Conflict Within The Soul Part 2

Looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter in situations of stress are never pleasant, but often uses them to get our attention. Set us back on track.

David experience serious dress when his hometown was destroyed by fire, and his family captured the results of future king returns to God from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to with Dr. Irwin looks her was clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line after Luther. Why does God put some believers through the fires of affliction, while others have lives of the day before I answer your question I want to go down memory lane putting the question that way. Reminds me of the first message I ever preached I was 16 years old I was in 12th grade in Canada where I went to high school and at the end of the message. I asked this question based on a song. Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease, while others fought to win the prize and sailed through blood. He sees your question, Dave.

Why are some taken through deep trials and others seem to escape them. Ultimately, I have no answer. God leads his dear children along buying name and each often takes a different path. But this much I know every believer has the opportunity to be faithful or unfaithful. No matter what happens in their lives. We want to thank the many of you who support the ministry of running to win.

Would you consider becoming an endurance partner that someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com when you're there, click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and that's exactly what a case king of Gath.C said fine. He said you can have the client well. David and his men are living there. They were there for one year and four months 16 months and one day David goes to his L box and he discovers that there's a note that says congratulations your country needs you where going toward David and we want you to join our army and fight against your own people. The people of Judah and David is willing to do that you read the text and you say David, why is it that you don't seem to show more revulsion at the very idea. Chapter 28 it says David said to a quiche when Nikki said I need you for war. David said to achieve very well.

You shall know what your servant can do and a quiche said to David very well. I will make you my bodyguard for life, and David signed on David signed we pick it up in chapter 29 the Philistines were gathered together, and their armies come to a fact which is not too far from modern-day Tel Aviv and the lords of the Philistines are preparing for war and that when you prepare for work. You have the troops march past you don't notice it says in verse three. The commanders of the Philistines said these Hebrews doing here, Alec. He said luck is at David's here and everybody in the commanders safe. Look, we can have these guys fight in our side because when the battle goes up against Judah going to defect, they are going to become our adversary, so it quiche the king says the David this is David you know you have to go back to sick lag but David says in verse eight, and David said to the king what have I done and what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you. To this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of the Lord the King. I David, I think inside is so relieved is saying all things God I don't have to fight against my own people, but on the other hand, he wants to be thought well by the king of the Philistines, and so that is his reply. Remember, David is going through a time of vacillation here. This isn't the David we normally think all when we think of King David wealthy and his men go back to sick lag three days journey. They marched to sick lag and guess what chapter 30 verse one and it happened when David and his men came to sick lag on the third day that the Amalekites had made a raid on the desert and sick lag and had overthrown sick lag and burned it with fire and they took captive the women and all who were in at both small and great without killing anyone, though David didn't know that and carried them off and went their way, and when David and his men came to the city, behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive and David and the people who were with them lifted their voices on wept on till there was no strength in them to weep, hang onto that phrase. There is no strength in them to wait. Moreover, David was greatly distressed hang onto that word to because the people spoke of stoning him for all the people were embittered and each one because of his sons and daughters, but David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. If David were to write a book some time that would be his own story he could entitle it. What to do when you don't know what to do. Notice he was weakened because he was discouraged because of the long chase the psychological warfare that Saul had against him. He was weakened when he joined in the Philistines to live there to look to them receive what he thought God wasn't giving him, namely protection. He was further weakened when he began to defend the Philistines, the enemies of God, and now he found himself in a predicament from which he could not seem to extract himself. Now what David know that the way backsliding is, is not other. Some people say you know God is not giving me any piece and because God does not give me any piece they look to alcohol and they say alcohol can do for me what God can or because God does not bring into their lives. The proper relationships they may say I'm going to find the relationships that I want to find and do what I want to do because God is not meeting my demands for friendship and the loneliness that I find with enzyme to do my own thing and then there are people watch it lose money they make investments. They overextend themselves.

The bubble breaks. Many of these are God's people and many of them endure it. They say this is of God, we simply accepted.

We have to lose our house. We lose our house will begin over again.

Then there are others who say phone. No, not me. Not me and they begin to make deals and they begin to get involved in illegal kinds of things they begin to cut corners, they begin to make sure that they are going to get their money back somehow, someway. They soon discovered that once they cross that line and look to money or to relationships or to anything else other than God, God begins to get their attention and he usually does it by allowing the thing in which they put their trust to disappoint them, and to lead them to despair. That's where we have David here.

I want you to notice David strengthened himself in the Lord is God. You'll notice in verse one.

Six. Rather, it says he was greatly distressed. Now keep your finger in first Samuel 30 and turned to Psalm 18. Psalm 18 the very probably was written during this period of time written when God delivered David from his enemies from the hand of Saul. And I want you to notice how David pours out his heart to God. I love the old Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress will David why didn't you say that right at the beginning. Why did you have to go to Philistine territory for your walk in your fortress, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

I'm going to pick it up in verse six and verse four he talks about the cords of death encompassing him. Verse by the cords of Sheol surround me, but verse six in my distress I called upon the Lord. He answered me. I cried to him and he was there.

The Hebrew word distress there in verse six is the same one in first Samuel chapter 30 verse six, where it says David and his men were greatly distressed, greatly distressed, but he says I now cried on to the Lord and he heard me. What do you do when you don't know what to do. You finally cry to God they that wait upon the Lord, renew their strength. God got David's attention God had jerked his chain and now he was back in fellowship, where he belonged. What happened as a result very quickly number one he experienced the guidance of the God of the guidance of God. Verse seven David said to buy a car.

The priest please bring me the E fed. Now this was a linen cloak or I should say more like an apron that was born that enable people in those days to discern the guidance of God.

We don't know exactly how and we don't use that today we have the Scriptures we have more information about God than other people do than the Old Testament people I mean to say and that as a result of that we don't use the E fed we don't to use such things as Gideon left the fleece. We follow the path of wisdom through the word for the Council of others through the guidance but in those days they used in E fed and he inquired of the Lord saying shall I pursue the band or shall I overtake them, and God says yes David, I will help you to pursue the Amalekites who devastated sick leg and took your wives and your kids so experienced the guidance of God. By the way, if you've not experienced that guide is maybe because you're backslidden, you're out of fellowship. Psalm 32 shows that when I confessed my iniquity to the ideal no longer hid my sin. It is then that God says I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go, I shall guide you with mine eye upon you experience the guidance of God, he experienced the strength of God were back in first Samuel 30 notice it says that David and his men a web last part of verse four on till there was no strength for them to wait you can't get much lower than that. We are exhausted and the fear that David why send the children and the wives of his men dad was so devastating and he knew that he was at all. That's why the text says the people were going to Stoneham. They were saying David this is your fault. What did God do for David when he really began to cry to the Lord experienced the wisdom of God. That's just in a moment but he experienced the guidance of God and experience the strength of God. The strength of God.

You'll notice that David and his men they had something to eat and then they decided to chase the enemy the Amalekites who had devastated them, and God gave him the strength to do that.

I have a friend who, because of the sin that he committed because of the embarrassment, the incredible embarrassment.

He moved to California set up a series of circumstances to make it look as if he died in one state ended up in California and even changed his name so that he could live there I met with the many times because a long sense has come back into fellowship with God. But I remember how he told me he said that to be alone in a place where I didn't know with a changed identity to live deceitfully. He said when I got out of bed in the morning. I did not know how I could take one step and then a second step and 1/3 step while what do you do when you don't know what to do.

You cry God cry to God the guidance of God strength of God.

Wisdom of God hears what happened.

Let me tell you the story David is 600 men with them his motley band of volunteers of the Bible talks about them as being based they are they are kind of a crass group of their loyalty.

David and 200 of them were so weary they could not run with David and the others to overtake the Amalekites and so what they decided to do as they stated sick lag all the other ones. The 400 went with David God providentially provided an Egyptian who told them worthy raid and the band were band of Amalekites you have to read the story there to see God's providence and so and so David and his men. They they go and they they treat the Amalekites just as the David always treated people he kills everybody. And guess what these people for all of their wickedness had not killed David's wives and the people that they had taken from sick lag. The other wives and the kids. They probably intended to, but they wanted to have a little bit of sport with them first and it says in verse 16.

They were over the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all of the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines.

That's the Amalekites, they they were in really getting move. Verse 17 David slaughtered them the twilight until the evening and the next day and his wives and his kids come back and then the men who fought with David they said to get any of these spoils to the 200 guys were too tired to fight with us, and you'll notice the text it says in verse 23 David says you must not do so. My brothers with what the Lord is given us who has kept us and delivered into our hands. The band that came against us and who will listen to you in this matter for address, his share is it goes down to the battle, so shall his share of the stays at the baggage they shall share alike. And so it has been from that day forward that he made a statue and an ordinance in Israel to this day you missionaries were listening.

You know how important it is not only if you're out there doing the fighting, so to speak, figuratively. It's important that people who stay-at-home and who guard the spoil is at work.

They are your home crowd who keep you informed and who pray for you and to help you fight home battles. You know what David made a big mistake in the first place. All the men should never have left zig like they should had a contingent of soldiers there, so David said from now on. Those who fight the war. Those who stay home and guard the stuff they are going to share as well to very important to concluding in brief lessons number one understand my friends today why backsliding is such an insult to God an insult realize how David insulted God by going to the Philistines for his refuge and strength, rather than to the Lord because what the backslider is saying is this God you are meeting my needs. You're not old that you promised you are not taking care of me the way I think that you should. And because of that I'm going to do my own thing. You only live one.

Listen, God was with David. I know 8 1/2 years is a long time, but David really cocked out of the race when he was very close to the finish line. Saul was about to die. As we read in the next chapter. It was near the end David should've hung in there, even if he had to go from cave to cave.

He should've hung in there with God.

Better to be in the wilderness with God and to be in sick lag with all of its perks under the protection of the enemy, you who today have wandered from God. You know you hurt God by doing that is what you're saying is I can trust you and you're not coming through God is coming through with his people.

He dies he hangs in there with us. Second important lesson when you repent when you repent God is there God is there some of you don't know what to do if the truth were known, maybe this past week you you wept until there was no strength to weep. You are finished.

There is no way for you to turn, know what the Bible says in Psalm 18 the passage we just read that David wrote in his distress. He said in my distress I cry to the Lord and the Lord heard me. The Lord how low down does God have to bring you and me until we cried to him as a taken accident does it take cancer does it take a broken relationship does it take a bankruptcy.

I don't know what it takes. I suppose where everyone is different, but God. God is reaching out to us, even by the tragedies and the heartaches of life is God who is saying cry to me crying to me. David had to learn that lesson again and again.

You know the Bible says I will never leave you nor forsake you. When Jesus was on the cross he was forsaken by God. At least the fellowship was broken.

He said my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me, but here's the good news because Jesus Christ died on the cross for sinners and because he was forsaken by God. You and I can have the promise that we will never be forsaken by God, I will know never leave you, I will know never forsake you. Even in the desert with all of its land and its thirst and its broken relationships and it's a loneliness and its caves. God is with us. God is with us the whole way.

How much better for David to be able to say gone gone is my refuge, not the Philistines is my refuge and strength a very present help in trouble. Let us pray father today. We do want to pray for those who have wandered away from you and they been disappointed in you because they been weary. They trusted you for certain things and you haven't done them and that they expected certain privileges that didn't come their way.

They anticipated with great hope, a life of happiness in a relationship that was satisfying and instead they've experienced hurt brief and brokenness woundedness father would you come to your people today and would you teach all of us that you are still with us. Your there, you haven't left us, and for those who need to cry to you today. Help them to do that for the weary for the for the sin laden.

We ask father at those who have drifted might come back to the warmth of your home and the fellowship of your love and for those who do not know you as Savior, to whom this message may not really apply because they don't know the warmth of the father's home we ask today father that you will draw them to Christ. Help them to understand that Jesus died and if we accept him will never be rejected by you. In Jesus name, my friend. I want to give you a personal word of encouragement even on the cross. When Jesus said those words, my God, my God, why has thou forsaken me.

The only time in the New Testament where he did not call God father, but he still said my God, and you may be in despair today, but at least you can still say my God, if you know Christ as Savior, are you blessed as a result of this ministry.

If you are it's because other people have invested in this ministry and they've helped us get running to win in 20 different countries in four different languages and of course around the world through the Internet. We trust that you will consider becoming an endurance partner, someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts considerate today go to the Internet type in RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com and when you're there, click on the endurance partner button RTW offer.com the endurance partner button or call us right now at 1-888-218-9337 thanks in advance for holding our hands as we get the gospel to many. You can write to us running to win 1635 LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 one looser including conflict within the soul. The fifth message in his series growing through conflict.

A study in the life of King David. Here's a question for you. Have you ever been angry with God. If so tune in next time. As David's conflict turns to the person of God himself, running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church