GraceLife Sarasota

Few things are more discouraging than facing once again, a battle you thought was finally behind you. You prayed, asked for help, and made difficult changes. God carried you, & it really seemed like the battle was over. Suddenly, you’re standing in the same valley, facing the same enemy, asking yourself, “Why am I back here?” When a familiar enemy returns like that, it can make you question everything that happened before. “Was that victory even real? Did I misunderstand what God was doing? Is my faith failing? Has God let me down?” We tend to believe that if God really gives us victory, we should never have to fight that same battle again. But is that actually the kind of victory God has promised His people? What kind of victory is it when the enemy returns, and yesterday’s breakthrough becomes today’s battle? Our passage today is remarkably honest about that. It may not answer every question about why the enemy returns. But it will show us what… that another battle does not erase God’s previous grace, and where to turn to when the enemy attacks again.

It’s natural for Christians to assume that if things are going well, we must be doing well spiritually. But what if success can tell the truth about one part of your life while hiding the truth about another? What if everything can appear to be going right around you while something is going terribly wrong within you? When life begins falling apart, consequences have a way of getting our attention. Failure forces us to ask hard questions. But success can convince us that because one area of life is flourishing, everything inside us must be healthy. When people are concerned about us, we’re more likely to examine ourselves. We rarely examine ourselves when everyone is congratulating us. That’s what makes today’s passage unsettling. Everything in David’s life looks successful. But tucked inside all that success is an enemy David has not defeated an enemy growing within his own heart. So, what do the apparent blessings in David’s life actually prove? Does visible success mean God approves of everything happening within us? Can we be winning battles everyone else sees while losing a battle no one else knows we are fighting? This passage will show us why we need more than David’s strength, courage, or success. We need a better King.

Some of the most important moments in our lives happen when we finally stop resisting what has always been true. You know the kind of moment I mean. It wasn’t that you received new information; you finally admitted what you knew was already true. For some, admitting an addiction controlling you, a relationship destroying you, a path you had chosen taking you somewhere you did not want to go, or that you’re the one who needs to apologize. The truth did not change at that moment. What changed was your posture toward the truth. You stopped defending, denying, and making excuses, and finally acknowledged what had been true all along. That’s what happens in 2 Sam 5, when God’s people finally come to the king they spent years resisting. Could we be like them when it comes to Jesus? Knowing the gospel, believing the Bible, understanding Christian doctrine, and calling Jesus King. But has knowing the truth about Him changed your posture toward Him? There’s a big difference between knowing who the King is & actually belonging to His kingdom. How do we move from knowing what God says about the King to saying, “You are my King”?

We often measure our value by our usefulness. What can I accomplish? What can I contribute? How badly am I needed? That can happen at work, in our families, in recovery, even in church. Without realizing it, we start believing that being useful is the same thing as being faithful. But are they always the same? Most of us want to feel valuable. We want to know our work matters, and that somebody important notices. Is it possible to accomplish something important while completely misunderstanding the person you claim to serve? Can you do something in Jesus’ name and still completely misunderstand Jesus? That’s where 2 Samuel 4 takes us. Two men travel all night, convinced they have solved what they believe is David’s greatest problem, & proving their usefulness to his kingdom. Apparently, it never occurs to them David might see what they’ve done very differently. The question in this story is, did these men understand what the King wanted?” Maybe more uncomfortably, what do we believe our King wants from us?

How often do you look at something another Christian did and think, “How can somebody who claims to follow Jesus act like that?” Maybe it was hypocrisy. Bitterness. Revenge. Abuse of power. Often, one of the hardest things about Christianity isn’t Jesus’ teachings. It’s Christians who act nothing like Him. We believe Jesus changes people, right? Yes! We believe He gives us new hearts, teaches us to love our enemies, forgive people who hurt us, pursue holiness, and increasingly become more like Him. So why can people who belong to a righteous King still behave so unrighteously? If I gave everyone a piece of paper and asked you to write one name down of someone like that, who would you write? But don’t get too comfortable thinking that question is only about everybody else. What about your own actions? How often do you have to ask, “How can I genuinely love Jesus and still sometimes think, speak, react, hold grudges, seek control, and treat people in ways that look nothing like Jesus?” Today’s story shows us just how deep that problem really goes. David is finally king. The right king is on the throne. But something is terribly wrong inside his kingdom. And what God shows us through this sad, violent story reveals what each of us still desperately needs from our King.

Can we trust God’s promise without trying to control it? Have you ever asked God to do something, then immediately started trying to make sure He does it your way? You pray for His will but already have a timetable in mind. You trust Him with the outcome but still feel responsible for controlling the process, you believe He will keep His promises but subconsciously demand He do it in a way that makes sense to you. And when His way begins threatening the future you imagine, trust can quickly turn into management. Most of us would never say we want to control God. It usually looks much more respectable than that. We call it planning, wisdom, responsibility, or even faith. Sometimes it is. But sometimes our plans reveal that we trust God’s promises but struggle to trust God’s process. That’s what we see in Abner. He knows God’s promise. He can explain it, quote it, & persuade other people to believe it. But he still acts as though the promise needs his power, his timing, his influence, and his management. But Chapter 3 begins by showing us that God’s promise is already moving before Abner does anything. It describes a long war between David’s and Saul’s house. David’s house is growing stronger while Saul’s kingdom is declining. Yet even as David’s house expands, the list of his wives & sons in verses 1–5 reveals not everything growing in David’s kingdom is healthy.

We usually assume the greatest threats to Christ’s kingdom come from outside the church, from unbelief, persecution, false teaching, or the values of the world. But some of the deepest damage to Christ’s kingdom happens when people inside it begins building little kingdoms of their own. I’ve seen disagreements inside a church become far more destructive than the issue that started them ever deserved. Many churches struggle with the problem of little kingdoms. Someone with lots of money and thinks he’s indispensable to the church. Someone who’s overseen something for years, like maybe missions, or music, or the building, it could be anything. But they think they own that part of the church. These little kingdoms can divide a church with strife and power. This leads to protecting territory, gathering allies, defending their reputation, and needing to win. Before long, brothers & sisters who supposedly serve the same King begin treating one another like competitors. We can sincerely love Jesus, serve His church, & know our Bibles, but still be tempted to use opportunities within His kingdom to pursue our own little kingdom. That’s what makes today’s passage so uncomfortable. Abner, Joab, and Asahel are all involved in the battle for Israel’s kingdom, but each man is also pursuing something personal. When they finally stop, brothers are dead, bitterness is deeper, & nobody is a winner. This passage forces us to ask: Are we serving Christ’s kingdom, or secretly building little kingdoms within it?

Almost every organization says, “People are our greatest priority.” Businesses say it, governments, sports teams… churches. But you usually discover the truth when caring for people begins to interfere with an organization’s success. What happens when protecting someone becomes expensive? When patience slows down the progress of the mission? When wounded people become burdens? When doing what is best for them threatens the goals, reputation, or future of the institution? That is when the slogans disappear and the real priorities become visible. Because it is possible to believe deeply in an important mission while slowly sacrificing the very people that mission was supposed to serve. It is possible to defend the right cause while treating people in ways that contradict the heart of that cause. We assume that belonging to the right side automatically means we are operating in the right way. This passage asks a painful question: What happens when the right cause is pursued w/the wrong kingdom’s methods & who pays the price?

One of the most frustrating things about following Jesus is when the wrong kingdom appears to be winning. It seems to have more people, more influence, more freedom, more power, more options. And if we’re honest, that can be confusing. We believe Jesus is King, that He reigns. His Kingdom is now, but also not yet. We look around & see how active the kingdom of darkness is. It’s loud, attractive, & powerful. The world still pressures us to follow its values, worship its idols, chase its promises, and trust its version of life. It’s easy to wonder, if God’s King is truly on the throne, why does the wrong kingdom still have so much influence? It’s the question many in Judah were asking in 2 Sam 2. David is finally king. The promise God made years earlier is finally being fulfilled. But almost immediately, another kingdom rises in opposition. Another king is installed. Another throne competes for Israel’s loyalty. The question was no longer “Will David become king?” That question has been answered. The question now is, “What happens when God’s true king reigns, but rival kingdoms still remain?” That is the world David steps into. It’s the world Christians live in today.