Gavin Owens and Tony preach on 1 Samuel 23:27-28, arguing God assigns each believer a divinely-appointed "reservation" they cannot miss. When Saul pursues David, an interruption forces David into a wilderness rock that becomes protective shelter. God uses enemies and pain as tools for rescue, and believers must move when God says move and stay still when He commands stillness.
Chapters
Damn it. There is an exegetical invitation I want to extend to you, and I pray that you accept. You've been invited to fellowship with me this morning in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter number 23. Wipe my glasses. 1 Samuel chapter number 23. By the time I remembered to ask about that fence last Sunday, it, it's already fixed. This morning, I think when I walked in, I guess that's a sermon 'Cause by the time you even figure out there's a need, God have done worked it out for you. So y'all help me preach this morning. 1 Samuel chapter number 23. I was just about to go fix it, and we'll be reading down at verse number 27. The word of God reads, then a messenger came to Saul saying Come quickly, because the Philistines, Philistines have raided the land. So Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to engage the Philistines. Therefore the place was called the Rock of Separation. You may be seated. Saul is pursuing David. In his pursuit of David, someone came and disrupted Saul and said, hey Saul, the Philistines have come to raid the land. And then the text says that Saul— y'all pay attention— Saul broke away from his pursuit of David. For the time that is ours this morning, I want to challenge your hearts from the subject Rescued by My Reservation. Rescued by My Reservation. I stumbled upon an alarming fact as someone who flies periodically, I discovered that though all planes depart with an assigned place of landing in mind, that means I discovered that more than 90% of the time that a plane is in the air is actually off of its intended course. Airplanes always leave and they have a place in which they are destined to go. They have a planned route, but 90% of the time when the plane actually gets in the air, it's off of its intended course. Because even though there is an appointed place that the plane is destined to go, when the plane gets in the air, it comes into contact with wind and turbulence. But even though wind and turbulence are present, even if the plane is off course, it normally or always ends up where it was designed to be. All right, all right. It's mighty funny that God does not prevent the turbulence. But what God— or what the pilot does— the pilot sees the turbulence and just changes course to make sure that the plane gets where it's supposed to be. Not only do pilots do that, but our God does that. God has birthed us and started us and planned us with a particular destination in mind. But there comes in our life a lot of turbulence, wind issues, resistance, and sin that often gets us off of our intended course.
But Tony, you know what the shout for the day is?
Is that because God is sovereign, he uses what could take us off our path and he works with it to get us where we're supposed to be. Now y'all gonna make my glasses fog up because y'all looking at me like that, but I know that I'm not the only one in the house this morning that knows that God has some plans in my life, and it looks like that what I may experience right now may mean that my destiny has been altered. It may appear that my place of destination is not going to come to pass because I'm dealing with a lot of turbulence right now. I'm dealing with bills I can't pay. I'm dealing with sickness in my body. I'm dealing with frustrations in my family, and it's made me believe that I'm not going to make it to my appointed destination.
But let me tell you some good news this morning, that God knows where he wants you to go. And even though you may end up facing some situations in life that may take you off course, your shout today is, 'I'm gonna make it anyway.' Is there anybody today who can shout in advance that God has given you a reservation? He's booked a location for you, and no matter what comes in your life— there is no devil in hell, there is no member in Pilgrim Rest, there is no co-worker on your job, there's nobody in your house. There's no pill you have to take that can separate you from the destination that God has for you. I wish that made somebody smile today. I wish that would give somebody hope today. I wish that encouraged somebody today, because life has been throwing all types of shots at you.
Life has been throwing all types of hell at you, and you thought you wasn't gonna make it.
But let me tell you today, the devil lied to you because God says that I got a reservation for you, I got a place for you, I got an appointment for you, and I am God enough to make sure you get to where you're supposed to be. Gavin Owens, where you get that from?
If y'all give me a few minutes, let me come fellowship in this text with We are in 1 Samuel chapter number 23, and in 1 Samuel chapter 23, we find, long story short, Saul once again attempting to kill Paul David. Because in 1 Samuel chapter number 16, David was anointed to be king by the prophet Samuel. Now this is problem dramatic because then David was appointed to be king in 1 Samuel chapter number 16. But the problem with that is that while David was appointed and anointed to be king by God through the prophet Samuel, a man named Saul was on the throne at that time. And from that moment, theologians, scholars, we study the text and we see that there were perhaps 8 different attempts in which Saul, due to his jealousy and due to him seeing the anointing on David's life, Saul attempted to kill the anointed David. I want to challenge somebody this week to increase your Bible reading and start at 1 Samuel 16 up until 1 Samuel chapter 24, and you will find about 8 times in which Saul attempted to kill David. He attempted to kill David because David was anointed to be king.
David had success, and so Saul saw David as a jealous threat to his kingdom. But here is the good news.
I told you that perhaps 8 different attempts were placed on David's life by Saul. But neither one of them were able to work. And we're reading right now in the 7th attempt to kill David, and this 7th attempt was not able to kill David. Somebody please ask me why after 8 times This man named Saul was not able to be able to kill David. Thank you.
Because I gotta tell you, he was not able to kill David because Saul didn't realize that David had a reservation for the palace, which means that Saul, no matter what you may try to do, I already booked my reservation with God. And if I book my reservation with God, I may get off course, I may have some obstacles, I may have some challenges, but my reservation will still be intact. That's good news for somebody today.
God formed you and gave you a reserved spot.
God formed you and gave you an anointed place. And you think that life is going to throw you off your course But let me tell you something, when life throws you off course, God can change the course and keep the destination. Did y'all hear what I just said? That even when life throws you off course, God has a way of changing the course and keeping the destination. In other words, you gonna get there if you just keep on trusting God. You're gonna make it because God has it for you. And what God has for you, it is for you.
And here's what I came to preach this morning. When you look at from 1 Samuel, because David didn't end up becoming king to around 2 Samuel chapter 5, so after all this time, it looks like most of the time David was off course. But just like those airplanes, that even though you may spend most time off of your original course, you're gonna always make your destination.
And I came to preach this morning—
y'all ready for it? Y'all ready? That God does not allow those that he has anointed to miss their appointment. Okay, okay.
One of these days y'all gonna think I'm a preacher.
I say, and you gonna like it, that God does not allow those that he has anointed to miss their appointment.
Is there anybody this morning that you've done enough yourself that God should have made you miss your appointment, but God still kept your appointment. And you want to know why? It's because God has anointed you for it. Is there anybody who survived all types of attacks from the enemy, and when people look like they were going to take you out, they were not able to take you out? You want to know why that happened? It's because God has anointed you And since you are anointed, you are not going to miss your appointment. And I guess y'all think y'all gonna miss your appointment because somebody don't want you to have it, because some person don't want you to have it, because you don't think you can have it. Let me tell you something today: there is nobody who's a match from God, and God does not anoint who he doesn't already have an appointment for. The big hand on the 6.
Let me see if I can turn this corner, share some things in this text to help us deal with this concept of how you've been rescued by your reservation. And I'mma get out y'all way and head up 167. This text teaches us that God has a way of using dangerous security. Did y'all hear that? Tony, I don't think they heard it. I said dangerous security. Can I show it to you? In this text, David is on the run and David is hiding in a wilderness called Maon. And in this wilderness of Maon, you'll read the text, and the text says that Saul is chasing David. Honorable, it then says that he's closing in on David to the point where Saul is on one end of the mountain And David is on the other end of the mountain. Now, David was anointed to be a king. Let me just do a quick quiz. And kings live in palaces, but in 1 Samuel Chapter 23, David is in a wilderness by a rock, by a mountain. Translated, he's in an obscure and uncomfortable place. But if it had not been For David being in an uncomfortable place, David would have got captured a lot sooner. Lord, y'all make me preach too hard. David— Saul would have been able to get to David, but the wilderness was in the way.
And because the wilderness was in the way, Saul couldn't get to David. Now David didn't want to be in the wilderness because he's anointed to be in the palace. But while he was in the wilderness, he found that God used that wilderness to protect him. Can I tell somebody something today? I know you in the wilderness. I know you in a place you don't want to be. I know you're in an obscure location. But God can get in your wilderness. He can get in that rock. He can get in your mountain and use even that bad place to give you a good outcome. Who am I talking to today? That you are right now in a wilderness situation, but God ain't gonna let you die in that wilderness. But God gonna use that wilderness to protect you.
I'm impressed by the fact that God used an ugly place to give David a beautiful outcome.
And God is still in the business of using ugly places to give you a beautiful outcome. A place where you can hide in God, and it may not feel good, but it's some good in it for you. It may not look good, but it's some good in it for you. Because God can give you a rock in the wilderness. And that's what I came to tell somebody today. If you in the wilderness, look for your rock. That rock's name is Jesus. And thanks be to God that you serve a rock that goes to a wilderness. You serve a rock who don't just stay in the palace, but you serve a rock who will go in the wilderness so he can hide you.
And I want to challenge somebody today that even though you may be in a wilderness, pray that God will show you a rock in your wilderness.
That God, if you let me come to the wilderness, Don't let the wilderness kill me, but let the wilderness hide me. Don't let the wilderness take me out, but let the wilderness serve me. Don't let the wilderness eat me up, but God protect me even while I'm in the wilderness.
I, I, I, I, I learned something that I want y'all to tell y'all kids. Now I want y'all to make sure The kids can play outside. Okay, here's why, here's why. Physicians teach us that a child who is never exposed to a dramatic environment has a weaker immune system. Because when children are exposed to an area of some type of germs, it builds up their immune system. The immune system gets strong because the child has to learn how to adapt in an environment with germs in it. Translated, when you put a child in an environment with germs, the good germs learn how to hide and be offended by the bad germs.
That when you expose to something bad, the bad don't kill you because you got something good on the inside that knows how to hide. Who am I talking to in here?. You gotta go to a job full of germs. You gotta go to a church full of germs. You gotta go to a world full of germs. But the germs don't take you out because they got something on the inside that can keep you in the midst of hell. They can protect you in the midst of hell. Hide me, God, because I'm dealing with a crazy world. Hide me, God, because I'm dealing with crazy people. Hide me, God, because I'm dealing with my crazy self, but don't let my craziness eat me up. But help me, God.
He used dangerous security in that dangerous wilderness. God allowed that to be the safest place for David, because if it hadn't have been for that wilderness Saul would have got to him fast, but I can't stop there. My big hand on— we're in between the 7 and 8 now, so let me move on a little bit further. This text also teaches us about directed shifts. Tony, I'm so glad to see you here this morning. You've been on my mind, man. You know how David was secured in this text? Throughout this text, this chapter, when there were threats about Saul coming and threats about enemies, David always asked God a question about what was next. Go read it, you'll see that your pastor ain't no liar. He says, are they gonna Is, is Saul going to come after me? And will I be sold out by those who I helped? God says— he didn't say I'm gonna change it. God gave David the truth, and when God gave David the truth. David moved. Yeah, I knew y'all would go like this. Whenever God gave a word to David about what was going to chase him, TC, David had sense enough not to stay there.
But David says, if God say they coming after me, I better get to moving.
And contemporary church, I know that we, especially of the, uh, African persuasion, we love to feel good in the house of God, man. I love it, man. I, I really, I really get bothered and I feel lonely when I'm preaching and y'all ain't saying nothing, man. It feels so lonely up here when I start sweating and y'all looking at me like this. Because in our church, we love to hear something. Uh, in our church, We like to shout, we like to dance because it feels good and it's emotive, and we are an emotional people. But can I give y'all a but? What you gonna do after your amen? When is the last time you heard from God And you did more than say amen, but you asked God, where can I move? Come here, come here, come here. Since y'all still looking at me like that, I might as well make it ugly for you.
We do good at taking notes about what the preacher preached, and you look so cute when you do this because y'all have on your pens little crosses, and you know what you wrote, and you wrote down the subject of the message, and you wrote alliterated points, and you know what the pastor preached about.
And some of y'all, some of y'all, some of y'all even at least looked, amen.
But did you move when you got home?
If God gave you a word through this big head man or some other person Perhaps God may have given the word so that you would have sense to say, 'I ain't gonna stay here, I'm gonna get to moving.
This man of God gave me a word about favor and promotion. I'm not gonna stay in my same situation. Maybe I need to submit an application somewhere.' God gave me a word about healing. This ain't the time for me to stop taking my pills. Maybe I need to take my medicine and eat better and make a move.
And my question today, after your amen, where are you gonna move to?
Because God gave you a word for a reason. And if God has given you a word about enlarging your territory, don't be scared to stay where you at, but get to moving, because God is telling you that there is more in store for you And if there's more in store, thus says the Lord, then I ain't gonna sit here. I'm gonna keep on learning more.
I'm gonna take more risks.
I'm gonna take more chances because I want to make sure I'm moving according to his word.
And it's my desire that every time God allows me to come down 167, I can stand behind this desk and say something and that somebody get to moving.
And when you get to moving, you walk into your area of protection. Because if David would have stayed where he was, Saul could have caught up with him. But somebody here today should know that I've been moving with God, and there have been devils on my trail, but thanks be to God they couldn't get to me. It ain't because the devil ain't after me, but I've been trying to move moving where God wants me to go, and the devil can't get to me because I'm moving according to his word. I ain't worried about them because I'm going somewhere else and they can't get to me.
He has directed shifts. It was on his word. David said, you know what, I might want to move somewhere.
I ain't got to just sit here and take this. But I'm gonna go because if God gave me the warning, if God gave me the word, that means there's protection in God's word.
And guess what happens when you get to moving like God says move? Notice what happened. Saul's on one side of the rock or mountain, David's on the other side. Somebody came and interrupted Saul and said, Saul, the Philistines came and started stealing. And Saul left. All right, all right, come here, come here, come here, come here, come here, come here. Now David in 1 Samuel 17 fought Goliath. And Goliath was a giant. Saul wasn't no giant. So if David could defeat Goliath, don't you think David could defeat Saul? But Saul teaches us something, that when I move like God tells me to move, I can save my own slingshot. Lord have mercy. In 1 Samuel 23, David, who killed his tens of thousands, didn't reach for no slingshot. David didn't reach for no sword because even though David had the power to defeat Saul, God didn't call him to fight Saul.
God called David to move and stand still. So just like that word makes you move, sometimes the word will stop you from trying to fight back. Gavin, you're preaching good no matter how they looking at you. When you move like God tells you to move, you'll discover that some people you ain't gotta fight. The reason you fighting folk today is perhaps God told you to separate from them a long time ago, and since you didn't move forward, you still in that same environment, and now you gotta fight.
Gavin R. Hales, PhD, you preaching today, boy. And how many of us today would go with our natural impulse to pick up our sword.
But somebody, let me tell you this today, your hands have been too anointed to fight in this season. Your hands are made for lifting up to God, and when you lift them up to God, you'll discover that God will fight your battle because you've already moved to a new place. I don't know who it's for, I ain't gonna say this for everybody, but watch every environment that you in If you always got to fight another spirit and fight other people and always in conflict, perhaps it may have been that God been telling you to move from there.
And the same God that tell you to move, same God that tell you keep your hands down. I, I, I want to help you. I want to help you. I want to help you. I, I messed around and crept up on something about when it's time to stay and when it's time to move. Y'all ready to learn it? We say this term all the time, and I don't know if y'all know how you preaching when you say it. Y'all saying it, don't know you're saying it. Y'all ready? It's called tonic immobility. Y'all didn't know y'all been saying it, had you? Anybody ever said she playing Are he playing possum? Okay. Or, or, or he's like a deer caught in the headlights. That's really tonic immobility. Break it down, Gavin. In tonic immobility, there are certain animals that are designed by God that they don't have to fight like lions, but God has gifted them with what's called tonic immobility. What happens when they are in the midst of danger? They don't fight, but chemicals are released to slow their heart rate down, to make them still.
And when they submit to their desire They get still, and when they get still, the animal that they would have to fight just go on somewhere else because they think it's already dead. Gary Lawrence, you better preach this thing this morning. Somebody— God wants to give spiritual tonic immobility where you stop trying to fight but just move when God say move. But when God tell you to be still, be still, and the enemy will go on somewhere else by itself. And God may want us spiritually to play possum, where some people you could get back— I ain't gonna even gonna get you back. I'm just gonna be still and praise my God, and you'll leave yourself. And guess what? I'm gonna move to where God wants me to move anyway.
I gotta leave y'all. Y'all ain't come to have no fun with me today. So I'm gonna take my ball and bat, I'm going home. Before I get my ball and bat and get up 167, can I tell y'all another oxymoronic truth? That God gives disruptive support. He gives disruptive support. Sister Patrick, what disruptive support is Since you gave me my watch, my clock. Disruptive support is when God uses foes and make them act like friends. Wow, y'all missed it. That's why y'all pay me the big bucks. Okay, David is on the run from Saul. Somebody comes and tells David, amen, the Philistines are coming. And Saul left because the Philistines chased him. Come here, y'all remember what Goliath was, don't you? Goliath was a Philistine. The Philistines were persistent pains for the children of Israel. But notice, if you will, that in order to save David, David used persistent pain God used persistent pain to rescue David.
They were enemies of the children of Israel, they were enemies of David, but God did not use another child of God to be a distraction to save David. But God used an enemy to be able to be a benefit for old David. I don't know who I'm talking to today, but when you have a reservation for an anointed place God can use your friends and God can use your enemies. He can use your persistent pain to get you to a place of anointing that God has called you to be. Can I give somebody what they need to be praying this week?
You know, we always say this, and I, I know, I know, I know what you do. You just say, God bless them, and go on, think you done did it. But we always say pray for your enemies, pray for those who despitefully use you. And it's really not a person, it's a spirit. Can I ask you, man of God, can I speak to you prophetically? I ain't been spooky, I ain't talking about telling your fortune, I'm speaking as a mouthpiece of God. This week, intentionally pray for the spirit of enemies in your life.
Don't just say God bless them, but say God use them. Because they've been a persistent pain for me, but God, if you have a destiny for me according to your word, use even my enemies to take me to a place of promise. You don't have to just take those that I love. You don't have to just take those that love me, but since you You are a sovereign God. I know you can use anything and anybody. You may be cussing me out today, but God can change them cuss words and use them same cuss words to elevate me. While you trying to set me up, you setting me up, because God can use even my enemy to take me to a higher ground.
God can use persistent pain. I said y'all didn't want to have fun with me today, so I'm getting ready to do what? Get my ball in back and head up 167. But God has a history of using persistent pain to be able to elevate his children. Since the garden in Genesis, there was this persistent enemy called sin. And time and time again, there was persistence between man and sin.
And then Bible said—
we've been talking about all these sacrifices and all the blood that had to be shed.
And you know why it had to take place? Because sin was persistent. Sin was persistent in Moses. I wish I can— who Sin was persistent in Abraham. It was persistent in Jonah. It was persistent in Solomon. It was persistent in Isaiah. It was persistent in Jeremiah. It was persistent in Haggai. It was persistent in Malachi. But one day, that persistent pain got into the right hands, and he who knew no sin, but came that persistent pain. And when he became that persistent pain, they used a persistent punishment because they used the cross over and over and over again to be a barrier in form of embarrassment and shame, that all criminals had to go to a cross. All criminals had to be crucified to make them sane. It was a persistent pain. But God took that persistent cross, and on one Good Friday, he used that same old cross and made it to our victory. And he didn't stay on that cross, but he borrowed Joseph's tomb and say, now that I done borrowed the cross, let me borrow your grave, because 3 days I'm gonna get up with power in my hand. And all I'm trying to tell you is that God can use persistent pain and still help you keep your appointment. I know he's all right.
It's the best hooping I can do today. Y'all better be glad, boy. He'll use persistent pain to get you to where you need. I, I've tried to tell you. Let me do a quick review. We do a quick review, please. This week, pray for a rock in your dangerous places. When you say, I feel like God moving me somewhere, I feel like God feeling me, I feel like God telling me that there is more for me, better start submitting applications. God want me to take care of— better care of my health. Fried chicken may not be your best option today.
I'm so sick of them.
Pray that God use them, 'cause you can't change people. But God can show change what people can do for you. That's the key takeaways for you today. We offer Jesus to you.
