Pastor Edgar Mayer;
For more sermons and other writings check out pastors homepage: http://www.geocities.com/mayeredgar
Survive
Saul
This was the end of King Saul according
to the Bible 1 Samuel 31:3-10 I read: The fighting grew fierce
around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically
Saul took his own sword and fell on it
The Philistines cut off Sauls head
and stripped off his armour
and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan
Saul died in battle and not just any
death. The body without its head was pinned
to a city wall and that was a brutal end for a king but for all of the tragedy it was finally good news for David.
Years ago when David
was still a teenager a shepherd the
following happened out of the blue 1 Samuel
Years ago God anointed David to be the
next king having judged and
rejected Saul but then God took his
time in making the plan reality. Even though the Spirit of the Lord had
departed from Saul, Saul remained in power for far too long and he used his power as the king in charge
against David threatening
his life on many occasions. Yet finally
now Saul is dead and David is free to
make his move.
Over the last few weeks we have been
preaching on Saul and David and we have traced various story lines but one
large aspect of the story has not yet rated a mention. What was one of Gods
key strategies to preserve David for future kingship? What made David survive
Saul? What makes you and I survive Saul?
The Bible says that Ephesians 1:3 we
are blessed
with every spiritual blessing in Christ which means that God has good plans also for
you future positions of service and spiritual authority upgrades in
spiritual power but then you also suffer
(maybe right now) what David had to suffer
also for far too long even demonised
attacks from the same source that fueled Saul oppression and temptations you give in to sin (maybe
unforgiveness or pride or lust or greed) and then you discover that you are
becoming enslaved to sin because there is power in sin which threaten our life of faith and obedience. Therefore again
how do you and I survive that survive Saul?
I read from 1 Samuel 18:1-4 and this is from Davids teenage years after he
killed the giant Goliath I read: After
David had finished talking with Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul
of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. From
that day Saul kept David with him
And Jonathan made a covenant with David
because he loved him as himself
Jonathan the son of Saul from the start came to love David and then on the basis of
committed love initiated something
strange a covenant. What is that
and why should it be necessary? We have no problem understanding that Jonathan
and David were becoming friends close friends as we have friends but why ratify a covenant which is a solid
formal arrangement. According to one definition a covenant is an
agreement or mutual obligation, contracted deliberately and with solemnity.
It is not often that we introduce that
kind of formality into our friendships.
Yet, Jonathan and David not only made a
covenant once. They reaffirmed the same twice in crucial times. The first time
was when David began to be on the run from Saul. He came to Jonathans home
seeking support and the Bible records
1 Samuel 20:12-17: Then Jonathan said to David:
if my father is
inclined to harm you, may the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I
do not let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord be with you
But
show me unfailing kindness
so I may not be killed, and do not ever cut off
your kindness from my family
So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of
David, saying, May the Lord call Davids enemies to account. And Jonathan had
David reaffirm his oath
The second time of redrawing the
covenant happened in a desert stronghold. Saul was again breathing down Davids
neck with murder in his heart and the
situation was desperate but Jonathan
paid David a visit in his hideout. And we read in the Bible 1 Samuel
23:16-18: ... Jonathan went to David
and helped
him find strength in God. Dont be afraid, he said. My father Saul will not
lay a hand on you. You will be king over
Again the question: What is it with
these covenants? They express commitment levels of commitment which
are necessary to survive Saul but at the same time are rare even in the
church among us. The Bible does make
the church sound very attractive saying Ephesians 4:3-16:
There is
one body [the church]
[which], joined and held together by every supporting
ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Colossians 3:14: . over
all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Galatians 6:2: Carry each others burdens
The church was meant to share the same attractive love that Jonathan
and David had for each other and therefore church people were meant to be as
committed to each other as those two were but we are not.
This may be an uncomfortable truth but
most of us struggle with commitment
first of all to God and then to the people of God in church. For instance, how much would it take before
we bail out from church because we sense that our needs are no longer met? Are
we just committed to our needs? In other words: are we only committed to
ourselves? [Reflection on another covenant: marriage and the reason why
so many in our culture are leaving this covenant.] I dont think that this is the case this is too extreme but what happens when your favourite
program is no longer on offer? What happens when the church instead of
simply serving your needs holds you
accountable?
John Wesley made church members ask each
other these questions I quote: What
known sins have you committed since our last meeting? What temptations have you
met with? How were you delivered?
Or what about these more concrete questions imagine someone wanting
to know this from you:
Are you honest in all your acts and words, or do you
exaggerate?
Are you a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Did
the Bible live in you today? Do you give it time to speak to you everyday? Are
you enjoying prayer? When did you last speak to someone about your faith? Do you
pray about the money you spend?
How do you spend your spare time? Are
you proud?
Is Christ real to you?
Are we sufficiently committed to each other
to tolerate such intimacy? Or do we
right now want to take flight in
another bout of church shopping find another church where you can remain
on the uncommitted fringe dropping in
occasionally and otherwise be private in your devotion? But can we be private
and survive Saul?
Jonathan and David loved each other. In
the midst of another crisis before
they separated they 1 Samuel
20:41:
kissed each other and wept together
They
kissed each other and wept together
That kind of love wants no! desires to
commit to the other without counting the cost on the highest levels. Therefore, the covenant.
And we have a God that is making covenants
again for love. At one time God judged wickedness by flooding the earth and
drowning all sinners the fearful actions of a holy God but then his love compelled him to make a
covenant a solemn promise (to us). He
said Genesis 9:11-17: I establish my covenant with you: Never again
will
the waters become a flood to destroy all life
Whenever the rainbow
appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant
Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life because God loves us. This is his covenant
promise born out of loves desire to commit.
Then God expressed his love in other formal
covenants to Abraham, the people of
Our God is a covenant making God driven by love until at last everything was poured out in the formal covenant of
salvation which he sealed with the precious blood of his only begotten Son
Jesus Christ. Love can do no more. Love
cannot make it any more binding and certain than that. At the covenant meal of
Holy Communion Jesus on the night that he was betrayed took the cup, saying Luke 22:20:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is
poured out for you. And before that,
he had taken the bread and with the breaking of the bread he had said Luke 22:19: This is
my body given for you
God made it formal.
God made it legal that he loves us guaranteeing affection by divine
contract sealing it with his own blood.
Therefore you and I dare
to trust him. Dare to put your faith in God. Then and here we are slowly
working our way back to Jonathan and David another chief reason why we have a covenant making God besides
love is that in desperate situations
and in situations which require great sacrifices we need more formal assurances
than simple words. For instance, who can easily believe that Christ Jesus
Philippians 2:7-8 I read from the
Bible:
made himself nothing
humbled
himself and became obedient to death
only for God the Father to Colossians
Now we are coming back to David who said
to Jonathan 1 Samuel 20:3:
as surely as the Lord lives and as you live, there is
only a step between me and death. David
was likewise desperate and constantly fearing for his life because Jonathans
father king Saul kept hunting
him with elite soldiers to bring him down and kill him. The situation was
desperate and then any help from his friend Jonathan was going to require great
sacrifices on his part. For us it may not always be easy to believe the immense
goodness of God and for David it wasnt so easy to believe that Jonathan would
back him over against his father. It wasnt so easy for David to believe that
Jonathan the first-born son of King Saul would give up his own rights to the throne for David even though this seemed to be the will of
God. As much as Jonathan and David loved each other in these kind of
circumstances more formal assurances were needed a covenant of costly commitment.
I repeat a Bible reading from before 1 Samuel 20:12-17: Then Jonathan said to David:
if my father is inclined to harm you, may the Lord deal with me, be it ever
so severely, if I do not let you know and send you away safely. May the Lord be
with you
But show me unfailing kindness
so I may not be killed, and do not
ever cut off your kindness from my family
So Jonathan made a covenant with
the house of David, saying, May the Lord call Davids enemies to account. And
Jonathan had David reaffirm his oath
Are we coming on board with this and can
we consider doing the same? Jonathan and David promised themselves to each
other even though it would cost Jonathan the throne and David the option to
wipe out his rivals Saul and
Jonathans blood line. And just in case
that we think that the covenant was a sign of weakness from Jonathan who felt
that he needed to bow before his superior friend David, know this: It was David
that depended on Jonathan for survival and Jonathan himself was recognized
across the country as a war hero. At one time he and his body guard attacked a
Philistine outpost on their own and
by themselves killed twenty of
their soldiers. Jonathan had stature. Jonathan was loved by the people. Yet he
said to David 1 Samuel 23:17:
You will be
king over
Loving each other is wonderful but it
takes covenants of costly commitment to survive Saul to sacrifice ambition to do the will of God. Are we that committed to each other? It
probably depends on how high we want to aim. What do we want to achieve as a
church? Jonathan and David set out to attain the promises of God for
generations to come 1 Samuel 20:42 Jonathan
said to David:
we have sworn friendship
The Lord is witness
between your descendants and my descendants forever
What kind of vision do we have?
The Bible warns us that 1 Peter 5:8:
your
enemy the devil [our Saul] prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour but at the same
Jesus promised that Matthew 16:18:
the gates of hell will not
overcome the church. There is much
to be won in hostile territory by us according to Jesus commission to Matthew 28:19:
go and make disciples of all nations
Jesus is not holding us back. Yet, we
wont get far without committing to each other. We wont get far without
assurances that in the midst of temptations and enemy oppression fury unleashed from the gates of hell we back each other up. Sure our life
together will demand and does demand sacrifices and the sacrifices will be
costly we will be grinding against each other and we will be serving
each other in humility but there is no
alternative because we cannot be bold in preaching we cannot drive out
demons we cannot challenge ungodly powers we cannot go out on a limb with
our finances unless we know with 100%
certainty that our brothers and sisters in Christ will back us up. (Not
tearing us down.)
What we need is covenant commitment
which reflects Gods covenant commitment of unconditional love. I believe that
Living Grace can rise up to be more than what we are at present. The evidence
is there every week fresh
testimonies of God stirring us up. Why not
have a growing vision for an outpouring of Gods
Spirit on this city of
Yes but not without making a covenant
with each other. Otherwise none of us will survive Saul. Amen.
Covenant:
God, by His grace alone, has led me to
repent of my sin and believe upon Jesus Christ, trusting Him alone as my Savior
and Lord. As one who has been baptized as a believer in Christ, I desire to
unite with this church family. Therefore, I enter into a covenantal
relationship with the members of this church. In humble reliance upon the Holy
Spirit, I endeavor to do the following:
–
To faithfully attend the churchs worship
services. (Acts 2:42; Heb. 10:25),
–
To diligently guard the truth, upholding
the standard of sound words recorded in Scripture (1 Tim.
–
To wholeheartedly support, love, and care
for the churchs ministries and members, offering:
Š
my prayers (2 Cor. 13:9; Eph. 1:15-20; Eph
3:14-21; Eph 6:18; Phil. 1:3-6; Phil 9-11; Col. 1:3-12; Col. 4:2-6; 1 Thes.
1:2-4; 1 Thes. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:22)
Š
my financial gifts (Lev. 27:30; Mal.
Š
my service (Eph. 4:11-16; Titus 2:11-14;
Heb. 10:24; 1 Peter 2:5,9,12; 1 Peter 4:10; Jude 17-21; 1 Cor. 1:30-31; 1 Cor.
12:4-11,25-26; Ezek. 36:23b),
–
To boldly witness for the Lord Jesus
Christ, living a transformed life and sharing the gospel as God gives
opportunity (Mat.
–
To actively pursue personal holiness before
God, loving others as Christ has loved us.(2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Thes. 4:7; 1 Pet
–
To diligently promote the unity of the
church, being a peacemaker with all in the body of Christ (Mat. 5:9; 23-26; Rom
12:18-21; Rom. 14:19; Eph. 4:1-3; Phil. 2:1-4; Col. 3:12-14; 2 Tim. 2:22; Heb
12:14),
–
To respectfully follow the leaders of this
church, trusting and supporting their leadership ( 1 Thes. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 5:17-20;
Heb. 13:7,17),
–
To humbly submit to the churchs
discipline, graciously repenting when approached about personal sin, and
lovingly restoring others who become entangled in sin (Mat. 18:15-20; 1 Cor.
5:6-13; 2 Cor. 6:14-18; Gal. 6:1; 1 Thes. 5:14-15; 2 Thes. 3:5-6; Eph. 4:29;
Phil. 2:14).