KING DAVID (pt. 3)

Faith builds integrity. Integrity is choosing the harder right over the easier wrong when God is our only witness. (when no one else is looking)

Integrity resists the temptation and pressure of an “easy exit.”

Integrity responds to the smallest nudge of the Holy Spirit.

Integrity means you don’t have to “get even” because you know God sees the truth.

“Where am I tempted to take a shortcut right now?”

Integrity calls us to surrender; because of grace, we can open our arms in surrender into living holy.

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

You're listening to the New Beginnings Church podcast from Delaware, Ohio. To learn more about New Beginnings Church, visit us online at Delaware NewBeginnings.com. Today's message is from Pastor David Horse.

SPEAKER_01 0:19

Thank you for coming this morning as we continue looking at some key components of David's life, seeing how God helps him in his faithfulness. He's there in his faithfulness, but he's also there in some of the messes, not only that maybe he creates, but other people create around him. Anybody have people like that in your life that create messes for you? Yeah, me too. Me too. The first week we talked about David being anointed, right? The anointing of David, that God wasn't checking his resume, what David had done or hadn't done because he was just a teenager, but God knew his heart. And so he was chosen because God knew the person that David is, which shows us how much he knows us intimately in our lives. Last week we talked about assurance, that our assurance to be victorious over the giants, we talked about David and Goliath. The assurance to be victorious over our giants is built on what? Our faith, our faith in Jesus, and remembering God's faithfulness and his promise of forever. So we remember God's faithfulness in our past, but also the faithfulness that comes with following Jesus, which is eternity. This week we're gonna use the I word integrity. Integrity. Faith builds integrity. That's the three main words, and this is what we mean by that, by our faith building our integrity. Integrity is choosing the harder right thing, whatever's in front of us, over the easier wrong thing when God is our only witness. Or in other words, when no one else is looking. Anybody ever been in that situation? Have a choice to make when nobody else is looking? As followers of Jesus, we know that somebody's always looking, not in like this Santa Claus way, which is just weird, but in a way of grace. Because he wants us to become more righteous. He wants us to live a more holy life. So integrity is something that we learn. I don't know about you, but as a kid I had to learn integrity sometimes in the hard way. Amen. Yeah, integrity, it's a we learn it. It doesn't just come in us, it doesn't just, it's not like, oh, look, he's full of integrity at six weeks. It doesn't happen that way. Life would be so much easier if it did, but it we learn and grow, we we grow in it, and it's the same thing with our faith. Because the integrity of our life can mirror the integrity of our faith. So in life, here's an example of life. There was one time, this is uh um, I don't know, 15, 16 years ago, long time ago. Tracy and I, we we were shopping after church. What do you do your shopping? And and and we we go into uh the the store into Walmart and we get all of our groceries, we check out, we take everything out, we take outside, put it in the back of the van, and underneath there's this big case of water. Anybody been there? We didn't pay for the water. Now we had a choice. It's Walmart, they're gonna miss, they're not gonna miss three bucks. Or I'm gonna march back in there with it and pay for it. And I'll never forget the the teller going, I can't believe you did that. Integrity. That's part of integrity of life. Is what are we gonna do when nobody else is looking, when nobody else would know? Same thing with faith, integrity of our faith. How are we as people, how are we as followers of Jesus when we leave the sanctuary on Sunday mornings? Or when we leave our house on Monday or Tuesday morning or in the afternoon wherever we're going? Are we reflecting the love and the grace of Jesus? Or are we different people outside of church than we are within the building? This is what gets the church in trouble. I don't know how many times that I've been told, I don't go to church because you're all hypocrites. Amen. Anyone that sins, you can say is a hypocrite because we're going against what we believe. Because we're not perfect in here. We're on our way to perfection, as what Wesley would say. We're learning to live a holy life. We're being sanctified. Faith builds our integrity. Integrity is choosing the harder right thing over the easier. Maybe it's not even the easier wrong thing. And we're gonna see that in the story of David. So let's set this up. Um, this is David in a cave. Approximately, according to historians, this is probably about 12 years after the battle with Goliath. So David's probably in his early to mid-20s, and a lot has happened. A lot has happened. For us, it's going seven chapters. We went, we're going from chapter 17 of 1 Samuel to chapter 24 of 1 Samuel. And we go, well, that couldn't have been too long, but it it really wasn't. There's a lot of things that happened in between that that we're not going to touch on. Um, but David had clo he rose in fame after Goliath. People were going, Saul defeated his thousands and David his ten thousands, if you know the story. And this begins to make Saul jealous, so much so that he doesn't even want David to marry his daughter that he promised for defeating Goliath. And there's a whole story in there that David ends up uh marrying Saul's daughter, but not the one that was promised because of jealousy. And now his relationship with Jonathan, Saul's son, creates even more jealousy, so much so that Saul repeatedly attempts to assassinate David in different ways and chases him down, chases him all over the country. And over the years, David collects, if you will, his own army, his own followers, around 600 is what scripture says, uh, where they just evade Saul throughout the region in the wilderness, um, and uh into caves and all this. Well, all this is culminating here into chapter 24 that we're gonna read, where David is given a choice, whether it's test by the Lord, however you want to see it, you know, scripture doesn't say it's a test by the Lord, some people see it that way. Um I believe, though, it is a test on David's integrity wherever it came from, which I believe is from the Lord too. Uh but let's just read 1 Samuel 24, the first four verses here. After Saul returned from fighting the Philistines, 12 years later, or whatever it was, they're still fighting the Philistines. Isn't that incredible? He was told that David had gone into the wilderness of Engedi. So Saul chose 3,000 elite troops. How much can you not like someone that you're gonna take your 3,000, the best of your best, to do this? From all Israel and went to search for David and his men near the rocks of the wild goats. At the place where the road passes, some sheepfolds, Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. Now, as a former youth pastor, this was always fun to talk about. Because I'm a kid, and we'll talk why this is important in here. But yes, they talk about going potty in the Bible. So there I said it, now I feel better. But as it happens, as it happened, David and his men were hiding farther back in the very cave. Now's your opportunity, David's men whispered to him. Today the Lord is telling you, I will certainly put your enemy into your power to do with as you wish. So David crept forward and cut off a piece of the hem of Saul's robe. So we have that fun little picture. Sorry if I gave you that visual there. Why is this important to know? Saul's vulnerable. How many of you take guards into the bathroom with you? Nobody I know of. I mean, I don't even think our leaders do that, of our nation, you know, they want their privacy. So Saul is completely vulnerable. He's alone. And here we have David a little further back hiding. Like, how fortuitous is this? And this is what his inner circle's saying. This is what they're his little inner circle, they're using what we might call spiritual speak to pressure him, because there's some pressure behind this, into making a decision, into even taking what we might call a shortcut. And so they frame this moment of what could be a temptation, really, as prophetic fulfillment. Right? David, you're gonna be king anyways. Uh they go, here's your opportunity. Today the Lord's telling you. They're telling them what they think the Lord's telling them by this fortuitous situation. Today the Lord's telling you, I will certainly put your enemy into your power to do with as you wish. And it would be easy to see this scenario as a blessing. Many of us, I think, would. I know I would. I go, oh, what a blessing. But it also, when you look deeper, required some compromise of values. And what would that compromise be? David's taking into his own hands. He's taking into whatever timing God had planned, he'd be taking into his hands to rid the kingdom of the anointed king. Who anointed Saul? God did. This is God's anointed leader of Israel. And so this this value, this compromise of value is David taking into his own hands to place himself on the throne. And really, this isn't the first time we would see this temptation or this type of thing possibly play out if you recall the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob, well, by help of his mama, stole the blessing from Esau that wasn't his but was promised to him, and he took it into his own hands. David has the same opportunity. Have you ever tried to build something but then cut corners to save costs? I mean, think of a house. I know a lot of people who have purchased a house that looked beautiful. And then after two years, then you guys have heard these stories, right? People cut corners, there's leaks, there's pipes leaking that's leaking from the roof, right? Integrity's lost. We lose our integrity when we compromise our God-given values. Our integrity is compromised when we get rid of our God-given values, when we take things into our own hands. Integrity resists the temptation and pressure of an easy exit. And so, under this pressure, David uh his integrity, we're gonna see resist the temptation and the pressure of an easy exit or an easy outcome. Because I think a lot of us would go, oh, that was promised to me anyway, so I I might as well help it along. I might as well do it. Maybe we've said these words. Nobody will know the difference. Nobody else is watching. Everybody else is doing it. Other people at church are they doing it, other churches are doing it, or that family's doing it, or or even this is my favorite. Is it a sin? If it's not a sin, I can do it, right? Is it and that's a fair argument, too. Or sometimes we go, let's just do the bare minimum. Let's continue to do what we're doing because it's easier. Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. That's where wisdom comes into play. That's where our discernment comes into play. We must learn to identify the voices which encourage taking a shortcut. Just because an opportunity is convenient, listen to this, just because it's convenient and it may not even be a sin does not mean that it comes from God. That's hard. Because we think, well, if it's good, it's gotta come from God. Sometimes God, I believe God lets a allows life to play out, and we have different choices. And so many times we have three good choices in front of us, and that's where we go back to our values and say, what is wise? Not what's right, not what's good, but what is of the wisdom of God. What does it mean? You know, this is when we talk about having the mind of Christ. Many times, though, we feel pressure to act. Pressure all around us. This is the pressure David was feeling from his inner circle. Pressure to act, to make a choice. Integrity proves our faith, though, in the Lord and what the Lord wants us to do. David was selected and anointed to be the to become the next king of Israel. He was selected to take the place of Saul, but David had faith that God would make that happen. And so he had to make a choice and discern: is this how God's making this happen? Or is it something else? And what he decided is he didn't need to take it into his own hands. And in the next part of the story here, where we go to 1 Samuel 24, verse 5 to 11, David cuts off a piece of the robe, and even doing something that simple created an inward struggle. So let's read uh chapter 24, verses 5 through 11 here. But then David's conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul's robe. He said to his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this to my Lord and King. You see where David's heart's at? It's not in the job, it's with God. The Lord forbid that I should do this to my Lord and King. I shouldn't attack the Lord's anointed one, for the Lord himself has chosen him. This is the value. It's God's to give and it's God's to take away. So David restrained his men and did not let them kill Saul. After Saul had left the cave and gone on his way, David came out and shouted after him, My Lord the King. And when Saul looked around, David bowed low before him. Now that took courage. I'm gonna call to the guy who's trying to kill me. Then he shouted to Saul, Why do you listen to the people who say I am trying to harm you? This very day you can see with your own eyes it isn't true, for the Lord placed you at my mercy back there in the cave. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I spared you. For I said, I will never harm the king. He is the Lord's anointed one. Look, my father. Remember, he's married to Saul's daughter, so he's family. Look, my father, at what I have in my hand. It is a piece of the hem of your robe. I cut it off, but I didn't kill you. This proves that I am not trying to harm you and that I have not sinned against you, even though you have been hunting for me to kill me. In other words, even though I have every right to defend myself. You see how that pesky conscience works in us? Anybody get that where you're going, should I really do this? You know, why shouldn't I do this? Why do I have this feeling inside me? Why is my heart racing? Why does my stomach feel so bad after making that decision or trying to make that decision? Because for someone whose heart is seeking God, even a minor thing of disrespect towards God's anointed, towards one of God's children, one of God's, you know, a person created in his image is a major breach. It's a major breach in our God-given values. And so David is able to use this time. I don't know if he did this knowingly, but it's a time we know that he uses it as a as a lesson of integrity, not only to his army, his inner circle, his 600 men, but also to the king, the king of Israel. Because he felt that nudge. And then even just clipping that piece off made him feel bad. He felt like he was disrespecting the king. So we don't ignore the nudge. Don't ignore those nudges, those things that are inside you, just bugging you and messing with you a little bit. We don't ignore those nudges. If you feel a check in your spirit about a conversation, a joke that's been said, a business deal that's been done, a show, a movie, or a song that you watch that you watched or heard, and you're going, something doesn't feel right, then stop. That's integrity. That's the Holy Spirit working in our lives. A holy life, a life following Jesus is built on thousands of nos to the flesh. And those nos are sometimes so hard to do because everybody else is doing it. Even followers of Jesus is doing it, and so we struggle with these things. Integrity responds to the smallest nudge of the Holy Spirit. Any Pinocchio fans? I'm going way off here. Jimney Cricket? I always liked using that as it's not a perfect analogy by any means. What is for the Holy Spirit in our conscience? But when you go and you watch, not the new Pinocchio, because that's kind of trash. Uh, sorry, the old one, you know, the one that's like 80 years old now. You go and watch that, and you see Jimmy Cricket with the conscience and the drinking and the smoking and Pinocchio ignoring, and what happens? The fade, the fade until it's all black, and they're in a bottomless pit, also known as the whale, and need to be saved. I have a story of insubordination in my life. I was working at a computer factory, and there was a supervisor and I that just didn't get along. I don't understand why I'm such a good guy. But we didn't get along. And one day he got really mad. He was mad at the whole group of us who were who were repairing computers, and just like every word in the book was being thrown at us. And I went to him, I said, You need to stop talking that way. I don't deserve that. I I don't deserve this attitude. I don't deserve this from you. He was embarrassed, so you know what he did? He went up to the manager and said, I was being insubordinate. Next day I go into work, I'm thinking, I'm gonna get fired. I get called up there. I'm going, oh, this is it. I don't know what I'm gonna do. This is gonna be awful. My co-workers went to bat for me. They had the integrity to go to bat for me. And within a few days, we we had a new supervisor down there. And I don't say that out of disrespect for him, but that integrity matters. Integrity matters, and integrity has ripple effects, whether it's in our own personal life or the life of the people that were around. David respected the anointing on the king, even when Saul was the villain, even when Saul was more than a villain, he was trying to kill David. David respected the anointing of Saul because it was done by the Lord. David proves faith and integrity, shows Saul. Uh, I'm sorry, David proves faith and his faith and integrity when he shows Saul this piece of of robe, and he says, I could have, I, I could have done you in. And I had every right to do you in. I I could have called self-defense, I could have used everything in the book that defended me and justified for my actions. But you're anointed by God, and I'm leaving the justice to God. And that's what we hear in verses 12, verse 22. May the Lord judge between us. Let the Lord decide who's right and wrong here. Perhaps the Lord will punish you for what you are trying to do to me, but I will never harm you. As that old proverb says, from evil people come evil deeds, so you can be sure I will never harm you. Who is the king of Israel trying to catch, anyways? This is the humility of David here. Should he spend his time chasing one who is as worthless as a dead dog or a single flea? Now, to me, this kind of harkens back to Goliath here, this next verse. May the Lord therefore judge which of us. Is right and punish the guilty one. He is my advocate, and he will rescue me from your power. Integrity and faith. Integrity and faith. When David had finished speaking, Saul called back, Is that really you, my son David? Then he began to cry. And he said to David, You are a better man than I, for you have repaid me good for evil. Yes, you have been amazingly kind to me today, for when the Lord put me in a place where you could have killed me, you didn't do it. Who else would let his enemy get away when he had him in his power? May the Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. And now I realize that you are surely going to be king and that the kingdom of Israel will flourish under your rule. See, he was trying to protect his own sons. Because according to everything, they should be the next king. And here Saul is admitting this that David will be the next king. Now swear to me by the Lord that when that happens, you will not kill my family and destroy my line of descendants. So David promised this to Saul with an oath. Then Saul went home. But listen to this. This is important. But David and his men went back to their stronghold. He didn't trust Saul yet. But he was honoring God. And I think that's an important piece for us to remember, too. This shows us the proof of David's character. Do you see it? It looks strangely different than what we see every day. In the chaos, in the struggle, his faith stayed with God. He could have taken care of the situation. Yet he allowed the Lord to do it. Integrity means you don't have to get even. It means you don't have to make things right because you know that God already sees the truth, that God's already in charge. Saul sees this proof of David's character and he calls it out in front of all his soldiers. He honors David and his faith and his integrity. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop Saul from trying to kill David till the end of Saul's life. But what we see from David in this is that integrity trusts God to be the judge and the justifier. This is what we believe in Jesus. God sent Jesus to be our redeemer, to be our justifier, that through Jesus, through the cross and the resurrection, we are justified. We are made clean, that we don't have to do the time because of our sin. And so when we see that God is the justifier, that he's the judge, we begin to see what? That justice looks a little differently through the lenses, through the lens of God, through the lens of the gospel, through the lens of Jesus Christ. And so we hand the gavel back to God. We hand control back to God and try the best we can to keep our integrity intact. Our job isn't to punish the souls of the world. Our job isn't to punish the souls in our life to make justice happen. Our job is to follow Jesus and to stay faithful, even the most opportune time in a cave, and we can make things right. Faith builds integrity. Faith builds integrity. Integrity is choosing the harder thing over the easier thing when nobody else is looking. This week I want you to identify one small thing. It could be a big thing, that's fine, that's all up to you. One small thing that you've been letting slide in your life. What's that one thing you've been letting slide? And it may not even be a sin, but maybe it wasn't the wisest choice. Maybe it's an honest conversation that you've avoided that you need to have. Maybe it's a compromise of your faith that you know you you're doing, but it's hard to get rid of. Ask the Holy Spirit. Where am I tempted to take a shortcut right now? Where am I tempted to take a shortcut in my life? Where am I tempted to take control in my life and not give it to you, God? Where I want to judge people because I know better. I've been to school, I've got the degrees, God, you know this. If you don't know what that is, then think of Jeremiah 33, verse 3. The Lord says, Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you don't know. Not even about yourself. This is this is the Holy Spirit who will speak to us. And find that small thing. And here's your challenge: do what you can to make it right. Whether that's just asking for forgiveness or going and finding that person that you harmed and ask for forgiveness, or showing someone love that you don't think deserves loves. Don't just think about the small thing, do something about it. Make it right. Show love. Show respect. Show your integrity. Colossians 3:17. Paul says, Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Everything we do. Jesus is our model of integrity. And many times integrity means that we surrender. We surrender our circumstances, we surrender our will, we we surrender our ego. This is what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus didn't have to die for you. He prayed, remember in the garden? If there's another way, Lord, but not my will, but yours be done. Not my will, Lord, but yours be done. Jesus didn't take shortcuts. He did exactly what he promised to do, and he literally opened his arms, his whole self, to the whole violence and all of sin of the world and laid it on his shoulders for our salvation as a free gift. Faith builds integrity, and integrity guides us to wise choices when no one else is watching but God.

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Thanks for listening to the New Beginnings Church Podcast. For all our messages, sermon notes, and the latest updates, visit Delaware New Beginnings.com. We'll see you next week.