Latest / HBCWestminster / 6.30.21 Empowered Session #3 Jody Casagrande

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6.30.21 Empowered Session #3 Jody Casagrande · HBCWestminster

• 0:00
  We are going to talk about Abigail, which you guys have heard multiple times already tonight, which is such a blessing that God just wove it all together. But tonight we're talking about Abigail and specifically living an empowered life with prudence. And we'll unpack that word in just a minute. But mostly it's dealing with difficult people and the difficult situations that are created because of that. Abigail lived with a very, very not nice man. And so we're going to talk about that in just a minute.
• 0:25
  So if Abigail, if she had a book, if there was a biography about Abigail, I'll have to back up. We kind of did this this morning. If there was a biography about Abigail, there would be three titles that could be for this book. The first title would be Beauty and the Beast, and you'll kind of see how that plays out. Beauty and Brains, and Wise as a Serpent, Gentle as a Lamb.
• 0:49
  We're going to jump into the history of Abigail, obviously the Old Testament. And if you want to turn in your Bibles, you can, but we're also going to have it on the slide. Like I said, I'm a teacher. I love to tell stories, and I look at different versions. So I'm doing the NIRV version, which will be on the slide, so you can follow along. But if you want to turn, it's in 1 Samuel 25. And if you want to write it down, you can write it down. 1 Samuel 25. And I'm sorry for the back. Nope.
• 1:22
  Now I do. Wore the wrong shoes. Awesome. Thanks, Hallie. Okay, 1 Samuel 25. Here we go. Set change. We got this. Thanks, ladies. All right. I'm good, as long as I don't dance. All right. All right, let's get started. When Samuel died, the whole nation of Israel gathered together. They were filled with sorrow because he was dead.
• 1:56
  They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went down into the desert of Paran. Side note, Samuel was the prophet to Israel at this time. He died. He was pivotal in the history of Israel, of the nation of Israel. He helped them transition from judges to kings. Israel wanted physical representation of somebody ruling rather than just a god they couldn't see. And so Samuel was pivotal in that.
• 2:21
  See, I got all worked up because I had to lift. I'm out of breath. Can't do this exercise thing. Samuel also anointed Saul, who is the current king right now that we're going to talk about. He also anointed a young shepherd boy, David, who also slayed Goliath and saved the Philistines. And we see David enter the story right here. David was...
• 2:48
  known as a national hero for Israel. They knew of David because of what he had done, and they knew of his God. So David was already a known person when we enter this story. David, side note again, sorry, was also running from Saul because Saul knew David was going to be the next king.
• 3:09
  David is running. He and just a few of his men will see 600 men. I don't know how you hide 600 men, but he does. And so Saul is chasing David. David is hiding in these caves. And here we go more with the story. A certain man in Moen was very wealthy. He owned property there at Carmel. He had 1,000 goats, 3,000 sheep. He was clipping the wool off the sheep in Carmel. His name was Nabal. His wife was named Abigail. She was wise and beautiful.
• 3:39
  title of the book, but her husband was rude and mean in the way he treated others, title of the book. He was from the family of Caleb. David was staying in the desert of Paran. He was hiding. While he was there, he heard that Nabal was clipping the wool off of his sheep.
• 3:55
  Why are they so concerned about clipping their sheep? It is sheep shearing festival, time in the Jewish history where they basically celebrate shearing the sheep and all that God provided. And they have big festivals and feasts and they all get together. And so David knows it's that time of the season and you'll see why.
• 4:13
  So David, knowing this, he sent for ten young men. He said, go to Nabal. Go to Nabal at Carmel. Greet him for me. Say to him, may you live a long time. May everything go well with you and your family, and may things go well with everything that belongs to you. I hear that you are clipping the wool off your sheep. When your shepherds were with us, we treated them well. The whole time they were at Carmel, nothing that belonged to them was stolen. Oh, I need to switch. Slide. There you go.
• 4:38
  Ask your servants. They'll tell you. We've come to you now at a happy time of the year. Please be kind to my men. Please give my men anything that you can find for us. When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal the message from David, and then they waited. Nabal answered David's servants, and I love the kind of the disdain in his voice. Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Clearly he knew he was if he was the son of Jesse.
• 5:02
  Many servants are winning away from their masters these days. Why should I give away my bread and my water? Why should I give away the meat I've prepared for those who clip the wool off my sheep? Why should I give food to men who come from who knows where? So David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported to David every word Nabal had spoken. David said to his men, each of you put on your swords. So they did. David put on his sword too. About 400 men went with David. 200 men stayed behind with the supplies.
• 5:31
  One of the servants warned Abigail, Nabal's wife, and said,
• 5:58
  Horrible trouble will soon come to our master and his whole family. He is such an evil man that no one can talk to him. Abigail didn't waste any time. She got 200 loaves of bread, two bottles of wine. The bottles were made out of animal skin. She got five sheep that were ready to be cooked. She got a bushel of grain that had been cooked. She got 100 raisin cakes, 200 cakes of pressed fig. She loaded it all in the backs of the donkeys. Then she told her servants, go on ahead, I'll follow you.
• 6:26
  But she didn't tell her husband Nabal. Side note, she didn't tell him because she knew that he wasn't going to listen. A little tidbit of prudence, which we'll unpack, I said, later. We're getting there. So Abigail rode her donkey into a mountain valley. There she saw David and his men. They were coming down toward her. David had just said,
• 6:43
  Everything we've done hasn't been worth a thing. I watched over that fellow's property in the desert. I made sure none of it was stolen, but he paid me back evil for good. I won't leave even one of his men alive until morning. If I do, my God punished me greatly. When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey. She bowed down in front of David with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and she said, pardon your servant, sir. Please let me speak to you. Listen to what I'm saying. Okay, side note again.
• 7:12
  This is a huge faux pas in the Jewish culture. Women were not to talk to men, much less national heroes. So the fact that she stopped what she was doing, fell before David and his 400 men behind him, all with swords, might I add, and she's beginning to tell him some advice. Huge faux pas. She's very brave, very prudent.
• 7:33
  She says, pardon me, your servant, please let me speak to you. Listen to what I'm saying. Let me take the blame upon myself. Please don't pay any attention to that evil man, Nabal. His name means foolish person. And that's exactly what he is. He's always doing foolish things. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see the men that you sent. Sir, the Lord has kept you from killing Nabal and his men. He kept you from using your own hands to get even. So may what's about to happen to Nabal happen to all your enemies.
• 8:02
  May it happen to everyone who wants to harm you, and may it happen just as surely as the Lord your God and you are alive. I've brought a gift for you. Give it to the men you follow. Please forgive me if I shouldn't have done that. The Lord your God will certainly give you and your family a line of kingdom that will last. That's because you fight the Lord's battles. You don't do anything wrong as you live. Someone may chase you, Saul, and try to kill you, but the Lord your God will keep your safe treasure hidden in a bag, and he'll destroy your enemies. Their lives will be thrown away just as a stone
• 8:33
  thrown from a sling. The Lord will do every good thing he promised to you. He'll appoint you ruler over Israel. Basically, she's saying, don't do it. Don't have that blood on your hands. Let God take care of it. Wisdom again. When that happens, you won't have this heavy load on your mind. You won't have to worry about how you killed people without any reason. You won't have to worry about how you got even. The Lord your God will have the success. When that happens, please remember me. David said to Abigail,
• 9:00
  Give praise to the Lord. He is the God of Israel. He sent you today to find me. She listened to the Lord, and she did what she was supposed to. May the Lord bless you for what you have done. You have shown a lot of good sense. You've kept me from killing Nabal and his men today. You have kept me from using my own hands to get even. It's good that you came to me quickly. If you hadn't come, not one of Nabal's men would have been left alive by sunrise, and that's just as sure as the Lord, the God of Israel, is alive. He kept me from harming you.
• 9:26
  Then David accepted her from what she had brought. He said, go home in peace. I've heard your words, and I'll do what you've asked. Abigail went back to Nabal, and when she knew it,
• 9:37
  Here she is saving his butt, and he's having a dinner party in the house. It was the kind of dinner a king would have, they said. Like, it was a lavish dinner. And he had been drinking too much wine. He was very drunk. So she obviously didn't tell him anything until sunrise. I love the other versions say she didn't say anything until the alcohol had left his body. And I love that.
• 9:58
  The next morning, Nabal wasn't drunk anymore. Then his wife told him everything. When she did, his heart grew weak. He became like stone. About ten days later, the Lord struck Nabal down, and he died.
• 10:27
  So romantic. He sent his messengers. His servants went to Carmel. They said to Abigail, Abigail bowed down with her face to the ground. She said,
• 10:40
  I'm ready to serve. I'm ready to wash the feet of his servants. Abigail quickly got in a donkey, went with David's messengers and her five female servants, and she became David's wife. So that's our story. All right, so how did Abigail deal with Nabal, and how do we deal with difficult people in our lives? Abigail is definitely an empowered woman. She exemplifies this in such a great way that we get to talk about it right now. Abigail, first of all, had a right view of God.
• 11:09
  She knew that dealing with tough people in tough situations means she had to have a big, ginormous God, and she did. She understood the limitlessness of her God, the miraculous power of her God. It says in the Bible that she was of Jewish lineage, that she was intelligent. That word, obviously, wisdom, prudent. But she was well-educated. She studied Jewish history. So she knew all of those stories about how God rescued them out of Egypt, the pillar of fire by night.
• 11:38
  the pillar of smoke by day. She knew the God that parted the seas and let them walk on dry land. She knew all those stories. She knew the greatness of her God.
• 11:47
  All right, so that's her perspective of God. That's her view of this God. She also had a relationship with this God, and we know that because she used the word Yahweh. And Yahweh denotes a relationship between the creator and the created. So she knew this God, and it also says that Yahweh is used for attributes of God. So she knew the components of God. And how do you know a friend? You know that they're funny. You know that they're kind. You know that they're sweet. She knew that about her God, and these were the attributes that she knew of her God.
• 12:22
  So she had a ginormous view of her God, and she had this personal relationship with her God. Do we have a right view of our God? Do we have a personal relationship with that God? Do we walk closely with that God?
• 12:36
  Isaiah 40, 26 through 31 really describes this well. I love how it talks about God's power and greatness, and then it talks about how God takes care of us. It says in verse 26, lift up your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created all of these? If you've ever been camping out in the wilderness, you've seen those stars. He brings out those starry hosts one by one. He calls them forth each by name because of his great power and mighty strength. Not one of them is missing. Why do you complain, Jacob?
• 13:05
  say, my way is hidden from the Lord? Does the Lord see me? Does God hear me? Do you not know me?
• 13:12
  Then he says, do you not know me? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary, and he increases power to the weak. This mighty God that we can't even fathom loves you so much that he knows when you're struggling, and he's there to give you power. Abigail walked in that. She walked with that relationship with that God, and she did that obedience.
• 13:41
  obediently through the Holy Spirit. Now obviously she didn't have the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, but she knew that God and she obediently walked with that God. We get the Holy Spirit now because of what Christ did on the cross.
• 13:53
  Hallie last week talked about one of the components of an empowered woman is an empowered woman chooses the Holy Spirit over the self-guided tour, and that's what Abigail did. She leaned heartily into the relationship with her Lord, and she walked with that God. In John 14, 26, it says, but the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and bring to remembrance all that I have said to you. I like in the Holy Spirit, if this is kind of a new concept to you, you've heard of it, but you're kind of
• 14:23
  I'm like, well, I don't know about the Holy Spirit. An analogy for me is just when you're staggering in the middle of the dark, middle of the night, maybe in a dark hallway. Maybe you're going to one of your kids' rooms. Maybe you're going to the restroom. I know that when I'm staggering in the dark, I'm off balance. I just can't even see where I'm going, and I'm pounding the wall looking for that light. Once the light goes on, I feel stable. I know where I'm supposed to go. Everything seems clear, and that's what the Holy Spirit is.
• 14:52
  is in us. And it says, here, how do you...
• 14:58
  Hear the Holy Spirit. How do you know that the Holy Spirit's talking to you? Well, it says that the Holy Spirit's going to remind you of things. It's going to remind you of the Word of God. So be in the Word. Meditate on the Word. Read the Word of God. Read the Bible. That's what the Holy Spirit's going to remind you of. Also, worship songs. I love worship songs. I know that sometimes I'm driving down the street, a worship song will pop into my brain, and I know that's the Holy Spirit saying, this is something you need to pay attention to. This is something you need to listen to.
• 15:28
  Also, the Holy Spirit has a still, small voice. And if you guys have seen the movie Finding Nemo, there's a scene where Dory and Marlin, the fish, the goggles fall to the deep, dark depths of the ocean. And Nemo, or Dory, with her memory loss, has no idea that they're in imminent danger. She's just having a gay old time swimming in the dark, deep...
• 15:50
  depths of the ocean. And she forgets that Marlon is right next to her. And Marlon goes, Dory, Dory. And she goes, is that my conscience? And I just love that scene. But for me, that's kind of the...
• 16:03
  A way to remember what the Holy Spirit does, that still, small voice, it's that dory, dory. I know that Hallie referenced it last week. It's just that gut feeling, that inkling of, I need to talk to this person, or I need to do this, or I need to say that. That's the Holy Spirit. And ladies, if I can encourage you, be like Abigail. Act quickly and move when you feel that, because that's the Holy Spirit talking to you. All right. So Abigail showed prudence by her.
• 16:29
  huge view of God, her relationship with God, and her obedience to walk in what God had called her to do every step of the way.
• 16:38
  With that right view of God, she also had a right view of herself. In A.W. Tozer says, we can never know who or what we are till we at least know something of who or what God is. And I love that. She knew who she was in Christ. She knew her strengths and her weaknesses. And she was a prudent woman. The Bible says she was intelligent. Another word is prudent. And she knew that. And so she used it to her benefit.
• 17:04
  What if we aren't exactly prudent? What if that isn't something that we're known for, like she was? In James 1 through 5, it says,
• 17:13
  When you need wisdom or prudence, ask our generous Lord and he will give it to you. Ladies, we just need to ask. That's all. And we will have prudence. Now, I finally get to unpack the word prudence. What does this mean? By definition, and here's the English part of our lesson tonight, acting with or showing care for the future. That's what Abigail did. Some synonyms for prudence. Wisdom, knowledge, good judgment.
• 17:42
  discernment, and my favorite, being shrewd. I kind of thought that was a negative thing until I really unwrapped it, and in here it has a very positive definition, and I just love it. It's basically tactical savviness, a lot of nerve, and absolute conviction.
• 18:02
  having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one's advantage. And how much does that speak of our Abigail? Well, how did Abigail live this out in real life? We'll see. Here's a few points Prudence lived out. First of all, and I'll go through these quickly.
• 18:25
  First of all, she saw the whole picture. She took in all of the details. In verses 14 through 17, it says, One of the servants told Abigail, Nabal's wife, David sent messengers from the wilderness to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. They said, Now think it over and see what you can do. Sometimes just getting all of the details, the whole picture, helps us make wise decisions, especially when dealing with difficult people.
• 18:53
  Another thing that Abigail did, she acted quickly. It says in verse 14, Abigail acted quickly. She took all of that food, she prepared all that food, loaded it up on the donkeys, and sent it with her servants. Sometimes we just need to act quickly. When you get that prompting of the Holy Spirit, act on it. Don't wait. Do it then. The example also is when David says, I'm so glad, Abigail, that you came when you did, because if you had waited, I would have...
• 19:19
  basically obliterated your whole family. So listen to that Holy Spirit prompting like Abigail did. Also, it's important for us to take time to cool off. It says in verses 18-19, she told her servants, go on ahead and I'll follow you. I think that was very wise of her, very prudent. She said, you know what? I need to make sure that I'm in the right space before I go where I'm going. So she took time to cool off, to pray, to seek the Lord, probably to strategize, and also to make sure that she's
• 19:48
  Less of me, more of him that she was approaching with the right attitude. I also have a little phrase, let go and let God. That's a great time to just sit there and say, God, it's got to be you. Otherwise, I'm going to mess it up. So take that time to cool off. Another thing that Abigail did when dealing with difficult people is she, I just messed my notes up. Sorry, guys. She came with the right heart.
• 20:12
  This is hard for me to come with the right heart often. I come with my own agenda. I don't come with the right heart. When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and she bowed down before David with her face to the ground. Abigail acted prudently by coming with a humble heart. Also, another hard one, be wrong even when you're right.
• 20:35
  She says, she fell at his feet and said, on me alone, my Lord, be the guilt. She took on the guilt of Nabal. She took on her jerky husband's sin and junk and said, you know what, I'll take it. She did it.
• 20:51
  Because she was seeking peace. She was being prudent. She took on the blame. Psalms 34, 14 says, turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it. And that verse doesn't mean just like saunter towards peace, walk towards peace, try to have peace. It is that pursue means to grab hold of aggressively. It's like the picture is white knuckle peace. So you're to aggressively seek it.
• 21:18
  Hold on to it and don't let go of it. And sometimes when you do that, that means you have to be wrong even when you know you're right.
• 21:27
  Another point is to have open, honest, honoring conversations. And I know that a lot of people have open, honest conversations, but they don't have honoring conversations. And you can always tell when it's just open and honest when they're like, well, I'm just telling the truth, or I'm just being honest. And there's just that little hint of attitude behind it. We need to have open, honest, and honoring conversations, and that's what Abigail had.
• 21:52
  David knew her heart motives because she was coming in an honoring way. Abigail gave wise advice for protecting David. She says in verse 31, please let your servant speak in your ears. She's asking for that permission. She's coming with humility. And hear the words of your servant. And then she goes on and says, don't do what you're about to do because it's going to taint your legacy.
• 22:14
  Luke 6 45 says out of the heart your mouth speaks. Proverbs 15 1 says a gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. Why are those two together in this lesson? Because it says out of the heart your mouth speaks. If your heart is in the right place then the words that come out
• 22:34
  are going to be in the right place. I know sometimes my words are in the right place, but my heart is not. And these are, they have to go together. You have to have the right heart and the right words. And Abigail had that. She showed that with prudence. The last point is trust God, not our flesh.
• 22:53
  I know that we're all perfect and that we never mess up. I wish that was the way, but I mess it up all the time and I need to trust God. That limitless star naming God that we talked about in the very beginning, that's...
• 23:08
  the God that we love and serve and who loves us. And we need to trust that God to take care of these messy situations and these messy relationships. And he will, he will take care of it. Says in Proverbs 5, 21 through 23, the Lord sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching. The sins of the wicked are a trap. They get caught in the net of their own sin. They die because they have no self-control. Their utter stupidity will send them to their grave.
• 23:37
  graves. God sees it. God will deal with it, and he'll do a much better job than we probably ever will do. I know with our four kids, at times, I obviously can't see everything and hear everything that happens, and so there's times when siblings fight, and I don't know who started what. I wasn't there, and so they go, you know what? It wasn't fair. Mom, you should do this, or you should, you know, you should.
• 24:01
  Punish them. And I'm like, you know what? I didn't see it. I wasn't there. And it would frustrate them, but I would often say, guess what? Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay. And I would remind them of that verse, saying, you know what? I didn't see it, but God saw it. God saw what happened. And guess what? His punishment is probably going to be way worse than mine. So lean into that. So that is prudence.
• 24:26
  lived out in Abigail. So when you have a difficult relationship, maybe a husband, maybe a boss, maybe a parent, maybe a sibling, maybe it's your own kids, remember how Abigail lived her life in prudence.
• 24:42
  Abigail had to deal with a tough person and was put in a tough situation. Abigail's choice to know and walk with her limitless God with prudence gives us an example to follow, and that's the empowered woman that we get to lean into.
• 24:57
  Like I said, you guys are going to get a little homework. I'm not going to grade it. Don't worry. You don't have to turn it in. But on your tables are cards with QWERTY codes. One of them is a video on YouTube, and it's by Louis Giglio. If you need a reminder of the limitless, amazing awesomeness of your God that you are serving and that loves you and cares for you, please watch it. It's 30 minutes. It will rock your world. It will change your perspective. It's something that I try to watch yearly because I just need that reminder.
• 25:27
  defender of the God that I serve, and how great and awesome He is. And then the other one is a worship song, because like I said, that's just the way that I love to have the Holy Spirit remind me of things. So those are for you to enjoy as you will. Another encouragement I have for you ladies is lean into the people in this room. Lean into the women of God. There's a lot of prudence represented around you at this table.
• 25:49
  Sometimes they've experienced things. They've gone before you in things. Lean into them. I know for me, this has made a world of difference. We've had kind of a struggle of a year and a half of things, and these women have come alongside me and helped me make prudent decisions and reminded me of the greatness of God. They've come alongside me. They've given me wisdom. So lean into women. That's what these times are for. So anytime that we do anything women-related at HBC, try to be a part of it so we get to lean into each other and get to know each other.
• 26:18
  All right. Lastly, I have just a few more minutes, and I told you I'd try to get in some science, and here comes the science. God has given us a reminder of his greatness and his ability to hold us together no matter what circumstance, no matter what ugly relationship is around us. God will be there. He will hold you together with his...
• 26:41
  power and his might and it is found through an adhesion molecule a protein adhesion molecule called laminin and this molecule by definition adhesion meaning like stick together glue holds us together billions and billions and billions of these laminin throughout your body without the laminin you literally would fall apart so this cell adhesion molecule
• 27:06
  holds you together. And why am I talking about laminin tonight? Let me show you. This is a artist's rendition of laminin. Is that not cool? God has stamped a reminder of his power, of his might, in your body, billions and billions and billions of times, saying, guess what? I'm going to hold you together. Today might be rough. This afternoon might be rough. Next week might be rough. But guess what? I'm going to hold you together.
• 27:35
  And here's the actual molecule under a microscope. So that is laminin. So ladies, I pray that this encourages you as you walk an empowered life in prudence with the...
• 27:50
  example of Abigail in our story here. I could have, there's so much I could have unpacked about Abigail, but this is what I got to share about. So I just want to say how much I love you guys, how much I appreciate each one of you guys. I'm glad you're here, and I'm just going to close with prayer.
• 28:07
  Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for tonight. Lord, we thank you for every person who's here, Lord. Father, I pray that you would give us prudence. Father, that we would have a right perspective of you, of the awesome God that you are, that you're there with us every step of the way. Lord, I pray for the tough relationships that we might be dealing with right now, Lord, whether it be husbands or bosses, parents or siblings or kids. Lord, I pray that you would help us to prudently walk through each.
• 28:32
  step, Holy Spirit, that we would walk only when you tell us to walk, and where to walk, Father, because we don't want to do it on our own, because we know we're going to mess it up, so Lord, we thank you for all that you do for us, we thank you for the reminder that you've given in us, Lord, that you are holding us together, Lord, I pray for these women as they leave tonight, bless them, keep them safe, and Lord, I just thank you for all that you do, in Jesus' name, amen.