A Message Of An Empty Seat

1 SAMUEL 20:16-18 “A MESSAGE FROM AN EMPTY SEAT”

A) This text I read ... I personally have only heard quoted at funeral or memorial services!

* It’s from verse 18 of our reading ... And this wasn’t a funeral or a memorial service!

* It was between two precious friends ... Two friends that loved one another!

* They were not homosexuals as some critics would say!

* David was an emotional person and so was Jonathan!

* And when you have two courageous men like Jonathan and David also filled with emotion you

have great passion, you’ve great loyalty and you’ve great love!

* And this is what Jonathan said to David: “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.”

B) Brothers and sisters - every empty seat preaches!

* It preaches a sermon ... And let me say your empty seat preaches!

* Who does your empty seat preach to?

* First, it preaches to the pastor! * It says, “It’s time you resigned.”

* “Your sermons are not worth coming to hear!”

C) Then it preaches to the sinner! * It says .......

* “The Christian life must be miserable, look how few attempt it!”

* Then it preaches to the visitor! * It says, “Better not join this church, it’s not going anywhere!”

* Then it preaches to the member ... “Why should I try, others don’t!”

* Then it says to God, “Even the shed blood of your sinless Son cannot make them faithful!”

* And last, it preaches to Satan saying, “Keep at it, victory is at hand!”

* So every empty seat this morning preaches - preaches a sermon, and your empty seat preaches!

D) But when your seat is occupied it preaches totally opposite to all this!

* And that is by way of introduction this morning!

* “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty!” * Could I go a step further ...

* Though you fill a seat in some other church you visit, your empty seat here still preaches!

* Churches are like families and homes – you’ve got to be loyal to one!

* Occasional visits to other homes are fine and are well.

* But your obligation is to the home that God has set you in!

E) So our text says, “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty.”

* The two key words of our text are - missed and empty.

* But there are other empty things that are missed when your seat is empty, and they hinder the

gospel! * Five things that are empty when your seat is empty .......

(1) FIRST, WHEN YOUR SEAT IS EMPTY THERE ARE EMPTY ENVELOPES!

* Empty envelopes pastor? * Yes! Empty envelopes!

* Do you know, in our Lord’s parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10, money was the last

thing the Samaritan let go of?

* Yes, he gave him his donkey, he gave him his oil, he gave him his wine, he gave him his service,

he gave him his time - but the last thing he gave was his money!

A) There are many believers like that - they will give anything but their money!

* The monies of God’s people the God ordained tithes of God’s people are for the upkeep of God’s

house and for the upkeep of God’s servants .......

* And are for the upkeep and support of God’s mission and God’s harvest fields!

* An empty envelope can mean an empty heart! * “Thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will ...”

(2) HERE’S ANOTHER EMPTY - EMPTY HEADS! * Now don’t laugh at me - empty heads!

* We have a lot of those in the Christian church today!

A) The Church today is so poor, so miserable, so scanty in its thinking - its pathetic!

* We forget that Jesus emphasized in Mark 12:30: “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all

thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the ...”

* Do you love Him with your mind! * It’s sad to see in this modern age, the church of Jesus Christ

is so slow, so awkward in its thinking and it’s movement, it’s only revealing it has empty heads!

* By all means this morning, we need full hearts; hearts that are filled with love, with fire and

emotion for the Lord Jesus!

B) But we also need full minds - active minds!

* Minds that are filled with the knowledge of God’s Word ... The knowledge of God’s plan and the

knowledge of God’s purpose.

* That’s why Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 “ Study to show thyself approved unto ...”