[0:00] Let's go to 1 Samuel chapter 24, 1 Samuel chapter 24. Hope that everyone is doing well. I hope that you've had a good day in the Lord and things are going good.
[0:11] I'll give you just a couple opportunities. Please don't ask me anything about the convention. My mind's about to smoke unless it's just really pressing and you got to know it. I can do it. But I want to get into this word this evening.
[0:22] Does anybody have anything that needs to share anything, any questions they have at all before we get into the word together? We're not videoing tonight. I know they do the audio, but that's easily edited. So anybody have anything they need to share, anything on your heart and mind before we get into it?
[0:38] If there's a question that's just really pressing, feel free to ask me and I'll answer it to the best of my ability. None? All right. Let's open up with a word of prayer. Let's pray together. God, I'm so thankful for this evening.
[0:50] Lord, I'm thankful to have this chance to come and gather together with your people. And Lord, we know that it's always a grand privilege to open up the word of God together. So, Lord, as we open up the pages of Scripture, we pray that you would speak to us.
[1:02] We pray that the truth of the word, Lord, would minister to our hearts and minds, that it would declare to us who you are. It would declare to us who we are. And, Lord, that we would draw closer to you and to one another through it.
[1:13] Lord, we are just so thankful to have the word of God to lean upon. We're so thankful to have the spirit of God to guide us and to minister to us.
[1:24] And, Lord Jesus, we thank you for your grace and your mercy to come and walk beside us and to instruct us in the things of the Lord that we would grow in it. And we ask it all in Jesus' name.
[1:35] Amen. I don't want you guys to think that I'm doom and gloom. I think this is the best time in history to be a part of a local church. I really do. I think it's the best time in history to be a part of a local church and to be working for the kingdom because there are things that's forced us to think as a local church and to think as a pastor and really to take action on the things that Scripture calls us to do as a local body of believers.
[2:00] And so thankful for that. This missions week that we have before us is growing. We have more and more needs that are being put out there. So if you cannot be involved, please be in prayer for those of us that are involved.
[2:11] I know it's going to be hot. But it is an awesome opportunity that the Lord is laying out for us just to bless our community, bless our neighbors, and to make an impact where God has put us.
[2:22] And so, so thankful for that. But I also know that many of you have things that you're dealing with personally and family issues and matters. And we continue to lift those up to you. So continue to minister.
[2:34] I want you to continue to minister. And I know I'm giving you a lot. Continue to be in prayer for Kirk and Kathy Shull. Kirk, I didn't share this this morning.
[2:45] Kirk is preaching through the book of Ecclesiastes at Art City. The Lord has been really good to them there. And he was prepared last Sunday to preach on Ecclesiastes going through periods of suffering.
[3:03] And with that sermon in mind is when they got the call about her parents. And then so he's had that one just kind of resonating in his mind ever since.
[3:14] But he was sharing that with me the other day. And, you know, the church there is still going well. I think Russ is preaching for him in his absence. But things are still going well there.
[3:26] But also he has the pull as a pastor. He knows he needs to be with his wife. He knows he needs to be with the family. And they're ministering there. And it's going to be a long-term ministry. But he also is a pastor of a local church back in Utah.
[3:39] So there's this pull. So we continue to be in prayer for them. Okay. The Word of God. 1 Samuel chapter 24. We're going to look at the entire chapter. It's not a very long chapter by Old Testament standards. But let's get us up to date.
[3:53] David is on the run. He's begun his 10-year hiatus of running from Saul. And David is the anointed and appointed king, as we like to refer to him.
[4:04] God has a place and a purpose for him. But yet Saul is the one who's operating in the position of king. David is on the run. David had been helmed up in a city. And Saul went to go get him.
[4:16] But David had delivered this city from the Philistines. And David cries out. We see this in the book of Psalms, right? His Psalms of lament. His Psalms of mourning. His Psalms of deliverance. And he's praying.
[4:27] He's trusting God. Which is amazing, even as we see the passage we'll have before us this evening. And God just delivers him. Because as Saul is on his way. And David's like, will he come?
[4:38] Will the city attack? And they say, yes. So he flees. And they're pursuing one another around the mountain. They're really circling the mountain. And Saul gets word that the Philistines have attacked. So he went back. He left.
[4:48] And kind of left David to himself. And David went down to En Gedi. The strongholds of En Gedi. It's a very important place during the wilderness years of David. And so he's there. He's in waiting. Saul has gone off to fight the Philistines.
[5:00] And the lead is men there. And yet here we come up. He's left David. But David is still in hiding. And he's got his men. He's got the mighty men we looked at last Sunday.
[5:11] On Father's Day we looked at his mighty men. He's got his men. And he's also got the 600. About 600 who have gathered around him there. But they're in hiding, right? They're running and they're fleeing.
[5:21] They're still doing. They're fighting battles. They're delivering God's people from enemies. But yet they're in hiding from their own king. And here's where we pick it up. And I want you to see. We come to another one of those issues.
[5:33] And I just kind of titled this chapter The Man Revealed, right? Here we see the revelation of the man of David and the revelation of the man of Saul. So we see the man revealed.
[5:44] It says, Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of Ben Gedi. Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the rocks of the wild goats.
[5:59] And he came to the sheepfolds. On the way, where there was a cave. And Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. The men of David said to him, Behold, this is the day of which the Lord said to you, Behold, I am about to give your enemy into your hand.
[6:15] And you shall do to him as it seems good to you. Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly. It came about afterward that David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe.
[6:29] So he said to his men, Far be it from me because of the Lord that I should do this thing to my Lord, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him. Since he is the Lord's anointed.
[6:40] Look at verse 7. David persuaded his men. Really, it's just forcefully urged his men is the wording there. David persuaded his men with these words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul.
[6:53] And Saul arose and left the cave and went on his way. Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, My Lord, the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself.
[7:08] David said to Saul, Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, Behold, David seeks to harm you. Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the Lord had given you today into my hand in the cave.
[7:20] And some said to kill you, but my eye had pity on you. And I said, I will not stretch out my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Now my father see. Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand.
[7:33] For that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. And I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it.
[7:45] May the Lord judge between you and me. May the Lord avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the Proverbs of the ancient says, Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness, but my hand shall not be against you.
[8:00] After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog? A single flea? The Lord therefore be judge and decide between you and me.
[8:11] And may he see and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand. When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept, and he said to David, You are more righteous than I, for you have dealt well with me while I have dealt wickedly with you.
[8:31] You have declared today that you have done good to me. And the Lord delivered me into your hand, and yet you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely?
[8:42] May the Lord therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. Now behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand.
[8:53] So now swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's household. David swore to Saul, and Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.
[9:06] 1 Samuel chapter 24. Now, in reading this, if we had not read the rest of Scripture, we would think, well, the matter is settled. We know that there will be a second time in which David spares the life of Saul, because as is often the case, Saul does not learn his lesson.
[9:21] He is a man that is unstable in all his ways. He is double-minded, to be sure. And we see it being lived out here. But here we see the man revealed. We see in this passage three things that reveal the man or the woman that reveal the individual.
[9:36] Three things that will bring a revelation as to who we really are. We know that there are times when conflict brings it to light. We know that there are times when struggles bring it to light. We know that there are times even when joys or celebrations bring it to light.
[9:50] But there are three truths in this passage which bring to light a revelation of who we are. It really puts it on display. Very simply, the first one is the counsel that we take.
[10:02] We are revealed by the counsel we take. It tells us now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines. So Saul had a purpose as a king, and his purpose as a king was to deliver the people of God from the hand of the Philistines.
[10:17] The Philistines are the enemies of the people of God all throughout the Old Testament. One of the chief purposes of the king was to deliver God's people from their enemies. We see that Saul ultimately fails in doing this.
[10:31] David will do this. And we see that this deliverance was begun with Samson. It was continued on with Saul. It was completed in David because God's man finally delivers his people from the hand of their enemies.
[10:44] But Saul went out to do exactly what he was supposed to do as king, and that is fight the battle with the Philistines. But then we read, he was told. That is, the people around him began to speak to him.
[10:55] The people around him began to tell him things. David later on tells us exactly what had been told Saul because David says, Why are you coming to me? Do not listen to those people who say that I'm out to kill you.
[11:06] But he was told. Because while he was doing what God had called him to do, while he was fulfilling the command of his position, when that was completed, he had time to heed counsel.
[11:17] It says, He was told, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En Gedi. And he took this counsel because it tells us, Then Saul took 3,000 chosen men.
[11:32] Now, I love the word of God, and I love it. It's an intentionality, and I love it, and it's practicality, and I love it, and it is very specific in what it says. When we open up the book of 2 Samuel, and we read about David and his mighty men, and we open up the book of 1 Chronicles, and we read about David and his mighty men, the Bible tells us these are the men David had.
[11:53] These are the men David had. David had him some men. They were men who came beside him, who walked with him, who supported him, who encouraged him and empowered him.
[12:04] He had them. But these are the men Saul took. He took some men. He didn't have them. There's a word there.
[12:15] Because David had some men. He had some men who would stand in the field and cling to the sword, even though the hand was tired. He had some men that would kill a lion in a pit on a snowy day. He had some men that would break through and go get some water from the well in Bethlehem.
[12:30] David had some men that were willing to do things for him. And Saul took some men to follow him. And it all begins with the counsel we take.
[12:42] Saul believed the lie that David was out to kill him. And since he believed the lie, he thought he would take some action. Friend, listen to me. You can get somebody or anybody to go along with anything.
[12:55] You don't have to look throughout history very long and see how you can always take somebody along. There are people who are wrapped up in all number of things. There are people who are carried away in all kinds of doctrines.
[13:07] There are people who are carried away in all kinds of false beliefs. Because somebody took wrong counsel. He took with him some choice men. 3,000 of them.
[13:18] And went to pursue David. Now in his pursuits, he decided to stop and go into a cave. And the Bible says, and relieve himself. When he went into the cave, David was in here.
[13:30] And now all of a sudden we see the counsel that David hears. And the counsel that David hears is because David has his men with him, right? They're in the recesses of the cave. And his men say, hey, there is your enemy.
[13:41] Now is the opportune time. Now is going to come about what is said. I will give your enemies into your hands. Now we don't know when that was declared. It's never written for us. Because maybe David had talked to his men. And maybe in the midst of writing his psalms.
[13:52] He had said that God had given him an assurance that his enemies would be taken care of. That God had told him. Because when we read the psalms which have application to these periods. We see David's confidence.
[14:05] And that he has handed his enemies over to God. That he has handed his enemies over to the Lord. That he realizes his deliverance comes from the Lord. And we also know sometimes man can say, Oh, well you told me the Lord was going to deliver you.
[14:17] Guess what? He just did. Because he is sitting right there in front of you. And they said, go kill him. Now Saul took counsel and pursued David. David had to make a choice.
[14:28] Would he take counsel and kill Saul? Both of them were given counsel. Only one of them responded to it. Because the individual is revealed in the counsel they are willing to take.
[14:44] The Bible says that a wise man seeks the counsel of others. But let us also be honest that not all counsel is good counsel. We kind of jokingly said it.
[14:57] And really not completely jokingly. Every time a majority makes a decision in scripture most of the time it's wrong. Ten of the twelve spies said we shouldn't go in.
[15:11] That was wrong. You know. The people wandering in the wilderness said we need to go back to Egypt. That was wrong. Every time that we see a majority make a decision in scripture it's wrong.
[15:27] Normally. We see here that not all counsel is good counsel. But we are revealed by the counsel we are willing to take.
[15:39] We need to seek out good counsel. We need to seek out godly counsel. We need to listen. Make it a habit. At least I have tried over the years to listen to those who oppose me.
[15:51] To listen to those who don't think like me. To read people who are different than me. So that maybe I could be shown the error of my own ways. And I have many error of my own ways. And I try to surround myself either in book form or personal form.
[16:04] Of people of differences. Not major theological differences. But differences of interpretation. And challenge me. Because I don't want to be pigeonholed into this one train of thought.
[16:15] Right? I don't want to just kind of seek counsel for counsel's sake. I always want to make sure I'm right. Because we are revealed by the counsel we're willing to take. Second thing.
[16:27] We are revealed by the compromise we're willing to make. Counsel can lead us to compromise. Saul was called as the king of Israel to be a defender of the people of God.
[16:45] To deliver them from their enemies. But yet because some knew where David was staying. Saul believed it was now his responsibility to fight the people of God.
[16:56] One of the greatest problems that Saul has with David. Is that he knows that Samuel has went and anointed David. And since Samuel has now anointed David.
[17:07] As we said. David is now the anointed and appointed. And he knows that because Samuel has grabbed a hold. Saul has a problem with keeping the edges of his garments. He said y'all caught that? Saul has a problem with the edges of his garments being torn apart.
[17:21] Because when Samuel was present. Saul grabbed a hold of Samuel's garment and ripped it. Saul couldn't hold on to it. And Samuel says.
[17:32] So too has the kingdom been ripped out of your hands. And he knew that his days were numbered. And he understood it from the man of God. Samuel had declared it.
[17:42] And that was the word of God. And the will of God. And he knew that David was anointed. And he would be the next chosen man of God. Even his own son had acknowledged that. But Saul said.
[17:53] My position is more important than God's choosing. Though God had called me to be a defender of his people. I think I'm going to go fight against him. I'm sorry.
[18:04] My granddaughter just walked in the room. And is looking at me. So she caught my attention. I got stopped for just a minute. She brought me in a bag of chips. Hello Miss Mellie. It's alright son. She's doing what she's supposed to do.
[18:16] Everybody's always asked me. What am I going to do when she runs up here? I said well I'll pick her up and keep on preaching. Anyway we keep going. Now Saul is willing to compromise because it is uncomfortable.
[18:31] Saul decides there are some things worth cutting corners on. Now we have David. David's in the cave. Saul comes in the cave. David's men say there's your enemy.
[18:41] You got him right where you want him. Nobody's in here. Evidently Saul doesn't have his men. Saul took his men because his men left him vulnerable. We never read of David being left vulnerable.
[18:52] But two times we read of Saul being left vulnerable. Both times David has the opportunity. Saul is in the cave. David's also in the cave. David's men say there he is.
[19:02] There's your enemy. Go take care of him. So David has the opportunity now to compromise his beliefs. It says that he walks up. And evidently Saul had laid aside his garment.
[19:13] He cut off the corner of his garment. And then the word tells us the moment he cut it off his conscience began to bother him. Because to cut off the corner would be as symbolic as removing the favor of God.
[19:27] And his conscience began to bother him. And then the word says that David's conscience bothered him. And he had cut off the edge of Saul's robe. So he said to his men.
[19:38] Look at this. Far be it from me because of the Lord. Capital L. Capital O. Capital R. Capital D. That is the covenant God.
[19:50] Far be it from me that because of the Lord that I should do these things to my Lord. He gives Saul his position of respect. He says I won't do it to him.
[20:03] The Lord's anointed. To stretch out my hand against him since he is the Lord's anointed. Just as David knew he had been anointed he also knew Saul had been anointed.
[20:17] Now it was not a matter of question of Saul's character. It was not even a matter of question of Saul's ambitions. It was not a matter of question of Saul's mental stability.
[20:28] It was not a matter of question of Saul's intentions. The only thing that mattered was Yahweh's anointing. And David decided that God's choice was more important than man's vengeance.
[20:45] And since God had seen fit in his omnipotence and omniscience to choose Saul to be king. Then who was David to stop it? David was not willing to compromise even though it may cost him his own life.
[21:03] Because the man is revealed on the compromise he's willing to make. The counsel he takes usually leads to the compromise he makes.
[21:16] David said I can't do it. I won't do it. And neither will you. He says that he turned around. Now he had some men right? He had some men that would fight some battles. He had some men that would swing a spear.
[21:28] Swing a sword. He had some men that would go down to an Egyptian with a club. And take the spear away from him. And he had some men that could do some amazing things. But he looked at his men and he said you're not going to do it either.
[21:42] Now there's a way David could have kept his own hands clean and let his men do it. But he wasn't even willing to make that compromise. Because the wording that says persuaded there in the New American Standard means with great urgency he turned them away from it.
[21:56] And he said the Lord's anointing is more important than man's vengeance. Friend, we are seen by the compromises we're willing to make.
[22:12] How much we're willing to give up for comfort. How much we're willing to give up for convenience. How much we're willing to give up for popularity.
[22:27] We are known by the compromises we're willing to make. David said I won't compromise. And I'm not going to let those around me compromise.
[22:37] As a matter of fact when Saul left the cave. David walked out of the cave. And you read it. He put himself in the most vulnerable position one could put himself in. The man who had been pursuing him.
[22:49] The man who had been seeking to kill him. The man who had 3,000 with him. David prostrated himself. The word there is he laid face down on the ground in front of him.
[23:01] That's helpless. He prostrated himself. Why? Because his confidence in Yahweh was greater than his fear in Saul.
[23:15] He said the Lord will determine between you and me. We will not compromise when we realize that confidence in God is greater than fear of man.
[23:28] We will not compromise when we realize that what God dictates and determines is greater and grander than anything man can do. But we are seen and we are made evident by the compromises we are willing to make.
[23:42] Hard. It's hard. I don't know what I would have done just to be honest. If I am David sitting there and hiding for fear of my own life. I have been pursued unjustly.
[23:53] Unrightly. I have been pursued a number of weeks and days and maybe even months. And now all of a sudden the man whose intentions he's thrown a spear at him at least three times or two times.
[24:04] He's stuck it in a wall. He's made known that he's going to kill him. He's taught everybody in his kingdom to kill him. He's already killed all of the priests to know save one. I don't know what I would have done. But I know what a conviction in the Lord's sovereignty will lead us to do.
[24:20] We don't compromise. There's no compromise. So the counsel one is willing to take. The compromise one is willing to make. And the character that is revealed through our actions.
[24:35] The man is revealed by the character that is seen. Saul goes out of the cave. David goes out of the cave. And now all of a sudden the man is revealed because character is made clear.
[24:49] We see this when David asks the question. What have you gone to do? Are you out to pursue the one who says that they're going to kill you? Everybody's telling you my desire is to kill you. Everybody is saying that my ambition is to kill you. But how does it look to you?
[25:03] The book of Acts tells us that they come to Christ based on what they've seen and heard. It would have been real easy for David to say, Saul, I have no desire to kill you whatsoever. But when he looked at Saul and said, I have the edge of your garment in my hand.
[25:19] You were given to me and I could have killed you, but I didn't. I promise I have no urge to kill you whatsoever. Now Saul had evidence of actions, right?
[25:31] David could have, but he did not. Saul makes this declaration. Will a man have his enemy and let him go away safely? Yet Saul's character is revealed by his actions as well because he's pursuing, he's pursuing, he's pursuing.
[25:48] It is the actions that are seen, that are evident, that are made manifest. It is what we do that reveal us. It is not what we say. Saul could say he was God's chosen king.
[25:59] Saul could say all these things, and yet what he was doing was running completely contrary to what he was saying. David was saying these things. He's penning these psalms and these psalms that declare, I trust in Yahweh.
[26:11] I trust in the Lord. He is my shield and my protector. He is my deliverer. All that's well and good to say, but when you start seeing it lived out in application, and you start seeing it in actions, you say, he really is trusting in God.
[26:25] He says he's committed it to the Lord. Well, he absolutely committed it to the Lord, and he did not take justice into his own hands because it is the character that is put on display through our actions which really reveal the individual.
[26:42] He says this proverb evidently of that day in verse 13, as the proverb of the ancient says, out of the wicked comes forth wickedness.
[26:53] That is, whatever is in the heart is eventually lived out in the hands. We understand that, right?
[27:04] It's from the overflow of the heart that the mouth speaks, out of the wicked comes forth wicked. We will eventually be seen by our actions. What we are to the root will always be displayed in the fruit.
[27:18] You see that in the New Testament, right? That a good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit because the root determines the fruit. We know that.
[27:29] We don't go to a peach tree and try to pick apples. We know that the root is going to dictate the fruit. And it's exactly what it's saying. The wicked will always produce wickedness.
[27:42] And the righteous will always produce righteousness. Saul makes this declaration. You are indeed more righteous than I. How could he say that? Because of what David had just done.
[27:52] He was revealed not because David had been saying these things all along. David had been saying these things all along, been repeating, repeating, repeating. I don't want to kill you. I don't want to kill you. I don't want to kill you. I'm not out to get you. I'm not out to get you. Saul came to an understanding of it based on what he saw.
[28:06] Right? S-A-W. Saw and saw. It's hard to say. But based on what he had seen David do. Now David's literally holding the edge of his garment in his hand. He said, I told you, I didn't want to kill you. Because it's manifested in his actions.
[28:20] The next one will be even more manifest. Right? When he goes and takes his spear and his jug of water and all those things. He said, I could have done it again, but I didn't do it. So now, all of a sudden, Saul becomes to have a revelation.
[28:30] He says, indeed, you will be king. Well, it's about time he jumped on the wagon. Right? Everybody else knows it in the kingdom but him. He says, indeed, you will be king. Promise me you will not forsake and forget my family. Well, that's easy for David to make that promise because he's already entered into a covenant with Jonathan.
[28:45] He says, I'll keep my word. And we have no doubts about this. Right? You know why we have no doubts? We know that David is a man of character. You know why? Because he goes and gets Mephibosheth and brings him into his house and sets him at his table.
[29:00] It's one thing to say, well, that's a good promise that David made. Ain't that great? Doesn't that sound good? He's even promised to take care of his enemy's family. Oh, that's awesome. No, it's awesome when we flip enough pages and we come to the portion of scripture that he seeks out a descendant of Jonathan.
[29:15] And he finds one and he brings that one and sets him in his own house at his own table and provides for him. And then later on, after he's left and Mephibosheth had to stay behind because he didn't leave him.
[29:26] Because David had to flee because his own internal family problems. He comes back and he looks at Mephibosheth and says, why didn't you come with me? And Mephibosheth said, well, nobody would take me. My feet are lame. I couldn't go. So David blesses him and puts him and promotes him and gives him all, not of Jonathan's possession.
[29:41] He gives him everything Saul had owned. All of his grandfather's land. So you know what? We know that David's a man of character because of what he did.
[29:53] Not because he made this promise, but because later on he actually does what he says he was going to do. Because we are revealed by the character of our actions. Not the content of our speech.
[30:06] We see this, right? We see that man is revealed by the counsel he's willing to take. The compromise he's willing to make.
[30:18] And the character he lives out in actions. Every one of us are revealed in the same way. Our counsel, our compromise, and our character.
[30:30] That's how people get to know us. And that's how they know our Savior. And we see it here recorded for us in 1 Samuel chapter 24. I'm going to close this in a word of prayer.
[30:43] But before I do, I'm going to give you an opportunity. We're going to pray for the Shulls in just a moment as well. And the Robinsons. We'll pray. I'll give you just a moment. Anybody have anything we need to share before we close in a word of prayer?
[30:55] Our hearts and minds clear. Let's continue to pray for Miss PJ and Brother Jamie. You guys will probably be going back up to Wisconsin this week. Pray for Miss PJ's father.
[31:06] I want to lift them up. I want to lift up Miss PJ and Jamie and the family there as they minister there. There are others that I know is going on. It's very difficult times. I'll continue to lift those up.
[31:18] Any others? Any others? Okay. Let's pray together. Lord, I thank you so much for this day. God, we thank you for the truth of your word.
[31:29] We thank you for the hope that it brings to us. We thank you for the help that it offers us in our daily lives. And Lord, we pray that you give us the confidence to move forward and to live it out in daily application.
[31:39] God, I realize that in our own number there are people who are hurting. There are people who are walking through family struggles and difficulties. And God, I pray your blessings upon them.
[31:51] I pray for Miss PJ's father. I pray, God, that you walk beside him and his wife. And Lord, be with Jamie and PJ as you continue to minister there. I pray that you just be with the whole family.
[32:02] God, there are others that are walking beside loved ones who are hurting and loved ones who are dealing with sickness. And Lord, I pray, God, that you just encourage them, strengthen them, embolden them.
[32:14] Give them the energy needed for the moment. Lord, continue to pray for the Robinson and the Shule family. God, I pray that you would encourage them.
[32:25] I pray for health. I pray for wisdom as they make decisions moving ahead. I pray for Arch City Community Church. God, I pray you'd be with that church. And Lord, I pray you continue to be with those ministering there.
[32:39] Be with us as a local church. Give us wisdom. Help us to know how to move forward for the sake of the kingdom to the best of our ability. Lord, I pray for this week that we have before us. It's a busy week.
[32:50] There are a number of things, a number of activities that are scheduled. But God, I know that each one of them are opportunities to show the love of Christ, to declare the love of Christ, and to be the people of the kingdom, to be the people of War Trace Baptist Church for the glory of the Father.
[33:07] So Lord, I pray you give us energy to accomplish and to do the things that you've set before us to do. Lord, give us wisdom to know when to speak. Give us wisdom and give us actions that would match our speech.
[33:20] Lord, help us to be people who are seen in light of the gospel for the sake of the king. Lord, as we prepare to leave here tonight, we pray that you would walk with each one of us.
[33:33] Lord, we thank you for your love. We thank you for your grace and your mercy. We thank you for your presence in our daily lives. We thank you for the moments when we need you the greatest and the moments even when we think we can stand on our own, Lord, because in the end we need you more and more every hour.
[33:47] So Lord, we lean not on our own understanding, but we trust in you and ask you to lead and guide each one of us for your glory, for the sake of the king of kings and lord of lords. We ask it all in Jesus' name.
[34:00] Amen. Thank you guys. I greatly appreciate your time. Thank you.
[34:53] Thank you.