Revival or Funeral?

Have your Bibles with you turn with me if you want first Samuel chapter 30 and were going to start off with verses 1 to 6 now when David and his men came to sick lag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the new GABA to get sick, lag, they'd overcome sick lag and burned it with fire taken captive. The women and all who were in it, both small and great.

They kill no one but carried them off and went their way. When David and his men came to the city they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. Then David and the people who were with him raise their voices and wept their no more strength to weep David's two wives also had been taken captive. I hear him of jazz real and Abigail the widow of night ball of caramel and David was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God spray heavenly father. What a glorious and hopeful story we have before us today. David is in a situation where is wives and family and his men's wives and their families have been stolen away from them. They are hurting and heartbroken. David's men take it out on David. Finally David runs to you for help. The Scripture says he strengthened himself and God and you changed everything. I destroyed the Amalekites.

They got their families back and David regain the respect of his men. Lord, teach us to strengthen our self and God. This year were dealing with a plethora of heart aches. The covert virus attacking our world corrupt politicians trying to lead us into perversion and immorality we see in violence in our streets attacks on our policeman. We pray that you would lift the veil of confusion authorize that we might know truth. Help us to not put our faith in government but to stand strong in you help us to love our families and guide them correctly help us to love our church and serve her unselfishly help me to preach today with anointing from your spirit. Keep my lips from era 40 is the precious holy name of Jesus Christ that we pray. Amen. You may be seated. David is reached a crossroads in his life. He has been living in a backslidden condition and he's become so frustrated with Saul pouring out all this persecution on him that he decides to run down to the city of Gath, and he got some recognition from King quiche in order that he might come and take refuge and live there in the Philistine land. He actually became a Gen. for King a quiche and fall with the Philistines. But the time is quickly approaching that that David should be carbonated anointed as the next king of Israel. David didn't realize it at the time, but King Saul and Jonathan his son are getting ready to be killed in battle, and when that takes place then David should be ready to ascend to the throne, but David is not ready for David is living in a state of backsliding. His mind is in confusion. His heart is not fixed his eyes were on sale and they are not on the Lord and it was in that context that God brought a calamity into David's life. One of the worst calamities that David would ever have to face David and his B and raw fighting with the king a quiche. They are out with the Philistine army and while they are out doing this something happens to his wives and children.

The Amalekites attacked sick lag. That's where is their wives and children are and they not only attack them but they burn the city down to absolutely nothing.

They they take their all the material possessions to themselves and they take the women and the children, their wives and all the children take them captive and they leave when David comes home and he finds this out. He is thrown into a very deep, deep depression is men are terribly upset with David. They think it's David's fault and they want to hold him accountable that they're ready to just mount a mutiny against David.

So David is at a crossroads. What can he do he can continue to live on in his double mindedness and live with the consequences of it or he can repent for David. It's a choice of revival or funeral which will it be praise God. David chose revival is six points I want to share with you today. Point number one is a blistering attack look with me at verse one. Now when David and his men came to sick lag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the kneecap and I get sick, lag, they'd overcome sick lag and they have burned it with fire notice. First of all who it is that is attacking Israel.

It is the Amalekites who are they, they are descendents of Esau. They are ones that for centuries now have been fighting against the Israelites. They try to do them harm. Every time they come in in context with them. They are a terrible, horrible people and David is had to deal with them and all the Israelites before them of had to deal with these terrible people is very interesting few years before the S. King Saul had been given a command by God that he was to attack the. The Amalekites and that he was to perform a jihad holy war where all the is the all the Amalekites would be killed man, woman, boy, girl. The hole's race would be just extinguisher in the face of the earth, but Saul said no I'm not gonna do that. Saul thought he was smarter than God. He thought he was more compassionate than God. And so he didn't kill all the Amalekites as he was told he left alive. King a gag. Many of the soldiers, many of the men as well as most of the women and the children and what happened will they paid for it dearly. For here we have another situation where the Amalekites should not even be in existence at this time, or once again attacking the people of God, mostly Amalekites or an Old Testament picture of the flesh and in the old in the New Testament we are told that if we toyed with the flesh. If we pamper the flesh that were going to get our sales in terrible trouble. This is why Paul tells us that we are to die to self that we are put to death the flesh while David was not expecting anything. The Amalekites engineered a great attack to get sick, lag, and they burned it to the ground.

David was not prepared for that David was not expecting that we might ask the question why wasn't David expecting it.

David one prepare 41 expecting it because David was all called up in his own compromise. David was being pulled apart by his double mindedness. David didn't have time to think about protecting sick lag or protecting his family or protecting his people.

While not because he was trying to get out of the mess that he created himself by coming to join in with Israel's enemies which are the Philistines. But like I said last week. Sin will take you further than you want to go.

It will keep you longer than you want to stay and it will cost you more than you want to pay 5.2 is a besieged people looking at verse two and taken captive.

The women and all who were in it, both small and great. They kill no one but carry them off and went their way nicely. God's grace in a beautiful way here in this verse the Scripture says that none of the women and the children were killed. That is a miracle in itself because the Amalekites were very wicked. Very mean very ruthless, barbaric people, and the Lord did a work in their minds and their hearts so they did absolutely no harm to the women and the children but the families were taken captive boats. How many children today are suffering are terribly suffering because they have a mom and a day I'd who were beating them, beating him down either physically, spiritually, emotionally or mentally, and doing it because her could just addicted to alcohol. How many families do we know of the day's been absolutely split up split apart because of immorality. The Amalekites is stolen away the wives of David and his children is that happening in our society today. No, that's not happening in our society today with Amalekites, but there are kidnappers today that are tacking our children and that are tacking us. What are those kidnappers of those kidnappers or humanistic TV shows their ungodly friends that have great influence on us is pornography is blasphemous music and those things are attacking the hearts of our children and they are attacking and having influence on us and what is our excuse what would we say about it.

We still with we just don't have time to deal with it were living in society does most hectic society and the most fast-paced society that there's ever been.

The problem is time know the problem is not time. The problem is misplaced priorities. So how can we survive spiritually.

How can we, how can we touch our children's hearts look with me yet. Verses four through six, and this is .3 a burning a burning regret.

Then David and the people who were with him raise their voices and wept until he had no more strength. The week David's two wives also had been taken captive. I had a mom of Jezreel, and Abigail the wood of night ball of caramel and David was greatly distressed for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter and so each for his sons and daughters, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. When David found out what happened. These women and children. It was like all of a sudden, nothing else mattered. All of those things that he thought were so important, he was able just to push back to the back burner of his mind.

David in his people probably thought at this point in time at the wives and children have probably been killed and it's in the light is that that all of a sudden politics didn't matter. All of a sudden King Saul.

Didn't matter all of a sudden. King Kees did not matter any longer. Nothing mattered anymore except their families. They mattered a lot. I remember back in 1987 I was in my former church got a call one Friday night late in the evening and it was a call from a family in our church and they had just had 17-year-old daughter that was killed after a football game in a car accident. I went over to their house and sat down with them tried to minister to them and they were grieving and weeping about his deeply is anybody that I've ever seen before.

Before all this happened, there was another couple in our church. Another family that had a misunderstanding with his family and they made it was just kind of a just up some friction. They are, and in this other family has been treating them, coolly and aloof lien and because of this misunderstanding. There was a wall that had been built up between these two families and I can remember at the funeral service watching the other family come in and they met the family who had the daughter who had been killed.

I member them looking at each other and all of a sudden they both burst into tears and I walked over to each other. They threw their arms around each other and they hug their next and you could see that while the division just completely break down the tragedy made them realize that a lot of things that we think are important or not important at all, folks. Christianity is not a set of rules and regulations. Christianity is a relationship it's relationship first with the living God of this universe is relationship. Second, with our brothers and sisters in Christ. When you face a real tragedy in your life and it does something to your priorities and it does something to your heart.

It makes you realize that people are important, even imperfect people are important. David is me and wept like babies.

The Scripture says they wept until they could wait no more.

And David's men were frustrated with David. I felt like David should've been protecting them and David was not being responsible, like he should. So they were holding him responsible for all that was going on that takes us to point for a bolstered child of God, look at verse 6B. The last part of verse six to verse eight, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. And David said to by far the priest, the son of Ahimelech, bring me the effort. So a bath are brought the effigy, David and David inquired of the Lord shall I pursue. After this band shall overtake them, and he answered him pursue for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue. All of a sudden David receives a brand-new vision, fresh vision of God for several months now, David has taken God and just putting to the back burner of his mind hadn't given God much of a thought for a long time nail and all of a sudden this tragedy hits and David realizes just how helpless he is.

He realizes what a horrible situation.

He has put himself into and what is he do he falls on his face before God. He knows that he's helpless and he cries out to God for help and he says to the Lord of surrendering myself to you, lock, stock and barrel. Whatever you want me to do, wherever you want me to go, I'll do it. Just call me.

Tell me, Lord, I will do it in the Lord moved in David's life and the Lord moved in his life and gave him this fresh sweet vision of who God really is and he revealed his will to David the Scripture says David was strengthened in the Lord. He went to the high priest and he said to the high priest. I need you to find out find out what God's will is for me in the situation and so the priest when he got the effort. The effort there was the euro in the flume and which were those flat stones that were used by the high priest in order to determine the will of God was in the high priest said to David, listen, you are to go and you are to fight the Amalekites and you're going to go when you're gonna win and you gonna take this battle and you are going to recover all for the first time in months. David heard from God. David finally knew what God wanting to do. He knew that God was going to be withing thing you that the Lord was not going to forsaking. He was not gonna walk away from David David for the first time in a long time felt the loving arms of God around him. David's personal revival started with the vision from God. God broking and David went after the Lord with the reckless abandon all the things that he saw thought were so important in in the past. All of a sudden just one important anymore. Now all that mattered was the Lord in his will. You know revival seldom happens until that Takes Pl., God's presence never comes in power until we have that vision that he is not just Lord of all the cities, Lord of means. When that happens, personal revival can take place right .5 a blossoming passion for God. Look at verses nine through 10. So David set out in the 600 men who are withing and they came to the brook basil work were those who were left behind stayed, but David pursued P and 400,000,200 stayed behind who were too exhausted to cross the brook. David got his marching orders from the Lord, and he took off out of there with great excitement and great enthusiasm, and the 600 men took off with them and they and they were all filled with excitement.

They were all ready to go and you know that's a miracle in itself. And it because what if these men been doing. They had been crying. The Scripture says that they were crying so much that they could wait no more. And they had been grieving and what is brief due to the octave grief will wear you out. It will take all the way yet. Take away all your spiritual energy your physical energy your mental energy or emotional energy. It will just strip it from you and leave you at a point where you feel like you can even function. Not only is an amazing to me that David and his men had the strength to go but it also amazes me that the men were willing to submit to the leadership of David. These are the same men who were ready to mount a a mutiny against him. They were ready to stone David to death. The ready to take his life and now all of a sudden they submitted themselves totally to David and they were on a trip now going at top speed as fast as they could to fight against an enemy that was probably 10 times as large as they were is amazing to me. But why did it happen. These men saw David's passion for the Lord. They saw the resolve in David's heart.

Then, and they need that David is going to be obedient to God and then you like a trusting and they were willing to get under his leadership once again because they knew that David was going to do what God commanded him to do so. The person started, but they really didn't know where to go at this point in time because they weren't sure exactly where the Amalekites had gone. So what did they do this is where the providence of God comes in all the sudden out of nowhere, they find a man like me.

It was the verses 11 through 13 they found in Egyptian and open country and they brought him to David and I getting bread any eight they gave him water to drink and they gave him a piece of cake of figs and two clusters of raisins and when he had eaten his spirit revived free of not eating bread or drunk water for three days and three nights and David said, chewing. To whom do you belong and where you from he said I'm a young man of Egypt servitude Amalekites in my master left me behind because I feel sick three days ago David and his men came across this little Egyptian slave boy and it just so happens that he he had been there with the Amalekites. Seeing everything that they did they watch them as they burn the city down to watch them as up as they took everything that belong to Israel and they took it for themselves. He watched them as they took the women and children captive and they watch them as they lead them out as a flag and they went to a place where they could celebrate their wickedness.

They went to a place where they could party and then by the providence of God this Egyptian boy got sick, and when he got sick that the master said to will you're not going with us. Would you leave you here. You're not going with us were not gonna let you take up space having to haul you around in one of our wagons. We got too much stuff for that store just to look leave you here on the side of the road you're probably gonna die anyway. And if you die, we won't have to worry about Barry and you. So that's how this Amalekites master treated his servant who would work.

TPM probably for several years could probably been very faithful to him and what is he doing now he just throws into the side of the road to letting die like he was nothing but empty Coca-Cola bottle folks of Scripture says that whatsoever a man so effectually also read he was an Amalekite master who sowed hatred and in compassion into the life of this servant, and what was the reason he was reaping a conclusion it was going to cost him and was going to cost him dearly. God put in Egyptian in David's path a little Egyptian boy putting right there in his path and and as a little Egyptian boy tolling that he knew everything was and then if he would make a covenant with David that David would not killing. He would take him right to the camp where the Amalekites were and David once again could see his wives and children also noticed that 200.

The men stayed behind 200 stayed behind in the brook basil work with the with the baggage is interesting verse in Psalm hundred and three verse 14 it says that God knows our frame and he remembers that we are dust.

David talk of these 200 million they were too tired to make the trip. They were too tired to go and fight they just couldn't do it. David understood that he knew their limitations so we told you just stay here with the baggage. So David just took 400 million to do the battle against an army that was probably as many as 4000 absolutely amazing. And when they went they went with a vengeance. Why did they go with a vengeance because they knew who was to win this battle.

They had got assurance from God, a promise from God that when they went they would win this battle and so they went with great enthusiasm and great excitement.

I think this is exactly how David felt when he went to fight Goliath and he stood on that Valley Goliath.

On the other side and he screamed out to him the life you come to me with a sword and shield in a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, and this day you will die because this battle is the Lord's David's vision from God gave him a passion for God and that passion was unbelievable.

And what did it do his men, it motivated the men to fight. It scared the dickens out of the Amalekites and it glorified God Highpoint six is a blessed action. Three God look at verse 16 through 20 and when he had taken them down the hole. There were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all the great school that they had taken from the land of the Philistines, and from the land of Judah and David struck them down from twilight to the evening of the next day and not a man of them escaped except for hundred young men who mounted camels inflated. David recovered all the Amalekites had taken and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing. Whether small or great sons or daughters's for anything that had been taken. David brought back all. David also captured all the flocks and herds in the people drove the livestock before you and said this is David Spool, the young Egyptian boy led them right to the Amalekite camp. The Amalekites thought they had gotten away with all this and so what did they do.

They party they signing. They danced and started drinking, and they got drunk, they got they got drunk and they got so drunk that they didn't even think about putting up posting guards there to watch over them and protect them in their drunkenness and it's in that context that David in his little band of men, about 400 of them come up and they slaughter the Amalekites 400 young men got away on camels. The rest of them were slaughtered, probably about 3000 people.

The Amalekites folks are truly a picture of our culture today. They live with no thought of eternity. They live with no concern about God's law, or about God himself all their live in for is to satisfy the flesh elder living force just to have a good time, but the cost was extremely high. David slaughtered all the Amalekites, except these 400 and he slaughtered them from dawn until evening.

What a horrible conclusion to a good time when a horrible conclusion. It will be for everyone.

Everyone of us. Everyone in our world today who who defies the law of God, who rejects the precious blood of Jesus that Jesus shed for us on the cross as a head for a good time but it's the day will come when they will die. The day will come when they will breathe their last breath, they will cease to live on this earth and they will immediately go to a hail hail will they were for all eternity. Experience nothing but pain and sorrow and sadness in memory forever. All for a good time. Notice of the Scripture says here that David recovered all all the wives all their children all their material possessions and then all the schools of victory from the Amalekites when you call that I call it amazing Grace look with me at verse 21 through 25 then David came to the 200 million good bit too exhausted to follow. David and he would been left at the brook basil or and they went out to meet David and to meet the people are withing and when David came near to the people.

He greeted them that all the wicked and worthless fellas among the people among the men who had gone with David said because they do not go with us.

We will not give them any of the school that we've recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children and depart but David said you shall not do so. My brothers with what the Lord has given us. He has preserved us and given a dry hands. The band that came against us who would listen to you in this matter. Francis share is goes down into the battle. So show his share of these studies by the baggage they shall share alike and you made it a statute and rule for Israel. From that day forward to this day.

David and his men came back with the with the wives and children in the 200 that were there at the brook basil work. I can just imagine them seeing them coming over the heel and meander jumping up there shouting there praising God here so happy. The Scripture said there were some worthless men that were there fighting with David and they turned around they said, look, these guys are getting anything where the ones that did the fighting were the ones that put out the effort. We're the ones that slaughtered the Amalekites and yeah will give them their children back will give them their wives back but they're not getting any of the stuff. David heard overheard the conversation and David stood up, said no no no you are not doing this. The Lord gave us this and they said no. The Lord didn't do this. We did this we went out folk they Amalekites. We went out and conquered and slaughtered them. We didn't stay behind like these worthless 200. We went out and we thought that battle and David said you don't understand. God did this God is the one who orchestrated this campaign for us.

God's the one who gave us the energy to go and fight God's the one who put the little Egyptian boy there to guide us right to their camp and God's the one who saw to it that they got drunk and confused so we could slaughter them easily, and not only that, but all of our wives and all of our children have not been harmed and they have not been keeled. He said how dare we take credit for that which God has done and essentially I think this is what David is saying freely. The Lord is given to you now freely you give to others even tells them that the 200 who stayed back behind and who were there with the baggage will receive equal reward, an amazing thing, but some believe that what we have here is a missionary principle a missionary principle.

God doesn't call us all to the mission field because specific missionaries to the mission field, but he calls us all to missions. Some of us are to stay behind as prayer warriors for those missionaries. Some of us most of us have a responsibility of of giving to mission work that they might go if they might be on the field. Have a great friend that's going on with the Lord now. Dr. Jay Allen Blair is one of the most missionary minded preachers that I have ever known. I love them to death, but he described missions this way. He said a boy fell down into a whale man song fall down and so the man went over to the whale. He took a rope and he tied it around his waist. They call several men over, and he said I want you to lower me down into the whale helmet to get the little boy then you pull me back up and he said explain this after that what this was all about. He said the whale is the mission field.

The little boy is a picture of the lost world peace in the. The man with the rope around his waist is the missionary and the ones holding the road for you and me were the ones holding the rope and if we don't pull that rope up if we don't let them down, then what's gonna happen. The missionary will fail. David said all will share alike in the reward folks that's true with us as well. The supporters of missions asked me and you are just as important as the missionaries on the field.

We got a job to do and we need to get serious about the cause of missions, David had a choice, performing and that choice was revival or funeral.

What did the Lord do to bring him into revival. God gave him a vision of God that led to a passion for God that led to an action by God and God did all that in great part to help David to get prepared to be the king of Israel and folk so it is with us, she realized they were kings and priests here on this earth that we are going to rain over God's kingdom here. Did you realize that what we are called to do and so God lets us go through times of tribulation and through times of suffering and through times of heartache and through times of persecution. Why not to destroy us but to toughen us as Christians to make us prepared to do the work.

He is called us to do is pray.

Heavenly father. When David fought Goliath. He thought with faith, he said to Goliath, you come to me with the shield a sword in a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of host in this day you will die for this battle is the Lord's before David went to fight the Amalekites and strengthen himself in the Lord, and you gave him that same faith encourage that he had when he fought Goliath.

What an encouragement that he is to us. Help us to quit dependent on sales. Help us to quit dependent on human sources and they are full trust be in you. Help us to know you more fill our hearts with the desire to feast upon your word fill our minds with truth that will help us stand years before David was born.

Joshua addressed the people of Israel and said, choose you this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. May that be my conviction may that be the conviction of every member of Grace Church. Thank you Lord for loving us.

Thank you Lord for saving us, for it is in the precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen