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1 Samuel 20 (Part 1) Bible Study - Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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  Does anybody know why in the book of Acts?
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  When Paul visited Barea, we are told that they were more noble
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  than the Jews in thessalonica. There's anybody.
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  Remember why One because they searched the Scriptures Daily to
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  see if what was being said. Was so so they were students of
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  the word of God. But before we are told that they
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  searched the scriptures, we are also told that they received the
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  word with all eagerness. There was a hunger, there was a
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  desperation, there is an expectation, there is a longing
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  and I believe that different churches are measured by the
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  same standard. There are some places that
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  receive the word with all eagerness.
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  And there are some places where you have to put your topical
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  sermon aside because of the conference theme and preach the
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  gospel because you wonder if they're even safe to begin with.
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  And I've been there many times before people who Come to church
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  with their Bibles. People who come distracted,
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  people who come with kind of an attitude of.
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  Let's see what you have for me preacher.
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  Let's see if you can make me cry.
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  Let's see if you can make me think the Holy Spirit testifies
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  about the brains that they came with an eagerness for the word
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  and it was proved by every time they heard something from Paul,
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  they searched the Scriptures Daily.
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  What's impressive about the fact that they searched the
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  Scriptures Daily? What's impressive about that?
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  Let me ask you this question, did they have goat Leather Bible
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  in their lap? They have apps to download on
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  their iPhones know. Where would they have to go to
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  search the Scriptures Daily? The synagogue most likely they
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  would have to run to the local synagogue and stay there and
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  examine the Scrolls that had no references.
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  No red letters. No commentaries necessarily and
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  they searched and they searched. Paul said that, this Jesus is
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  found in Isaiah. Let's go to the scroll of
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  Isaiah. Paul said that Moses spoke of
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  this Jesus. Let's, let's go to the Books of
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  Moses and they searched and they searched.
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  I pray that we would be a church that would be Noble because of
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  our eagerness to receive the scriptures with that being said,
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  meet me in the book of 1st Samuel, chapter 20, Pray with
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  me, please. One more time.
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  Heavenly Father, we thank you for the written word.
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  We thank you Lord that in this place week after week we can be
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  with a band of people who are eager for the scriptures and who
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  do their due diligence to seek the word for themselves to see
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  if such things are. So we pray o God that this
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  himself because he's learning that this band of prophets by
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  the spirit of God is putting a halt to these men from pursuing
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  David and so in verse 22 of chapter 19 then he himself went
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  to Rama and To the great, well, that is insecure, who, and he
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  asked where our Samuel and David.
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  And one said, behold, they are nail with and Rama.
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  And he went there to Nathan drama and the spirit of God Came
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  Upon him also. And as he went, he prophesied,
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  until he came to nail it than drama and he to stripped off his
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  clothes. And he to prophesied before
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  Samuel, and lay naked, all that day, and all that night, thus,
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  it is said, is Saul also among the prophets We would hope that
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  after this moment that's all and his Endeavor to pursue David
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  would be brought to an end that he would cease from his raging
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  drunk in Fury and he would return to at least his own place
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  and never plan to come against a man who clearly has such favor
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  with God. But we're going to be
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  disappointed in this chapter because the man saw is
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  Relentless, it's almost a comical scene.
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  With Saul where he goes and the spirit of God falls upon him and
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  he's put on pause and he begins to prophesy and share the
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  wonders in the glories in the beauties of God as he is trying
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  to sin against God and against God's man.
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  And this is a clear illustration of the goodness of God.
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  Goodness of God toward Who David yeah his protection his love his
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  assurance that he is for him and not against him.
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  But it's also a picture of the goodness of God towards Saul.
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  because Saul In This Moment In His pursuit of great sin is
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  under a current of the pure and holy power of God saw in this
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  moment, as he is trying to sin against God is instead
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  apprehended and now he is a worshipper of God and he is
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  experiencing something that he's not known since the beginning of
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  his ministry when he was in right standing with God and God
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  allowed him to taste of his glory, in his ability in his
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  Grace. And it's God willing to allow
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  him to taste his grace and his Mercy even while he is pursuing
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  rebellion. And I hope, you know, your God
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  enough that if saw had chosen under this power and in this
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  moment to repent. And to plead for forgiveness and
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  to seek to be reconciled with his God, as he is, experiencing
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  what he wants. New that warm Fellowship that
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  closeness with the holy spirit that God would God would have
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  restored him and delivered him from that tormenting spirit that
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  was placed on him for discipline sake.
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  But he doesn't repent. He doesn't repent, even after
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  God forces him to disrobe himself to strip, himself of all
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  his Royal attire, forgot to say through that.
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  I'm the real King here. I'm the one who's really
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  Sovereign if I want to strip you naked and make you roll around
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  like a baby, I can do it in a moment.
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  And Saul still didn't repent. Here's the conclusion, no matter
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  how much God pursues man man is still capable of being so stiff.
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  Necked. Listen of God showers his
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  compassion. Like he does here with Saul or
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  God strikes. You with conviction we are
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  capable of still resisting. I've seen it.
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  I've seen it week after week after week.
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  You preach. You Preach.
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  You preach. And people still don't change.
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  I've sat with people who have had near-death experiences more
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  than one, they still don't change, they have moments of
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  concern, their conscious is alert, but then they go back to
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  their ways and oftentimes they're worse than where they
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  were before. And it is in this chapter
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  chapter 20, where we will cease all continue, and is sin, and
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  the spiralling consequences of his sin, not just in his own
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  life, but a sin often does in the lives of others.
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  And at the same time in chapter, 20, you and I are going to see
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  from David's perspective. We're going to be continually
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  convinced that on this journey toward Christ, likeness are many
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  tests. Many trials, many difficulties
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  the journey to the throne of Israel would not be void of
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  turbulence for David. In fact there would be great
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  moments where he would be even discourage as we're going to
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  find out and he would even despair all for us to see as the
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  people of God. And to learn for ourselves that
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  if we want to pursue a God has for us, it will be filled with
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  great seasons. Of Trials and temptations and
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  testing. At the same time we're going to
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  see how God is going to supply certain Graces.
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  So that David can endure and God has many packages of his mercy.
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  And in this chapter we're going to see that one of the things
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  that he provides this man of God who really wants to serve God
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  and obey God, he's going to bring him a friend. a friend
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  named Jonathan and Jonathan's name means Jehovah has given And
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  surely God has given Jonathan to David and surely The God Who has
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  given us his son in. Jesus Christ will not withhold
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  from us. All the other things that we
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  would need in order to Faithfully obey.
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  God in this little journey called life where we have one
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  shot to glorify him. So let's read in verse 1 of
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  chapter 20. Then David fled from nails and
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  in drama and came and said before, Jonathan, what have I
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  done? What is my guilt and what is my
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  sin before? Your father?
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  That he seeks my life and he set them far from it.
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  You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing
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  either great or small without disclosing it to me.
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  And why should my father hide? This from me?
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  It is not so, but David vowed again saying your father knows
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  well that I found favor in your eyes and he thinks do not.
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  Let Jonathan know this. Lest he be But truly as the Lord
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  lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me
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  and death. Then Jonathan said to David
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  whatever you say I will do for you.
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  Notice the first thing here in verse 1.
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  David fled Rama. He ran away from the place that
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  we just read. In chapter 19 were got for some
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  reason, he's such an a panic that he does something that
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  doesn't really make sense. And there's a scripture that
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  I've always quoted for the first part, and I never really
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  understood the second part, at least, how it related.
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  It's in Proverbs 29:25. And it says that the fear of,
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  man, lays a snare. It lays a trap, But he who
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  trusts in the Lord is safe. Again, I've always quoted that
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  verse to, to highlight how the fear of man is a trap.
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  It paralyzes, you, it keeps you on place, it holds you back from
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  moving forward and greater obedience to God.
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  But what's the relationship between the fear of, man, laying
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  a snare? But he who trusts in the Lord is
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  safe. and it's very simple at the person who trusts in God,
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  when there are Temptations to fear is safe from things like
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  what David is doing Say, from foolishness.
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  Safe from succumbing to Temptation, safe from fleshly
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  responses and reactions. Safe from unnecessary and
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  harmful speculations. See trusting in God, sobers your
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  judgment and it helps you make the right choice and it helps
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  you know, when to move and when not to move what to say and what
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  not to say. But when a person does not have
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  that trust, he is open to the fear of many things including
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  man. And when you fear man, you
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  forfeit a lot. And one of the things that you
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  forfeit is what we see here, David, you forfeit simple,
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  common sense. You are even clouded from seeing
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  the goodness of God. I mean you just saw God in his
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  spiritual power moving in to protect you and your still
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  fleeing. And in fact, you would think
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  that as he comes to Jonathan, He wouldn't complain, he wouldn't
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  interrogate. He would come elated.
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  Not dejected. He would come saying God is
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  faithful Jonathan let me tell you how God just protected me in
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  Rama. Let me tell you how no King, no
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  soldiers, no band. No Army can stand against God
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  can stand against those who are in Christ but instead he comes
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  to Jonathan so discouraged. It's something that we never
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  seen David do before. I mean the guy killed lions and
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  bears, the man killed a guy. Bryant one-on-one, this man had
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  many campaigns where he's slaughtered hundreds and maybe
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  even thousands of philistine soldiers.
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  And now offers sudden David for the first time at least recorded
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  is shown to be concerned about his death.
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  He comes to Jonathan and he he wants to inquire.
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  He wants answers. He wants to know.
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  Where do I go from here? Hey, Jonathan.
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  I need to know where your dad stands, am I going to be labeled
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  falsely as a fugitive? Am I going to be an outcast, or
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  are we gonna have to go through this again, where I reconcile
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  with your father? I want to know where your dad
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  stands, and I want to know where you stand on top of that
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  actually. And as you approach is Jonathan
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  to interrogate him, we get a glimpse of this man's disparity,
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  he's saying There's only about one step between death and
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  myself. I've never seen David like this,
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  in our studies so far. We've never seen David like
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  this. And nothing could be further
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  from the truth. David really believe that.
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  All it would take is one small opportunity and he was finished,
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  he would never become king, he would never occupy the throne.
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  He would never fulfill his call. And what David is bleeding in
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  this moment? What is, what many people
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  believe in life? That man is actually Sovereign
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  over God. That the president is Sovereign
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  over a God, that a virus is Sovereign over God.
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  That laws are sovereign over. God, You want to see how David
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  was so wrong. Look at the words here, he says
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  again there is but a step at the end of verse 3 between me and
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  death there is but a step. You know what that means?
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  Let me illustrate One step and I'm gone.
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  Can I tell you that? God had a different plan for
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  David. You don't have to turn there but
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  it's a wonderful reference to put beside this.
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  If you're taking notes and acts 1336, look what is said about
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  David's life. For David and acts 13364 David
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  after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation
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  fell asleep. And was laid with his fathers
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  and saw corruption. In David's mind.
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  In This Moment, he thought all that was going to take as one
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  step and I'm finished. God, gives commentary through
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  Paul and this was the reality. You're not going anywhere until
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  you serve your purpose and your generation and guess who can't
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  stop that. Saul, guess who can't stop that,
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  all of Israel, if they choose to come against, you cannot Prevail
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  over my sovereign plan for your life.
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  What David needed to understand what is God, is Sovereign not
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  Saul, but here's the point, even such great men of God can
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  succumb to such lows. Where you become so forgetful of
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  what God is. Not even if it happened
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  yesterday, even if it's written here, even if you have journal
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  entries upon journal entries, we are still susceptible to
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  forgetting the faithfulness of God.
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  Not just forgetting his faith as forgetting, his sovereignty.
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  See what David failed to realize was every breath that I take has
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  been permitted, David comes up and he says what's going on
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  here? What's going on at my deserving
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  of this, am I actually guilty of something and Jonathan answers.
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  Very interestingly we read it. He said this can't be.
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  It's very difficult for me to believe what you're saying
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  because I know my dad and we have this thing.
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  We have this thing that as long as I have known him, there's
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  nothing small or great that he with holds for me before he
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  plans to do something, he always tells me.
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  About it. He always ask my counselee,
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  always ask my permission, and so I've heard nothing of him,
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  chasing you, while you were at Samuel.
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  So I can't believe that this is true.
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  But it was true. whether Jonathan realize it or believe
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  that didn't change the fact that it was true, And I read that and
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  I thought to myself, what do we make of this?
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  Because Jonathan is perplexed, he knew Saul to be a certain
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  person and to do something consistently.
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  And now he's being told something that contradicts what
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  he is known. But this is the sad thing and
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  listen, I know this isn't going to really uplift you, but I need
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  to tell you because it will prepare you for potential
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  disappointments in life, especially with people, I want
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  you to realize through this a principle about the fickleness
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  of man. people in your life are capable of changing, especially
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  if they don't fear God, People in life though, you've probably
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  known them for years. On end, they probably been a
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  certain way for so long under the right circumstances.
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  After not being walking with the Lord, and the right way can
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  change drastically, and that's what Jonathan experience with
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  his father. Jonathan thought, his father was
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  one person and all for a sudden he's learned that he is not the
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  person you thought he was. And so I want to prepare you
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  from for potential pain in life to be Garden to be shielded,
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  man. Will fail you?
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  Man? Will disappoint you even the
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  most unlikely even those that might perplex you, even the
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  thought of entertaining of them doing something that you never
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  thought they would do. Yes, it's possible for them to
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  do it. But here's the joy, Jesus will
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  never fail you because he never changes.
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  He never changes. He never changes because he does
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  not need to change to change implies that you need to better
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  yourself and we know that about Christ.
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  He's perfect. To change means that you have
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  the potential of sinning and we know that our Lord cannot sin.
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  And so whatever God says, that's what he is.
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  And that's what he'll do. Jesus is the same yesterday
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  today and forever. And so you can know one thing.
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  Your Lord will never disappoint you though.
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  Men will and the reason for that change with sauce in crept in
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  Sin crept in and overtook his heart over took his soul and
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  sin, when it rains in a person's life, does not cease to corrode
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  and destroy everything and anything even relationships,
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  even the most prized relationships in life, it is
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  cancerous and this is a reminder that when we think sin only
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  affects us, we are under deception.
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  Even though you think that the sin that you are entertaining,
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  your life, only affects Or maybe the person you're sinning
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  against or sinning with that is never the case.
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  It actually reaches to resources and relationships that you never
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  thought it would reach its much, more catastrophic than we can
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  imagine. But we don't think that way we
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  think that we can manage and control our sin.
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  I want to tell you tonight, something that you've probably
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  heard a hundred times what it's worth hearing.
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  One more time. I'm sure you can choose your sin
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  but you can never choose the consequence of that sin.
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  You can determine what you will do and knowingly because it's
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  wrong. You will do it, but God's
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  forgiving and he's merciful. But let me tell you something,
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  you can never manage the magnitude of the consequence of
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  that sin. It's like trying to grasp the
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  wind. It's like trying to Manage the
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  ocean, it will have its way and you might be shocked to realize
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  how far it will go because here's what happens.
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  Saul was sinning against David Saul had his own personal
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  emotional issues but we have ever thought that it would
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  destroy this this bond with his son to such a degree that it
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  actually fractured a specific practice that they shared
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  together. My dad tells me everything but,
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  but Saul's jealousy was so Fierce that it actually began to
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  mingle with that and erode something as precious and as As
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  my herbal as a father and his son, his son, sharing something
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  beautiful a trust and a transparency sin is vicious.
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  And so, he was perplexed. But David wisely assess the
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  situation. He says, look, your dad knows
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  that we have this relationship. Your dad knows that if your
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  father misses me at all. Then say David earnestly asked
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  leave of me to run to Bethlehem his City for.
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  There's a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan and he says
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  good, it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry,
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  then know that harm is determined by him.
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  See what I see with David here is that Jonathan is not, it's
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  not buying this whole thing about Saul really wanting to
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  kill him. You know why what happened in
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  the previous chapter between Jonathan and Saul?
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  Can anybody remind us? What happened?
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  It was a precious thing. It was a glorious thing who
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  remembers Yeah Jonathan confronts his father point-blank
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  without trickery and it just speaks honestly, what are you
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  trying to do against David? The man's done?
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  Nothing wrong and saw gave him his word as long as the Lord
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  lives, I will not put him to death and not only that he
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  brings David back into his court.
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  That's the last thing that Jonathan was exposed to
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  concerning the situation and now offers sudden David shows up and
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  he's like your dad's trying to kill me and he's like, hold on I
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  saw him repent. Supposedly, I saw him change his
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  ways. You know you're telling me
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  something that that I apparently is opposite of my experience.
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  And David doesn't condemn, Jonathan, David doesn't slap him
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  upside, the head. David doesn't scream at him.
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  David doesn't shake him by the collar, David displays, a
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  patient's. And he says, let me show you
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  this to be true. I read that and I admired David
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  for this because it shows again, the need to be a certain way
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  with our Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
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  Listen, you want to be A disciple of Jesus Christ.
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  You want to disciple other people, then know this it will
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  require forbearance, it will require a great deal.
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  Of maturity, because every single one of us in this place
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  are operating at a different level of understanding and a
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  different level of maturity. And some of us see things
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  clearer than others, some of us know things deeper than others.
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  Some of us have greater skill and ability socially practically
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  in Ministry than others. And so the Bible instructions in
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  the New Testament, you're going to have different kind of
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  characters in The and the local body.
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  And so it's going to require a great deal of restraint and
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  patience in order for discipleship to truly flourish,
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  Here's proof of that. And first Thessalonians 5, 14.
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  Paul says and we urge you, we urge you Brothers, admonish the
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  idol. Encourage the faint-hearted,
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  help the weak be patient with them all.
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  Admonish the idle, those who are lazy, those who are not
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  necessarily committed, those, they need to be shaken up more
• 24:30
  than the regular person admonish them.
• 24:34
  Encourage the faint-hearted, there are some who are more
• 24:36
  susceptible to discouragement and others I then had the
• 24:39
  humility to say hear what you have to say.
• 24:44
  It's amazing. It's amazing how we are so quick
• 24:47
  to give up on people. Although, they're a little
• 24:51
  awkward. They seem to think differently.
• 24:57
  They seem to be socially off. Well, welcome to the church.
• 25:03
  Are we not supposed to bring in people and through our gifts and
• 25:07
  through Christ in US, witness the transforming power of God.
• 25:13
  It's as though, we want everybody to come in perfectly
• 25:15
  intact, theologically precise. From top to bottom, no issues.
• 25:23
  No corks. No, you're going to have
• 25:28
  different people with different backgrounds and different
• 25:30
  bruises and different records. And it's going to require us to
• 25:33
  partner with the spirit of God to say, you might be a little
• 25:36
  different. You might not understand that
• 25:38
  you might not see it like you're supposed to see it but let's
• 25:40
  work together and see God, transform your life.
• 25:45
  That's where church becomes church when you do life with
• 25:48
  people and you're willing to pay a price to see Christ in them.
• 25:53
  Jonathan said to David whatever you say I will do for you.
• 25:57
  Whatever you say I will do for you.
• 25:59
  And you know why I'm encouraged by that because it contrast
• 26:02
  sauce all change with. Jonathan saw was one way for so
• 26:05
  many years and all for sudden because the flesh took over.
• 26:08
  He performs something that Jonathan never thought he would
• 26:11
  do, but I see in Jonathan and you're going to see for the rest
• 26:14
  of the study, a consistent fellow concrete, man.
• 26:19
  He was unsure shaken. He was a moved.
• 26:21
  Yeah, he had moments of doubt, maybe had moments like this,
• 26:24
  where he questioning, but the men down deep inside was solid.
• 26:28
  He was reliable. He was Instant, let's strive to
• 26:31
  be like that. In fact, Jonathan here is given
• 26:34
  to David in this great test in this episode that required great
• 26:39
  endurance. Jonathan was given to reflect
• 26:43
  the relationship that you and I should be sharing with our
• 26:45
  master and our Lord. As you heard Jesus doesn't
• 26:49
  change. He is reliable.
• 26:51
  He was always available. He supplies.
• 26:53
  The Graces that we need in order to be, strengthened to strive to
• 26:58
  christlikeness. And I look at Jonathan here.
• 27:03
  And I see a man. Who is a friend like Jesus?
• 27:09
  And he almost even Echoes. The same words as Jesus though.
• 27:12
  Jonathan obviously is not God and he's not saying David pray
• 27:15
  to me. He's making himself available to
• 27:18
  David, and Jesus himself, says, whatever you ask, I will give
• 27:22
  whatever you ask in my name. It will be done.
• 27:25
  And when I look at Jonathan here, I realized I realized at
• 27:30
  least two things about a true friend in Christ.
• 27:34
  I realize, at least two things. The first thing is this Jonathan
• 27:40
  was a friend to David in both the good and the bad.
• 27:46
  Does anybody believe in here that the Bible speaks about
• 27:48
  friendships? Do you believe Jesus taught
• 27:53
  about friendships? Where do you believe you just
• 27:55
  taught about substitutionary? Atonement.
• 27:59
  Now, Jesus spoke about friendships and we're going to
• 28:02
  get to that in a moment. See when Christ wants to form
• 28:05
  you and shape, you, it's in every facet of your life, every
• 28:09
  expression of your existence and guess what?
• 28:11
  You have friends you have relationships and God wants
• 28:15
  Christ to shine through that. David was a friend, rather
• 28:21
  Jonathan was a friend to David through the good and the bad.
• 28:23
  It was easy to be supportive of David, it was easy to make a
• 28:27
  covenant with David when he was the hero of Israel and
• 28:31
  everybody's singing his praise and everybody loves David now.
• 28:35
  David is going to be labeled falsely as a criminal.
• 28:39
  Now David is going to be an outcast.
• 28:41
  He's gonna be pushed out of the Palace of his home.
• 28:46
  Everything linked about his life, his livelihood, his
• 28:48
  family, his job is connected to Saul and I because saw was in a
• 28:52
  bad mood. David has to flee and Saul is
• 28:55
  going to spread slander and accusation and yet Jonathan at
• 29:00
  this moment is saying I'm with you in this buddy.
• 29:05
  I'm here with you. Do you see the great risk of
• 29:09
  this? Here's the point for us to
• 29:11
  consider Jonathan. Was there for David at every
• 29:15
  point of his life even when it would cost Jonathan something to
• 29:19
  be David's friend. The man could have stepped back.
• 29:25
  I look at Jonathan and the man could have stepped back and said
• 29:27
  hey look this is getting confusing.
• 29:30
  My dad said he forgave you. Now you're saying that he's
• 29:32
  trying to kill you. Look this is between you and
• 29:34
  him. It was nice, knowing you.
• 29:37
  I really believe you're going to become the king of Israel.
• 29:39
  I'll support you from a distance.
• 29:42
  You guys figure it out. Maybe I'll bump into you.
• 29:44
  God bless you. Could have done that.
• 29:47
  No, he persisted. Is it loving David?
• 29:53
  When it's hard to love David. Jonathan is going to sacrifice
• 29:58
  for David even though it might cost Jonathan a great price
• 30:03
  which brings us to the second point.
• 30:06
  Please remember why Jonathan is doing this with David?
• 30:11
  What was the reason why Jonathan was willing to cling to David
• 30:15
  even at the expense of his own job?
• 30:17
  And more importantly the relationship with his father,
• 30:20
  does anybody remember when we brought that up?
• 30:23
  Why? He loved the truth.
• 30:29
  Jonathan was a man of God and Jonathan was not a respecter of
• 30:34
  persons. I hope we would be such people
• 30:38
  and when it came to an ultimatum when it came to a circumstance
• 30:42
  where there was a clear divide by what is true and what is
• 30:46
  false Jonathan stood on the side of truth, no matter who stood on
• 30:50
  the other side and David was on the side of Truth saw was on the
• 30:55
  side of wickedness. And this man chose to be David's
• 31:01
  friend because he saw in David a man after God's heart, who would
• 31:05
  obey him at any cost and Johnson.
• 31:08
  That's a person that I will stand by and he does.
• 31:12
  And that's Jesus friendship toward us.
• 31:15
  This might wound, you, I'm sorry, but it's true.
• 31:18
  Jesus Is Friendship is conditional.
• 31:23
  Jesus Is Friendship is conditional.
• 31:27
  It's open to everyone, but it's based on a condition, not
• 31:32
  everybody's a friend of Christ. And not everybody.
• 31:36
  This Christ consider a friend. Because Jesus said in John,
• 31:41
  14:15 verse, 14, you are my friends.
• 31:44
  If you do what I command you, you are my friends.
• 31:49
  If you do what I command you, You heard me say the past couple
• 31:59
  of weeks that you and I must stand for truth, no matter what
• 32:01
  it costs us, and for Jonathan, it would cost him very much with
• 32:04
  his own father. And the reason why Jonathan is
• 32:08
  partnering with David's, not because David made him laugh
• 32:10
  more. It's not because he he had a
• 32:13
  presence about him, he was entertaining.
• 32:15
  It was not because David was famous and he was willing to
• 32:18
  ignore his family so that he can have some kind of claim to
• 32:22
  popularity, nothing of the sort. It was because David was walking
• 32:26
  in the light. and John says I will I will be with you and for
• 32:33
  you as long as you walk for Christ and for his glory Base
• 32:40
  your friendships on truth. Base your relationships in your
• 32:44
  decisions and your defense on truth and you will know great
• 32:49
  reward, and you will know the best of relationships.
• 32:53
  So David says, well if you're if you're saying do whatever.
• 32:55
  I tell you let me tell you. Let's make a plan and you heard
• 33:00
  it. There's a new moon, Feast, I'm
• 33:03
  supposed to be there because that's how KooKoo saw was Saul
• 33:06
  was so crazy that he's trying to kill the man, but he still
• 33:09
  expecting him to come to dinner. That's what feasts with my
• 33:15
  family. Why are you lying?
• 33:19
  Why do you why do you have to do, do it this way?
• 33:21
  There's so many other ways that you could have done it, why did
• 33:25
  you have to convince? Jonathan was clearly a man of
• 33:27
  God to be deceptive in this attempt to try to reveal Saul's
• 33:31
  attitude about you. You didn't have to do this.
• 33:34
  But don't you love the scriptures?
• 33:36
  The scriptures are very honest, and they're not biased.
• 33:39
  You know, if you want, any argument for the validity of the
• 33:42
  word of God consider this, that the authors of many of the books
• 33:46
  did not hide their faults in their failures.
• 33:49
  If I knew that I was going to write something that was going
• 33:51
  to be known as God's revelation to mankind.
• 33:54
  I would try my best to try to erase the parts where I look
• 33:57
  like a fool. Like Peter denying Christ and
• 34:01
  the disciples fleeing from Jesus when he was arrested.
• 34:05
  When you look at David and this moment you, and I know him as
• 34:08
  the psalmist, as a worship song writer you.
• 34:11
  And I know him as the man after God's heart, the man who stood
• 34:14
  before Giants. And you know what I learned
• 34:16
  about David and what you will continue to learn about David as
• 34:18
  well. This man did not handle pressure
• 34:21
  very well, he didn't When the temperature was just right when
• 34:28
  it was intense, when it was hot, this man could not handle it.
• 34:33
  And often times he gave in, he gave in to the flesh.
• 34:39
  And you would think that through tests and life David, you're a
• 34:43
  man after God's heart, surely you're going to radiate
• 34:45
  faithfulness in and christ-like character but no he lies.
• 34:50
  He gives into the same temptation as his wife.
• 34:52
  McHale, when Saul comes to say where's David?
• 34:55
  And she says he's sick. And he threatened to kill me.
• 35:01
  It's amazing. How pressure can really reveal
• 35:02
  what's in US. And I want you to see how David
• 35:06
  does this in another place. Go to First Samuel chapter 27,
• 35:11
  You want to see a weakness of this, man of God, here is one of
• 35:13
  his weaknesses. Look at first Samuel. 27 verse
• 35:17
  1. Then David said, in his heart.
• 35:25
  Now I Shall Perish One Day by the hand of Saul.
• 35:29
  There is nothing better for me than that.
• 35:32
  I should escape to the land of the Philistines than Saul will
• 35:36
  despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel and
• 35:40
  I shall Escape out of his hand. Are you serious?
• 35:47
  Are you serious? So this man is clearly
• 35:51
  discouraged because of the prolong efforts of Saul who
• 35:55
  would not give up coming after him and it came to a point near
• 35:58
  the end of the study were the man says this guy is going to
• 36:02
  get me. It's a matter of time before he
• 36:05
  takes out my life. And so listen to how he thinks
• 36:09
  there is nothing better for me than to go to the land of the
• 36:14
  Philistines. Nothing better.
• 36:21
  May I remind you was it ever a profitable outcome for the
• 36:27
  people of Israel to leave the promised land and go to
• 36:29
  neighboring Nations? No, no, no.
• 36:34
  Just go and ask Naomi when her husband, left her and her son's
• 36:38
  to the land of Moab. How did that turn out?
• 36:42
  Okay. Go ask Abraham went in a famine,
• 36:45
  took his family and his employees to Egypt.
• 36:49
  How did that turn out? And yet David In This Moment.
• 36:55
  When the temperature is right, when the pressure is great.
• 36:59
  Is consoling himself to go to the Philistines?
• 37:05
  When God seems silent. And When Trials, increase in its
• 37:10
  intensity concerning the darkness and the Temptation, our
• 37:16
  hearts will never fail to suggest sinful Solutions.
• 37:22
  Notice. It says, David said, where we're
• 37:27
  in his heart, his heart spoke to him in this moment and said, go
• 37:32
  to the land of the Philistines. It's amazing, how and great
• 37:38
  seasons of testing, and Grace seasons.
• 37:41
  Were, our faith is demanded of us.
• 37:45
  House in becomes more attractive as a way of medicating
• 37:48
  ourselves. How lies and cheating becomes a
• 37:52
  source of Refuge for us. It escaped further, discomfort
• 38:00
  to try to eliminate further problems.
• 38:03
  It's amazing how the flesh comes alive when we've been hurt by
• 38:06
  somebody to retaliate with the flesh?
• 38:10
  It's amazing. What the heart will recommend to
• 38:12
  you. It's amazing what your own
• 38:14
  heart. Never mind the devil.
• 38:15
  This is it, a devil came? He says, in his own heart that
• 38:19
  same heart that wrote Psalm. 23 said, go to the land of the
• 38:24
  Philistines. So then how do we avoid these
• 38:28
  mistakes? How do we, how do we better
• 38:31
  secure ourselves? So that when we are visited by
• 38:35
  unsuspecting difficulties, Our hearts will be able to preach to
• 38:41
  us something different. Remember what the psalmist said
• 38:45
  in Psalm 119 verse 11, I have done.
• 38:47
  What I have stored up your word in my heart that I may do.
• 38:52
  What? And I sinned against you, I've
• 38:56
  hidden Thy word in my heart that I may not sin against thee.
• 39:01
  Do you understand the implication?
• 39:04
  I have hidden Thy word in my heart pay attention now I have
• 39:09
  hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against
• 39:14
  thee. Meaning what?
• 39:16
  There is a responsibility for the believer.
• 39:19
  That in times of tranquility and peace, you still make an
• 39:23
  investment of the reservoir of the word of God in your soul.
• 39:28
  you must in times of great, peace, never fail to neglect
• 39:33
  your Devotion, to the word, your memorization of the word, your
• 39:35
  study of the word because it will prepare you for when life
• 39:39
  squeezes you You and I must be like Joseph.
• 39:45
  What did Joseph do? Joseph gathered in the grain
• 39:49
  during the time of harvest and was prepared for the famine.
• 39:54
  Had Joseph waited for the famine to gather in.
• 39:57
  It would have been too difficult.
• 39:59
  It would've been too overwhelming, and it would have
• 40:00
  been too late. And that's how you have, many
• 40:02
  people relate to the word of God, they run to it when they
• 40:04
  need help, they run to it when they're Only in trouble.
• 40:10
  And oftentimes, they're so overcome by the tides of
• 40:12
  Temptation and trials. They can't even make it to the
• 40:15
  book. And so there is a call for us
• 40:18
  now, in times of Great Piece of quietness, of success of
• 40:22
  prosperity, to invest the word, I have hidden Thy word in my
• 40:27
  heart. That I might not sin against
• 40:29
  you, because when you put the word in you and in life squeezes
• 40:33
  you, what you will hear are the promises of God, the
• 40:37
  faithfulness of God, not bow to Philistines. so I see here, an
• 40:43
  example of the necessity of mastering the word, it's not a
• 40:51
  matter of whether you feel like it or not, you need to.
• 40:54
  It's a matter of survival. Never mind devotion.
• 40:57
  You need to. If you really believe that this
• 41:03
  word is like breath and food, it won't even be a thought of
• 41:07
  whether or not you should spend time in it.
• 41:10
  And you'd be amazed to know how old come to your rescue and
• 41:13
  times where you are suffocating in a season.
• 41:18
  Of suffering. David didn't handle pressure.
• 41:26
  And the most exemplary way. But God is patient and God
• 41:32
  supplied a friend. Verse 8.
• 41:37
  Therefore deal kindly with your servant for you have brought
• 41:40
  your servant into a coven of the Lord with you.
• 41:42
  But if there is guilt and me kill me yourself for, why should
• 41:44
  you bring me to your father's? Okay listen if you're in on this
• 41:48
  Just take me on right now. If you're in cahoots with your
• 41:53
  dad. If your dad somehow convince you
• 41:55
  about me, you're the next one in line.
• 41:57
  So why don't we make this easy? Let me die a more honorable
• 42:00
  death and why don't you just take me out right now and I
• 42:02
  don't have to go before your crazy father.
• 42:07
  And Jonathan reassures him in verse 9 and Jonathan said, far
• 42:10
  be it from you. If I knew that it was determined
• 42:14
  by my father, that harm should come to you.
• 42:16
  What? I not tell you, I would tell you
• 42:19
  David David. If I really knew that he was
• 42:21
  chasing you out into Rama, I would have warned you about it.
• 42:25
  Now, look at verse 12. This is interesting and Jonathan
• 42:29
  said to David the Lord, the Lord, the god of Israel be
• 42:33
  witnessed when I have sounded out my father about this time
• 42:36
  tomorrow or the third day behold.
• 42:39
  If he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then sin and
• 42:42
  disclose it to you? So say look, if I knew my dad
• 42:46
  was gonna kill you, I would tell you.
• 42:48
  And guess what? If my dad is favorable toward
• 42:50
  you, I'm going to tell you. What's the principal here of a
• 42:54
  true Godly friend? As I was studying.
• 42:55
  Those realizing this is, this is really a lot of principles about
• 42:59
  what true friendship looks like in the kingdom of God.
• 43:03
  You want to know who his true friend to you.
• 43:04
  You want to know somebody who really loves God and loves you,
• 43:08
  they aren't afraid to tell you the truth.
• 43:12
  If it's bad news they'll tell you if it's good news they'll
• 43:15
  tell you if it's bad information to let you know if it's good
• 43:17
  information to let you know, a true friend will rebuke you when
• 43:21
  it is necessary and a true friend will not forget to Build
• 43:24
  You Up. And to strengthen you and your
• 43:27
  faith. And that's what Jonathan is
• 43:31
  displaying here. Look, if it's going to hurt you,
• 43:33
  I'll tell you anyway because I love you.
• 43:35
  And if it's going to build you up and erase, all the fears in
• 43:38
  the imaginations, you have. I'm going to tell you, I'm going
• 43:41
  to tell you the truth. That's a true friend.
• 43:45
  You know, sometimes I walk about my day and I have something
• 43:47
  here, I have something here and I talked to like 15 people, not
• 43:50
  one person told me anything. I says you're not my friend.
• 43:55
  Because a true friend would say hey there's something there,
• 43:58
  man, you're embarrassing yourself, get rid of it.
• 44:01
  That's a true friend. You what I say?
• 44:02
  Every time somebody says that says your your, I say jokingly
• 44:06
  but I mean, you're a true friend.
• 44:07
  Thank you for telling me the truth.
• 44:08
  I didn't I it's embarrassing right now, but thank you for
• 44:10
  further embarrassment is going to be avoided.
• 44:12
  God bless you. We think that love doesn't mean
• 44:18
  that we do not sit down with those that we love and correct
• 44:21
  them and sometimes even shake them up.
• 44:25
  But we do it in love and not just to those who are Brothers
• 44:29
  and Sisters in Christ. We are truly a friend to this
• 44:32
  world to our brothers and Humanity.
• 44:35
  When we choose not to be afraid to share the bad news about the
• 44:38
  Bible and the good news about the Bible.
• 44:42
  The wrath of God and the love of God, the Judgment of Christ and
• 44:47
  the mercy of Christ. There's great debate about how
• 44:51
  we should preach to the world. It's amazing, the theories that
• 44:56
  people come up with to try to Advocate their agenda and their
• 45:00
  frame of mind of how we should talk to sinners.
• 45:03
  Just go through the book. Just end the argument here.
• 45:08
  When I go to the book of Acts, I see a balance.
• 45:10
  Can I show you one example? Just in case you bump into
• 45:12
  somebody who might be a genuine believer, but is struggling with
• 45:16
  this idea of how to present the Full Gospel, the whole counsel
• 45:18
  of God, to the Lost. This is a great place to
• 45:22
  highlight. If you haven't highlighting acts
• 45:24
  10:42, we are told by Peter, what he was given by Christ to
• 45:30
  preach to the world. And it says in Acts 10 42 and he
• 45:35
  commanded us. Okay?
• 45:37
  Now, if anybody debates, this isn't Peters idea, he commended
• 45:41
  us. And he commanded us to preach to
• 45:45
  the people. And to testify that he is the
• 45:48
  one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
• 45:53
  Could you imagine that that Jesus actually commanded the
• 45:56
  apostles to preach? What Jesus Christ is going to
• 46:00
  judge you. He's going to judge the living,
• 46:04
  and the dead, that there is a Judgment Day.
• 46:09
  It's unfathomable. Jesus came in at?
• 46:12
  Are you sure Peter? That wasn't your idea.
• 46:13
  Is it wasn't you James and John that came up?
• 46:15
  No, he commanded us to preach to what?
• 46:18
  Well, God loves you. Yeah, he does love you but he's
• 46:21
  going to judge you if you don't respond to that love.
• 46:24
  He commanded us to preach to the people that he is the one who is
• 46:27
  the judge, the living, and the dead, but look at the balance in
• 46:29
  verse 43 to him all the prophets, bear witness that
• 46:33
  everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.
• 46:39
  Through his name. There's the balance.
• 46:42
  Yes, there's a judgment to come, but there's a forgiveness to
• 46:45
  avoid it. Yes Christ is Judge, but he also
• 46:49
  wants you to know that he is relational and he wants to
• 46:53
  reconcile you as he forgives you through his blood.
• 46:58
  So, be balanced and be like Jonathan who is willing to share
• 47:02
  The Bad and The Good, the things that are hard to hear and the
• 47:07
  things that are lovely to hear. Not only to become a friend to
• 47:11
  the brother and sister in Christ.
• 47:12
  We become a true friend to this world.
• 47:14
  That doesn't know what true friendship is. so, we come back
• 47:18
  to our text, And this plan is set out and I want you to see
• 47:24
  something as we scroll down to verse 14, and we're almost done
• 47:28
  here. There's no way we can cover this
• 47:30
  whole chapter tonight. If I'm still alive, show me the
• 47:35
  steadfast love of the Lord that I may not die and do not cut
• 47:39
  off. Your steadfast love from my
• 47:41
  house forever. When the Lord cuts off every one
• 47:43
  of the enemies of David from the face of the Earth and Jonathan
• 47:48
  made a covenant with the House of David saying may the Lord
• 47:50
  take Vengeance on David's enemies.
• 47:53
  So what's happening here is David and Jonathan come to an
• 47:57
  agreement. I'm going to go to this Feast.
• 48:00
  I'm going to sit down with my dad and his men in our family.
• 48:03
  You're not going to be there. I'm going to see if your dad's
• 48:06
  going to ask about you and if he does ask about you, I'm going to
• 48:10
  tell him that you're at your hometown with your family and
• 48:12
  let's see how sorry acts but David, I have something to
• 48:17
  require of you. I need something from you David.
• 48:23
  And I see the wisdom here of how God designs.
• 48:26
  Another point of a healthy christ-like, flourishing
• 48:29
  relationship. Whether it's with your wife,
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  whether it's your other husband, or any friend, or brother, or
• 48:34
  sister and blood or in the faith.
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  Many of us pointed Jonathan, as an example of the person who
• 48:42
  gives he gave encouragement, he gave his time, he gave his
• 48:46
  resources, he gave everything, he could give as an expression
• 48:50
  of his love great. But Jonathan also needed.
• 48:57
  Jonathan also needed to receive. He was a person that had certain
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  things that needed to be ministered to And for people to
• 49:07
  point to Jonathan to make demands on others, look how
• 49:11
  Jonathan gav, gav, gav gav, and then impose and make these
• 49:14
  unrealistic expectations. Those people also need to
• 49:18
  realize that Jonathan here needed to receive the same love
• 49:22
  and sacrifice that he was willing to share.
• 49:26
  And so it's the harmony, it's the Symphony of give-and-take
• 49:29
  not just take, take take, take take, no.
• 49:31
  I'm willing to give but it also need to receive and that's how
• 49:35
  you see this flow of Grace and any relationship that as much as
• 49:38
  you are willing to give and to receive your also willing to
• 49:43
  sacrifice on your end. Very basic principle but it's so
• 49:47
  hard for us. I mean, we have counseling such
• 49:48
  as in conferences about it, but what's his request look, you're
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  going to be king. When you do become king, please
• 49:56
  don't kill my kids. Don't kill my Offspring.
• 49:59
  Don't kill my seed. Please.
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  Why? Because it was a common practice
• 50:03
  in ancient times that when somebody was elected to be king,
• 50:07
  that one of the first things he would do is eliminate any
• 50:09
  threats and the descendants of those people who would try to
• 50:13
  overthrow that standing King and it's obvious that Saul is an
• 50:18
  enemy to David. Jonathan is related to Saul and
• 50:21
  here's the issue. You David when you become king,
• 50:24
  please spare my descendants. Please have mercy on my
• 50:29
  Descendants. The David.
• 50:30
  Keep that promise he did. But let me ask you this read
• 50:37
  closely. What else do you learn about
• 50:41
  Jonathan through these words? Read it and here's a hint,
• 50:51
  compare. what Jonathan believed about David, to what David
• 50:58
  believed about David, what did David believe about
• 51:10
  himself in this chapter about his future?
• 51:14
  I'm what? I'm one step away from death.
• 51:21
  What did Jonathan believe about David's future?
• 51:24
  You're going to be king. Do you see the wording here?
• 51:30
  he says in the second part of verse 15, when the Lord cuts
• 51:34
  off, every one of the enemies of Davey, didn't say if It's a
• 51:38
  matter of time. You're going to be the next
• 51:42
  king. God has anointed you.
• 51:44
  God has called you God, has prepared, you and God will lead
• 51:48
  you Faithfully. You know what, I see here.
• 51:51
  This is almost shattering to our Sunday school experience.
• 51:55
  Jonathan is showing more faith in David has.
• 52:01
  Jonathan has more faith about David's future than David, does
• 52:04
  about his own future. Could you imagine that?
• 52:10
  You want a true friend? Do you want to be a true friend?
• 52:16
  Never fail to remind your brother or sister about the
• 52:19
  promises of God. Never failed to encourage them
• 52:24
  about their purpose, in the kingdom of God about their value
• 52:26
  in the local church about their gifts, and giftings, and how God
• 52:29
  has wired them never withhold. The compassion.
• 52:37
  And the language of love, that would stir them on into the path
• 52:41
  of Holiness. Jonathan made this a practice in
• 52:45
  his life. This wasn't a one-time deal.
• 52:48
  If you want to see it, go to First, Samuel 23, I want you to
• 52:50
  see in another place. And look at verse 17 of 1st,
• 52:53
  Samuel 23. And he said to him, this is
• 53:01
  Jonathan to David again and he said to him.
• 53:03
  And first, Samuel 23:17 do not fear for the hand of Saul.
• 53:08
  My father shall not find. You you shall be king over
• 53:11
  Israel and I shall be next to you saw.
• 53:16
  My father, also knows this King David.
• 53:23
  You are going to see God's purposes prevail.
• 53:27
  You are going to be who God called you to be.
• 53:31
  You know, it's so incredible. I think I learned something
• 53:34
  about faith that I didn't realize and it's the extent of
• 53:36
  its power. When a man has Faith the benefit
• 53:41
  of that Faith exceeds it blessing you it can bless
• 53:46
  others. You're trusting, God can be so
• 53:50
  profound. And so deep.
• 53:54
  And so true, they can actually Supply the strength necessary
• 53:59
  for those who might not have that faith.
• 54:03
  If I may say this way, faith is so powerful that you can lend it
• 54:07
  to someone else. You need your own faith of
• 54:09
  course especially when your relationship with Christ.
• 54:12
  But I say that to illustrate the point that this man's trusting
• 54:16
  God was so real and so convincing, That when he stepped
• 54:21
  into the presence of David David could receive from that and be
• 54:24
  fueled by it. And we look at a great man, like
• 54:29
  David, and we think of great men and women who've done great
• 54:32
  things for God throughout history.
• 54:34
  And what we often fail to do is realize that they're human and
• 54:37
  they're susceptible to discouragement and despair.
• 54:39
  And I wonder if heaven will tell the story of those who are
• 54:42
  unknown, who didn't have books written about him that blue wind
• 54:47
  into their sales. Like Jonathan does for David.
• 54:52
  You might not be the next king of Israel.
• 54:56
  But the Holy Spirit records, what Jonathan does as a
• 54:58
  contribution to this man's Devotion to Christ.
• 55:04
  Faith can be so real in your life that it can actually Supply
• 55:09
  strength to others who might not have it in the moment.
• 55:14
  Who can actually borrow that Faith, who can, who can actually
• 55:17
  see that trust you have in God and it bring light and hope to
• 55:21
  them to just make it to another day.
• 55:25
  As in David's case, I'm currently reading the book of
• 55:30
  Acts and this is where I'm ending.
• 55:33
  And I saw something so profound to me in light of this.
• 55:38
  It was when Paul was on that ship to Rome and a storm comes
• 55:42
  and knocks them back and forth for two weeks and four days of
• 55:47
  says, there was no sun or moon and they were ready to call it a
• 55:52
  day. Meaning, they were ready to die.
• 55:57
  And yet, Paul one among hundreds on that same ship was the true
• 56:03
  shining star if I can use that analogy.
• 56:07
  This man, this one man out of the hundreds on that same boat.
• 56:12
  Had so much faith in God that energized that entire ship.
• 56:16
  And actually brought life and hope to all of those men on that
• 56:20
  boat. And I thought to myself, look
• 56:22
  how magnetic faith can be Look at how one person, one person in
• 56:28
  a family. One person in a church, one
• 56:30
  person in a workplace. One person in a school can
• 56:33
  actually bring the whole place to a recognition of the goodness
• 56:37
  of God. Because Saul is on that boat and
• 56:41
  all for a sudden, he comes on that Dock.
• 56:43
  And I can just see those men holding onto poles.
• 56:46
  Other ones holding on to each other and these grown men who
• 56:48
  have just turned into mush and Paul shows up and he gives this
• 56:52
  little discourse about, it's all going to be good.
• 56:57
  We're going to make it, I'm sure.
• 56:59
  Somebody says, how do you know? Well, an angel visited me says
• 57:03
  we're on our way. I got to get to Rome.
• 57:08
  And then Paul says, something that tells me what maximum faith
• 57:12
  is, would you like to know how you have maximum Faith?
• 57:16
  Would you like to know how you can have such a faith that it
• 57:19
  can impact others? Who might not even be born
• 57:21
  again. Acts 27, verse 25.
• 57:27
  This is what Paul says to these prisoners and to these Roman
• 57:30
  soldiers. So take heart to men.
• 57:35
  For, I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been
• 57:40
  told. Take heart guys because I, you
• 57:46
  can take heart because I have faith that whatever God had said
• 57:50
  will come to pass. Exactly, not 90% 100% whatever
• 58:00
  God had said. I believe that it will be
• 58:03
  exactly done according to the word.
• 58:08
  And in this context, it had to do with their safety, had to do
• 58:11
  with their Deliverance, because of Paul's presence on that ship.
• 58:15
  And you know, what happened to these men.
• 58:17
  You scroll down to verse 36, then they all were encouraged
• 58:21
  and ate some food themselves. Then they were encouraged.
• 58:29
  Why were they encouraged? Because there was one person who
• 58:31
  had enough faith in God. Why can they endure this trial?
• 58:36
  It wasn't there. One man's faith in their
• 58:39
  presence. Gave them enough.
• 58:42
  Hope to see another day. And that's what this world needs
• 58:46
  to see today. Paul wasn't behind a Pulpit when
• 58:50
  he inspired these 200. Something, man.
• 58:52
  Paul was in a prisoner ship. and we are not told that these men
• 58:56
  came to Christ necessarily, but it's an illustration of just how
• 59:01
  powerful ones relationship of God can be Did I say that was
• 59:09
  the last verse? Sorry, it's not.
• 59:15
  This is the last verse. In Acts 16.
• 59:21
  I want you to see one more thing.
• 59:22
  And if you haven't paid attention up to this point, I
• 59:26
  encourage you to pay attention at this point and acts 16:1
• 59:31
  verse Paul and Silas are in prison.
• 59:33
  Now, look at this, in verse 25, about midnight, Paul and Silas
• 59:37
  were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
• 59:40
  listening to them. I read that the other day and
• 59:44
  the thing that popped out to me was the prisoners were listening
• 59:47
  to them, the prisoners were listening to them.
• 59:52
  What does that mean? It means this the Paul and Silas
• 59:56
  or were in a great trial, a great pit, a great testing of
• 59:59
  their faith and whether they realize it or not, there was an
• 1:00:03
  unbelieving crowd observing them.
• 1:00:10
  Christian. whether you audiences is one or a hundred or thousand
• 1:00:15
  or a million, what a wonderful lesson for us to consider that
• 1:00:20
  when we are enduring things, for the sake of Christ, There's an
• 1:00:26
  unbelieving cousin watching you. There's an unbelieving husband
• 1:00:31
  watching you. There's an unbelieving best
• 1:00:34
  friend, who is an atheist. Who saw you come to Christ and
• 1:00:37
  change watching you. And in those moments were we are
• 1:00:44
  hard-pressed. Where we got the doctor's report
• 1:00:47
  and we have been notified of an Affliction of a disease that
• 1:00:50
  might be terminal or when a child has horrific lie.
• 1:00:57
  Been bedridden or when finances are.
• 1:01:01
  A very limited in those moments. Listen to this.
• 1:01:06
  We can either testify to an unbelieving crowd, that he still
• 1:01:09
  worthy to be praised. Or we can cause them to question
• 1:01:13
  if Christ can really be trusted. Jonathan supplied strength to
• 1:01:23
  David when David didn't have enough faith for himself.
• 1:01:27
  Will pause here and continue next week.
• 1:01:30
  May God help us be true friends for his glory.
• 1:02:16
  Lord, we ask you tonight. With all that we've heard that
• 1:02:21
  you would give us the ability to digest it and we ask In This
• 1:02:25
  Moment tonight. That this should be a house.
• 1:02:32
  Well, we can testify one. Another Jehovah has given.
• 1:02:35
  God has given to me a friend. And so, and so God has given me
• 1:02:39
  a friend and my elders. God has given me a friend.
• 1:02:45
  And this person, and that person.
• 1:02:48
  Lord, we realized that we each have a story that's being
• 1:02:51
  written by you and many stories read differently.
• 1:02:59
  But Lord, whether it's Jonathan to David or Titus to Paul.
• 1:03:02
  You have given us Graces and people to be able to continue on
• 1:03:05
  this path. Lord keep us from being a man
• 1:03:09
  like Saul. who allowed sin to change him and the way he
• 1:03:15
  treated others, But Lord, we look at a man like Jonathan and
• 1:03:21
  we see a reflection of your friendship toward us.
• 1:03:26
  Always, reliable, trustworthy, Covenant of Love, A Love that
• 1:03:32
  doesn't give up so easily, a love.
• 1:03:35
  That is secure a love that invites us to come for comfort
• 1:03:39
  and counsel may we reflect your friendship?
• 1:03:44
  May we be a people who stand for truth, even if we have to stand
• 1:03:48
  alone, maybe people who stand for truth, even if it costs us
• 1:03:54
  resources or relationships. And Lord.
• 1:03:59
  When man, fails us, we look to Christ.
• 1:04:03
  And we see him who is never disappointed us, who will never
• 1:04:06
  disappoint us. But we want to be like our
• 1:04:10
  Christ. And so Lord.
• 1:04:13
  In this place, Infuse the power to have such faith in you to be.
• 1:04:18
  So conformed to the glory of the Lord, that what we have in our
• 1:04:22
  hearts with touch other hearts. and whether we in the presence
• 1:04:26
  of believers who were discouraged, whether we are in
• 1:04:31
  the presence of unbelieving people, May our faith.
• 1:04:35
  Our trust in you, make an impression on others.
• 1:04:39
  We cannot do that in our own strength that has to be Christ
• 1:04:41
  in us. The hope of glory, the holy
• 1:04:44
  spirit in us. The power that you have promised
• 1:04:48
  for those who would obey that Great Commission in this place
• 1:04:52
  tonight. We worship you in light of the
• 1:04:54
  great wisdom that you've provided for you are The God Who
• 1:04:57
  is concerned about every aspect of your Tabernacle, your temple,
• 1:05:01
  your people. We give you all the praise
• 1:05:03
  tonight because we have hidden Thy word in our hearts.
• 1:05:08
  That we may not sin against thee.
• 1:05:10
  In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.
• 1:05:12
  Amen.