David The strength of the servant king

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DavidThe strength of the servant king

• By Adrian Warnock

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Why study David the servant king?

• He models meekness and leadership
• He is described as being the man after Gods
  own heart
• Jesus was described as the Son of David
• He shows us much of the character of God
• David is an inspiration to us in many areas-
  prophecy, worship, theology, care of others,
  leadership, a sense of mission, repentance,
  community life, faith in God, etc.
• The bible devotes many chapters to him

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Last time- The making of a servant King

• The contrast between Saul and David
• The growth of meekness in David
• Our response to this
• Giving and grasping lie at the story's heart. At
  critical moments David seems to allow choice to
  rest with others, especially Yahweh. (Oxford)

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Our response last time

• Are we a grasping Saul or a serving David?
• Whos kingdom are we building?
• What is in our hearts?
• What small step do we need to faithfully act for
  God in?
• Are we under authority so we can exercise it?
• Do you have rivals?
• Who is your Jonathan?
• Have you said I am yours to a local church?

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Our response last time

• Do you feel insignificant because of bad
  parenting or domination by previous leaders?
• Do you want to commit yourself to serve the
  Kingdom of God rather than build your own
  kingdom?
• Do you want to say I am with you to this
  church?
• Do you need clarity about what God is calling you
  to?
• Do you know what God wants you to do but feel
  paralysed?
• Are you living with a call that has not yet been
  fulfilled?

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How can we make it?

• What was it that gave David strength to be the
  servant King?
• How can we learn from his example today in the
  situations we face?

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Psalm 18

• Heading A Psalm of David, the servant of the
  Lord, who addressed the words of this song to the
  Lord on the day when the Lord rescued him from
  the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of
  Saul.

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What gave David strength

• He saw himself as the servant of the Lord
• A servant doesnt demand things of his master
• A servant remains in the background whilst his
  master is honoured
• A servant doesnt tell his master what he should
  do and when he should do it
• Have you made God the boss of your life and told
  him he can do whatever he wants with you?
• When things were going badly David still trusted
  God

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What gave David strength?
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• He saw himself as the servant of the Lord
• He knew that however bad things got, sooner or
  later God would always rescue him
• He cared more about what God thought than people
• "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of
  God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were
  still trying to please man, I would not be a
  servant of Christ. " (Galatians 110, ESV)
• He saw having enemies as a fact of life
• Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in
  Christ Jesus will be persecuted (2 Tim 312).
• He knew that God was stronger than his enemies

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What gave David strength?

• Ultimately the LORD did
• V1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
• David loved God not what God did for him
• Psalm 18- A praise sandwich
• V1-3 praise
• V4-6a The predicament
• V6b-19 The salvation
• V 20-24 The character of the king
• V 25-50 praise

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The predicament

• David knew being forgotten and shunned by his
  brothers
• Being the kings harpist
• Being laughed at for wanting to attack Goliath
• Being at the very centre of things
• Then being an outcast and treated as an enemy
• Then seeing increasing power
• Then being crowned as king.

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The predicament

• The hidden ways of God
• Times when God seems distant
• Are things
• Getting better?
• Getting worse?
• Going nowhere?
• In family? In work? In church?

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Going forward? Going backward? Or Going nowhere?
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How do we respond to trouble?

• The essence of all cognitive theories is that we
  are not controlled by events,but by the meanings
  we give to events. (Core Psychiatry)
• How do you find meaning in events?
• Are you damaged by your experiences?
• Have you missed Gods perfect will of instant
  prosperity that is your birthright as a child of
  God?
• Have you sinned and are being punished?
• Are you the helpless victim of the devil or those
  who are your enemies?

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God is in charge so trust him!

• We know that for those who love God all things
  work together for good. (Ro 828 ESV)
• If God is for us, who can be against us? (v31)
• Joseph- You meant evil against me, but God meant
  it for good (Gen 5020)
• Trust in God but keep your powder dry
• Begin by prayer and trusting God, then move into
  doing what you can do and trusting him to
  intervene for the rest!

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How to respond

• We tend to ask How are you feeling? sometimes
  it is more appropriate to ask How are you
  doing? and What do you need to do?
• Dont just sit there praying- get up and do
  something!
• Passivity is a killer- Unemployment is
  associated with early death, divorce, family
  violence, accidents, suicide, higher mortality
  rates in spouse and children, anxiety and
  depression, disturbed sleep patterns and low
  self-esteem (Smith,1992)

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Not under the circumstances

• No, in all these things we are more than
  conquerors through him who loved us. For I am
  sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor
  rulers, nor things present nor things to come,
  nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything
  else in all creation, will be able to separate us
  from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  (Ro 837-39)

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The salvation (v6b-19)

• Figurative language
• Reflects Gods normal way of doing things
• And suddenly God intervenes
• Like the movies!
• Are you in a phase where God is acting secretly
  and slowly or dramatically and fast?

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DavidThe character of the servant king

• By Adrian Warnock

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• When his ever patient wife tried to tell him that
  loosing the election immediately after the war
  might be a blessing in disguise his response was
  'at the moment its certainly very well
  disguised'... but a few months later saw it
  differently ' I feel a great sense of
  relief...others having to face the hideous
  problems of the aftermarth..it may all indeed be
  'a blessing in disguise''

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Attitudes to Law

• The puritans describe the law as 'the needle that
  draws the gospel thread' Samuel Bolton
• Wycliffe- 'The highest service to which a man may
  attain on earth is to preach the law of God'
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• Wesley 'I suggest preaching nine tenths law and
  one tenth grace'
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• Finney 'Failure to use the law is almost certain
  to result in false hope, the introduction of a
  false standard of Christian experience and to
  fill the church with false converts.'
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• Bunyan 'The man who does not know the nature of
  the law cannot know the nature of sin'
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• Luther 'The first duty of the gospel preacher is
  to declare Gods law and to show the nature of
  sin'
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• Spurgeon 'They will never accept grace till they
  tremble before a just and holy law
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• Piper 'The quickest way to the heart is through a
  wound' (desiring God p63)
• Gal 324 In charge to lead us to Christ- by
  showing us what sin is like and what God is like
  and what we are like!
• The problem of the Law is US
• If you are a legalist you will always struggle
  with pride or condemnation

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The character of the king (v 20-24)

• David knew a relationship with God
• But he respected the Law
• Law keeping that comes from relationship is there
  in both Testaments
• We mustnt work to please God, but we should keep
  the law because we know God is already pleased
  with us
• "Be killing sin, or it will be killing you." John
  Owen

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Fulfilling the law

• Not simply religious obedience
• Rather obedience from the heart
• Teacher, which is the great commandment in the
  Law? And he said to him, You shall love the
  Lord your God with all your heart and with all
  your soul and with all your mind. This is the
  great and first commandment. And a second is like
  it You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On
  these two commandments depend all the Law and the
  Prophets. (Matthew 2236-40, ESV)
• Both of the above are direct quotes from the OT
  Law

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All ministry gifts in the church require love

• Pastors love Christians
• Teachers love books
• Evangelists love non-Christians
• Prophets love God
• Apostles love the Church
• They all do this so WE can love everyone!
• You cant say I dont love God, only books.!

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In conclusion.

• Love God, and do what you please Augustine
• Being at peace rather than angry that we didnt
  get our own way is the secret to a happy life
• Trusting God to fight our battles for us and
  letting him has his way in our lives is for out
  good
• What really matters is how you are when things
  are not going your way
• Why should a servant of God complain?

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Group Questions

• If you had a servant what would you get him/her
  to do?
• What comes to your mind when you hear the word
  servant?
• Does God treat his servants cruelly?
• How should we respond then everything is not
  going my way?
• What does it mean to trust God and keep your
  powder dry? (Clue- Oliver Cromwell used to say
  this to his troops before battle!)