Tuesday Evening Revival Service April 11, 2000 Bel Aire Baptist Church Hobbs, NM
IN SEARCH OF ORDINARY HEROES
1 CHRONICLES 11:10
Introduction:
1. There will come a day when faith becomes sight, and then- only then- will our
seeking of the Lord be finished at last.
a. We will find ourselves in Heaven, standing face-to-face with the One we
have trusted and followed for so long.
b. Jesus will be what makes it truly Heaven- not streets of gold or walls of
jasper, but God alone in all His splendor.
c. We will know Him as He as known us from the beginning.
2. In addition, what a delight it will be to meet those heroes of the faith, who fill the
pages of the Bible.
a. I can’t wait to greet Paul the apostle, Moses, Abraham, Deborah, Joshua,
Ruth, David, Helez, Sibbecai, Ahiam, Hezro, Zabad... Who?
b. Did I wander off track a bit?
c. You say you don’t recognize those last few names?
3. They are all carefully listed in 1 Chronicles 11, an amazing group of warriors
known as David’s "mighty men".
a. The Holy Spirit thought they were impressive enough to have every last
one written down, because "they, together with all Israel, gave [David’s]
kingship strong support to extend it over the whole land, as the LORD had
promised"(vs.10).
b. These individuals are role models for us today- even if we cannot
pronounce their names.
4. These are people who applied their strength and courageous action toward what
God had promised.
a. It was not enough for them that the prophet Samuel had anointed David
king-in-waiting back when he was a teenager.
b. Much more recently the elders of Israel had gathered in Hebron to declare
David the new monarch.
c. But out in the villages, and especially on the borders of the land, not
everyone was convinced.
d. The picture was still unclear.
e. The rule of God’s king was yet to be established.
f. Foreign enemies were still living inside the land promised to God’s people.
5. These heroes did not just sit back, as many do today, saying, "Well, God
promised, and I’m sure He will fulfill His word."
a. They stepped up and took action to make the promise become reality.
b. They understood that God’s work in the world is usually a joint project; He
works with us as we yield ourselves to work with Him.
6. So these men risked their lives.
a. They left their families and headed for dangerous territory.
b. The Bible uses a special word three times to describe what they did:
"exploits".
7. Similarly, the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be planted today in hostile cities and
territories and nations only by mighty men and women who dare to take risks.
a. Apathetic churches across the land will be revived only by people of deep
spirituality who refuse to accept the status quo.
b. Wayward children and broken marriages will be touched by the hand of
God only as someone stands in the gap and fights valiantly in the power of
the Spirit.
c. You and I have had the opportunity to knows some mighty warriors of the
faith.
8. Their determination is like the kind we see in 1 Chronicles 12:18, where it says,
"The Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the Thirty, and he said: ’We are yours, O
David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Success, success [or "peace and
prosperity"] to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help
you."
a. Once again, the merging of divine and human effort is clearly shown.
b. Oddly, two people on David’s list weren’t even Jewish.
c. They would never have been allowed to worship at the holy tabernacle.
d. Zelek the Ammonite and Ithmah the Moabite were definitely from the
"wrong" nationalities.
e. Their countrymen harassed the Israelites continually and tempted them
toward idolatry.
f. Yet Zelek and Ithmah ended up being honored because they fought and
risked their lives for God’s king.
9. All these were common people who did uncommon things for God.
a. In that sense, they remind us of those "unschooled, ordinary" people of
Acts 4:13.
b. David’s thirty mighty warriors were not royalty.
c. They were not graduates of a military academy.
d. They were just regular people from small places who set their hearts to do
exploits for God’s anointed one.
10. What we desperately need in our own time are not Christians full of posturing.
a. We need men and women who will step out to turn back today’s slide
toward godlessness, prayerless churches, family breakup, and a
"hap-hazard" heart for evangelism.
I. The Telling Moment
A. The first person on David’s list, Jashobeam, "raised his spear against three
hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter" (1 Chronicles 11:11).
1. That sounds impossible.
a. There is no way he could pile up that kind of body count without the
overshadowing presence and power of God.
b. Human bravery alone is not enough when the odds are 300 to 1.
2. When it comes to spiritual matters, you and I will never know our potential
under God until we step out and take risks on the front line of battle.
a. We will never see what power and anointing are possible until we
bond with our King and go out in His name to establish His Kingdom.
b. Sitting safely in the shelter of Bible discussions among ourselves, or
complaining to one another about the horrible state of today’s society,
does nothing to unleash the power of God.
c. He meets us in the moment of battle.
d. He energizes us when there is an enemy to be pushed back.
B. In verses 12-14 we meet Eleazar, who accompanied David into a major battle
with the Philistines.
1. We get an idea of how tough the enemy was when the Bible says, "At a
place where there was a field full of barley, the troops fled from the
Philistines."
a. This was no minor skirmish; this was all-out combat against a
superior opponent.
b. Many frightened Israelite soldiers saw the coming horde and ran for
their lives.
2. But not Eleazar.
a. He and David "took their stand in the middle of the field. They
defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought
about a great victory."
b. Once again we see the combination of human and divine efforts.
c. God did not act alone.
d. He didn’t unleash a lightning strike from Heaven to fry the Philistines.
e. Instead He was looking all across the horizon that day to see who
would stay in the barley field and thus receive His supernatural aid.
f. While others left in fear, these two- David and Eleazar- stood firm.
3. The account in 2 Samuel 23:10 adds even more detail about Eleazar.
a. He "stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand
grew tired and froze to the sword."
b. He swung his weapon with such grit, such adrenaline, that his
muscles locked up on him; he couldn’t let go.
c. Talk about a mighty warrior for God!
4. The world’s situation cries out for today is this kind of determined and
desperate faith that grips the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and won’t let go until victory comes.
II. Who, Us?
A. This list of David’s mighty warriors in 1 Chronicles 11:22 introduces us to
Benaiah, whose exploits included overcoming two of Moab’s best men.
1. He also killed a lion in a snowy, slippery pit.
a. Perhaps most amazingly, he took on an Egyptian that was 7 1/2 foot
tall that was carrying a spear with a huge shaft while Benaiah had
only a wooden club.
2. Even so ... Benaiah "snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and
killed him with his own spear. Such were the exploits of Benaiah son of
Jehoiada... He was held in greater honor than any of the Thirty"
(vs. 23-25).
3. It was not a Ph.D. degree that brought honor to a person in those days.
a. Honor did not necessarily flow to the person with money or leverage
or media access.
b. Honor came as a result of doing exploits for the king.
B. Who is doing exploits for God today?
1. Where is the enemy being driven back?
a. That is the great desire of all spiritually minded people.
b. They are not enchanted with polished sermons and slick
organizational technique.
c. Where are the mighty men and women anointed by God to truly make
a difference?
III. The Time Is Now
A. What is it really that stops us from becoming mighty warriors in the Lord?
1. God has not changed.
2. He is still superior to anything the enemy can throw against us.
B. No personal or church situation is too hopeless for the all-sufficient power of the
Holy Spirit.
1. God will be no more eager to act tomorrow than He is right now.
2. He is waiting for us to take His promises seriously and go boldly to the
throne of grace.
3. He wants us to meet the enemy at the very point of attack, standing against
him in the name of Christ.
4. When we do so, God will back us up with all the resources of Heaven.
Conclusion:
1. If you want to experience "The Blessings And Faith Of Revival" you must first
experience revival.
2. The blessings and the victories come from having Faith that God can do all
things.
3. If you truly believe God can do all things through you in His power and you
really want revival, you must allow God to work in you and through you.
4. Knowing and doing are two different things.
