Old Testament in a Year: 2 Samuel 5-9

It is so good to be here with you today. I'm not here without a few challenges. We don't let challenges stop us, do we? So Wednesday I'll be having a little surgery on my leg. I had a hip replacement in February and it went so good that I tore a muscle in my quadricep doing too much too fast.

Alright. And then Thursday I am going to have a cataract cut off of my good eye. You say your good eye? I have a good eye. If you're going to watch me today, look at this eye.

Do not watch this one. It is bad. Lazy. Somebody said, Lee, how bad lazy is is collecting unemployment and it is praying for another stimulus check. It's bad.

And then I'm at the very tail end of getting complete dental implants. So I'm on my last Maw Maw temporary top denture. And I think that the last time that I picked them up, I picked up the wrong one. So I feel like I'm preaching with a Styrofoam minter bucket in my mouth. But God is good.

Can you say Amen?

Pastor Jay and I have a very unique love language. If you grew up in the Chattahoochee Valley, where we grew UP in Columbus, Georgia, Phoenix City, or LaGrange or Nanki Poo or Bibb City.

We wear each other out. We jank. But today I gotta say something before we get started.

Pastor Jay has believed in me my whole life. When he was the president of the senior class at Shaw High School, when I was just a little freshman, he'd come by in his Toyota Celica with a Serpentine chain on and Jovan Muskoil. Anybody remember Jovan Muskoil?

But he believed in me. I was just a little snot nosed kid. We were in Bible college together. He was in charge of picking somebody from every class to share at a late night event at college. And he picked me my freshman year.

I think that's the first time I ever stood up as a minister and spoke. And he's allowed me to be here several times. We've done unique ministry together. I didn't know when God called me to preach at the ripe old age of 12 at Camp Alifi in Alafaya, Florida. That three days of that ministry would be me flying to Albuquerque, New Mexico and riding in a support vehicle 15 miles an hour, six to eight hours a day, watching my good friend ride across this country.

I didn't know God was gonna call me to watch my good friend's rear end in spandex. For three days.

But in all seriousness, I gotta say this. J. Burr, you would let me be here in this house on this day is one of the highest honors of my life. And I take it serious. The Refuge supports me monthly because I get to go preach places that nobody else does. Andrew mentioned my table.

I got a table out there with just a bunch of hats. It's donation basis only. If you want to pick up one, you can make a donation. I got a little basket out there also going high tech. You can go PayPal, Cash App, Venmo, WIC, Food Stamp, Government cheese.

But I raised that money on that table through the summer because in just a few weeks. This is going to be hard to believe, but I hand to the Lord is true. In August, I'm going to speak to 100 high school football teams in about 35 days, one 5 minute water break at a time. And you support me and that's what that table money goes to. So I promise to be a good steward of it.

And if you want a hat and don't want to make a donation, take one. That'd be fine. Let's pray. Lord, as we learn Today, strategies from 2nd Samuel about not only being a father, but being a parent or being a man of God. Help us, Jesus.

We just want to say we believe you're who you say you are. And we believe that you can do everything you say you can do. Now the world picks and chooses. The world picks and chooses. They hold on tight to the things they think are beneficial.

But we're saying this morning, by faith, we believe it from COVID to cover. Jesus, I believe you prayed for people who were blind and they could see. Jesus, I believe you spoken to the tomb of Lazarus who had been dead and he lived again. Jesus, I believe you carried a cross beam up a hill and they posted that cross on top of a rock that looks a little bit like a skull. And I believe you came out of the tomb victorious over death, hell and the grave just a few days later.

And I believe you can meet with us here today in this beautiful church. Holy Spirit, you're already here. It's so obvious. But we welcome you, guide us, help us to be crystal clear in your name. We pray.

And everybody said we're going to start in two Samuel chapter five. Just a few strategies from a few chapters in second Samuel, second Samuel five. I'm just going to pick out some highlights of a couple chapters and we're going to work right through second Samuel's a unique book. Chapter five tells a great story It's a military story. Imagine that David involved in another fight.

David knew how to fight pretty good. David had killed a lion and a bear as a teenager. Do you know how obnoxious I would be if I'd killed a lion and a bear? I'm pretty obnoxious now. Every time I just shoot a mallard duck.

Killed a lion and a bear and then took a slingshot. And I think sometimes we. We lose track of exactly what he did. Everybody in here that's over about 50 years old will remember this, especially if you grew up in a small town. I think we talk about how big Goliath was and he's big and he's powerful but the Bible says he was a champion from gas.

Now you can't be a champion from unless you have won the championship. Does anybody redneck enough in here to remember bad man contests? Does anybody remember that where they just gather up money and people just come fight and the last man won all the money? Evidently they had a bad man contest in gas. So Goliath was not just big, he was fierce.

David killed him. Now we tell beautiful stories in children's church about the slingshot and the five smooth stones and the stone hitting Goliath where he had no armor. And we tell them that the stone killed Goliath but really we couldn't prove in a court of law that the stone killed Goliath. What if it just knocked him out? You've been knocked cold, smooth out like tweety birds.

What if it just put him in a coma? See, we do that a lot of times. We question when God does something powerful in our life. Some of you have been to an altar and God do something powerful and either on the way home or the next day you begin to think, was that really real? Is he really dead?

But what we could prove in a court of law that David killed Goliath because the Bible says David grabbed Goliath's sword and he cut Goliath's head cold, smooth off o f t oft and then they put Goliath's head on a stick and carried it with him. Now you knock a guy down with a rock, you may wonder if he's dead. But if you got a man's head on a stick, there's no doubt he's dead. My prayer for every father in here today that is whoever gets the high honor of preaching Father's Day 2027. If the Lord tarries that you have a new Goliath in your life that you have a new spiritual Problem, you know, if our God is everywhere, it once knows everything, can do anything, we ought not to have the same spiritual problem for long.

If you're a spiritual, if you're a dad and you're in here this morning, you can give the Lord a hand. Give the Lord a hand real quick.

If you're a dad in here and you got the spirit Goliath in your life, 2026 he did 2025. My prayer is you leave here with cutting his head cold, smooth off and carrying his head on a stick. You know, we tell that story, it's such a great story and we tell it as if that's David's greatest victory. Goliath won David's greatest victory. It ain't even in the top 10.

But it was his first great victory. I'm praying some dad in here today kills his Goliath.

But here's what's interesting to me is that we're in second Samuel chapter five and we're having to deal with Philistines again. And I think the first important message really comes before 2 Samuel 5 and that's this, why are we still dealing with Philistines? Let me tell you why. Cause Satan is a liar. I think once you understand that doesn't mean that Satan just runs around telling a bunch of lies.

Everybody in here has got one person in your friend circle or God forbid in your family that lies a lot. I know that offended you a little bit, I didn't mean to offend you. But that nursery back there, right now, they're thieves and liars in that nursery.

They see a toy they want, they'll snatch it from another child and the worker will say did you just take that? No, no.

And we all got bad liars in our life. Them people that lie all the time. I got one cousin, a fail proof way to know he's lying and is if his mouth is moving, he's lying. He'd rather climb a tree and lie to you than stand on the ground tell you the truth.

But I don't want you to think of that. That's not what Satan is. He's more than that. He's an enron. He gets you to buy in and invest and he slips out in the middle of the night leaving you embarrassed and humiliated.

He's the sire of every lie that's been told.

Don't you remember the deal? If I remember the deal right. David and Emerald Hill remember the story. Jesse was a smart dad and he sent a cheese tray to the officers. Can you imagine?

Cheese trays are expensive. Now, what in the world would it cost you? In 1st Samuel 17, David's brother gets mad. They end up working their way down there. And there's a deal struck by the Philistines.

You send your man. If he wins, we'll be your servant.

If we win, you'll be our servants. Well, David won, but they lied. They didn't honor the deal. That's what this world and the enemy's trying to do to you, dad. He's trying to lie to you.

He doesn't keep his word. Until you realize that Satan is a liar, you're going to have to fight the same fights over and over and over and over.

And we can overcome him. Because the truth is not something our Savior tells. The truth is something our Savior is. He is a way. The truth and the life.

You just have to be listening for your signals. Second Samuel 5. So we just said, David killed a lion and a bear. He killed the champion. But now the Philistines are coming back, and God's got a plan.

He said, don't go straight at them. Sneak around behind them toward the end of chapter five. And he said, when you hear a sound marching through the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly. Dad. You don't have to be a dad just like your dad dadded.

You don't have to be a dad like your favorite dad. Dads, dad, what worked last month might not work this month.

Nobody is an authority on dadding except our father.

Isn't it amazing the same dadding won't even work with two kids from the same factory. Anybody in here got more than one kid? I don't know what y' all doing here at the refuge, but, man, everybody I'm meeting's having their seventh or eighth kid. What in the world?

This man won a gift card yesterday. Got eight kids. You need more than a gift card.

You need some Gatorade and a goody powder and a love offering.

See, different challenges bring different approaches. And the only way we can be a good dad is we have to be led of the spirit. And the only way to be led in the spirit, you have to be communicating with the spirit. And the first thing you go to is not your impulse or not your expertise or not your experience. And if you're not taking what you're doing as a dad to the Lord consistently every day, you're gonna miss the signal.

We need to hear the wind through the poplar trees.

We don't fine tune the slingshot. We don't need the slingshot. This Time we need to follow the plan of the Lord. Different challenges, new approaches. Strategies may change, but as long as we strive to know the signal.

Second Samuel, chapter six. Another challenge. They're moving the Ark of the Covenant. Crucial navigation. Crucial navigation.

They gotta take it from one point and bring it to Jerusalem. Now there are plain, crystal clear rules. Can't touch the Ark of the Covenant. I don't know if you read this story. They took the poles and they put it through and they're carrying it.

As a matter of fact, they built a new cart.

Aren't we silly sometimes when we think we can help God's plan.

I'm going to build a new cart. God, look at my cart. It's an anointed cart.

People say, what a mean story. The oxen stumbled and the ark shifts and somebody touches it and they end up dead. Well, if you grab an electric wire, it's live. You're gonna get shocked. You stick your hand in the fire, you're gonna get burnt.

Crucial navigation requires complete obedience. Did you know that delaying to obey is disobedience? I don't ever remember my dad counting to three.

I hear that a lot now. I can't. I'm straining my brain. I can't think of one time my dad said, all right, now I'm gonna count to three.

If you didn't obey my dad, there was a 10 count involved to see if he had technically knocked you out.

They partially obeyed God during this crucial navigation. Partial obedience is disobedience.

There are people here that are dealing with prodigals in your life. My heart is broken for you this morning. It's crucial navigation. And you have people in your life that feel like God has called them to the ministry of keeping you appraised of your prodigal's failures. They think that's their ministry and they'll do it through the form of a prayer request.

Just one time. I wish the Lord. Let me tell somebody. You ain't praying for them. You just want to know the details.

Listen, let me say this to you as the enemy is beating you up. As the parent of a prodigal, let me just see if this will bring you some joy and peace. God was the perfect parent in Eden. God was the perfect parent. Are we gonna criticize God's parenting skills?

I mean, doesn't every relationship require three things? Trust, quality time, clear communication. Read it. He came down in the cool of the day. He walked with him, he communed with him, he fellowshipped with him.

He met every need. He never lied. And if you eat that tree, it's not going to be good.

God was the perfect parent and the first chance they got, they chose selfish. I've seen godly parents have to deal with prodigals, and I've seen godless parents have great Christian children. Quit beating yourself up. We're going to have a time of prayer here in just a minute. I would love to pray for prodigal parents.

It's crucial. Navigation but when the Lord speaks to you, don't delay his obedience, because one of the things he may tell you to do is just to wait and your hand does not need to stabilize God's plan.

Then in Samuel chapter seven, David's so appreciative of the goodness of God, he figures he'll just build a temple. He didn't realize temple not a high priority for God because God's already got a plan that Solomon's going to build that temple. So many times we miss the greatness of God because we're doing something good.

It's kind of like a good plan versus God's plan. You know what happens in 2nd Samuel 8 and 9? David would have missed if he'd have been back home building the temple. Temple's not a bad idea. I don't think David's heart was wrong.

But I do think that it is crucial that when God says not yet, we honor that the timing of the Lord.

You ever violated the timing of the Lord? I know I have. Sometimes I think what I've got to say in a certain situation is so good, and the Holy Spirit clearly tells me to hush and I don't.

You know, as a young minister, when they were training us to do hospital visits, I always thought I had to have the perfect verse and be able to explain why they were in a tough situation. And man, it didn't take long for me to learn. If the Holy Spirit don't tell me clear what to say, you know what I'm going to say to you in the hospital. Boy, I sure do love you. And if you need me, I'm a phone call away.

I'm not scared to say hard things. I'm not scared to prophesy. I'm not scared to say things that require great faith. But when the Holy Spirit says not yet, we have to obey.

The timing of the Lord can make or break you.

And then in chapters eight and nine, see, if you read two Samuel, chapter eight, you're going to read God had began to expand their territory north, south, east and west, and it wouldn't have happened unless David had been obeyed. The great thing God wanted to do instead of the good thing he wanted to do for God.

And in verse chapter nine, he teaches us the power of grace, faith, mercy and kindness.

You know, faith without grace is mean.

Grace without faith is meaningless.

Dad, sometimes we don't have to go back to the story of how our dad handled it or how our football coach handled it or what the world's pumping in here. Sometimes we need to focus on catching our kids doing something right.

I know we can be hard on them if we're necessary, but can we be kind to them when it's necessary? Can we speak words of life to them? Can we pray over them?

There's a power in mercy and kindness.

Chapter nine has one of the greatest stories in the whole scripture about little boy named Mephibosheth who. Who caught a bad break. Who. A nanny was running away during a time of trauma and dropped him and it made him lame. And he finds himself in this little village called Lo Debar.

And when David comes, he wants to show kindness to any of Saul's children or grandchildren on behalf of Jonathan. And he calls for Mephibosheth. And then he just begins to bless him. He said, I'm going to give you the land that is coming to you. And not only am I going to give you the farm, I'm going to hire people to farm it for you.

He said, you're going to eat the rest of your life at the king's table.

I think it's a hard lesson to learn how powerful kindness can be and how much kindness can accomplish and to hold on to the promise. Hebrews 10:23 says, we hold on unswervingly to the promise. You know what I think about when I think about unswervingly?

Everybody goes to the lake now, don't they? About every third car you pass on the interstate, they got a jet ski or some kind of thing behind it. I saw a guy the other day and he had in the back of his truck a big float. We used to call it tubing. Does anybody know what I'm talking about when I say tubing?

And it was beautiful. It had a big heavy duty rope and it had clear, molded plastic handles to hold onto. Has anybody in here ever been behind a boat on a tube attached with a rope and the driver of the boat is trying to kill you?

Well, see, my first time tubing, I was in a little town called Lincolnton, Georgia. And we didn't have no pretty white tube with designs on it. And Molded plastic handles. I went with a buddy of mine whose daddy was a logger. We had a logging inner tube.

There won't nothing to hold onto. We fist fought over who was going to get the valve stem. I mean, all you could do is wrap your pinky around that valve stem.

We tried to kill each other.

Hold on unswervingly to the promise.

Would you just stand with me this morning where you are quietly and reverently.

Musicians are coming back. The prayer team's coming and getting in place.

Can I get some of the prayer team to come and help me get ready to pray with folks?

I left a little time. I feel like the Holy Spirit told me to leave a little time.

Speaking to dads this morning. But more than dads, parents, men and women of God, whether you have children or not, I just want you to hold unswervingly because God keeps his word. See, Mephibosheth ate the rest of his life at the king's table because of a promise that was made laying down on a battlefield decades before that. And even though it took a while, and even though I'm sure it brought fear, and I'm sure there were times Mephibosheth felt forgotten. But the promise is true.

Man, if you're here today and you need to cut your Goliath's head off, or maybe you're just beating yourself up because you have a prodigal in your life, you say big league, your story's a little funny, and it's kind of cute the way you do it, but you have no idea where I am. You're right, I don't. But Christ does. Christ knows what it's like to be lied to. He knows what it's like to be falsely accused.

He knows what it's like at the very most crucial time in his life, have the people he was counting on the most leave him.

You've not been given a high priest who can't sympathize with you.

Can we pray for you today? They're gonna sing here in just a second. As they begin to sing, the Holy Spirit is tugging on your heart. I ain't trying to talk you into nothing today. I mean, the simple truth is, if I talk you into it, that means somebody talk you out of it.

I'm just asking if the Holy Spirit's tugging on your heart. If there's a dad here with a secret. And you think if anybody finds my secret out, they won't love me no more. Well, God will love you. God demonstrated his love to us and that while we were sinners.

Just at the right time. Ungodly. He already knows your secret. And he gave his son to die for you.