Navigating Adversity with Grace and Humility

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Because I want you to know that for the rest of this chapter, or this book, beginning with chapter 16, pretty much from the moment God declared David to be a man after God's own heart, the rest of 1 Samuel pretty much illustrates the process that God took David through in order to make that statement stick. [00:37:53] (21 seconds)


Because he'll take what was meant to break us and use it to build us up. But there's often a process involved with this thing. And oftentimes that process involves learning how to respond to unjust persecution and attacks, to unfair treatment, to maybe acts of injustice. [00:39:10] (20 seconds)


What Jesus is saying is that sometimes the difficult people that God places in our path are put there for us to be more loving like Jesus Christ, for us to learn how to be more patient like Christ, how to be more long -suffering like the Lord. [00:45:15] (16 seconds)


And so David, he preserves his integrity by affirming Saul's worth. And here's the first point of this message. How do you overcome the onslaught of an unjust attack? You get a grip, first of all. And then acknowledge the fact that even your adversary has a God -given worth. [00:52:59] (21 seconds)


And David had a values check and even starts to pursue Saul differently. Notice David's loving approach. Saul, completely unaware that he was good as dead, he walks out of the cave. And in verse 8, the text says, He doesn't, he doesn't win. David went out of the cave and called out to Saul. [00:56:28] (17 seconds)


And in verse 9, he even gives Saul the benefit of the doubt, shifting blame from instigators and hearsayers to the truth. In verse 9 through 10, notice what he says. He said to Saul, why do you listen when men say, David has bent on harming you? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. [00:57:23] (25 seconds)


Because the rest of this chapter, that's pretty much what David did. He continues to vindicate himself in verse 11. He avoids the trap of repaying evil for evil. He prevents the conflict from escalating. In verse 14, he humbles himself even more, even calling his own self a dead dog. [00:59:17] (19 seconds)


And David realized this well. Which is why the next thing he does at the end of the day, when all else fails, he just decides to appeal to God's justice. Notice in verse 15. He says, may the Lord judge between you and me and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it. [01:00:17] (17 seconds)


In other words, my friends, while we were still enemies of God, and while we were still hostile to his ways, God made the first move. He reached out and extended the olive branch to you and me. When we were lost in our sins and trespasses, enemies of God, God bridged the divide by bringing about reconciliation. [01:04:23] (23 seconds)


Because God demonstrated his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He died to make his enemies his friends. Father, we thank you for sending your best as a peace offering of love, a sacrifice of atonement. We thank you, Lord, that though we don't deserve it, and we didn't love you, you loved us. [01:06:00] (26 seconds)


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