"The Call to Conversion"

Matthew 4:16-17
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light;on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near."

Introduction:

After 30 years of living in relative obscurity, Jesus begins his ministry of reconciling earth and heaven with a proclamation of hope, “the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.”

These brief words lifted from the lips of Isaiah defined the life, ministry and work of Jesus.  Jesus was sent by God into a world defined by darkness and death.  As darkness limits our abilities see beyond its region, we as human beings are incapable of living full and complete lives as long as we remain in spiritual darkness.  And no matter what we are able to accomplish with our lives, the lingering shadow of death reminds us of, as Solomon often said, "the vanity or uselessness of it all".

The “Announcement:”

Here Jesus comes, bursting onto the scene of history with a hopeful proclamation that if believed and embraced would transform us from dwellers of darkness to dancers in life’s light.  This proclamation is so profoundly hopeful that death’s shadowy presence no longer disturbs or distresses those who have seen and who have stepped into the great light. With this announcement, Jesus is telling humanity: "there is now available to all of humanity a new order of life; a new way of existing that is far better than the one presently lived by humanity; a new and more glorious way of being human". Matthew writes: “From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent for the kingdom of God is near."

Captioning the Life of Jesus:

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus was all about introducing and establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.  Jesus, the “Light of the World” came to do the following things:

1.     Expose ultimate futility and failure of this world’s order.
The darkness of sin that prevails and dominates all things in this world will leave us with absolutely nothing.  7 times in the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon said, “Vanity, Vanity all is vanity and vexation of the spirit.”  Why is the spirit vexed?  Because Solomon in his wisdom and through his own experience realized that the satisfactions, pleasures, comforts and good times leave us no better off. Jesus himself said, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul"?  Jesus came to be the light to expose the ultimate futility and failure of this world’s order.

2.     Jesus also came to be the light in order to reveal a better way of existing.

3.     Jesus came to reveal the way of becoming a better human being.
4.    Jesus came to reveal the way to a life of ultimate fulfillment, perpetual joy, profound purpose, unrealized pleasure, and unimagined peace.

Sent By God:
Jesus was sent by God to this world to show us what he created us to be; to show us what a true and honest human being looks like.  He is the "second Adam", the perfect created man, unspoiled by sin, full of God’s life, light and love to show us God’s way, and to lead us back into the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God:

The Kingdom of God is so radically different from anything that we know or are accustomed to.  It is impossible for us to understand or to even participate in Kingdom of God if one has not embraced the life and lessons of Jesus.

Unless one has gone through a radical transformation of the heart, mind and soul that is possible only through one’s faith in Christ, then one cannot even begin to imagine or see the new possibilities and glorious potential that God has for them in his Kingdom.  This radical transformation of the heart, mind and soul is what Jesus calls the "born again experience".  And Jesus made this very clear in his conversation with Nicodemus that this experience does not occur through any act of human efforts.  This means  none of the following acts will not in any way get anyone into the Kingdom of God. Why you ask?  Because: The Kingdom of God:

doesn’t occur simply by joining a church.
doesn’t occur by our good deeds or acts of kindness.
doesn’t occur by our associations with so called "good people".
 doesn’t occur simply by educating our minds.
 doesn’t occur through any of our human efforts. The truth is.....

This radical transformation of the heart, mind and soul only occurs when one opens themselves up to God, and allows for the spirit of Christ – the Holy Spirit – to bring them into a loving relationship with the Almighty God of earth and heaven.  Jesus tells Nicodemus: " Marvel not what I say to you, you must be born again".

In order to understand and participate in this new order called the Kingdom of God, there must be a change so radical that your ideas, attitudes and behaviors change.  This change, again, does not occur because we make it happen, it occurs when you open yourself up to light of God’s knowledge and love who is Jesus Christ.  When this change occurs you immediately become, though imperfect and ignorant, a citizen of God’s kingdom. You will discover that your desires and passions have changed, and you now possess a desire to live a different life in love and service to God. 

·        Rev Frederick D. Favors – a personal friend of mine and a successful biology major in college was well on his way to becoming a doctor. But one day, he heard God’s call to conversion and soon changed his college major from biology to religion, and is now has become since that conversion experience and subsequently answering the call to ministry a passionate and prolific preacher of the gospel.

Purpose of the Kingdom of God:

The Kingdom of God is ushered in by Jesus to reveal the face of God to the world.  The church, that is, the “real and authentic” church, is in the world so that the world might see God in us. “Our purpose” as the body of Christ in the world is to reveal love of God.  We are called of God to demonstrate to the world the spirituality, the economics, the social relevance and the politic power of the kingdom of God. If we are honest with ourselves, we must confess that we, the church have done a poor job of revealing God’s love in this world full of lost and confused souls. 

So before there can be a conversion of the world, there must first be a conversion of the church.  God’s call to conversion is not directed to the world, but could it be that God is calling the church to conversion.  In my travels and observations of churches around our city, state and country I am certain that before there can be a conversion of sinners, there must first be a conversion of the church.

Legend has it that Nero, the emperor of Rome, played his fiddle while Rome burned to the ground.  Could it be that the church of America, like Nero, is fiddling while America descends into the abyss?  Or more specifically, could it be, with a few exceptions, that the American churches  are "fiddling" while our communities are being destroyed?

Addressing the Big "Why":

Why is it with all the churches of different ethnicities located in each state around this country, that with few exceptions,  many of the schools our children attend  tend to be at the bottom of every list;

AIDS is steadily increasing among black women, incarceration rates among our young men and women are getting higher with their pants getting lower, and skirts getting higher; economic exploitation continues to leave our people wallowing in pockets of poverty, ignorance has become coveted standard, destructive health habits are the order for the day, immoral behavior has become an excepted behavior among our people, with fewer and fewer genuine conversion experiences taking place in our churches.

Asking the Big" Question:"

Could it be that we, like Nero, are fiddling while our communities are being destroyed?  Could it be that the world only sees us, and not God?  Could it be that God is calling the world, and the church to conversion? 

God is calling the world, to conversion because they are lost in sin.  But God is also calling the church to conversion because she has forgotten who she is.  The church is the bride of Christ.  In Revelation the angel to the church of Ephesus warns to the church to return to her first love.

That’s what "conversion" means.  "Conversion means to turn, to return, to bring back, to come back, to restore".   God is calling the church to come back to her original purpose and design.  Somehow we have gotten off track, and God is calling the church to come back home. Jesus came preaching repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. "Repentance is the first step toward conversion". The church of God needs to repent.  We must tell God that we are sorry. 

God we’re sorry for our:

Apathy
Our pettiness and concern about things that don’t matter 
Ignorance
Selfishness and willfulness
Sinful lifestyles we have lived. 
Sanctioning sin with our silence.

Prayer: God Restore our joy, restore our power, restore our witness, restore the land.

Repentance: It's a Process!

Repentance is the first step to conversion, but in the process of turning away from something, we must turn to something.  Repentance turns us away from things unlike God, but faith turns us to God.  The call to conversion is the call to return to truth and faith.

Only when we are converted are we set free from the powers of sin and evil that holds us captive. 

The conversion of the church marks the beginning of a movement that seeks to make visible the invisible kingdom of God. 

Our conversion, therefore, cannot remain a private matter to be shared and discussed among fellow believers.  But it must become public. 

A converted church is not content to simply maintain its traditions that only satisfy a sanctified few.  A converted church is like the young Jesus who said to his parents, “I must be about my Father’s business.”  The  Father’s business is a public affair.

A converted church is a public church, a community church, an open church for all people. 

It is not an exclusive Christian club that welcomes only a certain kind of person.  A converted church is a church that welcomes all into an experience of true community.  Young, old, rich, or poor, all are welcome into a church that is converted.  And in this experience we become one people, one voice, one heartbeat before God.  We worship together.  But the real strength and purpose of the church is seen when we serve together.

When the converted church dares to become public know that the world will resist, criticize and try to block the efforts of the church.  Know that the unconverted among the converted will be used by Satan distract the church from her mission. But the converted church must not lose heart or lose focus.  For they know that, “Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.”

When the converted church dares to become public the world will see the work of Jesus being done. They will began to see the following actions coming from the church's conversion experience:

There will be a great concern for those less fortunate.

 A politic of love will rule the order of the day.

All injustices will be challenged not simply to benefit me or mine, but these challenges will benefit all people who are held captive by the satanic systems of exploitation and greed.

The conversion experience brought about by Jesus Christ had a definite effect on the early stages of the Christian Church. The effects of conversion in the early church were:

There was no longer those divisions that kept people from people;

There was no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female.

There were no privileged group or subjected poor. All were one  in Christ.

In their perspective communities, the weak were protected and the stranger were welcomed.

People were healed, the poor cared for, and justice found.

Everything was shared, and the joy of the Lord made their lives full and complete.

According to Tertullian, an early Christian theologian, “When people looked at the early Christians people would say, ‘O how they love one another.’” A historian named Aristides describes the Christians this way, “they have a love for one another".  They never fail to help widows; they save orphans from those who would hurt them.  If they have something they give freely to the man who has nothing; if they see a stranger, they take him home, and are happy, as though he were a real brother.”

Conclusion:

God’s call to conversion is echoing throughout the land. 
Conversion means to turn, to return, to bring back, to come back, to restore.   God is calling the church to come back to her original purpose.

That purpose is to live out the greatest Christian virtue which is love. 

The love of Christ is a "life-giving love" that when lived, publicly brings light to darkened lives and chases away that shadow of death.  The converted church must develop the habit of looking out for what’s going on in the surrounding world; rejoicing with its joy, weeping with its grief, and above all eager for opportunities to bring love, comfort, healing and hope wherever possible;  The converted church must cultivate a  hope that dispels fear and offers promise.

Finally, with all of these efforts, the converted church must seek to bring a faith that welcomes people out of the darkness of their existence into the glorious light of God’s kingdom. 

And we do this not necessarily by just speaking of Jesus all the time, though we should take every opportunity to do so, but by also living Jesus in public.

America and around the world must to see the power of a converted church.  God has called all churches across this country and around the world to step up and choose to be that church.

  

Revelation 2:12-17    The Church at Pergamos   
 "The Compromising Church"

"And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write, These things says He who has the sharp two-edged sword:"I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.* Repent, or else I will come to you quickly and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."'  (NKJV)

I.    History
PERGAMOS
A city of Mysia, three miles N. of the River Caicus built a beautiful city round an impregnable castle on "the pine-coned rock." Attalus II bequeathed his kingdom to Rome 133 B.C. The library was its great boast; founded by Earaches and destroyed by Caliph Omar. The prepared sheepskins were called pergamena charta from whence our "parchment" is derived. The Nicephorium, or thank offering grove for victory over Antiochus, had an assemblage of temples of idols, Zeus, Athene, Apollo, Aesculapius, Dionysus, Aphrodite. Aesculapius the healing god (Tacitus, Ann. 3:63) was the prominent Pergamean idol (Martial); the Pergamenes on coins are called "the principal temple-care-takers (neokoroi) of Asia," and their ritual is made by Pausanias a standard. The grove of Aesculapius was recognized by the Roman senate under Tiberius as having right of sanctuary. The serpent (Satan's image) was sacred to him, charms and incantations were among medical agencies then, and Aesculapius was called "saviour." How appropriately the address to the Pergamos church says, "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat (throne) is," etc.

II.   Christ's Message to Pergamos
Jesus addressed this church as "He that has the sharp sword with 2 edges". Jesus wanted the Church at Pergamos to know His word to them was sharp, poingant, and will cut deep to the heart of the issues he had with the way this church conducted itself. The Church of Pergamos was infested with men of corrupt minds, who did what they could to corrupt both the faith and manners of the church Jesus Christ, being resolved to fight against them by "the sword of his word", takes the title of "Him that hath the sharp sword with two edges". There were 3 valid reqasons why this was true:
(1.) The word of God is a sword; it is a weapon both offensive and defensive, it is, in the hand of God, able to slay both sin and sinners.

(2.) It is a sharp sword. No heart is so hard but it is able to cut it; it can divide asunder between the soul and the spirit, that is, between the soul and those sinful habits that by custom have become another soul, or seem to be essential to it.
 
(3.) It is a sword with two edges; it turns and cuts every way. There is the edge of the law against the transgressors of that dispensation, and the edge of the gospel against the despisers of that dispensation; there is an edge to make a wound, and an edge to open a festered wound in order to its healing. There is no escaping the edge of this sword: if you turn aside to the right hand, it has an edge on that side; if on the left hand, you fall upon the edge of the sword on that side; it turns every way.

In verse 13, Jesus begans to address their works by letting them know the good things He observed: He says: "I know thy works, and where you dwell and where Satan's seat is and you still hold fast to may name and has not denied the faith, even in the days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr who was slain among you where Satan's dwells" 
 
III.    What Christ had against this Church
A.    Under Constantine's regime, The church became a "state" church, as Constantine sought to merge Pagan cultists with the Christain that lived in the Roman Empire into "one" people.  Pergamos became the capital of Rome.         
        Not only was Pergamos a government center with three imperial temples, but it was also the site of the "temple of Asklepios" (the Greco-Roman god of medicine and healing), and the medical center where the physician Galen worked (about A.D. 160). Here also was a temple to "Athena" and a temple to "Zeus" with an altar showing Zeus defeating "snake-like giants". The Apostle John spoke of Pergamos as the place "where Satan's throne is" in verse 13 because there existed a cult practice of "Emporer worship".  Pergamos was a center where this form of loyalty was pledged to the emperor of the Roman Empire. In adddition, there were 2 "cultic doctrines" that emerged within the Christian church:  the "Doctrine" of Balaam and the "Doctrine" of the Nicolatanes.

1.     Doctrine of Balaam (taken from Nelson's Bible Commentary)
The New Testament mentions Balaam in three passages. The Apostle Peter speaks of false teachers who "have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following "the way of Balaam" (2 Peter 2:15). Jude speaks of backsliders who "have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit" (Jude 11). Balaam's error was greed or covetousness; he was well paid to bring a curse upon the people of Israel.

The nature of Balaam's curse is made clear by John in the Book of Revelation. It refers to some members of the church in Pergamos who held "the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit "sexual immorality" (Revelation 2:14).

Before leaving Balak, Balaam apparently told the Moabite leader that Israel could be defeated if its people were seduced to worship Baal, "to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality" (Revelation 2:14). Indeed, this was exactly what happened: The people [of Israel] began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifice of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel" (Numbers 25:1-3).

In condemning "the way of Balaam," the New Testament condemns the greed of all who are well paid to tempt God's people to compromise their moral standards. Tragfically, 42,000 lost their lives as God in his anger sent a dreaded plague to the men of Israel who committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab.

2.    Doctrine of the Nicolatianes
        The "Nicoliatanes" were a faction of people within the Christian church that tried to create a "priestly order", based upon the Old Testament order of the priesthood that consisted of the "Priest"," Levites", and then the "common people". The very nature of the Nicoliatanes can be seen in the meaning of their name: "Niko" which means "to conquer" or "to overthrow" and "Laos" which mean "the people" or "laity". The Nicoliatanes purposed to create  what Dr. Clarence Larkin called " A Holy Order of Men" to place over the people or laity! This idea was foreign  to the New Testament plan God had set up for his church. They would then eliminate the title "Pastor" which is biblically correct and replace that title with other titles such as "Bishop", Cardinal", "Clergy", "Pope", or "Archbishop". This "Nicoliatane  idea" was the orgin of what is known today as the "Apostolic Sucession" and this started the "great division" that has plagued the "pulpit "and the "pew" even in the modern church today.n This same "doctrine" that was hated in the Church of Ephesus was tolerated and embraced in Pergamos.

"Sensuous Form of Worship"

        Because these two doctrines were adopted in the Pergamos church, this church was guilty of "spiritual fornication" or "Balaamism, and the church now had become under Constantine married into what became a "state religion or pagan church. 

        Under Constantine's "Balaam" plan, the Emporer gave the Bishops of this type church a number of "imposing buildings called "Basillicas" that were renovated and converted into facilities where these "Balaam" type churches could hold their pagan worship. Constantine spared no expense. He supplied these church all their clergy "vestments". He seated them in the frontmost part of the building on ascending "loftly thrones". He supplied altars made of marble and adorned with all kinds of gemstones and gold, locating them at the base of the stairwell in front of the raised throne. Constantine made the church more attractive to the pagans within the Roman Empire by changing the very spiritual nature of the church. This church was so affected by the changes that the character and type of preaching as it pertained to God's word that it literally changed the "character of the preaching". Not only that, but to further accomodate the pagans, Constantine changed the celebration dates of the birth of Jesus (which most scholars think occured sometime in April) to December 25 to correspond to the birthday of the Romans "sun god".

Millenial Views:

        As the church became more powerful and financially wealthy, soon an idea surfaced that suggested that the church and the government formed a "co-optic union" and the belief that between the two intities, any problem that plagued the empire could be erradicated by operating as a cohesive unit. this eventually fostered the idea that the new millenium could be ushered in by the co-op, rather than by Christ. From this idea, the doctrine supporting a "Post-Millenial" View of the "End Time Prophecy" came about. Because they need some type of scriptural support to justify  this "erronous teaching", they based this "assumption" on a "false premise" that the Jews as a people had been cast off  forever by God and all the future prophecies that were intended for Israel's future glory now were passed to the church. The Pergamos period lasted in history from 312 A.D. to about 606 B.C. encompassing about 294 years.        

1 Samuel 29:1-7
The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. 2 As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. 3 The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?" Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him." 4 But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men? 5 Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances:"'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands'?" 6 So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as the Lord lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don't approve of you. 7 Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers."

Introduction:

    Achish, the king of the Philistines as his army was poised to go to war with Israel. He and his army was pitched at Aphek while Israel was pitched by a fountain in Jezreel. Aphek was a fortress city, located in the land of Issaachar. According to the Bible,there were 4 cities barring this same name in 4 different places.  The other 3 cities were respectively located in Judah, in Asher and east of Jordan.

While the Philistine army passed in review before their king ,as they were making final preparation to go to war with Israel, Achish’s  war lords noticed the unusual presence of a renowned Israelite, and his mighty men militia within their ranks bringing up the rear of the battle formation and serving as,  (and get this): their king’s bodyguards. This prompted them to ask the king a very poignant question: What are these Hebrews doing here?

David's Militia of Mighty Men:

    David and his mighty men found themselves here of all places because of  the "after effects" of someone’s personal “Drama”. David had to flee from a “lame duck” king (Saul) who being tortured by an evil spirit sent by God was in the midst of a long angry tirade, which  stemmed from a “jealous reaction” to a victory song sung in fromt of the king's palace. A huge bounty had been placed upon David’s head.

Because of this and other subsequent events, by Chapter 29 of 1 Samuel,, we find David now part of an unusual army, in an unusual alliance and totally out of his rightful place and once again…dealing with more “drama”. By this time… he’s been on the run for many years and up to this point, he faced a lot of drama along the way, but on the flipside of this fact  truth,  while on one hand, he was running from drama, on the other hand, he had caused some drama along the way too…and between what Saul was doing to him and he himself was doing along the way… here he is, the future king of Israel …a fugitive from injustice and living in the wrong  country, with the wrong king, a part of the wrong army and definitely in the wrong place…..

Sound The Alarm!
    Today my brothers and sisters, I must sound the alarm, and take out precious time to warn you : it’s imperative that we hurry up and learn how to deal with any drama that’s surrounding us in the right way, because if we fail to do so and deal with that drama the wrong way, we just might become guilty of start causing drama ourselves, and thus, find ourselves lined up with the wrong people, serving God the wrong way, even possibly serving the wrong God and standing for the wrong cause and totally out of our rightful places… spiritually, psychologically or in David's case, phyhsically.

 A Triumphant  Warrior To A Branded Fugutive:
    A.    Humble beginning:
    David had both and humble and an unusual beginning. He burst forth, out from obscurity in Chapter 16, as a lowly shepherd boy working in his father’s sheep pasture and tending to his father sheep to becoming Saul's personal musician. He stepped into the limelight because back in Chapter 13, God dethroned Saul, the first king of Israel, and withdrew his Holy Spirit from him, and took away his “royal anointing”. So by the time God sent the Prophet Samuel to Jessie’s house in Chapter 16 to find the new successor to the throne, Saul was a “lame duck” king merely occupying the throne, until the new king would be ready to sit on the throne. 

    Even from the sheep pasture, everything about David’s life’s actions and attitude showed his dedication to God. Here was a young man doing a thankless job, out in the shepherd’s field, as a shepherd in the sheep pasture, Out here, David became a protective shepherd.  On a couple of occasions, David  confronted  sheep predators  and at one time, he had to kill a lion and even a bear because  these deadly predators from time to time would come near the pasture trying to raid Jesse’s flock….attacking  sheep after sheep at every opportunity, snatching them from the flock and devouring them for their food…It was   David’s job as a sheep herder  to protect his father’s flock at all times…and at all cost…snatching them from the very jaws of death if necessary!  

Point of Power!
     In these days and times, we need strong shepherds and equally strong willing workers to protect the flock of God from satanic spiritual predators. These predators, agents of Satan come to attack the sheep in every church. They come to steal, kill and destroy the sheep. They come to snatch you away from the flock and devour you with dangerous doctrines and damnable heresy and secular traditions. We  must protect our Heavenly Father’s  flock (church) and do all we can to keep weaker members in the various churches safe from the jaws of death and do it at all cost!!. 

David's Life's Dramatic Turn:

    By the end of chapter 16, David’s life s takes a dramatic turn. Saul has been battling that evil spirit sent to him by God for a pretty good while,…This demonic spirit constantly grieved him, made him moody, ill-tempered,  grumpy and hard to deal with. So Saul ‘s servants searched for a musician that played good enough to move the evil spirit from the king. David had a stellar reputation as harp player so Saul’s servant told the king about all of David’s talents and revealed to him that the Spirit of the Lord rested upon him… (It’s good to have a godly  reputation!)…

So.. David became his harp player and eventually his armor bearer… Now….

At first, David’s life changed for the better because the training he got from sheepherding as a protector of the sheep and his ability to play the harp was  paying off now…He protected sheep, now he’s the protector of the king’s armor …His ministry of music warded off the evil spirit that grieved the king …..then …his warlike training from the sheep pasture moved him from being just  an armor bearer  and the king’s musician to bearing arms for the army as a great warrior. But, after that, his life took a terrible turn for the worst.  What happened? Well…In Chapter 17,  David scored one of Israel’s greatest victory over the Philistines  when he personally killed  Goliath. Once he took care of the 9 foot gaint, it allowed the rest of the Israeli army to advance upon the Philistine army and soundly defeat them.The greatness of this victory didn’t rest in the sturdy slingshot… it didn’t rest in the contour of the five smooth stones…  neither did it rest in that  “chosen” stone he used in the sling,…but… the greatness of David’s  victory came because David knew and called on the name of THE MOST HIGH GOD!!"  

Point Of Power!

    This point is an obvious one:  We need to know and know how to call on the "real" source of  all of our power!…..I dare you  to get to know God   …I dare you to walk with HIM talk with HIM tell Him that you are HIS own …..I dare you..because if and when  and if you do…. you will find out that we have ALL POWER IN HIM… We got plenty of power!…We got POWER IN PRAYER!  WE got POWER IN THE WORD OF GOD!!  Power in having FAITH…POWER in a HAVING HOPE …POWER in worshipping GOD in spirit and in truth …POWER IN THE REVERENCE OF GOD..Yes THE REAL POWER LIES IN YAHWEH. , IN JEHOVAH….The True and Living GOD! .AND  the greeat news is WE HAVE ACCESS TO ALL THAT POWER THROUGH  JESUS CHRIST!!  Let me tell you….There is POWER. SO MUCH POWER, IN THE NAME OF JESUS , POWER, SO MUCH POWER, POWER IN HIS NAME!!!  WELL, WHAT KIND OF POWER? HEALING POWER…. DELIVERANCE POWER…LOVING POWER…HOLY GHOST POWER… FOOD WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY POWER … WATER WHEN YOU'RE THIRSTY POWER….. JOY IN SORROW POWER…HOPE FOR TOMORROW POWER…POWER!! IN HIS HOLY NAME!

God's Power in Action:

    Look at God’s power in action:  David loads up his slingshot and took aim at Goliath, and said to Goliath…Now you come at me with a spear and with a sword and with a javelin,…but…I come at you …..in the name of the Lord of Host…the God of Israel’s army… and this day… My God is GOING TO deliver you into my hands and I’m going to cut off your head and feed your whole army’s carcasses to the wild birds!!! There is something about the name Jesus!

    Can’t  you see  David  loading that one stone….that stone…that stone that was hewn out of the mountain…into his trusty slingshot….and began to revving up his sling shot…  and as the sling spun faster and faster ….God whispered in his ear and said Now let it go and as that stone left that sling,  GOD  became the sling’s sight and windage adjustment and guided that flung stone from the slingshot of David and that stone…hit Goliath right between the eyes… and to add insult to injury,.. 

    The bible said  David didn’t have a sword of his own…, so he picked up Goliath’s sword and  cut off his head…with Goliath’s own sword…It reminded me of what the Psalmist said that God will make your enemy your footstool to such an extent that sometimes, God will make your enemy provide the very blessing they were trying to block from you.  He did say that the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the righteous! …With the power of God will always come a great victory

 This was a great victory for this shepherd boy, who first came to the battlefield as a" curious waiter"…because his daddy sent him to the battlefield to bring food and drink for his brothers  who were soldiers in the  army … but when he saw fear in the eyes of the army of Israel and heard all the scaving and callous insults Goliath hurled his God, his country and the army… his love for GOD STOOD UP  and his patriotism for his country got STIRRED UP … David so mad that he went from being  a "curious waiter" to a “willing warrior”. 

Point Of Power!
     When you get on the battlefield…  you will come in direct confrontation with "demons and devils" influenced people! …. God need WILLING WARRIORS in HIS church.. …trained warriors…  singing warriors…. Standard bearing  warriors… preaching warriors….praying warriors….Holy Spirit filled bold warriors to put on the whole armor of God and  go on the battlefield…able to stand against the wiles of the Devil…knowing that you are fighting powers, principalities, the dark rulers in this world and spiritual wickedness in high places…..In these days and times, You can’t afford to be  a passive pew sitters…IT’S A WAR...you can’t afford to  get hunkered down in  being comfortable….the place where you are now…IT’S A WAR…You got to fight  the good fight of faith in Christ Jesus….God’s looking for “stirred up folk ….who are tired of ALL the drama from sin and Satan and willing to stand up and hold up the blood stained banner …ready and willing to move from the  church pasture to the world’s  battlefield!!

Too many of us have gotten too comfortable working in the pasture…and won’t go out on the battlefield…We are backing up from the onslaught coming from the devil..and we’re letting the Devil come in and take over many of our churches… David shows us on the battlefield that just like the devil comes at us with his weapons….his fiery dots…God has given us  weapons that we can come back at him with…and we need to use those weapons…to the glory of God…in the name of Jesus the Son of the Living God …. We can load up our gospel slingshots ….Load up the Word of  God in any place  and at anytime …Matthew 28: 19-20 says: Go ye therefore teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost…teaching them to observe all things I commanded you  and Lo…I’ll be with you always until the end of the age….READY…AIM….FIRE!!

Here Come the Drama!
    The women came from the city and held a joyous celebration of the victory over Goliath and the rest of the Philistines …They came out singing and dancing….and they sang a victory song: Saul has killed his thousands, but David has killed his ten thousands!! …and what did they want to sing that song for because when they sung that song …..Lord have mercy….THAT’S WHEN THE DRAMA REALLY GOT STARTED !!! When  Saul heard that victory song that esteemed what David did over and above  all the king had done,  King  has got jealous, …and over time…continually threatens David’s life and ended up… put out a contract on David’s life…causing him to take flight for his life and go into hiding! It was a sad situation…here it was…David now running from the very king that he had showed total loyalty and had done no wrong to…. He finds himself a marked fugitive… running  from kingly injustice…the victim of jealousy pangs…  and  his life going from "hallelujah into hiding.!!" 

Point of Power:

As a Christian,…get used to it…. you are going to deal with drama, and don’t be surprise sometimes where it comes from and who drama comes through…Everybody’s not going to like you and many of them  won’t be happy that you got your name honorably mentioned…Some people can’t stand it when you get blessed!...even in the church!!!...well…Favor ain’t fair… Drama is spiritual warfare at its best! Drama is the devil’s weapon of mass destruction…. Job can tell you about DRAMA: Job said in Job 14:1 “A man that’s born of a woman is of a few days and full of trouble …FULL OF .DRAMA!!  ALL KINDS OF DRAMA: Insulting drama, lying drama…rumor spreading drama…. Insecure drama…jealousy drama…deceptive drama .., taunting and the trash talking drama .. health related drama,… financial drama,..family drama… on your job drama…rush hour traffic drama…spiritual drama…church drama…..drama on the left…drama on the right…drama in front…drama behind you…drama above you…drama beneath you….DRAMA!!!

What brings on all the drama? Glad you asked! : SIN

Whenever you are out of fellowship with God…whenever you are insecure, full of envy, strife… living and acting out of fear…to the point that  you can’t bridle you tongue and you are constantly acting out of control… Wherever sin rears its ugly head…drama always happens!!!…

Well…what brought on this drama? The answer is Jealousy !!! Let me tell you about Jealousy:

JEALOUSY is  WORST SPIRIT that can creep into ANY FELLOWSHIP,… and yet… Jealousy is one of the MOST FREQUENT and CANCEROUS SPIRIT found in and among  people, even in the church! JEALOUSY is dangerous  and left unchecked….JEALOUSY  will lead to murder… Satan incited jealousy in Cain to kill Abel…He thought he could cut off the generation that would one day produce the “promised seed” …but It didn’t work…You can kill the messenger but you will never kill the message…that’s why God in his infinite wisdom gives the same talents to more than one person …in the same manner he gave different talents to different people!!!That’s why one monkey can’t stop no show!

SATAN operates in pride and jealousy and it shows up every time he comes against a child of God..Read Isaiah 14:12-16   Satan is jealous of God and everything God stands for   !!! He want to be like the MOST HIGH!! Why do you think he goes up and down…to and fro… in the earth…seeking whom he may devour? The devil is doing all he can to tear up everything God built up… SATAN wants the POWER, THE PRAISE, and HONOR THAT BELONG TO GOD!  He constantly sows this seed of jealousy among people of all ranks to keep up massive confusion and people at odds with God and with each other!!! ....He ‘s trying to cutting off promised seeds that will lead to many others confessing Christ as their LORD and Savior….

Unfortunately… So many people fall victim to  jealousy because the person stuck in jealous person spends more time trying to devalue other people  rather than focusing on their value and the gifts God had placed in them: So what if you can’t preach ot teach like ‘Rev. Boddie…So what if you Can’t preach or pastor like Pastor Brown…So what if you can’t sing and minister like Reverend Rowser, teach like Deacon Thompson…witness like Roger Adams…or handle the pertinent business that makes Carters Hill stand tall like many of the women here who constantly step to the plate and hold up the blood stained banner for the Lord here   So what if you don’t have a degree…Do like many of us have done… take the time out of your busy schedule and Get one… My real point is…It doesn’t mater if  you can’t do what others are able to do..God has blessed you and anointed you to do something for the kingdom and to his glory….Do what you can do ….. do it to the glory of God! This race is not given to the swift…nor is it given to the strong but it is given to those who will endure to the end!!!

You can see the toxic results of jealousy everywhere!!….Leaders in the church jealous of one another… Standing leaders…in Corporate America and other places…. JEALOUS of potential leaders.. Co-workers on your job jealous of other co-workers …, JEALOUS of …your seniority …jealous over your salary…jealous of your  job classification..jealous because God has given you favor… Brothers and sisters  of the same family having jealous sibling rivalries …. Some people are so  jealous that they won’t simply  ride  out the momentary position of someone else have…They can’t  ride out someone else being praise and complimented ….  Jealousy causes people to  get bent out of shape…and start mega-drama over  something not  even worth fighting  over and behaving in bazaar ways that eventually prompts that honored person  to leave home, quit the company, . leave their church, or quit going to the church all together… becoming out of fellowship with God and constantly at odds with their fellow man.. 

David is not the bad guy in this text!....but look at the side effects of Saul’s drama… David went out of his way….sparing Saul’s life twice …trying to convince Saul that he was loyal and not a threat… David knew that God simply gave the king the victory over his enemies, without using the king! Instead of getting jealous over each other's talents, we should thank God that that person's talent is among the ranks!! God is not limited to just your talent!! God can bless you in so many ways and never use any of your resources to do it with!!

David sized up the situation…He knew he either had to leave or fight off the king… but had David stayed in the camp and fought against the king…  David would have been just as wrong if he had fought, injured, or killed Saul… so rather than fight "God's anointed"… David decided that a good run was better than a bad stand!! He now flees for his life! And it was on one hand good that he did because in all, Saul made 21 attempts on David’s life

But on the other hand while he was on the run…David acting out of fear started some drama that put others in harm’s way and in one case all the priests of Nob lost their lives… So by the time we see David here in chapter 29, David has been cursed out by Nabal, pursued by Saul,, lied to a priest, pretending to be crazy, just to save his life…Let me tell you….the last thing a child of God needs to do in wartime is play crazy on the battlefield…We are in a war this is no the time to play crazy…This is the time to lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets you…. This is the time to put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against all the wiles of the devil…,  deceiving Achish the king  and taunting Abner, the captain of Israel’s army and willing to fight for the wrong side! David now was now out of place…

You can understand why the Philistines would be uneasy…They were Israel’s life long enemies and they knew about the drama between Saul and David. The Bible said the Philistines already knew about the problem that existed between Saul and David….yet…they found it very strange that David was in their land…in their camp… willing to fight against his own people… and even though David had not done anything wrong. The way they had it figured…David might turn on them at any moment and he wasn’t worth the risk… so after much wrangling with their king…The king of the Philistine said to him: I know you haven’t done me wrong …but  my army is not with this…you can’t  fight with us…you’re making my men uneasy and they refuse to fight as long as you are here…Go on back where you belong!! It reminds me of an old Temptation song: Runaway child running wild! You better go back home where you belong!

But finally understand this 4th  point also, if you are the king or queen of drama..your drama doesn’t stop God’s plan…for someone else’s I heard Isaiah say Lord, What God has for me..it is for me…and the same is true for you too!!! Whatever God has for your life you will get it in due season…if you hold on and don’t get weary and give up The bible said that the vision is for an appointed time…but at the end it shall speak and not lie…Though it may tarry…it will truly come to past… Why all the drama? I don’t care who you are…your time in leadership is not for a lifetime…and God reserves the right to replace whoever he wants… however he wants and is not intimidated by any of us… in his infinite wisdom… Why the drama? God didn't give all the gifts of the Holy Spirit to one person, …..because he want all of us to realize that we are all co-dependent upon the gifts of others in the group…and  that it's going to take all of us…and all things working together for the common good to make it on this journey! The truth is…I need you, and you need me…So since we are our brother's keeper,….we need to realize that not only do we need each other, but ALL OF US NEED THE LORD!! 

Closure: What is God’s solution to your  "Drama" problem? How do you deal with drama?

First of all you got to deal with your own drama: 
        Jesus said hypocrite..why do you focus on the mote in your brother’s eye and you can’t see the beam in your own eye.  What that says is… all of us got some drama. We were all born in sin …that’s drama…shaped in iniquity….shaped in drama..the old nature of every man is full of drama…and the wages of drama …of sin is death…but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our LORD…Jesus said if you really want to rid yourself of   drama…first concentrate on dealing with the drama in your own life…then and only then…you’ll be able to help your brother and your sister deal with the drama in their life…It’s been said many times and many ways: nothing will happen through you until something has happened to you….. The Bible says you got to lay aside every weight and the sin that thus so easily beset you and run with patience the race that has been set before you Looking unto Jesus because He is the Author and finisher of our faith…

The second way to deal with drama is understand that  you can’t return evil for evil: 
        You can’t cause drama because others cause you drama… Saul killed…David killed…Saul lied…David lied…Saul deceived…David deceived…Saul turned against God…the one thing  David still did right was he still sought God…Wherever there is drama….some type of death is right around the corner…and you got to remember: the bible says be not deceived…God is not mocked…whatsoever a man sows…that will they also reap..

Third thing you got to do is change your way of thinking. 
        The Bible says in Romans12:2 …Don’t be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. In other words you can’t thin nor act the same way the world acts. You must strive to be a peacemaker. You must strive to bless and not curse

Finally…the last way to deal with drama is to turn it all over to Jesus! 
        That problem that you face…turn it over to Jesus…That bill that is past due turn it over to Jesus… When friends turn their back on you turn them over to Jesus…You have a sickness that seem like it won’t go away turn it over to Jesus…Why cause drama when you can turn it over to Jesus and  stop  worrying about it.. Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the waters…Put your hand in the hand of the MAN who calmed the sea…Take a look at yourself and you will look at others differently…by  putting your hands in the Man from Galilee….When your burden get heaven and the tears began to fall …. fail down on your knees and looking toward heaven with out-stretched arms and say: I need you Oh Lord.. I need you…Every day and every hour …I need you.. Bless me now my Savior… I come to  thee….Somebody told me…you are a healer when I’m sick.. Somebody told me…your are a battleaxe in the time of a war…Somebody told me you’re an on time God…Here I am…Come and see about me….Father, I stretch my hands to thee..No other help I know..If thou withdraw thyself from me where shall I go..Tell the LORD..Guide me o thou Great Jehovah..I’m a pilgrim through this barren land…I am weak..but thou art mighty…Hold me with thou powerful hand…. Turn it over to Jesus stop worrying about it…Turn it over to the one who died for your sins Up on Calvary…He died for you and for me…they buried him in a borrowed tomb…but early Sunday morning  Jesus rose from the  dead with all power wrapped in his hands…If you turn it over to the LORD…He will work it out!!! putting your hand in the hand of the MAN from Galilee….Do you know HIM? Have you tried HIM? Ain’t he alright??