Sermon Tone Analysis

Pressure is Revelatory

You can tell what’s really in a person - who they really are - by the way they respond to pressure.

Pressure is revelatory.

You can learn a lot about a guy by watching how he responds to pressure.

People are fascinating.

Because you can know someone for years without really ever knowing who they are.

But given the right circumstances, you can know someone comprehensively though you only met them 15 minutes ago.

Because pressure is revelatory.

In the American Revolutionary War, a few significant figures coveted General George Washington’s position as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

Most notable among them was General Charles Lee, whose military experience dwarfed General Washington’s.

He was sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, and was, at least on paper, much more qualified to lead the patriots to victory.

In fact, Lee wasn’t chosen over Washington in part because he wanted a salary, and Washington was willing to work without pay.

So Lee was placed as second in command.

In the American Revolutionary War, a few notable figures coveted General George Washington’s position as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

Most notable among them was General Charles Lee, whose military experience dwarfed General Washington’s.

He was sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, and was, at least on paper, exponentially more qualified to lead the patriots to victory.

Though second in command, Lee undermined Washington’s influence at every turn.

His distrust of Washington’s leadership was evident in every meeting, loomed behind every decision.

Do you want to know

When I was seventeen I joined the Army.

From day one I was always the odd duck, because I was two heads taller than most and super, super lanky.

I was the anti-athlete.

Not a competitive bone in my body.

But I was surrounded by varsity athletes.

Wrestlers and linebackers, guys who had been training for the bulk of their adolescent life.

Born to win, letter jacket and all.

I mean, a lot of these guys were rock hard.

And boy, were they arrogant.

Lee was haughty, overconfident in his own military genius, and undermined Washington’s influence at every turn.

His distrust of Washington’s leadership was evident in every meeting, loomed behind every decision.

In the American Revolutionary War, a few notable figures coveted General George Washington’s position as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.

Most notable among them was General Charles Lee, whose military experience dwarfed General Washington’s.

He was sharp-witted and sharp-tongued, and was, at least on paper, exponentially more qualified to lead the patriots to victory.

Though second in command, Lee undermined Washington’s influence at every turn.

His distrust of Washington’s leadership was evident in every meeting, loomed behind every decision.

The war efforts were reaching a turning point when Washington received word that the bulk of the British forces were relocating from the more vulnerable occupation of Philadelphia to a safer, more secure occupation in New York.

Thousands of soldiers, and an immeasurable wealth of supplies would be, for a short time, vulnerable while traversing the American countryside.

Washington gathered his council and proposed a full scale movement against the Redcoats.

Immediately Lee resisted, claiming that any offensive against a British force this size was ridiculous and foolhardy.

Washington disagreed, and commanded the bulk of his forces to fall upon the rear of the supply line, while a force of 5,000 patriots would cut off the advance of the troop movement.

Even though he initially refused to participate in the assault at all, Lee eventually demanded to command the initial force.

He was hungry for glory.

When Washington and his men arrived, Lee’s men were running in the opposite direction in retreat, terrified of the advancing British force.

This force of 5,000 of America’s finest were abandoning their position and fleeing in fear.

So when Washington met Lee on the battlefield, he immediately relieved him of his command, and rode his while steed before the retreating men, shouting, “STAND FAST, MY BOYS, AND RECEIVE YOUR ENEMY.

THE SOUTHERN TROOPS ARE ADVANCING TO SUPPORT YOU!” While Lee fled in terror, Washington rallied the fleeing soldiers, led them into battle, and brought fury and fire upon the Redcoat forces until the day was spent.

This was the Battle of Monmouth, and it changed the course of the American Revolutionary war.

The sun beat down that day, over 100 degrees.

Pressure.

The mightiest military force in the world loomed on the horizon.

Pressure.

An untested force faced near certain death.

Pressure.

The reason I’m telling you this story is to illustrate that pressure can work to strip away the facade we work so hard to construct and to expose us for who we really are.

The pressure at the Battle of Monmouth was revelatory.

For General Charles Lee, the pressure exposed a heart of cowardice, hungry for glory but terrified of death.

For General George Washington, the pressure at Monmouth revealed unshakable conviction, fiery courage, and unparalleled leadership.

It took my wife and I five years to realize that 99% of our arguments began when one of us was tired or hungry.

It isn’t because physical fatigue or hunger create selfishness or malice or envy in our hearts.

It’s because malice was there, selfishness was there, envy was there already.

It takes pressure to draw out the ugliness.

Pressure is revelatory.

And we’re going to see that play out in our passage this morning.

Turn with me to .

Let’s read together.

Especially Smith.

On a particularly hard day, our platoon had been broken down and completely humiliated.

All.

Day.

Long.

The punishment didn’t stop.

We were exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally.

No end in sight.

Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negeb and against Ziklag.

They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great.

They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.

3 And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.

4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

6 And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters.

But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

7 And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.”

So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.

8 And David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this band?

Shall I overtake them?”

He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”

9 So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.

10 But David pursued, he and four hundred men.

Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.

11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David.

And they gave him bread and he ate.

They gave him water to drink, 12 and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins.

And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.

13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong?

And where are you from?”

He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.

14 We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” 15 And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?”

And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”

David Defeats the Amalekites

16 And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

17 And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.