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RUGGED FAITH
1 Samuel 30
“Suffer hardship with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one engaged in warfare
entangles himself with the affairs of this life that he may please Him who enlisted him as
a soldier.”
2 Timothy 2:3-4
OBJECTIVE: To understand a battle-hardened faith that courageously furthers the
kingdom of God in spite of the personal loss and suffering that it entails.
INTRODUCTION: 1 Samuel 30
A handwritten note recently surfaced written in 1954 by Albert Einstein. It summarizes
his religious beliefs stating that belief in “God is a product of human weakness and that
the Bible was childish.” He died a year after it was written. I wonder what he thinks
now! We are not threatened by atheists, who try to disprove God, or secularists who try
to defame God; or dictators who try to destroy God. Truth is like a caged lion. You open
the door and it will defend itself.
The greatest threat to Christianity is the Church itself that settle on a false perception of
God. God thought of as a Butler hired to take care of my personal needs instead of a
Commanding Officer who enlists me as a soldier. (THEME VERSE). One perspective
says, God exists to serve me; the other says, I exists to serve God. One avoids hardship;
the other embraces hardship. One sees himself called to comfort; the other see himself
called to duty. The truth is, hardship is your ally. Soldiers are forged by it, and God often
creates hardship in order to deliver us from ourselves!
SETTING OF 1 SAMUEL 31
This chapter takes place in a brutal world where the strong survive and the weak perish.
Like the Wild West, it was survival of the fittest. Last week we studied the death of
Nabal and how Abigail was left a widow. David took Abigail on as a wife not because
she was so attractive, but it was his duty to protect the innocent. To take Abigail on as
his wife also meant he took responsibility for all of the servants and their families.
Hundreds of people were added to David’s care. But David understood that it was his
duty.
Hardship Is An Ally
V.1-3: You can only imagine the shock and guilt experienced by David and his men.
Here, they’ve been taking care of everyone else, but left their own families in jeopardy.
But God will often thrust hardship upon us because we are trained by it. A. W. Tozer
said, “Whom God will use greatly, He will wound deeply.”
The Making of a Soldier
Adonia Judson was the first American missionary to Southeast Asia, but first God had to
wound him deeply. Raised in a Christian Missionary Alliance home, Adonia brilliance
was recognized early on. At the age of 12, he taught adult Bible study classes on the
book of Revelation from the original Greek. Accelerating through school, young Adonia
found himself at Providence College, Rhode Island as a young teen with an older
roommate, Jacob Ames. He and Jacob Ames became very close friends and brothers in
Christ.
But Adonia took a turn for the worse. Being too young, too smart and recognized too
quickly, he turned his back on Christ, and study the Bible only to disprove it. Adonia was
so brilliant and articulate, he was able to out-debate all of his fellow students and even
professors. His friend, Jacob Ames appealed to him, only to be turned himself.
As the years passed Adonia Judson toured universities and spoke against God, the Bible
and the church. After leaving Boston and riding on horseback all day, he was so tired he
could barely function. He stopped at a roadside inn, but it was full. After pleading with
the innkeeper, he was given a bed in a room with a sick man. “The man won’t know you
are there. He is dying. He has ulcerated sores all over his face; the stench is awful and
his groaning is haunting. Adonia was so weary he decided to stay in spite of the
warnings.
Sure enough the sick man was awful in appearance and the stench was atrocious. He
opened a window and endured the constant cursing of God and angry foul outburst. Deep
in the night the yelling stopped. In the morning he discovered the sick man had died, and
no one was there to mourn his passing. Adonia Judson insisted at least knowing his
name. The innkeeper said, “His name was Jacob Ames.”
Adonia was struck by thoughts of what he had done. He saw his college friend as a
representation of life without God. He fell to his knees and repented for all the damage
he might have done to the faith of people. Adonia went home to establish his roots and
redirect his life. God led him to become a missionary to Burma. He moved there and
learned the Burmese language in seven years and spent the rest of his life translating the
Bible. He raised up church leaders and taught the Scriptures. As the Gospel fell into
disfavor, so did he. Adonia was beaten by a group of boys and set adrift in a boat to die
at sea. As a boy he was spoiled by pleasure. As a soldier he was called to duty.
V.4-5: How we react to hardship is important. Nothing is dearer to a man than his family.
And when Satan takes a loved one captive, we can “weep until there is no more power to
weep.” David was not exempt from hardship brought on by the enemy. How we react to
hardship often determines whether we are mighty men or midgets in faith.
V.6: The Mighty Men looked horizontally and blamed their leader. David, on the other
hand, looked vertically and “strengthened himself in the Lord.” What does that look like?
Whatever it entails I’m sure prayer was a part of it. Before we act on anything, how much
do we give ourselves to prayer?
V.7-8: Ravi Zacharias said, “The most powerful weapon in our arsenal today is prayer.
The Scripture gives us examples of the power of prayer. Prayer expels demons, quiets
anarchy, subdues fire, closes the mouths of lions, repels disease, burst chains of despair,
seizes death and rescues cities. Prayer is the root, the fountain and mother of all
blessing.” Why is no one using it?
John Wesley
John Wesley was a man of great prayer. France had entered a violent revolution and
England boiled with discontent. John Wesley preached an average of 24 sermons a week;
traveled more than 240,000 miles on horseback and is credited for single-handedly
preventing a revolution in England by introducing his nation to Christ. At 83 years old,
his doctor limited him to only 14 sermons a week. He wrote in his diary, “I find personal
laziness creeping into my life. I desire sleep past 5:30 each morning.”
V.10: Not everyone is called to be a John Wesley or a deliverer of nations, but each of us
is called to be a soldier, taking upon degrees of hardship and degrees of influence.
Three Bragging Boys
Three little boys are bragging on their dads. One says, “My dad’s a professional baseball
player. He scribbles on a piece of paper, calls it an autograph and gets $100 for it!” The
next boy says, “I’ve got you beat. My dad is a doctor. He scribbles on a piece of paper,
calls it a prescription and gets $200 for it!” The third boy says, “I’ve got you both beat!
My dad scribbles on a piece of paper, calls it a sermon, and it takes eight men to take up
all the money!”
V.13-15: On his pursuit, David finds a sick Egyptian discarded by the Amalekites. God
will always give you provisions for his guidance. Notice that it was David’s value of
human life that provided him the direction he needed.
V.16-18: God is true to His Word and in the end uses hardship to teach us rugged faith.
How long has it been since we’ve thought of ourselves as highly disciplined soldiers? In
generations past, it was a common theme and the music reflected it: 1834- Onward
Christian Soldiers; 1818- Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus, Ye Soldiers of the Cross.
Written in 1824, the hymn, Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken, expresses the duty of
hardship.
“Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee.
Naked, poor, despised, forsaken, Thou from hence I all shall be.
Parish every fond ambition, all I’ve sought and hoped and known.
Yet rich is my condition- God and heaven are still my home.
Go then earthly fame and treasure! Come disaster, scorn and pain!
In Thy service pain is pleasure, and with Thy favor loss is gain!”
Could your heart sing those words as passionately as the generation of 1824?
Appreciating and Affirming
V.21-25: I wish every church in America could read this passage. “Wicked and worthless
men” compare themselves with others and think everyone should be like them. Some of
us are called to pray more than others, and some of us are called to witness. Some are
called to clean while others are called to preach. Some churches are called to evangelism,
some to missions while others flourish in worship or teaching, but we are all united in the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Enough of the criticism!
Better People or Saved People
Billy Graham summarized his ministry by saying, “I preached not to make you a better
person but a saved person.”
The gospel of this world says, “God loves you, and showed us that love through Jesus
Christ; just as He showed us that love through Mohammed, Mahatma Gandhi, Buddha or
Martin Luther King Jr.” This gospel is not the Gospel of Christ. It attempts to make
listeners better people but it won’t make them saved people. God is offended by sin, and
every human being loves it. There is only one way to be saved from sin and that’s
through faith in Jesus Christ.
Nearly 2000 years ago, Paul said, “If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what I
have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8) That messaged got him imprisoned.
Peter said, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved.” That message got him boiled then crucified upside down. (Acts 4:12). John the
Baptist said, “He that believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not
believe the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abides upon him. That message
got John beheaded. (John 3:36). Although offensive, that message is our duty.
Pedro of Guatemala
Years ago several of us had taken a mission trip to Guatemala where Catholicism was
mixed with a great deal of idolatry, spiritism and witchcraft. We were introduced to a
young man named Pedro. He was a very bright, good-looking Guatemalan who was
called of God to his people. During one church service several of us gave testimonies and
I preached on the love of God with a memorized sermon in Spanish. Pedro came up
behind me and began to speak, first calmly and then passionately. I looked at the
audience and smiles disappeared from people and they became very quiet. Some
appeared resistant, even offended. I couldn’t understand a word he said, but I could tell
by his tone, he was speaking Gospel. Afterwards, I asked him what he said. He
answered, “In my country people must not only receive Jesus Christ but renounce their
religious idolatry.” Amen!
CONCLUSION: Nathan Hale
During this country’s struggle for independence, George Washington and his ragtag army
were disastrously defeated in the Fall of 1776. It was a wake-up call to change their
tactics. The general disparately needed information on the size and disposition of the
British army on the mainland of New York. However, anyone attempting such espionage
was almost certain to be captured. The general needed a sacrificial lamb.
Calling on America's best and brightest officers known as Knowlton's Rangers, General
Washington asked for volunteers to go on a suicidal mission. On the first call none
responded. On the second call, a young lieutenant stepped forward.
Before the war, this young lieutenant was a school teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in
Connecticut. He loved his country, his community and his Lord Jesus. Once in the
military, He was known to pray for the sick and wounded and taught the Scriptures.
After being promoted to the rank of Captain, the young man was sent on his dangerous
mission. While passing on vital information, he was apprehended and beaten by British
soldiers. Although suffering great physical abuse, he would only declare his name, rank
and objective.
On the morning of September 22, 1776, young captain was brought to execution. When
he asked for a clergyman, it was denied him. He then asked for a Bible, it too was denied.
As he was taken up to the gallows where he was to be hung, it was written of him, “He
entered calm, and bore himself with gentle dignity.” Moments before his death, he was
asked if he had any final word to speak. With boldness, he looked into the eyes of his
enemies and uttered words remembered by most Americans, “I only regret, that I have but
one life to lose for my country.” Thus lives on the legacy of Captain Nathan Hale.
“Thank you Jesus for being my Commander and Chief. Thank you for saving me from
sin and calling me to serve You. No greater honor do I have than to serve my Lord; no
greater joy than to pick up my cross and follow You. You, oh Lord, are my Sovereign
King with Whom I will dwell forever… Amen.”