1 Samuel Chapter 24:1-13

I'm sure David ladders that walks although it is within matter whether he understood it or not, he was not. He was going to submit to Saul's leaders. Why do I keep talking about. We are to submit to God.

And if you submit to God. Only when you agree with everything is going in your life. That's not submission of your submitted time only as long as you understand what he's doing in your life.

That's not submission and at some point you're going to get to Crossroads, you don't understand. You need to follow the Lord submit it's better to make that decision tonight when you get at the crossroads welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee Senior Pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Today, one of David McGee's assisting pastors with this welcome Pastor Neal thanks for let me be here with you today Bob, thank you listeners for listening and Pastor Dave talk about today submitting to others submitting to God and the blessing that that is in our lives submitting. I know it's a difficult word. No one likes it, but there's a huge blessing in submitting to God giving our lives over to him, trusting him and trusting him. The leaders place. Let's get right into first Samuel chapter 24 with David what's going on is David has been anointed to be king but is not Kenya.

Saul is still King and to be honest a long story short, Saul's start to lose it.

He's very paranoid is very self-centered and what we see is his life. Continuing to fall apart as he continues to run from God and disobey God. Time and time again, he gets the opportunity to repent and time and time again he doesn't do and now he's chasing David around the country attempting to kill David, who is been one of his most faithful, loyal and powerful soldiers so that's what's happening now. Last week we talked about in a David in the desert and David in this place called an Getty, we realize that sometimes will go through desert experiences sometimes will have those places of great comfort and rest like an Getty is and that brings us to this chapter 24, first Samuel for Sam 24 verse once is not happened when Saul returned from following the thinnest Philistines that it was, told him, saying, take note, David is in the wilderness of an Getty. Then Saul took 3000 chosen men from all Israel went to see David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats so we came to the sheepfold by the road where there was a cave and Saul went into attend to his needs. David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave and the men of David said to them, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand but you may do to him as it seems good to you and David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe happened afterward the David's heart troubled him because it cut Saul's robe and he said to his men. The Lord forbid that I should do this thing the my master the Lord's anointed to stretch out my hand against the sea and he is the anointed of the Lord is David's response to respect that he has for Saul. Some teachers take this verse and they say so. This means that anybody that God has anointed you know you should never speak again. You know what there's there's some people out there that God has mysteriously anointed that I mean they they say heretical things they say un-biblical things and it's really what the challenge not to point that out, but we need to be real careful with. But I do think it's kind of a stretch to make that application. The application here.

Saul is in a place of leadership over David and I think the obvious application is that David was still submitted to Saul's leadership and that's challenging and that's convict because Saul very obviously wasn't following the Lord. Saul very obviously was trying to kill David and David was still submitted the Saul there is still respect that David had I not sure still respected. Saul was a man because Saul had really messed up.

But he still respected the office that Saul had as King.

There's an interesting verse Romans 13 one. It says let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Here's here's the challenge, sometimes as God raises up a man in this fellowship, he'll come to me and he'll affirm your my pastor on following it. I'm with you. Here's what I know. Here's what I've learned, I won't really know until that person is following me and submitted to my leadership until we disagree when we disagree.

That's when all know to because it is as were walking together and were agreeing about everything is not really submission is just agreement but when I'm leaving in a different direction or doing something else. And this man is called follow me in the ministry to find out. Now I'm not talking about having yes people, you have got a board there's elders and these men are not yes-men and they think I'm wrong about some rose wrote you know we need to do this like that are not like that. There that will tell me that in that case, if I say will appreciate you sharing that with me but I really think this is what God is laid on my heart to do these men have the integrity say okay I let you know what I felt in my heart now falling now with now and I can talk about again is real biblical submission and everything ago. Well, I'm not Elder right now. So what is all this matter. You have relationships where we are called upon to submit to someone else bow makes it clear some of those relationships are a wife committing to her husband, now in the wife only cements to the husband in the times when she agrees with them. That's not submission. It's in there somewhere.

She doesn't agree with them but she realizes that either these wrong guys going to be the one to do with and she walks with even though he might be wrong.

Maybe got a boss at work. Maybe feel like you have the stupidest boss in the world.

I hope the staff here is some looking out incentivizes staff and elected a member of Braverman you still understand God placed him or her in a position every year still to submit stuff. Maybe your child near you still live in the course you think your parents are stupidest people in our then Matt got seizures was to submit even if the wrong I like what Mark Twain says he says is 16 my dad was most ignorant man on the face of the earth in a 21. I was surprised at how much you learned in five years and wisest concept so important because you can always find something wrong with somebody that's over you to give you reason the rebellions you have delivered our once you get to know them at all. You can see something you will love: you would see here's the thing. Let's make a more spiritual application.

What about when you don't understand some God's let me assure you, friend. There will be some point in your life you will not understand what God is doing in your life and if your submission to God is based upon your understanding and your agreement when you hit that place you're in a bail to rebel, but that's the place you find out if you're really submitted to the plan of God. Now maybe sending a well you don't know how you know what all is going on my life and what is wrong in my life. I know some of the stories in this book.

I know I see David here already anointed to be king. A godly brave man is getting chased around the desert by King Saul and still somehow David is submitted to the plan of God is life. I remember the life of Joseph brother Beatty month room in a pit selling to be a slight then just 20s get ahead and bought it for his life. He's unjustly wrongly accused and thrown in prison and its all-time he submitted to the plan of God.

Submission is a tricky thing that we see here in David. Some very beautiful Saul is obviously losing David is still submitted and David is next in line to be king here pales in what a lot of assisting pastors you force in the senior pastor outer head Elder forcing the senior pastor out and then you look at this and David in this story is pizzas you know what is your problem got your ability and your time and only does David do it here, but we see later in his life he was willing to do it when he was king when Absalom tried to overthrow Davidson well got a mature will hundred villagers and a mature will he be king instead of me amounted when incredible man. What an incredible leader in verse seven.

So David restrained the servants with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul, and Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. David also rose after when out of the cave and called out Saul say in my lord the king when solid mining. David stooped with his face to the earth and bow down. This is amazing stuff. Look at this verse David causing my Lord causing the king students with his face to the earth and balance the Saul and this is convicting.

I bring this into personal application. There are some good reasons to leave the church thing a primary reason to leave a church. It is theirs.

Some sort of heresy, being tall, or the word of God's not being tall. I think in either case you don't stick around to figure it out you don't stick around to fix it because usually you are not a place to fix coming of the pastor himself is decided he's not going teach the Bible. You sitting there week after week is not convincing teach the Bible but I think a lot of times what happens is we get a church environment we stick around until we figure out that there are sinners in the church which, you know, depending on the church takes anywhere from a year to couple days and was a well matter there's there sinners the ever classic church is filled with hypocrites may revert up and use them for the you know the sad thing is, there is some truth in there but were called to do a holy mission and we still mess up sometimes, so there is that brothers that knowing what we should do and what we do a lot of times we submit to leaders as long as we agree with will stay in a church. As long as we agree with everything this man.everything is going on in that church, but you know if you're looking at a church that way, you never go funny church it if your criteria is that they that you agree with everything they do.

You're done.

You're not. I have a church ever on this on the faces went. You will never be able to call church or because you will never agree on hundred percent with everything that goes on, and any church. Now, should you agree with the majority what goes on absolutely.

And if you get 80%. You're doing great. You hit 90% awesome 95 ramp price is about the best thank you for listening to David McGee with cross the bridge ministries. David's heart is to help you beyond a radio program will continue teaching the word of God in bringing hope to the power of the Scriptures we know that these are unusual times so we want to share with you many of our online tools. Please check out. You are loved.org to take advantage of these free resources. Our daily devotional has a helpful reading plan thoughts from the Scripture and practical life lessons to help encourage you on.

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Certainly, you know you agree with the hundred percent of everything that goes on here know I don't their stuff that goes on here that I don't agree with. But you know we got staff and team leaders and elders in some of them want to do things a certain way and God has anointed him and gifted him took to lead a certain portion of the minister might God bless you. If you think that's the way to go do it like that you know and perhaps sometimes in the back of my mind I'm thinking we'll meet again in a month and I'll tell you what went wrong with there's a freedom and a grace in ministry there. We have to do that we have to have that our lives a life lesson here. We should submit to God and to the leaders that God has placed in our lives, we should submit to God and to the leaders that God is placed in our lives not got godly leaders in my life and you had a board meeting a couple weeks ago I thought the best way to do something. Was this way like they came up to down think that's the best way to operate about it. Talk to a couple of brothers in Salina not doing it their way and I couldn't unit) are not worth but you know these are godly men that God is placed in my life to speak in the mall. I recognize that and so, somehow, even in the midst of all this Dave is recommending AEC in this install, he still had respect for the position he still had respect. I'm sure David did not understand why solenoid is but did matter whether he understood it or not, he was know he was going to submit to Saul's leadership. Why do I keep talking about this. We are to submit to God.

And if you submit to God. Only when you agree with everything he's doing in your life. That's not submission. If your submitted time only as long as you understand what he's doing in your life. That's not submission and at some point you're going to get to a crossroads, you don't understand, and you need to follow the Lord you need to submit what is doing in your life. It's better to make that decision tonight then when you get at the crossroads there's been things in my life that I didn't understand. I was don't know why God did not.

I've got older brother. He had two daughters, one of those daughters died when she was 18 months old had one remaining daughter couple years ago.

She's 23 she died as well and having children. I cannot. To be honest, I can imagine the pain and the anguish that this man feels on a daily basis.

I don't understand but it's not my job to understand. I just submit to God's plan for my life for his life for their children and and here's here's a difficult place I find myself in this is pastor. Sometimes people get the tough, factional, music pastor, I don't understand why God and and I try to stop women women women. If you think that during this conversation I'm going to be able to enlighten you on why God is doing a certain sum in your life. I met you probably can't. I may be in the shed some scriptural light on. I may be able to tell you what your response should be as far as really explaining why God is doing some I don't know. But here's the thing I submit to God's plan and friend. You know what you can fight against that, and you can sit here and say why I'm not doing I'm the submit to God as long as I agree with this plan, I will submit to God as long as I understand it when I don't understand how no agreement. I'm not going submit to friend you live a hard life. You're going to be tested a lot.

I got saved in a teen challenge in and it was a place for drug addicted alcohol addicted people to go when the director was an interesting fellow and he did something that some of you probably question but when you renew their new got in trouble and I got trouble twice each day and he would get up in your face and raise his voice and there you know on them this rebellious street thug didn't you every time he did that, you know, I just know he get my face. He raises voice not you know not get on my toes and buck up and and that went on back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until one day he rebuked me and I just stood there. I knew I learned that I knew I'd missed. It was just correcting me and those like you're right now as last time he did see each one of those times was a test and also miserably failed. Most of them as you know, bucked up, here we see David going to this David so softhearted is God. You know what I he knows he can't trust Saul. He's not unitrust all over again, but he knows he can trust God to maybe some of your sitting here looking at life and go. I don't know. I never trust this person get maybe should never trust a person would trust God. Verse nine and David said to Saul, why do you listen to the words of men who say indeed David seeks your harm look this day.

Your eyes have seen that the Lord delivered you today in the my hand in the cave and someone urged me to kill you, but my I spared you and I said I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed.

I look at this is interesting couple groups of people, Saul's people were telling him they would surely get Saul lesson.

David's people said you should kill Saul, David, and listen.

Life lesson here. Be careful who you listen to take advice from be careful who you listen to and take advice from somebody's advice is not biblically based, you should throw away will not pastor doubts about that massive oversimplification know it's not you get an unscrupulous attorney, you might wind up in prison, you get an unscrupulous tax accountant. I can almost promise you. You have some brought but if he gets the money supply biblical principles to their lives. Then the given you godly counsel. You can heed, be careful without David realized that salt that God was still in charge and God didn't deliver Saul into David's hands that what are the chances that Saul came into the barricade. The David and his men were out now.

But that's what God did.

Now, Sunset hey David, God did this so that you can kill Saul was that the reason God did that so he could test David rule that were get into the heart of the matter what do you do when God delivers your enemy into your hand, your reaction, your response a lot about your partner relationship with the Lord. The cool thing is I say test and somebody get this thing back in school grade about do well on a path of a failed it's all over now that's not true Christianity.

Thank God.

When you pass, you realize that God is becoming stronger and stronger in your life when you fail, you realize how desperate for gracious door. Either way there something that you can take home with you either are desperate need for grace or understand God's work in her life verse.

Moreover, my father see absolves his father-in-law to make all this stuff worse.

Moreover, my father see you see the corner of your rope in my hand friend that I cut off the corner of her robe and did not kill you know and see that there is neither evil or rebellion in my hand.

I have not sinned against you, yet you hum I like to take it for 12 let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge me on you, but my hand shall not be against you.

This is amazing stuff. The Bible says vengeance is mine says the Lord.

Sometime you want to jump in and help.

We shouldn't do that we should wait on the Lord. Verse 13 as the proverb of the ancients say says wickedness proceeds from the wicked, but my hand shall not be against you meaning each time a character is revealed by conduct is interesting look at the context of what is he saying that the Saul in this context salt on the killing David just let him escape and then David thing you know what characters revealed by conduct, I think Saul felt when he realized what he was saying. And again, you know, in my I have a have a saying that you know semi speaking evil against you doing evil against you, and all that stuff. It could be worse. You could be them. Instead, be patient wants Lord come through. And here's the thing.

Jesus, he asked us to do something in the New Testament is when people are evil against you when they hurt you when they speak evil against you when they do unkind things. Love, pray for them in the book of Matthew says if they ask you to go 1 mile, go to that you might not understand the context of the setting there a Roman soldier could go to any person any Jewish persons that he carried my 50 pounds that and they were forced to appear. For at least a mile good carried over mile good making Karen Morlock is quite frankly sometimes a kill because the stuff was so happy but they had to carry a mile and to that crowd.

Jesus is when asking Karen for mile.

These guys that you hate and enter our ripping you guys off the taxes character see here's the thing. There's three, dynamics and relationships are number one repay kindness with evil anastomotic monies kind to you and your evil back to that's demonic. This terror. But you will experience a new Christian like you probably done it the people and people will do it to you but it's wrong and it's back repay kindness with kindness are evil with evil. That's just too many debts right now in Jesus points in sizes like you know in somebody's life to your nice back big deal at everybody in the world is that just makes common sense is in your own best repay evil with kindness is a tough that's what Jesus does the just, here's what I want you to do so might mean the pray for thrice hurtful for her or hurtful to you, love on Sears.

Jesus tell us do some impossibly you can't do this year in your own human effort. There's no way you cannot keep this up for any length of time, but whenever Jesus tells us to do something, it becomes possible you can do it.

Jesus says love your enemies.

Guess what's possible. You can love.

Jesus is pray for your enemies get appropriate Jesus model display friend. You know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Jenna short, simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. God wants you to pray this prayer so much that he died to give you the opportunity and the ability to ask him to forgive you. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you.

All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend of you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again.

Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick, not the righteous.

So congratulations for you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you prayed that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit crossed the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. You can also write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working in your life before we go.

Have you been listening to the teachings to the book of first Samuel, we've handpicked some of these teachings, it will encourage your prayer life. Pastor Neal can you tell us more about we all hunger for a deeper connection with the Lord and pastor David shares through past living examples how to have that deeper connection. So when you give a gift today we are going to send you for your generosity praying through first Samuel. It's a four CD series that will encourage you in a deeper relationship with the Lord. And as you step out on faith and give a gift to cross the bridge today. We will send this in appreciation for your generosity. Again, please visit crossed the bridge.com to give today and get your copy of praying through first Samuel we would also like to encourage you to grab Pastor David daily devotional. Each day you could wake up perfectly past world of God's life lessons to consider a daily reading plan and a fault to meditate on your day heart. And it's easy. It's free to sign up today on crossed the bridge.com folks. Thanks for listening into the next time. As David McKee continues teaching verse by verse through first Samuel