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 --> 00:00:15,520 Let's dive in. Let's dive in Psalm 57, verse 2. 5 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,920 The author of this Psalm is a man that you might know. 6 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:24,600 His name is David and he writes these words I will cry out to 7 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:32,119 God most high, to God who performs all things for me. 8 00:00:32,200 --> 00:00:37,000 Once again he writes I will cry out to God most high, to God who 9 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:44,240 performs all things for me in first Samuel 24. 10 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:50,120 If you would join with me in verse 8, the Bible says that 11 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:54,400 David also arose afterward. He went out of The Cave and he 12 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:58,040 called out to Saul, saying, My Lord the king. 13 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:02,720 And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to 14 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:07,640 the earth, and he bowed down. And David said to Saul, why do 15 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:12,480 you listen to the words of men who say, indeed, David seeks 16 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,600 your harm? Look, this day your eyes have 17 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:21,200 seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in The Cave 18 00:01:21,440 --> 00:01:26,240 and someone urged me to kill you, but my eye spared you and I 19 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:31,280 said I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is 20 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:35,920 the Lords anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yes, 21 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:44,640 see the corner of your robe in my hand, for in that I cut off 22 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:50,000 the corner of your robe and did not kill, you know, and see that 23 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:53,040 there's neither evil nor rebellion in my hand. 24 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:58,040 And I've not sinned against you, yet you hunt my life to take it. 25 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:01,800 If you would just look at your neighbor this morning and say, 26 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,480 neighbor, my neighbor, that's all of us participating this 27 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,960 morning together. Neighbor, my neighbor, stop 28 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:13,920 cutting corners. Yep. 29 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:17,920 Again, tell your neighbor, stop cutting corners. 30 00:02:17,920 --> 00:02:20,680 Parents say this with a lot of grace to the child that's 31 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:24,920 sitting next to you. Stop cutting corners wives, look 32 00:02:24,920 --> 00:02:29,240 at your husbands and say, stop cutting corners husbands, look 33 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:32,720 at your wives with a great smile on your face and say, Pastor 34 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:37,480 Casey told me to say this to you stop cutting corners. 35 00:02:37,480 --> 00:02:42,800 Say this to your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your friends around 36 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,680 you. Stop cutting corners If there is 37 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,360 something that First Samuel chapter 24 delivers to us, 38 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:54,680 shouts loud through The Cave and echoes through the hallways of 39 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:59,560 in Getty is stop cutting corners. 40 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:03,400 You know already that First Samuel is not a hard book to 41 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:07,960 understand. I love biographies and This Is 42 00:03:08,320 --> 00:03:14,640 Us getting to watch the lives of people that are in this story. 43 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:19,480 You remember the story of Eli, the high priest who was at the 44 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,600 place called Shiloh? Good. 45 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:27,200 I'm glad that you remembered that in Shiloh family arrived to 46 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,840 come and worship the Lord in this place. 47 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,680 In Shiloh, Hannah comes with her husband named Elkanah. 48 00:03:33,920 --> 00:03:38,160 In this time that Elkanah the husband is with his wife Hannah. 49 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,440 Elkanah had another wife. I don't recommend this to any 50 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,920 husbands, to have your wife and another wife there with you 51 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:49,480 alongside of that. But this was the case during 52 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,760 this time and this age. And there is a woman by the name 53 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,840 of Pinena who is the wife of Elkanah. 54 00:03:56,840 --> 00:03:59,680 Pinana had children, but Hannah had no children. 55 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,080 Pinana was a woman who would provoke Hannah. 56 00:04:04,160 --> 00:04:08,960 I wonder if she said, I have my kiddos, you have nada, you have 57 00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:12,360 nothing at all. And so Hannah is grieved in 58 00:04:12,360 --> 00:04:15,120 spirit. She comes to worship the Lord. 59 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,680 And as she's worshiping the Lord Eli, the high priest with 60 00:04:18,959 --> 00:04:21,839 Phineas and Hoff and I, you remember his two boys. 61 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:27,760 They look at Hannah and they say she must be drunk and Eli hears 62 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,960 the words of Hannah and says I am not drunk. 63 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:36,120 I am just sorrowful of spirit. And Eli says to Hannah, you will 64 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:38,960 bear a son. You remember that Hannah want a 65 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,240 boy for the family, but God wanted a prophet for the nation 66 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:46,080 of Israel. In this moment Samuel is born 67 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,920 and as Samuels born through Hannah, he she had already made 68 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,960 a gesture to the Lord that said, I will give this boy back to 69 00:04:53,960 --> 00:04:56,960 you. So Samuel goes back to Eli and 70 00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:00,280 he's trained. The context of First Samuel, as 71 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:04,040 you remember, is written at a time of the book of Judges, 72 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:07,840 where it says that every man was doing that which was right in 73 00:05:07,840 --> 00:05:12,200 his own eyes. It sounds like our world today. 74 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:17,640 To say that the Bible is not relevant is wrong, Spurgeon 75 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,040 said. Let the lion out of its cage and 76 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:24,080 let it let it do its work. The Bible is relevant. 77 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,920 Every man was doing that which was right in his own eyes. 78 00:05:27,200 --> 00:05:31,440 And so Samuel as the prophet and judge of Israel, hears from the 79 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,040 nation of Israel that they wanted a king like all the other 80 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:36,840 nations. And so God provided a man that 81 00:05:36,840 --> 00:05:39,920 was head and shoulders above every single other person. 82 00:05:40,120 --> 00:05:44,520 He was TikTok famous. He was had a high profile. 83 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,320 He was on the front page of GQ magazine. 84 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:52,760 He was handsome, but he was hiding behind the baggage. 85 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,120 And God provided a king for the nation of Israel. 86 00:05:56,120 --> 00:06:02,640 His name means asked for, and that's exactly what they got. 87 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:07,760 Be careful what you ask for. Saul wasn't a really good king. 88 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:12,760 He disobeyed the Lord, and disobeying the Lord, God speaks 89 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,480 to Samuel. And Samuel comes and says that 90 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:17,240 the Spirit has departed from you. 91 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:20,640 You've lost the ability and the opportunity to be king. 92 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,200 And so God says I will anoint myself another king. 93 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:29,600 And in this time, Samuel goes to the House of Jesse, where Jesse 94 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:34,320 presents seven of his sons, but not the 8th, the eighth sons out 95 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,120 in the field. His name is David. 96 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,480 David comes in Ruddy, an appearance. 97 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,920 I'm sure he's smelling like sheep because all good kings 98 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,880 smell like sheep. And there is David coming into 99 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:49,520 this place. And at this place God says, 100 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:52,400 that's my man. And the Lord said to Samuel, 101 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:55,640 you're looking at the outward appearance, but I'm looking at 102 00:06:55,640 --> 00:06:58,680 the heart and I'm getting to the heart. 103 00:06:58,680 --> 00:07:02,520 So God raises up David. David comes into this place and 104 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:04,840 you remember he goes back to the sheep. 105 00:07:05,520 --> 00:07:09,120 He doesn't immediately go into being king as the position of 106 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:13,520 all of it, but he finds himself in this place now where Saul was 107 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:17,640 tormented by evil spirits. And God called David to play the 108 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:20,600 harp in the palace as David was playing the music. 109 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:23,160 The spirits would be released from Saul. 110 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,920 There would be peace. And in this moment, you also 111 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:31,480 remember that David was called upon to bring lunch, cheese, 112 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:36,200 bread, a security board to his brothers. 113 00:07:37,200 --> 00:07:39,320 He brought everything. He didn't come to fight Goliath, 114 00:07:39,320 --> 00:07:40,800 but that's what ended up happening. 115 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,520 He fought Goliath. Great opportunities happen when 116 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:49,440 natural obedience is taken. And there is David in the midst 117 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:53,880 of all of this, and he defeats the great Goliath, the one who 118 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:56,240 was taunting Israel and the God of Israel. 119 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,560 David runs over, as you know with a sling in his hand and he 120 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:03,840 throws the rock and from the rocket hits Goliath in the 121 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:05,520 forehead. He falls to the ground. 122 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:10,280 David runs over and he cuts the head of Goliath off. 123 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:15,440 Now Saul is jealous and now David runs for his life. 124 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:20,160 When we come to the context of First Samuel chapter 24, if we 125 00:08:20,160 --> 00:08:24,160 would like to put anything above this chapter, you could put he 126 00:08:24,160 --> 00:08:28,880 was chased but not caught. And here in this moment, David 127 00:08:28,880 --> 00:08:33,080 has the opportunity to end Saul's life. 128 00:08:33,360 --> 00:08:38,080 And everyone saying just cut, just do it, just do it. 129 00:08:38,200 --> 00:08:42,400 He's the enemy. So David just takes a the sword. 130 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,960 I'm wondering if it's the sword of Goliath and he cuts the 131 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,360 corner of Saul's robe off and he's grieved in his heart. 132 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:51,680 The Bible says that he's troubled. 133 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:57,400 At that moment, David realized that he should not have cut the 134 00:08:57,400 --> 00:09:02,160 corner of the robe off. And if there is something 135 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:08,080 shouting from the caves to us today, it is stop cutting 136 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,680 corners. I want to introduce you to two 137 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:16,080 brothers. In 1999, they ran in a marathon 138 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:20,360 in South Africa. Their names were Sergio and 139 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:24,040 Arnold. They actually won third place in 140 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:28,880 this marathon and as they won third place at this spot in 141 00:09:28,880 --> 00:09:32,520 South Africa, they weren't just running, they were actually 142 00:09:32,520 --> 00:09:38,240 cutting corners. They had changed places in a 143 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:43,240 porta potty. One ran and then as he got 144 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:46,720 tired, met at the porta. Potti and the brothers switched 145 00:09:46,720 --> 00:09:50,160 roles and one stayed in the restroom while the other one ran 146 00:09:50,160 --> 00:09:54,120 the rest of the race. They weren't just running, they 147 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:58,120 were actually cutting corners. I want to introduce you to 148 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:02,760 another man. His name is Rob Sloan, who 149 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:06,960 finished the English Marathon also in 3rd place. 150 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:11,760 But as he was running, he was also cutting corners. 151 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:16,760 He cut out mile one, mile 2, mile three, mile four, mile 152 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:22,760 five, mile Six, Mile 7, mile eight, mile 9, mile 10, mile 11, 153 00:10:22,840 --> 00:10:32,480 11, mile 12, mile 13, mile 14, mile 15, mile 16171819 and 20. 154 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:40,240 He entered the race mile marker 21, getting off the public bus. 155 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:45,960 He was running, but he was cutting corners. 156 00:10:46,280 --> 00:10:49,840 The years 2023. This is not just something of 157 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:56,120 the past, this is very recent. In Mexico City, 11,000 marathon 158 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:02,520 runners were disqualified. They were running, but they were 159 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,880 cutting corners. 1 runner and author. 160 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:12,160 Put it this way, when the starting gun goes off, the only 161 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:18,680 thing that matters is whether you have respected the process. 162 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:23,400 Running doesn't reward those who avoided the hard work. 163 00:11:23,680 --> 00:11:28,800 Instead, it celebrates those who have embraced the grind, who 164 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:35,400 have consistently laced up their shoes and push through the 165 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:41,560 discomfort and took no shortcuts. 166 00:11:42,480 --> 00:11:48,440 I wonder if I could put your life in line with all these 167 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:55,400 other names as a person that did not respect the process. 168 00:11:55,400 --> 00:11:57,920 Do you see? The process is not that you 169 00:11:57,920 --> 00:12:02,360 would get the work done on earth speedily, but that you would get 170 00:12:02,360 --> 00:12:04,880 the work done on earth faithfully. 171 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:10,840 You see in this moment in time that we are coming in to become 172 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:15,760 who God wants you to become, to receive what God wants you to 173 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:20,000 receive, to go where God wants you to go. 174 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:24,000 I want to put this in runners language and in scriptural 175 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:28,440 strength. You must respect the process in 176 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:32,840 which God has placed you in. This is exactly what the Bible 177 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:38,400 teaches over and over again. Rome Agglatians Excuse me 6 The 178 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:42,400 apostle Paul said Don't grow weary in doing good for in due 179 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:45,280 season you will reap if you do not lose heart. 180 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:51,000 It's the Apostle Paul that also said let us run the race with 181 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,520 endurance. I believe also the Bible says 182 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:58,040 through the Apostle Paul in Second Thessalonians chapter 3. 183 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:04,840 And As for you brothers and sisters, never tire of doing 184 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,440 good. Do you see it's not an easy Rd. 185 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:15,920 God loves you too much to let you go through life the easy 186 00:13:15,920 --> 00:13:18,200 way. There are no shortcuts. 187 00:13:18,200 --> 00:13:22,480 There's no freeways, there's no elevators that lead into the 188 00:13:22,480 --> 00:13:25,720 Kingdom of God. So I want to just challenge you 189 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:31,880 today to stop cutting corners. Look at First Samuel chapter 24, 190 00:13:31,880 --> 00:13:34,680 verse 24. Then the men of David said to 191 00:13:34,680 --> 00:13:38,480 him, This is the day of which the Lord said to you, Behold, I 192 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:43,720 will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to 193 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:50,640 him what seems good to you. The popular vote was that Saul 194 00:13:50,760 --> 00:13:57,640 became the enemy, but David still Saul, Saul as the king. 195 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:03,520 And this is where often times we get it wrong that no matter the 196 00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:07,880 place that you're in, you still should not take any shortcuts. 197 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,840 No matter the perspective that you have, you should not take 198 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,720 any shortcuts. No matter the pressure that 199 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:19,560 you're feeling upon yourself is that you should not be cutting 200 00:14:19,560 --> 00:14:24,760 any corners at all in your life. This is what David learns in The 201 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:28,240 Cave and in Getty. But this is what I'm begging and 202 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:32,360 I'm pleading with you to learn in the city of Glendora. 203 00:14:32,480 --> 00:14:37,680 Is it you as a husband, you as a wife, you as a child, you as a 204 00:14:37,680 --> 00:14:42,640 student, a worker would stop cutting corners. 205 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,840 David. He had the anointing of God, but 206 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:53,680 he was still battling Saul. David had with him the promise, 207 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:57,440 but he was still not in that place. 208 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:01,640 Do you see, Samuel had said it over him, but God had not fully 209 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:06,040 fulfilled it in him. And this David, when we come to 210 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:11,480 first Samuel 24, he runs now with the promise of God for 10 211 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:18,320 to 15 years before he becomes the king over the nation of 212 00:15:18,320 --> 00:15:21,680 Israel. And in this spot, although 213 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:25,560 Samuel said it, David was not experiencing it. 214 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:30,240 And now in this cave, David cuts the corner of Saul's robe, and 215 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:34,720 the Bible says that he's troubled on the inside. 216 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:38,120 And that is exactly where you find yourself today. 217 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:43,280 Troubled. Troubled at the corners that you 218 00:15:43,600 --> 00:15:46,840 keep cutting. The word troubled there in the 219 00:15:46,840 --> 00:15:50,640 Bible literally means to strike someone down. 220 00:15:50,880 --> 00:15:55,880 And because of the decisions and the cutting of corners, this 221 00:15:55,880 --> 00:16:01,880 will always leave you struck down and never lifted up. 222 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,400 I want to spare you from the pain of the future. 223 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:10,560 Stop cutting corners. I want you to be more present in 224 00:16:10,560 --> 00:16:12,600 the present situation that you're in. 225 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:17,640 Stop cutting corners. I want you to be at a spot in 226 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:21,440 your life as a single person that you will make a decision 227 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:27,520 today in dating that you will not cut any more corners. 228 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,040 Husbands, I want us to be in our marriages, at a place in our 229 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:37,160 lives where your wife would look at you and say you don't cut any 230 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:40,520 corners. Wives, I want us to come into a 231 00:16:40,520 --> 00:16:46,080 spot today where we don't cut any more corners. 232 00:16:46,200 --> 00:16:51,560 I want us to realize that in our lives with your taxes. 233 00:16:54,120 --> 00:17:01,080 Stop cutting corners when you're on the freeway and you're 234 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:05,839 driving by yourself, but you chose to go in the carpool lane. 235 00:17:06,079 --> 00:17:12,160 Stop cutting corners when you're doing your homework and it is a 236 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:17,640 temptation for you to allow AI to do the rest of your ChatGPT 237 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:23,440 homework for yourself. Stop cutting the corner when you 238 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:27,920 come to a spot in your life. I want to just say this with all 239 00:17:27,920 --> 00:17:31,480 grace. When you are shopping and you 240 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:37,400 have the cart in your hand and you're going to your car and you 241 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:42,560 unload your groceries in your car, I'm going to say this with 242 00:17:42,560 --> 00:17:46,160 all grace. Push the cart back to where you 243 00:17:46,160 --> 00:17:52,680 found it. Stop cutting corners. 244 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:59,040 Well, it's too far to go back. That's a long no, no, no. 245 00:17:59,040 --> 00:18:02,240 Listen, stop cutting corners with pornography. 246 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:05,960 Stop cutting corners with alcohol. 247 00:18:06,320 --> 00:18:10,960 Isn't it interesting that the government regulations have more 248 00:18:10,960 --> 00:18:14,280 guidance on alcohol sometimes than the church does? 249 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:19,040 They say that buzz driving is drunk driving, but in the church 250 00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:21,080 we're like, oh, we can get a little buzz, it's OK. 251 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,040 No, no, no. Stop cutting that corner. 252 00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,560 Stop using food as an opportunity to comfort your 253 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,000 hearts. We have to choose to stop 254 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:36,640 cutting corners in our lives. Listen, listen. 255 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:40,000 I, I, I just want to say this to you from a great preacher named 256 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,760 CW Kendall. He once said these words. 257 00:18:46,480 --> 00:18:47,480 That was me. Sorry. 258 00:18:47,720 --> 00:18:51,720 The the The greatest losers are the greatest winners who cut 259 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:54,880 corners. I want to say that to you again. 260 00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:59,320 The greatest losers are the greatest winners who cut 261 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,280 corners. I want you to hear this. 262 00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:05,240 You might be delayed, but that does not mean you've been 263 00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:08,320 denied. We need to start being 264 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,160 comfortable by being uncomfortable in the process 265 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,600 that we're in because it's here that the greatest work is being 266 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:19,080 done in our lives. Not that you're receiving a 267 00:19:19,080 --> 00:19:23,800 great gift from God, but God is forming you into a great person 268 00:19:24,560 --> 00:19:26,920 to be the great gift that He's about to give you. 269 00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,240 Listen, you might be asking, and I'm glad you are in your mind 270 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:33,280 and in your heart right now. Just look at your neighbor and 271 00:19:33,280 --> 00:19:38,320 say, how did David do this? How did David do this in First 272 00:19:38,320 --> 00:19:41,200 Samuel 24? How did this all happen? 273 00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:42,880 If there's we, we have no excuse. 274 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:46,040 No matter the place, no matter the perspective, no matter the 275 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:48,560 pressure. How did David do this? 276 00:19:48,560 --> 00:19:52,680 How can I do this in Glendora? I don't live in in Getty. 277 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:57,920 In Getty sounds like a Star Wars movie location, and this is a 278 00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:02,960 biblical location. Glendora is just the same as in 279 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:04,800 Getty. For many of you, it's a 280 00:20:04,800 --> 00:20:08,160 wilderness experience. Right now you're confused 281 00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:11,000 because God's timing is not matching what He actually said 282 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:15,480 to you. How do I not cut the corner like 283 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,960 David in this place? Well, like David, if you have 284 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:21,320 cut the corner, it's time to confess. 285 00:20:22,360 --> 00:20:26,640 It's time to allow what's troubled you to come out of you 286 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:30,760 and to bring it to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. 287 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,240 But what does David do in this moment where he is confessing? 288 00:20:35,280 --> 00:20:38,120 I just want you to write these things down if you can. 289 00:20:38,120 --> 00:20:41,600 You're going to remember 70% more of every sermon if you 290 00:20:41,600 --> 00:20:45,440 write some things down. That is this. 291 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:47,640 You have to have the right posture. 292 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:49,960 You have to have the right posture. 293 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,640 Look at what David does. He he comes to a spot in his 294 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:56,920 life in verse 8. And David arose afterward and he 295 00:20:56,920 --> 00:20:59,480 went out of The Cave. So they're no longer in The 296 00:20:59,480 --> 00:21:02,000 Cave. And in Getty now they're coming 297 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,120 out of The Cave. And David called out to Saul 298 00:21:05,120 --> 00:21:11,120 saying these words, My Lord the king, my Lord the king. 299 00:21:14,120 --> 00:21:19,200 Is that how you talk when people have wronged you, my Lord the 300 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,120 king? Notice this. 301 00:21:22,360 --> 00:21:25,800 And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to 302 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,800 the earth and bowed down. Now you remember that in The 303 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:32,080 Cave, Saul was bowing down. The Bible says that he was 304 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:36,040 relieving himself, which literally means that Saul was 305 00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:40,600 using the restroom in The Cave. Can you imagine hundreds of men? 306 00:21:40,880 --> 00:21:46,560 King Saul comes in, pulls down his pants, puts his robe out and 307 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:50,640 uses the restroom. This is a very defenseless 308 00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:56,840 position, and he's using the restroom, and David cuts the 309 00:21:56,840 --> 00:22:02,760 corner of his robe off. Saul's finished doing his duty. 310 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,280 And there David comes out of The Cave after and says, hey, my 311 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:11,120 Lord and my king, Can you imagine the shock? 312 00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:18,120 You've just gone to the restroom and someone is calling your name 313 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:21,880 from the stall that you were just were in. 314 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:28,160 That's a shock. And here in this moment, David 315 00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:31,160 says, my Lord and my king. And then he does this. 316 00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:38,680 He comes down to the ground and he puts his face to the ground. 317 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:48,240 Now David comes to this spot in his life, posturing his body 318 00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,760 because he's already postured his heart. 319 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:56,560 And what is in your heart normally will come out of your 320 00:22:56,560 --> 00:23:00,440 body. And here is David in this moment 321 00:23:00,720 --> 00:23:07,480 and at this time, he allows his mouth to say something to Saul. 322 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:09,840 Now notice what David doesn't say. 323 00:23:12,280 --> 00:23:16,080 David also arose after he went out of The Cave and he called 324 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:24,080 out to Saul saying you're an idiot, you're stupid. 325 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:33,160 What are you actually thinking? You you're going to get it, 326 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,840 Saul, Saul, do you actually know who I am and who you're not? 327 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:44,840 Isn't it interesting That's David says to Saul, My Lord and 328 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:49,120 my King David was already anointed as king. 329 00:23:49,120 --> 00:23:55,920 But notice David stooped down as Saul's servant, with his face to 330 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:00,120 the earth. And as he stooped down, David 331 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:06,000 bent his body in a posture of submission, not strength. 332 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:11,800 Notice his posture. If you're fighting your enemy 333 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:16,280 and people are about to fight you because you're wearing 334 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:24,040 Brewer's gear at Dodger Stadium, let's let's just say that in 335 00:24:24,040 --> 00:24:28,480 that moment when you're about to defend yourself, the goal for 336 00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:31,520 you is not to put your eyes to the ground. 337 00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,520 The goal for you is to keep your eyes on the person that's in 338 00:24:35,520 --> 00:24:40,080 front of you for defense. David didn't have to do that 339 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:42,840 because the Lord was his defense. 340 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:50,280 And because of that, notice David's posture was to keep his 341 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:55,920 eyes on the ground because his eyes were already on God. 342 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,200 Oh that that's, that's a good spot for the church to go. 343 00:24:59,960 --> 00:25:03,520 Amen. Listen, this is so important 344 00:25:03,520 --> 00:25:09,680 because how he submitted to God would determine how he spoke to 345 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:13,560 Saul. This is important because when 346 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:16,440 you go home this week, there's going to be opportunities for 347 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,800 you to say things to your husband, your wife, kids, to 348 00:25:19,800 --> 00:25:22,760 your parents that that you're just like, Oh no, why did I say 349 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:26,520 that? How he submitted to God would 350 00:25:26,520 --> 00:25:30,520 determine what he spoke to Saul. Notice what was happening in 351 00:25:30,520 --> 00:25:34,080 David's heart would be evident in David's mouth. 352 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:37,160 And I just want to highlight that what is happening in your 353 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,080 heart is evident of what comes out of your mouth. 354 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:43,040 I didn't mean to say that. No, no, no. 355 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:45,080 You meant to say that because that's how you felt in your 356 00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:47,920 heart. Oh, I'm just joking. 357 00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:51,360 Are you really joking? Because this is something that's 358 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:55,760 very important, posture meant for David, that he didn't see 359 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,920 Saul as the enemy. He still saw His Majesty. 360 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,360 This is vital for us when it comes to cutting corners, 361 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:07,600 because I think we cut corners in one area. 362 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:12,680 Often times I'm guilty of this is in how we communicate to 363 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:18,200 people. We'll often cut corners and this 364 00:26:18,200 --> 00:26:22,200 is what we do. Like David, No, notice this. 365 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:29,160 His communication was not with brutality because he did not 366 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:34,920 compromise Saul's identity. And I think sometimes when it 367 00:26:34,920 --> 00:26:38,920 comes to how we communicate, if we were to strip back all the 368 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,600 veneer and we were to strip back everything about our lives, if 369 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:48,040 we were to see the raw, you and me, they're scratches because of 370 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:51,120 what people spoke over us on our bodies. 371 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:54,000 For some of you, they're not scratches right now. 372 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:58,600 They're actually wounds that people spoke over your life. 373 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:02,560 For some of you right now, you are actually bleeding out. 374 00:27:03,960 --> 00:27:07,160 No one knows it in here. No one can see you bleeding out, 375 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:11,320 but emotionally you're bleeding out because of what people said 376 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:16,880 to you about your life. This is what people often will 377 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:19,440 speak over other people in their lives. 378 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:28,160 And that is this oftentimes is why did we ever get married? 379 00:27:32,920 --> 00:27:37,560 Why did I ever marry you? This is not who you were. 380 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,080 I wish I would have never gotten married to you. 381 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:49,120 This is what we will often speak over people not, not, not just 382 00:27:49,120 --> 00:27:53,560 in in, in our marriages, but we say these words. 383 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:58,800 I hate you. I hate you. 384 00:28:00,280 --> 00:28:04,400 You're actually stupid. How many times do I actually 385 00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:07,080 have to tell you this over and over again just for you to get 386 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,920 it? We'll speak words like you get 387 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:18,520 the award for the worst parents. You actually are not a good dad, 388 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:22,680 mom, child. And this is what it leads to. 389 00:28:22,680 --> 00:28:25,320 You're not enough and you'll never be enough. 390 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:29,600 And I can't stand to be around you. 391 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:33,600 No, no, no, no. Listen, David's posture was 392 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:38,440 determining his proclamation towards Saul. 393 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:42,880 So if I could just have you speak a word of encouragement to 394 00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,680 the person that's sitting next to you that desperately needs to 395 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,160 hear it, and that is you are loved by God. 396 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,800 Just say that to the person sitting next to you are loved by 397 00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,920 God. I am sorry that I would even 398 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,760 speak this way to you. Yeah. 399 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,080 Yeah. I am sorry that I would even 400 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:05,400 speak this way to you young people. 401 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:10,320 I am sorry I would go in my room and scream about how bad my 402 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:13,880 parents are when they're actually a gift from God. 403 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:21,880 Look at this. David's posture determined 404 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:26,440 David's proclamation. He wouldn't cut the corner, but 405 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:29,880 also I, I've noticed this in the text is that David's posture 406 00:29:30,200 --> 00:29:36,520 would determine David's purpose. David was a man that wasn't seek 407 00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,600 seeking to be in a certain position. 408 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:43,440 David was seeking to live in his purpose. 409 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:46,200 And I think we get those mixed up so many times. 410 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,640 We think that get the position and we find our purpose. 411 00:29:49,640 --> 00:29:51,680 No, no, no, no, no, no. This is how it works. 412 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:54,440 You live in your purpose and then God entrusts you with a 413 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,720 position. David wasn't at the spot where 414 00:29:57,720 --> 00:29:59,440 he's like, I got to be king here. 415 00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:01,320 I just have to be in this position. 416 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:05,160 If I'm not in this position, than that I, I, I actually 417 00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:06,440 cannot live. No, no, no. 418 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:10,640 David lived in his purpose when he was tending to the sheep. 419 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:18,160 David lived in his purpose when he served his brothers in the 420 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:22,040 House of Jesse. Do you know David lived in his 421 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:25,440 purpose when he played worship for King Saul? 422 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:29,360 David wasn't looking for a room that was full of people. 423 00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:33,800 David was looking to fill God in the room that he was at. 424 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:39,200 And the way that he did that was by living according to the 425 00:30:39,200 --> 00:30:43,040 purpose that God had called him to DC. 426 00:30:43,200 --> 00:30:46,880 David was living in his purpose when he was bringing the lunch 427 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:49,920 to his brothers. David was living in his purpose 428 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:54,160 when God brought Goliath. David was living in his purpose 429 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:57,640 when he would. Now I'll be anointed as king of 430 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:02,080 all of Israel. Listen, we do not often times 431 00:31:02,080 --> 00:31:06,440 respect the process. We have promise and then we have 432 00:31:06,440 --> 00:31:09,600 place, but in the middle we have process. 433 00:31:09,760 --> 00:31:14,320 But I don't want to go through the purpose, living in the 434 00:31:14,320 --> 00:31:18,320 process of it all. And David postured himself to 435 00:31:18,320 --> 00:31:21,440 live in that purpose. So. 436 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:23,440 So I want you to remember these words. 437 00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:29,360 When I serve in my purpose, I guard the promise and God will 438 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:32,840 lead me to His position. Did you get that? 439 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:40,120 I'll say it again, when in my life, when I live in my purpose, 440 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:44,600 I guard the promise and then God will lead me to the position. 441 00:31:44,840 --> 00:31:46,960 Look at the posture, if you would. 442 00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:50,200 David bows down to the Lord. And I just want you to hear this 443 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,480 today. God will not honor the promise 444 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:56,480 if you will not honor the process that He's to put you in. 445 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:02,040 So we cut corners. We cut corners in a place to 446 00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:07,600 find that in this place. We, we, we don't want to honor 447 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:12,280 the process of what God's doing. It was just this week that we 448 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:16,320 got the news from our kids on after Sunday night. 449 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,600 We have normally Family Day on Sunday, all our kids come over 450 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,280 for dinner and mom and I, we went to bed early. 451 00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:27,680 That's Lisa. And as we went to bed, we woke 452 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:31,240 up the next day and the kids are like, dad, it smells like cheese 453 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:36,320 in the living room. It stinks so bad. 454 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:40,640 So we blamed our son. We're like, stop sleeping on 455 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:43,880 this couch. And we had him put baking soda 456 00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:48,720 all over the couch and spray it with alcohol and wipe it down. 457 00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:51,800 And the living room still smelled like cheese. 458 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:55,560 And so we're like, we got to do something. 459 00:32:55,560 --> 00:33:00,640 So Lisa and I, we tore the living room apart. 460 00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:09,200 No one could really experience the living room smelling this 461 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:15,000 horrible rotten cheese smell. We cleaned the couch. 462 00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:20,000 We ripped the couches apart. We took off every cushion and my 463 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,800 wife sprayed baking soda and powder back all over it. 464 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:26,400 We sprayed it down with this fresh aroma. 465 00:33:26,600 --> 00:33:30,480 We wiped the couches down. We vacuumed the couches. 466 00:33:30,600 --> 00:33:34,520 We even turned them upside down and put a hole in that netting 467 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:36,560 on the bottom. And we vacuumed the bottom 468 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:39,920 because we thought maybe there's something stuck in there. 469 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:45,560 And still we mopped the floor. We vacuumed the carpet again and 470 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:50,880 it still smelled like cheese. I thought it was a big problem, 471 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:56,280 so until I looked up in the corner and I saw this plant. 472 00:33:58,920 --> 00:34:04,040 My wife loves plants. They breathe oxygen in the room. 473 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:09,679 And when I saw this plant, I, I maybe that's the plant. 474 00:34:09,679 --> 00:34:12,280 It can't be the plant because the plant breathes life into the 475 00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:15,320 room. So I went over to the the pot 476 00:34:15,320 --> 00:34:18,280 that it was hanging up in the corner and it has in this like 477 00:34:18,280 --> 00:34:21,080 pretty like anthropology netting, you know, ladies that 478 00:34:21,080 --> 00:34:29,440 I'm talking about and I put my nose up to it and I'm like the 479 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:36,280 plant was the issue. This is what the I felt the Lord 480 00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:40,000 say to my life and I want to say to all of your lives. 481 00:34:41,159 --> 00:34:44,440 It doesn't have to be big to be bad. 482 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:48,320 It doesn't have to be big to be bad. 483 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:53,040 And here is this plant now we took it out of the room and 484 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:58,080 we're like, get this thing out of here, get it out. 485 00:34:58,640 --> 00:35:03,440 And I really believe that posture is about receiving and 486 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:06,280 removing. I really believe this. 487 00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:09,080 This is something that should have been alive, right? 488 00:35:10,120 --> 00:35:13,000 Breathing life. This isn't bad. 489 00:35:13,480 --> 00:35:19,840 It looked healthy in the corner. I mean, it had climbed my walls 490 00:35:20,440 --> 00:35:23,160 and attached itself. I don't know what they're called 491 00:35:23,160 --> 00:35:26,440 in planting terms. It had attached itself to the 492 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,320 wall where we had to yank little things off of it. 493 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:37,720 It was alive, but it's stuck. And you could be alive today and 494 00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:42,840 stink really, because you're cutting corners. 495 00:35:43,920 --> 00:35:46,520 And I just want to encourage you that if there's something you 496 00:35:46,520 --> 00:35:49,560 have to receive, receive it. But if there's something you 497 00:35:49,560 --> 00:35:54,320 have to remove from your life, be willing to remove it. 498 00:35:54,560 --> 00:35:58,240 Listen, David had the right posture, but David also, he 499 00:35:58,240 --> 00:36:00,120 lived by this principle. Check this out. 500 00:36:00,120 --> 00:36:02,320 Just write that down. David live by principle. 501 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:05,200 The Bible says, and David said to Saul, why do you listen to 502 00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:10,520 the words of men who say, indeed, Notice this, indeed 503 00:36:12,400 --> 00:36:15,400 David seeks your harm. Look, this day your eyes have 504 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,360 seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in The Cave, 505 00:36:18,600 --> 00:36:21,600 and someone urged me to kill you, but my eyes spared you. 506 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:25,920 And I said, I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for 507 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:30,360 he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yes, 508 00:36:30,360 --> 00:36:34,720 see the corner of your robe in my hand, for in that I cut off 509 00:36:34,720 --> 00:36:39,360 the corner of your robe and did not kill, you know, and see that 510 00:36:39,360 --> 00:36:43,000 there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have 511 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,400 not sinned against you, yet you hunt my life to take it. 512 00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:50,560 Let the Lord judge between you and me, and let the Lord avenge 513 00:36:50,560 --> 00:36:53,280 me on you. But my hand shall not be against 514 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:56,200 you. As the proverb of the ancient 515 00:36:56,200 --> 00:36:59,840 says, wickedness proceeds from the wicked, but my hand shall 516 00:36:59,840 --> 00:37:02,920 not be against you. And after whom has the King of 517 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:05,640 Israel come out? And whom do you pursue? 518 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:09,600 A dead dog flea? Therefore let the Lord be 519 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:13,680 judged, and judged between you and me, and see and plead my 520 00:37:13,680 --> 00:37:16,880 case, and deliver me out of your hand. 521 00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,560 And so it was when David had finished speaking these words to 522 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:24,200 Saul, that Saul said, Is this your voice, my son? 523 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:27,680 David? And Saul lifted up his voice and 524 00:37:27,920 --> 00:37:32,160 he wept no notice. David's principle was this. 525 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:37,320 David's first question was, is why are you listening to the 526 00:37:37,320 --> 00:37:41,840 words of other men? In verse 9, then David makes a 527 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:50,040 state in verse 10, he tells him my eye spared you and I said I 528 00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:53,720 will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the 529 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:56,560 Lord's anointed. Notice the principal. 530 00:37:56,840 --> 00:38:02,040 Now notice this also David comes and he makes the statement and 531 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,880 then he gives the evidence. Here's the evidence. 532 00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:08,840 Moreover, verse 11 my father, see yes, see the corner of of 533 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:11,360 your robe. I could have taken your life 534 00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:18,800 now, but because I follow after the Lord, I will not do this. 535 00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:22,600 So he says these words, let the Lord judge between you and me. 536 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:25,800 Then he says in verse 15 that the Lord avenge me. 537 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:31,440 Then he says again, he says let the Lord judge let the Lord see 538 00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:36,280 and let the Lord place and let the Lord delivered. 539 00:38:36,520 --> 00:38:40,640 I want you to get this David's focus in The Cave was based upon 540 00:38:40,640 --> 00:38:44,680 the command of God and the character of God. 541 00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:49,760 The darkness of David's moment did not determine David's 542 00:38:49,760 --> 00:38:53,960 decision in the moment. Here is the moment that David's 543 00:38:53,960 --> 00:38:59,440 in that he could have been misdirected from the mission 544 00:38:59,680 --> 00:39:04,920 because he did something that could have seemed right at the 545 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:08,480 wrong time. And here is this moment that 546 00:39:08,480 --> 00:39:15,080 David says the principle, I live by the Lord. 547 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:21,160 If we would stamp that over everything in our lives, I know 548 00:39:21,160 --> 00:39:24,640 we're not going to be perfect, but if we would stamp that over 549 00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:30,040 the people that we're dating, I live for the Lord. 550 00:39:31,360 --> 00:39:35,000 If we would stamp that over the way we handle things in our 551 00:39:35,000 --> 00:39:41,840 marriage, I live for the Lord. If we would handle this at our 552 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:47,960 college, at our high school and our middle schools, I live for 553 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:52,880 the Lord. If we would do that, I think we 554 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:57,480 would see houses being built instead of corners being cut. 555 00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,760 I think we got to go back to the simple focus and that is this, 556 00:40:03,960 --> 00:40:08,880 that your conviction will always determine your conduct. 557 00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:12,760 David had the chance, but he lived by a whole nother charge. 558 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:16,960 And the charge was God. What do you want me to do? 559 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:20,880 And after last week's sermon, I was so convicted in my own 560 00:40:20,880 --> 00:40:23,040 heart. I was so convicted. 561 00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:28,360 You want to know why I was getting on the freeway? 562 00:40:29,520 --> 00:40:36,680 At Azusa going West and I ran the red light. 563 00:40:39,440 --> 00:40:42,680 Do they even understand? No one's there. 564 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:50,080 And I ran the red light and I'm like inside my heart, I'm like, 565 00:40:50,400 --> 00:40:55,120 how could I do that? I just told my whole church to 566 00:40:55,120 --> 00:41:00,080 stop cutting corners and it's packed. 567 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:04,520 You know, the 210 going West in the morning, It's a great place 568 00:41:05,320 --> 00:41:11,120 to park. And I ran the red light. 569 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:13,320 And I began to justify this in my mind. 570 00:41:13,680 --> 00:41:16,480 After my conviction, I went into justification. 571 00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:21,400 There were two things that I I brought to the Lord as I was 572 00:41:21,400 --> 00:41:24,200 driving. I ran the red light, Lord, 573 00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:28,320 because I have a deadline and you're not on my timeline. 574 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:33,160 Those were the two things I begin to tell the Lord. 575 00:41:33,320 --> 00:41:34,880 But Lord, you know I have a deadline. 576 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:38,920 My deadline is this has to be completed now. 577 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:43,000 And we set deadlines without believing in the power of the 578 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:47,040 resurrection. Did you get that? 579 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:51,800 We set deadlines because we don't believe in the power of 580 00:41:51,800 --> 00:41:56,200 the resurrection. We set deadlines that God never 581 00:41:56,200 --> 00:41:59,840 set for us. And we often think things are 582 00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:03,040 dead and they might be dead, but they have to be dead before God 583 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:07,640 can resurrect it. And we set things of over God of 584 00:42:07,640 --> 00:42:10,400 a deadline that he never even said over us. 585 00:42:11,080 --> 00:42:15,440 And I'm just thinking to myself, IA God, I, I got to do this. 586 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:20,080 And now because I'm at this deadline, Lord, now I'm confused 587 00:42:20,080 --> 00:42:23,080 of why you didn't work. And now I'm just contemplating 588 00:42:23,080 --> 00:42:25,520 quitting. And So what happens in this 589 00:42:25,520 --> 00:42:34,240 place is we set deadlines on God because our eyes are on what's 590 00:42:34,240 --> 00:42:38,160 in front of us many times rather than what God said to us. 591 00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:44,080 And I think there's another thing why we begin to justify 592 00:42:44,080 --> 00:42:47,200 not living by principle is the the timeline. 593 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:53,280 The timeline that we're actually in is not the timeline that we 594 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:57,560 like. Can I just say this to you 595 00:42:57,560 --> 00:43:00,440 again, might seem a little strong. 596 00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:03,080 God's Love's not a pampering love to you. 597 00:43:03,080 --> 00:43:07,800 It's a perfecting love for you. And sometimes our timeline 598 00:43:07,800 --> 00:43:12,000 doesn't match God's timeline. But God is late. 599 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:15,880 God is slow. God, you don't even understand. 600 00:43:16,120 --> 00:43:18,280 My time is really not in his hands. 601 00:43:18,280 --> 00:43:21,520 So I rush around with a hurried heart rather than a holy heart. 602 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,360 And sometimes I feel like in in my life that God, you've 603 00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:30,800 actually missed the mark. You've missed this mark. 604 00:43:32,240 --> 00:43:34,840 But I love what Oswald Chambers said in his devotional. 605 00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:38,320 He says sometimes it looks like God is missing the mark because 606 00:43:38,320 --> 00:43:42,480 we are too short sighted to see what he's actually aiming for. 607 00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:47,360 He's aiming for something in our lives and the goal is the 608 00:43:47,360 --> 00:43:51,520 principle in which God has placed within us. 609 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:55,400 So how do I move forward when it seems like there's a red light 610 00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:58,280 and God's telling me to stop, but I really don't want to stop. 611 00:43:58,920 --> 00:44:01,920 I just want you to move forward in this by fulfilling His word, 612 00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:06,160 focusing on His character, being faithful by what's in front of 613 00:44:06,160 --> 00:44:08,080 you, and not forfeiting your blessing. 614 00:44:10,120 --> 00:44:12,240 You can listen to the podcast for that because I'm running 615 00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:15,040 late if you want to hear that again. 616 00:44:15,280 --> 00:44:19,840 But the opportunity that David was in was for a posture and 617 00:44:19,840 --> 00:44:22,960 principle. And what I believe, what helps 618 00:44:23,120 --> 00:44:30,160 fight cutting corners is praise. Notice what David does verse 17. 619 00:44:30,160 --> 00:44:32,320 Then he said to David, You are more righteous than I. 620 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:35,880 For you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded 621 00:44:35,880 --> 00:44:39,200 you with evil. And you have shown this day how 622 00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:41,880 you have dealt well with me. For when the Lord delivered me 623 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:44,640 into your hand, you did not kill me. 624 00:44:44,840 --> 00:44:48,160 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? 625 00:44:48,160 --> 00:44:51,880 Therefore may the Lord reward you with good, for what you have 626 00:44:51,880 --> 00:44:54,960 done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you 627 00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:59,160 shall surely be king, Saul says, and that the Kingdom of Israel 628 00:44:59,160 --> 00:45:01,040 shall be established in your hand. 629 00:45:01,400 --> 00:45:05,960 Therefore swear now to me by the Lord that you will not cut off 630 00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:09,400 my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my 631 00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:13,200 name from my father's house. So David swore to Saul, and Saul 632 00:45:13,200 --> 00:45:15,080 went home. Notice this. 633 00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:18,760 But David and his men went up to the stronghold. 634 00:45:19,560 --> 00:45:22,680 Now they go to the stronghold. Now notice what happens. 635 00:45:22,680 --> 00:45:26,760 Flip over to Psalm 57 in your Bible. 636 00:45:27,240 --> 00:45:33,160 Psalm 57 is in the context where David is coming out of this cave 637 00:45:34,400 --> 00:45:36,720 and listen to what David writes when he's coming out of The 638 00:45:36,720 --> 00:45:39,640 Cave. We know that Psalms are the song 639 00:45:39,640 --> 00:45:43,440 books for the nation of Israel. So these are actually songs. 640 00:45:43,440 --> 00:45:47,720 These are worship songs there. There's like they're strumming 641 00:45:47,720 --> 00:45:50,880 in the background. It's like the worship team 642 00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:54,400 travels with you when you drive to work on Monday. 643 00:45:55,000 --> 00:45:58,320 The worship team is behind you as you as you're walking into 644 00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:01,320 the office, the worship team is behind you. 645 00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:03,320 When you're going into the construction site, or you're 646 00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:07,920 wiping another dirty taking care of another dirty diaper, or a 647 00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:10,080 wiping the tears off of your teenager. 648 00:46:10,080 --> 00:46:11,920 The the the worship team is there. 649 00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:15,400 Praise enables you to stop cutting corners. 650 00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:18,160 Listen to what he says coming out of The Cave. 651 00:46:19,080 --> 00:46:24,760 He came out in praise, not bitterness, not frustration. 652 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:27,760 How do I know that? He wrote Psalm 57. 653 00:46:28,560 --> 00:46:31,080 Listen to what he says. Be merciful to me, Oh God, be 654 00:46:31,080 --> 00:46:35,000 merciful to me for my soul. Trust in you and in the shadow 655 00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:38,520 of your wings I will make my refuge. 656 00:46:39,720 --> 00:46:43,720 Where did they go? They went to the stronghold and 657 00:46:43,720 --> 00:46:47,280 David is saying, Lord, you are my stronghold and until these 658 00:46:47,280 --> 00:46:50,800 calamities have passed by, notice the verse 2. 659 00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:55,600 I will cry out to God most High to God who performs all things 660 00:46:55,600 --> 00:46:58,960 for me. He shall send from heaven and 661 00:46:58,960 --> 00:47:02,320 save me. He reproaches the one who would 662 00:47:02,320 --> 00:47:06,280 swallow me up. God shall send forth his mercy 663 00:47:06,280 --> 00:47:10,000 and his truth. My soul is among lions. 664 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:13,280 You ever felt like that? No. 665 00:47:13,280 --> 00:47:19,960 OK, David, did I lie among the sons of men who are set on fire? 666 00:47:20,240 --> 00:47:24,600 Whose teeth are Spears and arrows in their tongue a sharp 667 00:47:24,600 --> 00:47:28,120 sword. Be exalted, O God, above the 668 00:47:28,120 --> 00:47:32,240 heavens. Let your glory be above all the 669 00:47:32,240 --> 00:47:35,000 earth. Listen where David wrote this. 670 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:37,600 Coming out of The Cave. They have prepared a net for my 671 00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:40,280 steps. My soul is bowed down. 672 00:47:40,280 --> 00:47:43,360 They have dug a pit before me. Into the midst of it they 673 00:47:43,360 --> 00:47:46,680 themselves have fallen. Sailor, pause. 674 00:47:48,160 --> 00:47:53,840 My heart is steadfast. Oh God, my heart is steadfast. 675 00:47:55,600 --> 00:48:05,680 I will sing and give praise. I will sing and give praise. 676 00:48:07,120 --> 00:48:11,640 I will sing and I will give praise. 677 00:48:14,360 --> 00:48:17,560 I will praise you, O Lord, among the peoples. 678 00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:25,600 I will sing to you among the nations, for your mercy reaches 679 00:48:25,640 --> 00:48:31,040 unto the heavens, and your truth unto the clouds coming out of 680 00:48:31,040 --> 00:48:34,960 The Cave. David says, be exalted, O God 681 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:41,760 above the heavens, let your glory be above all the earth. 682 00:48:42,680 --> 00:48:48,920 He already said that. He said that in verse 5 and 683 00:48:48,920 --> 00:48:51,840 you're thinking, why? Why do we always repeat the same 684 00:48:51,840 --> 00:48:56,000 words of the song? We just sing that that lyric, 685 00:48:56,560 --> 00:48:57,840 and now we're going to go over that again. 686 00:48:58,760 --> 00:49:04,840 David does it. He's reinforcing truth through 687 00:49:05,520 --> 00:49:10,200 song. And I believe what would build a 688 00:49:10,200 --> 00:49:17,960 life is praise postured worship into principle. 689 00:49:17,960 --> 00:49:21,280 Truth leads to passionate praise. 690 00:49:23,040 --> 00:49:26,600 So then I can come into a room and if I'm not feeling good with 691 00:49:26,600 --> 00:49:31,880 my Lyme's disease, that doesn't have to be the determining 692 00:49:31,880 --> 00:49:37,000 factor of how I praise the Lord. I could still come into this 693 00:49:37,000 --> 00:49:41,600 room and sing. Great is your faithfulness. 694 00:49:41,800 --> 00:49:45,960 I could still come into this room and sing. 695 00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:52,520 The steadfast love of the Lord never see. 696 00:49:52,960 --> 00:50:01,560 He says his mercies never come to an end. 697 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:10,880 They are new every morning, new every morning. 698 00:50:12,200 --> 00:50:21,240 Great is thy faithful, oh God, great is thy. 699 00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:35,400 As the deer panteth for the water, so my soul longeth thy 700 00:50:36,720 --> 00:50:48,680 dir thee. You alone are my desire and thy. 701 00:50:55,600 --> 00:50:57,800 I could shout to the Lord all the earth. 702 00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:04,680 I don't feel good today. I don't feel good. 703 00:51:08,120 --> 00:51:10,760 But your feeling doesn't have to determine your praise. 704 00:51:12,840 --> 00:51:16,760 I feel sick today. I've been having severe 705 00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:27,280 nightmares, not because of thank you, Dora, for many sermons to 706 00:51:27,280 --> 00:51:31,160 come. I've been having severe 707 00:51:31,160 --> 00:51:33,840 nightmares not not because I'm watching scary movies, but 708 00:51:33,840 --> 00:51:35,640 because that's what my disease brings. 709 00:51:37,360 --> 00:51:40,000 And so I wake up in the middle of the night at 2:00 in the 710 00:51:40,000 --> 00:51:43,480 morning, and I can't fall back to sleep until 5:00. 711 00:51:46,080 --> 00:51:48,200 I'm not going to let that determine my praise. 712 00:51:50,440 --> 00:51:54,640 I feel like my whole body is set on fire, but I'm not going to 713 00:51:54,640 --> 00:51:59,840 let that stop my praise. I feel like sometimes the the 714 00:51:59,840 --> 00:52:04,600 fatigue is so overwhelming that I, I just can't take any other 715 00:52:04,600 --> 00:52:06,920 thing in my life. But I'm not going to let that 716 00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:12,080 determine my praise. I have a Lord and it's not 717 00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:18,280 Lyme's disease, it's Jesus. I have someone to praise and I 718 00:52:18,280 --> 00:52:23,480 come into this room and we come and we're able to be real. 719 00:52:23,480 --> 00:52:27,120 Like I could be real in front of you and not a victim to my 720 00:52:27,120 --> 00:52:29,240 disease. But the reality of it is that 721 00:52:29,240 --> 00:52:32,760 it's painful and I don't like it and I don't want it to be there. 722 00:52:33,000 --> 00:52:36,320 And I believe that a God and a God who heals in his timing, in 723 00:52:36,320 --> 00:52:39,680 his way, according to his power. And I believe in a community 724 00:52:39,680 --> 00:52:43,440 that's willing enough to be real and not to allow what we're 725 00:52:43,440 --> 00:52:48,000 facing externally to determine how we praise God into 726 00:52:48,080 --> 00:52:50,960 eternally. I'm not going to be dictated and 727 00:52:50,960 --> 00:52:55,840 directed by this in my life, where The Cave of my life is the 728 00:52:55,840 --> 00:53:00,320 consummation of my life. The Cave that I'm in is not 729 00:53:00,320 --> 00:53:04,280 where my life will end. The darkness that I face is not 730 00:53:04,280 --> 00:53:07,240 the darkness that I'm going to continually walk through. 731 00:53:07,240 --> 00:53:10,360 There's a day coming where the glory of God is going to shine, 732 00:53:10,520 --> 00:53:13,400 where there's no need of the sun, where I will walk on 733 00:53:13,400 --> 00:53:16,880 streets of gold and I will not hear any more ambulances or have 734 00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:20,520 bars on windows or hear any other fighting and news. 735 00:53:20,520 --> 00:53:24,160 I there will be a time where disease will be wiped away and 736 00:53:24,320 --> 00:53:28,120 if God chooses to heal, now is the time I receive it. 737 00:53:28,120 --> 00:53:32,440 If he chooses not to, this will not determine my praise because 738 00:53:32,640 --> 00:53:38,120 listen, our praise is not based upon the way that I feel in the 739 00:53:38,120 --> 00:53:42,400 moment that I'm in, but it's based upon the character of God 740 00:53:42,400 --> 00:53:46,360 who said that He is eternal and I could place my steadfast hope 741 00:53:46,360 --> 00:53:51,280 and life in Him. So today I seek to praise Him 742 00:53:51,520 --> 00:53:54,640 and this is what stops me from cutting corners. 743 00:53:54,840 --> 00:54:01,920 Let everything be done in Word and indeed to the glory of God. 744 00:54:03,200 --> 00:54:06,280 And I don't know how you have walked into this place. 745 00:54:06,280 --> 00:54:08,040 I don't know what you're feeling right now. 746 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:09,720 I don't know what you're caring for. 747 00:54:09,720 --> 00:54:11,600 Some of you. I do know a little bit of your 748 00:54:11,600 --> 00:54:14,000 story. I do know some of your pain that 749 00:54:14,000 --> 00:54:16,400 you've walked through. But but listen, I don't know 750 00:54:16,480 --> 00:54:20,480 everyone's pain, but there's a God in heaven who sees you, who 751 00:54:20,480 --> 00:54:24,760 loves you, and he's placed you in this time and he's preparing 752 00:54:24,760 --> 00:54:29,960 you for something even greater. And maybe that might not just be 753 00:54:29,960 --> 00:54:33,480 healing in the moment. Maybe that might be reaching 754 00:54:33,480 --> 00:54:35,080 someone in the moment of your pain. 755 00:54:36,960 --> 00:54:40,760 And so we have a man in the story of Scripture who wasn't 756 00:54:40,760 --> 00:54:44,520 perfect. And this man comes to us and 757 00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:48,360 says to us, will you keep praising him? 758 00:54:49,960 --> 00:54:53,600 Will you keep praising him? And I just want to ask you as a 759 00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:57,840 church to do this one thing as we join together in this moment. 760 00:54:58,520 --> 00:55:03,680 And that is in your struggle, you choose to sing that in what 761 00:55:03,680 --> 00:55:06,560 you're wrestling with, you choose to go back to the Word, 762 00:55:07,000 --> 00:55:11,560 and that what you're willing to bring to the Lord is coming from 763 00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:17,640 a broken vessel and vase that perfumes the house. 764 00:55:19,400 --> 00:55:22,000 We hope you enjoyed this message and we'd love for you to join us 765 00:55:22,000 --> 00:55:24,160 in person every Sunday at 10:30 AM. 766 00:55:24,560 --> 00:55:26,560 For more information and updates, visit 767 00:55:26,560 --> 00:55:29,200 wearebridgetown.com. Thanks for tuning in and we'll 768 00:55:29,200 --> 00:55:30,040 see you next week.