1 SAMUEL 30 GODS HEART TOWARDS TEAM WORK AND REWARD2018 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: 1 Samuel 30 Gods Heart Towards Team Work And Reward

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2018.

Well, this evening we are in 1 Samuel chapter 30. We're almost to the end of 1 Samuel, and I'm really excited and kind of anxious to get out of 1 Samuel, because as I've been sharing with you, you know, over the past many weeks of traveling with David through the wilderness, like I can personally relate and have been having my own wilderness experiences and trials and difficulties that

just seem to be paralleled right with where David's at in 1 Samuel. And now as we head into 2 Samuel, we're going to see David become king. And so I just cannot wait to become king. I'm just looking forward to that deliverance. And I don't know that going forward that the Lord's going to keep that parallel or if he's going to change it. But I am anxious to see. I'm looking forward to it.

And yet, this evening, I'm not going to power through as much as I want to, but really want to just kind of camp out. These are some of the things that I could have just finished up last week in the message last week, but the Lord just kind of highlighted these things that we'll be looking at this evening for me to take a moment and just remind ourselves about the way that God works, the way that His kingdom works, the way that His work is done and His rewards are done.

And so we're going to jump into the middle of 1 Samuel chapter 30 this evening. Let's begin by reading verses 18 through 23, and then we'll dig into what God has for us.

1 Samuel 30, verse 18 says, So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them. David recovered. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those other livestock and said, This is David's spoil.

Now David came to the 200 men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they had also made to stay at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. When David came near the people, he greeted them. Verse 22. Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered.

Here as we look at this passage, we're jumping into this account, this occasion where David has been living in Philistine territory. He ran their

not under good, you know, direction. That he, talking with himself, counseling with himself, not seeking the Lord, decided it's going to be safer for me if I live in the land of the Philistines. And so he's kind of been hiding out, trying to protect himself from Saul. But that decision has led him on this long journey for over a year to

He's been living within the Philistines. He's been having to lie and deceive every day and live in fear of being caught. He found himself, you know, lined up with the Philistine army about to attack Israel. And it seems like he would have been involved in that battle in that way had not the Philistine lords rejected him. And so he's come a long ways in the wrong direction.

And as they are rejected by the Philistine lords, they head back to their city in the Philistine territory called Ziklag. And when they arrive there, they find that it has been burned and that all of their wives and their children, everything that they had left behind to go to this battle was now gone. That raiders have come in and taken everything and burned the city. And we see there David is at like the ultimate low point and that his own men are now talking about putting David to death.

because they're so fed up, they're so distressed, they're so overwhelmed by the things that are happening. And it was at that point that David realized

calls out to the Lord. It says that he strengthened himself in the Lord. He brought the priest near and he inquires of the Lord that he finally, after a year and a half of living out there in this time with the Philistines, he calls out to the Lord once again. And God tells him, go overcome that band of raiders. And I'm going to give you everything back. You're going to have victory as you fight against them.

And that's where we pick it up in verse 18. It says, so David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away and David rescued his two wives. That he was able to catch up with that band of raiders and recover everything that was taken.

Everything that was taken out of their city, every wife that was taken, every child that was taken, all of the possessions of his men and their families, it was all recovered. And then some, because that raiding party had been raiding other cities as well. And so they recovered everything that they had, but even had the rest of the spoils from the other parties.

places that they had raided, and they had this great victory and rejoicing. And as we looked at that last week, we talked about the return to pursuing God's heart and the reminder that you don't belong in the enemy's camp and that safety net that you thought was so secure, it's not very safe. And it's time for us to strengthen ourselves in the Lord and to start right now to obey God. And it will begin that process of recovering all.

So they're on their way back from this victory now, and as they're on their way back, they have kind of a conflict within the ranks, a conflict within amongst themselves that has some very interesting points for us to consider. I've titled the message this evening, God's Heart Towards Teamwork and Reward. And I want to encourage you this evening to think about teamwork and

but also to think about how teams are rewarded in the way that God has orchestrated things and set things up. And it may not always equate to, you know, teams as in sports that we might think of immediately, but there is definitely some parallels. And as we see how God works here, there's some really important truths for us to understand as we seek to be part of the work of

And so we're learning about God's heart towards teamwork and reward so that we can pursue God's heart. We need to understand what he thinks and how he feels about these things. And so there's three points that we'll work through in this passage. The first one is found in verses 21 and 22.

Here's what you need to know about God's heart towards teamwork and reward. Number one, different roles are not valued differently. This is something very important to understand about, well, what we might refer to as the body of Christ, as we might refer to the kingdom of God, as we might refer to the work of God. We might refer to God's working in a variety of ways, but

Across all of those illustrations or descriptions we might use, you need to understand that different roles are not valued differently. And this is so important for us to understand because it's not what we're used to.

It's not what we are familiar with. It's not what we usually interact with on a day-to-day basis. If we think about a team, there's certain roles, there's certain positions. Those are like the high points of the team. Those are the hot spots. Those are the places that you want to be. You want to be the center or the quarterback or whatever. And we can have a tendency to value different roles differently.

differently, but God does things a little bit differently than we do. Now, we're looking at this situation where there's this reunion taking place. And again, putting yourself in their shoes for just a moment, they've been in this dark place. They go off to battle. They're rejected there. They're not allowed to battle. They come back and now

All of their children, their wives, their families, everything they have, it's lost, it's destroyed, and they're just completely desperate. But there's this fire that's renewed, and so the Lord calls them, and they start going to go recover. But as they go along the way...

200 of them are too weary. They're too overwhelmed. And I suggested last week, I would continue to suggest it this evening. It wasn't so much that they were overwhelmed physically because of the physical, you know, marching that was required. That was a part of it. But there was the emotions. There was the weight that they've been carrying. There was this burden that they've had. And the loss of their wives and their children. It was just too much. They couldn't carry on.

And so they were left behind at this brook as the rest of the army marched on. But now that army is coming back in victory and there's this reunion. Those who went out to battle and those who stayed behind, they're being reunited. And verse 21 again says, Now David came to the 200 men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they had also made to stay at the brook Besorh,

So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. Now just put yourself in their shoes for a moment. Here you are in David's army. You're wiped out. Your wife or your husband, your spouse, and your kids have been taken. And you're on your way to get them back. But you just, you can't go any further. So they say, okay, you guys stay here. And so you just have to wait.

And there's no text message. There's no Facebook. There's no instant, you know, way to find out what happened. So here you are at camp because you're just too tired to carry on. And you see the army start coming back. You know, you see the dust in the air. It's like, oh, look, I think someone's coming. That might be David. And you see this kind of, you know, group of people coming. Oh, they might be coming.

I wonder if my wife is there. I wonder if she survived. I wonder if my kids are alive, you know? Like, just kind of imagine that buildup of emotion. Imagine that buildup of what they were experiencing as they're seeing them get closer. And then they see and they begin to recognize people. And, oh, that's Joe's wife, you know? And like,

Okay, some of them survived. Okay, maybe my wife is, maybe my husband is there. Maybe, you know, maybe my children are there. There's this buildup of hope, of anticipation, of excitement. And now as David's coming back, now the people go to meet David.

So they don't just like wait, you know, they're just sitting at the camp waiting for David. They go to meet David and David's going to meet, you know, they're meeting in the middle in the field and they're running towards each other, you know, like they're excited to be back together to find out what happened and how did things go and are my loved ones with you and, you know, are you doing okay? And so there's this reunion that's taking place. And it says when David came near to the people, he greeted them.

He greeted them. David came and he was excited to see his men that couldn't go on. He was excited to be there with them who were not able to be with him in the midst of the battle. But that's not how everybody felt. So as this reunion is going on and people are laughing and crying and hugging and just celebrating, oh, this is so amazing. Like, we're just so, oh, wow, God recovered everything.

Well, then verse 22, then the wicked and worthless men, those who went with David answered and said, because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children, that they may lead them away and depart. In the midst of this happy reunion, this great celebration, this joyful time, some grumpy guys begin to speak up and say, you know what?

all the stuff that we took, finders, keepers, losers, weepers. We'll give you your wife and your kids back, but that's it. And then notice at the end of verse 22 also, it says that they may lead them away and depart. We're going to give you your wife and your kid and you can get out of here because you didn't help us in the battle. We're going to keep all your stuff. Here's your wife. Here's your kid. Now get out of here.

We don't want you with us. You're not staying with us. You're not part of our group any longer. You're not with us. That's what the wicked and worthless men wanted in this time of reunion and celebration and joyful occasion as they're gathered together again. They've recovered everything. Plus, everything else the Amalekites had taken from others, they've

But these men, in particular, talking about verse 22, they have a distinction that's made in their mind. You guys stayed back here. You're not worthy to be with us anymore. You're not part of us. Just because you're our brothers, we'll give you your wife and kids, but...

you're not going to get any of the spoils of this battle, and you don't belong with us anymore. What we did is what's really important and most valuable, and their esteem of their participation in this victory, well, it caused them to esteem these who had stayed behind very little.

And what was the nature and the character of those who wanted to behave this way and operate this way? It describes them as worthless and wicked men. Let me put it another way. These were people who were not pursuing God's heart. People who are not pursuing God's heart came back and said, what we did is more important than what you did.

We're better than you. You don't belong with us. That, you know, in the midst of this reunion, like, get out of here. That was all coming from a place that was not God's heart, not the pursuit of God's heart. It's interesting to kind of think about this for just a moment, that David had wicked men in his army. He had worthless and wicked men.

Now, it's not surprising when you go back and you realize that it was all the discontented and indebted and, you know, those are the ones who came to David, right? But we kind of build up this picture, at least I do in my mind of like, yeah, but then David took them and transformed them and made them mighty men of God. And some of them were mighty men of God, but also amongst them,

were worthless and wicked men. That is the case, that those, you know, will be there, just like Jesus talked about the wheat and the tares, that there is that instance, that does happen. Sometimes they speak up, and we need to recognize when that is not the pursuit of God's heart. And here we see that these guys are not coming from the heart of God. They came back and they felt, you know, you guys, you stayed here, you didn't earn the spoil, you're not part of the team, and so you're

We didn't even want you with us anymore. You're just holding us back. And there was this slander, this misaligning, this demeaning of this group of people who had stayed. But that's not how David felt. David greeted them. David was happy to see them. He was rejoicing in this reunion. He was rejoicing in the celebration because David was a man after God's own heart. Now he's going to go on to rebuke these guys.

And say, no, no, you guys are way off. That is not the way that we are going to operate. Because David recognized, well, God's perspective on teamwork and reward. And we'll see the reward in the next couple of verses. But just understanding that there are those who go forward and fight a battle. There are those who are too weary and stay behind. But it doesn't remove them from the team.

It doesn't remove them from being part of the work of God or the kingdom of God. It doesn't remove them from the group that God has called them to be a part of. We talk about the church many times as the body of Christ because that is an illustration used over and over and over again. And

I would remind you of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, that God has composed the body. That is, he's designed it, he's engineered it, he's picked every piece and placed it in the right spot, having given greater honor to the part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

Now, when you think about the worthless and wicked men, did they have the same care for one another? No, they did not have God's heart. But God has designed the body and placed us in each other's proximity in such a way that we should have the same care for one another. That we should recognize that different roles, they're not valued differently as far as God is concerned. It is very easy in a context of the church to look at certain roles within the church and

And to have this idea, have this impression, even when we know better, but we still kind of have it, you know, that, well, that role is important. You know, that role is the most important. You know, if Jerry doesn't show up, then, you know, what's the point of church today? If Dave doesn't show up, you know, there's no prayer tonight, you know, because Dave's the most important one for prayer. You know what I mean? Like, there's this concepts that we have and we tend to value different roles differently, right?

And the person who comes and sits in service, well, you might esteem yourself lowly. Or maybe someone around you will esteem you lowly and think, you don't have any part. Like, you're just a pew warmer. You just sit there. Like, why don't you just go away? You know, that is the heart of wicked and worthless people. That is not God's heart. That God designs us

for his body, and he places us within his body in such a way that, well, every member has honor. Every member has value and has a place. Obviously, some are more easily understood than others. Later on in this same chapter, Paul goes on to say, those that seem to be weaker, you know, we do have that impression, right?

But we need to walk by faith and not by sight and recognize those that seem to be weaker are actually the ones that are more necessary. That's what Paul says. Because the way that God has designed it, the more visible roles, the more apparent roles, they're not as valuable as we think they are. They're the same value as every other role in the body of Christ. Different roles are valued, are not valued differently as far as God is concerned.

He values each and every role. Now, as you think about this in the picture of a team, the teamwork kind of idea, I would encourage you to meditate on this thought a little bit and allow it to kind of challenge some of the attitudes and the thoughts of your heart because this is true in practical things as well as spiritual things. I mean, what we're dealing with here is an army, right?

It's not the body of Christ directly. There is a lot of parallels and important truths that are revealed here. But it's an army. And so as you think about the home and the workplace or wherever else that you might be part of a group that God has called you to be a part of, whether or not it's directly involved with the church, there is a value for every role on the team.

And they're not valued differently. They're not more important than the other, but each one is valuable and important. And it really needs to keep us in a place where we don't become like these wicked and worthless men who lowly esteem and despise and look down on others who are around us because they don't do what we do. They're not involved in

In what we're involved with. Or to the extent that we're involved with it. You know there is a tendency. And it comes from a good place many times. Where someone will get excited about something. They're passionate about something.

Some social issue, perhaps. They're passionate about some role within the body of Christ. They're passionate about some cause or something, and that's great, and we shouldn't take that away from anybody, right? That's awesome to be passionate about it. But sometimes we become so passionate about something that we begin to despise others who aren't as passionate about that thing as we are. And that comes from, we need to understand, that comes from a place that is not the heart of God.

And in our passion, even things that start out good or are for good things, we can be misaligned in the heart of God as we begin to value different roles differently. Typically, of course, we esteem ours higher than everybody else's. But sometimes the reverse can happen. You might think I'm just, mine is the worthless one. You know, I'm just, might as well just quit. Why even bother? Because my role is just so nothing special.

Listen, you need to know that God doesn't view it that way. Take on God's heart. Pursue God's heart towards the team that he has assembled because he doesn't value different roles differently. Well, moving on to verses 23 through 25, going along with that same thought, different roles are not valued differently. Secondly, rewards are distributed evenly. So because God values the different roles equally,

When he brings the reward, well, all the members of that team receive the reward. Right?

They all contributed, so they're part of the reward. Verse 23, but David said, my brethren, you shall not do so with what the Lord has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. For all, or sorry, for who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies. They shall share alike.

So it was from that day forward, he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. David here corrects the guys who are not pursuing God's heart, the guys who are misrepresenting the heart of God in their despising and even their casting away of these who are lesser in their view. David corrects them and says, no, no.

You will not behave that way with what God has given us. And notice where David is arguing from. His line of reasoning comes first from this. This is the Lord's stuff. This isn't your stuff to do with what you think, you know, should be done. This isn't, you don't get the freedom to just do whatever you want because you went and fought. This is what the Lord has given us. And the Lord has preserved us.

And the Lord delivered this troop into our hand that came against us. If you remember from last week, we don't know exactly how large the troop was, but it was significantly larger than the 400 men that David had with him. Because, well, it tells us that only 400 escaped from the army that David attacked. So...

The same number of men that David had, that was a small portion of the army because only that many escaped whenever David attacked this camp. And they had camels. And so these 400 were able to get away. But that was a much smaller group compared to the rest. And David here is saying, look, God has miraculously worked. He's miraculously intervened. He has delivered to us this great victory. This isn't our stuff. This is God's stuff.

We don't get to just do with it what we want. We don't just get to, you know, decide that we get to keep it all. This is the Lord's stuff to distribute as he sees fit. And so he says, no, you're not going to do this with what the Lord has given us. David here brings rebuke and correction and sets things in order so that it is in line with the heart of God.

And here's what David establishes in verse 24. He says, who will heed you in this matter? But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies. They shall share alike. Because God doesn't value the different roles differently. Now we could look at that and go, wow. So I'll sign up to just camp out by the stuff. You go to battle, Harvey. I'm going to camp here.

And then I get the same reward. And in some ways, we look at that and go, wow, that really doesn't seem fair. I mean, Harvey risked his neck and I just like sat around by the campfire and cooked marshmallows. And why do I get the same reward that Harvey gets? David says, this is the heart of God. His part who goes down to battle is the same as his part who stays by the supplies. They shall share alike. Now, God had given a similar example

instruction back in the book of Numbers when the children of Israel went to fight the Midianites. And God set apart a certain group of the people to go and fight against the Midianites. And he says, look, when you do, divide the plunder into two parts. It's found in Numbers chapter 31. You can check that out later on. Divide the plunder into two parts. Those between those who went out to the battle and the congregation. And

And then it goes on from there to talk about how each of those, those who went to battle, those who didn't, you know, then they would give to the Lord from the portion that they received. That it was the Lord's reward that was the blessing from God, but it also, you know, wasn't theirs. There was instruction for how it was to be dealt with and how it was to be managed and distributed to the people who were involved in different ways.

And we can look at the people who stayed behind with the stuff and value that lowly and then value the people who went to battle highly and think, well, they should get all the stuff and the people who didn't do anything shouldn't get anything. But that's not God's heart. And it was so serious that David establishes this as a statute, as an ordinance for Israel, it says in verse 25, to this day. Now, when the author says to this day,

He's referencing to the time that this is written, whoever it was that wrote 1 Samuel. When they wrote that, to this day, to that day, at that time, it was still the statute, it was still the ordinance. The people who stay behind and watch this stuff get the same reward as those who go to battle. But that's not, I didn't say that to limit that to that day that this was written. I would suggest to you that that continues to 2018 also. This is still God's heart.

This is still the way that God operates. I would ask you to think about what Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10. In Matthew chapter 10, verse 41, Jesus says this, He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Here, Jesus is talking about receiving, that is, welcoming people.

That is hospitality. That is warmth and friendship. There's a lot, but also not a whole lot of specific details that are given here. But the point is, he's not saying, those who support a prophet with millions of dollars receive a prophet's reward. No, those who receive a prophet, wow, you're called by the Lord. I want to be part of that. I want to bless you. I welcome you.

He goes on in the next verse, verse 42, whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward. Jesus says, look, it doesn't have to be, you know, this huge elaborate gift to receive a prophet, to receive a righteous man, to receive a disciple. But when you participate in the work of God, even what you have to offer is a cup of water, you will not lose your reward.

There is reward. And when you receive a prophet in the name of a prophet, you receive a prophet's reward, Jesus says. That's pretty astounding. That's pretty amazing that you could be part of the reward. You know, think about the Harvest Crusade, right?

And there is great glory on the field, you know, on the stage and inviting people to the field. And again, it'd be very easy for us to kind of do our calculations and go, all right, yeah, his role there behind the pulpit, that's the most valuable. He's the one giving the altar call, you know, and so he gets the majority of the reward. But the Lord looks and says, you know, the sound guy who's kind of, you know, trying to quiet down that feedback, he's getting reward. And that guy who's praying for those people, he's getting the reward. And they share in the reward that

Those who receive a righteous man receive a righteous man's reward. Those who receive a prophet receive a prophet's reward. That we can participate in the work of God and the rewards are distributed evenly. God values each role. Even when it's a simple act of a cup of water, there's reward in that. There's value in that.

Now, it is very clear throughout the scriptures that the Bible has strong and clear teaching that you and I are to be busy and at work and diligent in our lives as we work through these things. This is not an excuse to not work and to not contribute. This is not that. Remember what Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10. He says, look, here was the command when we were with you. If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.

There is that established principle that God has said, if you want to eat, you should work. That is established. There's no free rides. That's not what God expects. And at the same time, God also establishes the reality of ownership and that it's right and that it's okay and that it's good. Even in the rebuke of Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts chapter 5, right? As we

properties were being sold and given to the church, and the church was being blessed and ministered to and cared for in this way. Ananias and Sapphira thought, well, we're going to get on that action. And so they sold a piece of property. They gave the money to the church. But, you know, their hearts were not right in that. And so they pretended like they gave all the money to the church, but they kept some of it for themselves. And as the Lord rebukes them, he makes it very clear. Look, when it was yours,

It was yours. You didn't have to sell the property. That was yours. You owned it. You were free to do with that property what you wanted. You didn't have to sell it. And then after you sold it, well, then the money was yours. You didn't have to share that. You didn't have to distribute that evenly. That ownership is a biblical principle. It's yours, and you should do, and you can do with that what you want. The problem with Ananias and Sapphira was not that they gave it or didn't give it,

The problem was that they pretended to give it all, but really kept some for themselves. And so the issue was not ownership. The issue is not, you know, well, we can just not do anything, not invest ourselves, not contribute, and just, you know, everybody else, because we're distributed evenly, you know, that we should just get, and we get part of the reward even though we don't do anything. That's not what this is describing. How is the situation different than...

Just kicking back and not doing anything, but still eating. How is it different than Ananias and Sapphira? How is it different? Well, the difference is the heart. Here's the thing. It's a heart issue for these guys who stayed behind. They wanted to go to battle, but they were too weary. There was a real limitation. They hit the wall. They couldn't go any further. They wanted to help, but the most that they could do is to say, look, you guys unload your packs.

We're going to lighten you guys up so you can chase after those Amalekites. You can catch up to them. We're going to watch your stuff because we can't go any further. So we'll stay here. We'll watch your stuff so that you can go faster. We would love to go with you. We want to go with you. We just can't go. They wanted to help, but they couldn't. And that is way different than being able to help, but refusing. That's why if a man will not work, he won't eat.

Because it's the issue of the heart. If you're able and you refuse, that's a different thing than you want to, but you can't. And when you want to and you can't, then God's looking at the heart. And those guys who are there camped out, wishing they were in the battle, praying for those who are in the battle, God's looking at that and saying, that's the same as being in the battle. I value that the same. Your heart's right. Your heart's there.

God says, so you get rewarded just like that because your heart was there even if you couldn't actually be there. Remember what the Lord told to David in 1 Kings 8, verse 18, Solomon tells us that the Lord said to my father, David, whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. God says, I'm looking at your heart, David, and you're not going to build my temple. Your son's going to build the temple, but sorry, David, you can't.

But it was in your heart. And that's what counts. You get credit for that. You wanted to do this for me. You wanted to do this for my name. You wanted to glorify me. And we see David go on from there. What does he do when the Lord says, no, you can't build the temple? He does as much as he possibly can except build the temple. Because he's not going to disobey God in his pursuit of honoring God. But he still wants to participate. It's in his heart.

And so he gathers the materials, he gathers the supplies, he lays out the plans, he draws up the diagrams, you know, he gets as much ready as he can. He contributes to the utmost of his ability because it's in his heart. And this is the important thing for us to remember, that rewards are distributed evenly, but not just, you know, everybody just be freeloaders and don't contribute and don't participate. No, rewards are distributed evenly, right?

Think about this quote from Alexander McLaren. He says,

They who by reason of circumstances, by deficiency of power, or by the weight of other tasks and duties can only give silent sympathy and prayer and help are one with the men whom they help. This is the way that God sees things. This is the way that God works. Now, as I talk about these things, I want to try to encourage you to consider this.

Things beyond maybe the immediately obvious. So, you know, we're not going to take an offering and all of this is to say, look, you can participate, right? You know, don't be a freeloader. Give, you know, that's not what this is about. But think about someone who is hurting physically. And you're not a doctor. I'm not a doctor. There's not much we can do for them. But our heart can hurt for them and we can pray for them. And that is as much as being a part of the work of God as if, well, you had pain.

your medical degree, and you could contribute in that way. God looks at that and he says, look, your heart is there. I thought it was so beautiful. Harvey, thank you so much for being led by the Spirit and just causing us to think about prayer this evening in a fresh way and be reminded that we can contribute, we can participate in the work of God by prayer. Now, maybe you can't actually go to Japan. You can't actually go to Japan

Italy or wherever else, you know, you may want to go, you may desire to go, but, and perhaps God will call you to go. And that's an awesome opportunity. But even when we can't go, that doesn't mean we don't get to be part of the work. I love this verse from Paul in Romans chapter 15, verse 30. I've quoted it many times, but Paul says to the Romans, now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in

in prayers to God for me. Notice Paul begs the Romans, please, Romans, please, I need you to be praying for me. And when you do, you're striving together with me. Paul says, I'm in a battle. I'm in a fight. And when you pray with me, you're side by side with me. You're not with me. I'm writing to you. I'm far away, but we're in the battle together.

Your heart's in it as you're praying for me that we are participating in the work. We're contributing to the work together. And you know, as the Romans prayed for Paul and Paul was, you know, involved in that missionary work, involved in that apostle work, that the reward that Paul receives for that work that he did, the Romans get to participate in because they fought together with Paul.

There's a reward evenly distributed for everyone who's involved in helping that work go forward. And Paul's role in that work wasn't more valuable than the Romans' role in that work. We pray for our missionaries, and again, we can easily look, oh, they're, you know, awesome and holy and righteous and, you know, all of those things, and that's why God sent them out. No, they're just like you and I, and

They need our prayers. Look at Paul begging for prayers. They're begging for prayers. And God on the other side says, look, they're begging for prayers. They're hurting. They're needing it. They're lacking. They're looking to me for help. And you could be part of that work. You can join in that battle with them in prayer. You can join in that battle with them in exhortation, in encouragement. You can join in that battle with them in giving, in prayer.

helping provide, giving the supplies. That is another aspect, but it's one aspect. As we look at this, I love that Paul was not afraid to ask for prayer. He needed it desperately. Listen, our missionaries need your prayers, but not just our missionaries. The people around you, they need your prayers. This is one of the ways that you can participate in the work of God just right here in our midst.

By striving together with the people that God has placed us around. That's why on the first Wednesday of the month, we have the opportunity for prayer requests and praise reports because we're in this together. This is not a bunch of individuals and we're just all doing our own thing. Every once in a while, we kind of say hi and have a good lecture together. God has attached us that we might strive together in the work that God has set before each of us.

Our missionaries need prayer. Our people, one another, we need prayer. I need prayer. You need prayer. And we can be part of the work. You want to be part of the work that God's doing in Harvey's life? You can. You want to reap some of the reward from what God is doing in Ronnie's life? You can. You can be part of that. The rewards are distributed evenly because God values the roles equally. But it's not just for, you know, you don't do anything and when your heart aches,

When your heart is there, oh, I wish I could help. I want to help. I want to be a part. I want to see God work. I want to see them go forward and grow and develop. I want to see amazing things for the Lord. I want that. That's my heart. God says, good. It's good that it's in your heart. That's what counts. That's what matters. That's what's most important. And when it's in your heart, then you will contribute however you can, even as Jesus said, if it's just a cup of cold water. Here you go, missionary.

Here you go, friend. Here you go, stranger. A cup of water. I don't have much. I don't know what else I can give, but I want to help. I want to be a part of God's work. I want to see God glorified. Paul wrote to the Philippians in Philippians chapter 4, talking about their financial gift. And again, this is not a, you know, manipulation of those kinds of things, but notice what Paul says in

He says in verse 16 of Philippians 4, for even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Paul says, I had necessities. And he goes on later to say, I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. I've experienced lack, he says, and I've experienced abundance. I know how to do that. And I'm not writing to you to manipulate you. Paul is saying, here's why I'm writing to you about this. I want to thank you for that gift and encourage you in that.

Because of the fruit that abounds to your account. That fruit that Paul is talking about, that's a reference to how the Lord distributes reward evenly. You get to be a part of the work, he says to the Philippians, because you contributed. You were participating in that work. And it's not so much I'm trying to get the gift, but I want to see you grow. I want to see you get the rewards for investing in the kingdom of God.

Pastor David Guzik says, many people serve the Lord in invisible, behind-the-scenes ways, often supporting a much more visible aspect of the Lord's work. God will support the hidden servant with the same reward as the prominent servant. Again, God calls us to walk by faith and not by sight. And sometimes we don't participate in the work because we forget. We forget God's heart regarding this teamwork and this reward that is involved. That

Everybody gets the reward when you participate in the work of God. No matter what role that is, no matter what avenue that manifests itself,

And many of the avenues are not seen. They're not visible. But if we walk by sight and not by faith, then we get discouraged and we give up on the work because we don't see the reward. We don't see that. But if we walk by faith and not by sight, then we give the cup of water because I know it's not very much. I'm sorry it's not that much, but it's all I have. But I want to be a part. I want to be part of what God is doing and respond to that. We're a team.

And again, this involves, you know, the church. It involves living water, involves the universal body of Christ. And it also involves other aspects of your life as well. That as you respond to what God is doing in your life and in the lives of people around you, that you get to be a part of that work when it's in your heart to be part of the work of God. There's 53 people on a team roster. Anybody know what kind of team that is? Richard Bueno?

Football team has 53 people. I only know that because I read it like 30 minutes before service, so don't be impressed. You know when that 53 people on the NFL roster win the Super Bowl, the NFL gives them 150 Super Bowl rings. Now there's 53 people on the roster, but the winning team gets 150 rings. Why? Well, because it's not just the people on the field that

That receives some of the reward. Now, this is not an identical, you know, parallel to the way that God works. Never confuse the NFL and God. You know, it's a different economy. It's a whole different thing. But there's some similarities. There are some teams who have given this reward to those who had any part in the team whatsoever throughout the whole season.

One article said it this way, teams will often consider everybody who contributed at any point in the season worthy of a ring. Now there's a cost involved and it really comes down to the owners and they get to decide who gets to have a ring. And they're, you know, basically the ones forking out the money beyond what the NFL gives them for those rings. And so, you know, some owners are stingy and some are generous. Now let me ask you, what kind of owner do you think God is?

When he's handing out the rings, the crowns, the rewards for those who participated in his team, for those who participated in his work, he's generous so that the one who gives a cup of water, you get a Super Bowl ring. The one who is involved in prayer, and maybe that's the extent, that's all you can do, but your heart is in it, you get a Super Bowl ring, and you get a ring, and you get a crown, and you get reward, that we get to participate in the work of God, and God rewards that.

evenly, because he values the roles the same. Sometimes we get distracted with the task and we forget the real value. And we allow ourselves to be convinced that, oh, it's so menial. It's so little. It's so worthless. It's so nothing. But cleaning the toilets has the same value as preaching from the pulpit. Same reward, different roles, but God sees things differently than us.

And we scorn the janitor and celebrate, you know, that's not the way that God does it. That's the way of wicked and worthless men. God has composed the body in a different way so that we all have value. And we share in the reward for the work that we do for God equally, evenly, as we participate and contribute to the work of the kingdom of God. However big or little or to whatever extent we're able to contribute, that our heart is in it. That's what God sees. That's what God matters.

Now, I would ask you to consider Jesus. Think about salvation. This is the ultimate example of this and understanding the heart of God. We all receive the reward of Jesus. Like we forget this in maybe some of the day-to-day practical things, but understand salvation is us receiving. We get the salvation ring, not the Super Bowl ring. We get the salvation ring, the crown of salvation, right?

Because Jesus did the work and when our heart is for Jesus, we receive his reward and we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. That is not just some weird thing for salvation. That is how God operates. You believe in Jesus and you receive the reward of Jesus. You participate in the work of God to whatever degree, to whatever capacity you can as God is prompting your heart. You receive that reward. You're part of that.

And you get the same reward that everybody else gets as they participate in that because that's how God works. Think about the widow, you know, who put the two mites in and Jesus celebrated that. He said, look, she put in more than everybody because everybody else, they weren't getting any reward. Their hearts were not in it. It was just fake show. But here, when her heart was for the Lord and she gave what she had to the Lord, Jesus celebrated that and said, oh, there's great reward for that.

That's great value. Pursue God's heart. God's heart towards the team, towards the reward. They're different than what we might be used to. Different roles are not valued differently as far as God is concerned. And the rewards are distributed evenly to those whose hearts are in the work, to those who are participating in the work.

Now, finishing up in verses 26 through 31, this is mostly a list of names, so it'll be fast. Verse 26 says, Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.

to those who were in Bethel, those who were in Rameth of the south, those who were in Jatir, those who were in Aror, those who were in Sifmoth, those who were in Eshtumah, those who were in Rachel, those who were in the cities of Jeremelethites, and those who were in the cities of Kenites, those who were in Hormah, those who were in Chorashan, those who were in Athak, those who were in Hebron, to all the places where David, I got that one right, David himself and his men were accustomed to rove.

David now takes his part of the spoil, his part of the reward, and now he shares it generously. So it's distributed evenly. He gets his part as far as the work, but now he has the opportunity to then take of that and to further the work of God. And he sends these presents, it says. He sends these gifts to the elders of Judah, to his friends, to his

To all the people where he was accustomed to Rome. So, you know, those places where he'd had interaction with people and he just sends this blessing to them. He says, look, here's a reward from the enemies of the Lord. And it seems to really pave the way for some relationships to be restored because, well, David had been with the Philistines for some time and there was going to be some recovery and there was going to be some reuniting that needed to take place. And David here just takes what God has given to him and

And he sends it on. He pushes it forward and says, hey guys, here's a gift from the Lord. God's done a great victory. I just want to celebrate that with you and give you a present. Now, you could look at this kind of

and think, wow, David, he's kind of bribing them. We're going to see in just a couple of chapters, David, by these same people, is going to be anointed king, right? He's going to be, hey, David, let's anoint him as king. He sends his presence. And it could be just political maneuvering if you want to skew it in your perspective, in your heart. But I would take you back to the fact that David is a man after God's own heart.

This was not just, you know, simple manipulation or some scheming and maneuvering that David was trying to do. He didn't know what was about to happen. He didn't know Saul was about to die. He didn't know any of that. He just was rejoicing in the work that God had done and what he had received from the Lord. And he wanted to share generously and start to build some bridges again and reconnect with those that he's been so far from because he's been wandering from the Lord. And so he just gives generously.

to begin that work, to begin that reunion of those that God has placed around him. And so rewards may be shared generously. They're distributed evenly, but you're free to then share them. You're free to, you know, pass those on and to deliver those to those that God has on your heart. And so

These are some just simple reminders, and I pray that you would consider these things. Again, in the practical realm, in your home, in the workplace, and other areas and arenas you might be involved, as well as in the church, that God's heart towards the team, it's different than what we might see. And we elevate and celebrate certain positions and roles to our own detriment and contrary to the heart of God. And God doesn't work that way. Different roles are not valued differently.

And when the reward comes in for the work that is accomplished, God has a different approach than we might. He distributes those rewards evenly based upon our hearts being in the work, not the specific role or function that we did. And as God rewards, as God blesses,

then you can give generously. You can be part of extending that work and continuing that work as the Lord leads. And so I pray that you would just be encouraged to think about your part and your role in the work that God is doing in the lives of your family, your friends, the people in this church, that you would contribute. And maybe it's not very much. Maybe it's not a whole lot that you can do. Maybe you don't have amazing worship capacity, but what can you do? And let your heart be in it and do that.

Paul tells us in Colossians, whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, knowing that from the Lord you will receive reward. Let's pray. Lord, I pray for each one of us. Lord, you've seen us in our hopeless situations and our sinful conditions, Lord.

and lord without you we we recognize and we testify that we are nothing and we are unable to produce good there is none who do good no not one we we recognize that you saw us lord in that condition and you sent your only begotten son to die upon the cross for us you give us the opportunity to believe in you and when we do how you grant us the reward of jesus to be clothed in his righteousness to be identified with him and covered

forgiven and cleansed. Lord, we thank you for that. And Lord, from there you call us then to continue in the work. You place people around us. You give us opportunities. You've called us your poem and set before us good works and called us to walk in them for our good. Lord, that we might contribute to things that have eternal value and share in the reward of it. God, I pray that you would help our hearts.

Lord, that we would not live or walk by sight and esteem little or low the things that we're able to contribute. But Lord, I pray that you would help us to walk by faith and recognize when our heart is right and when we want to be part of your work and be part of what you're doing and respond as you speak to our hearts, Lord, Lord, you value that greatly. And however big or small the action may be, Lord, you're seeing what's going on in the heart.

and you reward according to that. Lord, thank you that even though we have literally nothing to offer you except for what you give to us, Lord, the little that we have, we get to invest it. We get to apply it towards things that have eternal value. We get to be part of your work, part of you transforming lives and changing hearts, part of you turning things around. I pray, Lord, that you would help us to really believe these things.

and to invest ourselves in your kingdom, to invest ourselves in the things that matter. Lord, help us to have your perspective and to be part of the team. Lord, help us to never despise or think little of others on the team, Lord, when they're not doing what we think they should be doing or doing what we're doing or doing as much as. Lord, I pray that you would help us to have your perspective and to value greatly those who have a heart for you.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.