This is the Sunday night sermon for Sunday, August 31st, 2008.

LIDS PART 2

In this series entitled, “lids,” we are comparing both Saul and David and the lids they had in their lives and how they reacted.

As a Pastor, it can be easy to compare myself with other Pastors that I know. When I meet another Pastor and we begin talking, I’m always asking them questions, really probing their minds and hearts, to see if I can find anything that I can learn. You see, I’m not satisfied in my ability to Pastor. I know I’ve got a lot of growing and maturing to do in it.

At the same time, I cannot compare myself with other modern Pastors. If I do this, then I can become down because defining success is man’s ways of doing things, not God’s.

I don’t know how many of you do this or not, comparing your Christian walk, or maybe your personal life, or your leadership life with another believer. This is something that we should not do, because defining success by comparing yourself with others can be really false in its representation.

Paul says a little something about comparing with one another.

2 Corinthians 10:12b ESV – But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.

Paul was talking about those who were complaining about Paul and his ministry. They were saying that his letters were strong and weighty in wording, but when Paul appeared before them, he was small and weak. Paul said that he would be strong just like his letters and those who were complaining shouldn’t be comparing themselves with one another, or I believe even Paul himself. By so doing they show that they are truly without understanding.

We do have a comparison of people that we can use through Scripture, and that is Saul and David, which we are using in this series.

As we study in series on lids and before we look into the life of Saul and David again, let us all remember this one fact: Every person and potential leader has lids.

Let us pray before we begin our study tonight.

1. The lids that limited Saul.

A. Let’s first look at the result of what happened to Saul
because he refused to take ownership of his lids. It is rather sad.

1 Samuel 13:13-14 ESV – 13 And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 14 But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”

B. Here are a few lids that Saul had that he never dealt with. You can read the passages in 1 Samuel concerning the life and difficulties of Saul.

• Fear. He began his reign hiding among the equipment, and he was also afraid to face Goliath.
• Impatience. He refused to wait for Samuel and presumed upon God by taking matters into his own hands when he offered the sacrifice that was to be presented only by a priest.
• Denial. After Samuel told Saul that he’d been rejected as king, Saul continued as though all was well.
• Impulsiveness. He was reckless and rashly made an oath that almost cost him the life of his son, Jonathan.
• Deceit. He used his daughter Michal as a bribe by offering her in marriage to David if he would fight the Philistines, but Saul’s real hope was that David would die in battle.
• Jealousy. He became enraged when the people compared him to David. From then on he kept a jealous eye on the man he considered his enemy.
• Anger. More than once he attempted to kill David with a spear as David played the harp for him.

C. Saul’s lids had to do with his character.

Remember, he had great outward credentials. He looked like a great leader. But his character was definitely lacking.

D. Saul was more interested and keeping up appearances than in cleaning up his character.

This is a danger for all everyone, especially those in leadership. It is so tempting to sweep problems under a rug and deny they exist, than to deal with them as they are brought up.

2. Lids that David did not allow too limit him.

A. His family.

David’s limitations started at home. His father overlooked him when Samuel came calling for Jesse’s sons to appear, and he also underappreciated him.

B. Leadership.

David did not allow the current one in leadership, king Saul, to limit him in God. He did not allow what Saul thought of David from preventing him of being effective for God. Here is one example over many.

1 Samuel 17:33 ESV – And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”

C. David’s background.

Young Shepherd boys just are not qualified to lead an entire nation of people – yet this is what God chose.

D. His youth and inexperience.

When Samuel anointed David as king, he was just a boy and had no experience at all in leading people. But the one thing that David had that Saul did not was he had a heart for God. And God could take his heart and mold it to what He destined in spite of David’s age or lack of experience.

E. Because David had a heart for God, he would allow God to expose and lift the lids in his life.

May all of us ponder this question, “What lids exist in your life?” Would you be willing to go into your private time and prayer and ask the Lord to reveal the lids in your life so that with the help of the Holy Spirit you can begin to lift them?

Just imagine what God can do, as we work through the pain of change, seeking the face of the Father to reveal the truths about the hidden places in our hearts, and to step out in faith and lift those lids over our lives. We can see true transformation right in our midst, if people would quit being religious and become real.

Do we dare put this into practice?