Kings In Conflict Part 1

Looking to Jesus as the founder and perfecter years ago we watched on TV, week by week is a man falsely accused of murder was traced from city to city for 10 long years in Israel. David was just like the fugitive running from the man God had deposed as King today first lessons from King is in conflict from the Moody Church in Chicago this is wanting to win with Dr. Sir who is clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line in a series on going conflict, a journey through the life of King David vasculature. I'm sure it's no fun being chased like David was. Dave not only was it. No fun, but it actually led David to insanity.

At one point.

Can you imagine this man actually ran over to the Philistines.

It's an amazing story, you know, the conflict between Saul and David is really a wonderful example of human nature. You see, for example, of Saul, his jealousy, his inability to accept this young man. You see, David was running from God. He has an opportunity to kill Saul and he doesn't.

This ministry of running to win exists to help people to understand that spiritual growth normally happens in hard times and certainly this account teaches us that I have written a book entitled, growing true conflict lessons from the life of David for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. Of course I'm going to be giving you that info once again at the end of this message and I'll have a personal word for you.

All of us. I'm sure are involved. On one level or another in human conflict. Maybe there's some people in your life who would like to see you dad and if not dad at least cripple doing all that they possibly can to undermine you make life difficult to get you out of the way that can happen in families that can happen in your business where there is always conflict. There's always some kind of conflict among all of the coworkers.

It's possible in neighborhoods. It's even possible in churches and you and I possibly know of instances in which it has been true in churches, in a very very nasty way very nasty way. Today were going to talk about conflict actually conflict among kings and were going to see how David and Saul were in conflict and that what God was doing in David's life and what God was trying to do in Saul's life in the midst of the con Jean Edwards and is very interesting little book entitled the tale of three King points out that the major difference between David and us all is that David knew that it was God who owned the kingdom and soul believe the kingdom was his hand.

What a difference that's going to make an if you are here today and you have your Bibles I want you to turn to first Samuel book of first Samuel chapter 18, though, we will be covering some other passages as well, but I want you to listen very carefully, particularly because of the lessons that God wants to teach us about conflict. I'd like to make three contrasts three contrasts between Saul and David. In the first Samuel chapter 18 and in the surrounding passages and incidents that are recorded in this text. First of all I want you to notice that the difference is between jealousy. Jealousy and humility. Notice we find in chapter 18. Jonathan, by the way, who was the son of Saul verse three he makes a covenant with David because he loved them and was himself and stripped himself of the road that was on him and gave it to David, this is a parenthesis but I want you to know today that if you have a terrible father does not mean that you have to end up like your dad not good news. Jonathan is as different from his dad as a light is from darkness. Here's a man is willing to give up his succession to the throne to his friend David stripped himself of his robe gives it to David and says let's be friends and I'm not interested in the kingship verse six and it happened, as they were coming when David returned from killing the Philistines that the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet King Saul with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments and as the women sang as they played it they said Saul has slain his thousands, and David his 10,000 soul became very angry for this saying, displeased, and he said they have ascribed to David 10,000 sent to me.

They have ascribed thousands know what more can he have except the kingdom and Saul looked at David with suspicion. From that day on, and it came about in the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon soul and he raised in the midst of the house while David was playing the harp and as usual as spear was in Saul's hand and Saul hurled the spirit rethought, I will pin David to the wall. David escaped from his presence twice and soul was afraid of David jealousy versus humility now.

Maybe it was unwise for the women to sing their song.

David is slain his tens of thousands and Saul only his thousands but the fact is that Saul had been already disqualified by God.

If you notice in chapter 15 verse 26.

The text tells us that because of disobedience. Samuel the prophet says to Saul, this is chapter 15 verse 26 Samuel said to Saul, I will really not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord and the Lord is rejected you from being king over Israel and as Samuel turned to go Saul sees the edge of his robe and it tore Samuel said to him, the Lord is touring the kingdom of Israel away from you today and is given it to your neighbor who is better than you. God says Saul I'm done with you, but Saul would not quit.

He was fired, but he wouldn't turn in his keys and he wouldn't clean out his desk.

What he said is fired or not I'm going to hang onto the kingdom and as a result of that he could not rejoice over David's success.

He didn't say. Isn't it wonderful that this young man was able to slay the giant and has such military might and power all that he longed for his David's demise. He feared David he felt like anyone who has some underling under him in business and you know what this is about and that young man does so well that he makes the leader, the man who was in charge look bad and all that man who is at the top of the pile can think of is to say how can I get rid of him, jealousy versus humility.

I want you to know today that jealousy has ruined marriages. It disrupts jobs it creates problems in churches and David was willing to submit to God in humility. He was willing to say God. The kingdom is yours, give it to me when ever it seems good to you. Now we need to keep in mind the sequence. This is a series of messages and if you missed the first two, you know that David was already now anointed by God. He knew that he was the next king, but he goes back any herds the sheep and he goes in and out of Saul's palace because Saul enjoyed the fact that David was able to play the harp and they got along well at the beginning and as a result of that what David is saying is God I can wait until you give me the kingdom.

Listen to this very carefully.

The best leaders God has are not those who qualify for the position and who want to leave most of the time. The best leaders are those who are conscript did by God. He chooses them and he leads them and they don't desire it, but God squeezes them into a position of leadership. And they know that they are there. As a result of God's grace, not because of any right that is in their mind and heart. What you see the contrast don't you humility versus jealousy. Let's go on to a second contrast and that is manipulation. Manipulation versus trust.

Now I pick up the text in verse 11, and soul hurled the spear, he thought, I will pin David to the wall.

David escaped from his presence twice sold by the way is very interesting if you ever want to do a doctoral dissertation on human nature Saul would be a wonderful one to choose wonderful one because you see when a man believes that the kingdom is his and he begins to see a threatened one of the first things he does is he throws spears. Jesus spear thrower back soul was a mad spear thrower and what he does is he is willing to do anything, including murder, to retain the kingdom of God says Saul I'm finished with you but Saul will have none of that. He hangs on until later on he dies and commit suicide and an Amalekite finishes him off. So the first thing he does is he throws spears and then what he does is he tries to set traps for David and we don't have time to read the entire text but if you notice in verse 17. I have a daughter named Meredith I wanted to have her but I want you to fight against the Philistines.

First, so Saul says that when I couldn't do with my spear. I want the Philistines to be able to do and then when that didn't work. He said that Michael is another daughter of mine who loves you and you can have her. If you are willing to kill a 200 Philistines, so David goes and kills the Philistines and and a Saul is absolutely shocked because he believed, surely, but in the process of doing that he would be brought to death, but David is triumphant. What a story. What a story. Try as he wills soul can't get rid of David and and what he does as he tries to control the events he tries to manipulate.

He tries to make sure that a situation will come out according to his liking. You've met people like that some of you live with somebody like that.

Somebody who intimidates, manipulates Joel's uses the motions to control. You know the Bible says that Saul repented five times we don't have time to go through those episodes of repentance, but it is interesting. One time Saul says I have played the fool.

I have erred exceedingly, that sounds good but it's like an alcoholic who says really, this is terrible I'm finished. Give me another chance and I'll be different or like a sex addict who says the very same thing and in the process of saying that though they aren't willing to admit it if you did beneath the surface. What you discover is that even their repentance is another form of manipulation and on. Saul wasn't willing to do. He wasn't willing to fall helplessly in the presence of God and say all God extinguish this flame of anger and resentment and jealousy, and do so through your word and through prayer and let me not go till my heart is pure, he was willing to do so. You'll notice that the differences David had trust trust. Now I want you to listen carefully you have been up until now, but AA friends Romans countrymen. Please lend me your ears notice this, that when David Pohlad and that's a good thing to do when somebody's throwing a spear at it's okay to leave, to dodge, so that the spear hits the wall.

But when David fled.

He did not take other people with him now. Later on, some people joined him in the cave of the dollar, but he didn't begin a campaign.

In the say to himself you throw another spirit me and I'm gonna throw to. And you what he did as he fled. He fled and he fled alone when you, David, flee alone. Why didn't he get a group of people on his side. Why didn't he do is what happens in most church split where somebody says I can't trust the leadership so what I'm going to do is I'm going to begin my own and I'm to go recruiting and I'm going to use the telephone and I'm going to get some letters together and were going to pull out and start our own church. Why didn't David do that here me carefully when I say because he understood something that is forgotten. In today's world. The kingdom is God's kingdom and God can give it to whomsoever he wills, and he can raise up leadership and he can bring leadership down and you had better watch when you begin to take the kingdom under your own shirt and say it's mine.

Take care. Take care. 12 long years, David was hunted in the caves of Judeo running away from Saul and David was willing to do that even though he backslid his will notice David had many false I David grew discouraged.

Eventually even joining if you can believe this. The, the army of the Philistines, but at this moment. David was at his best, really I did you notice how God took care of Goliath boom one shot with the sling and the life is gone but but Saul God is not going to take care of Saul God is gonna let David live with us all. Even though Saul is a mad king David is going to live with it for 12 long years in a moment were going to tell you why David at the lid with a 12 are you with me. Jealousy versus humility manipulation versus trust manipulation versus trust.

And thirdly, an evil spirit and evil spirit versus the Holy Spirit are you troubled by verse 10. Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God became mightily upon Saul and he raved in the midst of the house while David was playing the harp with his hands as usual, and a spirit was in Saul's hand that probably also was usual, but you troubled by this text.

Does it bother you that any evil spirit from God would do this if you've got good theology. It should not only trouble you, but it should be the very thing that you could believe, may I ask humbly how it could be otherwise. How could it be otherwise.

Obviously, all demons have the limitations of creature who would they are created they cannot act independently, they wreak havoc upon the earth but only as God allows that havoc to be wreaked upon the earth… Allows and if God does not allow it. Why indeed it does not happen when Satan comes to Job and to God and Satan have a discussion about him. God tells Satan exactly what he can do with Job and what he can do with Job. Why because the evil one moment by moment can only do what God allows. So I suspect based on another passage of Scripture that God the had one of his angels, perhaps.

Or he himself said to a group of evil spirits which one of you would like to harass King Saul and there were a lot of volunteers and so volunteer was chosen and so it was an evil spirit from the Lord, troubling him.

Why like this emotional harassment why the paranoia why this schizophrenia is because Saul was disobedient and God was using the devil to discipline someone who was this disobedient now. Not all schizophrenia is daemonic, but I believe that much of it is much of it is all of it.

You see what God was saying is so you are going to repent our you are going to submit the kingdom to me. You think it's yours.

It's mine, but you are unwilling to admit it, so you want to be jealous.

All right you want to be jealous all make you insanely jealous there for the duplicity, duplicity you want to live in sin, mine will let you live in sin. Always remember this that the price of dabbling with sin is bondage to it and God says Sola some work to do in your heart here and use an evil spirit to harass you what was gone after God was after soul submission. God was after Saul saying I game up you own the kingdom do as seems good in your sight you have the right to take it from me and you have the right to give it to David because it is yours.

It's all say that not on your life and your life. Don't ever underestimate the suffering that people are willing to endure in order to keep their precious little kingdom that they will not give up to God no matter what. This is pastor Luther there was a time in my life when I was going through a trial false accusation that was made and I remember the tremendous struggle I had to give this to God and one time in prayer. I opened my hands before the Lord visualizing in those hands that the problem was there and I was offering it to God and saying it is yours.

You know, I think that every one of us has to come to a place like that in our lives.

We offer ourselves to God. The contrast between David and Saul, Saul, of course, hanging onto the kingdom until his knuckles turned white.

These are the kinds of lessons that I've written about in the book entitled, growing through conflict lessons from the life of David lessons that all of us have to learn for a gift of any amount. It can be yours. Here's what you do and I hope you have a pencil or pen handy. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book, growing through conflict lessons from the life of David and of course in the process.

We also encounter lessons from the life of Saul go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and from my heart to yours. Thank you so much for supporting this ministry. Thank you for your prayers because together we are making a difference in the lives of many time now for another chance for you to ask pastor Luther a question about the Bible or the Christian life making sense of some of the things God does can be a challenge.

Debbie is from Florida and listens to us via one place.com she writes in the Old Testament God sends an evil spirit to torment King Saul.

That just seems so contrary to the character and nature of our loving God.

I'm sure he had a purpose for doing this but I just don't see what it was. Can you help clarify this for me. Well first of all, Debbie, let me say that were so glad that you connected with us but a couple of comments we would all have to agree that the fact that this evil spirit troubled soul we would all have to agree that God allowed it to happen. Let's camp there for a moment and let's figure out what that means. The fact that God allowed it meant that God would not have had to allow it. Therefore, in one sense, absolutely. The evil spirit was sent by God. Secondly, what we need to do is to understand that the reason for this is because Saul was so narcissistic. By that I mean he was so jealous he was so self consumed that God sometimes allows sinners to continue to wallow even in more sin. And so this evil spirit was sent by God to trouble Saul and of course we know that what really helped him, however, was when David played on his harp, and the rest of the story unfolds there in the book of Samuel. But the point is, it is important for us to see that God uses the devil. In fact, that he certainly uses it in the life of believers. I'm thinking of Job. For example, God use the devil to tempt Job and of course we know that in the end, Job came through fine, though he had his periods of doubts you have. For example, the devil, even in the life of the apostle Paul and evil spirit was sent to give him that thorn in the flesh. So even there, the devil is God's devil is Luther is quoted as saying. So I just want you to enlarge your conception of God and to know this that moment by moment, the devil is subject to God when we remember that great faith is birthed in our heart in our own struggle with the wicked one. So yes, Satan ultimately is under God's direction.

Some wise counsel is always from Dr. Erwin lutes are. Thank you Dr. lutes.

Or if you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask pastor Luther or call us at 188-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. This is Dave McAllister. Next time more about those things in conflict running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church