The Original Terrorist: Nahash "The Snake”

6. As Patrick Henry said, “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death!"

7. Nahash was also arrogant. He mocked God’s people as being so helpless that even if given seven days no one would come to save them. “I dare anyone to come to their aid; I’ll crush you!”

III. THE HOLY GHOST ON SAUL

A. RIGHTEOUS ANGER AT THE ENEMY

1. The messengers went straight to Gibeah, possibly looking for the new king, and not finding Saul, told their news to the people, who began weeping after hearing the doom on Jabesh-Gilead.

2. But I love to read the effect the same news had on Saul! Church, we’ve been on the defensive too long; we need to go on the offensive! Greater is He who’s in you than he who’s in the world! Let’s storm the Gates of Hell and take no prisoners!

3. God wants to put you in touch with the HULK in you. HE’S ALWAYS MAD! We ought to have a nature that expresses HOLY OUTRAGE over the damage created by hell. Saul expressed that outrage, "This can't be allowed to happen! This must stop!"

4. The devil often tries to make himself look so BAD, so invincible, but Jesus told us that if we stand up to him, he’ll ‘run like a scared rabbit’ (“submit yourselves…resist the devil & he will FLEE from you” James 4:7). “Pheugo” - “to run away.”

5. The same Jesus (whom demons cringed before) is ALIVE inside of us. He’s just waiting to “clothe us with power from on high!” The Bible says when Saul heard the news, “the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him,” vs. 6. DO IT AGAIN LORD!

B. THE SUMMONS TO ACTION

1. We need to go from "Feel good" messages, to "Feel God" messages. The weepers became reapers. Try tears. Saul became angry; righteous anger over the plight of God’s people consumed him.

2. He chopped up a live oxen -- that's tough to do. It's a miracle to use a sword to chop an oxen into pieces. Oxen represented their future prosperity. Saul was basically saying, "Join me and fight or the darkness will destroy your future."

3. All Israel got a chunk of the oxen: each chunk was a summons to action. You’re getting a chunk this morning. The fight begins in your hearts, when you set yourself apart to fight for God’s Kingdom.

4. To be a soldier you have to lay down distractions, doubts, fears. All Israel came together as one man and they beat the Ammonites and the nation was saved.

5. The good thing about our battle is that the “fight is fixed,” we’re guaranteed to win before it even starts! Why? Because Jesus our Lord defeated Satan at Calvary! He already dealt him the “death-blow” so the battle’s been won. We’re just part of the mop-up operation; driving out the remnants of the enemy.

6. We’re still in a conflict so we can’t get lackadaisical or too comfortable. Being a Warrior is a MENTAL STATE, an attitude in which you prepare yourself for struggle & expect opposition. Peter told us (1 Pet. 4:1) to “arm yourselves with the same attitude.” “Arm” (hoplidzo) = “equip with weapons.”