Risk or Regret
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Some people play it so safe in life then wonder years down the road what life could have been.
If only I had.... fill in the blank. Do you have any if only’s?
16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.
19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” 20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened.
22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.
23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.
1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men, 3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.
Jonathan: Our enemies are over there but my Dad is not engaging and is resting under a pomegranate tree.
Someone has to take action. -
Why was Saul not taking action? Not enough men? Not enough weapons?
Sometimes all ppl can see is what they don’t have, so they have a fear of taking action and a risk.
Saul had forgotten about and turned his back on the most powerful weapon at his disposal. What was that? Not a what but a who.... God!
Jonathan could not just sit there. He had a compulsion to take action.
Lawn Chair Larry - Story
4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.
6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
Perhaps - Hebrew word “uh-lie” - maybe. What if…
Nothing can hinder the LORD. - If God is for us, who can be against us.
Let’s just go see.
7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
Let’s do it, I am with you heart and soul.
Leaders need co-leaders that say I got you. Let’s go. I got your back.
8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”
Come up to us, that will be our sign
11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”
The Lord has given them into the hand of Israel
13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.
Climbing up you are totally exposed and vulnerable. God will protect us.
Jonathan had, what we would call an advance mentality.
Once you step into risk and you decide to live a life of risk rather than regret you have to advance, you have to change your mindset about how God works in life and you have to go unless you get a no.
Some of us get paralyzed waiting on God to tell us what to do. And so we don’t do anything.
We keep waiting for a go, so we act like our entire life is a no.
14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.
15 Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.
16 Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions. 17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.
See who has left us. It was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.
18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.) 19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords.
21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit.
This risk and taking action motivated traitors to return, and inspired the fearful to come out of hiding.
23 So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.
So on that day the Lord saved Israel.
All initiated by whom? Jonathan and his faithful armor-bearer.
I have this quote printed up in my office.
The deeds and miracles of Jesus are not actions of the past. Jesus is still waiting for those who are willing to take risk at his word because they trust His power utterly.
Pastor great message for our young families and kids. Senior Saint God is not done with you.
Col. Sanders was an entrepreneur who didn't become a professional chef until he was 40, didn't franchise Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 62, and didn't become an icon until after he sold his company at 75.
It breaks my heart that people that don’t have God in their life dream and take more risk than those of us that have God in our lives.
What area of your life do you need to take a God inspired risk in?
Taking a risk in ministry.
Close to $50k for summer camps this year. 50 teens to TP. 100 children for our week long day camp.