Sermon Tone Analysis

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Reading
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Intro
Intro
There’s much to be distressed about in today’s world.
We have wars, rumours of wars, thefts, murders, rampant greed and many other things too numerous to list.
What does this topic have to do with anything today?
Loss of possession
+ Loss of possession
Loss of family
+ Loss of family
And while the world looks for answers to the world’s problems, the Word of God goes beyond the calamity to the source of help.
Fear of death
+ Fear of death
We fear harm at the hand of those within our own household and we likewise fear the hands of those outside our home.
We fear loss of our finances by the turning of our economy, and we fear loss of our family through divorce.
Not only do we fear the loss of these physical, tangible things in this life, but we suffer also from the fear of death which looms upon all of us.
As we explore our passage tonight I would like for us to view these issues because it's exactly what David faced in this part of his life.
The two calamities which Jesus himself addressed were two different types - one directly from the hand of a man; and the other what could be perceived as a natural or accidental disaster.
The two calamities which Jesus himself addressed were two different types - one directly from the hand of a man; and the other what could be perceived as a natural or accidental disaster.
What will we see?
What do you want me to learn?
And at both times Jesus doesn’t point the finger to blame, as we often seek to do, but rather the solution to all calamities.
Tonight I’d like for us to explore through this passage tonight what can cause us to distress.
We will see from the references here in our focal verse in that we can easily get caught up in the things of this world with what we have, and we can also easily neglect our responsibilities with our family which can cause further angst, and lastly we have the greatest fear - that of death.
But while we can explore all the things about what causes us to stress, this passage also will provide encouragement in that even if we be caught up in the world with worry, that we can be encouraged by David’s testimony here and the testimony of our fellow brothers and sisters to continue in fellowship together.
We need to be encouraging one another and helping each other during these days.
We need to be encouraging one another and helping each other during these days.
Let’s get started by diving into verse 6.
David Greatly Distressed
Let's dive into verse 6:
Let's dive into verse 6 a little more deeper:
Firstly, let’s start by asking the question - why was David greatly distressed?
We can see from the beginning of this chapter that the things causing him great distress were:
1.
The loss of his physical possessions - his home had been burnt with fire and his livestock were taken away;
2. The loss of his family - they’d been taken captive by the lawless and godless Amalekites; and
3.
The fear of death at the hand of his own men.
In isolation just one of these things could be enough to cause anyone to stress, but all three at once help us to appreciate why Scripture states David was in great distress.
Let’s explore each of these in a little more detail.
Loss of Possessions
Seeing the loss of property and possessions, like we see here with David, causes us to have a healthy fear for the protection of our own property should calamity befall us.
It's seeing the loss of possessions, like we see here with David and others, in our own life that cause us to have a healthy fear for protection of our property should calamity befall us.
Thankfully in our time we have organisations, such as insurance companies, who can help us to restore our possessions by charging a small premium every year.
And I personally believe to be a good stewardship would require us to consider the cost that insurance may be needed for our possessions - such as our homes, our cars, and perhaps even our earnings should something befall us.
But I should quickly add that there's a fine line between being responsible for the things God has given us and idolising them.
Jesus puts it quite succinctly in:
(KJV 1900) 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
So how would we know the difference?
So how would we know the difference on whether we’re being diligent with our property or whether we are idolising it?
Jesus gave us the clue: look at your heart.
One way of determining what is in your heart is to listen to what you know a lot about and like talking about:
(KJV 1900) 34 ... for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
(KJV 1900) 34 … for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
What are you thinking about?
Do you worry about the loss of your possessions?
Do you look to acquire more possessions?
Your heart would be thinking about these things constantly.
In fact, even when you're here in church listening to the Word of God being preached, your mind is elsewhere because your heart desires what you have (or haven't) got.
You could be worrying about how to make more money.
Or thinking about the latest model and make of a particular brand of motor vehicle.
For us to talk about something it would mean we’d have facts stored in our memory and likely we’d have opinions about it.
So where does your heart go?
What does your mind like to think about?
Perhaps you’re hear in body but your mind is thinking of other things.
Another good way of determining whether a possession is an idol in your life is whether you’re able to remove it.
We certainly cannot take our possessions with us when we die, and if we’ve read the Bible fully we know that everything gets burned up anyway.
So what should our attitude be towards our worldly possessions?
I recall one American pastor who said he could tell a lot about the condition of a person's heart by looking at their bank statement.
Our wallets are not far behind the pursuits of our own heart.
If we worship possessions we will soon find ourselves spending on those things which supplement and complement our desires.
Be a good steward, be diligent with what God has given us, but keep our mind focussed on God, not the things he has given us.
Or perhaps you look to acquire more possessions?
Your heart would be thinking about these things constantly.
In fact, even when you're here in church listening to the Word of God being preached, your mind is elsewhere because your heart desires what you have (or haven't) got.
Your heart would be thinking about these things constantly.
In fact, even when you're here in church listening to the Word of God being preached, your mind is elsewhere because your heart desires what you have (or haven't) got.
Loss of Family
I recall one American pastor who said he could tell a lot about the condition of a person's heart by looking at their bank statement.
Our wallets are not far behind the pursuits of our heart.
If we worship possessions we will soon find ourselves spending on those things which supplement and complement our desires.
But even with the loss of possessions, it wasn’t the largest concern of David and his men.
We see that their greatest concern was the loss of family.
Loss of Family
The second distress David faced was the loss of his two wives and children.
The tragic loss of any life would overwhelm the grief we would have for any loss of physical possessions in this life.
The second distress David faced was the loss of his two wives and children.
The tragic loss of any life would overwhelm the grief we would have for any loss of our possessions in this life.
And this loss is what caused even David's men to turn against their master as verse 6 emphasises...
(KJV 1900) 6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters...
(KJV 1900) 6 ... because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters.
But why would the men have considered stoning David?
What could have further angered David's men into thinking of such thoughts about stoning him was the reason they had been absent from the city - leaving the wives and children without protection.
In the previous chapter, in , David had made the decision for him and his men to side with the Philistines.
No doubt this would have caused quite the stir among David's own men at as to why they were now partnering with their enemy to fight against their own countrymen!
In our previous chapter, in , David had been off to battle with the Philistines.
No doubt this would have caused quite the stir among David's own men at as to why they were now partnering with their own enemy to fight against their own countrymen!
David’s choice was not the right decision.
As the men were not absent for a few days from their homes their other enemies, the Amalekites, easily took advantage of the situation and took their wives and children captive.
And this is a caution that I’ve even asked myself as a father:
How am I protecting my family today?
I can buy enough insurance to help cover and protect our physical possessions, but what of the precious souls within my own home?
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