“Jesus and Others Did It
Anyway” #6
Pastor Mike Barnett
THEME: PEOPLE REALLY NEED HELP, BUT MAY ATTACK YOU IF
YOU HELP THEM – HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY!
(Pg. 454) Proverbs 9:7-11 says:
"Whoever corrects a mocker invites
insult;
whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse.
8 Do not rebuke
a mocker or he will hate you;
rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
9 Instruct a
wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to
his learning.
10 "The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
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It is
confusing and frustrating to be attacked by people you are trying to help.
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It doesn’t make sense.
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Why are they attacking you?
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At least your intentions are good – you’re trying to
help them.
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And if you are providing the help they really need,
how can be so ungrateful?
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Sometimes their pride will not allow them to be
grateful or receptive to what you have to say.
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We know from the story of Saul and David in the Old Testament
that this is not a new problem.
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When King Saul lost God’s favor, an evil spirit
tormented him.
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He asked his attendants to find someone who could
play the harp for him, to soothe him.
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One of the servants knew of David, a brave young man,
handsome and well spoken.
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Saul sent for him and took him into his service.
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When Saul was troubled, David played his harp, and
Saul found relief.
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The evil spirit left him.
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One day the Philistines gathered their forces, and
Saul and the Israelites went to meet them in the battle.
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A Philistine Giant named Goliath, who was over nine
feet tall, challenged the Israelites to choose a man to fight him.
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If Goliath won, the Israelites would become Philistine
subjects; if Goliath won, the Israelites would become Philistine subjects, if
the Israelites won, the Philistines would become Israelite subjects.
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The Israelites were terrified. No one would step
forward to fight Goliath.
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For forty days, Goliath taunted them every morning
and every evening.
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David convinced Saul to let him fight Goliath.
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With a staff, five smooth stones from the stream, and
a sling, David faced a huge Philistine.
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As Goliath ,moved to attack him, David ran to the
battle line, slung a stone, and struck Goliath on the forehead.
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Goliath fell to the ground. David quickly drew
Goliath’s sword and killed him.
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It was an amazing victory. A young man armed with
only a sling had defeated a giant in armor.
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Saul really needed help – first with the evil spirit,
and then with Goliath.
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David helped him by playing his harp and then
defeating the giant.
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Saul was grateful.
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He kept David with him and gave him a high position
in the army.
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But soon Saul was filled with jealously, and he
turned on David.
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When you help a person, they may be grateful at
first, but then their ________________(pride) can change their ___________________(grateful)
attitude/spirit to a ___________________(jealous) one – that is what happened
to King Saul and it can happen to us also if we are not __________________(careful).
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After Saul’s grateful attitude left him, he told his
son Jonathon and his attendants to kill David.
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David escaped, but Saul hunted him, intent on killing
him.
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Saul’s son, Jonathon was David’s friend and
intervened on David’s behalf, telling his father in 1 Samuel 19:4-5:
4
Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not
the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has
done has benefited you greatly. 5 He took his life in his
hands when he killed the Philistine. The LORD won a great victory for all
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After listening to Jonathon’s words Saul welcomed
David back into his house, but his jealously grew strong again over time.
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While David was playing his harp, Saul tried to pin
him to the wall with his spear.
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Again, David escaped, and Saul continued to hunt him
and tried to kill him numerous times.
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Twice, David had the opportunity to kill Saul.
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Once in a cave, David was so close to Saul he was
able to cut off the corner of Saul’s robe unnoticed.
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Another time, he entered Saul’s camp at night, crept
to where Saul was sleeping, and took the King’s spear and water jug that were
near his head.
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Each time, David spared Saul’s life, and then
confronted Saul to remind him that he intended him no harm.
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David said to
Saul in(pg. 209) 1 Samuel 24:11-22:
11 See, my father, look at
this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did
not kill you. Now understand and recognize that I am not guilty of wrongdoing
or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my
life. 12 May the LORD judge between you and me. And may
the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 13 As the old
saying goes, 'From evildoers come evil deeds,' so my hand will not touch you. 14 "Against whom has the king of
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Each time David spared his life, Saul admitted that
he was wrong, but he did not change his behavior.
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True ________________(repentance)
is more than ________(admitting) you are _______________(wrong), it is _________(changing)
your _____________(behavior).
The Bible tells Christians in Ephesians 4:22-27 says
(Pg. 829):
22You were taught, with regard to your former way of
life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful
desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness. 25Therefore each of you
must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all
members of one body. 26"In your anger do not
sin"[a]: Do not let the sun go down while you are
still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold.
James 5:19-20 says:
19My brothers, if one of you should wander from the
truth and someone should bring him back, 20remember
this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death
and cover over a multitude of sins.
·
Each time David confronted Saul on his behavior, he
told David that he should be rewarded and blessed.
·
But Saul did nothing to control his jealousy and his
anger and thereby gave the ______________(Devil) a foothold.
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The Bible tells Christians not to give the Devil a
______________________(foothold) through their ______________________(anger).
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Saul still wanted to kill David, so David remained on
the run.
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The “Christ follower” living today has an advantage
that King Saul did not have – the ________________ ________________(Holy
Spirit) living within.
Galatians 5:16-26 says:
16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not
gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the
sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is
contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that
you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under law. 19The acts of the sinful
nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of
rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and
envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that
those who live like this will not inherit the
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The fact is, you will never
receive all the appreciation you deserve this side of Heaven.
(Pg. 741) Luke 17:7-10 says:
7"Suppose one of you had a servant plowing or
looking after the sheep. Would he say to the servant when he comes in from the
field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? 8Would he
not rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I
eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink'? 9Would
he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10So
you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, 'We
are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.' "
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Saul really needed help, but attacked David when
David helped him.
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David continued to be loyal to Saul anyway.
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David demonstrated that it is possible to love people
when they do not love us back, but despise us instead.
(pg. 813) 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 says:
4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it
does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is
not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies,
they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is
knowledge, it will pass away.
(Pg. 473) Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says:
1 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under
heaven:
2 a time to be
born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to
kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to
weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to
scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to
search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to
tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
James 1:5 says:
5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who
gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
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Even after Saul attacked David, David gathered a
small army and fought the Philistines on his own – He defended the King’s
Kingdom even though he did not have to.
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Later, when Saul and his son Jonathon died in battle,
instead of rejoicing, David lamented their loss.
(pg. 688) Matthew 10:10-16 says:
11"Whatever town or village you enter, search for
some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave. 12As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let your
peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14If
anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your
feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell you the
truth, it will be more bearable for
JESUS WAS ALSO ATTACKED WHEN HE TRIED TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE.
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Jesus wanted to help the Jewish leaders and the Pharisees
who had become self-righteous, focusing on fulfilling the letter but not the
spirit of God’s Law.
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Jesus wanted them to truly love God and their
neighbors, forgive others, be humble in their worship, trust the Lord, and
experience the joy of the
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When they did not understand his message, they became
more haughty and outraged, and plotted to kill him.
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But some of them did get the message.
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For example, Nicodemas recognized that Jesus was a
teacher who came from God.
John 3:1-2 says:
1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus,
a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2He came to Jesus
at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from
God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were
not with him."
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John’s gospel reveals that many of the Jewish leaders
believed in Jesus, but because of the Pharisees, they would not confess their
faith, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue.
John
42Yet at the same time many even among the leaders
believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not confess their
faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;
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And in a dialogue between Jesus and a Pharisee about
the greatest commandments, the Pharisee agreed with Jesus, saying that the two commandants
– to love God and love your neighbor as yourself – were more important than all
burnt offerings and sacrifices.
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Jesus acknowledged the wisdom of the man’s answer.
(Pg. 717) Mark 12:28-34 says:
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them
debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him,
"Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is
this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.[a] 30Love the Lord your
God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with
all your strength.'[b] 31The second is
this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[c]There is no commandment greater than
these." 32"Well said, teacher," the man
replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other
but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all
your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as
yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him,
"You are not far from the
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But the most of the leaders and the Pharisees did not
get the message.
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They really needed help, but when Jesus tried to help
them, they attacked him.
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He continued to try to help them to draw close to God
anyway.
John
10:25-30 (Pg. 760) says:
25Jesus
answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my
Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not believe
because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my
voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my
hand. 29My Father, who has given them to me, is greater
than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father's
hand. 30I and the Father are one."
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Why would anyone who needs spiritual help attack us
when we try to help them?
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Some people need help but __________(deny)
it. Others know they need help and ________________(resent) it. Still others need help but are _____________(confused)
as to what help they need and as a result of their vulnerability or confusion,
they may __________(attack) us when we try to help them.
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But when they attack us, their attacks may not really
be about us.
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Instead of being angry at us, they may really be
angry about life.
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They may be suffering anguish about their
helplessness.
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Whatever the reason, their attacks should not change
who we are.
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Of course, we must be thoughtful and observant to
make sure we are offering the right kind of help.
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We must help others in ways that are respectful of
their dignity and their freedom to choose.
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But all around us are people who need help, and we
should help them.
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Nothing should stop us from making a positive
difference in their lives.
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As we read in the book of Hebrews:
Hebrews
10God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and
the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help
them.
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Jesus called us to be people who love and help others
regardless of the consequences.
Romans 2:1-4 says:
1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment
on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning
yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2Now
we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
3So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet
do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? 4Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness,
tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward
repentance?
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That’s who we should be, no matter how people treat
us in return.
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PEOPLE REALLY NEED HELP BUT MAY ATTACK YOU IF YOU DO
HELP THEM. BUT TRY TO HELP THEM ANYWAY.