cannot think that seeking God once, or following God’s will once is enough. We must seek out God again and again, every time we face a conflict! The spiritual realm is wrought with conflict.
We again see David not rushing to judgment, but sought the Lord before he made a single move. This time God added some specific instructions:
1 Chronicles 14:14-16- “ ‘Do not go straight up, but circle around them and
attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of
marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because that
will mean God has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.’”
So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine
Army, all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.”
God is a wonderful God. He gave King David specific directions of how to be victorious. Now you might want to argue that David got to hear from the Lord and that we don’t hear God in this way. You might think that God doesn’t give you specific directions. But that would not be true, for God speaks to all of His people.
III. God’s Plan- (Psalm 34:4-7)
a. Stay in touch- Ex. Nelson’s Big Book of Laughter, p. 87- There is a story of
a tourist in Tel Aviv who picked up a hotel telephone one night and asked the desk for a 7-Up. The switchboard operator answered: “7-Up? Yes sir.” The man waited and waited but never got his drink. He finally decided to go to sleep. The next morning he was promptly awakened at 7 a.m.
You might feel like God doesn’t speak to you. He does speak, but you just
might not understand. The lessons, the directions, are there, we just might not see them. To see them we have to stay in touch with God; we have to be in close communion with God. We can’t just have reflex responses where we try to react to situations as we think God might want us to. We can’t act in the present as we think God has told us to act in the past. We have to continually seek God for fresh guidance. We have to be sensitive to God’s timing. As we learn to wait before the Lord we will learn to hear the sound of the Holy Spirit’s voice in our hearts.
Ex. I know for all of us that there are certain people that when they call, they don’t have to say more than two words for us to know who it is. We know the sound of their voice. We have to get to this place with the Lord, so that when He speaks to us, we know the sound of his voice right away.
In the Gospel of John 10:14 Jesus tells us, “I am the Good Shepherd. I know
my own, and my own know me.”
If God directed David, against the Philistines thousands of years ago, will he not also guide us in the way we should go? It is amazing to me how people can change jobs, move to another state, start a business, make a big family decision, buy a house, without first inquiring of the Lord, and then, get upset at God when things don’t seem to work out.
The same thing is true for the church. When I plan my sermons, I take a day where I can be alone, and seek God out, and pray for what God wants me to speak to the church as a message from Him! When our Session meets to oversee the work of the church, we start by reading our Mission Statement, then a Bible Study, and we open and close with prayer!
God has not stopped speaking to his people. We just have to learn to listen better.
b. Spiritual hardness- The truth is, it is easy to not be right with God; to
have a spiritual hardness about ourselves. Spiritual hardness can keep us from hearing a message from God, whether it be the sermon here on Sunday morning, or what God is trying to say to us when we read the Bible on our own, or blocking us from hearing “the voice of God” when we are in prayer with God.
The only way to break through spiritual hardness is to pray.
Example- I know that when I spend time during the week bathing my sermon in prayer, and praying over the sanctuary, that after the Sunday service many people will say to me: “That was a really good sermon,” or “that sermon really touched me,” or my favorite is “Pastor, did you write that sermon for me?”
Now when I hear these responses, I don’t pat myself on the back and get all prideful. I quietly thank God for His Holy Spirit being at work, softening the spiritual hardness of our hearts.
Every Sunday an elder signs up to be “the prayer” of the morning. Now we should all be praying on Sunday mornings, but this elder’s job is to pray during the service. So during the praise songs the elder is praying for the song to convict and minister to all of us who are singing. During the sermon they are praying that our hearts would be soft to hear and apply the message. And so on their prayer goes…
In Psalm 34:4-7 we read- “I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; He saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and He delivers them.”
Conclusion: Story- A three year-old is with his grandma, and he says to her: “Grandma, you know what you and God have in common?” And the grandma sits up a little straighter, tries to put on her best saintly face as she asks: “What dear?” A the three year-old responds: “You’re both old.”
Leave it to a three year-old to tell it to you straight. My goal here over the last few weeks is to tell it to us straight. We serve a marvelous God, but if we don’t put ourselves in a place where we can be blessed, we won’t be blessed. The blessings of God are not automatic when you become a Christian. We have to open ourselves up to God’s transforming power, and let His characteristics come upon us and let God help us to overcome the obstacles and conflicts that keep us from doing great things for the Lord. And most of all, we have to pray, pray, pray, for God’s Spirit to fill us and use us.
As you think about what I have said this morning, and over the last few weeks, you might feel that you need to recommit yourself to God; take your faith a little more seriously; give yourself over to God with more energy and effort. You might even want extra prayer in this. If this is the case, as I great you at the door, let me know about your decision, and I will promise to pray diligently for you in this. Let the power of God come upon you as you move forward in your relationship with God. Amen.
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