Sunday Morning Worship Service

you can start making your way back to your seat but just remain standing and get your Bibles your devices and go with me to 1 Samuel chapter number 22 just remain standing we'll be brief but thank you to this great great praise team can we give this praise team musicians and our choir a great big hand today leading us into the presence of the Lord today give honor to all of our pastor our Bishop our pastoral staff in a month of appreciation I appreciate our leadership I appreciate our pastor's wives don't you love your pastors and your pastor's wives we are so blessed we are so blessed thank you thank you to the saints of God this great church we give you honor as well to all of our guests we welcome you here to First Apostolic church we hope you make yourself right at home here in the presence of the Lord 1st Samuel chapter number 22 begin reading at verse number one we've been preaching on David uh at our Apostolic Christian School Elevate Chapel on Friday mornings and I want to share with you a little bit more about the life of David today 1st Samuel chapter 22 beginning at verse number one David therefore departed then and escaped to the cave someone say the cave cave he escaped to the cave of adullam and when his breth and all his father's house heard it they went down thither to him now look who gathered themselves to David in the cave everyone that was in distress everyone that was in debt and everyone that was discontented gathered themselves unto him and he became a captain over them and there were with him about 400 men David went then to mispah of Moab and said to the king of Moab let my father and my mother I pray thee come forth and be with you till I know what God will do for me and he brought them before the king of Moab and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hole now look at verse number five and the prophet Gad said said unto David abide not in the ho depart get thee into the land of Judah then David departed and came into the hor The Forest of herth today I'd like to speak to you from this thought the cave dwellers the cave dwellers won't you put your Bibles or your devices down and would you lift up your hands one more time and let's invite the Lord to speak to us from his word father we are here today gathered in your presence where two or three are gathered together there you are in the midst of them Lord and I pray that the word of God would go forth today let it be seed to the sewer and let it be bread to the eater but father I pray that you would anoint your servant anoint my lips anoint your people and I pray father that you would speak and encourage and help somebody today in jesus' name we pray and everyone said amen won't you clap your hands one more time today I wonder if somebody can do it just a little bit louder than you've done it so far today today now can you add your voice with that clap your hands all ye people and Shout with a voice of Victory and tri come on are there any Overcomers in the house today hallelujah hallelujah you can be seated in the name of the Lord the cave dwellers I'm not sure if you've ever been in a cave but caves are interesting places and that's where we're going to go in our sermon today now we've come to a transition in the life of David if you're studying his life and reading his life uh you could probably divide his life into three distinct periods you can call the first part of his life the first third of his life the country years then you can call the next the next third the cave years followed by the court years so you have the country years the cave years in the court years now the the country years of David where he had spent time as uh his father's overseer over his of his flocks and he would see uh make sure that his father's sheep were taken care of he would uh be out in the country overseeing the flocks writing songs singing songs and he was also fighting lions and bears and uh he was also called upon during these country years to play his instrument before for Saul singing away the Demons of a disturbed King the country years he is the shortterm hero of Israel but yet this second third of David's life is where we see him moving from the country years to the cave years here in the caves where is where God begins to develop his man it's also the place where David writes some of his most uh dramatic and passionate songs that he would uh he wrote Psalm 142 and Psalm 57 and even Psalm 34 he wrote as he is leaving uh the leaving the Philistines and heading towards the cave of adullam Charles Spurgeon one of my favorite writers he said this had David prayed in the castle like he had prayed in the caves he wouldn't have had the Temptations that he fell to all right right had he prayed in the castle like he prayed in the caves he wouldn't have failed like he did keep this in mind that David is spending these years on the Run he's a fugitive he's no longer the hero of Israel he's no longer the ones that they're shouting and singing about in the streets of Israel here he is living in the wilderness as a fugitive he's a man on the Run and he's living his life it looks like contrary to the will of God and and and if you go back to the country years of David if you go back to the moments that that that the prophet Samuel uh has anointed him and it looks like things couldn't be better maybe this is that I mean could you imagine the rush of emotions that David would feel as he is being uh anointed to be the next next king of Israel and his brothers looking on his father looking on and yet he doesn't go and take the throne at that time he goes back to the Sheep folk can I tell you sometimes God will anoint you to do something call you to do something but that does not mean that you're going to graduate to that position the very next day sometimes there is a process between the Cave of the between the country years and the court years and that's called The Cave years when we find Saul I've mentioned this before Saul is on the exterior he looks like a king he's Head and Shoulders above all of the people of Israel he looks the part he looks he looks Mighty he looks strong but yet on the inside he's very small he's a weak man but yet that's the person that goes from being an overseer of his father's goats to being the king immediately but that doesn't take place in David's life David doesn't become king the next day God instead he gave Israel what they desired and he didn't put he didn't put Saul through a process but God had a purpose in mind for David and if David's going to be the man that Israel needs and if he's going to be the king that God has purposed he's going to have to put him through some stuff can I tell you don't forsake the cave years of your life if God is calling you to do something if God is ordaining you to do something don't you forsake the cave years God makes the greatest things in the dark I wish somebody was helping me right now can I tell you it's through the hard times of Trials and temptations and frustration and doubts and unbelief that God says I'm trying to make something out of you I didn't do it with Saul but I'm going to do it in you oh yeah yeah yeah it's going to be it's if you're going to be the man or going to be the woman that God needs he's going to put you through the process Paul would say this to Timothy in his last letter right towards the end he said I have f a good fight the word fight that he uses is our word in the English Agony he said I have agonize my whole life can I tell you this is not a cruise ship this is a battleship if you're going to do something for God don't look for the the easy Waters want you to realize that there's going to be some agonizing times come on don't get frustrated in the agonizing times fight a good fight of faith and when you get to the end you're going to realize it was worth every trial it was worth every battle I may have been bruised I may be scraped up but I'm going to make it to the end brother mango I'm com to tell somebody today don't you dare forsake the cave years God's trying to make a king out of you God's trying to make a vessel he can use somebody say Amen oh yeah the people of God have to understand that as they serve God there's going to be obstacles and hindrances there's going to be times of famine there's going to be times of Exile but if he called you to it he who has begun a good work in you he is able to completed on that last day I want you to know you might be going through something but remember the anointing David your day is coming there's a throne in your future there's a court in your future I wish somebody was hearing [Applause] me yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah David is thrust into the dark darkness of a cave called adullam here in the area adullam was a hot and dry area it's a harsh country that's dangerous you could easily uh experience a broken ankle or leg on this rough terrain it's a dry place not much food not much water you could come across a Viper a scorpion or a snake it's filled with steep Cliffs and deep ravines and all types of caverns and here is God's man not on the throne of Israel but he's in the darkness of a cave here he is not in the ideal situation according to the flesh but God is trying to do something in David that he didn't do in Saul you might be thinking this is not the ideal place for me this might not be the best situation for me this sickness might not be the will of God for me but I want you to know don't you despise the cavern years don't you despise the dark I is somebody was hearing me right now the Lord's helping me I want you to realize you might be going through something right now but there's a court year in your future there's a future for you that God has [Applause] purposed now I'm going to show my age as I as if I can't do that already with my bald head but I remember before digital cameras we had real cameras with real film my favorite class in in high school was my senior year it was photography class and we didn't have digital cameras back then isn't that we rote a wagon to church can you or to school can you believe that yeah yeah yeah and uh and we didn't have phones back then I I kind of wish for those days sometimes but anyway we didn't have digital cameras we didn't have phone cameras we just had camera cameras and cameras had to have this little piece of uh something that goes through youall have no idea what I'm talking about about was called film and we would take the film and we would put it in this little canister with some solution we'd have to do it in the in the dark and then we would take it and we'd shake it and wait and then we would go into what was called the dark room and there in the dark room we could take our film and begin to put it in more solution and expand it and we could begin to see the picture that we took and oh I wish somebody would hear me right now that God makes the best pictures in the dark God come on God produces the greatest pictures in the dark come on somebody you might be in the dark right now but you just wait God's trying to show something in you and through you he's trying to develop something in your life that the light can't produce I wish somebody was hearing me right now don't you forsake the Cav ears because God's trying to produce a masterpiece somebody say Amen he's not alone he's not alone in the cave look at verse number two in chapter 22 and everyone that was in distress everyone that was in debt and everyone that was discontented gathered themselves unto David and he became a captain over them and they're about 400 men here at the cave here in the darkness here in Dum this rugged area are people who are gathering themselves to a fugitive named David he was once the captain over the host of all Israel gone and fighting the Philistines taking down Giants and expanding the kingdom but now here he is in the darkness of a cave and everybody who's in debt and everybody who's distressed and everybody who's discontented have gathered themselves unto a rejected King all right PA who who are these Misfits who are who who is this rag tag group of people that would be attracted to a man in a cave the word distress in the Hebrew means to be under pressure or in great stress those who are stressed out have gathered themselves unto David is that what David needs David's on the run the king's trying to kill him and here comes more stressed I'm pretty stressed out all right didn't you see my Facebook post I'm stressed out if you put it out there you're stressed guess what you're going to find a few people go me too you're stressed let me tell you about my stress all those who are in distress then the word the next group of people the word debt is is is in relation to those who have come under the rule of creditors and they cannot pay back their debt so you got the stressed out and you got those who are in debt up to their eyeballs and they're coming to David and David says I don't even have a place to rest I don't even have a place to put my head down to sleep at night and here come these stressed out in debt people I a have no money I was just begging for a bread and some and a sword not too long ago and here you I don't have anything for you you're in distress and you're in debt they said we want to be with you come on all right you put out there that you're broke guess what broke people are going to find you they're going to find you and there's here's their favorite phrase must be nice must be nice to be hanging out in caves must be nice have bread from the from the from the Tabernacle there's always somebody there's always somebody who's going to be worse than you there's always some going to be somebody said oh yeah you were uh you you were developing pictures with with yeah I don't remember we had cameras it was just black and white everywhere we went collar came around here we are there's always going to be some he's attracting the worst these are not the people that Saul wants in his army these are not the people that the Israel wants leading them in Deb in distress and here comes the discontented the discontented here they come oh misery love company here's the word in the Hebrew it means those who are sour those who are in bitterness of soul and they have been given unto murmuring and complaining that's their love language is complaining their love language is murmuring they fit they would fit in with the crowd that followed after Moses leaving Egypt we remember the leaks and the onions but we don't remember the whips and the chains I remember when we used to do this and I remember when we used to do that and things were so much better back then and David says I'm in a cave all right these folks have no money and these folks over here are stressed out and the disc contented go I'll hang out with you too I'll stay there too you got any room for us over there in the dark places I want you to know that David didn't send them away David didn't send them away look at Psalm 34 and 11 says this is what he sang on his way to the cave at of dulum He said Come Ye children and hearken unto me and I will teach you the fear of the Lord you might be broke you might be stressed out you might be going through some stuff but let me teach you the fear of the Lord let me tell you about the Lord it might be looking bad right now but I'd rather fear him than fear Saul I'd rather fear him than fear my situation I'd rather fear I was somebody was hearing me right now you need to get the fear of the Lord in your heart I'm not going to fear though I walk through the shadow of the Valley of Death I will fear no evil why because the Lord is with me I fear come on somebody we're going to have to realize he's greater than our circumstance he's greater than our doubts he's greater than our problems teach you come on follow me let me teach you something David did not become a negative Nelly and a Debbie Downer to them they didn't need more negativity in their life they needed somebody to teach them they needed somebody to see something in them greater beyond their present circumstance he said let me teach you the fear of the Lord I've been saying this while I pray opening Services you may have noticed it I want three things I want him to inform us I want him to transform us and then I want him to conform us first if you're going to get changed in your life you have to be informed it's to teach them the fear of the Lord that's why you're here on a Sunday morning that's why you gather on Sunday nights that's why you're here on Wednesday nights that's why you go to be free and you send the kids at Sunday school that's why we got project 180 that's why we got aduls that's why we got Summit seniors what we're trying to do is inform you of the fear of the Lord because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom if you want wisdom in your life you need the fear of the Lord if you want change in your life you need the fear of the Lord so you're informed on what that is is you're gaining knowledge but knowledge applied is wisdom I've heard Pastor say this before I try to remember I probably going to butcher it I've heard Pastor say this before knowledge or information is knowing that tomato is a fruit wisdom is knowing not putting the tomato in a fruit salad W knowledge is knowing that raisin is a dried up grape wisdom knows that you don't put that in a cookie no matter who you are or where you are that's called wisdom you don't put dried up dead fruit in a cookie you don't put a tomato in the in the fruit salad we're trying to inform you that when you come in here the fear of the Lord you walk out of here in wisdom and you're transformed Paul would say this we are transformed by the renewing of our mind transformation that Paul uses in in Romans 12 is the where we get our word metamorphosis and so as you get informed by the word of God it changes your mind it changes your thinking those who are in debt those who are discontented those who are in distress they don't need more negativity they need to tell somebody come out from among them and be ye separate come on I want you to realize that there's something greater for you let me teach you the fear of the Lord let me teach you how to take care of your money let me tell you how to take care of your emotions it's not just the information it's the transformation all right we need information but we also need transformation being turned into another man being turned into a different person but that's not enough the will of God for you is not just to be transformed but the will of God is for you to be conformed throw up Romans chapter number8 I love Romans chapter number here we go and we know that all things are working together for good keep it right there the cave is for David's good the trial is for your good to them that love God to them who are called according to his purpose what's God's purpose for your life next verse for whom he did for no he also did did predestinate to be conformed in informed transformed now you got to be conformed he'll turn you into another person but the ultimate goal God's will for you is not just to be transformed but to be conformed into the image of his son so the greatest picture that God is trying to turn you into right now is not a better preacher not to be a better singer not to be a better person with money the greatest purpose that God has for you is for you to become more like Jesus Christ and so he'll use the cave he'll use the darkness he'll use the trial he'll use the tribulation why because he's trying to inform you transform you and conform [Applause] you he's got a purpose all things the cave that I'm in all things the sickness that I'm facing all things the death that I'm facing all things the getting fir from my job all things when you put number 28 with verse number 29 you realize that God's trying to work all things together for the purpose of trying to transform you and conform you into the image of Jesus Christ all right I'm going to teach you the fear the lord come with me yeah what are y'all complaining about okay all right yeah yeah we're going to the caves okay oh we've already been there we've already seen that I lost a t-shirt come on come on what you what you back there murmuring about we'll find water what are you complain about we don't need money where we're going I mean there's there's it's a cave okay all right just come on and he gets him in the cave and Saul leaves them alone and while they're left alone in the dark David says you once you entered into this cave with me you need to leave your old mindset out there right you can't you can't change your future by having stinking thinking of your past so you who are in debt we're going to have to change how you think about money got quiet it's like Malachi in here 400 years of Silence okay you're going to have to change your mindset about money you're going to need to learn how to save you're going to need to learn how to give you're going to need to know how to take care and invest what you've got you're a steward not an owner you are a stressed out you need to realize not not everything in your life is for your evil can I tell you the story about Joseph all right you meant it for evil but God meant it for good you need to change your mindset you need to get the negativity out of your mindset you need to get the negativity out of your spirit and realize all things work together for those who love God come on all you over here who are murmuring and complaining you see it's you're like them but you just say it you you verbalize it you're going to have to realize that out of the out of the abundance of your heart the mouth speaks you're going to have to realize that there's power in death and the power of your tongue so why you might feel it you can't say it so here's David teaching them the fear of the Lord and he wants them to realize who you are is not who you're going to become when you leave this cave all right what' you learn well you said something about my tongue and uh this is just absolutely ridiculous a stop there you go again stop now what I tell you every things against me stop that what do you Lear over here I can't tithe I won't be able to have enough money to pay my bills oh all right come on come on you see you're still in a cave when you've got your old stinking thinking controlling your life but there was somebody in the cave with David come on somebody hear me right now throw that verse up brother Derek throw that verse up oh that I sent you earlier come on he said this H he he said look at verse number 23 abide thou with me fear not for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life but with me shalt thou be in a safeguard this is what he's trying to say don't you dare go back to where you came from you need to stay with me just because you don't have it all together just yet doesn't mean it's over because there's Safeguard with me don't it's no time for you to leave the church right now it's no time for you to leave the son right now you need to abide in him and he come on somebody hear me right now it's no time to throw in the towel it's no time to leave the church just because you got your feelings hurt it's no time to backslide it's no time to throw on the tow because you don't have it all together if you'll just stay with him there is Refuge there is a [Applause] safeguard there's a safeguard with him but look at this and I'm I'm sorry brother dere I went ahead of you there go to the next one I sent you earlier today today 1 Samuel chapter number 2 Samuel excuse me chapter number uh 23 verse number 13 and three of the 30 Chief went down and came to David at the Harvest Time unto the cave of aulum who went with him to the cave of aullan of the debt indebted stressed out discontent but what came from the cave were Mighty Men these are the ones that Saul didn't want this is the one Israel didn't want and yet David said you don't see it now but there's a giant killer in you there's a lion killer come on there was one by the name of bayah who on a snowy cold day chased down a lion into a pit he also killed two lionlike men had he ever killed a lion before had he ever killed a giant before no but David had and he said let me show you how to hold a sword let me show you how to hold a spear come on you don't have to have it all together but I'm going to show you how to do something when we get out of here you don't look like it right now but there's a mighty man inside of you there's a mighty woman inside of you and if you'll just stay in the house if you'll just abide Hall come on get ready me sister I'm almost done bayah I'm not sure which one he was but could you imagine he's the stressed out one all right the worst thing that's ever happened to me David said get a sword in your hand let me tell you about one time that a Lon and came and attacked my father's flock oh David that stresses me out just thinking about it come on well get over it stand up I'm gonna show you how I fought that line let me tell you one time B about when I fought Goliath you ever heard that story happened a few years ago yeah oh David that's a stress be out let me show you what I did I didn't have a sword and I didn't have a spear somebody grabb me a rock over here from the cave on I'm going to show you how to control your emotions I'm going to show you how not to be stressed out I'm going to show you how to be brave and after they leave the cave I don't know how long they stayed there but it was long enough for them to have a change in their mindset and when bah walked in there he may have been in debt he may have been stressed out he may have been discontented but when he walked out of there he said show me a line show me a giant show me a problem I'll run it down I'll Chase it down I'll face anybody why because he had abided in the cave with the captain stand up come on I'm almost done all right you know who else was there in the cave with a discontented and stressed out a couple of preachers number one was Gad and the Bible calls him a Seer Seer which means he's a prophet yes he sees things that nobody else sees yes all right where did he learn that with a man by the name of David who could see something in him that nobody else could see Hallelujah you don't see it in your you know what you know why you need good leadership in your life a good leader sees something in you that nobody else sees and what they see is potential inside of you so when we come around here and we try to encourage you and our team leaders try to encourage you what they're trying to do is show you something that you don't see in yourself because what we trying to do is unlock something in you yeah you don't see it right now but God's going to anoint you to be a Seer a prophet David oh I se Darkness right now in this cave it's pretty bad situation you got to change what you're seeing you see there's another Prophet that's going to come and there's going to be some who don't see all they're going to see is negativity and trouble but he said now look up and see see what I see that there's a host of angels around us you know who else is in the cave with David not just a mighty man not just a prophet there's a priest by the name of abiathar this is not the Tabernacle this is not the altar this is not the Ark of the Covenant no I'm going to tell you something byar Gad help me here I'm going to have a son and he's going to build the most glorious Temple that your eyes could ever see prise God it's not going to be made of goat skins it's not going to be made out of the things from the Wilderness no it's going to be made with gold I can just hear Gad going I can see it right here we are in the cave David what are you what what are you going to do David well you see right now I don't look like much but um I'm going to be king here's the king here's the prophet here's the priest and the mighty man you know there's another rejected King who dwelt in a caveen he was the greater son of David he came unto his own all right and his own knew him not Isaiah would say he was rejected acquainted with grief they didn't want him they didn't want him to be their King but what did the Roman soldier put on the cross above his head here is the king of the Jews [Music] you didn't want him but he's your king yeah and then they went and put him not in his own cave or tomb but in somebody else's they put him in a tomb and they sealed it up and it looked like it's going to end this way but there's a king in the Tomb and he's a prophet and he's a priest and he's about to leave this tomb and when he leaves he is going to reign in power and he is going to be the king and what he's going to do he is going to transform a kingdom made out of all kinds of people who are Outcast and rejected those that nobody wants he's the one that he's going to go and get them and he said I you didn't choose me but I chose you that you may go forth and bear much fruit if you abide in me and I in [Applause] you God have mercy and what his what is his mission go into the highways and to the byways and compel them I don't know what you're going through right now but I want you to know that God's going to use the cave years to get you to your court years I don't know what that looks like you do you know what God's called you to do you know what God's put upon you and anointed you to do I want you to realize it might be a dark time right now but there's going to be a Resurrection Day coming where you leave come on David didn't stay in the cave forever he came out and went he came out he came out with power he came out with an army he came out with a prophet he came out with a priest I wonder if somebody would come today I want you to realize Lord you're trying to do something in me you're trying to mold me you're trying to inform me Transform Me Maybe it's come for me and I don't understand it but God you're not done with me yet and if you're here and you're still breathing it's not over it's not over identify with his suffering identify with the cave and you're going to realize one of these days you're going to come out in power come on the Holy Ghost is ministering come on come on the Holy Ghost is ministering come on I might be stressed out I might be in debt I might be murmuring and complaining with discontent but it's not over yet I got to change my mindset it's the fear of the Lord that's the beginning of wisdom he's trying to conform you all things work together all things work together come on would you pray for somebody come on would you lay your hands upon somebody yes everything's going to change oh the spirit it's here it's here it's here oh yes your come on if you've never received the baptism of the Holy Ghost you can receive it today come on if you've never repented of your sins you can do that right now if you've never been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ we've got clothes we've got water what does hinder thee to be baptized come on this is your day you can identify him with his death you can identify him with his burial and you can be identified with him in the resurrection oh [Music] [Applause] yes oh yes in your presence oh [Music] yes there's Freedom come on the cave is not my future oh in your Pres [Music] pra for [Applause] Joy hear your pra come on lift up your hands oh your presence Joy yes in your presence in your oh I'm trading I'm [Music] [Applause] [Music] traing everything come on everything is changing everything isang come on there's a metamorphosis a transformation of the yes of the Lord is [Music] [Music] of listen come on I wonder if somebody would get out of their comfort zone today and pray with somebody there's somebody in the cave right now you don't you don't you may not even know it I want you to pray for somebody they're going through a dark time time maybe you do know it maybe you go find somebody to pray with them but right now is not a time for you to be alone not time for you to get Alone by yourself right now you need some others there's some mighty men around you there's some prophetesses around you come on there's some kingly anointing around you right now if you've yet to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost pray with somebody and receive it come on receive it [Music] yes hear the name of Jesus hear the name I'm coming out I'm coming out I'm coming out [Music] yes oh yes [Music] yes come on receive it [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] come on the Holy Ghost ministry right now in the name of Jesus in the name of Jesus come on there's some healing happening here come on there's some healing there's some transformation happening here come on it's happening come on find somebody else to pray with come on we're coming out together we're coming out together oh the spirit are [Music] [Music] break everything is changing everything [Applause] [Music] isang of the is of the is here [Applause] bre [Music] [Applause] pres of the is of the is [Music] everything everything it's Chang in the everything it's Chang now of the anything of the [Music] [Music] of that's freedom and fullness of [Music] joy [Music] change hallelujah hallelujah would you just lift your hands in your hearts and love Jesus oh God I pray that we receive your word Lord I pray that we would not just be hearers but we would be doers Lord we receive the Comfort we receive the encouragement we receive the strength Lord let me know that my cave experience will make me Mighty in you you're my example I want to be more like you