The Most Macho Sermon You’ll Ever Hear Father’s Day 2013
A King David had a vast mighty army, but he also had an inner-circle of mighty men called, The Thirty.
1 Chronicles 11:10-11 (NASB) 10 Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel. 11 These constitute the list of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, the chief of the thirty; he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed at one time.
1 In this thirty, he had a group called “the three.”
1 Chronicles 11:12 (NASB) 12 After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.
a Jashobean (Killed 300 enemies at one time.)
b Eleazar (With David when he killed Goliath.)
c The third isn’t mentioned, but we can surmise it was Joab or Shammash. (Captured Jerusalem) Sec. of defense
1 Chronicles 11:6 (NASB) 6 Now David had said, "Whoever strikes down a Jebusite first shall be chief and commander." Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.
2 Under “the three” was a second tier of leadership.
a 1 Chronicles 11:20-21 (NASB) 20 As for Abshai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the thirty, and he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them; and he had a name as well as the thirty. 21 Of the three in the second rank he was the most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the first three.
Abshai (Killed 300 by himself)
b 1 Chronicles 11:22-24 (NASB) 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 23 He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 24 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men.
Benaiah
B These men were like David’s joint chiefs of staff.
1 They were like the special forces/secret service rolled into one.
a Carried out/in charge of special missions, black op.
b Slain giants, overcame enemies, protected Israel, Patriotic.
c Also in charge of protecting the king.
aa They lived by code of honor to God & Country.
bb King David’s dynasty was the “lamp stand of Israel” & it was the duty of the mighty men / the thirty to ensure that the light wasn’t extinguished.
2 Samuel 21:17 (NASB) 17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, "You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel."
2 These men were the best of the best.
a Unquestionably loyal to the king, followed his orders.
b 1 Kings 1:9-10 (NASB) 9 Adonijah sacrificed sheep and oxen and fatlings by the stone of Zoheleth, which is beside En-rogel; and he invited all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 10 But he did not invite Nathan the prophet, Benaiah, the mighty men, and Solomon his brother.
There was a power play by Adonijah to remove David & they wouldn’t even approach Benaiah because they knew where his loyalties lay.
3 These men’s character was reflective of their leader.
a David’s Qualities.
aa Submissive & loyal to Saul.
bb Slew many enemy soldiers in battle.
cc Took a stand against the Philistines.
dd Risked his life to go the extra mile.
ee Killed a lion & slew a giant single handedly.
b David’s men.
aa Submissive & loyal to David.
1 Chronicles 11:10 (NASB) 10 Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
bb Slew many enemy soldiers in battle.
cc Took a stand against the Philistines.
1 Chronicles 11:14 (NASB) 14 They took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it, and struck down the Philistines; and the LORD saved them by a great victory.
dd Risked life & went the extra mile.
ee Killed a lion & slew a giant single handedly.
1 Chronicles 11:22-23 (NASB) 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. 23 He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
c The mighty men became mighty by hanging out with a mighty man.
aa He made them mighty by having men hang around with giant killer, mighty men to build character over time.
bb Be careful who your friends are, pours into you.
cc If you want to know how your kids are, are they running with giant killers or trouble makers?
I It was me.
A They first mighty deed is “he stuck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab.”
1 Chronicles 11:22 (NASB) 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day.
1 Probably not just two people, but two units/platoons from Moab. (Chuck Norris, JCVD)
a Who is Moab?
aa In the O.T. the Moabites were a tribe living on the borders of Israel. (Always the enemy of Israel.)
bb Their origin goes to Genesis when lot was made drunk by his two daughters, sired two children in his stupor.
cc Sons were Ammon & Moab.
b The Moabites were closely related to the Israelites, grew up beside one another... never got along.
2 We have an enemy within each of us, to which we are related... the N.T. calls it our “flesh, old self.”
a It is a part of us, we can’t get rid of it, always there & we’re always fighting it.
b It lives in the back room of our lives, like a poor relative we’re ashamed of... can’t get rid of.
c Moab is a picture of our flesh throughout Scripture.
B The second deed “...he killed an Egyptian...”
1 Chronicles 11:23 (NASB) 23 He killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
1 Egypt was a leading world power. (Armies, resources, temples, Pharaohs, Pomp & circumstance, Pyramids, libraries, wisdom.)
a Egypt is a picture of the shallow superficial glory of the world & it’s ways.
b When Jesus was tempted by Satan, taken to the top of a high mountain & shown all the kingdoms, power/glory. It’s a picture of all that Egypt of Scripture represented!
2 The Israelites, at least many of them, longed to go back to Egypt!
a They had forgotten the bondage, tears, slavery, heartache.
aa They only remembered it’s comforts & conveniences.
bb Missed the onions, leeks, garlic, melons.
b People talk about the old days of running with the world.
aa Drinking, partying, drugging, sexing... forget about the brokenness, bitterness, heartache, loneliness of what the world gave to them
bb Benaiah overcame the world!
C The third mighty deed, “... killed a lion.”
1 Chronicles 11:22 (NASB) 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day.
1 Who do you think the lion symbolizes?
1 Peter 5:8 (NASB) 8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
a The lion is the king of beasts: sinister, operates in stealth, brutal.
aa One blow from a lion’s paw can crush a man’s head.
bb Able to bite through any bone on the human body, including the thigh bone.
b It wasn’t a tiger, bear, “liger”, wold... The most dangerous dreaded animal Benaiah could ever imagine.
2 We’ve all confronted these enemies. (Flesh, world, & the devil.)
a These could all be massages in their own merits, but I want to fight the lion today.
b Everyone of us has a lion in our lives today: The worse possible thing that could happen to you.
aa Dread, afraid, what you fear most.
bb Relapse, divorce, loneliness, financial ruin, empty nest, cancer, unable to care for yourself, kids won’t have anything to do with me.
D The thing you dread, fear most/more than anything... that is your lion.
1 Your lion is different from the person sitting next to you... but we all have lions we’re scared to death of meeting.
2 Benaiah met this lion! Beat this lion!
a You may have to face your lion one of these days.
aa Can’t go crying to momma, can’t avoid it, go on vacation.
bb It may not be in the best, ideal conditions or a time of your choosing... you still gotta face your lion.
b Benaiah met the worst possible fate, in the worst possible place, under the worst possible conditions and won!
E Where he fought the lion is also a lesson.
1 Pits are not the 1st choice of venues to fight lions. (Nowhere to run! Give me a wide open field - Run.)
a Somewhere with plenty of room to dodge, duck, dip, dive.
b I’d feel like the man who got caught stealing watermelon from a farmers watermelon patch & farmer fired shots at him. When his friends asked, “Did you hear those bullets?” “Yes sir. Once when they passed me & then again when I passed them!”
aa You can’t run far in a pit - usually not level ground.
2 Sometimes we must fight our lions in a place/time that isn’t to our advantage - faith isn’t strong.
a Life isn’t fair & lions don’t care.
b God knows your in the pit!
F Not only in a pit, snowy pit to boot.
1 Nobody over 16 likes to work, walk, or drive on ice.
a Slip, fall, unsteady, can’t get traction.
b Cold makes your fingers numb, clumsy, snow blind.
c Benaiah is fighting the worst possible foe, in the worst possible place.
2 Your battles against your lions will not often be in ideal conditions/situations.
a Faith is shaky, living a little less holy.
b Suddenly your in a pit with the king of beasts that you’ve been scared to death to face.
II
A He went down to the pit.
a Benaiah was a mighty man of value but his mighty deeds didn’t make him that way.
aa his deeds revealed what he already was.
bb He had what it took, that kind of a man.
cc His deeds just made it obvious.
b Benaiah didn’t become a mighty man to deliberately climb into a pit and kill a lion on a snowy day, but because he was a mighty man before, he stepped down in the pit.
2 1 Chronicles 11:22 (NASB) 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day.
He went & attacked the lion!
a Scared? Yes. Doubts? Yes. Risk? Yes. Uncertain of the outcome? Yes.
aa He didn’t slip in the pit! Went with a purpose!
bb Let’s do this lion thing - so we can go kill something.
b There are lions in our life that we need to deal with before we kill an “Egyptian Giant Warrior.”
c Revelation: I believe some of our greatest regrets in life are lions we refused to fight. (Scared, afraid)
aa Opportunities not taken, getting close to our kids, loving our spouse more!
bb Putting family ahead of work, daring to love our spouses the way we want to be loved.
cc Ministry didn’t do, giving we kept, God’s men we refused to honor - Holy Land Trips!
d It’s not fighting your lions that make you mighty, might men will fight the lion.
B How did Benaiah do it?
1 In Scripture, you can tell alot about a person by their name.
a Jacob (Usurper, supplanter); Abraham (Father of Multitude)
aa Sarai (Dominating); Sara (Princess)
bb Peter (Rock); Paul (Little)
cc Enoch (The one who walked with God); Methuselah (When he dies it will come) Flood! Names tell us stuff!
b Jehoiada (God Knows); Benaiah (God Builds)
aa These two twin secrets are how we fight the worst possible foe, place, condition...
bb God knows & God builds.
2 god knows where you are: chose a place for you.
a He knows all about you: Jesus said He knows the number of hairs on your head.
b He knows what your going through - He brought you there!
aa Romans 8:28 (NASB) 28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
bb He also knows how you feel, He felt that way too.
c When someone has done you dirty, your angry, tempted to be bitter, betrayed, hurt...
aa Hebrews 4:15a (NASB) 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses,
bb He doesn’t put us mute, doesn’t say, “Don’t bother me with your little troubles.”
cc Hebrews 4:15b (NASB) but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
C Not only does God knows, God also builds!
1 He has a purpose in mind, knows what’s happening.
a Your not fighting your lion to have something to do.
b What kind of God would let you do that?
2 Paul wrote,
2 Corinthians 4:17 (KJV) 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
Romans 8:18 (KJV) 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
a Not only in heaven someday, but now.
b Those who go through heartache, problems, tribulations, ALWAYS emerge - when their in God’s hands - Softened, mellowed, more loving, warmer... God is building.
Conclusion
A 1895, Andrew Murray was in England suffering a terrible back ache. (Woman came to him for advice to handle great trouble)
1 “In time of trouble say, “First, He brought me here. It’s is by His will I am in their straight place; in that I will rest.” Next, “He will keep me here in His love & give me grace in my trial to behave as His child.” Then say, “He will make this trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intended me to learn, and working in me Grace. He means to bestow.” And Last say, “In His good time, He can bring me out again. How, and when He knows.”
2 Therefore say, I am here. (1) By God’s appointment. (2) In His keeping. (3) Under His training. (4) For His time.
a That is how you kill a lion, in a pit, on a snowy day.
b Not many do!
B When god has a mighty work to be done. He will either find mighty men to do the work or make/build mighty men to get the job done.
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