Overcomer

Restored

Pastor John Talcott
Christ's Community Church

Read Part 1

(11/19) We are continuing in part two of our message series "Overcomer" and last week we saw how the Amalekites took advantage of David and his men when they had gone away to fight. In other words, they knew that David was at Gath and all of his attention was focused on the confrontation between Israel and the Philistine. And so, they seized the opportunity to retaliate against David because his men were with him and they knew those remaining in Ziklag were primarily elderly, women, and children. And in an act of vengeance, they burned the city, kidnapping the people, and taking whatever wealth they could find.

You could just imagine the horror of David and his men as they came home to discover their city burned, their wives and children kidnapped, and all their stuff taken. Certainly David and his men were brokenhearted and wore themselves out weeping, but the Scripture says,

"David found strength in the Lord his God" (1 Samuel 30:6).

In other words, David recognized that the encouragement he needed could only come from the Lord. And so, he encouraged himself in the Lord, not indulging in food or much drink, but he found strength in the Lord his God.

That is an important statement because he had just lost everything, he was greatly distressed, but he found solace in the Lord his God. In fact, that is the great legacy that David passes on to us in the book of Psalms, because he wrote these things down as he pours his heart out to God. He said,

"My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalms 42:3).

And that expresses the heart of David because often in his life everything seemed to be falling apart. He didn’t always get it right, but he put his hope in the Lord his God and encouraged himself saying,

"Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Psalms 42:9-10).

But he said, "as I sought the Lord,

"He answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles" (Psalms 34:4-6).

And so, David found strength in the Lord, he was encouraged, and having been assured by the Lord that his pursuit of the enemy would be successful he took off with his men trusting that the Lord would guide them to the Amalekites camp. After 200 of David’s men quit because they said they were too exhausted to go on, David and the remaining 400 men continued in pursuit until they found an Egyptian slave who had been left behind by the Amalekites.

He had become sick and his master had given up on him, but the Lord kept him alive for the sake of his servant David. And so, it turned out, that this Egyptian man who was originally part of the problem was shown mercy and grace by David, and now becomes the solution to the problem. Verse sixteen tells us that the Egyptian man,

"Led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah" (1 Samuel 30:16).

In other words, they discovered the enemy having a party with what they had stolen. In the same way as the devil is having a party right now with your stuff. For some of you, he has your joy, he has your peace, he has your health, but I declare in the mighty name of Jesus that the enemy has partied with our stuff long enough. It is time to get it back, it was given to us by God, and so we’re going to take it back. The Bible says in verse seventeen,

"David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled" (1 Samuel 30:17).

You see, we’ve got to stand up for what is ours, we’ve got to fight for our stuff, and that means it is time to tell the devil no. That’s my stuff you’re playing around with, that’s my joy, that’s my peace, that’s my anointing, and it doesn’t belong to you. And so, right now in the name of Jesus, I’m taking it back.

Unfortunately, some of us have been playing church for so long that we think this is just how you are, or this is how it’s supposed to be, or how it’s always been and it’s never going to change. But there are some of you who believe that God is exactly who he says he is, he can do what he said he is going to do, and he is all we need to fulfill the prophecy on our lives. And so, "if he is for us," the apostle Paul said, "who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

I feel like this is a word for somebody, because you didn’t come to church because everything was good. Somebody came this morning saying, "God, I need to hear from you, if there’s a word for me, I need it because the devil has been hitting me with all guns blazing." David makes this statement in Psalm chapter 27, declaring in the name of the Lord,

"When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident" (Psalms 27:2-3).

In other words, the level of spiritual attack is elevating, the enemy has been coming after you with everything he has, but I want to encourage you even then to be confident. Prepare for a level of warfare that you hadn’t anticipated even though he’s coming at you from different angles, different altitudes, different people, and different situations. You need to know what you’re supposed to do because this is your moment, this is your opportunity, and I believe the enemy in this entertainment driven age has let down his guard.

He’s been partying with your stuff, he’s been eating and drinking and dancing, and this is your moment to go get it back. And so, there is a specific moment in time, a certain window of opportunity when you’ve got to quit playing and be assertive, a little aggressive and go get it. In fact, Jesus said it this way,

"No one can enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can rob his house" (Mark 3:27).

You see, there are some things in the Spirit that will not come to you, you’ve got to go get them, you’ve got to demonstrate a little bit of faith, you’ve got to be a little more aggressive than normal.

You’ve got to go get it, you’ve got to fight for it, grab it, pull it, take hold of it. And watch this, the Bible says,

"David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder" (1 Samuel 30:18-20).

"Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them" (1 Samuel 30:21).

I want to talk to those of you who have found yourself in that place where you thought you were the victor, you thought you had overcome, and all of a sudden something else rises up against you. You thought you had been delivered, you thought you were free, and suddenly something else happens. An opportunity revealed itself, triggering something in the spiritual realm, because the devil is always looking for an opportunity. And so, verse twenty-two says,

"But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered" (1 Samuel 30:22).

I want to encourage you today to see that no bitter root grows up, consuming your heart, taking over and producing its poisonous fruit. Because you may have noticed this before, but you can be working at the office and have one bitter person totally change the atmosphere? One bitter family member can totally disrupt the unity and love in a family and destroy the holidays. You can see it among your kids, among teenagers, and among your friends. It just takes one bitter, angry, and rebellious person, and all of a sudden, the whole group begins moving in the wrong direction.

Those troublemakers among David’s followers said, "Because they didn’t go out with us, we will not share the plunder we recovered,

"However, each man may take his wife and children and go" (1 Samuel 30:22).

But that bitter root had grown up to cause trouble and the longer they let this root grow the more dangerous it becomes.

And so, the question we must ask, is how are we going to kill the root of bitterness? How do we stop this poison from spreading in our own lives, because the longer it is allowed to grow the more difficult it is to kill?

Well, we overcome the root of bitterness, destroying the root of bitterness with forgiveness. I know that sounds over simplified, but that is the only answer. We stop it, we crush it, we destroy it with forgiveness.

And I know there are some of you who have been wounded so deeply you don’t even want to forgive, but let’s turn to the word of God for encouragement. Ephesians chapter four, verse thirty-one says this,

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you" (Ephesians 4:31-32).

I know some of you may have significant and deep hurts, but forgiveness is a choice. And maybe God will give you the ability to make a decision to forgive, a supernatural miracle, and you just choose to forgive. For others of you it will be more of a process, but you just start doing some of the right things, and God will begin to change your heart and give you the desire to forgive. And you can when you consider how God forgave you and how much he has forgiven you.

I want to share another Scripture with you because I believe that somebody is going to find freedom, somebody’s going to be delivered, somebody’s going to be blessed. The Bible says in James chapter four,

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).

You see, some of you have been running from the devil, but he’s supposed to be running from you. I wish there were some people in here who believe the word of God, because it says to resist the devil. And so, what does that mean? Well, resist means that he’s going to push you, and so you’re going to resist, you’re going to lean into him, and you’re going to push back.

I wonder if there is anybody ready to take it by force, anybody ready to go get it, because I believe the enemy is hoping that you will sit there quietly. But I am here this morning to declare, to stand in agreement with you, that I’m not about to let him take away my destiny, my purpose, or my family. In fact, Jesus says it this way in Matthew chapter eleven,

"The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it" (Matthew 11:12).

And I believe when you make up your mind to get your stuff back, to get that joy back, to get that peace back, what now seems to be like a dim picture in the past, but when you make up your mind that you want it back, and you stand firm in the promise of the Lord, and you resist the devil, he will loosen his grip and flee.

Some of you here this morning need to make up your mind and strengthen yourself in the Lord, inquiring of the Lord, and pursue the enemy. Pursue your stuff, moving forward full of the Holy Spirit, led by the Spirit, because God’s plan is to give you the answer and the means to get your stuff back because it belongs to him anyway. The good news is that we don’t just get it back the way it was, but we get it back with interest, and with anything else that has been taken.

David’s men had grown bitter, battle is hard, they’re exhausted, and they hardened their hearts against the 200 men that stayed behind, but David replied,

"No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike" (1 Samuel 30:23-24).

And so, I want to encourage you to seek the Holy Spirit, to be filled with the Holy Spirit once again, and find strength in the Lord. I want to encourage you to inquire of the Lord once again, but I know there are those of you who won’t take this seriously, and you will continue to drink that poisonous root of bitterness. And if you do, it’s going to hurt the people around you and it’s going to destroy you, and so right now what you need is a deep spiritual cleansing. In fact, the Bible says it this way in James chapter four,

"Come near to God and he will come near to you" (James 4:8a).

In other words, drawing near to God, don’t waver between two opinions, allowing yourself to be tossed back and forth, blown here and there by every wind of teaching. But the Bible says straight up,

"Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:8b).

I know we don’t like to talk about that in the world today, because words like sinner offends us. But this is church and the Bible says that all have sinned, we’ve all done some stuff. In fact, some of us are still doing some stuff, and you can’t even say amen because you don’t want people in your business. But the Bible says,

"Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom" (James 4:9).

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:10).

If God has ever lifted you up, you should give him some praise right now? If he’s ever protected you, ever healed you, ever saved you, you ought to give him some praise.

And so, how do we purify our hearts? How do we get rid of the root of bitterness?

This is important because there is significant and deep hurt all over this room. For many of you it was someone that you love, a child or a brother or a parent and you are like, "After what they did to me, I don’t want to forgive."

And so, how can we get there? Well, like David, strengthen yourself in the Lord, because the Bible says, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Now, we can hold on to that easy enough, but we forget the first part where the Holy Spirit said, "Submit yourselves, then, to God" (James 4:7).

Some of you today will open your heart to the deep spiritual cleansing of God in Christ and God is going to do something in you that is beyond what you could have even imagined. You may not even want to forgive, don’t know if you can forgive, but God is going to do something supernatural in you and remove that pain, that brokenness, that wounded heart. You may be down and depressed, bound by fear and worry, overwhelmed by the enemy, tied up and twisted in bondage, but let me encourage you right now to submit yourself to God. "Resist the devil" (James 4:7).

Tell the devil, "No" I’m getting my stuff back. I’m getting my love back, my family back, my freedom back. Draw a line in the sand and say no more, I’m getting back what the enemy stole, you can’t have it anymore.

But if you want your stuff back, if you want your joy, your peace, your patience, and all of your stuff back it’s going to be a fight. You’re going to have to resist him, because the apostle Peter tells us that our enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. He says in first Peter chapter five, verse nine,

"Resist him, standing firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:9).

I wonder if there is anybody in here that has a little bit of faith? Would you stand firm?

Some of you were praying before the service and I pray right now in the name of Jesus that he will answer your prayers. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus that he would give you a double portion, that he would answer your prayer twice as fast, two times what you asked.

I have faith. Anybody else have faith in here? The Bible says,

"Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings" (1 Peter 5:9).

That is so important, we need to understand that. In fact, would you turn to your neighbor and tell them, "You are not alone."

You see, your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And yet, one of the oldest tricks of the enemy is to isolate you. He wants to get the lonely, the weak, the discouraged and depressed away from the flock. He wants you to think that you are the only one struggling. That you are the only one that has that struggle, you’re the only one that is dealing with that sin, and he tricks you with shame so that you don’t tell the truth. So, you think you’re the only one, you keep it to yourself, but we are not alone, and the Bible says,

"They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony" (Revelation 12:11).

And so, you need to find somebody that you can trust with your testimony, somebody that you can talk to about the areas where you struggle, because isolation is the strategy of the enemy and a weapon keeping you from deliverance. I don’t know if you heard me, but Peter said in verse ten,

"And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast" (1 Peter 5:10).

In other words, when you resist the devil, standing firm in the faith, the God of all grace, the God who called you to himself, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. And so, I’m going to say it again,

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil" (James 4:7).

In other words, sometimes you just got to stand up, you’ve got to get a little rowdy, because this is warfare and you tell the devil no. Resist the devil, you’ve got to say it like you mean it, you’ve got to tell the devil… No!

Let’s join together as the body of Christ, taking our battle stations, praying in the Holy Spirit, and taking it back. Come on everybody, let’s pray, because it belongs to you.

Read past sermons by Pastor John Talcott