TIMING IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE
2 Sam. 5:17-24
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR
1. A doctor had trouble with his plumbing. The pipes in his bathroom began to leak. The leak became bigger and bigger.
2. Even though it was 2 A.M. the doctor decided to call his plumber. Naturally the plumber was upset at being awakened in the middle of the night. “For Pete’s sake Doc, is this any time to wake a guy up?”
3. The Doctor answered brusquely, “Well you’ve never hesitated to call me in the middle of the night with a medical problem. Now it just happens that I’ve got a plumbing emergency!”
4. “You’re right Doc” the plumber said, “Tell me what’s wrong.” The doctor explained about the leak in the bathroom.
5. “I’ll tell you what to do” said the plumber, “Take two aspirins every four hours and drop them down the pipe. If it hasn’t cleared up by morning, phone me at the office!” [Braudes, 576]
B. PROCRASTINATION
1. It looks as if the plumber were procrastinating. We’re going to look this morning at a time in King David’s life when it looked like he was procrastinating.
2. But we’re going to find that David had his priorities in line; he was waiting for orders from God, which we would do well to do also. Read with me.
C. TEXT
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19 so David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.” 20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off. 22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.”
D. TITLE
1. The devil doesn’t like it when we decide to make an impact for God. Listen to Neh. 2:10; “When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them…” that someone had come to “seek the welfare of the children of Israel.”
2. The enemy doesn’t want you to:
a. get a burden for reaching the lost;
b. decide to work in the church;
c. determine to change things through prayer or make new commitments to God. Don’t be surprised if you’re opposed when you begin to work for God’s kingdom.
3. The title of this message is “Timing in Spiritual Warfare.” God is alive; He’s speaking. He’s moving around the world and we should be moving when He does.
4. David can teach us a lot about God. He was the –
a. Sweet Psalmist of Israel. He published 73 songs of love he wrote to God;
b. He was anointed with oil & the Holy Spirit;
c. He killed Goliath, the arch-type of Satan, and brought the Presence of God back to Israel.
I. THE BATTLES OF LIFE
A. COMMON TO ALL
1. DAVID’S SITUATION
a. Valley of “Rephaim” = Valley of “Giants.” Multiple battles were fought in this same valley.
b. Previously, there was a giant named Goliath that David defeated; but that wasn’t the end of David’s battles. God was preparing him to fight whole armies later.
2. WE WILL ALL HAVE BATTLES! “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it” 1 Cor. 10:13.
3. The enemy doesn’t mess with you unless you’re a threat. David had just become King of the Northern 10 tribes and they knew he would attempt to unite all Israel.
4. So they decided to strike him before he could get organized. They mobilized and immediately attacked before he could get prepared.
B. GOD WANTS YOU TO HAVE VICTORY!
1. Q – Do You believe God wanted David to be victorious? Do you think He wants YOU to be victorious?
2. God’s Word says that He wants you to be:
a. The head and not the tail;
b. To ride upon the high places of the earth;
c. To be an Overcomer, to put your foot upon the necks of kings of darkness;
d. To be “more than a Conqueror,” and put Satan under your feet!
3. God has never lost a battle and He’s never tied one! FOR YOU TO HAVE VICTORY MEANS:
a. To be successful & prosperous in all you do;
b. To be in good health;
c. To be victorious over sin;
d. To be productive in the area of ministry God has called you to.
II. INQUIRE OF THE LORD
It should be 2nd nature for us to inquire of the Lord. It should be as natural for the Child of God as breathing.
A. RECOGNIZE YOUR SOURCE OF POWER
1. After David had already defeated them once, you’d think he’d feel confident he could ‘do it again.’
2. Often we have a victory and get to thinking WE are able to conquer.
3. But David recognized where his success came from: “Power belongs to the Lord!” “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of Hosts.
4. CHURCH, let’s learn from David not to take steps without God’s direction.
B. BUT DAVID, “INQUIRED OF THE LORD”
1. The second time, had David not waited for orders, he might have been defeated.
2. One of his strategic steps to ensure victory was to seek the wisdom of God/ counsel of the Lord for how to overcome his adversary.
3. EXAMPLES OF OTHERS WHO INQUIRED:
a. When Rebekah felt “the babies jostle each other within her, she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to “inquire of the Lord.” Gen. 25:22.
b. Moses warned Israel, “You shall not inquire after other gods…” Deut. 12:30. God wants us to come to Him.
c. Jehoshaphat wouldn’t go into battle without inquiring of the Lord, 1 Kings 22:5.
d. Nine times (9X) the Bible says that David inquired of the Lord! David was a man after God’s own heart.
4. The Gifts of the Spirit are real and for today – the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, gifts of revelation, etc. The Holy Spirit still speaks to us today. Jesus said, “He will show you things to come.”
5. We can seek God and, if we wait on Him and get quiet, hear the inner voice of the Lord, giving us direction.
6. GOD GAVE DAVID SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS:
a. “Circle around behind them, by the poplar trees;”
b. “Don’t attack until you hear a special sound.”
7. TIMING IS VERY IMPORTANT.
a. In natural things too – lift-off of a spacecraft; baseball thrown to first base; giving an engagement ring.
b. In spiritual things – Philip & the Ethiopian Eunuch; the Woman at the Well; Zacchaeus climbing up that tree.
8. HUMOR. One lady was trying to get her Mom to fly out for a visit. Mom said, “No way I’m getting on an airplane!” “But Mom, when it’s your time to go, it won’t matter whether you’re in the air or on the ground!” Her Mom responded, “I know. But I don’t want to be that high off the ground when IT’S THE PILOT’S TIME TO GO!”
III. A SUBSET OF GOD’S ARMY
A. DAVID’S INSTRUCTIONS – SPECIAL SOUND
1. Vs. 24, KJV – “a going,” literally in Hebrew, “marching.”
2. C.H. Spurgeon stated, “as the Rabbi’s have it…the footsteps of angels walking along the tops of the trees…”
3. David was to wait until he heard God’s Army of Angels move out to defeat the enemy, then he should move out with them!
4. Imagine David silencing his men and listening. They might ask, “What are you listening for?” He’d answer, “The Armies of God to move out!” (Other examples of angels fighting for God’s people: Judges 5:20; Dan. 10:13; Rev. 12).
5. WE’RE to watch for God’s moving too!
B. THE MOVING OF GOD
1. THERE ARE TIMES THAT GOD IS MOVING IN HIS CHURCH – saving, healing, expanding His kingdom, bringing multitudes into His church.
2. THE CHIEF WAY GOD WANTS TO USE US IS TO WITNESS
a. 90% believe they should witness
b. 40% invite someone to church
c. 3% share their faith with an unbeliever 1X a month.
3. REASONS FOR THE DISCONNECT?
a. Fear
b. Lack of Urgency
c. Lack of Knowledge
d. Too Busy
e. Assuming the Best
4. How many of you would be mad if someone witnessed to you? They probably won’t get mad either.
5. We’ve OUTSOURCED EVANGELISM to missionaries, programs, or comments on social media! Let get back to those around us.
6. Do you have a neighbor, a husband or a wife – who’ve been indifferent, but now some sickness, loss, or trouble has happened to them and they’re anxious – now they’re open! Now is the time to move out and offer them the hope and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. Pray with them.
7. Your own children – there are certain times they are more receptive. Don’t let those moments pass. You must act!
8. Vs. 24 says, “move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you.”
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUSTRATION: Prayer Under the Thorn Trees
1. Missionary Bob McCulley was trying to reach the tribes in Kenya; the work was slow. Bob kept praying that God would make a breakthrough for Christ. A severe drought took place in Kenya, so Bob moved from village to village feeding the hungry mothers and their children, and held church services each day, with Maasai pastors.
2. One day a particular lady caught his eye. She was carrying a baby on her back wrapped in a shawl. What was unusual was that this baby seemed rather large—too old to still be carried on the mother’s back. Bob asked the local Maasai pastor, Isaiah, to ask her about the child.
3. Before long, Pastor Isaiah came back through the crowd with the woman and her child. Pastor Isaiah said to Bob, “This child has been crippled from birth. He’s never walked.” Pastor Isaiah felt impressed that God wanted to use the new missionary, Kevin Smith to pray for him.
4. Pastor Isaiah called Kevin over and said, “I told this woman that God was going to heal her son, and that you would pray for him.” Kevin looked shocked and said, “I’ve never had experience with laying hands on anyone and praying for healing.”
5. “You’ll do fine,” Bob said. And so Kevin laid his hands on the boy, and the three men prayed that he would be healed. Nothing appeared to happened. The mother collected her ration for the month and took her boy home.
6. One month later, Bob returned with the next month’s supply of food. As he prepared to hand the food out, he noticed a little boy playing with the other children, running across the field. Pastor Isaiah said, “Do you recognize that boy?” Bob said, “No.” Isaiah said, “That is the little boy Kevin Smith prayed for last month. Just a few days after the prayer, his legs began to straighten and gain strength. This whole region has been stirred up by the story of his healing!”
7. Today, in every community where Bob once did food distribution, there’s now a Pentecostal church. Bob looks back on it, he realizes that they planted more churches that year than any other. God’s Timing is Perfect!
B. ILLUSTRATION: Wilber Chapman’s Regret
1. Wilber Chapman was a great witness for Christ and led some famous people to the Lord, such as Billy Sunday. But Chapman also failed to speak up for God sometimes. He told how he had a roommate in college for two years. He knew his roommate wasn’t a Christian, but he never talked to him about Christ for the whole two years.
2. When he was about to graduate, his roommate finally asked him, “Why have you never asked me to be a Christian?” Chapman said, “I didn’t think you were interested." His roommate said, “I deliberately chose you for my roommate because I knew you were a Christian, and there hasn’t been a single day I wasn’t willing to talk to you about it, but you never did.”
3. Chapman was struck with conviction. “And then,” Chapman said, “try as hard as I could to lead him to Christ, he was unwilling.” [Knights New Illus., p.647]
C. THE CALL
1. God is moving! Will you move with Him? Is there person around you that God may be stirring? Commit to speak to them!
2. God may be dealing with you today about laying down an addiction, or making a deeper commitment, or being filled with the Holy Spirit. Don’t ignore His dealing!
3. If you feel God has been dealing with you to do something, I want you to come to the front and let’s clinch it with prayer!
