The Tale of the heart
Notes
Transcript
Handout
You could, but should you?
You could, but should you?
Pastor Geneva’s Sermon
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Herein is a remarkable story in I Samuel 14 about Jonathan and his father, King Saul.
Their familiar nemesis, the Philistines, were constantly harassing them and engaging them in war.
Jonathan wanted to help Israel defeat this enemy, so he proposed to his armor bearer that they go should up and engage them in battle. But first, he stated that he had to have a Word from the Lord. He refused to go into battle without clear, divine direction. He knew that would ensure them protection, favor, and victory.
Meanwhile, his father the king, was engaging in a similar conversation with the priest, but grew impatient and attacked.
While he did win the battle, he lost the war.
You might even win, for a while. But if my ultimate goal is to please the Lord, be in alignment with His will, and advance His kingdom, then my process will need to include making sure I'm not acting on my own accord.
This was Saul's ultimate downfall.
Saul decides that to wait for the word of the Lord might jeopardize his military advantage. As in 13:8–12, his decision rests on his own insight rather than on dependence on the Lord and a commitment to obey him.
Unfortunately, his short successes convinced him he was winning, when in effect, he was chipping away at his ultimate success. God will not be deceived. He will not be mocked.
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.
Whatever a man sows, he will ultimately reap.
We all make mistakes and miss seeing and discerning God's will from time to time. But Saul was bent on having his way, regardless of its implications, and no one could tell him no.
That's a dangerous place to be in. Jonathan wanted God's will above all things, even if it meant forfeiting the affirmation of his father. There are a lot of things you could do, could have, and could say, but should you? Does it pass the God test? If not, stay as far away from it as you can. Beware that short term victories don't always indicate long term success.
Jonathan’s bold plan is undertaken as an act of faith (cf. Heb 11:32–34) founded on God’s promise (9:16).
And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.
The ground shook.
So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.
God saved Israel that day.
and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.”
The Battle belongs to the Lord. Your battle belongs to the Lord.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood but principalities and powers in high places.
It really is a personal battle between faith and fear, and humility and pride.
The way of faith, the way of humility, the way of Jesus and a matter of the heart.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith and Fear do coexist within the life of every person.
We will always have a battle, but where we fight and whom we fight is in God’s hands.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
We have a growing faith.