1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:03,800 You're listening to the Bridgetown Church Podcast with 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,840 Pastor Casey Kendall, where our vision is Jesus, our mission is 3 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:09,760 people, and our cause is love. Thanks for tuning in. 4 00:00:10,040 --> 00:00:13,880 Let's dive in. In First Samuel chapter 23, 5 00:00:13,880 --> 00:00:17,840 beginning in verse 27, the author writes these words. 6 00:00:17,840 --> 00:00:22,480 But a messenger came to Saul saying, hasten and come, for the 7 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:24,720 Philistines have invaded the land. 8 00:00:25,280 --> 00:00:30,960 Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David and went against 9 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:34,160 the Philistines. So they called the place the 10 00:00:34,160 --> 00:00:37,400 Rock of escaping. If you could just say the rock 11 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,880 of escaping. We'll come back to that at the 12 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:44,160 very end of my sermon. And then David went up from 13 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:48,160 there and dwelt in the strongholds at in Getty. 14 00:00:48,160 --> 00:00:51,400 If you can, just look at your neighbor and say neighbor my 15 00:00:51,400 --> 00:00:55,240 neighbor. Use your inside voice. 16 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:00,360 If I could just set up the picture for you of where David 17 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,320 is at, at this point in time in his life. 18 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:07,160 We know that the book of First Samuel is not a very hard book 19 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:12,080 to understand the context and the timing of First Samuel is 20 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:16,160 written at a time where it's the time of the judges, where the 21 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:20,560 Bible says that every man was doing that which was right in 22 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:24,040 his own eyes. It was in this story story that 23 00:01:24,040 --> 00:01:28,160 we were introduced to a woman by the name of Hannah and a man by 24 00:01:28,160 --> 00:01:32,720 the name of Elkana. Elkana had Hannah as a wife and 25 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,520 Panina as a wife. Panina, her name means Jem, but 26 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:39,880 she was stone cold. She had children while Hannah 27 00:01:39,880 --> 00:01:43,440 had no children. On their way to worship the Lord 28 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:47,840 at the temple and at the altar, Hannah found herself crying out 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,240 to the Lord that God would provide for her a son for her 30 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,200 family. And that that moment you 31 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,680 remember Eli, the priest was looking on and thought that 32 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,800 Hannah was drunk. And so he said, please don't 33 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:02,760 drink here. And she said, Sir, I'm not 34 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,400 drunk, I'm just sorrowful of spirit. 35 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,240 And while she's there, Eli blesses her. 36 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,720 And it says at this time you will have a son. 37 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,720 What Hannah thought would bring a son into her family, actually 38 00:02:16,720 --> 00:02:20,800 God was using to being bring a prophet into the nation of 39 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,680 Israel. God's timing is perfect. 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,720 And in his timing he always has a purpose. 41 00:02:26,920 --> 00:02:31,040 And in that it's always greater and bigger and far wider than we 42 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:34,560 could ever have dreamed of. This time of waiting for Hannah 43 00:02:34,560 --> 00:02:39,000 was a time of anguish of heart, but it was producing in her a 44 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,840 life that would bless the multitudes of people in the 45 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,120 nation. Samuel is raised up as a prophet 46 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:49,720 of the Lord. And as he's raised up as a 47 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:53,560 prophet of the Lord, the nation of Israel is crying out for a 48 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,040 king. And as they are crying out for a 49 00:02:56,040 --> 00:03:00,560 king, you remember they said we want a king just like all the 50 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,920 other nations. It was at this time that God 51 00:03:03,920 --> 00:03:07,720 said to Samuel, give them what they want. 52 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:13,200 At that time a man by the name of Saul was raised up to be the 53 00:03:13,200 --> 00:03:16,840 first king of Israel. The Bible says that he was head 54 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:22,000 and shoulders above everybody else in the magazine for GQ for 55 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,440 Israel. He would have been the picture 56 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,440 perfect male at this time because God gave them what they 57 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:31,840 had asked for. It was at this point in time 58 00:03:32,040 --> 00:03:35,040 that we remember that God told Saul to wipe out all the 59 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:37,880 Amalekites, but he didn't. He spared some. 60 00:03:37,880 --> 00:03:43,240 And the Bible says that God had disregarded Saul as being king 61 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:45,600 and he was going to anoint another king. 62 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:49,600 So we remember that God at this time goes now send Samuel to the 63 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,520 House of Jesse and there he goes through every son in the family. 64 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:57,400 And at this point in time, Samuel's about to anoint one who 65 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:00,480 looks just like Saul. He looks good and God, this is 66 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:03,200 not that one for you. Look at the outward appearance, 67 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:07,040 but I look at the heart. And it is in that moment that 68 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,840 saw Samuel said to Jesse, do you have any other boys? 69 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:13,040 And he said yes. There's. 70 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:15,040 One out in the field, he's ready in appearance. 71 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,640 His name is David and at that time he said call David over. 72 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:23,000 God uses Samuel, he anoints David with oil, and at that 73 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:26,760 point in time he raises up not just the first king of Israel, 74 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:31,360 but the second king of Israel. You remember the episode in 75 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:35,320 First Samuel where David walks into the valley of Elah and he 76 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,440 slays a giant by the name of Goliath? 77 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:43,160 At this point in time in First Samuel, David is now being 78 00:04:43,160 --> 00:04:46,720 pursued after by Saul. So I want you to understand this 79 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,560 as we come into First Samuel chapter 23, that David is 80 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:57,680 running for his life. The man Saul, who has lost his 81 00:04:57,680 --> 00:05:02,080 kingship is now pursuing David to kill him. 82 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:07,760 David received a promise by God, but it wasn't fulfilled until 10 83 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:12,440 to 15 years later. And here in First Samuel chapter 84 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:18,240 23, David is actually hiding from Saul. 85 00:05:18,440 --> 00:05:21,920 If we were to paint the picture and look at the kings of Israel, 86 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:25,440 First Samuel tells us of the 1st 2 kings of Israel. 87 00:05:25,440 --> 00:05:30,240 That is Saul and David pointing to a greater king by the name of 88 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:35,040 Jesus. We know that the king always 89 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:40,920 needs a greater king and that is the king Jesus. 90 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:44,560 Throughout the life of David, the Bible says he wasn't a 91 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:47,040 perfect man, but he was a very purposed man. 92 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:52,320 David was a man who inquired of the Lords. 93 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,120 Saul was a man who sought the people's opinion. 94 00:05:57,840 --> 00:05:59,960 And so when we come today, I want you to get the 95 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:04,720 understanding that David is in a not a lush wilderness. 96 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:10,480 He's in in Getty, which is a dry desert wilderness hiding for the 97 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:15,120 sake of his own life. He carries within his own heart 98 00:06:15,280 --> 00:06:20,120 a word from the Lord, but it's not fully fulfilled yet. 99 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,000 I don't know if you've ever been there where you've been given 100 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,360 something by God, but it's not fully there yet. 101 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:30,280 And in this moment, we have two options. 102 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:35,360 Like David, we can inquire of the Lord or like Saul, we could 103 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:39,800 seek the opinion of the people. So today I want to challenge you 104 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:47,720 to use your inside voice. My mom was my first preacher. 105 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:52,760 That was a good spot for moms to say Amen. 106 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,640 My mom was my first preacher. I remember at six years old 107 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,520 hearing this term for the very first time when I walked in the 108 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,120 door of my house, excited with all of my friends. 109 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,840 We had just won the the the the two hand touch football game. 110 00:07:08,040 --> 00:07:13,280 And I walked into the house and my voice was loud and my mom got 111 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:17,000 her pulpit out and pointed her finger at me and looked at me 112 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:21,080 very sternly and very seriously. But I knew there was love in her 113 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:26,040 heart for me. She said use your inside voice. 114 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:30,400 I remember now, not just in my house but going to school, my 115 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:32,440 teacher became my second preacher. 116 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:41,680 I was upset about a test and in that frustration my voice had 117 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:46,720 some lifted agitation in it. My teacher got out her pulpit. 118 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:51,800 She pointed her finger at me also and she said use your 119 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:56,880 inside voice. I carried on in my life, I just 120 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:01,840 wouldn't get the message he ever had to tell someone something 121 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:05,120 more than once. That's me. 122 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:11,840 I'm a little bit older now and I was in a meeting in an office 123 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:17,240 and I'd found myself even upset about the meeting and I walked 124 00:08:17,240 --> 00:08:20,200 in and my Co workers became my next preacher. 125 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:24,120 They pulled out their pulpit and they all pointed their fingers 126 00:08:24,120 --> 00:08:29,160 at me in the office and they said use your inside voice. 127 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:31,560 Just look at your neighbor and say use your inside voice and 128 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:35,440 say it really loud. Use your inside voice. 129 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:39,679 Use your inside voice. I can if I can. 130 00:08:39,679 --> 00:08:42,679 I don't think this is just a message for inside the house. 131 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,880 I don't think this is a message that's just in for inside the 132 00:08:45,880 --> 00:08:49,360 classroom or at the office in the boardroom. 133 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,680 I think this is a message that needs to come to the House of 134 00:08:53,680 --> 00:09:00,400 God and the church today and that is use your inside voice. 135 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:04,080 Now, when it comes to using your inside voice, I know that we're 136 00:09:04,280 --> 00:09:07,680 prone to wander into the lies that are loud. 137 00:09:08,840 --> 00:09:13,800 We're prone to give our ears to the noise of the news. 138 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:18,600 We'll often listen very rapidly to the rumors that are very 139 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:22,200 rambunctious. I mean, the opinions of others 140 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,520 are often thundering, and the reports that we're hearing are 141 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:31,080 often roaring in our lives. And the data that we receive 142 00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:36,240 every day is deafening that we miss the voice of God in the 143 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:43,480 mess of the noise and we become content to live in the comments 144 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:47,720 of other people rather than the commandments of scripture. 145 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,400 When I talk about using your inside voice, I'm not talking 146 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:55,000 about you working yourself up and self talk. 147 00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:59,920 I'm not talking about for you listening to yourself and just 148 00:09:59,920 --> 00:10:02,120 saying positive things about yourself. 149 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:06,520 What I'm talking about in the inside voice is for those who 150 00:10:06,520 --> 00:10:10,400 are born again. The Bible says is that God from 151 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:16,200 an outside source called His word has placed His word inside 152 00:10:16,360 --> 00:10:19,240 of your heart. If you were to look at First 153 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:23,920 Kings chapter 19, verse 11 through 13, God was not in the 154 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:28,960 earthquake, God was not in the wind, God was not in the fire. 155 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:35,160 God was in the whisper. And the whisper for us is not 156 00:10:35,160 --> 00:10:39,880 necessarily about the volume. It's about the truth, the love 157 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:43,160 and the wisdom that God has for you today. 158 00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:48,880 His voice is gentle yet powerful and it calls us to trust, hope 159 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:56,480 and love in Jesus Christ. Did you see in our lives God has 160 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:02,080 given to us His voice, and He's invested His voice inside of my 161 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:06,480 heart by the working of the Holy Scriptures and His Holy Spirit. 162 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,040 This is the proof. David said it this way in Psalm 163 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:13,360 119, verse 11, He says your word. 164 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:18,400 Have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you? 165 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,480 Listen to what the Bible said. Paul said in Colossians 3 verse 166 00:11:22,480 --> 00:11:24,320 16. I know all of you have 167 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:29,200 remembered memorized John 316. I want you to memorize 168 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:33,920 Colossians 316. Colossians 316 says let the word 169 00:11:33,920 --> 00:11:40,680 of Christ dwell in you richly. Listen what the Bible says in 170 00:11:40,680 --> 00:11:44,880 Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 6, and these words which I 171 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:49,760 commanded you today shall be in your heart. 172 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:54,000 Now notice the Bible goes on to tell us about the word of God, 173 00:11:54,160 --> 00:12:00,840 that God has placed his outside word into the inner part of my 174 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:04,960 heart and life through Holy Scriptures. 175 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:08,240 That means this, that my feelings are real, but they're 176 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,240 not the final authority. That means that my feelings can 177 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:15,880 be an indicator, but they're not the dictator of my life. 178 00:12:16,160 --> 00:12:19,880 What is the dictator of my life is the Bible. 179 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:25,600 So when it comes to the Word of God, I allow the Word of God to 180 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:33,000 be the inside voice of my life. I allow my life to be driven, 181 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:39,120 directed, dedicated, devoted to the Word because it's the Word 182 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:43,480 that leads me to the Word. Oh, come on, church, It is the 183 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:47,040 Word that leads me to the Word, who is Jesus Christ. 184 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:51,960 So I find that within myself I can inquire of the Lord. 185 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:57,840 And here's what David does. David is not following after his 186 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,040 feelings. He doesn't live by the opinions 187 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,760 of the people. He's not directed by his 188 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:09,080 anxiety, but he's hearing the Almighty God and he makes the 189 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:14,760 voice of the Lord the loudest voice in his life. 190 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,520 This is David, this is the story. 191 00:13:17,880 --> 00:13:20,200 Pick it up with me. If you would look at first 192 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:26,480 Samuel 23 verse 2 and the Bible says therefore David inquired of 193 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,840 the Lord. No Notice if you would the life 194 00:13:29,840 --> 00:13:36,360 of David in verse 4. Then David inquired of the Lord. 195 00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:41,120 Then notice if you would not not just verse 4, but notice verse 9 196 00:13:41,280 --> 00:13:44,560 when David knew that Saul plotted evil against him. 197 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:49,800 He said to Abbie Afar the priest, bring the ephod here. 198 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:51,680 That was the direction of the Lord. 199 00:13:51,680 --> 00:13:58,040 Then David said these words in verse 10, O Lord God of Israel. 200 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:02,760 Notice if you would not just in verse 9 and verse 10, but look 201 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:07,840 at verse 18 in your Bible, Samuel chapter 23. 202 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:12,120 The Bible says so. The two of them made a covenant 203 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:15,960 before the. Lord. 204 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:21,480 Now notice where David is constantly coming back to, and 205 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:29,680 that is, Lord, what do you have to say to me in this moment? 206 00:14:29,680 --> 00:14:33,360 Now I know some of you. You're not being pursued after. 207 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,760 You're not. Someone is not seeking to rob, 208 00:14:36,760 --> 00:14:40,080 kill and destroy your life. Well, maybe there is. 209 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:45,920 Maybe his name is Satan. I mean, in this story it was 210 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,200 Saul. But maybe there's another enemy 211 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,880 who's seeking to destroy your life, and that is the devil who 212 00:14:54,880 --> 00:15:00,800 is out to steal, kill and destroy, who wants you to listen 213 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,560 to another voice rather than the voice of God. 214 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:08,560 And then, now, now I know you're not hiding in a desert, but 215 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:14,800 we're all living in a valley and what God has called us to in the 216 00:15:14,800 --> 00:15:18,200 midst of our pickups and our let downs. 217 00:15:18,520 --> 00:15:25,120 Your papers and your exams, in your office meetings and your 218 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:29,560 office confrontations, in your parent counseling, teacher 219 00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:33,360 meetings and in your doctor's appointments, in your 220 00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,720 appointments and all of your accidents. 221 00:15:36,720 --> 00:15:39,440 The question today is not are you running? 222 00:15:39,840 --> 00:15:43,000 We know you're all running. The question is, is are you 223 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:46,400 listening when you're running? Now the hardest thing for me to 224 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:51,040 do is to run and talk. You ever ran with someone and 225 00:15:51,040 --> 00:15:55,200 all they wanted to do was just talk next to you because they're 226 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:58,200 so fit. They have the level of oxygen as 227 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:00,720 they're running and they're, they're, hey, how are you doing 228 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:02,280 today? I'm like, just be quiet. 229 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,240 I'm just trying to breathe. I, I'm just trying to make it to 230 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:08,280 the next corner. I, I, I think when we're running 231 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:12,040 it, it's hard to stay in communication, but, but we can 232 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:17,400 always be maybe not talking when we're running, but we can be 233 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,360 listening. We can all be listening. 234 00:16:20,880 --> 00:16:28,080 They, they say at low levels sound is imperceptible, but at 235 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,840 high levels it's unignorable. Do you know this, that if sound 236 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,960 exceeds 110 decibels, your blood pressure changes? 237 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,280 You sitting in the front row, you're like, Amen. 238 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:47,560 Pastor Casey, that was a little loud today, you know, at 141 239 00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:52,320 decibels you become nauseous. Do you know what the? 240 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:56,200 Decibels of levels. Of music or noise. 241 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,280 At 1:45 decibels you can lose your vision. 242 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:05,760 At a 195 decibels, your eardrums will burst. 243 00:17:07,599 --> 00:17:11,960 At 202 decibels, it can actually cause death. 244 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:22,560 When God chose to speak, He chose to speak at a whisper. 245 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:36,260 A whisper is 15 decibels. I remember when my mom was 246 00:17:36,260 --> 00:17:40,060 really sick, she she grabbed my ear and she said can you lean 247 00:17:40,060 --> 00:17:42,100 down closer to me? And she whispered something in 248 00:17:42,100 --> 00:17:48,540 my ear. When someone you love whispers, 249 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:56,320 you listen and all the baby said Amen. 250 00:17:57,600 --> 00:18:02,440 Thank you for life Lord, thank you for multiplying. 251 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:10,080 At 15 decibels is the sound of a whisper. 252 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:15,480 Someone once said that we tend to dismiss an insignificant and 253 00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:20,440 natural phenomena that preceded the whisper because God was not 254 00:18:20,440 --> 00:18:23,120 in them, but I bet they got Elijah's attention. 255 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:28,680 He goes on to write Elijah. God has an outside voice and 256 00:18:28,680 --> 00:18:34,560 he's not afraid to use it. But when God wants to be heard, 257 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:41,920 when what he has to say is too important to miss, He often 258 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:48,360 speaks in a whisper just above absolute threshold of hearing. 259 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:55,280 And this is what David is experiencing now. 260 00:18:55,280 --> 00:18:56,720 If you've ever. Read a book. 261 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:02,320 If I could ever recommend a book for you to read, it is called 262 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:06,200 The Anxious Generation. And it is a. 263 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:10,200 Book that talks about the devastating effects of people 264 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:14,120 who are constantly on their phones, people who are 265 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:17,520 constantly addicted to their screens. 266 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:23,320 People who are constantly cannot get off of social media that 267 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:30,200 spend over 7 hours a day on a regular basis on their phone 268 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:33,320 because they want to distract themselves from the pain and 269 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,480 reality of their life many times. 270 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:40,280 The author writes these words. People can't. 271 00:19:42,480 --> 00:19:48,280 People can't really multitask. All we can do is shift attention 272 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:54,120 back and forth between tasks while wasting a lot of it on 273 00:19:54,200 --> 00:20:03,480 each shift of attention. What has your attention takes 274 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:09,440 your ambition? Whatever has your attention 275 00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:14,440 takes your ambition. I want to just say that again, 276 00:20:15,120 --> 00:20:21,760 whatever has your attention will take your ambition. 277 00:20:22,680 --> 00:20:27,560 And if this is how I'm driving my life through Instagram, 278 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:34,840 TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, all the things that I've entrenched 279 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:40,560 myself into my phone, what happens is, is my phone has my 280 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,240 attention. And then my phone begins to 281 00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:49,280 direct my ambition. And this is important because I 282 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,120 believe the phone can be used to display the word of God and we 283 00:20:53,120 --> 00:20:56,160 can follow what God says through our phones. 284 00:20:56,440 --> 00:21:02,240 But what they're finding now is not just the good aspects of of 285 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:08,360 the phone life or the screens. It has been very devastating to 286 00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:13,000 this next generation. It has led to isolation, 287 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:20,160 depression and anxiety because through this we never measure 288 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,840 up. But through the Word of God 289 00:21:24,400 --> 00:21:29,480 directing my attention here, it shows me that someone has 290 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:34,400 measured up for me and I could. Follow what he has to say. 291 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:39,600 So what does the inside voice do to your life? 292 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:41,760 I think it does what it did to David's life. 293 00:21:42,120 --> 00:21:44,600 And that is this. Can you just remember this? 294 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,520 Write this down, take note of this. 295 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:54,120 His voice quiets my fears, his voice quiets my fears. 296 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:57,080 And they told David, saying, look, the Philistines are 297 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,280 fighting against key law and they are robbing the threshing 298 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:03,160 floor. So David's running for his life, 299 00:22:03,400 --> 00:22:08,680 but he hears the news that in the city of Key Law that the 300 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:13,360 Philistines have invaded and they're robbing them at the 301 00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:17,120 threshing floor. Now, we don't have threshing 302 00:22:17,120 --> 00:22:21,880 floors in Glendora. We're not often talking about 303 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:25,640 threshing floors, nor are we often talking about a city of 304 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,760 key law. I mean, who cares about key law, 305 00:22:28,760 --> 00:22:30,880 right? David did. 306 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:35,400 And at the threshing floor, this was the place where the harvest 307 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,440 would come of the wheat, and they would take the wheat and 308 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,320 they would throw the wheat up in the air. 309 00:22:41,320 --> 00:22:45,480 And at the threshing floor, the breeze and the wind that came to 310 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,840 the threshing floor would separate the wheat from the 311 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:53,960 chaff, and all of it would fall upon the ground. 312 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:57,920 That was really the real harvest, but everything else 313 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,680 would blow away. So the Philistines are taking 314 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:08,520 the abundance of the harvest, and David gets the news that 315 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:11,480 this has happened at the threshing floor. 316 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,640 Now, things being stolen don't just happen at the threshing 317 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:17,960 floor. They happen in your office, they 318 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:21,520 happen at your school, they happen in regards to the 319 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:24,360 freeways that you drive on. How many of you have had your 320 00:23:24,360 --> 00:23:28,800 patients stolen or you've given up freely just because you were 321 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:31,840 so upset? How many of you have found 322 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:34,960 yourself that you were at your harvest in your home and it was 323 00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:37,120 going well, Then all of a sudden, in a blink of an eye, 324 00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:40,240 things turned. Now there's holes in your walls 325 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:45,040 and dents in your doors. I know, I think that in our 326 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:48,520 lives, often times when we hear this term, Threshing Floor, we 327 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:50,640 think that oh, this is just an old term. 328 00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:53,560 This is an old term. But it also has very present 329 00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:57,080 significance to us because many of us are losing things at 330 00:23:57,080 --> 00:24:01,200 Threshing Floors and we need a David to come alongside of us 331 00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,680 and win our battle. And let me tell you, there is 332 00:24:04,680 --> 00:24:09,240 one who's greater than David. And therefore notice this. 333 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:13,920 David inquired of the Lord, the inside voice, Lord, what do you 334 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:16,080 want? Shall I go and attack these 335 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:18,280 Philistines? You remember that the 336 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:20,120 Philistines were the enemy of Israel. 337 00:24:20,360 --> 00:24:24,400 And the Lord said to David, I'll just underline that circle, that 338 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,880 highlight that the Lord said to David. 339 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:30,800 David didn't get a word from somebody else. 340 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:36,360 The Lord said this to David. The Lord had said, go and attack 341 00:24:36,360 --> 00:24:40,240 the Philistines and save Keilah. And David's men said to him, 342 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:46,080 look, we are bold. Nope, Look, we're strong. 343 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,560 Nope. Look, we're mighty. 344 00:24:48,560 --> 00:24:51,920 Nope. Look, we are afraid. 345 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,240 We're afraid, David, here in Judah. 346 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:58,480 How much more than if we go down to Keilah against the armies of 347 00:24:58,480 --> 00:25:01,440 the Philistines? Then David inquired of the Lord 348 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:04,400 once again. Did you see the principal? 349 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:09,840 Notice the voice of the people did not deter David from the 350 00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:15,320 voice of the Lords. We'll get into this in just a 351 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:17,840 minute. And the Lord answered him and 352 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:21,600 said, Arise and go down to Keela, for I will deliver the 353 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:25,880 Philistines in your hands. Notice God did not promise David 354 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,720 that the fear would leave his men. 355 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:31,280 God promised David that victory would come. 356 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:37,120 Sometimes we say faith over fear, but I think it's faith 357 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,040 even in the midst of fear. Can I tell you today that coming 358 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:43,640 up on this stage, I am afraid every single time. 359 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:51,920 Coming up here, fear has not left since I've been 17 years. 360 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,080 Old. I'm I'm 30. 361 00:25:55,080 --> 00:25:58,760 No, I'm not. I'm not 30I I'm I'm 50 years 362 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,600 old. I'm 50 years old. 363 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,600 So now 17 to 50, the fear hasn't left. 364 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:09,360 Does that mean that I stopped doing what God's called me to do 365 00:26:09,360 --> 00:26:11,440 simply because the fear is still there? 366 00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:15,760 I have to listen to the voice of the Lord. 367 00:26:17,120 --> 00:26:23,920 His voice quiets my fear. It doesn't always remove the 368 00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:28,320 fear, but it does quiet the fear. 369 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:31,000 So David hears the voice of the Lord. 370 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:36,800 And again the Lord says, I am giving them into your hand. 371 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:42,760 Notice this. David's men were afraid, but 372 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:52,480 David was aware. I wonder how often the fear of 373 00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:58,280 other people direct the faith in which you live by. 374 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:05,720 I wonder in my life how many times I can come to this place 375 00:27:05,720 --> 00:27:10,600 called Key Law, which means a fortress city, and have a 376 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:18,440 perplexing place surrounded by panicked people and not have the 377 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:23,240 right prescription. The right prescription is this 378 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:28,400 is that David would inquire of the Lord. 379 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,320 So I just want to put it this way. 380 00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:34,560 Look at what David does in the tragedy of the attack. 381 00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:40,800 The Bible says David inquires of the Lord in the trauma of fear. 382 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:44,800 The Bible says that David inquired of the Lord in the 383 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:50,080 triggers of other people and possibly David himself. 384 00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:56,040 The Bible says that David had inquired of the Lord. 385 00:27:56,040 --> 00:27:58,360 Look at this. The voice of the Lord was over 386 00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:02,560 their feelings, which then led to their victory. 387 00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:08,120 That's so important is that we understand the voice of the 388 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:10,920 Lord. Why is this is Because fear 389 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:15,200 always paralyzes and it will make you stay in the same place 390 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,920 and pay way too much. But faith and obedience in His 391 00:28:18,920 --> 00:28:23,320 Word in the midst of the fearful feelings will always lead to 392 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,920 progression and will take you to new places. 393 00:28:26,080 --> 00:28:29,640 So you experience a new power, and that power is through the 394 00:28:29,640 --> 00:28:34,120 presence of the Lord. The basis of the children of 395 00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:39,600 Israel's victory was solely found in the voice of the Lord, 396 00:28:40,400 --> 00:28:45,320 and the victory foundational principle of our lives is going 397 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:50,520 to be found in the voice of the Lord. 398 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:55,280 No, no, notice this. The voice of the Almighty came 399 00:28:55,280 --> 00:29:00,760 at such a place that although they had a mighty blow, and 400 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:06,440 although they had taken away their harvest, His voice would 401 00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:13,160 call them to quiet their fears. I like to put it this way if I 402 00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:19,520 can for you in life. You can be stunned, but you 403 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:23,080 don't have to be stolen from. Did you get that? 404 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:29,600 You can be stunned by life and things, but those things don't 405 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,680 have to steal from you. There are things that are going 406 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:37,200 to stun you. There are things and seasons I 407 00:29:37,200 --> 00:29:38,720 go through, they're very stunning. 408 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:42,880 The loss of someone you love, the diagnosis of the disease, 409 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:46,320 the marriage that fell apart, the singleness that you're still 410 00:29:46,320 --> 00:29:49,720 battling even right now. Going to school can be a 411 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:54,760 stunning effect upon people. And all the students said doing 412 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:58,440 homeschool can be stunning. It can stun you. 413 00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:02,160 Your level of exams can be just stunning you. 414 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,480 Let me just tell you something. I was at the. 415 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:12,080 Bridgetown bowl games in the month of September. 416 00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:15,840 Our last game was the kickball game. 417 00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:25,800 We played kickball and I was the last kicker and I had to run the 418 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:31,680 whole base to make it home. And so I kicked the ball and the 419 00:30:31,680 --> 00:30:36,320 foul ball just went off into the street and then the ball came 420 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:42,000 again and I kicked it as hard as I could and I ran with 421 00:30:42,080 --> 00:30:48,560 everything that I had. 50 year old man running around a grass 422 00:30:48,560 --> 00:30:53,840 field of make believe bases. I had to make it home. 423 00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:58,680 If you don't know me yet, I'm very competitive and most of the 424 00:30:58,680 --> 00:31:01,200 time in those moments I lose my salvation. 425 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:04,840 No, I'm just kidding. And so I'm running and I'm like, 426 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,240 I'm going to make it. I'm going to make it. 427 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:09,320 But then I see Matt coming on the side of me and I see Kaden 428 00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:12,920 coming on the side of me. And someone threw the kickball 429 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,920 and the rule was you're supposed to throw it underneath the 430 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:21,880 waist. But they as your pastor, they 431 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:29,280 threw it at my head. Talk about persecution for 432 00:31:29,280 --> 00:31:31,680 following Jesus. And I'm just, I'm just playing 433 00:31:31,680 --> 00:31:33,960 with you. And so I'm I'm sliding into 434 00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:39,120 first and then someone steps on my hand, stunned. 435 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:47,040 To this day, I'm still stunned. I cannot use this pointer and 436 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:49,440 I'm running and the ball hits me. 437 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:51,320 I'm stunned. I slide. 438 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:55,960 He steps on my finger. I'm stunned, and I'm out. 439 00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:03,160 Stunned that I'm out. I should have been safe. 440 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:10,640 So. Then I made my way to the end of 441 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:16,800 the game, they came down to the final play and even though I was 442 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:22,920 stunned and out, we still won the game. 443 00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,200 And I just want you to hear this this morning. 444 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:31,800 Come on, This is where the Southern Baptist preacher comes 445 00:32:31,800 --> 00:32:36,880 out of me that you might be stunned and out, but you're 446 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:41,080 still going to win the game. You might have found yourself 447 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,280 like sliding in with all that you had and running with all 448 00:32:44,280 --> 00:32:49,320 that you had and you are stunned and you feel out, but you are 449 00:32:49,320 --> 00:32:52,760 going to win the game. And I, I just want you to hear 450 00:32:52,760 --> 00:32:57,080 that today because some of us were allowing what has stunned 451 00:32:57,080 --> 00:33:02,240 us to steal from us. Did you see David had not just 452 00:33:02,240 --> 00:33:06,760 one enemy, he had two enemies. He had Saul and he had the 453 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:12,240 Philistines. And at this moment, Saul is 454 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:16,680 pursuing his life while David's seeking to preserve the life of 455 00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:20,840 other people. And he's allowing this moment 456 00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:25,600 for what has stunned the people and his own mighty men. 457 00:33:25,840 --> 00:33:32,680 Listen, you can still be mighty and have fear not to be stunned 458 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:36,440 and stolen from, but stunned and take the next step. 459 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:41,680 Did you see here you might have come into this place and you 460 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:45,720 allow the past experience to determine your present victory? 461 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:48,240 David says no, no, no, no, no, no. 462 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,840 Listen, I want you to hear the word of the Lord, the word of 463 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,280 the Lord. Calm their fear in their hearts. 464 00:33:53,480 --> 00:33:57,200 And just because you've been stunned in that marriage, you've 465 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,680 been stunned in your relationship, you've been 466 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,840 stunned at school, you've been stunned because of that 467 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:06,320 depression, you've been stunned because of that breakup that 468 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:08,960 does not have to steal from your life. 469 00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:12,800 You can still inquire of the Lord. 470 00:34:13,679 --> 00:34:17,480 They they they say that in moments of fear. 471 00:34:18,199 --> 00:34:22,080 In moments of fear, your brain sends a warning signal to your 472 00:34:22,080 --> 00:34:27,480 hypothalamus and this is the reaction that normally follows. 473 00:34:28,239 --> 00:34:35,320 The reaction of this fear is normally fight, flight or 474 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:41,600 freeze, Fight, flight, or freeze. 475 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:44,440 Some of you when you're fearful, you just want to fight. 476 00:34:46,920 --> 00:34:48,639 Some of you, you just want to run. 477 00:34:50,760 --> 00:34:52,719 Some of. Us, we freeze. 478 00:34:54,280 --> 00:34:56,120 We're stuck. I want to give you another F Can 479 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,720 I give you another F? Because I like to use these FS, 480 00:34:58,800 --> 00:35:02,360 these acronyms a lot or these these like same letter word. 481 00:35:02,360 --> 00:35:04,840 Like you guys know, you're like, that's super cheesy, Casey, but 482 00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:10,280 we get it. Follow, follow. 483 00:35:11,360 --> 00:35:13,760 And that means this. Don't just follow the voice 484 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:17,280 that's in your head. Follow the one who's leading 485 00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:21,200 your heart. I want you to follow. 486 00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:23,600 Listen to what the Bible says. I want you to hear the voice of 487 00:35:23,600 --> 00:35:27,240 the Lord. And you, Lord my God, I put my 488 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:30,440 trust. These are the Psalms of David. 489 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,880 Listen, the Lord is my light and my salvation. 490 00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:37,160 Whom shall I fear? Listen to the voice of the Lord. 491 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:38,800 Listen. It's going to quiet your fear. 492 00:35:39,040 --> 00:35:42,760 Lord. He gives strength to His people. 493 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:45,000 I love this verse. You ready? 494 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:50,040 You ready? I sought the Lord and he 495 00:35:50,040 --> 00:35:53,440 answered me. He delivered me from. 496 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:59,120 All. Of my fears doesn't mean that 497 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:02,800 they were gone, but he delivers you from the power of them over 498 00:36:02,800 --> 00:36:06,400 you. Listen, use your. 499 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:12,280 Inner voice. His voice will quiet my fears 500 00:36:12,280 --> 00:36:18,480 and he will conquer my enemy. And in that listen to what 501 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:21,240 someone once said. And I'll take this from the book 502 00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:22,840 again. Anxious generation. 503 00:36:25,080 --> 00:36:27,840 Neurons that fire together wire together. 504 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:32,880 The neurons that fire together, they wire together. 505 00:36:34,040 --> 00:36:38,320 So wherever I'm spending my most time and my most experiential 506 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:44,840 time, either in our generation on a screen or in the Bible, 507 00:36:45,240 --> 00:36:49,360 those neurons that fire together, they wire together and 508 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:55,160 then they create new pathways in your brain of how you think you 509 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:58,360 was you escape from your reality. 510 00:36:59,920 --> 00:37:04,840 I want his voice to be that which quiets our fierce You can 511 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,480 read your Bible. You can listen to your Bible. 512 00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:10,640 We have no excuse of why we're not people of the book. 513 00:37:11,880 --> 00:37:14,360 I mean, we're not. We're not at the printing press 514 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:17,320 days where where we're wondering if we can even get a portion. 515 00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:20,080 We're not living in China where people are passing out the book 516 00:37:20,080 --> 00:37:22,840 of Matthew. You're in America. 517 00:37:23,960 --> 00:37:28,640 You're in a place where you have a written book in your hands, 518 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:32,160 but you also have digitally over your phone. 519 00:37:33,080 --> 00:37:34,760 Well, I just didn't have time for the word. 520 00:37:34,760 --> 00:37:37,280 No, no, no, you didn't make time for the word. 521 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:39,960 I, I, I just don't have the time. 522 00:37:39,960 --> 00:37:43,080 I'm so busy. When you drive, can you turn off 523 00:37:43,080 --> 00:37:44,920 the talk radio and turn on your Bible? 524 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:48,880 Will you turn off the music and just turn on your Bible? 525 00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:53,640 If you want to listen to the Bible on like a cool like street 526 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:56,600 light app, they go through the whole Bible, but they do it 527 00:37:56,600 --> 00:37:59,520 through hip hop. It's really cool. 528 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,520 I know you're looking at me like what you like hip hop. 529 00:38:02,520 --> 00:38:05,920 Yes, I do. Listen, you have this 530 00:38:05,920 --> 00:38:12,600 opportunity to allow yourself to come back to the scripture, and 531 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:14,720 I just kind of put it this way in a graceful way. 532 00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:18,160 The screen will not fix your children, but I know the 533 00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:22,960 scripture will. You don't need more screen time. 534 00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:25,080 What you really need is more scripture. 535 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:30,800 Time got kind of quiet. Let's move on here. 536 00:38:31,280 --> 00:38:34,320 His voice not only quiets my fear, his voice protects my 537 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:35,800 life. No, Notice what happens with 538 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,040 David now. It happened when Abbie Athar, 539 00:38:38,040 --> 00:38:42,040 the son of him, Alec, fled to David at Keela that he went down 540 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:44,680 with an F odd in his hand. Can you just underline the the 541 00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:48,520 term F odd in his hand and Saul was told that David had gone to 542 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:50,520 Keela. So Saul said, God has delivered 543 00:38:50,520 --> 00:38:54,800 him into my hand for he has shut himself in by entering a town 544 00:38:54,800 --> 00:38:58,240 that has gates and bars. Then Saul called all the people 545 00:38:58,240 --> 00:39:02,200 together for war to go down to Keela to besiege David and his 546 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:04,360 men. And when David knew that Saul 547 00:39:04,360 --> 00:39:07,360 plotted evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, 548 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:09,520 bring the ephod here. Notice this. 549 00:39:09,520 --> 00:39:12,680 Then David said, O Lord God of Israel, your servant has 550 00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:16,640 certainly heard that Saul seeks to come to Keela to. 551 00:39:16,760 --> 00:39:20,920 Destroy the city for my sake. Will the men of Kela deliver me 552 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:22,800 into his hand? Who is David asking? 553 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:26,160 The Lord will. Saul, come down as your servant 554 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:29,880 is heard, O Lord God of Israel, I pray tell your servant. 555 00:39:29,880 --> 00:39:32,080 And the Lord said he will come down. 556 00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,800 And David then David said, will the men of Kela deliver me from 557 00:39:35,800 --> 00:39:37,760 the my men into the hand of Saul. 558 00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:40,360 And the Lord said, They will deliver you. 559 00:39:40,760 --> 00:39:45,600 So David and his men about 600 arose and departed from Kela and 560 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:48,800 went wherever they can go. And then it was told Saul that 561 00:39:48,800 --> 00:39:53,320 David had escaped from Key loss, and we halted the expedition. 562 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,320 And David said in the strongholds in the wilderness, 563 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,760 he stayed there and remained in the mountains, in the wilderness 564 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:01,560 of Ziff. Saul sought him. 565 00:40:02,320 --> 00:40:06,000 Every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 566 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:09,440 So Saul. So David saw that Saul had come 567 00:40:09,440 --> 00:40:12,480 out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziff in 568 00:40:12,480 --> 00:40:15,360 the forest. Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose 569 00:40:15,360 --> 00:40:19,040 and went to David in the woods. And notice this, he strengthened 570 00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:25,320 his hand in God. Check this out, David. 571 00:40:25,320 --> 00:40:30,120 Not only has his fears quieted by God's voice, but David's life 572 00:40:30,120 --> 00:40:34,080 is protected by the voice of God. 573 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:38,200 No notice David had taken in Abby Athar. 574 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:44,400 You you remember that? Ahem, Alec was slaughtered with 575 00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,560 all the other priests because of Saul's jealousy and rage. 576 00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:50,680 And the Bible says that Abby Athar took in his hand the 577 00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:55,160 ephod. Now during this time the high 578 00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:59,080 priest would wear a garment. And the ephod was the apron that 579 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:07,040 was made of a very important and rich wear and beautiful stones. 580 00:41:07,080 --> 00:41:11,560 On their chest was the 1212 stones that represented the 12 581 00:41:11,840 --> 00:41:17,600 tribes of Israel, the priest. The priest would also carry into 582 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:25,000 the Holy of Holies the incense, which would then represent the 583 00:41:25,000 --> 00:41:29,360 aroma that would arise to God and it would cover the stench of 584 00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:33,680 the sacrifice. Then the priest would also, many 585 00:41:33,680 --> 00:41:38,240 scholars believe, have within their bosom in a pocketed area, 586 00:41:38,400 --> 00:41:42,720 the Urim and the Thummim. The Urim and the Thummim was, 587 00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:46,840 some scholars believe, was used to cast lots to determine what 588 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:52,000 God wanted in that moment. Now notice what the Bible says. 589 00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:59,080 The Bible says to us that we have become a holy priesthood, a 590 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:03,800 holy priesthood. Notice this. 591 00:42:03,800 --> 00:42:07,200 There's many people who want to be prophets, but not many people 592 00:42:07,200 --> 00:42:12,520 who want to be priests. And so in the holy priesthood we 593 00:42:12,720 --> 00:42:17,680 carry the prayers of the Saints up to God in lifting our incense 594 00:42:17,680 --> 00:42:22,360 and worship to him. And God has given to us the will 595 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:28,160 and the power because of His Word to discern what is right 596 00:42:28,160 --> 00:42:33,760 and what is wrong. David sought the proper channels 597 00:42:33,960 --> 00:42:40,800 to get the proper message, and thus David's life was protected 598 00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:46,240 by the Lord. David would use the ephod and 599 00:42:46,240 --> 00:42:50,400 the Urim and the Thummim, and he would now know what God was 600 00:42:50,400 --> 00:42:54,880 calling him to do. God now is not calling you to 601 00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:58,600 determine what His will is through a rock, Two rocks. 602 00:42:58,600 --> 00:43:01,520 Is that yes or no? I've heard people wondering if 603 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:06,720 they should travel to Israel and one guy wakes up at 7:47 and he 604 00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:12,240 takes that as the will of God, that he travels to Israel on a 605 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:15,480 747 jet. I don't know if you've ever 606 00:43:15,480 --> 00:43:17,160 prayed. Lord, if this is your will, let 607 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:20,080 me hit every green light going down the street right now. 608 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:22,720 I don't know if you've ever prayed. 609 00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:25,400 God, if it's your will for me to be at this donut shop, just 610 00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:28,720 provide me a parking space at this place. 611 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:32,640 I don't know what type of prayers you've often prayed, but 612 00:43:32,640 --> 00:43:37,480 here is the final authority. Here's the final authority. 613 00:43:37,480 --> 00:43:42,000 Do you want to go to Israel? Go to Israel. 614 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:47,080 Do you? I used to have a Bible college 615 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,680 friend. He's he was in the next bunk 616 00:43:49,680 --> 00:43:51,880 over. He's to say, Lord, what do you 617 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:57,040 want me to wear today? And he would come back from the 618 00:43:57,040 --> 00:43:59,280 woods for four hours. I'm like, where have you been? 619 00:44:00,160 --> 00:44:03,560 So I'm just praying and asking God what I should wear today. 620 00:44:06,720 --> 00:44:08,240 Now, I believe in the will of God. 621 00:44:09,080 --> 00:44:12,800 I believe that God speaks to us. But listen, do you want to wear 622 00:44:12,800 --> 00:44:14,200 a blue shirt for the glory of God? 623 00:44:14,200 --> 00:44:15,960 Wear a blue shirt for the glory of God. 624 00:44:17,360 --> 00:44:22,280 David determines the will of God through the Word of God. 625 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:26,200 Now this is so important because people are going to say things 626 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:28,240 to you that they say is from the Lord. 627 00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:31,880 That's not the Lord. And you're going to have to 628 00:44:31,880 --> 00:44:35,720 measure what they say by the word of God. 629 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:40,800 So this is so important because this is this is very prevalent 630 00:44:40,800 --> 00:44:43,400 in our day and age. And I believe in the gift of 631 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:45,760 prophecy. I believe that God could give 632 00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:48,800 someone a word of knowledge about a situation. 633 00:44:49,040 --> 00:44:52,440 But listen, be very careful. Be very careful. 634 00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:57,440 If you say the Lord told me to tell you and it's not found in 635 00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:01,880 here, that's not the right Lord. And it's important that we hear 636 00:45:01,880 --> 00:45:06,080 this because in this moment, what often times happens in our 637 00:45:06,080 --> 00:45:11,920 lives is we commit things to God that he actually never said to 638 00:45:11,920 --> 00:45:16,880 the people. And what we often do is it leads 639 00:45:16,880 --> 00:45:20,960 to blaming God for things that God never said. 640 00:45:22,520 --> 00:45:26,800 And so it's important that we come to a place and understand 641 00:45:27,000 --> 00:45:31,680 that God has given to us something very easy and that is 642 00:45:31,680 --> 00:45:34,640 his work. Now I know we might face 643 00:45:34,640 --> 00:45:38,120 different situations and have to make different decisions, but 644 00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:42,600 listen, measure that according to the word of God and then 645 00:45:42,600 --> 00:45:48,520 bring it into, bring it into the confirmation of people. 646 00:45:48,640 --> 00:45:52,400 Now your experience God can use, but the final authority is not 647 00:45:52,480 --> 00:45:54,600 the experience, it's the exhortation. 648 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:59,360 And this is important for us to understand because how Saul 649 00:45:59,360 --> 00:46:03,920 lived his life was through fear and insecurity, jealousy and 650 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:08,520 pride, self centeredness and selfish ambition, rebellion and 651 00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:10,760 disobedience. And then look what Saul says. 652 00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:14,560 This is what Saul says to the people in verse 21. 653 00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:20,640 And Saul said, blessed are you of the Lord, because you have 654 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:26,240 compassion on me. He used the Lord even though he 655 00:46:26,240 --> 00:46:28,280 wasn't really living for the Lord. 656 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:32,400 And it's important that we understand and protect ourselves 657 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:37,920 under the word of God, to listen like David in a place of 658 00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:41,680 dependence, in a place of his declaration, in a place that 659 00:46:41,680 --> 00:46:45,000 will lead to the devotion that God has given to us. 660 00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:52,080 His voice protects your life. But we often get into the mess 661 00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:55,240 of our own decisions because we don't listen to the message that 662 00:46:55,240 --> 00:47:01,400 the Father has given to us. We find ourselves in a place of. 663 00:47:02,000 --> 00:47:05,360 I looked up the 10 top sins of our generation. 664 00:47:06,440 --> 00:47:14,720 Narcissism, entitlement, instant gratification, anger, fear, 665 00:47:14,720 --> 00:47:21,640 materialism, pride, greed, lust, envy, laziness, sexual 666 00:47:21,640 --> 00:47:28,040 immorality, abortion, lies all at a spot where we can now give 667 00:47:28,040 --> 00:47:32,760 in to what we want to do. Now here's the thing, we think 668 00:47:32,760 --> 00:47:36,920 our way is better. So what happens is is we break 669 00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:41,560 ourselves away from what God has said in his word and we lose the 670 00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:43,920 protection that God often has for us. 671 00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:46,200 We often ask why am I facing this? 672 00:47:46,440 --> 00:47:50,240 Many times it's either because of persecution and you're doing 673 00:47:50,240 --> 00:47:54,400 what is right, or maybe some of the times it wasn't the devil 674 00:47:54,400 --> 00:47:56,920 that led you to it, it was your decision that led you to it. 675 00:47:58,560 --> 00:48:02,800 And I think it's important that we own that because we have to 676 00:48:02,800 --> 00:48:07,480 come back and understand that. His voice reveals what I need to 677 00:48:07,480 --> 00:48:09,800 remember in the midst of what I'm going through. 678 00:48:10,080 --> 00:48:14,920 And that is the nature of God, the sinfulness of sin, the work 679 00:48:14,920 --> 00:48:17,200 of Christ. I need to remember the sorrows 680 00:48:17,200 --> 00:48:20,760 of the past because of that sin, but the blessings of future 681 00:48:20,760 --> 00:48:23,120 obedience. And remember you have the help 682 00:48:23,120 --> 00:48:26,120 of. The Holy Spirit use the inner 683 00:48:26,240 --> 00:48:30,280 voice and match it to the Word of God. 684 00:48:31,960 --> 00:48:35,720 Lastly, because I think I'm going over, His voice will save 685 00:48:35,720 --> 00:48:39,160 your life. His voice will save your life. 686 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:44,800 Notice, if you would, here is David at this place, and here is 687 00:48:44,800 --> 00:48:49,080 Saul pursuing his life. Jonathan, Saul's son comes to 688 00:48:49,080 --> 00:48:51,280 David, he strengthens his hand in God. 689 00:48:51,680 --> 00:48:56,800 David now flees and the Bible says in verse 19 then the zip 690 00:48:56,800 --> 00:48:59,400 heights came to David or to Saul at Gibby. 691 00:48:59,400 --> 00:49:03,000 Us saying is David not hiding with us in the strongholds, in 692 00:49:03,000 --> 00:49:07,040 the woods, in the hills of Hakaliah, which is on the South? 693 00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:10,480 Of Jeshuman. Now therefore, O king, come down 694 00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:14,440 according to all the desire of your soul to come down, and our 695 00:49:14,440 --> 00:49:17,200 part shall be to deliver him into the King's, the King's 696 00:49:17,200 --> 00:49:19,600 hand. So what was Saul waiting for? 697 00:49:19,880 --> 00:49:22,320 The people? We're going to betray David and 698 00:49:22,320 --> 00:49:25,160 give them over to Saul. And Saul said, Blessed are you 699 00:49:25,160 --> 00:49:27,400 of the Lord. For you have compassion on me, 700 00:49:27,720 --> 00:49:31,120 please go and find out for sure and see the place where this 701 00:49:31,120 --> 00:49:33,280 hideout is and who has seen him there. 702 00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:37,240 For I am told. That he is very crafty, See. 703 00:49:37,240 --> 00:49:39,960 Therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he 704 00:49:39,960 --> 00:49:43,600 hides, and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with 705 00:49:43,600 --> 00:49:45,640 you. And it shall be if he is in the 706 00:49:45,640 --> 00:49:49,640 land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of 707 00:49:49,640 --> 00:49:52,560 Judah. So they arose and went to Ziff 708 00:49:52,560 --> 00:49:55,680 before Saul. But David and his men were in 709 00:49:55,680 --> 00:49:59,960 the wilderness of Mayon, in the plain of the South of Jeshiman. 710 00:50:00,320 --> 00:50:03,560 And when Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. 711 00:50:03,760 --> 00:50:06,360 And therefore he went down to the rock. 712 00:50:06,880 --> 00:50:11,840 He went down to the rock, the rock, I just want you to 713 00:50:11,840 --> 00:50:14,560 highlight that. And he stayed in the wilderness 714 00:50:14,560 --> 00:50:16,920 of Mayon. And when Saul heard that, he 715 00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:19,480 pursued David in the wilderness of Mayon. 716 00:50:19,760 --> 00:50:23,480 And then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David on 717 00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:26,640 the other side, with his men on the mountain. 718 00:50:26,840 --> 00:50:29,640 So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men 719 00:50:29,640 --> 00:50:32,400 were encircling David and his men to take them. 720 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,880 But a messenger came to Saul saying, Hasten and come, for the 721 00:50:35,880 --> 00:50:37,760 Philistines have invaded the land. 722 00:50:38,720 --> 00:50:41,640 God brings now. Therefore Saul returned pursuing 723 00:50:41,640 --> 00:50:43,840 David and went against the Philistines. 724 00:50:43,840 --> 00:50:48,440 So they called the place the Rock of Escaping. 725 00:50:49,560 --> 00:50:52,320 Notice this. Then David went up from there 726 00:50:52,320 --> 00:50:54,200 and dwelt in the strongholds of and Getty. 727 00:50:54,560 --> 00:50:57,760 Where was David at in the wilderness? 728 00:50:58,920 --> 00:51:05,120 He was on the rock. This is important because 729 00:51:05,120 --> 00:51:09,960 wilderness moments need the rock, but we don't think there's 730 00:51:09,960 --> 00:51:15,360 a rock in wilderness moments. But the men were so excited 731 00:51:15,360 --> 00:51:18,880 about how God delivered them that they named the place the 732 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,840 Rock of Escaping. Notice they didn't name the 733 00:51:21,840 --> 00:51:25,360 place the Rock of escape. They named it the Rock of 734 00:51:25,360 --> 00:51:28,480 Escaping because God's constantly delivering people. 735 00:51:29,000 --> 00:51:31,920 Did you get that? So notice what happens? 736 00:51:32,640 --> 00:51:36,320 How does God speak? Because I want you to use your 737 00:51:36,320 --> 00:51:40,760 inner voice. His voice has spoken a word. 738 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:45,440 The Bible says in John 11 that in the beginning was the Word, 739 00:51:45,440 --> 00:51:48,920 and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 740 00:51:49,280 --> 00:51:54,160 And the Word in John 114 became flesh, and He dwelt among us, 741 00:51:54,560 --> 00:51:57,160 and we beheld His glory. The glory is the only begotten 742 00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:00,920 from the Father, full of grace and full of truth. 743 00:52:01,080 --> 00:52:11,200 What is the rock of escape? Netflix The rock of escape is 744 00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:16,440 Netflix binge watching all of your shows so you can you can. 745 00:52:16,680 --> 00:52:21,480 The rock of escape is Instagram. The rock of escape is me 746 00:52:21,480 --> 00:52:24,000 watching a Bitcoin rise and go down. 747 00:52:25,360 --> 00:52:27,400 The rock of escape is fantasy football. 748 00:52:29,400 --> 00:52:37,320 The rock of escape is me covering my shame with another 749 00:52:37,320 --> 00:52:42,680 drink. The rock of escape is me coming 750 00:52:42,680 --> 00:52:46,280 to a place to calm down. I actually think I have to get 751 00:52:46,280 --> 00:52:51,400 high. The rock of escape is not any of 752 00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:53,040 those things. It's Jesus. 753 00:52:54,400 --> 00:52:59,520 The rock of escape is Jesus. What delivers you is Jesus. 754 00:52:59,520 --> 00:53:03,880 So you hold within your hand. Today, 66 books by 40 different 755 00:53:03,880 --> 00:53:08,000 authors written over three different continents over a 1500 756 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:12,000 year period in three different languages, all pointing me to 757 00:53:12,000 --> 00:53:16,760 one person, and that is the person of Jesus Christ and one 758 00:53:16,760 --> 00:53:18,920 author. Put it this way, in the Old 759 00:53:18,920 --> 00:53:21,640 Testament it's the anticipation of Jesus. 760 00:53:22,040 --> 00:53:24,960 In the Gospel, it's the manifestation of Jesus. 761 00:53:25,440 --> 00:53:28,560 In the book of Acts, it's the proclamation of Jesus. 762 00:53:28,880 --> 00:53:31,880 In the epistles, it's the explanations of Jesus. 763 00:53:32,200 --> 00:53:34,960 In Revelation, it's the consummation of Jesus. 764 00:53:35,960 --> 00:53:40,560 You see, the scriptures always point me to the rock of escape 765 00:53:40,880 --> 00:53:47,400 and his name is Jesus. So here is I'm I'm studying. 766 00:53:48,600 --> 00:53:52,280 I kept praying as I was studying Lord. 767 00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:55,120 What, what, what, what about what about my life? 768 00:53:55,280 --> 00:53:57,600 How do I? How do I? 769 00:53:59,600 --> 00:54:01,880 How do I? React to your inner voice of my 770 00:54:01,880 --> 00:54:04,320 life. This is the one word that kept 771 00:54:04,320 --> 00:54:10,000 popping in my mind and my heart. Hesitation, hesitation. 772 00:54:12,480 --> 00:54:16,240 You know the word. But we're hesitating to do what 773 00:54:16,240 --> 00:54:22,160 God said to do because if we do, it's going to come at a cost. 774 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:25,720 But the cost of obedience is nothing compared to the cost of 775 00:54:25,720 --> 00:54:28,720 disobedience in your life. And I just want to point you 776 00:54:28,720 --> 00:54:32,160 back to Jesus, that you would find your rock and your refuge 777 00:54:32,200 --> 00:54:35,160 in Him. We hope you enjoyed this message 778 00:54:35,280 --> 00:54:38,360 and we'd love for you to join us in person every Sunday at 10:30 779 00:54:38,360 --> 00:54:39,960 AM. For more information and 780 00:54:39,960 --> 00:54:42,160 updates, visit wearebridgetown.com. 781 00:54:42,480 --> 00:54:44,480 Thanks for tuning in and we'll see you next week.