Choosing Not To Fight | Pastor Jentezen Franklin

[Applause] [Music] lord we bless you this morning hallelujah glory to his name glory to his name [Music] [Applause] i'll fill that one down in my soul hallelujah you may be seated praise the mighty name of jesus isn't god good i'm going today to second samuel chapter 15. ii samuel chapter 15. and i feel like i've got a word from the lord today i want to talk to you about a story in second samuel 15 that is very rare relevant to our times and you'll see in a moment verse 14. so david said to his servants who were with him at jerusalem arise let us flee for we shall not escape from absalom make haste to depart lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us and strike the city with the edge of the sword notice what his thinking is about strike the city with the completely destroy the city and the king's servant said to the king we're your servants and we're ready to do whatever the lord the king commands then i want to skip over to verse 23 and when all the country wept with a loud voice and all the people crossed over the king himself also crossed over the brook kidron all the people crossed over by the way of the wilderness and there was zadok also and the levites with him bearing the ark of the covenant of god and they set down the ark of god and abathar went up into the people had finished crossing over the city then the king said to zadok carry the ark back into the city if i find favor in the eyes of the lord he will bring me back and show me both it and his dwelling place but if he says thus i have no delight in you here i am let him do with me that seems good to him verse 14 is particularly what i'm focusing in on he says we need to make haste and depart the latter part of that verse lest he strike the city with the edge of the sword i want to talk to you about choosing not to fight choosing not to fight because that's exactly what was taking place in this text david was king of israel absalom his own son everybody say it's family his own son is decided to attack and overtake and reveal and overtake his father's kingdom the nation of israel and the city of jerusalem and in that moment david has to make a decision and the bible said he said to his servants we're going to leave we're going to we're going to walk out of here we're going to get out of here and they said we'll do whatever you tell us to do if you want to fight we'll fight if you want to give it up we'll give it up you just tell us what to do and he said we need to leave lest he smite the city with the edge of the sword i want to clearly state that i believe that god knows exactly what he's doing in the world today i believe in the sovereignty of god just like david david said it's his kingdom and if he wants me to have it i'll have it if he doesn't want me to have it i don't want it and he said we're going to leave because what's important is the city of zion a picture of the church a picture of the kingdom what's important is not what i want or what you want but look at the big picture it's the kingdom and he said he wants to destroy the city i don't want innocent bystanders to be destroyed i don't want blood in the streets when you understand that god is sovereign that men come and go but god is sovereign when you understand that he makes no mistakes the bible said his his righteousness is he is righteous in all of his ways in all of his ways he's right whether you understand it or not the bible said in romans that the carnal mind cannot discern the things of the spirit that off all you do is made up your mind how god must act and what he must do and how he must do it you will never understand that god's ways are not your ways god's thoughts are not your thoughts and we need to take soulless in the fact that god is sovereign and completely in control in our world and in our nation and in our life loved god and because he loved god he loved everything that god loved he loved the word he loved the people of god he loved the house of god he loved the city of god zion jerusalem he loved everything that god loved because his love was first for god if you don't love god first you don't love the things you're supposed to love the people of god your brothers and your sisters the church the kingdom the word the worship of god's house fall in love with god that's what david did the thing that impresses me about david two things greatly impressed me about david number one he never worshiped idols he made a lot of mistakes he did a lot of bad things but he never worshiped any other god he said there's one god and i know who he is and i'll never worship even when i fail and i fall i'm coming back to that god and he never worshipped an idol the second thing that impresses me about david is he refused to ever raise his sword against his own brothers and sisters and flesh and blood when i think about david i think about the fact that he's a warrior so this couldn't have been easy for him to just walk away from the throne room and walk away from being king it couldn't have been easy it had to be everything instinctively inside of him he was a fighter he said in first samuel 17 i fought a bear i fought a lion on another occasion and i just want to teach this for a minute the baron the lion were a threat to his family welfare because he was guarding the sheep and that was the family business and the lion came to hurt the family welfare and the bear came to to take away the family welfare and he fought the bear and the lion and slew them and then there came a time in the same chapter when he fought goliath and goliath was a war that he fought for the national warfare of the nation and the welfare of the nation we're so worried about the nation but we're losing the battle against the lion and the bear in our own home we have to remind ourselves that it's not the white house that decides how much god i'm gonna have in my life it is what's going on in my house and if i'm not fighting the bear in the line in my own house how can i dare think that we're going to defeat the goliath on a national level he was a warrior he fought bears and lions and giants it was his instinct he was surrounded with trained killers god even said he's such a bloody man i won't let him build my temple he knew how to fight he had fought many armies he had fought the bravest and strongest and mightiest armies in the world and defeated them hands down but now there comes a time when against all instinct david is moved on by the spirit of the lord and he says this time i choose not to fight this time i choose to advocate the throne and i choose to go with what god is telling me to do and i don't feel like i'm supposed to fight this time i feel like that that there will be innocent bystanders he will strike the city with a sword and there will be many many many many blood in the streets a civil war will happen so i'm going to put it in the hands of god the real david is revealed in second samuel 15 because the real david revealed his love for the city i don't want him to smite the city of god i choose not to fight i don't want the church that city of god zion to be wiped out so i've got to stop fighting at some point and choose not to fight for a greater end i love god's kingdom so much i love god's people so much i love god so much that he gave his son for the world and i've got to get the big picture here he couldn't let his own personal feelings cause him to fight when he needed to choose not to fight nobody had defended the city and blessed it more than david history records this he's the one that took it from the jebusites he's the one that came up the gutter and defeated and took those mighty walls and those cities that city on seven hills he took it and for him now to not fight and defend it see sometimes god will ask you to choose not to fight this is gonna mess with you in a minute he'll ask you to choose not to fight even when you've got a right to fight even when in your mind you think you're right to fight and you think that you are on solid ground to fight but god said to david you might have a right and nobody's defended the city more nobody's enlarged and prospered the city more than you nobody's done more for the city to this day it's known as the city of david and yet why would somebody who god himself said is to be named the city of david jerusalem where my son will bleed and die i want it called the city why would he walk away from it because he's teaching us a bible principle that there comes times in life when the spirit will move on you and say i don't want you to choose fighting now because there are those on the sidelines who will be smitten with the sword you may survive and you might even win but the price and the cost is too high absalom had trumpeters running through the streets read the bible blowing trumpets announcing he was king he had a pr thing going pretty much saying i'm taking over david's position was one of where he could have stood and probably successfully fought and won but he said i will not stay and fight if i do there will be blood in the streets there will be a civil war that will break out and in order listen to it to preserve the city of god i'll let my ego die right here he understood a powerful principle and listen i understand where we are and this can be interpreted this sermon a lot of ways i am not talking about the president the present condition nor the president or vice president or anybody else i'm talking about in our church and in our families we're in contentions and fights sometimes that are going on between brothers and sisters and spiritual family and even our physical families and there comes times where you have to make a choice not to fight anymore it's not worth it here's my here's my sermon in a sentence david made a decision not to fight in order to preserve the city and there are times you have to make a decision not to fight even when you think you're right even when you think they're wrong even when you've got people who will tell you how right you are and how wrong they are it doesn't matter do you love them do you love your family do you love people do you love them if you love them at some point you stop fighting and you start embracing and saying i love you and we've got to preserve the church preserve our family preserve our marriage at some point you got to stop fighting he was more concerned about the preservation and health of the city of jerusalem that jerusalem at all costs must stay intact too much good is coming out of that salvation is going to come out of that city prophecies are going to be fulfilled out of that city jesus is going to rule and reign one day from that city i can't just let that city be destroyed cause my ego is hurt much more how much more should we for the house of god be willing to put aside our personal feelings and say i don't want injury and suffering to come to people who are looking for christ while the church has a civil war the devil would love nothing more as powerful as free chapel has been all the miracles that we've seen in 30 years and before that even before i got here 30 years ago but look at what god has done with this church and all of our campuses and around the world we we have touched the globe for the glory of god and the devil would love nothing more than to take a wedge and drive it between brothers and sisters and a church that has modeled we haven't talked the talk we've walked the walk we are a church that honors people and we don't care what color what skin what economic background you have how much you're worth or how we don't care we've always been there let's not let the enemy drive a wedge in now the church is needed more than ever before people are dying oh odin all around us while we in little squabbles i have a license to do what i'm doing i got a card that says i'm licensed to do it's called pastoring a church you don't have a little you don't have a a a little uh hired hand up here you don't pay me enough money to pastor this church if god i feel exactly like david god if you want it take it i never put myself here but as long as i'm here i'm gonna tell you there's a law that's greater than anything else if you're a christian i'm a christian above a being american i'm more a christian than i am an american i'm more christian than i am white or black or hispanic i'm more christian and by this shall all men know that you're my disciples that you have love one for another and no greater love has any man than to lay down his life for his brothers and his sisters this is what this book [Applause] teaches david could have said i could win this fight he could have let his lust for revenge him to bring greater division than israel had ever faced david was not one to run from the fight but he was doing what he was doing to preserve the city every now and then we have to come to a place that we realize that there's something more important than our personal feelings are more important than our personal agendas this is not about me and quite frankly this is not about you he died on a cross for you and for me he shed his blood and the last thing we ought to be doing in this critical hour the last thing that we ought to be doing in church is picking up our swords and using them on each other when the world needs a church like it's never needed one before the truth is we all have an agenda and we need to humble ourselves i've watched friendships of many years between people suffer injury because of disagreements in politics shame on us all i can absolutely disagree with you and not agree with anything in the world that you agree in on politics and vice versa with me and that should have nothing to do with my love my concern my compassion my genuine pure heart of love and concern for you as my brother and my sister david asked a question when the army was not on the battlefield he said is there not a cause is there not a cause greater than our differences and our squabbles and our fights is there not a cause david said if i don't leave he will smite the city with the edge of a sword and i'm afraid that some of us have been using the sword against our own brothers and sisters simon peter was in the garden of gethsemane do you remember that story and the bible said the high priest came somebody who was religious and simon peter had pride that he was so religious and when they came to arrest jesus he took his sword and he swung and he wasn't swinging and aiming for the ear he was aiming for the head he missed and just got the ear and jesus reached down and picked the ear up and put it back on supernaturally and then he rebuked peter and he said you have the right doctrine but the wrong spirit it's possible to have the right doctrine and have the wrong spirit and he said put your sword away simon peter for if you live by the sword you will die by the sword i i'm just going to preach right here i feel like the lord is speaking and he's saying to the body of christ put your sword in the sheave you're not supposed to be attacking one another and unfollowing one another and disconnecting and i'll go to my camp and you go to your camp i refuse that i refu i choose not to fight i choose to love by listen there love god with all of your heart and love your neighbor as yourself and you fulfill all the love you know what he was saying when he said put your sword away you ought not to be cutting up somebody you disagree and i've with i i hadn't i hadn't put a shank in anybody but boy you've been cutting on online unfollow unfollow people you've known for years people you've worshipped with for years i'm telling you the lord messed me up with this one right here don't you forget this line right here this story teaches us when he said put your sword away it teaches us that there are some battles teaches us that there are some battles that don't take a sword to win it takes a crucifixion sometimes you don't win by fighting and cutting everybody sometimes you god allows you to go through a crucifixion and you die to your pride and you die to your ego and you die to your opinion and your will and your way the thing that blessed me about this story more than anything else is as david was leaving on his own because it was the best for for the city that he loved the church that he loved you can leave but notice the spirit in which he leaves zadok and the levites brought the ark of the covenant after all he was the man who you remember he's the one who brought it back to the church he's the man who trained musicians and and singers to get he's the one that rolled the the tent up and and said everybody come he's the one that built a magnificent house of worship and it was all about the presence of god in the ark of the covenant and so they just assumed well if he's leaving then pick up the glory the glory is leaving the church with him and when your spirit is if i leave then bless god that place can go to hell ah god ain't there god that place bless you that place when your spirit is when i leave i want the glory to leave i want the anointing to leave i want the presence to leave i hope the worship falls to pieces i hope the church goes under number one it ain't gonna never go under because it's built on the rock but but here's the thing i have no agenda except i'm preaching the truth right now and i hear the lord saying preach it i want to get some little attitudes and just tweak them and make them just like me instead of just like somebody else because when you leave and you want something to be destroyed and watch david's spirit no bitterness no bitterness watching he could have said yeah bring the ark of the covenant because wherever that box goes that god box victory goes prosperity goes it's leaving he said no send it back and even if i can't go there for a while i'll just say this to god god if you favor me you'll let me go back and if you don't listen to this man this is the real david he could have fought in one but he's got such a spirit of humility of there is a cause that is greater than me and he was the king his ego was in check and he says but god if if you don't favor me and i don't go back my life is in your hands in other words so many words not my will but thine be done i don't understand everything but i know you're sovereign and i love you and the bible said he sent the ark of the covenant back what kind of spirit do you have is there not a cause i'm almost done but absalom had an ambition for the throne david was anointed for the throne and you know the story don't you ambition will always be conquered by the anointing there's a lot of people who have unsanctified ambition in the church they want a position so bad and they don't care who they kill and who they slay and how bad they hurt the church if they don't get it i'm blessed god get the ark of that covenant where's my purse i'm out of here can we get some mature believers who understand there's something a little bit bigger going on around here than my ego souls are being saved lives are being changed the anointing always supersedes ambition you know why i believe david could leave because when god's anointed you for something and somebody ambitious is trying to take it from you he knew he's not anointed for that nobody is going to get what god's anointing me to do i may go through a setback i may not be in that position for a while but if i'll humble myself and keep the right spirit god will guide my life where right where i'm anointed to be you know what happened a few days later he was out riding on a horse or a donkey and his hair got this ambitious man his hair got caught in a tree and he was hanging by the tree and it just so happened that joab the chief army commander and assassin of king david came up on him and he said target practice and took three darts and shot him while he was hanging by his hair from a tree and david comes back now he's going right back he could have fought and left the city devastated and untold damage but now in god's time the things we fight over that if we trust god i'm not saying you don't take a stand i'm not saying you don't stand up but there comes a time where it becomes more negative and detrimental to keep fighting so let me bring it right home i'm almost done i promise but i got to finish with this the lord spoke to my heart and he said just like just like david didn't want that holy city jerusalem to be smitten with the sword tell families it's time to choose not to fight be careful how you treat your wife be careful how you treat your husband be careful how you treat your children be careful you may be right you may be right on the issue but there has to come a moment if you want peace and you don't want innocent bystanders like grandchildren and children husbands wives moms dad teenagers there comes a time when you have to choose not to fight it's not worth smiting my family i love my family i love my children i love my home i love my wife i love my i love that why would i just stand there and fight just to prove to everybody how right i am and wrong they are what a fool you are don't smite your household parents provoke not your children to wrath in other words there's a point where you may be telling the truth but you cross over into something that's not necessary let the holy spirit do it love them a son often reproached hardens his neck one translation said puts up a wall if all you do is go yeah yeah yeah yeah to your children there comes a moment that that they just put up a wall the city is more valuable than your feelings and your ego and your personal agenda david said is there not a cause and so today i want us to examine our hearts because we're going to have communion go in this little talk and has it gotten a hold of your heart has it gotten into your spirit are you ready to choose not to fight with people are you ready to reach out and say we can disagree and still love one another and i refuse i refuse to let the devil get a wedge between my brothers and my sisters i'm putting my sword up and jesus said this is communion comes from the word common union common union what do we have common what do we have in common common union the cross the blood the name of jesus and that's the main thing that's worth preserving common union he said as often as you do this you remember me the opposite of the word remembers to dismember so when the body of christ we are the body of christ the church is the body of christ and when the body of christ is mad at each other and offended at each other not communicating and being with each other and refuse to see each other even because we don't see eye to eye on on things he says when you come to this meal listen to what he said in in the book of corinthians he said in first corinthians 11 for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you do it you proclaim the death of the lord until he comes therefore anyone who eats his bread drinks this cup unworthy in a manner that is unworthy will be guilty of the blood and the body he said therefore let a man who drinks this unworthily manner eats and drinks judgment to himself and it said in verse 28 so let a man examine himself before you take this meal there's a strong warning from paul to don't do this casually if you're offended if you're hurt if you're angry if you're bitter he said examine your heart and confess that and get right and love everybody so stand to your feet at every campus the pastors are coming but we're going to have communion together and those of you online get some bread get some juice and join us on this communion because i believe the healing is going to take place in families in marriages their their the word of the lord is don't let the enemy smite your marriage don't let the enemy smite your relationship with your children and your grandchildren ask god for a miracle of common union through the communion meal how many of you would like to see god heal some relationships let me see your hand how many of you would like to see god remove the sword out of your hand and put it up and instead use you as a bridge into somebody's life that you love and care about this is my body which is broken for you take eat this do in remembrance of me until i come take the bread eat it [Music] this is the blood it's the blood of atonement it's the blood on our households it's the blood on our marriages our family our children how many of you choose not to fight anymore let me see your hand say god i make a conscious decision to be kind is to be holy [Music] say that with me everybody to be kind is to be holy when i'm not kind i am not holy and if i'm supposed to love my brothers and my sisters and i'm not doing that how can i love my enemies well so and so they don't even believe this and they don't even believe that and they don't even stand if you can't love your brothers and your sisters and your own flesh and blood and and people in the kingdom who believe in jesus how are you going to love your enemies let's wash it in the blood are you ready let's put the blood on our house and on our church take drink this due in remembrance of me until i come [Music] now would you set that down and would you lift up your hands and would you pray one more prayer behind me just set it down and lift up your hands and say lord jesus make us one in the garden you prayed make them one so forgive me as i forgive others in the same measure that i forgive others i will be forgiven my offenses so right now heal me and heal broken relationships and lord preserve this church and preserve our families and preserve our marriages and preserve your kingdom and let the church be the church triumphant pray this forgive me wash me cleanse me in jesus name now receive this blessing everybody put your face mask on and for the sake of your neighbors and people all around you it's a kind thing to do [Music] how many of you receive this word today it's the truth and it'll set you free it'll set you free you know what i'm gonna go home and i'm gonna watch the same news you watch but i have made up my mind since god really got a hold of me and he said you don't let that stuff determine anything in your life that you see this and that you're gonna see a lot more before jesus comes i'm gonna keep my focus on what matters and that is jesus how about you and now may the lord bless you and keep you make his face shine on you be gracious unto you lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace and protection and prosperity and blessing we love you so much love one another and listen don't forget to give this week give online there's giving stations outside be faithful to god's house make preserve god's house david loved and gave to the house of god and i want to encourage you to do it this week don't neglect it don't forget it god will bless those who bless the house of god with your tithe with your offering thank you be blessed we love you all go in the name of the lord if you pray the prayer of salvation you want to know how to go deeper go by the kingdom connection lounge or the connection lounge and back there there's free material and bibles and things that'll help you get you in a small group and tell you what's next next steps are powerful be blessed we love you have a great week hey everyone thanks so much for joining us here today at free chapel we hope that you were encouraged by today's message but before we leave if you gave your heart to the lord today we simply ask that you would text the word amen to 31 31 31 we have a team here that's ready to follow up with you walk alongside you as you continue to seek the lord in your own life but not only that if you are not a part of a local congregation or local church we invite you to be a part of our online campus you can go through the very simple steps by going to freechapel.org forward slash online and we would love for you to be a part of this congregation on a consistent basis but lastly if you have not yet taken your next steps we invite you to join us you can sign up at freechapel.org as well and we would love to invite you to join in on what god is doing through this ministry take you through a four week systematic process that just gets you integrated into the heart and culture of our church we love you so much let us know how we can pray for you and we will see you next sunday morning you

Channel: Free Chapel

Views: 118,988

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Keywords: Free Chapel, Jentezen Franklin, Choosing Not To Fight, Spiritual Growth, Faith

Id: UXPv73Syssc

Length: 39min 28sec (2368 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 15 2020