Hell Advances, God Is Searching, And The Church Is Stuck!

King James Version (Ezekiel 22:30)

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

1 Samuel 17

1. I would like to begin this message by giving the foundation which is found in both our text and the title.

i. In our text one of the first things you see is that hell itself is advancing.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:17-18)

17 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 18 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:23-29)

23 And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 24 Son of man, say unto her, Thou art the land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation. 25 There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey; they have devoured souls; they have taken the treasure and precious things; they have made her many widows in the midst thereof. 26 Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my sabbaths, and I am profaned among them. 27 Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, qto get dishonest gain. 28 And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken. 29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.

ii. The second thing you see is that while hell advanced God was searching.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:30)

30 And I sought for a man among them, that should xmake up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it:

iii. The third thing you see is that Israel was stuck.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:30)

30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

2. This is not the first time that these 3 things happened in scripture.

Turn if you will to 1 Samuel Chapter 17 and we are going to look at the story of a young man named David!

i. The first thing you see is hell advancing!

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:1-10)

17 Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and were gathered together at Shochoh, which belongeth to Judah, and pitched between Shochoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 2 And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. 3 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them. 4 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. 5 And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. 6 And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. 7 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; and his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him. 8 And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. 9 If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. 10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:16)

16 And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:25)

25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up:

ii. The second thing you see is God searching!

Nowhere in this text do you see God searching.

King James Version (Chapter 16)

9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him.

And God was looking for someone to stand in the gap and fill in the hedge that this giant had been penetrating!

The thing we have to ask is what did He see?

iii. The third thing you see is the Israelites stuck!

God saw the cowards!

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:10-11)

10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together. 11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:23-24)

23 And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the armies of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. 24 And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.

God saw the crippled! They were unable to walk with Him and go to battle!

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:21)

21 For Israel and the Philistines had put the battle in array, army against army.

Well scripture don’t say. You would have to basically be in denial to think that there were no crippled in that day. And likewise you would have to be in denial to think that there are no crippled in the church today!

God saw the complacent!

There were those who simply did not want to fight!

God saw the criticizers and complainers!

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:25-30)

25 And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father’s house free in Israel. 26 And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? 27 And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him. 28 And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle. 29 And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 30 And he turned from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.

The one who sees clearly is often the one who is criticized and complained about the most!

God saw the carnal!

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:32-33)

32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.

King James Version (1 Samuel 17:38)

38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

God is not searching for the cowards because the cowards will not stand in the gap and fight!

God is not searching for the crippled that don’t want to walk with God because the crippled will not stand in the gap and fight!

God is not searching for the complacent because the complacent will not stand in the gap and fight!

God is not searching for the criticizers and complainers because I can tell you that the critizers and complainers will not stand in the gap and fight! They are unable too because all they knows what to do is criticize and complain!

God is not searching for the carnal to stand in the gap because the carnal will not stand in the gap, they are too carnal to do so!

I will tell you what God is searching for though. He is searching for the courageous!

God is searching for someone who is not going to be

The question is, “Is there someone who is not going to be?”

3. I thank God that there was a man who was willing to stand in the gap and not let the enemy get any closer or take any more ground!

Is there not a cause? Don’t you see whats happening? Can you seee David now looking abround at the army and thinking to himself, “what is wrong with you all? You are dressed for battle. You are trained for battle. Some if not many of you have been at this for years and have seen many wars. You are enlisted in the King’s army what is wrong with you all?”

I thank God that there are men and women today!

God found a man! My question is is there a man or a woman today?

If God be for us who can be against us?

Prayer

David was a man of prayer!

Praise

David was a man of praise!

Perspective

King James Version Chapter 17

32 And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 33 And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth. 34 And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: 35 And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. 36 Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37 David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.

Power

King James Version Chapter 17

And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee. 38 And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. 39 And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him. 40 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.

David was a man of praise!

Proclamation through preaching and prophecying

King James Version Chapter 17

41 And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. 42 And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. 43 And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field. 45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47 And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hands.

Passion

1 can chase a thousand and 2 ten thousand!