True Loyalty

1. News of victory and defeat

In one sentence is summarized both defeat and victory and waiting

Kingdom of God in victory and defeat - Kernel of grain falling to the ground

How do you know who is on the Lord’s side?

Don’t be a false follower of the King - an admirer of His greatness. Be a follower.

False disciples are attracted to bigness and success, attracted by material benefits, attracted to the supernatural.

If you have any knowledge at all of human nature, you know that those who only admire the truth will, when danger appears, become traitors. The admirer is infatuated with the false security of greatness; but if there is any inconvenience or trouble, he pulls back. Admiring the truth, instead of following it, is just as dubious a fire as the fire of erotic love, which at the turn of the hand can be changed into exactly the opposite—to hate, jealousy, and revenge. Christ, however, never asked for admirers, worshipers, or adherents. He consistently spoke of "followers" and "disciples."

—Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and theologian (1813–1855)

Wellness preachers are wildly popular on Instagram. The New York Times calls them “quasi-spiritual influencers” and “Instavangelists” who have replaced the televangelist. They have online followers anywhere from 900,000 to 7.5 million (Gwyneth Paltrow). They are the “neo-religious leaders of our era.”

2. Be afraid! - A false loyalty exposed through a lack of fear

The lie of the Amalekite - mourning about media distrust

Amalekites - judged because of their attack on weakness

More information - Son of a sojourner

Are you truly loyal if you don’t fear the king’s judgment on what God hates?

1 Peter 1:14–19 ESV

14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

To grow in wisdom and love is not to lose all fear of God; it is to change our fear of God. It is to pass from the servile fear of the slave, the fear of punishment, to the loving reverence of the son, fearing to offend his father, and in the end to the purely selfless fear of the lover, the fear of hurting what you love.

—Gerald Vann (1906-1963), British Roman Catholic theologian and philosopher

Going to the Grand Canyon

If there is no desire for holiness, no putting away of sin, no consideration of how you personally could sin in a situation where is your heart for acknowledging Jesus as king?

If you are judging other’s sin when you shouldn’t be

James 4:11–12 ESV

11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

3. Be sad! - A true loyalty exposed through grief

The priority of grief over justice

But David they were your enemies

But David Saul deserved to die

But David Saul caused the defeat

Using grief to teach the people priorities and values

"Shhh," says Sylvia, as she places her fingers over his lips. "We don't name the dead. Everybody who loses somebody wants revenge on someone. On God if they can't find anyone else. But in Africa, in Mantobo, the Ku believe that the only way to end grief is to save a life. If someone is murdered, a year of mourning ends with a ritual that we call the drowning-man trial. There's an all-night party beside the river. At dawn, the killer is put in a boat, he's taken out in the water, and he's dropped. He's bound so that he cannot swim.

"The family of the dead then has to make a choice. They can let him drown, or they can swim out and save him. The Ku believe that if the family lets the killer drown, they'll have justice but spend the rest of their lives in mourning. But if they save him, if they admit that life isn't always just, that very act can take away their sorrow. Vengeance is a lazy form of grief."

Using lament to remember good not stir up anger over “what ifs” nor create depression by false guilt

David was grieving over the loss of men who God had used and who had shown him love

Jesus grieved over Israel’s rejection of Himself as King

Luke 23:28–31 ESV

28 But turning to them Jesus said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ 31 For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

2 Corinthians 7:10–13 ESV

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are comforted. And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

Do you grieve over time missed in relationships? Do you grieve over suicides, deaths, etc.?

Or is your grief only self-focused?

What in life are you doing out of a healthy fear of God? Or are you seeking escape through pleasure and comfort?

What in life are you grieving properly right now? Or are you blaming yourself or others rather than grieving?

Joy is coming in the morning. The king is finally going to be king but the true test is always are we loyal to Him.