It’s Darkest Just Before Dawn!

IT’S DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAWN

1 Samuel 30:3-4, 6-8, 18-19

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR:

1. A tough old cowboy told his grandson that if he wanted to live a long life and be immune to viruses, the secret was to sprinkle a little gunpowder on his oatmeal every morning.

2. The grandson did this religiously and he lived to the very old age of 93.

3. When he died, he left 14 children, 28 grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren, and when they cremated him he blew a fifteen foot hole in the wall of the crematorium.

4. This is recipe to stay healthy! Ha!

B. WELCOME

1. Good morning Church! Thank you for joining us for service this morning. God has a message for you from His Word!

2. My message is on “It’s Darkest Just Before Dawn.”

I. PHRASE: “IT’S DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAWN”

A. WE’VE ALL HEARD THE PHRASE…

1. The most obvious meaning is that people think that the darkest part of the night is just before dawn. The first part of the night still has light from the sunset. Later the moon rises & the stars become visible. Then just before morning the moon goes down and most of the man-made lights are turned off, so it appears to be darker.

2. Another meaning of the phrase “It’s darkest just before dawn” describes the fact that bad events often come in clusters. They seem to get worse & worse until it doesn’t seem like it can get any worse, then the cluster ends and things rapidly get better. The troubles disappear and everything gets back to normal.

3. It seems that way with this Coronavirus. First the news of it scared us, then the stock market dropped, then the schools closed, then the hoarders grabbed up the essentials, then our jobs closed, our gatherings were reduced to ten, and then we were ordered to “stay at home.” Weeks drag by and the virus makes more and more people sick. You feel like this is the darkest time of your life; you don’t know how much more you can stand!

B. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED TO DAVID: TEXT

1 Sam. 30:3-8, 18-19; 3 When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. 4 So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. 6 David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the LORD his God. 7 Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, 8 and David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." 18 David recovered everything….19 Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

C. DAVID’S SERIES OF DISASTEROUS EVENTS

1. David went from being the King’s son-in-law, head of a division of the Army, the national hero who killed Goliath, the man anointed to be the next King by the Prophet Samuel, and the forefather of Christ – to the opposite!

2. He became a fugitive, hated by King Saul and pursued by large divisions of the Army. Anyone associated with him was killed. His wife, Saul’s daughter, was divorced from him and given to another man. He had to move out of Israel into Philistine territory just for safety. David had to fight for the Philistines (their enemies) just to survive.

3. Bad enough, right? No! While gone on a raid, David’s city of Ziklag was invaded, burned and everything he had and loved was taken from him! The enemy loves to kick us when we’re down.

II. WHAT THE ENEMY STOLE

A. IT’S THE ENEMIES’ NATURE TO STEAL

1. The enemies of David stole what was most precious to him – his family, his possessions, and his confidence in God as his protector.

2. The enemy is still trying to steal from you and me. Jesus said in JOHN 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The devil wants to rob you, but God wants to bless you!

3. Satan doesn’t really care about stealing your car or your house or your money. He’s interested in stealing your Spiritual treasures; things that have value with God and are of eternal significance.

B. 5 THINGS STOLEN FROM THE CHURCH

1. OUR IDENTITY AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD. The enemy wants you to forget that you’ve been born again by the Spirit of God, that you’re a new creation in Christ! It’s no longer (you) that live, but Christ in you! You’re more than a conqueror, a King’s kid, His royal blood now runs in your veins. You are an heir of God, joint-heir with Christ of all things! You are the Head and not the Tail! Praise God! Instead, the enemy wants you to cower in fear, to think you don’t matter, and only fill your mind with bad news.