One of the most common things I deal with as a pastor is helping people through their various crises in life and those crises can vary. Their particular teach family or individual what may be a crisis for someone is not a crisis for someone else but I have the privilege of walking through those with many of you as do many of our pastors here and the common question that comes up in any kind of crisis or moment of desperation is this. What are we to do? What am I to do when I feel weak? When I feel I don't have the strength to go on? Where am I to look for hope? Where am I to look for encouragement?
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Whether it's simple things like making new friends at a school or taking a difficult class or moving to a new city or something bigger in life more significant like having a baby particularly your first one. Your fifth one can also be hard from what I understand but your first one is particularly difficult or maybe you're parenting teenagers or taking care of aging parents or you've seen loved ones lost or even more of a crisis can feel like a business that you're starting that you don't know what you're doing or a business that you're running that is struggling and even bigger than that can be persecution that you face in the world or you're in a crisis situation like a flood which we've had in Boulder or homes burning down which we've had in Boulder or maybe you've been deployed to war. These are big things. These can push us to a place where we don't feel like we have the resources on our own to handle it.
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You're going to notice two responses when a crisis hits that is common to everyone this is not necessarily a moral indictment by any means it's common to everyone there's gonna be crying and there's gonna be anger crying and anger I mean everyone I talked to as a pastor everyone you're friends with everyone you're married to you yourself when you experience a crisis when you are going through troubles and hardship when you don't have the strength to persevere you will experience sadness and anger these are common and this is what the people that David the people of God under David's care experience.
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What does David do in his distress when David is weak and thinks I can't do this anymore what does he do well the text tells us it says he strengthened himself in the Lord now this is a very important concept when we feel distressed when we feel beat down like we can't catch a break like life is overwhelming as if God is not on your side what are we to do in short we're to be like David we are to strengthen ourselves in the Lord this is good and right but if you're like me you're asking what does that mean I am angry and sad what does it mean to strengthen myself in the Lord does anyone else have those kind of questions because sometimes what can happen in the Christian life is when you're loving your neighbor you're trying to care for someone else who's going through a crisis what happens is we offer kind of platitudes and they're biblical they're not wrong we offer platitudes well you just need to trust the Lord brother amen yes and amen what does that mean right now right you just need to abide in Jesus amen how tell me more because right now I need some direction in my life I need some spiritual direction as to what the next step is to take.
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First note it's personal it's personal the text says that David goes to the Lord his God his God there is a particularity to the faith that David has with the Lord it is his God not just a God not a generic God it is his God there is a relationship within his religious framework it is a vital personal faith that David has in God the Lord is your God there must be ownership that you have with your faith if you want to be strengthened in the Lord if you want to be strengthened with the Lord it has to be personal not just a generic God or the divine he is your God you must have a personal faith in the Lord if you claim that Jesus Christ is Lord then Jesus Christ must be your Lord you must be able to say that as you cry out to the Lord in your distress Oh Lord my God you must own it you must go to him it is personal that's the first thing.
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When you are weak and you want to strengthen yourself in the Lord remember him remember him his promises his provision already in your life third it's going to God and his prescribed ways it's going to God and his prescribed ways you take advantage of those means that he's already provided with which he has granted you access for strength for David under the old covenant that meant he went to the Lord by way of the ephod right this priestly garment to inquire before the Lord and so the question that we should have in mind is where is my ephod what is my access to the Lord how do I discern rightly before the Lord when I need strength and direction what does it mean to go to the Lord today the answer is in Christ in Christ Jesus Christ we have access to the Father now never forget this because of what Jesus has accomplished we have access to the Father now never forget this to the Father the life death resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ replaces this system replaces the ephod now we don't come to some high priest we come to the great high priest Jesus Christ the son who sacrificed himself in our place on the cross and we come to this Lord our God your God with your petitions in fact God encourages us to come and almost annoy him with our petitions as we come to our petitions as we come to our petitions as we come to our petitions as we come seeking strength from him seeking access seeking direction from him he wants us to come to him we should pray and even presume upon the Lord that he wants us to draw near to him and this is why we pray in Jesus's name we don't go to God as if he is some generic God he is your God we pray my God and my Lord it's personal we remember and we go and we come primarily through Jesus Christ but he has provided us with a bountiful amount of resources to come to him through his word he's given us clarity in his word about how to live he's given us his body the church where we can seek spiritual direction and comfort there's plenty of means but all of that is the central way to access to the Father is through Jesus Christ.
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Being strengthened in the Lord is not a therapy session it is not just crying David and his men do that it is common to all people they cry out in their distress there is a time to cry there's a time to be sad but that does not strengthen them crying is not a marker of being strengthened in the Lord it may be appropriate and legitimate to cry and weep but do not mistake the emotional and ecstatic experience of crying or weeping as strengthening yourself in the Lord it is an emotional expression our strength in the Lord is not just found in these emotional expressions but going to the source of emotions but going to the source of our strength God Himself.
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Being strengthened in the Lord is also not stewing in anger and bitterness and resentment David's men also do this they after their tears they want to take justice into their own hands understandably so they're ready to kill David why because when we feel weak anger makes us feel strong when we feel like things aren't going well and we want to grab onto control and there are things that you need to control in your life but we want to take justice into our own hands and makes us feel like we're in charge it isn't wrong to be angry in fact many times if we were not angry about injustice we're not angry about something going wrong in our life whatever it might be if someone has sinned against us if you were not angry that would be kind of strange there is a biblical anger we should have when it comes to injustice but in your anger do not sin David's men were about to sin anger anger makes it seem to have können anger makes it objectivity at Romans Song 16 anger makes it feel like we are strong that we are overcoming that we're getting justice for the things that have gone wrong but this is just human experience this is not being strengthened in the Lord.
[00:41:59]
Being strengthened in the Lord is also not just going through religious motions to soothe yourself it is not a letting go and letting God in other words that's not what it means to be strengthened in the Lord it is taking that which God has already given you, the means to exercise agency and authority, taking that to God and asking, Lord, what do you want from me in this situation? You have given me authority, you have given me power, you have given me the ability to do things. As David went to the Father, and he inquired to the Father, what do you want? And he received an answer. The point being, you must not use the means of God that he has given you to connect with him and find strength in him as an excuse for inaction, okay? The Christian religion is not something that you just use as a cope in your life to deal with the challenges of your life.
[00:43:07]
We have a religion, the Christian religion, it's good that we have worship and prayer and Bible reading and all of these kinds of things, but primarily, the way we receive strength is not through all of that, but through the Son to the Father. We receive it from the Lord. All of that other stuff is great, but we should never use it as a cope to avoid the Lord and to avoid taking responsibility and as a cope to not taking action. Well, I'm just trusting the Lord. Brother, you need to get up and work. You need to get to work.
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Note the contrast here between David and Saul. Saul was hard -pressed, and when he was hard -pressed, what did he do? He avoided the Lord. He avoided going to the Father. He didn't want to strengthen himself in the Lord. He wanted to take matters into his own hands, and then he wanted to ask the Lord to bless it after. He wanted to not use God's prescribed means of connecting with him. Instead, what does Saul do? Saul went to a witch, for heaven's sake, to try to get insight and clarity on a situation. He did not go to the Lord, and David does just the opposite. He strengthens himself in the Lord because it's personal, and he remembers, and he goes to the Lord by the way of access he has. And for us, that's Jesus Christ.
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David and his men set out after David has strengthened himself in the Lord, because strengthening yourself in the Lord leads to action. It leads to agency. It leads to doing things in obedience to God's word.
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This is often how the providence of God works in our lives, in your life. This is often how the providence of God works. Many of us, when we're looking for direction after a crisis or in a crisis, we're looking for very clear, specific guidance from the Lord. And that's understandable, right? We want, which job? Which job do I take? What classes? Do I marry this person, right? What should I do? We're looking for clear guidance. And that would be nice, wouldn't it? But that's not often the way that the Lord works. We're asking the question, Lord, should I, should I, should I? And we think being strengthened in the Lord means we get the exact answers or the clarity we want. But sometimes, many times, in fact, God will cause us to step out in faith and obedience to him and then provide along the way, provide clarity and discernment along the way.
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Because God will provide you with the resources you need as you step out in faith after being strengthened by the Lord. It's a dynamic situation. And this is what becomes so challenging for many Christians, is they want some kind of pattern that's easily replicated in every situation, right? We would like it to be like a formula, like a math problem. If this, then that, right? But what it often looks like is much more dynamic. We face a crisis in life. We face a situation beyond our control. We're crying. We're angry. We're frustrated. I remember, because I'm a Christian, I need to make sure I go to the Lord. I remember the Lord. I go to him by his prescribed means, not tarot cards or other means, right? We go to the Lord seeking direction. And then we fulfill our duties and obligations that we already have in life. We obey the Lord, walking in righteousness. We obey the Lord, walking in righteousness. And as we go, as we step forward in faith, after we're clarifying before the Lord and strengthen ourselves in the Lord, the Lord will provide. And that's the component of faith that's perplexing to us often as Christians and as humans because we don't know what the Lord is doing. All we're called to do, though, is obey him and step out.
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Whereas Saul failed to defeat the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15, David succeeds with a much smaller force because it is the Lord who saves by many or by few. Everything has been restored to them, so they venture back to this brook at Bessor.
[00:55:20]
These men who are bitter discontents view the spoil as something they earned on their own. But David knows it was all by the grace of God. And this is not just true of David. But this is true for all who belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 4 .7 says, what do you have that you did not receive? See, when we understand that all we have is simply by the mercy and grace of God, we are able to be free from bitterness and jealousy.
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Many times in this life, when we succeed, when we have strengthened ourselves in the Lord, we have gone out and obeyed him. And then we receive and accomplish and we exercise dominion, whether it's riches or whatever it may be. We are easily tempted to take pride in our own strength. We're easily tempted to say, look at my kingdom. Look at what I've accomplished. Look at the riches. Look at the power I have. But David knows the truth. That everything we have, everything he has and everything we have is by the grace of God. By the grace of God. Even the very strength I have is by the grace of God.
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David models for us what it looks like when we're in crisis. He strengthened himself in the Lord. The Lord provided for David. And David recognizes that all of it comes from the Lord. See, when we are weak, friends, we must strengthen ourselves in the Lord, whatever we're facing.
[00:58:40]
We go to the Lord and we strengthen ourselves in the Lord. When we are weak, we have to strengthen ourselves in him. Whatever we're facing. We must, in order to do this, we must have a personal, vital faith in Jesus Christ. You must do this. We must remember him. And we must go to him by the means he's prescribed through Jesus Christ. Not through religious forms and ceremonies, but through Jesus Christ.
[00:59:33]
You see, David won the battle. He plundered his enemies and he gave gifts to his men. What does all of this mean? It foreshadows Jesus Christ, who won victory at the cross. He plundered the strong man's house. And he distributed gifts to the church, namely the spirit. Jesus does not hoard his bounty and his riches from us. It is fully accessible to you and I, to his church. He has blessed the church with riches, not only in our access to the Father, but in equipping us for every good work. So that we can abound in righteousness and holiness and life. The cross and resurrection were not just a victory, but a security of the spoils of war. So that the overflowing and overwhelming love of Jesus Christ can be made manifest in you.
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Even when you're the person who's bitter, who acts like the wicked, worthless fellow, who doesn't want to be generous. Christ comes to you and says, brother, put that aside. Put aside your bitterness. Put aside your covetousness. It's all by mercy and grace. He welcomes you. The Father has offered his only begotten Son for your sins. And because we have access to the Father, we have all the riches that Christ has offered to you and I. We can have peace and joy in the Lord in the midst of terrible circumstances. We can strengthen ourselves in the Lord because Christ has given us access to the Father. We can trust that God will provide as we step out in faith. And we know that all of it is by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
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Whenever we sense that we are too weak. Maybe it's been this week. Maybe it's coming up this week. Whenever we sense we are too weak, that the battle is too tough, that the sin will not go away, that the temptation will just not cease to tempt us, that it is too great, that the circumstances of your life are too overwhelming, you can find strength in the Lord. This God, who can meet every need, lifts up our weary heads and trains our hands for war. This is your God. I hope it is this day.
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This type of faith, a faith that is not just passive, but an active faith, what this does is it leads to a confidence among God's people, no matter the circumstances they face. One commentator I read this week put it this way, There is a holy defiance to the people of God, to the church. There is a holy defiance we have knowing that the enemies of Yahweh will perish. See, when we know the Lord with a personal vital faith, we remember Him and we go to Him as a church, we will be that city on a hill. We will be a light to the nations. We will be a beacon of truth and righteousness and hope, a light for the world to see. Why? Not because we are free from hardship, not because nothing bad happens to us, not because we are free from persecution, but because we know the living God who gives us strength in our hardships and trials. And we know that the trials and sufferings we face pale in comparison to knowing the glory of God found in Jesus Christ.
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So my exhortation to you, my encouragement to you, is that if you are downcast, beat down, confused, overwhelmed today, do not settle for crying in tears. Do not settle for becoming angry, bitter, and taking matters into your own hands. Don't treat the Christian religion as a cope to deal with your pain and escape it. You run to the Father by way of the Son. You run to the Father by way of the Son. You become strong in the Lord. You become strong in the Lord. You take that weakness that you have, and you cling to Jesus Christ, your Lord. You remember the means He has already given you to provide access to the Father, to receive the riches, the inheritance that you've been promised through the Spirit, and you find strength for today.
[01:03:47]
Because we don't know what to do with our weakness and our frailty. We don't know where to go. So, and why does Paul boast in his weakness? Is it because being weak is good? No. That's silly. We don't want to be weak. We want to be strong. But we want to be strong in the Lord. And when we are weak, the grace and mercy of God is made manifest when we go to the Lord and receive strength from Him, so that we're then able to obey Him with the strength of the Lord. You see that there? It's not that we should pursue weakness or pursue crisis or pursue suffering. These things will come. And when they come, we go to the Lord who is our God, your God. We remember Him. And we use the means He has provided to gain strength and resources for the battles we face.
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