An Invisible God at Work

TURN to 2 SAM. CH. 17...

OPEN in PRAYER...

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INTRO: “DIFFICULT? NEVER MET HIM.”

· AS WE OPEN THIS MORNING, I WANT YOU TO THINK OF SOMETHING THAT YOU’VE DONE OR ACCOMPLISHED IN LIFE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD THAT WAS INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT FOR YOU.

LOOKING BACK,, NOT SURE YOU’D BE ABLE to DO IT AGAIN

DIDN’T THINK YOU’D MAKE it THROUGH

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PASSED a TEST/EXAM

ACT of PHYSICAL FITNESS

FORGAVE SOMEONE WHO SERIOUSLY WRONGED YOU

MADE it THROUGH HEALTH CRISIS

?????

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INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT—BUT YOU MADE it THROUGH...

AMAZING FACT: GOD’S NEVER FACED SOMETHING DIFFICULT for HIM

NEVER LOOKED BACK & THOUGHT: “DON’T KNOW HOW I MADE it THROUGH”

NEVER BROKE a SWEAT...

WE GET HAPPY BECAUSE WE BARELY MADE IT...

BUT GOD’S NEVER STRUGGLED to CROSS the FINISH LINE...

GOD—SOVEREIGN CREATOR of HEAVEN & EARTH—HAS NEVER MET a CHALLENGE THAT WAS TOO HARD

NEED:

TEXT SHOWS US AMAZING HAND of GOD—HOW HE CAN BRING US THROUGH SEEMING IMPOSSIBILITIES

NOTHING is TOO HARD FOR HIM!

(T) BUT BEFORE WE BEGIN, A QUICK RECAP FOR THOSE WHO WEREN’T HERE LAST WEEK.

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RECAP: THE FEARFUL FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

Last Week:

FURTHER CONSEQUENCES of ABSALOM’S REBELLION in DAVID’S LIFE...

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ABSALOM SETS HIMSELF UP as KING in HEBRON...

DAVID FLEES JERUSALEM

ABSALOM COMES to JERUSALEM…

SEX W/ FATHER’S CONCUBINES on PALACE ROOF

FULFILLMENT of PROPHETIC WORD of JUDGMENT

We Learned:

GOD = FAITHFUL to ALL of HIS WORD...

BOTH SALVATION & JUDGMENT

BLESSING & CURSING

(T) AND SO, WITH DAVID CONTINUING ON IN THE RUN FOR HIS LIFE,

AND WITH ABSALOM EFFECTIVELY RULING FROM THE THRONE IN JERUSALEM,

WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.

LOOK W/ ME AT 2 SAMUEL CHAPTER 17, VERSE 1 THIS MORNING. THE SCRIPTURE SAYS,

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TEXT: 2 SAMUEL 17:1-29 ESV

SETTING/INCITING INCIDENT (V1-4)

2 Samuel 17 (ESV)

1 Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.

2 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,

3 and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.”

4 And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

MANY CHAPTERS

LOTS of DETAIL

APPEARS ALL BEEN the SAME DAY SINCE DAVID FLED

DAVID WAKES UP

GETS BAD NEWS

FLEES JERUSALEM

BUMPS INTO ITTAI,,

PRIESTS ZADOK AND ABIATHAR,

HUSHAI (FRIEND)

WITH ZIBA (OPPORTUNIST)

WITH SHIMEI (OPPONENT/PERSECUTOR)

CRAZY DAY!!

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AHITHOPHEL COUNSELS:

STRIKE WHILE IRON = HOT...

DAVID = FLEEING & DESPERATE

LET’S TAKE HIM OUT.

DAVID = DISCOURAGED

SO W/ 12,000 GUYS WE COULD OVERTAKE HIM QUICKLY

NO MASSIVE BLOODSHED,, DAVID ALONE WILL BE MURDERED.

>>>> SCRIPTURE SAYS: AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL SEEMED RIGHT

MUST REMEMBER: 2 SAM. 16:23

2 Samuel 16:23 (ESV)

23 Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.

EVERYONE LISTENED TO AHITHOPHEL, HE WAS THE BEST THEY HAD!

BETRAYER HAS PERFECT PLAN

QUICK & SWIFT DEFEAT of DAVID

AHITHOPHEL OFFERS to DO the HONORS HIMSELF...

(T) AND SO, THE SITUATION IS DIRE.

THERE IS SURETY OF DEATH IN THE FORECAST FOR DAVID.

EVERYONE LOVES AHITHOPHEL AND HIS COUNSEL AND HIS PLAN IS FOR THEM TO RUN DAVID DOWN THE NIGHT HE HAS FLED AND TO OVERTAKE HIM QUICKLY.

IS THERE ANY HOPE FOR HIM?

LOOK W/ ME AT VS 5.

THE TEXT SAYS,

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RISING ACTION (V5-10)

5 Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.”

6 And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak.”

7 Then Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.”

8 Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people.

9 Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’

10 Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant men.

· IN THE MIDST OF BETRAYAL,

IN THE MIDST OF HARD TIMES,

IN THE MIDST OF DOOM COMING TO DAVID

>> THERE’S A SMALL MEASURE OF GOOD NEWS.

EVERYONE LIKED AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL.. IN GENERAL & THIS TIME!

YET ABSALOM SEEKS a 2ND OPINION!

HUSHAI—DAVID’S FRIEND

REMEMBER: HE PRETENDED to BETRAY DAVID

ABSALOM SEEKS HIS INPUT,, PERFECT!!

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Hushai’s Counsel:

AHITHOPHEL = GREAT… 99/100 TIMES I’D LISTEN…BUT THIS TIME HIS COUNSEL ISN’T SO GOOD...

HAVE YOU FORGOT WHO YOUR FATHER IS??

HE’S a MIGHTY MAN of WAR!

THEY AREN’T DISCOURAGED & WEARY...

THEY’RE ENRAGED MAMA BEARS!

BESIDES.... DAVID WON’T BE W/ EVERYONE… HE’LL BE HIDING!

SO ABSALOM,, WHEN YOU LOSE SOME GUYS,, EVERYONE WILL LOSE HEART!

ABSALOM = BRAND NEW.... CAN’T HAVE FIRST BLOOD AGAINST HIM!!

HUSHAI CLAIMS: AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL = NO GOOD

(T) SO, WHAT SHOULD THEY DO INSTEAD?

LOOK WITH ME AT VERSE 11, THE TEXT SAYS,

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CLIMAX: HUSHAI’S BETTER COUNSEL (V11-14)

11 But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.

12 So we shall come upon him in some place where he is to be found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left.

13 If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.”

14 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.

Hushai’s Plan:

INSTEAD of SNEAKING W/ 12,000 GUYS & TAKING ONLY DAVID....

LET’S GATHER ALL ISRAEL

FROM DAN—NORTH

TO BEERSHEBA—SOUTH

&& WE GO & DESTROY DAVID && ALL HIS MEN...

BEST PART???

ABSALOM,, YOU,,, WOULD LOOK GOOD @ the FRONT of THIS BIG ARMY

DON’T LET AHITHOPHEL GET the GLORY… YOU DO IT!

PER CHANCE DAVID FLEES,, WE’LL TEAR the CITY DOWN WHERE HE GOES...

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1ST GLANCE: “I THOUGHT HUSHAI WAS on DAVID’S SIDE!”

HUSHAI = BUYING DAVID TIME!

REMEMBER: DAVID WASN’T PREPARED to FLEE...

DIDN’T CONSOLIDATE FORCES

DIDN’T PACK FOOD & WATER

THEY JUST GOT OUT of TOWN

***VERY LIKELY a FORCE of 12,000 MEN WOULD’VE OVERWHELMED DAVID & HIS MEN EASILY***

HUSHAI SELLS HIS PLAN & SELLS IT WELL...

2 SECONDS AGO,, EVERYONE LIKED AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL!

BUT NOW THEY CHOOSE HUSHAI’S

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CAN’T MISS: NARRATOR EXPLAINS,, THIS FULFILLS GOD’S PURPOSE.

GOD HAD ORDAINED/COMMANDED to DEFEAT AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL… TO BRING JUDGMENT on ABSALOM

CHURCH, DO YOU SEE HOW GOD HAS WORKED THROUGH INCREDIBLE MEANS TO ACCOMPLISH HIS ENDS?

CONSIDER DAVID’S PREDICAMENT...

FLEEING FOR HIS LIFE WITHOUT PREPARING

AHITHOPHEL—HIGHLY ESTEEMED COUNSELOR,, CONSIDERED to BRING GOD’S WORD!—OFFERS “GOOD” COUNSEL! SURE to BRING DAVID to DEATH

NARRATOR ADMITS IT’S GOOD!

CERTAINLY WAS BEST COUNSEL...

DAVID WAS WEARY & DISCOURAGED… HE WOULD’VE BEEN TOAST!

MOST TRUSTED COUNSELOR

BRINGS GOOD & BETTER COUNSEL

SURE to BRING DAVID’S DEMISE...

HOW ARE WE GOING to GET AROUND THIS????

CAN YOU SEE the SITUATION = DIRE???

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GOD in HIS PROVIDENCE…USES HUSHAI to SPARE DAVID!

—>> NOT ONLY THIS,, BUT GOD HAD FOREORDAINED IT ALL...

BEFORE DAVID REALIZED HE WAS in a DESPERATE SITUATION GOD ALREADY HAD it FIGURED OUT

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DAVID FLED JERUSALEM for HIS LIFE

ASCENDS MT. of OLIVES...

HEARS AHITHOPHEL = AMONG CONSPIRATORS...

PRAYS AGAINST AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL

BUMPS INTO HUSHAI

SENDS HUSHAI to ANSWER HIS PRAYERS!!

JUST as DAVID APPOINTED in 15:34,, HUSHAI DEFEATS AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL

SCRIPTURE SAYS that it WAS GOD’S ORDINATION (HEBREW EMPHATIC)

HOW GREAT is OUR GOD!!

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CHRISTIAN,

NO TRIALS TAKE GOD BY SURPRISE

FURTHERMORE,, NOTHING is TOO HARD FOR HIM!

WE DON’T SEE TRIALS COMING

WE CAN’T SEE the FUTURE...

BUT GOD—the ALPHA & OMEGA—

HE HAS the SOLUTION BEFORE WE’RE AWARE of the PROBLEM!!

ALL TRIALS COME EITHER BY GOD’S DECREE,, OR HIS PERMISSION...

GOD HAS IT FIGURED OUT in ADVANCE

HE’LL EITHER DELIVER US or USE the TRIAL to MAKE US DEPENDENT!

SOMETIMES GOD PARTS the SEA,,

& SOMETIMES HE JOINS YOU in the FIRE...

SOMETIMES HE SPARES US FROM the TRIAL,, SOMETIMES HE KEEPS US THROUGH IT...

EITHER WAY HE’S SOVEREIGN & IN CONTROL & WE CAN TRUST HIM!

(T) AND SO, PRAISE THE LORD, THERE’S BEEN A SOLUTION TO DAVID’S PROBLEM.

SO, WHAT HAPPENS IN THE AFTERMATH?

LOOK W/ ME AT VS. 15.

THE TEXT SAYS,

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INCITING INCIDENT2 (V15-16)

15 Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled.

16 Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’ ”

DAVID’S INTELLIGENCE NETWORK HE HAD SET UP....

HUSHAI—> PRIESTS —> THEIR SONS —> DAVID

**BOTH BITS of ADVICE = PRESENTED to DAVID,, JUST in CASE...

MESSAGE: “GET OUT of HERE!!!”

CROSS OVER the JORDAN!!

WAR is COMING!!

(T) AND THEN THE TEXT SAYS,

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RISING ACTION & CLIMAX2 (V17-20)

17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they were not to be seen entering the city.

18 But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it.

19 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.

20 When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook of water.” And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

SONS of PRIESTS = WAITING in CITY—SOUTHWEST of JERUSALEM… INCOGNITO

SERVANT GIRL GOES to FETCH WATER...

THEY’RE CAUGHT...

&& AS THEY GO THEY HIDE in a WELL!!

** IN SAME CITY WHERE DAVID WAS JUST SUBJECTED to ROCKS & INSULTS!

GOD SPARES THEM THROUGH this RANDOM COUPLE,, THEY HIDE in the WELL & ARE SAVED...

(T) AND THEN THE SCRIPTURE SAYS IN VERSE 21,

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FALLING ACTION (V21-22)

21 After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, “Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.”

22 Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

JUST AS PLANNED—DAVID GETS MESSAGE & HE FLEES ACROSS the JORDAN

**THE LONGEST DAY of DAVID’S LIFE...

BY NIGHT THEY CROSS the RIVER

&& DAVID HAS BEEN SPARED BY HUSHAI...

(T) AND THEN THE TEXT SAYS IN VERSE 23,

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RESOLUTION (V23-26)

23 When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

24 Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

25 Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, who had married Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.

26 And Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

· SO, AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL IS ONCE AND FOR ALL TIME DEFEATED.

SCHOLARS POINTS OUT—AHITHOPHEL REALIZED ABSALOM’S KINGDOM WOULDN’T STAND

&& HE COMMITS SUICIDE to AVOID BEING CHARGED W/ TREASON AFTERWARDS...

HE SETS HIS HOUSE in ORDER...

JUST as YAHWEH SET THESE EVENTS in MOTION

& HE HANGS HIMSELF...

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DAVID CONTINUES on to MAHANAIM— ORIGINAL CAPITAL of ISRAEL UNDER ISH-BOSHETH...

ABSALOM & DAVID BOTH HAVE ARMIES ASSEMBLED ACROSS the JORDAN

READY FOR HUSHAI’S WAR

(T) AND NOW, OUR TEXT IS GOING TO CLOSE IN VERSES 27 THROUGH 29, THE SCRIPTURE SAYS,

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CONCLUSION (V27-29)

27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,

28 brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils,

29 honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

DAVID = TAKEN CARE of,, EVEN WHILE UNDER DIVINE DISCIPLINE....

(T) AND SO, WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS PASSAGE TODAY, THE IDEA THAT,

HOMILETICAL IDEA

· THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS TOO HARD FOR OUR SOVEREIGN GOD, HE IS ABLE TO ANSWER EVEN OUR MOST DIFFICULT REQUESTS IF THEY ARE IN ALIGNMENT WITH HIS PURPOSES.

AGAIN CONSIDER DAVID’S PLIGHT:

FLEEING FOR HIS LIFE,, UNPREPARED

PERFECT PLAN,, READY to TAKE HIS LIFE

FROM the MOST TRUSTED GUY

BUT THERE’S an INVISIBLE GOD @ WORK BEHIND the SCENES… WORKING to FULFILL HIS KINGDOM PURPOSES in the EARTH....

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GOSPEL:

AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL WASN’T FOLLOWED

ABSALOM’S KINGDOM WOULDN’T STAND...

WHY??

THEY WERE FIGHTING NOT AGAINST DAVID,, BUT AGAINST GOD...

DAVID = GOD’S CHOSEN KING. NOT ABSALOM.

UNTIL GOD WAS DONE WITH DAVID,, THEY WOULDN’T BE SEEING the END of HIM!

DAVID WAS IMPERFECT,, BUT HE WAS STILL APPOINTED BY GOD...

NO ONE WOULD REMOVE the KING WITHOUT GOD’S PERMISSION

NO COUNSEL

NO MILITARY MIGHT

NO STRATEGY

NOTHING COULD STAND AGAINST GOD’S ANOINTED

GOD’S SOVEREIGN PURPOSE WOULD STAND.

THOSE WHO OPPOSE THIS KING ARE ULTIMATELY GOING TO BE DESTROYED.

WE SEE the DEFEAT & DESTRUCTION of AHITHOPHEL

&& WE HEAR of COMING DESTRUCTION UPON ABSALOM...

ALL WHO STOOD in OPPOSITION to GOD’S KING = DESTINED FOR DESTRUCTION

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CHURCH… THIS = GREAT SOURCE of HOPE!!

GOD’S KINGDOM AGENDA W/ DAVID = JUST the BEGINNING...

CENTURIES LATER:

DESCENDANT of DAVID ASCENDS the THRONE & HE WILL REIGN THROUGHOUT ALL ETERNITY!

THE KING of the FATHER’S CHOOSING

SON of DAVID

SEED of the WOMAN,, DESTINED to CRUSH the SERPENT’S HEAD...

THE ANOINTED ONE,,

THE CHRIST,,

THE SON of the LIVING GOD...

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A DAY is COMING— EVERY KNEE WILL BOW,, EVERY TONGUE WILL CONFESS...

A DAY is COMING WHEN ALL WILL HAVE to PAY HOMAGE to the WORLD’S TRUE KING

EVERY AHITHOPHEL

EVERY ABSALOM

WILL ONE DAY BE CRUSHED

· RICHARD PHILIPPS SAYS IT NICELY WHEN HE WRITES, “AHITHOPHEL STANDS AS A WARNING TO ALL WHO REFUSE TO WORSHIP JESUS CHRIST TODAY. DO NOT REJECT THE ANOINTED KING WHOM GOD HAS PROVIDED.”[1]

HE is the CORNERSTONE....

THOSE WHO BELIEVE WON’T BE PUT to SHAME,,

BUT THOSE WHO DON’T BELIEVE HE’S a ROCK of OFFENSE...

&& YOU CAN FALL on the STONE & BE BROKEN… OR HE WILL ONE DAY FALL on YOU & YOU’LL BE CRUSHED

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THE KINGDOM IS COMING IT HAS DRAWN NEAR,

IT’S DRAWING NEARER DAY BY DAY...

A DAY is COMING,, WHEN CHRIST WILL DESCEND W/ TRUMPET SOUND...

ALL OPPOSITION to that KINGDOM WILL END...

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AND SO I WANT TO ASK YOU TODAY, HAVE YOU BOWED YOUR KNEE, THIS SIDE OF ETERNITY?

HAVE YOU PROFESSED THAT JESUS CHRIST IS LORD?

HAVE YOU YIELDED YOUR LIFE TO THE SAVIOR, AND RECEIVED HIM.

HE CAME DOWN in INCARNATION—TO BE a HUMBLE SACRIFICE FOR SINS...

BUT HE WILL COME AGAIN as a CONQUERING KING...

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THERE’S a WINDOW of TIME,, FOR MERCY BETWEEN HIS 2 COMINGS...

WILL YOU TURN FROM YOUR SIN TODAY & RECEIVE the SAVIOR?

IF YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE YOU STAND WITH THE LORD TODAY, OR IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS REGARDING MATTERS OF FAITH, I’D LOVE TO SPEAK WITH YOU AFTER THE SERVICE.

(T) AND NOW, IN CLOSING, I’D LIKE TO SHARE A FEW TAKEAWAYS WITH YOU ALL, THIS MORNING.

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TAKEAWAYS:

LEARN ABOUT GOD?

MAIN FOCUS TODAY—GOD WILL SOVEREIGNLY FULFILL HIS WILL…

WHAT HE PLEASES…HE WILL DO...

ALSO SEE THAT GOD is a GRACIOUS GOD

DAVID = FLEEING BECAUSE of HIS SIN...

GOD SPARES DAVID

GOD PROVIDES FOR HIS NEEDS...

LEARN FOR US?

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APP

· I WANT TO REMIND US, THIS MORNING, THAT SOVEREIGNTY WORKS THROUGH MEANS.

GOD HAS HIS PURPOSES...

BUT GOD CHOOSES to WORK THROUGH MEANS...

REMEMBER:

DAVID PRAYED for AHITHOPHEL’S COUNSEL to BE TURNED INTO FOOLISHNESS...

GOD SENDS HUSHAI to DAVID

DAVID SENDS HUSHAI to JERUSALEM

---> IT WAS ALL the PURPOSE of GOD...

HUSHAI ARRIVES in JERUSALEM,, JUST AS ABSALOM DID...

HUSHAI OFFERS COUNSEL

ABSALOM TAKES the BAIT

&& DAVID is SPARED!

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HUSHAI SENDS NEWS to PRIESTS—> SERVANT GIRL —> PRIEST’S SONS —> DAVID...

IN ALL of IT,, GOD WAS WORKING...

GOD OVERTHREW the COUNSEL of AHITHOPHEL…AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK,, BUT NOT FOR GOD.

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· CHRISTIAN YOU MIGHT BE HERE TODAY AND BE THINKING THAT YOU’RE FACING AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.

o GOD REPLIES, “IMPOSSIBLE? NEVER HEARD OF IT!”

HE is the SOVEREIGN…CREATOR…GOD.

THERE is NOTHING TOO HARD FOR HIM!!

GOD’S NEVER BROKEN a SWEAT…HE’S NEVER STRUGGLED to CROSS the FINISH LINE..

CHALLENGE:

DON’T DOUBT the ABILITY of OUR GOD to BRING YOU OUT of A SEEMINGLY IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION...

DAVID = IN TOUGH SITUATION

HE PRAYS

HE ACTS

GOD ANSWERS HIS PRAYER THROUGH MEANS ACCORDING to HIS PERFECT PLAN...

1 John 5:14 (ESV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

GOD = AT WORK BEHIND the SCENES MORE THAN WE’LL EVER KNOW in THIS LIFE...

HE is FULLY in CONTROL

& HE’S ACTIVE in YOUR LIFE… AND MINE

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

EVEN IF WE DON’T KNOW HIS PLAN

OR WE CAN’T SEE HIM in the MOMENT

WE’LL SEE HIS FINGERPRINTS ALL THROUGH OUR LIVES

HIS ANSWERS to OUR PRAYERS

TESTIMONIES to HIS PROVIDENCE

THEY REMIND US THAT HE’S BEEN THERE ALL ALONG

AND HE WILL FAITHFULLY ACCOMPLISH ALL HE’S DECREED.

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ULTIMATELY,, WE KNOW HE’LL FULFILL HIS KINGDOM AGENDA

WE’LL SPEND ALL ETERNITY in FELLOWSHIP & WORSHIP of OUR GREAT GOD WHO REDEEMED US

IN THAT,, WE CAN HOPE THIS MORNING. AMEN?

Close in Prayer