Some Drastic Things to Save Your Home
Part of the “Bow the Knee” Series
1 Samuel 30:1-19
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
DATE: 17 Feb, 2008 AM
PLACE: BBC Ballincollig
I. Introduction (Romans 15:4)
A. Satan hates the home!
1. He attacked marriage from the very beginning by driving a wedge between the man and the woman.
2. He drives a wedge between man and God. Between parent and child. Between even the best of friends!
3. That is Satan’s method—Divide and conquer.
B. This morning, I want to look at how to save a home. Any home! And the best example is found when David, not quite king yet, lost his home to the enemy, and had to figure out how to get it back!
1. God has given us so many examples in the Bible – especially of families, and home-life. The Old Testament, that part of the Bible that so many people are scared of, is chocker-block full of powerful examples of the home
2. As Pastor, I see the attacks on our homes by the enemy. I know the weights of our defeats. I know what people’s hearts are carrying.
3. But let me remind you, if there is a God in heaven (and there is), then there is hope for ANY marriage!
C. It’s not too late! Someone may say, “It’s a little late to shut the gate after the horse is already loose.” That is a statement that reflects a defeatist attitude.
1. If a farmer had that kind of attitude, he’d be a failure. Suppose I had a prize horse worth thousands of Euros. One day, someone forgets to close the gate and my prize horse gets out. You inform me, “Hey, your horse has gotten out of the barn!” What would you think if I said, “Well, it’s a little late to shut the gate after the horse has gotten out!” You’d think either the horse wasn’t worth very much, or I didn’t care.
2. If I really valued the horse, I’d go out after that horse and bring it back!
3. If Satan has driven a wedge between you are your spouse, or between you and your children, or you and your parents, and you still value your family, then you need to go out there and get it back!
D. God thinks our homes are worth saving… just as much as the saving of our own souls!!!
1. Acts 16:13-15
2. Acts 16:30,31
3. Acts 18:8
E. The question is, do we think our homes are worth saving?
II. Background (1Sam 30:1-6a)
A. David is anointed king, but now crowned king yet
1. He has been running from king Saul for several years at this point.
2. He is supposed to be the next king, but Saul refused to step down
B. So David has been a fugitive – on the run – constantly hiding from Saul’s army of men sent out to kill him – Saul didn’t agree with God about David being the next king
C. During that time, other men began to gather around David – he seemed to be an inspiration to them (1Sam 22:1,2).
D. Those men and their families basically lived in a small village called Ziklag. That was where their families lived and played and grew
E. David and those 600 man had been away for a few days, and were returning home in 1 Samuel 30 – but not to find the village a buzz with kids and laughter and singing – but smouldering and burnt to rubble – everything was destroyed!
F. A nation of marauders, called the Amalekites (thugs) had attacked the village, and captured all the people, and then burned the village to the ground!
G. And it hit them – 600 grown, hardened men, began crying – bawling like babies – weeping, and wailing like they had never done before
1. Everyone that was dear was gone! Taken captive as slaves!
2. They had failed their families – they had lost their wives and their children – they had lost everything of value
H. And then anger swelled up in them – anger like they had never known either. Anger fierce enough to turn against their best of friends – David!
I. And they began to murmur, and slowly pick up stones and rocks, and began to circle around David who had become the focus of blame.
J. And in the midst of all that, David dropped to his knees, and closed his eyes, and did something marvellous – something beyond comprehension
K. He encouraged himself, in the Lord!
L. How? How could he even THINK straight in all that stress? But he did! And it is an example we all MUST follow if we are going to grow and get beyond the constant disappointments we seem to get bogged down in, and start saving our kids, and our families!
III. Message
A. Find The Starting Point
1. Many people do even more damage because they just tare into the problem without God’s instructions, and without a sense of a starting place, and the right goal.
2. Find the Biblical Starting Line! Every race I have ever seen had a starting line – a place where everyone had to start from. Don’t try and start this battle for your home just anywhere… you need to find the right place to start
3. And the right place to start is with a good dose of reality
a. Take inventory of what happened, and how - You either HAVE lost someone, or you could lose someone in your life (1Peter 5:8)
b. Feel once again – let yourself feel anger and defeat (30:6a)
1) First they were crushed!
2) Then they were angry – okay, good
3) But don’t let that anger be another open gate for the devil to march in and TAKE YOU captive!!!
4) Hey – get upset enough to do something!
5) That anger, and that burning desire for revenge is good for something – IF directed in the right direction
6) Yes, they could have just taken all of their anger out on David
7) But instead, they needed to save their energies for the fight ahead!
8) Oh that we used our passions and energies for souls, and for homes, and for saving our generation, instead of
9) Isn’t it the case that all to often, it is SO MUCH EASIER to just find fault with the pastor, or with another Christian – with a book you read, or with a sermon you heard?
10) All that bad attitude, and energy is wasted on the wrong enemy
11) Wouldn’t it be nice if we as a spiritual army all got mad at the devil, at the same time?
c. Know your real enemy - You need to know who the Real Enemy is
1) The biggest problem was NOT the Amalekites – they were a problem yes, but not the biggest one
2) The enemy wasn’t David – oh he was so easy to blame
3) The enemy is not your husband, or your wife – isn’t that what Satan tried to get Adam and Eve to do – just find someone ELSE to take the blame?
4) The enemy is not your Dad or your Mom
5) There is an enemy out there who masquerades as an “angel” but is a devil!
6) The biggest problem in the home is NOT the devil
7) The biggest problem is motivation – having the determination to do something about our enemy
a) Some battles are lost
b) But the war should never be thought of as being over, not until EVERY person in your home is saved and serving the Lord!
d. Humble yourself – realise YOU need God’s help!
4. Get ready for a Fight, not a defeat! If you have a hold of these four things, you will be able to go forward!
B. Focus on the Lord (30:6b) – I know it sounds so simple
1. Remember, in the midst of all the crying, and the anger, David dropped to his knees, and closed his eyes, and encouraged himself, in the Lord!
2. It is so much easier to just do a runner – to give up. To say it is too big!
3. So How do we get our focus back on the Lord Jesus Christ?
4. Remember the Victories.
a. The small ones – for David, it was against a bear and a lion while defending his few sheep
b. The big ones – defeating Goliath with a sling
c. If God saved your soul, got you on your knees and broken about your sin, and transformed your life – THEN THAT IS A PRETTY GREAT VICTORY (over sin, death and HELL, AMEN!)
d. We keep such good track of all the disappointments, and the defeats – that’s all we seem to be able to talk about
e. It is FAR more important to keep track of the victories, of the answers to our prayers, of the goodness of God in your life
f. If you want to get encouraged, count your blessings, name them one by one!
1) The day God saved your soul and forgave all your sins
2) The prayer requests that GOD specifically answered
3) The provision of your needs
4) The day you got married to that wonderful person
5) The day your children were born
6) The day you put down the drink, and the cigarette
g. A mind that wastes its time on sorrow is a dying mind.
h. A mind that keeps its memories of good things fresh is a vibrant, and joyful mind – the kind of mind that NO DRUG CAN OFFER!
5. Remember Your Calling.
a. David was quite content being a shepherd boy – called to be a shepherd – a good calling – Daddy called him to be one!
b. Then God drew him close and called him to be a KING (1Sam 16:10-13) instead of all his bigger and better looking brothers
c. David never got over the fact that God had a job for him to do
1) Yes, his ultimate calling was to be king over all of Israel, but not today
2) His calling was to lead these 600 men and their families
3) His calling was to lead them as a spiritual man, not an angry man
4) His calling was to help them get their families back, not quibble and argue and take revenge on each other!
d. There was a day when David came to the realisation that God calls each of us to do great things and to take on the Goliaths because there is a GREAT JOB to accomplish for the Lord (1Sam 17:29)
e. Those words “Is there not a cause?” rang in his ears that evening, and encouraged him – there were 600 reasons for getting encouraged – 600 causes to be a part of fixing and helping!
f. No matter what God has called you to do, it is great, and it will encourage you greatly to sit down and remember how great the task is He has for you to do
1) To be a Mom and a Dad is one of the greatest callings and responsibilities
2) To be a Husband of your wife, to be a wife to your husband
3) To LEAD your family THROUGH the hard times, not leave them in the hard times!!!
4) To support your husband when the going gets tough, not stab him
5) To teach a Sunday School class is an awesome calling
6) To be a pastor or missionary is unbeatable – greater than prime minister or president
7) To go out and faithfully soul-win is a great calling - witness of Jesus on the job, or at school!
8) Did you know there is NO ONE that has nothing to do for God? We were made to please Him (Rev 4:11)
9) Fulfil that calling and you will stay always encouraged!
6. Remember Who is Leaning On You – Relying on you (1Sam 30:5,6)
a. 600 men were looking at David – they needed direction, leadership – not defeatism – not fatalism – not a runner!
b. His own family needed him
c. And then there were all their families – no hope without SOMEONE acting and taking action
d. David could not waste his time wallowing in self-pity – people’s lives were at stake (including his own with all those stones aimed at him)!
e. Sometimes we need to be reminded of who is watching us, and looking up to us, and leaning on us, and needing us to do right and believe God, and trust God, and take action
1) Your children, your teenagers, your wife, maybe your husband
2) Your co-workers are watching to see if you are for real – not that you won’t have bad days and troubles, but that you will win the victory anyway
3) Your extended families may hate you, but they may not listen to anyone else give them the Gospel if you don’t
f. Folks – that’s why we have to take our Christian life and our Christian testimony seriously – people’s eternities rest on it!
7. Remember Your God (1Sam 30:6b) – how close are you to Him right now?
a. Notice David didn’t just encourage himself – not a self-help meditation here
b. David remembered the Lord
1) Remembered His name (Ps 20:7)
2) Remembered His mighty deeds – that’s why God wrote the Bible – to remind us of how great He is – so people wouldn’t forget what GOD can do – no matter how impossible the situation
c. He reminded Himself that God is still on the throne, still in charge, and still busy working all things together for good
d. Oh that we would not live like God is dead… because He is VERY alive (Job declared in his darkest hour, “I know that my redeemer liveth!”)
8. Remember How to Pray (1Sam 30:7,8)
a. Before David did anything, it was vital to bring God into the situation
b. What a truth!
c. Even with 600 men ready to stone him, David knew it was more important to pray and get God’s orders and God’s promise of victory!
d. Pray folks – not a set, prepared prayer, but a prayer from the heart for
1) Strength
2) Wisdom
3) Direction
4) Clarity of mind
5) Confession of sin
6) For victory over the devil’s entrapment of our children and our parents, and our homes – pray for your children or your family member by name, for Satan’s plans to be defeated
7) PRAY
C. Fight for Your Family (1Sam 30:9-18)
1. Praying is NOT enough – you pray, and then you go after them!
2. He Fought Cunningly (1Sam 30:9) - Fight for them smartly
a. This was no haphazard/frivolous effort
b. No! he aimed to win this fight
c. Read up on how to win your kid’s hearts back
d. Read up on having a better marriage
e. David Didn’t wait for the morning – took right off – the element of surprise. The devil thinks you will just keep putting the battle off! Surprise him!
f. Find out which way your family has gone
g. David prepared to win back every home and every family and every piece of life that had been stolen by the Amalekites
3. He Fought Consistently (1Sam 30:9,10)
a. Started with 600 men
b. 200 were too tired after just a few miles
c. Down to 400 men
d. But David pressed on anyway
e. He was a consistent fighter (1Tim 6:12; 2Tim 4:7)
f. Even if NO ONE went with him, he was going to stay in the fight
g. Didn’t gripe about the 200 being too tired, and staying behind
h. Just pressed on (Philp 3:13,14)
i. Even if you are the ONLY ONE in your home concerned about spiritual things, and about the spiritual condition of your family, then fight on!
4. He Fought Compassionately (1Sam 30:11-15) – this is not a BAD ATTITUDE BATTLE
a. Found this Egyptian along the way and took care of him
b. Discovered that this man they were helping was the key to finding the Amalekites
c. God waits for you to be a blessing before he shows you the key to winning a battle in your life
d. David could have had a slash and burn approach – a scorched earth policy – just kill everyone in his path, but he didn’t – he was compassionate
5. He Fought Completely (1Sam 30:16-19)
a. Took on a massive army with just 400 men
b. But these 400 men were so encouraged by the time they found the Amalekites, they couldn’t be stopped – they couldn’t BUT win!
c. How far are you willing to go?
d. It is not enough just to
e. David led the battle all that night – didn’t leave it to someone else to do the fighting – David had a victory to win
f. He stayed fighting for his home, and for the homes of others until ALL was recovered!
g. The same will be true for you and me
h. That HAS to be our drive
1) For all our homes to be saved, and serving the Lord.
2) Till every heart belongs to Jesus Christ
3) And the devil is defeated
i. It will be a long fight, but it can be won!
j. Remember the words of Acts…
1) Act 16:30,31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
2) Act 18:8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
D. Faith (Mark 9:20-23)
1. This was one of those impossible home situations – the devil had devoured this man’s son! But the battle was not over!!!
2. The key to winning the battle for our homes
a. Was not the size of his army against theirs – no contest
b. Was not his enthusiasm, even though that was important
c. It was his dependence upon the Lord, and belief that with GOD all things were possible.
3. The fact that David knew how to bow the knee, and get alone with God, and draw upon His strength, and follow His directions
4. This is THE missing ingredient in most of our battles
5. For men, FAITH is not manly enough… OH YEAH? What did we just read men?
6. For women, faith is never enough- they need to manipulate and finagle and help God out in the battles… no you don’t!
7. Folks, the battle is best fought by God through His yielded people who have learned to bow the knee BEFORE every fight!
IV. Conclusions and Applications
A. Get to the Starting Place – a bended knee in defeat without God
B. Focus on the Lord!
1. Remember the Victories.
a. The small ones
b. The big ones
c. If God saved your soul, got you on your knees and broken about your sin, and transformed your life – THAT IS A PRETTY GREAT VICTORY (over sin, death and HELL, AMEN!)
2. Remember Your Calling.
a. “Is there not a cause?” should ring in your ears
b. God calls everyone:
1) First to repent and believe the Gospel
2) Then to follow His Son Jesus Christ – follow and obey Him and be like Him
3) Then God calls everyone to do what He has made us able to do (Eph 4:11,12) that’s why God gave pastors – to help Christians find what God made them to do, and then help them DO IT!
3. Remember Who is Leaning On You - looking to you for leadership?
a. Your kids, your wife
b. Your co-workers
c. Your extended families
d. Folks – that’s why we have to take our Christian life and our Christian testimony seriously – people’s eternities rest on it!
4. Remember Your God
5. Remember How to Pray (1Sam 30:7,8)
C. Fight for your Family – Jesus taught us well (2Co 10:4,5)
D. Have Faith, Full Trust in the Lord! Do you trust the Lord?