[0:00] a little bit. Amen. How about finding Isaiah chapter 55 this morning? Isaiah 55, and let's read together a few verses and grab out of here a truth.
[0:30] Isaiah 55, we're going to begin in verse number 6, read verses 6 through 9, and we'll notice how God contrasts the ways and the thoughts of man with his own ways and his own thoughts that he has because they're different.
[0:55] And so verse number 6 says, Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
[1:14] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[1:30] Now God contrasting his ways, his thoughts, with the way we are and the way we think. And he's speaking of a sinful man, verse 7, let the wicked forsake his way.
[1:44] He's speaking of the unrighteous man forsaking his thoughts and returning to the Lord and getting pardon and mercy. The difference between sinful man's ways and sinful man's thoughts is illustrated by the earth and then by the much higher and loftier and unreachable heavens.
[2:08] Its comparisons are like this small, this local, this within grasp, this reachable earth against something that's incomprehensible above and something immeasurable, the height, depth, length, and breadth of God's creation.
[2:26] And that, when we look up in the heavens, David said, when I consider the heavens, the work of the hands, these things, what is man? When he compares the two, the heavens to the earth, what in the world, God, are you even thinking about the dust that we are down here?
[2:41] Now that's the difference between his ways, his thoughts, to our ways and our thoughts. We can barely see beyond the nose on our face sometimes.
[2:52] Why? Because we're so consumed with this right here and with what's right around here and what's touching me and how it feels, you know, how it affects me.
[3:02] And we lose sight of what God will give us in the scripture, that he's got thoughts and ways that are far beyond and above what we'll even imagine. He's got ways.
[3:14] And God calls sinful man here to call upon him and to forsake his ways and thoughts to return to the Lord and to submit to him. Sometimes we in this earth were sinners, like the subjects of this passage.
[3:28] And although this is Israel and God speaking to his people, sometimes we, just like them, find it hard to release the way we're thinking and our ways and our thoughts and submit to what he might be trying to do, what his thoughts or his plans are and what he's seeking to get out of us.
[3:50] Because when things start to hurt, we tend to move away from it instead of embrace or go toward it. That's just natural reaction, I'm sure. But what if it's God's thoughts and God's ways that's trying to hurt or squeeze or to move us a certain direction?
[4:06] What we do is we resist it and sometimes find it hard to submit to it. What I want to do over the next two Sundays, Lord willing, is give you four examples out of this Bible of men that found a way to submit to what was not their will and not their ways and not their thoughts, but rather what was evident that it was God's will and God's ways and God's thoughts.
[4:32] And these four men that we study, they're going to be different circumstances, completely different men. And each one, though, is an extremely dramatic situation.
[4:42] So what we're doing is we're going to look at something that's real and see how they submitted. It's not just, you know, what flower do you want to pick? Well, my way is purple, but God's, you know, it's not something down here.
[4:56] This is way up. This is life and death stuff with these men and they're finding a way to submit to what God wants for them when it's definitely not their thoughts and their ways.
[5:08] And these examples, they're different. And I believe we can learn a lesson from each of them that will help us to submit to the ways and to the thoughts of God for our life because they're not always going to be the same.
[5:22] They're definitely not always going to line up. The Bible says in Romans 8, 28, that we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. So we can know that what God's doing is right and we can know that it'll work together for good, for his good, and maybe for ours.
[5:41] But sometimes it's hard for us to acknowledge that here where our feet are on the ground and to submit. Sometimes it's in us to rebel against what God might be trying to do because we have different thoughts and we have different ways.
[5:55] So let's begin this morning in the book of 1 Samuel and come back to 1 Samuel, the very beginning, chapter 1, and let's learn from our first example this morning of how to submit to the will of God.
[6:12] Submitting to the will of God. 1 Samuel, we're introduced to his sons in verse 3.
[6:28] And then a man and his wife that come and offer sacrifices and fulfill what's required of them according to the law. And Hannah prays for a son and God gives her a son named Samuel.
[6:42] Name means asked of God. And she lends him to the Lord at the end of this passage in chapter 1. She gives him back to God and she allows, rather she promised this, vowed this before the Lord.
[6:57] And the Lord fulfilled her requests. The Lord remembered her, it says in verse 19. And she gives him to the Lord to be used of God. And he ends up being there at Shiloh with Eli, being raised and trained by Eli to be a priest.
[7:12] Now Samuel is not a Levite. And this is not a normal thing. His dad's from Ephraim. But beginning here at 1 Samuel, we're introduced to Eli.
[7:24] In chapter 2 and verse 22, it says Eli was very old. As a matter of fact, in chapter 4, we read that he was 98 years old and he was overweight.
[7:34] And that ends up being what kills him. He has two sons. They're identified as wicked sons, Hophni and Phinehas. In verse number 12, it says of chapter 2 that the sons of Eli were sons of Belial and they knew not the Lord.
[7:53] And we automatically think, oh, they weren't saved. That's not what that means, they knew not the Lord. We tend to take what we understand and plug it in all over the Bible. It's not necessarily the case.
[8:04] What that means is that the Lord did not, I'll show you what it means. Look at chapter 3 and verse number 7. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord.
[8:17] Does that mean he didn't get saved yet and asked Jesus into his heart? No. The rest of the verse tells us what that means. Neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. God dealing with the spoken word of God and with visions.
[8:29] Look at chapter 3 verse 1. The child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days. There was no open vision. God is not moving.
[8:41] He's not speaking to man at this day. And Samuel did not yet know the Lord until this very chapter 3 when God speaks to him. I'm sure you know this.
[8:53] We'll even cover some of this. Look at verse 21. It says that the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.
[9:04] So there's Samuel knowing the Lord. He did not yet know the Lord until the Lord spoke to him. Earlier we read about the sons of Eli. They knew not the Lord. What does that tell us? God is not dealing with these two sons of the priest Eli.
[9:18] God is not speaking to them. They've got nothing. They didn't know the Lord. They never had the word of the Lord revealed to them the way God did in that time. These guys are wicked sons.
[9:30] There's some things in these passages that describe their sin. In verse number 17 it says, Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord. Very great before the Lord.
[9:41] What they're doing and taking advantage of their priestly position. And taking advantage of the people even. As a matter of fact, in verse 22, Yeah, in verse 22, Eli was very old and heard that all his sons did unto all Israel.
[9:58] And how they lay with the women and assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. He said to them, Why do ye such things? I hear of your evil doings by all this people. The people are complaining to Eli about his boys.
[10:09] And they're promiscuous. These guys are supposed to be devoted, separated unto holiness. And they're just as full of the lust of the flesh as anybody else.
[10:20] Causing Israel to sin a great sin. In verse 24 at the end he says, You make the Lord's people to transgress. These are wicked sons. Of course God's not revealing himself to them.
[10:33] And then we learn about this young man Samuel. The young boy who is being raised up to replace Eli's sons. In chapter 2 verse 18, It says that Samuel ministered before the Lord, Being a child girded with a linen ephod.
[10:51] That's something the priest wears. And this young child is already ministering before the Lord. Being taught, I don't know about by the sons of Eli.
[11:02] I don't know how this worked. But Eli no doubt training him. A replacement for his own wicked sons. And I don't know, I think that he's just, God blessed this woman, she lent him to the Lord, So he's going to be used around here.
[11:19] And he's just the helper, the apprentice. But to see that he's actually got the linen ephod on, And that he's ministering before the Lord, Shows that he's stepping into the role of a priest.
[11:31] And it's kind of surprising, But nevertheless, there it is. He's being trained to replace Eli's son. He's growing up in the temple, In the house of God there in Shiloh. Now, at the end of chapter 2, There's a man of God that shows up in verse 27, And he comes to Eli to proclaim the word or the judgment of God Against Eli and against his sons for their wickedness.
[11:55] And for Eli, because he was to be blamed For not leading and guiding his sons in the right way. And so the man of God pronounces judgment on Eli. He says in verse 30 at the end of the verse, He says, For them that honor me, I will honor.
[12:08] They that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. And these men were despising the priesthood, Despising the Lord and his holiness. And what the consecration of the priesthood, All that separation, They just meant nothing to them.
[12:22] And God's, I'm not going to let that go on. And so he threatens, And I'm not going to take the time, But he reads through this saying, I'm just going to destroy you all. I'm going to cut off your seed. You're done. This is it.
[12:33] And a matter of fact, The sign in verse 34 is going to be that both those boys are going to die in one day. And I'm going to raise up a faithful priest in verse 35. That shall do according to all that is in my heart and in my mind.
[12:43] And build him a sure house. And there's Samuel. So that's the setting here. And God chooses to reveal himself to Samuel. He already prophesied to Eli, You're done.
[12:55] Now he's going to say the same thing to Samuel in that moment, That night as a child, When he hears the voice of God. Now that's where we're going to pick this up here in chapter 3. And in verse number 11, I think you know this, How it went.
[13:11] The lamp of God went out in verse 3. And when the lamp, That's Eli's duty and job to keep that lamp lit. And so for all of his life, That lamp was lit.
[13:22] But in his old age, And his eyes getting dim, And him just getting older and older, And falling away perhaps, Without his sons there doing the righteousness and their job, That lamp of God went out in the temple.
[13:36] In that moment, There's no coincidence here, That God then starts speaking to Samuel. When that lamp went out, That's like Eli's ministry is snuffed. And his seed, It's over.
[13:47] God's done. You're done doing your job with me. You're not ministering to me. That lamp went out. You know that's never supposed to go out. That's continuous. Continuous. It represents the life that you have apparently.
[13:58] Because when that thing went out, Now God speaks to Samuel. That very night, In verse 4, The Lord called Samuel. And he answered, Here am I.
[14:10] He ran to Eli. He thought it was Eli. He had no idea that this voice, Audible voice he's hearing, Is God's. And as a matter of fact, In verse 10, The Lord came and stood.
[14:21] He's there, And Samuel can't sense his presence, But God is speaking, And he hears a voice, Who else could it be? And he thinks it's Eli. He runs the Eli.
[14:32] And in verse 8, At the end of the verse, Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. It happened three times, For Eli to figure out, Oh. Oh. Oh.
[14:43] I know what's going on. It's not me. Somebody else is talking to him. And I think it all just said it in right there that night. It's it.
[14:54] It's over. Why would God pass by me, And speak to him? There was no open vision in those days, His sons haven't even heard the voice of the word of the Lord.
[15:06] It's been a long time since anybody's heard the Lord speak. But Eli had a little bit of discernment left in him, To realize, God has passed by me. He's done with me.
[15:17] He's talking to Samuel. So he tells him what to say. Speak for thy servant heareth. And you know the story. Verse 11, The Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, At which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle.
[15:30] It's going to be wildfire gossip. It's going to spread. It's going to stir them all up. And verse 12, And that day I will perform against Eli, All things which I have spoken concerning his house.
[15:42] When I begin, I will also make an end. For I have told him that I will judge his house forever, For the iniquity which he knoweth. Because his sons made themselves vile, And he restrained them not.
[15:54] And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, That the iniquity of Eli's house Shall not be purged with sacrifices, Nor offering forever. And Samuel lay until the morning, And opened the doors of the house of the Lord, And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision.
[16:10] Then Eli called Samuel and said, Samuel, my son, He answered, Here am I. And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee, Hide it not from me. God do so to thee, The more also, If thou hide anything from me, Of all things that he said unto thee.
[16:26] And Samuel told him, Every wit. Now Eli understands clearly, This is established of God. He's already proclaimed it to me, By this man of God, This prophet.
[16:37] And now he speaks to Samuel, And reveals it to him. And this thing is established. It's certain. He is going to do it soon, To destroy my house, And destroy me with it.
[16:49] Now we've got to see Eli's response to this. This is the ways of God. This is the thoughts of God, Toward Eli and his house. Do you think this is what Eli wants to hear?
[17:02] Do you think this is what he wants for his sons? Of course not. Even in the condition they were, He'd still hope God be merciful. But look at his response to hearing this, This just tragic, drastic news.
[17:18] Verse 18, Samuel told him every wit, And hid nothing from him. And he said, Here's Eli's response, It is the Lord, Let him do what seemeth him good. It is the Lord, Let him do what seemeth him good.
[17:34] How could this man say that, So quickly submit, Right away, To what God's ways are. Or to what God's thoughts are, For himself and his sons.
[17:44] How can he just, Okay, Just submit to it that fast. When it means his own demise, His own judgments against him, Against his own house, Killing his sons, Destroying his name.
[17:58] And all that he's done, He's 98 years old. This is all he's ever done with his life. And it's just going to be done here. And now he's going to go down. It's over.
[18:09] I don't have any, God is not going to continue my seed, And continue my line. And he's starting somewhere else. I blew it. And he just receives it.
[18:20] And you know what he didn't do here tonight? He didn't take that word and say, God, I gave my life to you. Everything I've ever done in my life Was the service of you.
[18:31] I spent years and years and years in this temple, Keeping that lamp going, Offering the sacrifice of these people, And serving you, And ministering about the things here of God.
[18:43] Matter of fact, There's something else going on here. Not just is God doing this to Eli, But God's breaking his own covenant That he had with Aaron. Look back at chapter 2. And notice, When the man of God comes before Eli, In verse 27, He says this statement.
[19:05] Verse 27, The man of God unto Eli said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, When they were in Egypt, In Pharaoh's house?
[19:16] And did I choose him, Out of all the tribes of Israel, To be my priest, To offer upon mine altar, Burn incense, Wear an ephod before me? And did I give unto the house of thy father, All the offerings made by fire, The children of Israel?
[19:29] Wherefore, Kick ye at my sacrifice, And at mine offering, Which I have commanded in my habitation, And honorest thy sons above me, To make yourselves fat, And among the chiefest of the offerings of Israel, My people?
[19:40] Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, And the house of thy father, Should walk before me forever. But now, The Lord saith, Be it far from me, For them that honor me will I honor, And them that despise me, Shall be lightly esteemed.
[19:57] And he tells them, I'm done. Didn't I choose Aaron? Didn't I choose him? He goes all the way back to Aaron. Didn't I choose him? Didn't I just commit this thing to him, And to his seed, And so forth?
[20:10] But here it comes through you, Eli, And this is how you're going to treat me, And despise this offering, And so forth. So he says, I'm done with you. And I'm going to take Samuel, Somebody from, His father's an Ephrathite.
[20:23] So what God's doing here, Is not just a reaction. This is a real thing. And he is pronouncing judgment, He's had it. But my question is, How could Eli so quickly just, Just take it, Just submit to it?
[20:38] I want to see something here in this verse, Verse 18, That we looked at, That Eli says, He said, It is the Lord, Let him do what seemeth him good. In that last statement, Let him do what seemeth him good, He's just submitting to the will of God.
[20:53] Why would he do that? Before that, Those four words, It is the Lord. What's he saying? It is the Lord. Eli is acknowledging, This word came from God.
[21:08] He sent a man of God to tell me, That he's going to judge me. And now he's speaking to you, Samuel. And he says the same thing. He's confirming it, Saying that I deserve this, And he's done with me. And then, It was from God?
[21:20] He's saying, Well, If it's from God, If it's from Almighty God, Who reigns sovereign and supreme above all, It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good.
[21:34] What Eli did was acknowledged God's sovereignty, His position, That he's Almighty God. Saying, It is the Lord. I don't want to die, But if the Lord says, It's time for me to die, Then it is the Lord.
[21:51] Let him do what seemeth him good. If it's in his heart, It must be right. And if he spoke the word, Then I can't fight against that. That's what he means.
[22:01] It is the Lord. It is the Lord. I can't fight against the Lord and win. So regardless of the outcome for me, My best, No, My only choice, Is to submit.
[22:16] He's always righteous. He's always right. And if he spoke the word, It must be accomplished. Eli is so quick to submit to the will of God, Even when it means his own death, And destruction of his sons, And his name.
[22:30] Because he acknowledged, God is sovereign. God is Almighty. God has the position of, Capital G, God. And there's only one, Who holds that title.
[22:43] There's only one. So how can we submit to the will of God, This morning, When his ways and his thoughts, Are not our ways, Nor our thoughts, Or when his ways and thoughts for us, Are even bad, In our mind.
[23:00] How can we submit? We can just like Eli, Acknowledge, The sovereignty of God, And say, It's the Lord. This is the hand of the Lord.
[23:12] And submit to it. Realize that he is God alone. That he is the giver of life, And he's the taker of life. And he's always right. He's the king and the creator.
[23:25] And to acknowledge his position as God, Is to humbly bow before him, And say, No matter how bad this is for me, If this is for you, If this is what you want, I can submit to it, Knowing that God is sovereign.
[23:39] In Psalm 115 verse 3, The Bible says, But our God is in the heavens, He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. That's acknowledging the sovereignty of God.
[23:51] In Isaiah chapter 40, The Bible says that all nations before him Are as nothing. That's the sovereignty of God. They are counted to him as less than nothing, In vanity.
[24:03] God speaking in Isaiah 43 says, I am God, Yea, before the day, Before the day was, I am he. There is none that can deliver out of my hand.
[24:14] I will work, And who shall let it? Who is going to get in my way? Come to Romans chapter 11. Let's look at a few things in Romans chapter 11.
[24:27] And we're finished back there for the moment. Romans chapter 11. The apostle Paul has something to say. About the Lord.
[24:41] When you got the right mindset of God, When you know him, And I don't doubt that Eli did, It's easy to submit to his will. When you see him for who he is, When the position that God holds Is the one that you believe and understand and perceive, You'll be quick to submit to his will.
[25:00] And to his thoughts. When it means bad news for me. Eli didn't even flinch. It's the Lord. It is the Lord. Let him do what seemeth him good.
[25:12] He acknowledged the sovereignty of God. Romans 11, Look at the end of the chapter. Verse 33 to the end. Paul just kind of gets into a little fit Before he finishes this chapter. Speaking of God's wisdom.
[25:23] In verse 33 he says, Oh the depth of the riches, Both of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments And his ways. His ways. We've been studying his ways and thoughts.
[25:36] Past finding out. For who hath known the mind of the Lord Or who hath been his counselor? Or who hath first given to him? And it shall be recompensed unto him again. For of him, And through him, And to him, Are all things to whom be glory forever.
[25:54] Amen. This is interesting to me. Of him, And through him, And to him, Are all things. That is, Of him. That is, God is the subject.
[26:06] All things are of him. But also, Through him. God is the means, Or the medium, By which are all things. At the same time, God is the object, Of all things, To him.
[26:20] Of him, And through him, And to him, Are all things. It covers all the bases. Look at, While we're here, Go a little bit further, To the right, To Colossians chapter 1. No, No, 1 Corinthians 15.
[26:33] Let's get there again. We were there, In Sunday school. 1 Corinthians 15. And look at verse 28.
[26:50] After a resurrection, And after a kingdom, And after death is destroyed, Verse 27, He put all things under him. And verse 28, When all things shall be subdued unto him, That is, Christ, Then shall the Son also himself, Be subject unto him, The Father, That put all things under him, Why, That God may be all in all.
[27:14] That God may be all in all. In Colossians chapter 1, The Bible says, That all things were created by him, And for him. And he is before all things, And by him all things consist.
[27:29] Speaking of the sovereignty, Of almighty creator God, When we understand that, When we know that, I think it's a big help, In helping us to submit to him, When we know our place, When we recognize his work, And his way takes precedent, His thoughts are like the heaven up there.
[27:49] It's just way bigger, Than what I'm seeing with my eyes. There's a whole lot more to, What he's thinking, What he's trying to do. And when I understand, That if this is God's way, And this is his thought, Then I can submit to it, Knowing the difference between me, And him.
[28:05] I'll just submit to him. It's much better that way. God forbid that I be found, To fight against him. Or to rebel against him, Knowing I'm nothing. To deny him, What he seeks to have accomplished.
[28:22] God's not your buddy. God's not the man upstairs. He's not just here to hook you up, When you have a problem, When you give him a call. It's not like that with him.
[28:34] Boy, if we could get a glimpse, Of what the scripture says, When Isaiah said, I saw him high and lifted up. Or if we understood, Even just a little bit, If we understood, The sovereignty of God, And the holiness of God.
[28:48] Who it is that we're talking about. We'd understand, We'd be able to submit, A whole lot quicker. So like, Like Eli said, Whether I live, Or whether I die, It is the Lord.
[29:01] Eli messed up, But he said, Hey, God said I'm going to be judged, And kill my son. It's the word of God, It's going to happen. I'll just agree with it, Right here and right now.
[29:12] Why fight it? It is the Lord. And you know something else about Eli? Eli did not expect God, To do anything less, Than to judge him.
[29:24] He did not expect God, To do anything less, Than to judge his iniquity, And his own sons. Because he agreed. He said, You restrained him not. You're right. I did tell him they were wicked, But God didn't say, That was good enough.
[29:39] And he expected God, Just as he is just, And righteous to, Punish him. You might have your own story, Of bad things, Or choices in this life, That just come rough.
[29:51] Let me just, At least, Give you some advice. Don't be a fool. Don't complain to God, And be found to fight with him. And don't accuse him, Of not caring.
[30:02] Don't blame him, Because it's not easy for you. If things aren't going your way, Or if things aren't right, Don't ask why, And say, God, What are you trying to do to me? Don't you love me anymore?
[30:12] And that's just, The frustration, And the folly of man, But if it's the Lord's hand, And you can see clearly, Who the Lord is, Whether it's for your good, Or for your bad, You can say, It is the Lord.
[30:28] Let him do, What seemeth him good. Let him do, What seemeth him good. And you can submit to his ways, When you recognize, That he is God. You remember that Abraham, Back in Genesis 22, Was told, Take thy son, Thine only son, Whom thou lovest, And offer him for a sacrifice.
[30:46] You think that was Abraham's thoughts, And Abraham's ways, For his son, To be sacrificed, On an altar, On top of a mountain. But it was, What God said, So what did Abraham do?
[30:58] It is the Lord. Let him do, What seemeth him good. I don't understand, How this is going to work, Because of what you promised. You must, You must, You must be going to resurrect him, I guess, Because, I'll just trust you and obey, For there's no other way.
[31:14] So Abraham obeyed, He just said, It's the Lord. I'll let him do, What seemeth him good. He's got the right to it. And Christian, One day you're going to hear, Something from a doctor, You're going to hear, Them say that you're not, Going to make it.
[31:27] Or you're going to hear, Somebody sit down and say, Have a seat, I've got bad news for you. How are you going to be able, To submit to the Lord, And submit to his thoughts, And his ways for your life, Or for those that you love?
[31:38] By recognizing, This is the Lord. He's going to allow it, I'll submit to it. It is the Lord. Let him do, What seemeth him good.
[31:52] Even if it doesn't seem good to me. That's a tough one. That's a tough spot. But when you know, That his ways are higher than yours. When you know that he is God, That will help you submit.
[32:04] Let's go back to 2 Samuel this time, And see one more man here. 2 Samuel, And chapter number 10. And here we're going to find, Another very dramatic situation.
[32:18] 2 Samuel chapter 10. The second man we're going to look at is Joab.
[32:32] In this chapter, The king of Ammon dies, And David sends some of his servants, To the funeral. He sends them there, To go just to show kindness, To this man, Because his father showed kindness to me, So the next, The son takes the throne.
[32:49] And he said, I'm going to show kindness, But this new king of Ammon, Perceived that this was a threat. He said, He accused them of being spies, In verse number 3. And he mistreated the men, In verse number 4.
[33:02] He took David's servants, And shaved off, The one half of their beards, And cut off their garments in the middle, Even to their buttocks, And sent them away. I mean, Totally shaming these men, These grown men, Servants of the king.
[33:17] They had to be something. And this guy just completely shamed them, And abased them, And said, Get out of here. I mean, That's pretty rough. And then he realized, I stirred up a sleeping giant here, In David.
[33:34] And so he decides, I'm going to hire some Syrians. And you can see it in the next verses, Here in verse 6, That he hired 23,000 Syrians, To help him to fight against Israel.
[33:50] So Joab is David's general, And he's faced now with two armies to fight. And realize for Joab, This situation is not his making. He didn't provoke them.
[34:00] He didn't stir this up. But you know what? He's the general, And it's his job as the general, To fight the Lord's battles. Just like David did for Saul. He fought the battles of the Lord.
[34:12] Now here's Joab. And let's read this passage here, In chapter 10, In verses 9 through 12, And see the situation, That Joab found himself in. Verse number 9 says, When Joab saw that the front of the battle, Was against him before and behind, He chose of all the choice men of Israel, And put them array against the Syrians.
[34:35] And the rest of the people, He delivered into the hand of Abishai, His brother, That he might put them in array Against the children of Ammon. And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, Then thou shalt help me.
[34:46] But if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, Then I will come and help thee. Be of good courage, And let us play the men for our people, And for the cities of our God. And notice that phrase, And the Lord do that which seemeth him good.
[35:04] The Lord do that which seemeth him good. You know what Joab is willing to do? He's willing to submit to the outcome of this battle, Whatever it is, Whether it's good, Or whether it's bad, Life or death.
[35:17] But before he does so, Notice that challenge, That statement. Be of good courage to his brother. Let us play the men for our people, And for the cities of our God.
[35:28] You know what he's saying there? He is committing to fighting. He's committing to manning up. Let's play the men. We're going to put our faces forward, And not look back.
[35:39] We're not turning around. We're not running from this thing. Right here, Right now, Joab says, We're going to do everything in our power, And then we'll leave the results in God's hands.
[35:51] We'll submit to the will of God. If it's death for us, It's death for us. I'm not making the choice to run, Or surrender. We're going to fight. We're going to fight until we're done.
[36:04] You know what Joab was doing here? It's simple. He was just doing his job. That's all it was. He didn't back away from it.
[36:15] If I'm the general, And these armies are coming against us, They're coming against Israel, My job. If I'm a firefighter, I go fight the fire.
[36:25] But I'm not. I'm a general in the army of God, And I'm going to have to go fight the battles of the Lord, And fight these heathen, Ammonites and Syrians. As a general, That's his job. He didn't weigh in with his opinion to the king, Or say, Why don't you hire somebody else too, To help me out?
[36:42] You don't see him talking like that at all. He didn't try to get out of this thing. He didn't go off for sacrifices. No, he's not a priest. It's not his role. You know what his role is?
[36:53] As a soldier to fight. And then it's so much easier to just submit. May the Lord do that which seemeth him good. What am I saying? You know what's going to help you submit to the will of God, When it's his ways against your ways, They're not the same to submit to him?
[37:10] When you just do your job first. That is, when you do your part. When you do everything that you know is right, And you give it all you have, Then you know, If the Lord's going to shut the door, Then it's the Lord.
[37:25] If the Lord's going to open the door and let me keep going, Then it's the Lord. When you don't know if this is right or wrong, But you just know how to do what's right, And pray and seek God's face, You do that.
[37:37] And when you have nothing left to give, It's a whole lot easier than just to Allow the results in God's hands, And submit to that. Believing that this is what God intended it to be.
[37:49] How do you know? Because I did everything I could do, And if he didn't allow me to get any further, Then that must be what he wants. It's a lot easier to submit to God's will, When you do your part first.
[38:02] That is, You don't expect him just to fight your battles for you, And fix all your problems for you. You do your part first, And you, As they say in this, You take courage. You do what's right.
[38:15] You do your job, And leave the results up to God. It's easier to submit to the will of God, And to the results, Of what God's will is here, When you've already done your part. For instance, I know a woman that was getting older in age, And she was a single woman, Her kids were gone, And she was living by herself for a good while.
[38:35] And she had this apartment, And then she had a job, And she just enjoyed herself, She was very faithful in church, Very instrumental with my kids, And teaching in their Sunday school classes For 30 some years, She just was a faithful woman, And she had a prayer request in church, She said she lost her job, And she's been looking for a job, And she's like, I don't know anybody who wants to hire an old lady, And she just saw this as, I'm done, This is an impossibility, I don't know what to do, And so what she did do, Over the next couple weeks, Was she just said, I've been placing applications, And I've been going around trying to find a job, And I'm just asking you to pray, That the Lord would give me a job, Would open a door somewhere, You know what she didn't do?
[39:21] She didn't sit at house, And say, Well I lost my job, So, Stare at the phone, God, God, Make that ring, You know, Give me a job, God, Don't you want me to work?
[39:33] You're going to do it? No, You know what she did? She did her job. She went out there, And searched, And searched, And searched, And she found a job, She found something she could do, She ended up working at a consignment shop, And she loved it, She's a talker, She got to talk to people all day long, And it was kind of a ministry, Mission kind of thing, She thought it was the best thing in the world, And you know what she did though?
[39:56] She went after it, And she put out application, She did everything she could do, And left the results in God's hands, Saying, The one that does call me back, That's going to be the Lord's will for me, But she didn't sit there on her rear end, And just say, God, You have to do something here, You have to make this work for me, My wife and I, Over the course of our years, Back in Pennsylvania together, We lived on an assistant pastor's salary, On the church grounds, And we couldn't get anywhere, Financially, We were just kind of spinning our wheels, And the family was growing, We felt like we've got to get a house, We've got to get out of here, We've got to do something, And so we tried, And we went and saw a house, And it was, Needed some work, But we thought, This is the price range we're at, This is all we can do, And we can, Let's do it, And so we tried, And just like that, The thing went off the market, The day that we were going to try to get it, Or sign some papers, Make it happen, And so some time went by, We tried again,
[40:56] And another one, And the same thing, We were this close, And it just seemed like it goes, And I just felt like, God is not, He's shutting these doors, Every time we try to go through it, He's shutting the door, Shutting the door, But you know, We just prayed, And we were frustrated, I remember just praying to God, Saying, Lord you see us, You know we're here, You know what's going on, The kids are getting bigger, They're going to be teenagers soon, How can this go on?
[41:20] Carla's losing her mind, She's, It's frustrating, On so many levels, But God you see us, You know it, We're trying, I don't know what else to do here, The Lord knew the whole, I mean he had thoughts, He had plans, I didn't know what that was, So what I was going to do, I was just going to do, What I knew I could do, Just try to do something, And if God says no, Then I'll submit to it, And I'll stay here, And I'll stay here, And I'll, Bite my tongue, And try to make it work, A little bit longer, And just trust you, But it's, That's the way to do it, It's easier to submit to the will of God, When you tried first, When you attempted first, And then, May the Lord do that, Which seemeth him good, Because it's obviously, To me, That he's shutting these doors, And it was easier to submit, There's too many Christians, That, Will sit around, On their bum, And ask for prayer,
[42:21] You know what the world, Would call you, A bum, That's where the word, Might come from, You bum, You worthless, Loser, Just want to, You leech, Never do anything about it, Just want somebody, To pray for you, God, Pray that God, Would do this for me, Pray that God would, But you'll never do anything, About it yourself, Or, Or follow the light, That God leaves you, Early in, 2019, Some doors began to open, For me to, To move on, From what I had been doing, There at that church, For it seemed like, I think 14 years, And some doors began to open, Some phone calls, Started coming in, In a short time, Four different opportunities, Came to me, That I was not looking for, And I just perceived, This is the Lord, This is the Lord, He's doing something here, I can't just sit here,
[43:23] And I can't just wait, For, When the phone calls came, I can't, I was busy, Fulfilling my duties, And roles, And the, Something started happening, It was obvious, And I just felt this, This stuff is inside of me, It's in front of me, I don't have any peace, About having these opportunities, Looming, And just sitting on them, And sitting on them, And I had this drive, Inside of me, Just the Lord saying, You gotta act, You can't just let it pass, So I just thought, I gotta do something, And so, One of the phone calls, Was about a church, In Silmar, California, And I made a phone call, And it just never, Nothing happened with that, They would just kind of die, It dropped, And I didn't know any better, So that was the end of that one, But there were three other opportunities, That were still real, Wisconsin, Montana, And Oregon, And I didn't have a preference, I didn't know, I didn't care, I just, God, What are you doing here, What do you want me to do?
[44:24] And so I decided, I've got to do something, And I prayed, And I chose to follow up, With the one, That I had the strongest, Personal connection to, From the people that were involved in this, And there were several, That I knew, And trusted, And loved, And I said, Well, Maybe this is the Lord, Because that's, Comfortable to me, To follow that one, So I did, And I went to Oregon, And flew into Portland, Drove down to Grants Pass, Oregon, Just up the five here, And I got there, And preached for the weekend, And met the people, And went through that, For a couple days, And when I left that church, Is when I got a text, From Brother Spurgeon, Saying, Hey brother, I hear you're candidating, In the church in Sylmar, And I said, I just texted him back, And this was on the Sunday, That I was leaving, That afternoon, Heading back to Portland, And I'm wrestling, With this church, Where I'm supposed to be, In Grants Pass, Oregon, And I remember, After preaching, And just things going on, I was on the altar there,
[45:25] Just saying, God, If you want me here, I will surrender to it right now, If this is what you want, It doesn't feel like you do right now, But I don't know, I'm clueless, I'm an idiot, Please give me some understanding, And some light, And so I'm asking God, And when I go to leave that town, Here comes the text saying, I heard you're going, And I thought, What in the world, Lord?
[45:47] Why are you doing this? I mean, I felt like I made the trip, And they want me here, They all want me to come, Is it, I don't know what to do, And now you're going to start opening a door somewhere else?
[45:58] I start that one going? So I text him back, And said, Well, I don't know what's going on there, I never heard back, And he said, I'm on it. And so you know Brother Spurgeon, And he was on it.
[46:09] And so the next day, I got a call, I missed the call, When I was out to breakfast, With the pastor up in Portland, But Richard called me, And said, I'm not going to do my Richard impersonation, But, He just, He left a message for me, To get in touch with him, And I did, And things began to happen, We flew out here, And the rest is, You know the rest, And what happened though, When I came out here, Or when I was up, After that call, And as the Lord was just kind of, Opening my eyes to something, He gave me something from the scripture, As I'm reading it, That really resonated with where I was, And I was like, Ooh, That's the Lord, Ooh, And I held on to that one, Just for that moment, And we flew out here, And experienced some things, And I got another verse, In reading in the afternoon, The first day we were here, And it was real, To the experience that was happening, I was like, Ooh, There's another one, And we went back home, And three, And then four times, From the scriptures, Very real,
[47:10] Vivid stuff, God was confirming, And saying some things to me, That I needed to hear, To help lead me, And understand, That this was his doing, And his will, And so, That was God, And you know what, I surrendered to it, Pretty easily, Because it was the Lord, And there was things, That I didn't understand, That were maybe my ways, Or my thoughts, But it seemed like, This is the Lord, Why would I fight against him, But also, I had a job to do, In reaching out, In searching, In attempting, Whether it was, With the house, Realizing this is the Lord, Let it go, To, This is the Lord, It's time to go, I had to do my job first, I had to, Put my money where my mouth was, And not just sit there, And say, God, Do everything for me, So what am I saying, It's easier to submit, To the will of God, When you do what you can first, When you do what you know, Is right to do, And leave the results up to God,
[48:10] It's easy to submit, To those results, As being, The will of God, But if you're not interested, In submitting to the will of God, And you have your own thoughts, And your own ways, Well you're in for trouble, You're going to regret it, The song we sang, Was it will be worth it all, But it's not going to be worth anything, If you don't submit, To the will of God, In this life, Two examples this morning, Two more to come next week, Lord willing, Eli acknowledged, That if this is coming from God, Then it's good enough for me, I'll submit to it, It is the Lord, Let him do that which seemeth him good, And Joab realized, He had a job to do, And before God would make it plain, What the outcome was, He was going to submit to it, By doing his job, And then God would make it plain, What his will was, What was pleasing to him, If Joab died that day in battle, May the Lord do that which seemeth him good,
[49:11] I'm going to die trying, I'm going to die fighting, And that's God's will, But in this case, They defeated the army, And it was evident, That the Lord was working for them, You'll never know, What God's will is, In some cases, Until you do your part first, And then realize, God will shut that door, If he doesn't want that door open, God will open that door, If he's leading you that way, And then it's your job to submit to it, Let's bow together, And we'll be dismissed, Speaking of submitting, To the will of God, And speaking of men, That were in real situations, They weren't just small things, These were life and death, This was bad news, This was you're going to die, This was God's thoughts, And God's ways, And they surely didn't match, In some ways, Man's thoughts, And man's ways for himself, How about you this morning, Are you willing to submit, To the will of God,
[50:12] For your life, To what God says, I'll tell you one thing, That's God's will, It's for all, To live godly, In Christ Jesus, It's the will of God, Even your sanctification, That ye abstain, From fornication, It's the will of God, That ye be thankful, There's things in that scripture, That tells us, What the will of God is, For everybody, But if you're not submitting to them, How do you think, You're going to submit to the one, The big ones, The life and death ones, The real trials, Father in heaven, Lord, This book gives us some light, That we need, It gives us some help, Or we, We just know, How to satisfy ourselves, We know how to just, Follow what pleases us, But this book, Points us in a different direction, And it points us, To submit to you, And to bow before you, And to acknowledge your sovereignty, And to do what we can,
[51:15] That's right, And then understand that, You'll do what pleases you, God, I pray that each of us, Would in our own hearts, Be willing to submit to you, Would seek to submit to you, And Lord, When these times come for us, Whether it's on a deathbed, Whether it's, Whether it's hearing bad news, Whether it's, Trying to move, In a certain direction, Lord, May we acknowledge you, May we surrender to you, And may we want to submit to you, Lord, I pray that we'd be willing, To be willing, To submit to your will, God, You're good to us, You're nothing but good, And Lord, It's easy to say that, But Lord, I pray that we acknowledge that, And even when it means, Letting go of something, We want to hold on to, May we learn to submit to your will, And allow you to reign supreme, In our hearts, Father, I pray that somebody, Get help this morning, That you'd minister to them,
[52:16] Your words, Through the Holy Spirit, Within them, I pray these things, In Jesus precious name, Amen, Let's stand together, And we're going to sing a song,