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 Sermon > Official Service |
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Title |
The heart of david |
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Speaker |
Rev. Jaerock Lee |
Bible |
1Sa 17:45-49 |
Date |
2002-08-04 |
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[Introduction]
Hallelujah! I give all thanks and glory to God the Father who blessed this service for Sunday School Students Devotion.
I also give thanks to all devotes who have prepared for this service with all your mind.
I know Sunday School Students have been to summer spiritual training program last week. Haven’t you? I heard the title of your summer spiritual training program was, ’clean your heart!’ Were you filled with grace and strength?
Our Father will be more pleased with this service if your hearts were cleansed through this summer spiritual program.
Above all, I ask you to have clean and pure heart and to grow up uprightly like David to the point of obtaining God’s acceptance, in the name of the Lord.
[Body]
Dear Manmin students! Dear all students of branch churches around the country, dear members around the country, dear all members of Light and Salt mission, dear all members of Restaurant mission, dear all members attending this service through internet, and dear all listeners through audio tapes!
Lets see the situation of these verses more than anything else.
About 3 thousand years ago, Saul was enthroned to the first king of Israel. In his days, Israel was often invaded by neighboring countries or people like the Philistines, the Arameans, Midian, and so on.
In the age of King Saul, the Philistines invaded Israel. The Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.
A champion named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp and urged the battle. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver’s rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.
The appearance of Goliath was enough to overwhelm the other camp. Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. Give me a man and let us fight each other." He defied the ranks of Israel saying so.
On hearing his words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. In that situation, David arrived there.
David was a boy and kept the sheep of his father. He was sent at the battle camp by his father to take food to his brothers. David was upset and distressed to see the Philistine Goliath insulting the army of Israel and defying the name of God. And he became angry because none of Israelites inclined to come down against Goliath but all were trembled.
He marched forward the Philistine Goliath courageously though Saul and his brothers held back him from fighting. Today’s verses shows the scene.
Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. But David took then off because he was not used to them. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream and approached the Philistine with his sling in his hand. Without any armament, he marched forward to fight against the fully armed Philistine Goliath.
Goliath walked out forward with an irresistible force ridiculing David.
David shouted at such triumphant Goliath in [1 Samuel 17:45-47], "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give all of you into our hands."
David trusted in the LORD God Almighty of Israel. And he believed that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves and the battle is the LORD’S. God did good thing for him because he acted courageously with the perfect trust in God. That is, David hurled a smooth stone from his sling toward Goliath and God made the stone hit Goliath in the forehead.
The stone sank in the forehead, and the giant Goliath fell face downward to the ground with a big bump. The war situation reversed wholly in the favor of Israel. The war ended to a big victory of Israel.
From then on king Saul sent David to many battles and David succeeded in every time. Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul’s officers as well. People of Israel sang, "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." In that way David was favored greatly.
David had been tried and refined through all troubles and difficulties. After all he was enthroned to the next king of Israel. He is renowned for the greatest king in the history of Israel. Who is the greatest king of Israel? Surely anyone of the Israelites replies, ’He is David.’
David loved God greatly with all his heart and obeyed His will joyfully. Now he sits on the throne of the eighth in heaven. God out Father hopes that you all devotees will have the same heart that David had. Truly He wishes
May you have the good heart like David and be recognized by God the Father, I ask in the name of the Lord.
Then, what is the heart of David?
I’ll speak two aspects about that. Please bear them in your mind.
First, that is his spiritual faith.
He was afraid of nothing and didn’t think according to sinful mind because he had a firm faith and trust in God. He could come out forward the giant Goliath courageously because he had spiritual faith in God and trusted in God truthfully.
He who has spiritual faith isn’t influenced by his situation or circumstances but rely on God the Almighty alone. The giant Goliath stood out to the physical eyes but God the Almighty alone was seen to his spiritual eyes.
For this reason, God was very pleased with David and his faith and made the stone hit Goliath in the vital point of his forehead exactly even at a time.
By the way, you should not think that spiritual faith was given to him suddenly at that time. David had not moved backward nor given up his sheep as a shepherd when a lion or a bear carried off a sheep from the flock.
Rather he went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.
He didn’t do that because he was stronger than any other man. He could defeat a lion or a bear because he believed firmly that his God the Almighty was with him always. In that way, his faith had been trained and refined well.
On the basis of such firm faith, David could move forward Goliath and defeated him. [1 Samuel 17:36] says, "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God."
You also will give the same glory to father your God if you receive the same firm faith in God the Almighty your Father and your Savior Jesus Christ. In fact, you have many chances to increase your faith because you see a lot of evidence of the Living God around you.
Many of you have experienced works of the power of God in your lives. If you have not experienced such evidence, please rely on God in even a little thing with your own faith. You have many means through the Muan miraculous water, ARS prayer through telephones, the power handkerchiefs, and so on.
God the Father will surely give the answer to your asking if you act with your own faith. May you all experience the evidence of the Living God in your lives and the growth of your faith, in the name of the Lord I bless.
Dear Manmin students,
Next, David prayed at any time and asked the Lord in detail.
God said to him, ’You are a man after my own heart. You will do everything I want to do." God recognized David because he asked his God even in detail.
Let’s see how he asked the Father God and was led by the Father.
David received a high rank in the army from king Saul after he defeated the Philistine Goliath. And he did successfully whatever Saul sent him to do. This pleased all the people and Saul’s officers as well.
King Saul got angry at their praise to David and kept a jealous eye on him from that time on. Even he tried to kill David thinking David would usurp the throne. (David coveted for the throne.)
David had to escape from Saul from that time on.
One day he was told, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are stealing the threshing floors," He had a great difficulty in caring others because he was in a runaway.
But he asked God about this problem. He asked in [1 Samuel 23: 2], saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" The LORD answered him, "Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah." But David’s men said to him, "Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!"
They were afraid that they would be found by Saul if they would go to Keilah and fight against the Philistines. But David didn’t decide saying, ’You are right. Let’s not do that.’ He was not influenced by his men’s negative response.
He asked God again. God replied again, ’"Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand." David and his men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. They slaughtered the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah.
As it was expected, Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah. Saul called up all his forces for battle and went down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. Also David heard that Saul was going down to Keilah to attack him and his men.
What did he have to do next? What would you do if you were in his place? Many people may flee from other place as soon as possible.
But David didn’t do that. He asked God what to do. [1 Samuel 23:10-12] says, "David said, "O LORD, God of Israel, your servant has heard definitely that Saul plans to come to Keilah and destroy the town on account of me. Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me to him? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O LORD, God of Israel, tell your servant." And the LORD said, "He will." Again David asked, "Will the citizens of Keilah surrender me and my men to Saul?" And the LORD said, "They will."
In this way, David didn’t decide what to do at his own will. He asked God in detail and waited for the reply of God. After listening to the reply of God, ’Leave Keilah’ he and his men left there.
I hope that you will resemble such heart and act of David. You should ask God the Father in detail and rely on Him when you decide on your entrance to university or future career, not inclining according to your own favorite or mind.
Generally speaking, your favorite, inclination, or interest changes with ages. You may like A in your teens, like B in twenties but like C in thirties. Like this, your favorites will be different according to your age.
Your judgment of value changes according to your age. In other words, what you think the best of your life is changed with time. So you may regard what is the most important to you now as what is indifferent from you with much time. You will sometimes regret saying, ’Why did I think so?’
[Psalm 143:8] says, ’Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." You should believe that God the Father knows you better than you do and commit your life to Him. He will lead you to the best way.
Or you should search for God your Father first and ask Him when you meet with troubles or difficulties.
[1 Samuel 30] shows that David met with a great difficulty. He was a runaway from king Saul but a great many people including 600 young men followed him.
One day the Amalekites had already raided the Negev and Ziklag and burnt Ziklag to the ground when David and his men reached Ziklag. The Amalekites destroyed Ziklag by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; But David found strength in the LORD his God.
David’s two wives had been captured and his men became hostile to his plan. He was in great difficulty.
But [1 Samuel 30:6] says, "But David found strength in the LORD his God. At that moment David was encouraged through his faith in God. And then he asked the Lord God. [1 Samuel 30: 8] says, "David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."
David trusted in this word of God and pursued the Amalekites. God led him and his men very successfully. They found a dying Egyptian who had been a slave to the Amalekite in a field when they didn’t know where to go.
They gave him water to drink and food to eat, and helped him with awakening. He was left behind the Amalekites because of his serious disease. Thanks to his guidance, David and his men could reach the ranks of the Amalekites easily and destroy them. David brought everything back anything else they had taken. He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock.
Their difficulty was changed into their blessings. David asked God what to do when he met with a great difficulty and obeyed the word of God by faith. I hope you will act like David.
How blessed your life is if you are led in detail by God the Father like Daavid!
[Proverbs 3:5-6] says, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Your way will never be blocked nor be bent if you are led by the Father. Instead, you will go the highway to the New Jerusalem in an easy and fast manner.
You can enjoy such blessing and God’s guidance in the detailed prayer and firm faith. David became the greatest king of Israel who was led by the Lord God at any time because he had a firm faith in God and relied on Him in all ways.
Your dream and hope will come true when you do like David. All of you have your own hope or dream. ’I want to be a spiritual warrior.’ ’I want glorify as a great man in the world.’ ’I will please the Lord with the great growth of your mission team.’ ’I will be used as a main foundation with a great success of business.’ and so on.
All these dreams will come true when you enjoy the spiritual communication with the Father God in a firm faith in God. Also the Holy Spirit makes you know the will of God better and more familiarly than the Old Testament days.
Therefore may you listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit clearly, and be led and controlled by Him in all ways through the constant and alert prayer, in the name of the Lord I bless!
[Conclusion]
Dear Manmin students,
[Isaiah 64:8] says, "Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
I hope that you say, ’Father1 You alone are my Father. You mean everything to me. Please make me formed by Your will!’ and rely fully on Him. God your Father will surely make you proper workers who He will use greatly for His kingdom in the last days. So you should try your best to have firm faith and give the aroma of prayer to God constantly.
Your desire to be spiritual warriors, fruit of your evangelizing and the blessing of your mission team’s revival are not done only by your words but also by your spiritual faith and your truthful action. Please remember that true faith is accompanied with continual prayer and detailed action.
Therefore may many of students become spiritual warriors and give glory to God the Father, in the name of the Lord I bless! |
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