Two Swords
1 Samuel • Sermon • Submitted
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How Does God Bring Freedom
How Does God Bring Freedom
Intro: What Times we live in?
Intro: What Times we live in?
When I was younger I never thought I would see the things that I would nor live through the events that I have.
What times we have lived through when churches shut their doors because of a sickness, where cities burn and it is called justice, where children go to school and are subject to explicit sexualization.
Where the number one song of the year was WAP.
We lived through a time where it was fearful to go to a church, yet attending a rally or pride parade was celebrated.
Many Churches just shut their doors- The Fire of those churches was quenched.
There was no moving of the Spirit when the doors of the church are close and the result was tragic
Cities burnt
Freedoms were lost
But what is the response to oppression?
But what is the response to oppression?
No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on a cattle prod. So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.
A Scene of oppression
A Scene of oppression
There is no weapons, and no ways of making weapons-
The fires of the blacksmith had been quenched, and now the people of God live in oppression overpaying for the tools they need just to survive.
There is no escaping to run and find relief- “The garrison took control of the pass at Michmash.”
The Contrasting Leaders
The Contrasting Leaders
That same day Saul’s son Jonathan said to the attendant who carried his weapons, “Come on, let’s cross over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” However, he did not tell his father.
Saul was staying under the pomegranate tree in Migron on the outskirts of Gibeah. The troops with him numbered about six hundred. Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod, was also there. He was the son of Ahitub, the brother of Ichabod son of Phinehas, son of Eli the Lord’s priest at Shiloh. But the troops did not know that Jonathan had left.
There are two type of people who are revealed when oppression strikes.
What will you do when something tries to keep you from the promises of God?
depression
anxiety
fear
What is your response?
Saul- sat under a pomegranate tree, accepting the scenario. “Well I guess this is the way it is now.”
Ahijah in His priestly garments was there with Saul. Saul had access to God’s counsel available to him, if only he asked for it.
How sad when we reject the counsel of God when faced with the storms of life, the hardships of live, and even with the opportunities to help free others who are stuck.
Saul Sat under a pomegranate tree, Jonathan walked toward the problem.
A Display of Faith
A Display of Faith
There were sharp columns of rock on both sides of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine garrison. One was named Bozez and the other Seneh; one stood to the north in front of Michmash and the other to the south in front of Geba. Jonathan said to the attendant who carried his weapons, “Come on, let’s cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will help us. Nothing can keep the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”
When faced with the the overbearing problem, Jonathan doesn’t wait for something to change, but steps out in faith to confront the issue
Something was keeping God’s people from God’s promise and Jonathan had enough faith to deal with, through faith- “Perhaps the Lord will help us, for nothing can hinder the Lord. He can win a battle whether He has many warriors or only a few.”
With God all thing are possible.
There was an enemy that needed dealing with and Jonathan had stood all that he could.
The Game plan -
The Game plan -
“All right,” Jonathan replied, “we’ll cross over to the men and then let them see us. If they say, ‘Wait until we reach you,’ then we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come on up,’ then we’ll go up, because the Lord has handed them over to us—that will be our sign.”
There was only one hope- and it wasn’t a king or an army, but it was dependence on God.
Victory only comes throughs faith in the God who is able and having the strength to step out in action.
I am able to do all things through him who strengthens me.
William Wallace - Braveheart
Wallace: Sons of Scotland, I am William Wallace.
Young soldier: William Wallace is 7 feet tall.
Wallace: Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds, and if he were here he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse. I AM William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do with that freedom? Will you fight?
Veteran soldier: Fight? Against that? No, we will run; and we will live.
Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you'll live -- at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!!!
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Christ has already setup free, already broke the yoke of slavery.
“Behold, God is my salvation;
I will trust, and will not be afraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my song,
and he has become my salvation.”
What do we do when something stands in opposition to What God wants to do in our life?
Like Jonathan we look at it and say today the Lord is my Salvation, and you will bow!
God plus one is always a majority.
Terror spread through the Philistine camp and the open fields to all the troops. Even the garrison and the raiding parties were terrified. The earth shook, and terror spread from God.
“Terror spread from God.” Panic began to spread through the camp as word of Jonathan spread through the came, but Terror from God struck when the enemy realized who was fighting with Jonathan.
When the enemy realized they had already tried to fight against God and lost.
God had already defeated this enemy.
Back in chapter 5
The Lord’s hand was heavy on the people of Ashdod. He terrified the people of Ashdod and its territory and afflicted them with tumors. When the people of Ashdod saw what was happening, they said, “The ark of Israel’s God must not stay here with us, because his hand is strongly against us and our god Dagon.”
The Cross
The Cross
God has already defeated our great foe
1 John 3:8 (ESV)
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
God Sent Jesus Christ to climb a hill not carry a sword , but carry a cross so He could crush all the works of the enemy, and crush all the things that oppress us.
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
The things that once ruled Christ has put to shame!
Today if you are in Christ You have been sent free from all bondage so stand strong
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 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.
God has given us a Sword to use and he has put His very Spirit in us.
For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
And Lastly we bring salvation to others in oppression and slavery to sin and death
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
The Goodnews is that there is one who climb that hill and fought more then just a physical army, but he conquered sin, death and the grave! and has rose in victory