IT’S DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAWN
1 Samuel 30:3-4, 6-8, 18-19
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR:
1. A tough old cowboy told his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life and be immune to viruses, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning.
2. The grandson did this religiously and he lived to the very old age of 93.
3. When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and when they cremated him he blew a fifteen foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.
4. This is recipe to stay healthy! Ha!
B. WELCOME
1. Good morning Church! Thank you for joining us for service this morning. God has a message for you from His Word!
2. My message is on “It’s Darkest Just Before Dawn.”
I. PHRASE: “IT’S DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAWN”
A. WE’VE ALL HEARD THE PHRASE…
1. The most obvious meaning is that people think that the darkest part of the night is just before dawn. The first part of the night still has light from the sunset. Later the moon rises & the stars become visible. Then just before morning the moon goes down and most of the man-made lights are turned off, so it appears to be darker.
2. Another meaning of the phrase “It’s darkest just before dawn” describes the fact that bad events often come in clusters. They seem to get worse & worse until it doesn’t seem like it can get any worse, then the cluster ends and things rapidly get better. The troubles disappear and everything gets back to normal.
3. It seems that way with this Coronavirus. First the news of it scared us, then the stock market dropped, then the schools closed, then the hoarders grabbed up the essentials, then our jobs closed, our gatherings were reduced to ten, and then we were ordered to “stay at home.” Weeks drag by and the virus makes more and more people sick. You feel like this is the darkest time of your life; you don’t know how much more you can stand!
B. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO DAVID: TEXT
1 Sam. 30:3-8, 18-19; 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." 18 David recovered everything….19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.
C. DAVID’S SERIES OF DISASTEROUS EVENTS
1. David went from being the King’s son-in-law, head of a division of the Army, the national hero who killed Goliath, the man anointed to be the next King by the Prophet Samuel, and the forefather of Christ – to the opposite!
2. He became a fugitive, hated by King Saul and pursued by large divisions of the Army. Anyone associated with him was killed. His wife, Saul’s daughter, was divorced from him and given to another man. He had to move out of Israel into Philistine territory just for safety. David had to fight for the Philistines (their enemies) just to survive.
3. Bad enough, right? No! While gone on a raid, David’s city of Ziklag was invaded, burned and everything he had and loved was taken from him! The enemy loves to kick us when we’re down.
II. WHAT THE ENEMY STOLE
A. IT’S THE ENEMIES’ NATURE TO STEAL
1. The enemies of David stole what was most precious to him – his family, his possessions, and his confidence in God as his protector.
2. The enemy is still trying to steal from you and me. Jesus said in JOHN 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The devil wants to rob you, but God wants to bless you!
3. Satan doesn’t really care about stealing your car or your house or your money. He’s interested in stealing your Spiritual treasures; things that have value with God and are of eternal significance.
B. 5 THINGS STOLEN FROM THE CHURCH
1. OUR IDENTITY AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD. The enemy wants you to forget that you’ve been born again by the Spirit of God, that you’re a new creation in Christ! It’s no longer (you) that live, but Christ in you! You’re more than a conqueror, a King’s kid, His royal blood now runs in your veins. You are an heir of God, joint-heir with Christ of all things! You are the Head and not the Tail! Praise God! Instead, the enemy wants you to cower in fear, to think you don’t matter, and only fill your mind with bad news.
2. YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. During this season of isolation and not being able to go to church, the enemy wants to rob you of your FIRST LOVE FOR JESUS! Yes, you still love the Lord, but what happened to all your energy and passion? God tells us to “fan into flames” the gift of God within us. That means make our spiritual fire hotter. How? Put on worship songs (KSBJ?) and worship God for thirty minutes. Watch some fired-up preaching online. Read your Bible every day; read more than you ever have before, since you have more time. Talk to Christ continuously.
3. YOUR PURPOSE. The enemy wants you to forget what God saved you for! God’s called you to witness to your lost friends. If they get saved, then it’s time to disciple them. We should contact our fellow believers and build them up in their faith. This is no time to be idle. We must be about the Master’s business!
4. YOUR FAMILIES. Normally the devil is trying to break up husbands & wives, and alienate kids from their parents. But during this time of staying home, what a great opportunity we have to reach our families with the Gospel. We should teach and lead our own kids into deeper faith and help our family grow closer to God and each other.
5. OUR PEACE & JOY. The enemy wants you to be anxious, fearful, hopeless, defeated, and feeling unloved. But the opposite is true: God loves you with an every-lasting love! In God’s presence is fulness of joy – you need to get into it! He gives us a peace that guards our hearts and minds & that surpasses all understanding. Let’s set our minds on God and receive His peace!
III. DRAWING ON DIVINE RESOURCES
A. "DAVID ENCOURAGED HIMSELF IN THE LORD"(6)
1. He remembered how God helped him kill the lion and the bear, to defeat Goliath, and defeat the Philistine armies!
2. He remembered God's promises.
3. Faith was rekindled in his heart and he remembered God's delivering power! David received courage from God! We need to let God put courage in our hearts! If God is for you, who can be against you? If God forgives our sins and adopts us into His family – our future is secure!
B. DAVID INQUIRED OF THE LORD
1. He sought the Lord for direction. He sought until he heard from God. He had dangerous circumstances but He waited on God (his men were planning to stone him).
2. GOD SAID TO HIM: "Pursue and Recover All." We have here the story of a man who had a connection to God; he was not like other men. Others only depend on their own efforts. But David pressed for higher ground by seeking God and God actually helped him. God will help YOU too!
C. HE WENT TO THE ENEMY’S CAMP & TOOK BACK WHAT HE’D STOLEN FROM HIM
1. HUMOR. I told last week about the preschooler who’d heard the song, “I Went to the Enemy’s Camp…and Took Back What He Stole From Me.” The end of the song says, “Satan is under my feet.” Someone asked a three-year-old girl named Taylor, "Taylor, where does Jesus live?" She replied "In heaven." The person thought it would be cute to ask her where Satan lived. Without missing a beat, Taylor said, "Under my feet!" Many Christians need to ‘get that!’
2. DAVID LEFT BAGGAGE BEHIND
a. At one point, while pursuing the Amalekites, David realized he wouldn’t be able to defeat his enemies unless he left his baggage behind (30:10,24). The tents, cooking stuff, cattle, fire wood, etc. weighed them down.
b. We might say that David left behind whatever hindered him – for us that might be our fears, our pride, our bitterness, unforgiveness, or some unhealthy relationship -- in order to accomplish God’s goal for our lives. It was only when David let things go that he could rise to the power of God's Spirit!
c. We may have to leave some things behind too if we want to regain what was taken from us and to defeat the enemy. What is it you need to be freed from – to leave behind – in order to be free to follow God?
3. WE NEED TO KNOW WHAT’S OURS! WHATEVER GOD HAS PROMISED US, WE SHOULDN’T LET ANYONE TAKE IT FROM US! WE NEED TO FIGHT FOR GOD’S BEST FOR OUR LIVES!
4. But we’ll never have God’s best unless we pursue them and determine to “recover all." COME ON CHURCH; FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT OF FAITH!
5. DAVID'S OUTCOME
a. He Defeated a superior force (fought 20 hours, still 400 men fled from David's 400)
b. He RECOVERED ALL (not most). Not one missing.
c. Obtained much spoil. Spoil is God’s reward for engaging in His battles. It pays to take a stand!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: “Not taking it off the Bully”
1. When Goliath ridiculed David because he was a mere boy, Goliath made a big mistake. Jerry Brown of New Castle, Pennsylvania also misjudged an 89-year-old woman when he stole her friend's purse.
2. Now this old lady didn't have David's sling and five, smooth stones, but she did have her cane. This lady, rather than standing there looking frail and helpless, gave a whack to Brown's getaway car.
3. She gave it such a whack she scratched the paint and left a dent in the vehicle. Between the dent, the scratch and the description of the robbers, the New Castle police were soon able to arrest Jerry Brown and his accomplice, Tatiana Vargas. [Ken Klaus]
4. WHAT HAS THE DEVIL STOLEN FROM YOU?
a. Robbed you of your DREAMS?
b. CAUSED YOU TO WASTE PRECIOUS YEARS?
c. BROKE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS?
d. ROBBED YOU OF JOY/INTIMACY WITH GOD?
e. SPIRITUAL POWER?
B. THE CALL - ALTAR
1. Let’s Pursue God & Recover All! Let’s regain our spiritual fervor and power.
2. Why don’t you STAND UP with me – wherever you are – and let’s call on God in prayer.
3. How many of you want to make a new commitment to God this morning? Slip up your hand where God can see it.
4. Let’s pray. “God, I pray for a new move of God in my family! Touch my wife or my husband; My son or my daughter. Restore the potential of my life. Revive the fire in my heart. Renew my relationships. Cause my faith and love for God to bloom again. I make a new commitment of my life today – help me pray and read my Bible daily, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
5. Let’s praise God today for changed hearts! “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light!” Rom. 13:12.
6. We’ll see you again next week. Until then, may God bless you, make His face to shine on you, and give you peace. Keep the faith!
