Kingdom Strategy

Background to passage: in the last three chapters, Israel rejected God as their King, demanded an earthly king to be like the other nations and fight their battles. God granted their request telling them they would be sorry. Then in the providence of God Saul ended up where Samuel was to be informed that he was the king, then later was coerced into receiving the kingship. *Note that in the early days of setting up the Israeli government there was little structure as Saul the king was coming out of the field.

1 Samuel 11:1–11 ESV

1 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.” 4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.’ ” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

Opening illustration: Dec 1944, During the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium, American forces were trapped in the town of Bastogne—surrounded, outnumbered, and running out of supplies. They held their ground, but they desperately needed help.

A call went out. General George S. Patton turned his entire army in the middle of one of the coldest winters on record and pushed north hard to reach them. It wasn’t easy, but they broke through on Dec 26, three days after they left Verdun.

What could have been a devastating loss became a turning point victory—because help came.

Main thought: this morning we will see how the situation with the inhabitants of Jabesh-Gilead led to leadership, strategy, and victory. We are also going to make a lot of application to our HOPE strategy for discipleship.

1) Big Problem (v. 1-3)

1 Samuel 11:1–3 ESV

1 Then Nahash the Ammonite went up and besieged Jabesh-gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.” 2 But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 3 The elders of Jabesh said to him, “Give us seven days’ respite that we may send messengers through all the territory of Israel. Then, if there is no one to save us, we will give ourselves up to you.”

1) Big Problem (v. 1-3)

Explanation: This situation seems a little odd. Understand that the alternative to some sort of treaty is starving to death which would involve things no one in our day wants to even think about. However surrender meant giving up your city, being servants to another nation, and having one of your eyes gouged out. So, they asked for a week to think about it. Obviously Nahash and the Ammonites believed nobody would come and help based on past history between the Eastern and Western tribes of Israel when it came to the Ammonites (Judges 21). Major miscalculation.

James 1:2–4 ESV

2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

2 Corinthians 4:16–18 ESV

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Illustration: Ms. Frieda Wilds,

Application: Problems, we all have them. Some big and some small. Sometimes others’ problems put yours into prospective, and sometimes you think to yourselves “nobody understands this kinda of pain,” and you may be right. Life is hard. You put on FB and Insta what you want people to see, the best you. Sometimes mountains don’t move. Sometimes biopsies don’t come back fine. Sometimes things aren’t tied up in a pretty bow on this side.

But big problems can push us toward Christ and maturity. Crisis can cause us to mine for the depths of the peace of God like we never have. It can allow us to see things inside of us that we haven’t seen in the good times.

So what do we do? We do like Hezekiah did and bury our face in the wall and plead with the Lord. We do like Abishai and Joab did and divide, conquer, promise help, and let the Lord do as he pleases. Do what Jesus said, shout and leap for joy when you are persecuted. Do what Paul did, confess that, 7 “we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” We trust in the God who provides a way of escape in temptation.

When our church is struggling with the commission we have been given, we CALL OUT

2) Necessary Communication (v. 4-9)

1 Samuel 11:4–9 ESV

4 When the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, they reported the matter in the ears of the people, and all the people wept aloud. 5 Now, behold, Saul was coming from the field behind the oxen. And Saul said, “What is wrong with the people, that they are weeping?” So they told him the news of the men of Jabesh. 6 And the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled. 7 He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the territory of Israel by the hand of the messengers, saying, “Whoever does not come out after Saul and Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen!” Then the dread of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out as one man. 8 When he mustered them at Bezek, the people of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 9 And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.’ ” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad.

2) Necessary Communication (v. 4-9)

Explanation: In order do deal with this problem, the word had to get two places: to heaven and to earth. Although it is not explicit, I think it is safe to say that the people were praying for deliverance. They took practical steps too. They sent messengers to the western tribes and the new king for rescue. Very simple, but very important: they sent out a distress call to their brothers and sisters.

Colossians 3:12–13 ESV

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another.

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Illustration: In 1836, during the Texas Revolution, a small force of Texan defenders held the mission known as The Alamo against the advancing Mexican army led by Antonio López de Santa Anna.

As the situation grew dire, the commander, William B. Travis, sent out a famous letter addressed “To the People of Texas & All Americans in the World.” In it, he described their desperate condition and ended with the now-legendary appeal:

“I shall never surrender or retreat… Victory or Death.”

This wasn’t just a report—it was a distress signal. They were outnumbered, low on supplies, and knew reinforcements were unlikely to arrive in time. Travis was essentially saying: “We need help—now.”

Some men did respond to the call and entered the Alamo to stand with them. But the reinforcements were not enough. After a 13-day siege, the Alamo fell, and nearly all the defenders were killed.

Yet the distress call was not in vain. It stirred the broader Texan resistance. The cry “Remember the Alamo!” became a unifying rallying point that ultimately led to victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Ronny Yawn calling me this week

Application: Let’s ask a free speech question. Are we truly free to talk about anything in church? If we go through some things is it OK to share things with the body here at the church for them to pray? Are there certain subjects that may be real life things we need help with, but we don’t feel that we can share because of how people might react? Could you tell your Sunday School class if you struggle with an opioid addiction or that you had an abortion last year? What would you do if you heard someone say that?

We have got to do a better job at supporting each other. Life is hard, problems are big, and we need each other. The church is God’s way of calling out a kingdom of priests to minister to a world that needs Jesus, but also, maybe more importantly, to each other. We need to develop a better culture of listening and support. God put you in this body for a reason. Part of discipleship is loving one another, especially through the hard stuff.

3) Winning Strategy (v. 10)

1 Samuel 11:10–11 ESV

10 Therefore the men of Jabesh said, “Tomorrow we will give ourselves up to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.” 11 And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.

3) Winning Strategy (v. 10)

Explanation: God regularly gave specific strategy for battle. We see it especially in Joshua. Here we don’t see God giving a strategy, but giving a leader. Saul takes his position seriously and gathers the second largest army in the OT to go on a rescue mission. He was pretty serious about his call, it wasn’t just a request for all who didn’t have something better to do.

The goal was clear and the strategy was simple: march to a strategic location, divide and conquer. It accomplished the goal, rescued the people of Jabesh-Gilead, and scattered the leftovers.

Noah had a God-given plan, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, David had good ones and bad ones, Naomi had one, Nehemiah/Ezra had one, Jesus had one, Paul had one, but they were all depending on God to save, move, deliver, show himself present and mighty

Illustration: Mackenzie’s prayer text and the 500 BCM students plus the ones passing by at the Worship on the Lawn service. She said God is moving in a generation.

Application: There are a lot of self-help books out there. Some with helpful strategies and some not-so-much. Some have the correct goal, some not-so-much. Be very careful about what you listen to online. The bible, correctly interpreted is the only absolutely trustworthy source for strategy and a plan for godliness in your life. Therefore, someone that can help give you strategy in life directly from scripture is the advice/person that you want to listen to and gravitate to for strategy.

How about church? Same principle applies. That’s why we believe in the HOPE vision and discipleship strategy for our church. We feel like godly people and processes helped us to formulate a plan anchored in scripture in a very straight forward way to help us accomplish the goal of making mature disciples.

Give some specific examples from HOPE of people taking next steps

What about overcoming sin in your life? There’s a biblical strategy for that. What about dealing with apathy, complacency, routine in our church, there is a strategy for that. Don’t think at any level that just because we use strategy and plans, we are not in desperate need of God to move. We need God to move at Western Heights! We need revival and here’s what that looks like: brokenness over sin, repentance, recommitment to holiness, surrender, movement of prayer, a refocus on our mission, we need to cast ourselves in with reckless abandon to engaging the community and the world with Christ and multiplying churches and disciples. We need God to do the work of revival.

He has given us a Savior, a gospel, His Holy Spirit, a book of revelation, the body to function in, and a commission to go, make disciples, and teach them to do all the things that Jesus commanded them to do. May God grant us power, purpose, and passion to accomplish his mission.

Closing illustration: Welsh Prayer Revival of 1904-1905

In the early 1900s, much of Wales was marked by: Church attendance that was present but often lifeless. Formalism without deep spiritual vitality. Widespread drunkenness and moral decline, especially in mining communities. A sense among many pastors that something was missing. There were faithful believers—but many recognized the church had lost its spiritual urgency and power.

A young coal miner named Evan Roberts began to pray intensely for God to move. For months, even years, he asked God to: “Bend me… bend the church… save the world.” He and a small group began holding simple prayer gatherings—nothing polished, no big-name preacher—just confession, singing, Scripture, and earnest prayer.

In 1904, something shifted. Meetings began to last late into the night. People were overwhelmed with conviction of sin. Testimonies, spontaneous prayer, and singing filled the gatherings. There was no formal program—God seemed to be directing the meetings. The movement spread rapidly across the country. This became known as the Welsh Revival.

An estimated 100,000 people came to faith in just months. Taverns and bars lost business. Crime dropped so dramatically that police had little to do. Even coal mines were affected—workers stopped using foul language so abruptly that the mules had to be retrained because they no longer recognized commands. Churches weren’t just fuller—they were transformed.