Captain of the Cavemen | Student Pastor Zach Hammond by Zach Hammond First Apostolic Church of Maryville (Maryville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: 1 Samuel 22:1-2, Psalm 142, Psalm 57, Psalm 34, 1 Samuel 22:5 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/zach-hammond--captain-of-the-cavemen Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ turn to the book of 1st Samuel chapter number 22 verse number one I'll read very quickly and allow you to be seated tonight it is always an honor to just to be with the people of God to worship with the people of God but I call I I consider it a high honor to be able to stand before you tonight I don't take it lightly don't take it for granted and um I don't want to uh ever want to waste your time so I'm going to move quickly tonight and uh get to where we want to go I want to say a quick thank you to brother Dale and um the uh I I threw him a curveball from the prayer room tonight I think he's got two title slides and he's flipping a coin up there so we're going to go with what I feel the Lord uh wants me to minister to somebody tonight I had a fun one I'm just going to shoot straight with you I had a battle with the Lord in the prayer room and uh it's one that I wanted to preach for a little while but we'll I told him to save it we'll preach it at some point but it's called the Greeks are at the door that just sounds interesting don't it the Greeks are at the door we'll we'll preach that some other time but it's it's a fun little study it's got the fun stuff in it you know you get to preach and like show some stuff you saw type thing and this one's not that way way but it's you know it's uh it's encouraging at least you know no but I believe it's forced somebody specifically tonight that the Lord wants to speak to somebody 1st Samuel 22 we'll talk about David here very famous character in The Bible and uh David therefore departed then and escaped to a cave everybody say a cave cave anybody ever been to a cave got some caves around here um the uh I don't I can't say that I've been to any of them just to be honest to not around here I've been to a cave before but uh they say there's some pretty cool ones around here but he goes to a cave now what sort of cave I'm not sure if it was big enough um you know it had to be large enough to host all of his friends but because he says Cave of adul and when his Brethren and all his father's house heard it they went down hither to him and everyone that was in the stress everyone that was in debt and everyone that was discontented gathered themselves unto him what a crowd and he became a captain over them and there with him about 400 men so it tells us it wasn't just like a little barricade or nothing you know it was big enough had 400 people in it um my my title for this evening is the captain of the cavemen the captain of the cavemen all right you could say tonight it's so easy a caveman could do it right is that the at the we but um we're going to preach just a few moments I believe the Lord's going to encourage somebody but I believe someone's going to see a transformation maybe it don't happen tonight maybe it happens throughout the next week the next month but there's going to be a conversion of somebody to where you get out of your situation you've been stuck here for quite some time and I think the Lord is saying hey season's up it's time to go it's time to get out of here and the Lord wants to take you from wherever you're at to somewhere new if you believe that tonight wish you lay your Bibles down lift your hands to the Lord and let's ask him to speak to us tonight Lord we thank you for the opportunity to be able to stand in your presence presence is so real and so strong in this place tonight Lord I Thank you for the lives you've already touched Lord that as we begin to Worship You Lord that where your spirit as I spir spirit is I believe that there's already been change that's been broken I believe there's been lives that's been Lord transformed but I pray that through your word tonight Lord that you would prick a heart that you would move upon somebody's mind you would allow us to see it the way you see it tonight Lord help us tonight as we walk in your word and we'll be careful to give you all the praise and all the glory in Jesus name we pray somebody shout amen amen amen you could be seated tonight David finds himself in a cave Cave of aulum he finds himself there for 6 months 6 months uh is about half a year in the way that we look at at time now but 6 months David's there in a cave and he finds himself with the distressed the indebt and the discontented um I I don't know about you but we we see a this is a very interesting story that we could just we could all relate to in just these first couple the just two or three verses here that any anybody ever felt like you're just in a situation you can't get out of huh you go from a season from where you you know we all think of David and yeah most of us do anyways we all think of David and there we go David's the Giant Killer David kills Bears and Lions you know when nobody's watching he's not even in this for the Fanfare he just does what he does this guy is a giant killing bear slaying lion killing thing I mean he's just this guy that we all like to talk about every Sunday school teacher gets excited when we talk about David and Goliath nobody's going to fall asleep on this Sunday right David is this you know that's what we remember him as that's his that's his trademark he kills Giants the Bible goes to Great uh to Great extent to tell us just how big Goliath was big head big sword you know however foot tall I mean this guy's massive and David just all of a sudden we go from David the Giant Killer you know he he he tells he he he tells all the stories greatly we want to preach victory tonight let's go get David right David shows up with a sling and a stone honors the word of God right that's what he's doing he said I'm going to Stone this guy because the Bible says to Stone anybody that defies the the God that I serve so he gets to he gets to sling in the stone and he hits the guy and knocks him down he walks up and he takes his own sword and cuts his head off now if there's ever a scripture to preach there is that God will take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good don't you know you've been thankful for the times where the sword that was supposed to kill you is now in your hands and you get to cut the head off of what was supposed to destroy you huh Moses that water was supposed to drown you but no sir it'll drown those that were going to drown you there's always the moments in life where God will will do something great oh and if that's not good enough he takes the Goliath's head you can can you imagine taking the dude's head that was just yaking huh everybody's hiding behind rocks he's carrying this big old Boulder of a head just by the nap of his hair and he takes him to jbus Jewish historian said the jebusites wouldn't let him in in the city they said he chunked that head over the wall it was Jus then but Jus would soon turn into Jerusalem the city of David David's this cool character I mean it's like he took the head of Victory and threw it into the city to let them know hey I'm coming for you right David's a cool guy and there's so much stuff to preach about David there's nothing like taking your current Victory and throwing it into your future saying hey I know that's a mountain right now but I'm coming for you and eventually I'm going to conquer it eventually I'm going to take it over eventually that's going to be called the city of David and those are the great things that we preach about David we love David that's what we remember him as nobody when they talk about David talks about David in the cave David shows up in the cave and the man that kills Giants and the man that kills bears with his bare hands that's how you kill bears that's my dad joke for the evening bare hands right he he's a giant killer he he's this guy's got a trophy room like nobody's ever seen you know but he finds himself now running from a man in fear of a man I don't know if you can relate but there's moments where you feel like you could just kill Goliath and then the next moment you're running from something you shouldn't be running from you go from being in a valley where nobody would fight but you would step up with just the Lord on your side to running from a man who while you're running from him they're singing songs David huh how's it Go Saul slain his thousands David sing I mean even the people are for you but you're still scared I mean let's rewind the clock back you were willing to fight when no one else would fight but now while everybody's for you and everybody wants to be with you you're running from a man seems weird but we all go through Seasons where things happen and emotions overwhelm us and things take over us that we don't really understand and you find yourself in a cave with some problems and I'm just full of fear I'm overcome with fear I'm overcome with this this emotion and I don't know what to do with it and this didn't turn out the way I thought it was and what I had in mind didn't play out and I thought I had Faith but now I'm just overcome with fear anybody ever been there huh and you just want to recluse yourself you just want to draw back I don't want to be around anybody I want to just go the dude goes and finds a cave and gets in it and those brothers that wouldn't fight with him with Goliath were quick to show up in the cave and I don't know if you ever been there you don't probably need to raise your hand you might don't don't nudge your neighbor but anybody ever been in that place where you got your own problems and you're dealing with something and you're trying to figure it out and you're just trying to process everything and here comes somebody else with some more problems huh like you can't even get your your mind to process what you're going through because Here Comes 400 folks with more problems huh you can't deal with your issues because you're just surrounded by a bunch of dysfunctional unhappy in distress in debt discontent people I mean I don't know about you but being in a cave it's like I bet it's just rumbling with mumbling and complaining and arguing and it's just like the biggest pity party you ever heard 400 folks in there just sucking their thumb whining cuz they're in distressed in debt and discontent and David's probably sitting there thinking what in the world I got to kill your giant I I've got I'm just trying to have a few moments to myself and here come a bunch of just mlly grubbing just all upset all of a sudden he finds himself but David does something here that perhaps we can learn from that we could relate to probably more than the giant killing because I don't know about you and maybe you work at a different place maybe you do different things for a living that nobody knows about on the weekends or something but we don't kill Goliath or at least I never have I've never cut anybody's head off never seen anybody that big you know been to a few NBA games but I've never seen anybody the size of what they say Goliath was and it's not my responsibility to go out and kill anybody it's hard for me to relate to that right you know but but but I tell you what I could relate to is being surrounded sometimes with people that have problems being surrounded by people that are in distress or what that means is fearful and anxious huh anybody could relate to being around some folks that are anxious some people that are full of fear and they don't know why some people that are in debt some people that are discontent we could relate to this moment however this is not really the David that we want to relate to right David finds himself here and he's in a rough group he's camped out here with not the greatest people not the greatest place and these this this this crew is is quite interesting and he just makes this statement that he says I'll be I'll be the captain of these people I'll be that even though I've got my own situation I've got my own problems I'm here for my own reasons I'm the one they're trying to kill right got my own problems I'll be the captain of these in distress in debt and discontent people we know David as this giant killer but perhaps we could relate to him more as the cavan a worshipper more than we can a warrior and I believe that if you study out the scripture you can find that perhaps three of the most powerful Psalms in your Bible have a header over them and scripture that says written from a cave of aulum by David and this puzzled me because I realized as I begin to read the Psalms why they were so uh emphatic about letting us know the condition of the crowd that showed up because David begins to write and I can imagine that he begin to talk about the psalm that that he was writing and it spoke to the condition of the people watch this Psalms 142 and verse one and I cried unto the Lord with my voice now remember this is coming from a cave with my voice unto the Lord did I make supplication I poured out my complaint before him I showed before him my trouble when my spirit was overwhelmed within me thou then thou knowest my path and the way wherein I walk they would prively lay a snare for me I looked on the right hand and beheld that but there was no man that would know me Refuge failed me no man cared for my soul I Cried unto thee oh Lord I said Thou Art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living attend unto my cry for I have brought I am brought very low deliver me from my persecutors for they are stronger than I bring my soul out of prison that I may praise that I praise would you do this so that I could praise thy name the righteous shall Compass me about for thou have dealt bountifully with me what does he do there he simply prays a very simple but honest prayer he teaches us a very power he said I'm just going to bring my complaints to the Lord in other words I I can imagine imagine there's 400 people with a lot of problems he's saying hey don't tell me tell him right can can you imagine the counseling session I I I I don't know what you want me to do about it I'm in the cave with you I'm not your savior he is so he says what do you do if you're in distress what if you do if you're anxious what do you do if you got fear you pray so he says if you're in distress I've got an answer for you I need everybody to line up over here that's in distress we're going to have a prayer meeting and he says I'm just going to bring my complaint before God so all of you that are here to complain here we go this is your opportunity lift up a complaint before God and I think so many times we allow ourselves to be deceived into thinking that this this thing called distress is what the Bible calls it but what we would call anxiety or fear is much bigger than what it is it's just a prayer as a solution many times we feel it because God is pushing us to prayer many times he's trying to get the fear out of you before he's going to bring you out of the cave many times that anxiety is something that should drive you to your knees instead of you hoping that it leaves and then you'll come thank God for it any emotion that you feel you know there and again I know I'm that guy that always says stuff that may be controversial make at least maybe it makes you go study something all right but you know technically there's no such thing in the human emotions there's four main human emotions and anxiety is a word that we have created that is just something that stems off of of one of them it's not really a thing it is a fruit of someone the basic it's really you're just mad glad sad or scared that's the four basic human emotions and anxiety is a is something that's stemmed off of being scared and fear is is simply fear is simply hear this with me tonight fear is simply an agreement that you've made with yourself all right I watched the study and I'm going to use it at some point it's a very powerful video but ABC did a a thing with a couple doctors and they put all of these infants in a room you may have seen it there infants in a room crawling around and they open up these boxes and they let out a bunch of serpents a bunch of snakes these huge snakes small snakes they're just all around these kids and the parents are on the other side of the room tripping out these kids are laying on these snakes one kid is biting the snake licking the snake rubbing the snake one kid's got his fingers in the mouth of the snake the kid has no idea that there's anything wrong with this and they keep turning and looking up but there's no one to see and the point of this the whole survey and the study is that they are looking as an infant to see if they're supposed to be scared of this and since they see no one with Fe fear on their face they just act like it's a toy so my question is are you really fearful of what you're fearful of or you just made an agreement with yourself that that's the emotion you get when you run into that situation here's the thing God wants to do he wants to make a covenant with you that says hey instead of you feeling fear let's take Faith all right because look and it all makes sense because it's how we were created when you look you have fear because fear is based upon sight he said but walk not by all how does faith come faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God so you need to go on what God's told you not what you see and if you'll do that then you can make an agreement with God that God's bigger than whatever it is you're facing and I'm telling somebody tonight you're one honest prayer away from God delivering you from that fearful situation you're one honest open prayer away from God pulling you out of that cave that you've been living in for quite some time in distressed God said you don't have to be there it's just an honest prayer David said I I looked here and I looked all I could see is there was a snare for me and I need refuge and these people are out to get me and and these people are stronger than I no they're not David but guess what David's just saying how he feels can I just be honest with somebody tonight many times I think God gets a little frustrated at our prayer life he knows already how you feel how you feel about your situation how you feel about that person how you feel about your spouse how you feel about your kids these kids are crazy whatever the case may be he knows he sees how you act how you respond how all these and then we come and we pray to him and we come up and we pray the King James version huh Our Father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come now David said God would you get me out of this mess I may have killed K Goliath last week but right now I'm scared to death and there's a trap set before me I don't trust these people I don't like these people you put me here with a bunch of 400 dis huh when's the last time you prayed like that because if you'd pray an honest prayer and you would really be honest in your heart I believe God would then look at it and begin to change some things so the answer to the distressed is prayer but then he writes to those that are in debt and there can't be but one solution Psalms 57 and verse number one be merciful unto me now remember you can't forget this is not something that he's writing with a harp in his hand watching the sheep graze across the meadow this is David in a cave with 400 people that are crazier than him be merciful unto me oh God be merciful unto me for my soul trusteth in thee yay in the shadow of thy Wings will I make my refuge until these calamities be overpassed I will cry unto God most high unto God that performeth all things for me he shall send from heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up say la God shall send forth his mercy and Truth my soul is among lions and I lie even among them that are set on fire even the sons of men whose teeth are Spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword be thou exalted oh God above the heavens let thy glory be above all the Earth then he prepared a net uh for My Steps my soul bowed down and they have died a pit before me in the midst we see that all of these things here he's he's reverting to some of the things but go to verse number nine because what he intended to do in the previous PSAL you could see him all of a sudden I will praise thee Oh Lord among the people that that's great to read in church that's great to read you know you know when you're around the right folks it's easy to worship when you're with a bunch of people that have they see God the same way you see it but we're talking about he's in here with a bunch of folks that came just to have a pity party he said I'll praise you among these people huh I'll praise you when nobody else is praising you they're over here with their thumb in their mouth and I'll lift my hands up because the mercy of God will change your perspective of things and it doesn't matter what you're going through he said for the mercy is great unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds be thou exalted oh God above the heavens let thy glory be exalted above all the Earth Mercy Mercy will change your perspective of debt you say they could they could have been in debt financi eventually they could have been in debt to someone it will but Mercy will change your perspective of debt why because there's not a debt you owe more than what you owe God I owe everything to him there's nothing that would supersede him and I I I see this situation as many times we feel like there's some of you that are sitting in this room and you feel like you're in debt to someone or you're in debt to to to a a financial situation and you can't get out but I'm here to tell you that when you can't get out God can get in that no matter what your situation is that if you can get your eyes on Mercy it's hard to comprehend it's hard to see that there's something that is as great as is that it's new every morning and that it's so great that it's as far as the East is from the west and I I can't fathom it and I can't understand it but if I can get my eyes on the mercy of God it'll remind me that in in the midst of my cave situation that there's a God who robed himself in flesh and came down and got in his own cave and he he took over death and Hell In The Grave so that you and I could stand in the same situation and know that if he got up that I can get up that if he overcome then I can overcome and the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead Hallelujah you say how how you just don't understand what I'm going through you don't understand the things that I'm up against you don't understand how in debt I am your greatest debt is not a mortgage or a car payment you could be on the brink of Bank bankruptcy tonight but your greatest debt is still to the savior of your soul yeah and that Demands a response no matter how in debt you may be to this world the first thing we must do is lift our eyes to the heels from which cometh our help I can't help but think that David have to had to look back over they said from the the the the foot of that cave of the opening of that cave that he would have been just a a few miles I think they believe it's about three miles away was the valley where he slayed Goliath perhaps as he had heard all the commotion that he walks out to the foot of that cave and he looks out and remembers a passage Victory this is about 11 12 miles from where he killed that bear where he pulled that that young lamb out of the mouth of a lion that he believe he he remembered the goodness of God the mercy of had it not been for the mercy of God I don't know where I would be you say yeah that's a that's quite a way to look at things I don't know about you but it's a pretty good way of looking at things that no matter where you're at you could be a whole lot worse no matter where you find yourself you look at the mercy of God and you say there goes I if it wasn't for the mercy of God if you want to compare yourself to something in this world you can look at somebody and say hey I I I I don't really care for where I'm at I really wish I was in the valley killing Giants I don't really want to be in the cave I wish God would deal with this saw thing but I promise you there's somebody that would give anything to be where you're at right now there's somebody in this world that would give everything to be sitting where you're at so you can stand up no matter where you're at and say oh I'm thankful to be in the house of the Lord on a Sunday night no matter what it looks like no matter what I'm going through I've got a praise for him because he brought me out of Darkness come on I wish you would for a moment just bless the Lord come on I don't know about you but God's been too good to me just to go through the motions on a Sunday night God I I give it all to you because you deserve it all oh god oh hallelujah hallelujah come on clap your hands to him right now oh the Lord is great and greatly to be praised oh hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh we bless you we bless you but you can see as David deals with the distressed and David deals with the inbt with just prayer and perception he moves on and you can tell David's a worshipper David's more of a worshipper than he is a warrior and you could tell in just a few little verses in there that brother Dempsey there's just that worshipper itching to get out of this cave and I've heard all the Echoes of negativity that I want to hear that he says oh I would love to praise him oh if you would let me out of this I'll magnify you I do this so I can work worship you again do this so I can Praise You Again do this and then all of a sudden there's a there's a shift and I believe he gets to this discontent folk where there's times where we could all relate perhaps where you just just get a little discontent with with uh you know how things are going and then nothing seems to to be able to you know add up and nothing seems to be able to please you and you just it's nothing nothing will fix nothing will fix you know I I I'm thankful for prayer there's nothing greater than prayer and your perception of Mercy it will do a lot of things but I couldn't I couldn't help but just something just just just boil up inside of me when I begin to read and realize that this powerful Psalms chapter 34 was written from a cave I will bless the Lord at all times and his praise shall continually be in somebody say continually continually be in my mouth my soul shall make her boast in the Lord The Humble shall hear thereof and be glad can you tell he's talking to the discontent folks huh oh magnify the Lord all of a sudden he realized that I can keep talking to them and I may have got some of them to pray with me and I may have got some of them to look at Mercy the way I look at it but he says finally he just says hey buddy if you going to come out of your mess come here Bastion you going to come out we just going to have to magnify the Lord together and so he gives an invitation and says hey I know I started this thing and I came in this cave with fear and problems and I start I'm the captain of the caveman don't get me wrong but I want you to try something I want you just to magnify the Lord with me for a moment let us exalt his name together and when two or three are gathered in is oh I feel the Holy Ghost in This Place right now something begins to shift and something begins to change and these people who came in with some problems I believe all of a sudden started experiencing something and the sounds and The Echoes brother Weatherly the sound in that C all of a sudden started reverberating with a Hallelujah all of a sudden it started reverberating with a thank you Jesus if it hadn't been huh with a crowd of distressed and INB and discontent people he said I want you to magnify the Lord with me I want you to just start praising him for a moment I want you just to he said can you look past your problems can you magnify the the Lord with me oh it gets better I sought the Lord and he heard me and he delivered me from all huh from all of my fears and this is where it goes back to what brother Ericson talked about this morning what we mentioned this morning if he can't bring he he's not going to bring you out until he can get out of you what he needs to get out of you huh he wants to get out of you before he brings you out of the cave what brother ericon preached about this morning we got to get the spirit the evil out before he put the good in he says if you don't bind the strong man the strong man's going to come right back in and the Bible actually says he don't just come back in he comes back in with some friends comes back in with some buddies and so the cave is not a bad place the cave is a place that can teach you some things the cave is a place place that develops more than just you because a lot of people can't relate to the giant killing but everybody can relate to a cave dweller everybody can relate to being in distress everybody can relate to being in debt everybody can relate to being discontent at times and he says I I see that this situation that God he's delivered me from all my fears and verse number five is just such a powerful just a powerful thing that if you can realize the power of your worship and the leadership within your family within the church within your world whatever that looks like for you they looked unto him and they were lightened and their faces were not ashamed David got somebody to worship with him and then the whole crowd starts looking at him and the whole can you just SP the culture shift in the pages of scripture is all of a sudden you see here this poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of what's the scripture say all his trou all his troubles somebody walked in this is the power of worship this is the power of you changing your perspective you walked in ma'am with a with a situation where you needed healing sir you walked in with a situation on your job ma'am you walked in with a diagnosis you walked in with some anxiety and depression you walked in with suicidal thoughts but guess what there's not one thing that you walked into this place with tonight that doesn't fall under the category of all he delivered them all for not half of them not 302 all out of your troubles if you will worship if you will praise him if you I wish somebody would put him to the test right now I've been in this cave long enough I've dealt with these problems long enough oh magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name together come on somebody shout all oh somebody shout all he delivered me from all you say well what about what about my you know I've been through some abuse I've been through some things things that nobody knows about look at this the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him and deliver them don't get distracted by the in debt discontent and distress on the inside know that there's Angels on the outside don't get distracted with the dysfunction of the cave know that there's Angels encamped round about you I'm here to tell somebody tonight don't be so consumed with the situation you're in know that there's a God who is watching you who has a plan for you has a purpose for you and he just needs to change your perspective through some prayer prayer and through some praise and let you know that God is still able to deliver you from whatever it is you found yourself in you might walk into a new situation tomorrow but God is able you might face something this week that you did not know what coming but I'm here to tell you before you ever get there God is able he will deliver you from all of your troubles no weapon formed against you shall Pro Prosper there's not one that has been not one that is or will ever be that has jurisdiction over the child of God right all all of your troubles there's Angels around you and then just it just gets better I don't know if there's more quoted scriptures anywhere in the Bible than this passage in Psalms and it was all written from a cave we preach the Hound out of all these scriptures we open church services with most of these scriptures oh taste and see verse number eight that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him oh fear the lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him I don't know how much pler it can get right he's speaking to the condition of the dis discontent discontent no sir not when you become a praiser the righteous cry and the Lord heareth verse 17 and deliver them out of once again all their troubles the Lord is nigh un them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord to make sure that you understand that your life and your situation your problems no matter how great falls under that category of all you can be delivered tonight you can physically but Also spiritually walk out of the cave of your situation more than likely anything you're going through could fall into those three categories in distress in debt or discontent you could put it into one of those categories you can be delivered tonight from anything but it requires an emotion it requires an outward response we are suffering today in an age of of of of information there's so much information there's so many things you and I we all fall prey to this thing called Doom scroll and we're just scrolling through huh before you know it there goes 30 minutes there goes an hour and it's just information overload you used to could Google it now you just ask AI it's built in your phone huh what's the information I need and I'm here to remind you tonight that the Bible tells us the biblical idea the logic of of God shows us that we don't have an information or let's say it this way a knowing problem we have a doing problem we don't have a a a a a intellectual crisis and that that's you know we can get all the knowledge we want but I'll tell you this the greatest Revival that we will ever have you could ever have right now is if everybody just OB obeyed the word they already know if everybody on Earth just obeyed what they knew first of all we wouldn't be in the situation we're in with Adam and Eve they just had one rule because it's not about knowledge it's about obedience the struggle's never been about knowing the struggle's always been about doing can you do him that knoweth to do good and doeth it it's it's a doing problem you can have all the information you can explain the godhead you can explain all the things that you need to explain and all of that's very important I'm thankful for the word of God I'm thankful for knowledge but what good is it to be a hearer of the word and not a so here's the thing David can write the scripture Pastor can preach the sermon they can sing the song everybody can worship everybody can respond but if you don't become a doer you'll a caveman you'll remain in that situation that you have the ability to walk out of and there's nothing that causes do your do your research there's nothing that causes more anxiety than regret and it's not the regret of the things that you you did and you wish you hadn't done anybody ever been there huh did some things wish I could have that back believe it or not that's not the thing that is driving anxiety to an all-time high it's the things that you could have done that you didn't do and mainly stemming from the things that you have control over you have control to change it but you didn't and now you're sitting in the situation that you created God is Not mocked whatever a man SWS that shall he also reap it's a doing thing you put it in the ground it'll come up it's a action it's a engagement you have to do something about it discipline right putting into action the word of God once you do these things then you get rid of that regret you attach things to consequences you attach things to a cause everybody brushes their teeth right amen why because I have to think I I think dentists make more than brain surgeons anybody want to agree with that sorry to anyone that's in the the dental services I'm glad you make a lot of money but how is a dentist why is that so expensive huh I don't want to pay that bill so what I do every morning hey kids get in here huh you might not take a bath for 4 days we going to brush them teeth why brush some teeth because there's a consequence that drives you to a discipline huh and it will determine in your mind I ain't leaving the house till we brush all the teeth in the house right so why are we not the same way about obeying the word of God because somewhere we get caught up and we get distracted from a determination and we forget that there's consequences because that's way far away and if we're not careful we get lulled to sleep and we find ourselves and we don't even realize it but we become spiritual cavemen and again I'll send you another wild goose chase you ready for this they say that cavem men didn't exist just saying I'm not one of the conspiracy guys I just read a lot okay just throwing it out there there but have anybody ever seen that the cave in they're like jabbing stuff on walls like beating themselves in the chest they got the big Club you know banging on stuff what's the main thing with a caveman it's extremely dated like the whole world's moved over here and these people still like over here like living life extremely hard right that they they're they they make the cave person out to be dumb it's so easy a caveman can do it right because everything's moved on and you haven't if we're not careful there's a conversion that takes place because David says I'll be captain of these people and I'll lead whoever wants to walk out of this situation with some scripture with some concepts with some principles and I challenge you as leaders in this place if you're the captain of your home if you're the captain of a larger group of people if you're a leader of any comp capacity you've got to learn how to be the captain of those that are dealing with issues to to choose that to be a moment where we can learn and we can express and we can magnify the Lord with each other and we can exalt each other up by lifting up the name of Jesus but there is a conversion that takes place it says that these cavemen become David's Mighty Men And while David is on his deathbed people that came in with debt and fear and discontent in their heart rebellious backsliding state were fighting for a Cause that David was too feeble to fight for you're talking about a powerful story powerful leadership David could take some of the most dysfunctional people and turn them into mighty men that would fight all these stories you start reading about shamama fights over a a field of beans these people these these these people were con converted and they were transformed and they went from being in debt in distressed discontent people to people that had a cause that people that wanted to do something and fight and I believe so strongly tonight there needs to be a conversion that takes place you've been in this situation long enough and God God's got things he wants you to do he's got a crowd that he wants you to run with he's got a group of people that he wants to see flourish and he wants to see things happen in this County but it's going to require some of us stepping out of our situation I want you to stand to your feet tonight as the musicians come the man of God says in 1st Samuel 22:5 the prophet Gad said to David abide not in the hold depart and get thee into the land of Judah then David departed and came into the forest of herth the man of God said don't don't abide in a hold but get to Judah get to praise change your perspective you've been running long enough you've been hiding long enough God's called you for such a time as this to be doing something in the the kingdom of God your family needs to hear the gospel your friends need to hear the gospel there's battles that that that only you can fight that only you can win and and you got you got to come out of the cave father your family needs you to come out of hiding father your family needs you to be that prayer Warrior they need you to be that worshipper they need you to be that voice and I know you've got to you've got your own problems mom you've got your own issues and there's nothing more I want you to take from this than to take the attribute of David that he's willing to walk into problems when he has his own problems see this with me tonight in closing if we as a community this is what the church should be we're fooling ourselves if we think we've all come in here and we've just all gotten dressed up and we can you know you you can you can you can look the part but we all know we've got things going on in our lives we all do there's not there's no not one and so what does that mean myself if it's Pastor Ericson if it's Pastor Carpenter it doesn't matter who it is we walk in here and we can get hyperfocused on our problems and we can become spiritually as a church a bunch of cave dwellers don't find yourself running with people that all they want to do is just complain and argue and point fingers become the captain I'm reminded of the scripture says we're all Sinners and I'm the chief right we've all got our problems we've all got our situations but it don't do me any good and it don't do you any good to focus on them and just make this a pity party it's supposed to be a party but it's not supposed to be one of complaining and debt and distress and discontent it's supposed to be a God who came and gave his life so that you and I could be here and we could all say I know brother oh I hope you feel what I feel at this moment I know some of you as I look across this congregation there's nothing more encouraging than see you lift your hands because I know you're going through something I know you're fighting something I know you're dealing with something and I could see you just Worship the Lord anyways I could see you lift up and say oh and you know what you're doing you're doing what David said oh magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name together you say I'm I know I'm going through I I can't even tell you what I'm going through there's there's so many frustrating things in my life and there's so many situations but I'm telling you God would demonstrate himself tonight in a powerful way if we could all get in one Accord you say how does everybody get in one Accord huh we worship and we change the perspective of the room stop being negative you'll always be in the cave stop focusing on your problems you'll stay in the cave stop focusing on the thing you probably can't do anything about it anyways but I tell you the one thing you can do tonight you can come to an altar and you can say God I'm going to lift you up God I'm going to worship you cuz no matter what it is I'm asking somebody tonight with open altars if you'd gather yourself around here with some people that's going through some things and say oh God I want to taste and see that the Lord is good good I want to magnify you I want to lift you up tonight come on as you come to this front I invite you to lift your hands but I invite you most of all to lift your voice and we I know you're going through some things everybody is but could we set our affections on the things above right now oh holy God Of Heaven Lord I need you and I need you to work in my life Lord I know that there's things oh God that are fighting I know that there's thoughts that that are not of you Lord I know that there's those that are anxious oh that's it I feel the holy ghost moving in this place right now as you lift your voice he is near to the Brokenhearted he is near to those that will allow a tear to come flowing down their face he's near to those that'll be honest about your situation come on that's it I'm I'm in inviting a brother or sister who knows somebody who's going through something to find them and pray with them that's what the church is all about come on could we bind together for a moment on this Sunday night there's nothing more important you can be doing right now don't be distracted in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus bring us out Lord bring us out together Lord let us be oh God changed Lord let us not be cave dwellers but let us be mighty men and women of God come on I'm inviting somebody I know right now it's easy to focus on your situation but you would be mind blown if you would grab the hand of somebody next to you and start praying for them what God would do for you if you would start praying for them as earnestly as you were praying for your own problem you would be mind blown and what God would do for you right now come on lift it up right now oh God I pray that you'd touch Bastion Lord I pray that you'd touch Daniel right now Lord I pray that you would help us to set our eyes on you Lord that you are our deliverer oh God come on that's it let the Lord touch you come on encourage somebody speak the name of Jesus over your situation speak the name of Jesus over your brother your sister oh in Jesus name in Jesus name oh God let there be Deliverance tonight Lord let there be Deliverance tonight Lord let there be Deliverance tonight come on you can get whatever you oh seek him right now seek him right now Lord touch tonight come on young man come on young lady come on oh God touch us tonight Lord make us Mighty Lord make us Mighty tonight Lord let there be a transformation of every father in this place tonight I'm asking my altar workers to help me come on find somebody to pray with oh god oh mighty God Mighty God oh hallelujah hallelujah we want to see a harvest of God we want to see you move in our lives come on that's it I see people praying all across this place if you would find somebody come on find somebody nobody's standing around find somebody and link up we're making a transformation tonight we're making a conversion tonight come out of that cave oh I love you Jesus I love you Jesus come on come on let it happen come on let it happen right now come on let it happen right now and he h yes God oh yes God that's why I he he and he answer I the he and he that's why I trust that's why I trust that's why I S the Lord the Lord and he heard come on the Lord's doing something come on the Lord's changing lives tonight come on come out of that situation come out of that situation in the name of Jesus be delivered in Jesus name be delivered in Jesus name in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus that's why I trust that's why I trust in God my saor the one who will never he will never I trust in God I trust in God my savior myor the one who will never he will never fail I trust in God God my saor saor the one who will never F he will never f say i s the Lord I the Lord he heard he answer the he come on right now come on right now I need you in the of Jesus the that's why I hallelujah hallelujah give me that m I trust that's why I trust in God my who will never who will never he will never never right now in this place I wish you would just reach over there's people praying all across this altar that need something for the Lord and I know each and every person I I one more time maybe you've prayed for that person next to you turn to somebody else for just a moment the Lord wants to do something I I I've I've ended early for a reason Lord I pray right now over that person I pray Deliverance I pray Deliverance in the name of Jesus come on step out of that situation the Lord speaking to somebody this evening you've been there long enough come on you've been there long long enough God wants you to walk out of it tonight God wants you to step out of it tonight come on that's it step out right now spiritually come on step out of that grave step out of that grave right now step out of that grave right now in the the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus Oh hallelujah oh hallelujah oh Hallelujah Hallelujah Jesus we need you Jesus we need you oh I feel so strongly I feel so strongly tonight to do something I know I know this might take a uh we're not stopping what the Lord is doing but for a moment if everybody here in the center could just slide back just a little bit and I want any parent that has a prodal child anybody that's got a prodical child that you would have faith enough to walk up to this front we're going to do something I believe Lord's going to hear us tonight you got a prodical child you'll walk up around the front and and ma'am mom if you would find another mom if you would grab a hand and Dad if you would grab the hand of another father I want you to hear this tonight before you begin to pray I want you to hear this tonight I believe the lord gave me an a a a revelation tonight to speak to someone speak to some father and some mother at the close of this service in the prayer room before service God says to be in one Accord is to sometime be yolked up by what is troubling you but the commonality is not what troubles you is the god who's greater than your trouble so many times we get it wrong we want to link up and become cave dwellers because we've all got the same problem but the point is that you have the same Affliction but we come together and say God is great I can relate but I don't need to connect to you I need to connect to the cross that overcame the situation I'm in and I want you to see what's about to happen I want you to see what's about to happen when these people that have the same indebt feeling begin to pray together there's going to be something that breaks and I've been praying for prodal since the beginning of this school year and I believe God is going to go to one of them as soon as we begin to pray right now in the name of Jesus would you lift your hands would you lift your voice and I wish a mother would grab come on dad let that voice ring out it's an honest prayer I wish I could have a moment back but God I need you to work I wish I could have a moment oh but God I need God I need you to wake them up God we need you to hear the prayer of the righteous hear the prayer of the righteous hear the fervent prayer of the righteous come on that dad call their name out come on that Mama call their name out tonight come on that's it come on release that in your mind you're giving it to God right now you're giving it to God right now come out of that cave I know you feel like yours your fault but come out of that cave right now come out of that C right now God's got it all in the name of Jesus everything God yes God everything oh in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus Oh in the name of Jes I'm more than a coner come on that's it Dad get that renewing come on come out of that cave come out of that situation come on give it to the Lord give it to the Lord God we give it to you tonight God we hand it to you hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh oh hallelujah oh hallelujah oh hallelujah oh Hallelujah come on the spirit of the Lord is here I want you to see in the spirit that the Lord's going out he's going out from this place he's ministering to somebody right now he's ministering to a young man right now he's ministering to a young lady right now in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus Oh hallelujah oh hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah oh hallelujah oh Hallelujah we are mighty we are Mighty through God the Bible says we are Mighty through God somebody says no you you don't understand I I I hope to God but you feel the power of the Holy Ghost in This Place right now Mom Dad Grandma Grandpa the Lord wants to release you of that tonight he wants to release you of the thought that I'm in I just didn't do it I didn't do good enough no no no no no no huhuh be released of that tonight come out of that cave come out of that I tell you what will never win them a cave dweller what will never undo anything first of all you can't go back all you can do is make the apologies have the conversations whatever you feel like you need to do but just just just sitting back and just just feeling like I I can't do anything cuz I've lost my kids I've heard I've heard it I've heard it my my my my grandfather lived it he was persecuted because of it one kid in prison one kid preaching be released of that tonight anybody who wants to make an accusation or throw stones I wouldn't be hanging out with them they're in a cave come on out God knows that most prodal have had more scripture they've had more scripture than I'd say most of the population in our world the prodal that are represented in this altar tonight have heard enough to fall under the category of train up a child in the way they should go and I know I know all too well that we can all go back and wish that we could have back those conversations where we were frustrated in a season we were frustrated in a moment we said something we shouldn't have said and because those comments or things that I did or Seasons that I went through my child it got in them and it led them astray I hope that you see this tonight and this is the most powerful thing that God has just opened up my eyes to see is he said I'll be captive the quickest way to convert those that are lost to back into the fold or back into let's say in this sense a mighty man or a mighty woman of God is to own I'm a sinner too if it wasn't for the mercy of God I'd be right where you are I know there was a season of my life I know there was things that I said I know there was moments I wish I could get back I wish I had had have said this and that situation I wish I hadn't responded I wish I hadn't have taken those few months off from church when it was a very crucial time I know I've heard the stories it's hard I cannot imagine but you got to be released to that and you got to be become the captain to say hey I've had my problems too you've got your problems now and the way to lead people out of the cave is to relate and say hey we've all got issues but with Jesus with some prayer with some mercy and some praise we can come out and we can come out together from what I understand there was nobody that stayed in the cave everybody came out this is what the church is all about God spoke to me about the parents of prodical specifically but we could have done this with people with a diagnosis of sickness people with job problems people with anxiety and depression you bring them together and you don't allow it to become a pity party but you allowed to become a praise party and it will change the atmos this is what the church is all about connect in the glory and the magnifying of God not in our situation although we've got the situation we can't let it become something where we're just a bunch of victims God's not called us to that God's called you to be a Mighty Man a mighty woman continue steadfastly be encouraged tonight come out of that I pray so strongly that you you hear the word of the Lord and that you can walk in it there's nothing more I feel like the the the the term that that haunts me is to Paul said to frustrate the grace of God to frustrate the father because he's already won why are you fighting he's already carried it so why are you carrying it he's already done it so that you and I could step out of the cave why was he buried and come out so that each and every one of us can relate to a captain of cavemen Jesus Christ the captain of us all he bore our sins so we wouldn't have to he took upon sin why not so he could relate with us in our sin but that he could relate with us