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The King's Mighty Men (2 Samuel 23:8-23)
9 Plays2 days ago
Sunday Message recorded 15 June 2025
by Senior Pastor Victor Morrison
First Baptist Church - Columbus, TX, USA
1700 Milam St.
Columbus, TX, USA 78934
Recommended
Transcript
Opening Prayer and Acknowledgment of Fathers
00:00:06
Speaker
Well, let's go to the Lord in prayer and let's give thanks for our dads that are here. And kids, you can keep on making sure you got them all. But let me let me lead us in a prayer. I know you're thankful for them. Father, I thank you for every dad in this room.
00:00:19
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They mean a lot. Lord, oftentimes I'm not sure that we express the way we should our appreciation and to our fathers, but we really do appreciate them. We appreciate all the hard work that they do each day.
00:00:32
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For those that are retired, we appreciate the work that they put in their whole life. And so thank you so much for the work that they've done across the years.
Role of Fathers in Christian Life
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We thank you also, Lord, for their example. What a great example. Many, many men in this room are just...
00:00:49
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excellent examples of a Christian, of a one who's following Christ. And I thank you for that. I pray that you encourage us. Maybe some have not been the example they wanted to be just in the last month or the last week.
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And so please forgive us, oh Lord. All of us who are fathers would say we need mercy and we need grace. We need forgiveness. But I'm so glad that with you, Lord, we get to start over.
00:01:13
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that all things become new in Christ. And so that's a wonderful promise. And so I pray today that you would just strengthen every man that is here and Lord guide every man that is here.
00:01:25
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May they, if they've never heard your voice before, I pray they could hear you speaking through your word today.
Defining 'Mighty Man' in Biblical Context
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Oh Lord, show us, what does a mighty man even look like?
00:01:36
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What is that supposed to be like, both during David's day, but also during our day? We need to know. We need you to clarify it. So I pray that you would speak to us this day, and we will give you all the glory.
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We know that the greatest Father there will ever be is our Heavenly Father. Thank you so much, Lord, for your steady, consistent love and for your wisdom. We need it.
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And so bless us, O Lord, as we gather around your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
00:02:05
Speaker
Some you got a chuckle out of Josh's words there about finally, help him finally listen. But I think what was happening, he was listening to last week's sermon about hearing God. And so he was definitely right on target. Yeah, that's what it was all about.
Ray Kimbrell's Dedication to Family over Career
00:02:21
Speaker
You know, on this Father's Day 2025, a certain passage just pulled me, pulled me by the heart. And it's this one that we're going to look at, 2 Samuel 23, verses 8 through 23. There's a parallel text that you could kind of read it in surround sound, if you will, in 1 Chronicles 11.
00:02:41
Speaker
But it begins with these words, these are the names of the mighty men whom David had. These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.
00:02:53
Speaker
You know, that word mighty men is going to be used again, we'll see in a moment, in verse 16. But I just wanted to say this about mighty men. You know, behind every victorious king and every safe city, every peaceful country and every happy family,
00:03:12
Speaker
Behind every secure child is a band of mighty men who will work, they will sacrifice, they will serve and defend those that they love.
00:03:24
Speaker
Yesterday was the 250th anniversary of the US Army and I watched this special program that was about that. and It made me so grateful for those who defend our freedoms each and every day, but also each and every year for 250 years.
00:03:40
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But the question that every dad, including myself, the question we must answer this Father's Day and every day is how do you define a mighty man? How would you define a mighty man?
00:03:53
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I want to point to one mighty man. He's on the screen in the photo. You might not know him. His name is Ray Kimbrell. He chose the Marines while in college at the Citadel.
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Within 10 years from the time he was there, he was leading a unit of 170 men into Operation Desert Storm, and then later he was deployed with his men to Somalia.
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See, the Marine Corps was not only his life, But the Lord had even provided his wife through the Marine Corps. He married a lady who is a Marine named Nancy.
00:04:28
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But they just assumed that they were lifers. They were gonna be in the Marine Corps for all their life. They thought being Christian people, that's what God wants. But while stateside on a six-month deployment cycle, he was stateside, his son Patrick was born.
Lessons from Kimbrell's Father-Son Camp Experience
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They were so excited. And he said, from the moment I laid eyes on my son, I loved him with all my heart.
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But they began to notice as time went by that he had some special needs that were not, it wasn't normal for most kids his age. Later he was diagnosed with c so cerebral palsy.
00:05:07
Speaker
All of it was just too much for Nancy to take, so she suffered a mini stroke and so had to be sort of resting for a long period of time.
00:05:17
Speaker
So Ray realized he was gonna have to give up the dream. He was going to have to stay and take care of Patrick. So out of his dedication to his wife and his duty to his son, he retired from the Marine Corps.
00:05:32
Speaker
But it was something that was planned that you don't know. And I didn't know until i read an article. But this man, Ray Kimbrell, had been so faithful in his duties that they were actually going to promote him to be a major.
00:05:47
Speaker
So not only did he give up the Marine Corps, he gave up a promotion and he gave up a higher rank. But he got ah a job in a hot dog factory. His wife got a job in a snack food factory later when she began to feel better.
00:06:01
Speaker
But when Patrick was 10 years old, they were invited to go to this camp. And at the camp, it was going to be a father-son camp. And so they said, you know, one of the things we're going to have here at the camp, we're going to race.
00:06:14
Speaker
It's going to be somewhat of an obstacle course, but we want to invite every dad and every son to be a part of it. Well, being a Marine, Ray Kimbrell said, Patrick, are you up for it? He said, yes.
00:06:26
Speaker
And so he had a running, I don't know what you call those, but it's like sort of like a wheelchair, but it has wheels. And if you're a runner, a jogger, then you can push it.
00:06:38
Speaker
So he put Patrick, even at 10 years of age, in that device there. And so they began to run and they were leading. They were out out front. But all of a sudden, the obstacle was fine until they came to the lake.
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No one thought of this. But when they came to the lake, they had to cross the lake on some concrete pillars. If you look at the bottom of the picture, you'll see those concrete pillars.
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Those pillars were right in front of a six-foot drop, like a waterfall. And so Ray saw that and he thought, oh no, this is where it ends.
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But then all of a sudden he remembered his training as Marine. And he thought, you know what? No man is left behind. That's the code I've lived by. That's the code I'm going to live by right now.
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So he said, Patrick, what I want you to do is to be really still. I'm going to put you on my shoulders and going to carry you across that lake. So Patrick said, good. So Patrick got on his shoulders and he carried him across the those concrete pillars.
00:07:40
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And as he was going across, he said, Patrick began to to laugh and he began to laugh so loud his his voice could be heard all across the lake. And others were looking and others were enjoying that special moment.
00:07:54
Speaker
But Ray Kimbrell said it was at that moment when he heard his son laugh and when he was having to carry him across those pillars, he said, now I realize what the Marine Corps was all about. He said, the Marines were trying to prepare me for life's greatest duty, taking care of my son, Patrick.
00:08:14
Speaker
I don't know about you, but I see that as a symbol of might and strength, not weakness. I don't know how each person listening this message would define a mighty man, but I do know, based upon the writings of a wise man who lived in the 1800s, a brief list of that man made of some things that will keep you from being a mighty man and some things that will help you to be a mighty man.
00:08:40
Speaker
You know, those things that are on the danger side would be things like pride, like pleasures, like presumption, like peer pressure. But on the positive side, some goals would be, Lord, strengthen me through scripture, strengthen me through prayer, strengthen me through a community of faith.
Strengthening Families through Faith
00:09:00
Speaker
Strengthen me in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I believe those things will help any man get across life's challenges. Dad, if you will allow the Lord to speak to you today through the scripture that's going to be read before us here, then I think you're going to be able to stand strong for your family and with your family.
00:09:23
Speaker
So I would like to invite you, if you would, to stand in honor of God's word. It's kind of lengthy passage, but I think you you need to hear the whole thing in order to understand.
Biblical Examples of Mighty Men
00:09:33
Speaker
These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.
00:09:38
Speaker
Joshua Bashabeth, a Takamonite. He was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 800 whom he killed at one time.
00:09:49
Speaker
And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle and the men of Israel withdrew.
00:10:04
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He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary and his hand clung to the sword. And the Lord brought about a great victory that day. And the men returned after him only to strip the slain.
00:10:21
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And next to him was Shammah, the son of Eje, the Harite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils.
00:10:32
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And the men fled from the Philistines, but... He took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines. And the Lord worked a great victory.
David's Mighty Men as a Metaphor for Commitment
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Speaker
And the three of the 30 chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
00:10:59
Speaker
David was then in the stronghold. And the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. And David said longingly, oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate.
00:11:15
Speaker
Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David.
00:11:27
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But he would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord and said, "'Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at risk of their lives?' Therefore, he would not drink it.
00:11:43
Speaker
These things the three mighty men did." Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zerui, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name besides the three.
00:11:58
Speaker
He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander. But he did not attain to the three. And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a valiant man of Kabziel, a doer of great deeds.
00:12:14
Speaker
He st struck down two aerials of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man.
00:12:26
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The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benai went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.
00:12:37
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These things did Benai, the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. He was renowned among the 30, but he did not attain to the three.
00:12:49
Speaker
And David set him over his bodyguard. Let's go the Father in prayer. Lord, speak to us today about manhood. Speak to us today about being mighty men.
00:12:59
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ah thank you so much for the mighty men that are gathered here today. I respect them. I'm grateful for them. And I pray that you would strengthen them and let this passage that we're looking at today inspire them.
00:13:12
Speaker
Inspire them to greatness for your kingdom. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you you. may be seated. you know our Creator placed within wild geese to fly in, well, sort of like a wedge formation or ah a V formation.
00:13:31
Speaker
When the goose flying point tires, you know what he does? He falls back and another rotates to the lead position. And there's good reason why they fly together.
00:13:42
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The movement of each one's wings creates an upward draft, giving the one following him an air current that lifts. As a matter of fact, researchers estimate that the flock gets 71% greater flying range together than any one of them would have been able to fly alone. Have you ever heard the geese as they're honking?
00:14:07
Speaker
Well, I always assume that it's the guy that's out front. He's honking, saying, follow me, guys. They said, no, that's not right. It's the guys in the back. The ones in the back are honking.
00:14:18
Speaker
And I wonder what they're saying. They're saying, stay at it, stay at it. Don't quit, stay at it. Well, I want today you to listen closely to God's word and I believe you're gonna hear God speak through the lives of these men and what you're gonna hear him say is, stay it, stay
Characteristics of Biblical Mighty Men
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Speaker
at it.
00:14:35
Speaker
Be the man that God has called you to be. There's six things I want us to learn from this passage. So I just wanna mention them briefly to you. You can go back later and dig in yourself.
00:14:47
Speaker
But would you look at verse 8? The first mighty man that we're introduced to is a man named Joshua Basha Beth. Josh, is it okay if we just say Josh for that guy? Is that all right with you? Okay, let's call him Josh.
00:15:01
Speaker
But he's a mighty man. We're going to call him Josh. But you know, courage is not the absence of fear, just in case you were wondering. No, courage is not the absence of fear, wrote Mark Twain.
00:15:13
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He said, courage is resistance to fear. So in other words, fear doesn't shut you down. You still go forward, even though you're not sure how it's going to end.
00:15:24
Speaker
Well, Joseph or Josh, he was courageous against the odds. He was courageous because he was fighting more than one problem. He had 800 combatants that he was facing.
00:15:37
Speaker
So if you thought about how long that would take, it says that in at one time, I'm assuming what they mean is one day. So in one day, he was able to take down 800 of the foe of enemies that were coming against him.
00:15:51
Speaker
So I thought, you know, a valiant man is not only courageous, he's got to be continuous. He's got to be steady. It says that he killed him at one time. And I thought, you know, if it took him one minute to take care of one one of the enemy's troops, can you imagine? That would be like 13 hours to take care of 800.
00:16:14
Speaker
But he was steady and continuous. Last night, my wife said, why don't we all talk about one thing we appreciate about our dads? So I said about my dad, I said, well, the thing I appreciate about my dad, he was steady. He was faithful. He was consistent.
00:16:30
Speaker
And so then one of them in the room, I'm not going to say who, said, well, but what about the time you had the little gun that shoots those little plastic round bullets? And I said, yeah, there was that time. But in case you haven't heard that story, I was playing with one of my friends, maybe with my younger brother, and I was probably about eight years old.
00:16:51
Speaker
And I remember shooting and, you know, those little... gray plastic round bullets would go. I think it was called a ciccin gun, but I'm not sure. But anyway, I stepped into the living room at first to hide, and then I saw the best target of all.
00:17:05
Speaker
My dad had the paper and my dad had bushy eyebrows. I mean, they were like really thick and his eyebrows were just over the top of the paper. I couldn't see his eyes and he couldn't see me.
00:17:19
Speaker
But somehow my dad had instincts. I don't know where he got them, but he thought there's danger out there. So he lowers the paper and he looks at his son standing right there like that. And he said, Victor, don't do it. It was too late. I was already in the process of... So I saw the gray bullet go from my little pistol right to my dad's forehead. Perfect shot, you know, and I saw my dad's head kick backwards like that. And then I saw the paper go up in the air. And then I heard the sound of a belt coming out the loose.
00:17:51
Speaker
um And that's all I'm going to tell you about that. Well, all i want to tell you is it takes courage. You know, it takes courage when you're in a moment like that. But in Acts 4.13, Peter and John had courage.
00:18:05
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You know, there was a lot of people coming against their Christian faith. And you know what it says about them? Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, here's what it says they recognized.
00:18:17
Speaker
They recognized that they had been with Jesus. You know what? You hang out with Jesus and you'll have all the courage you need. Even despite the fears you may have inside, you'll say, you know what? I can do what needs to be done.
00:18:32
Speaker
I'm speaking into the life of a lot of men who are consistent, and I thank the Lord for that. But you know, if you were to look at the US Census Bureau's statistics, do you know how many children are being raised in a home without a dad?
00:18:48
Speaker
18.5 million children in the United States. Their dad said, for whatever reason, you know what, it's not worth it. I believe i'm I'm out of here. This is too much responsibility to responsibility for me so i'm leaving And I thought, oh my goodness, if we could only go back and find the courage that men like this, whatever challenge it is you're facing, that courage can be found in Christ.
Protection and Provision in Biblical Stories
00:19:13
Speaker
But let's go to the second mind mighty man. His name is Eleazar. He's a little more common than Joshua Bathsheba or Joshua Bathsheba. But anyway, I wanted to look at Eleazar. There's eight other men in the Bible with this same name.
00:19:30
Speaker
But Eleazar, think that name, if I'm not mistaken, i found it in my study. It says the name Eleazar means God has helped.
00:19:42
Speaker
God has helped. How did God help Eleazar? When his parents gave him that name, Eleazar, they were saying, someday, son, you're going to need help from almighty God.
00:19:55
Speaker
And so they said, we want you to have the help that comes from the Lord. I believe that this man was not only a valiant man, i believe Eleazar was valiant, but he was also vigilant.
00:20:07
Speaker
Are you vigilant, Dad? You know, a vigilant man stays when other guys run. Did you catch what happened in verse nine? says that Eleazar was there with the king, he's there with David, and suddenly everybody else starts running away.
00:20:23
Speaker
And he says, why why are you guys running? The king is right here. You know, why do we run from our families, our marriages? We should say, this is where God wants me to be.
00:20:34
Speaker
And so we're going to fight no matter what it takes. And that's being vigilant. I think the Lord can help us with that. But also a vigilant man serves, get this, even when he's tired.
00:20:47
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You ever get tired, Dad? I don't know all the different occupations that are represented across this room, but I would say they're really diverse. We don't all have the same kind of job.
00:20:58
Speaker
But no matter what kind of job you have and no matter what kind of responsibilities you have, I guarantee you there's times you feel tired. You know what? Eleazar felt tired. He did. he felt tired.
00:21:10
Speaker
It says until his hand was weary. He was so tired. He didn't want to be in the fight anymore. Maybe that's how you feel today. But you know what? It says also, and his hand clung to the sword.
00:21:26
Speaker
Hang on to the word of God. In the Bible, a sword is an emblem of scripture. And so I thought, okay, a vigilant man stays while others run. A vigilant man serves even when tired and a vigilant man sticks to the sword.
00:21:42
Speaker
In other words, he never relaxed his grip on the sword. His hand froze in that position. wonder if his when it was all over, it's like, hey, you can uh you can put it down now kind of like the time john mehan told about his dad in houston a man broke in his dad was waiting on him with a shotgun and he said you better hit the floor right now or i'm going to shoot you dead and the guy said put it down mister i'm getting down on the floor so he said i'm going to call the police and if you even flinch then you're a dead man. So he said, I'm not moving. I'm not moving. He's on the floor like this.
00:22:15
Speaker
And so anyway, he calls the police, the police get there. They arrest this man. And about that point after they're taking the man out of the door, you know, he's still looking back at Mr. Meehan.
00:22:27
Speaker
He said that the policeman says to Mr. Meehan, Mr. Meehan, you can let go of the shotgun now because he's still got it. I mean, he's still standing there. His eyes are on him all the way, you know, and the guy looks back and says, yeah, you better listen to them. You know, he's still got his gun on him. And then a policeman says, okay, we've got it now.
00:22:46
Speaker
And he said, oh, oh, sorry. He said, it's okay. didn't even have any shells in it anyway. And the guy said... The guy said, you lied to me. He said, you broke in my house, buddy. But anyway, it was like, whoa, this is a dangerous situation.
00:23:00
Speaker
But you know what? Don't let go of the scriptures. Hang on to the scriptures and they will bring strength into your life. They will also help you be vigilant. You know, the Oxford Dictionary defines vigilant as keeping careful watch for possible dangers or difficulties.
00:23:18
Speaker
Why once again did Eleazar, why was he so vigilant? Because he valued his king. He valued his king. Do you value your queen? Do you value the princes or the princesses that live in your house? You know, there's something that we should be on guard for in that sin.
00:23:37
Speaker
The world, the devil, they want to destroy our homes. Well, let's move not only noticing the valiant man and the vigilant man, but let's move to a third man. His name is Shammah. Shammah, he's, I believe, a vital man.
00:23:53
Speaker
In other words, you want him there. You want this kind of man like Shammah. You want him to be there. This is in verses 11 and 12. Do you know that God actually has a name that includes Shema in it?
00:24:08
Speaker
Yeah, he's called Jehovah Shema in the Hebrew Bible. Jehovah Shema, it means the Lord is there. Do you know the Lord is in your life? Well, here's the thing.
00:24:19
Speaker
Can you imagine when Shammah was born that his mom and dad are like, what you want to name him? I don't know. What do you want to name him? I don't know. Well, he is here. Well, why don't we call him there? So they called Shammah there, which means he's there.
00:24:35
Speaker
But why did God want Shammah there? You know, you're going to learn some things about Shammah where he defended this certain field. Why did you God want him there?
00:24:46
Speaker
Well, I think there's two reasons why he was there. And you would say, you know what? Those are the same two reasons God's put me in my family as a husband and as a father. He wanted him there first to protect.
00:25:00
Speaker
He wanted him there to protect. He took his stand in the midst of the plot and he defended it. We don't know what was on the other side of the field. What if his family was on the other side of the field?
00:25:11
Speaker
What if the king was on the other side of the field? We don't know what was on the other side of the field, but whatever it was, he said, you know what? I will protect them until my last breath. The other thing I thought was significant was it was a field of lentils, a field of beans.
00:25:27
Speaker
Have you ever said that somebody's not worth a hill of beans? Well, he felt like this is worth a hill of beans. But I just thought it's amazing that he stood there and he defended his post.
00:25:39
Speaker
Do you stand and defend your post? Do you stand there and say, I'm going to protect, but I'm also going to work hard to provide for what my family needs. You know, the Bible actually says in 1 Timothy 5.8 that if a man does not provide for his own family, he's worse than an unbeliever.
00:25:59
Speaker
Like there's something with God about working and we work to provide for our families. You know, the biblical admonition in New Testament, 2 Thessalonians 3, 6 through 15, is that we would move away from idleness and move in the direction of diligence.
00:26:20
Speaker
That's what God wants. Being a hardworking, industrious type person. Here's what it says in 2 Thessalonians 3, 6 through 15. One of the verses say that Paul worked hard,
00:26:34
Speaker
night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. He wasn't a loafer. I'm telling you he said, I'm going to work and pull my load and I'm going to take care of the family.
00:26:47
Speaker
Now, why would they fight for that land? I have another possible thing. I ran across a verse in Leviticus of all places. You know, when you're reading the Bible through, if you get in Leviticus, the only thing I know to say is just put your head down and just try to try to make it through there. It's tough.
00:27:05
Speaker
But one of the things in Leviticus 25, 23 may give us a clue. Here's what it says. The land, this is God talking, the land shall not be sold in perpetuity.
00:27:17
Speaker
for the land is mine." So maybe he's like, you know what? This belongs to God. You should say that about your wife. You should say that about your children. You should say that about your home. And you should say, you know what?
00:27:31
Speaker
This belongs to God. And I will stand here in this place and I will defend it as long as I have life and bread.
Power of Volunteering and Collaboration
00:27:42
Speaker
Well, a mighty man is also a voluntary man. I think we can see that in verses 15 and 16 and 17. Maybe you noticed this when I read through at the beginning, but it's filled with five names, right?
00:27:55
Speaker
But verses 15 and 16 and 17 doesn't tell us the five names. It doesn't give anyone's name. It just says that three men, the three men. I think it's referring to the three that we just read about.
00:28:09
Speaker
Nothing about those three men negative. It's just that what I thought was interesting is from verse 15, 16, and 17, there came a day when they said, my strength is not enough by myself.
00:28:21
Speaker
See, up to now, they've been fighting by themselves. But now the three men say, we're going to have to work together on this one. Men. I want you to know this community, this church, this country, we have to work together to accomplish a lot of great things.
00:28:38
Speaker
Will you be willing to volunteer to say, Lord, I'm going to use what you've given to me so that we can together take a stand? You know, I believe that a good volunteer based on verse 15 is a good listener.
00:28:51
Speaker
You know, sometimes people are not going to come to you and say, hey, here's what we need. No, you you've got to listen closely. And they overheard their king saying something that he wished he had.
00:29:03
Speaker
And that was all it took. They just overheard that need. But also a good volunteer is willing to sacrifice. You know how far it was for those three men from the cave of Adullam to Bethlehem would have been somewhere around 12 miles.
00:29:18
Speaker
Would you go 12 miles? Would you walk 12 miles to go and get somebody a drink of water? They were willing to sacrifice to that degree, but they also were willing to deny self.
00:29:30
Speaker
Jesus talked a lot about that, right? In verse 17, whenever they got back, it's like David was so humbled by what they did. He couldn't just sit there and drink that water in front of those men.
00:29:45
Speaker
Somehow he thought about the drink offerings that the priests would pour out slowly and they would pour it out to God. It was like an offering. And I think he said, God forbid that I should drink the blood of these men who at the risk of their lives brought me this water.
00:30:02
Speaker
And so he slowly poured it out. If would have been those guys that, hey, well, let's don't, why don't you save a little bit for yourself anyway? But he poured it all out. I know that a lot of times you've been sacrificing for your family, you've been sacrificed for a community, for your career, been sacrificing at church. And sometimes man doesn't notice.
00:30:25
Speaker
But here's something I want tell you from Nehemiah 3. I was in a seminary class when I was really young. And I remember Dr. Roy Fish saying, Nehemiah chapter three lists 38 people's names, 38 individual names that helped to rebuild a wall, helped restore gates. 42 different groups were named.
00:30:50
Speaker
They were all volunteers. No one got paid. I just thought to myself, oh, Lord, help me to be that kind of person. I don't have to get it in this life.
00:31:01
Speaker
I don't have to hear applause. I don't have to hear recognition. I don't have to receive payment. Just help me to be willing to do that which is right and to do it for you.
00:31:13
Speaker
Let me go to the fifth man. His name was Abishai. He was a member of the elite special forces team. The younger brother of David's general named Joab.
00:31:23
Speaker
I believe that this guy, Abishai, he was vigorous. There's nothing that was passive about it. You wouldn't sit there and just say he's passive. No, Abishai modeled effort in the fight.
00:31:36
Speaker
What does it say that he did? It says he wielded his spear. He lifted his spear. Have you ever lifted the the word of God? Have you ever lifted the weapons of our warfare spiritually that are given to us?
00:31:51
Speaker
Abishai modeled effort in the fight. Do you even resist? You know, the Bible says resist the devil and he will flee from you. But first we have to submit to God.
00:32:02
Speaker
Resist the devil and he will flee from us. think sometimes we're not resisting. Sometimes we're not even putting up a fight. We just lay right down and let him run right over us, but not Abishai.
00:32:13
Speaker
Abishai, he knew the enemy was, and so he modeled effort in the fight by lifting his spear. Abishai also exhibited engagement and responsibility.
00:32:25
Speaker
See, the facts are somebody had to face those 300 Philistines. And so Abishai said, I'm not gonna shirk my responsibility And so he went and took them on himself.
00:32:36
Speaker
He exhibited responsible living. Are you responsible? Or do you say, no, it's somebody else's job. Abishai earned respect. You know, it says he won a name among the three and he was the most renowned of the 30.
00:32:52
Speaker
People notice when you have character. People notice when you volunteer. People notice when you're vigorous and full of life and energy and people notice when you're not.
Benai's Story: Consistency and Character
00:33:05
Speaker
So we should say, God, help me to be a man full of life. I have life in Christ. You know what I thought was really interesting too is that Abishai in 2 Samuel 21 verses 15 through 17, which would be before this passage here, Abishai, you know what he did?
00:33:24
Speaker
When David got older, he got a little bit slower in his reaction times. And he's fighting one of Goliath's kinfolk named Ishbi Benob. He was a giant too.
00:33:35
Speaker
And so that guy, Ishbi Benob, he was about to kill the king. But you know who stepped in there at just the right moment? Abishai. And Abishai said, you will not take my king.
00:33:47
Speaker
And so I thought, wow, that is a God who's willing to step in there and be vigorous and use his energy and his life to fight. The last of the mighty men that's mentioned here is Benai.
00:34:01
Speaker
Benai, he's a mighty man that is a big ah victorious man. He's victorious because he wins. You know, if you look at the things that are written about him, every one of these he won.
00:34:14
Speaker
He was not a loser. You know, a man named F.W. Borham wrote this about Benai in these words that are before us. He said, you know, Benai met the worst of enemies enemies, a lion. Can you think of a worse enemy than a lion?
00:34:29
Speaker
He met the worst of enemies in the worst of places. Let's say that you've got to face a lion. Would you want to be with the lion down in a pit? but also under the worst of circumstances on a snowy day.
00:34:43
Speaker
It's like, oh man, I can't stand up. My fingers are frozen. You know, everything's slippery. But you know what? He still did it. I like what Pastor Tony Evans said long ago. I heard him say this one time.
00:34:56
Speaker
He said, I want to live in victory in Jesus Christ so much. that in the mornings, the enemy sees me get up and the enemy says, watch out, he's up. you know And it's like, oh no, he's up.
00:35:11
Speaker
But you know what? Benai was a winner because of three things. I believe he was coachable. You see, most of the benays in this world, they didn't do that all by themselves.
00:35:24
Speaker
Usually there was a dad in there, right? There was a dad. And dad, I encourage you to teach your kids to be victorious. Teach them to be vigilant. Teach them to be ah you know victorious and and all of these things full of vigor.
00:35:39
Speaker
But it says, and Benai, the son of Jehoiada, was a valiant man of Kabzeel. Hmm. I believe he was coached by his dad.
00:35:49
Speaker
He was also consistent in his life. He was consistent. It says that he was a doer. great deeds. He was a doer of great deeds.
00:36:00
Speaker
But then the last thing is he was such a man of character. Here's the kind of God that Benai was. King David said, you know what? I want you to be over my bodyguard.
00:36:11
Speaker
I want you because when you're in charge, I can lay my head down at night and sleep knowing that me and my family were safe. That was Benai.
00:36:22
Speaker
I don't know what Benai looked like. I have no idea, but I know what his name means. You know what Benai means? It means the Lord has built. The Lord has built. There's some men in this church, I wouldn't take them on. You know, it was like, the Lord made them differently. He built them differently that he built me.
00:36:41
Speaker
You know, i heard one of them who's a firefighter. He's a very big guy. And he said that vi because he hurt his ankle around the fire station, now they're calling him Cinderella. If you know who I'm talking about, I wouldn't call him Cinderella if I was you. you know Because maybe he would be slower, but if he ever got a hold of you, it'd be over. you know Just don't mess with him. No, he's he's got a great heart.
00:37:04
Speaker
But you know what? Whatever God has done for you, say, Lord, help me use it for you. That's kind of where I wanted to end, you know. You know, in that that parallel passage, 1 Chronicles 11, it talks about the same mighty men, the same heroic deeds,
00:37:22
Speaker
as what we just looked at. But you know, it leaves one verse out. It's 1 Chronicles 11, 9. And I thought it was so significant, I wanted to read it as we come to the conclusion of the message.
00:37:34
Speaker
Here's what it says in 1 Chronicles 11, 9. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him. That's why, that's why he became greater and greater.
00:37:48
Speaker
The Lord was with him. You know, God's looking for men in 2025 who will align their lives with him, who will serve in his kingdom, who will live for his glory.
Conclusion: Personal Commitment to God
00:38:01
Speaker
Ezekiel talked about it in Ezekiel 22, 30. And I saw for a man among them who should build up the wall, should stand in the breach before me for the land that I should not destroy it.
00:38:12
Speaker
But sadly, listen to what he said, but I found none. Sometimes God looks for a man and he can't find one. But then Jeremiah 5, 1, he's still looking. He says, run to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem.
00:38:25
Speaker
Look and take notes. Search her square to see if you can find ah man, one who does justice and seeks truth that I may pardon her.
00:38:37
Speaker
You know, Jesus gives us a promise in the New Testament of what he can do in our lives. It's found in 2 Corinthians 2.14. Thanks to be to God who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.
00:38:56
Speaker
Do you know that everywhere you go, everywhere I go, we can be a fragrance of victory if we're surrendering our lives to Christ? You know, 1 Chronicles 11.10 says, now these the chiefs of David's mighty men.
00:39:10
Speaker
now these are the chiefs of david's mighty men who gave him strong support in his kingdom together with all Israel to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
00:39:25
Speaker
Would you be willing to say, I'm gonna use every ounce of strength I have, every skill that God has given me, I'm gonna use it to serve King Jesus. I'm gonna use it to lift up the kingdom of God, to to be in battle for God's kingdom.
00:39:41
Speaker
you know, I believe that Jesus can make you a mighty man A mighty man who is valiant for truth, who is vigilant for your family, who's vital to the community, who's voluntary for the kingdom, who's vigorous in the work, and who is victorious through Christ.
00:39:58
Speaker
That's what's available. So I wanted to give an opportunity for us to respond to what God has said. So why don't the musicians come and they'll take their places. Why don't the rest of you stand, if you will.
00:40:09
Speaker
i want to lead us in a prayer and I'll be waiting down front if there's a decision that you need to make. Are you on the king's team? Are you one of the king's mighty men?
00:40:20
Speaker
Speaking of Jesus Christ, have you ever said, Lord, I'm going follow you. going to give you everything I've got. Let's pray together. Lord, thank you so much for this time to look into your word. I pray that you would speak to our hearts and draw us that we would be sold out for Jesus Christ, wholehearted. Because in another passage, you did say that the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support The one whose heart is completely his.
00:40:48
Speaker
Lord, it begins with us completely giving you our heart. So may we do that during this time of invitation when we sing, I surrender all. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
00:41:05
Speaker
This is a ministry of First Baptist Church located at 1700 Milam Street, Columbus, Texas.