Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
Sunday July 28th
      • Psalm 133:1NKJV

      • Psalm 147:3NKJV

      • Isaiah 55:1–5NLT

  • The Cave Was Not Your Ceiling

    Opening

    There are moments when God announces your future while you are still living in circumstances that look nothing like it.
    David had been called from the sheepfold. Samuel poured oil upon his head in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and heaven declared that he had been chosen.
    Yet after the oil came conflict.
    He defeated Goliath, but victory did not make his life easier. His success made Saul jealous. The songs of Israel became a source of irritation to the king. The same David who had been welcomed into the palace was soon running from it.
    He went from playing the harp before Saul to hiding in caves because Saul wanted him dead.
    But God was doing something in those caves.
    The cave was not David’s burial place. It was his classroom.
    The wilderness was not the end of the promise. It was where God prepared David to carry the weight of the promise.
    Foundational Scriptures: 1 Samuel 22:1-5, 1 Samuel 24:1-7, 1 Samuel 30:1-8, 2 Samuel 5:1-12,
    1 Samuel 22:1–5 CJB
    David left there and took refuge in the Cave of ‘Adulam. When his brothers and the rest of his father’s family heard of it, they went down to see him there. Then all the people in distress, in debt or embittered began gathering around him, and he became their leader; there were about four hundred with him. David went from there to Mitzpeh of Mo’av and said to the king of Mo’av, “Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I know what God will do for me.” He presented them to the king of Mo’av, and they lived with him as long as David remained in his stronghold. But the prophet Gad said to David, “Don’t stay in the stronghold. Leave, and go to the land of Y’hudah.” So David left and went to the Forest of Heret.

    The Central Burden of the Message

    Before David ever sat on the throne, he learned how to survive in the wilderness. Before he wore a crown, he slept in caves. Before people called him king, Saul called him an enemy.
    Yet the cave was not proof that God had forgotten David. The cave was part of God’s preparation. God used the wilderness to strip David of self-reliance, develop his discernment, govern his emotions, deepen his worship, and teach him how to trust the promise when everything around him contradicted it.
    David was anointed, but he was not immediately elevated.
    That is where many believers become discouraged. We think the oil should remove the opposition. We think the prophecy should eliminate the process. We believe that once God speaks, everything should begin moving quickly.
    David teaches us that a word from God can be true while your surroundings still look wrong.
    Samuel had anointed him, but Saul was still king. David had the promise, but Saul still had the palace. David had oil on his head, but he had dust on his clothes. Yet none of those conditions cancelled what God had spoken.
    The message is this:
    You may be in a low place, but God has already spoken a higher word over your life.

    The Higher Place Begins With a Divine Choice

    In 1 Samuel 16:7, God told Samuel that man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
    David was overlooked by his father, underestimated by his brothers, and left with the sheep. Yet God saw something in him that others did not see.
    His elevation did not begin when people recognized him. It began when God chose him.
    That speaks to those who feel unseen. You do not have to force people to recognize what God has already appointed. You do not have to manipulate your way into a room that God has ordained for you.
    When God prepares to take you higher, He does not need everyone’s approval. He only needs your obedience.
    The oil found David in the field.
    That means God knows where you are. He knows your address. He knows the cave. He knows the wilderness. He knows the hidden place. When your appointed hour comes, the oil will find you.

    Going Higher May First Look Like Going Lower

    David’s life appears to move backward after his anointing.
    He is chosen, then hunted.
    He is celebrated, then rejected.
    He is brought into the palace, then driven into the wilderness.
    This is where the sermon can confront our understanding of elevation. We often define higher by visibility, comfort, position, and recognition. God defines higher by maturity, obedience, character, and spiritual authority.
    David was physically lower in the cave, but spiritually he was growing higher.
    He was becoming more prayerful.
    He was becoming more discerning.
    He was becoming less dependent on human systems.
    He was learning how to hear God when there was no prophet standing beside him.
    Some seasons feel like demotion, but heaven calls them development.
    You thought you were being pushed down. God was driving your roots deeper.
    You thought you had been forgotten. God was teaching you how to survive without applause.
    You thought the cave was punishment. God was preparing you to enter the palace without becoming corrupted by it.

    The Cave Taught David Dependence

    Psalm 57 is connected with David’s experience of fleeing from Saul into a cave.
    David says in Psalm 57:1, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee.”
    The cave forced David to depend on God.
    There were no palace guards protecting him. There was no army surrounding him. There was no royal treasury funding him. David had to learn that God could sustain him without the resources of Saul’s kingdom.
    This is a major theme for the message:
    God may remove what you leaned upon so that you can discover the strength of the One who has been holding you.
    Higher requires another level of dependence.
    God does not take us higher so that we can become independent of Him. He takes us higher after we have learned that we can do nothing without Him.
    John 15:5, reminds us that without Christ, we can do nothing.
    John 15:5 CJB
    “I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who stay united with me, and I with them, are the ones who bear much fruit; because apart from me you can’t do a thing.
    David learned this in caves. Jesus demonstrated it in prayer. Before major decisions, Christ withdrew and prayed. Before Calvary, He prayed in Gethsemane. The higher the assignment, the deeper the dependence.

    The Cave Taught David Restraint

    In 1 Samuel 24:1-7, David had an opportunity to kill Saul.
    Saul entered the cave where David and his men were hiding. David’s men interpreted the opportunity as permission. They believed God had delivered Saul into David’s hand.
    Yet David refused to kill him.
    This is crucial because not every opportunity is an instruction from God.
    David could have taken the throne, but he would have damaged his soul.
    He understood that a right promise could not be possessed through a wrong method.
    Higher requires restraint.
    David had to prove that he could handle power before God trusted him with the throne. He had the ability to destroy Saul, but he did not have divine permission.
    There are people who will encourage you to do something because you have the chance. They will tell you, “This must be God. Look how the door opened.”
    Every open door is not a door God wants you to walk through.
    Sometimes the test is not whether you can defeat your enemy. The test is whether you can spare them.
    Sometimes the test is whether you will allow God to vindicate you instead of taking revenge.
    Romans 12:19, teaches us that vengeance belongs to the Lord.
    David did not have to destroy Saul to become king. God had already determined David’s future.
    You do not have to become like the person who wounded you in order to rise above what they did to you.

    Higher Requires Healing From the Previous Season

    David could not carry Saul’s spirit into David’s kingdom.
    He had been mistreated, hunted, lied on, betrayed, and forced from his home. Yet when the time came for him to reign, he had to lead people without allowing bitterness to govern him.
    This is where the message can speak directly to the congregation.
    Some people have survived the cave, but the cave is still living inside them.
    They escaped the situation, but they have not escaped the anger.
    They left the place, but they still carry the wound.
    They survived what happened, but every decision is still being shaped by what happened.
    God is not only calling you out of the cave. He is removing the cave from your heart.
    You cannot go higher carrying every offence, every grudge, every name, and every painful memory as part of your identity.
    Hebrews 12:15, warns us about a root of bitterness springing up and troubling us.
    Higher will require you to release what cannot follow you.

    Ziklag Was the Final Test Before Elevation

    In 1 Samuel 30:1-8, David returned to Ziklag and discovered that the city had been burned. The women and children had been taken captive. David’s own men spoke of stoning him.
    David had already endured Saul’s hatred. Now the people closest to him turned against him.
    Yet 1 Samuel 30:6, says David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
    This is a turning point.
    David did not have anyone encouraging him. He had to reach into his relationship with God and find strength.
    He then asked the Lord, “Shall I pursue this troop?”
    God told him to pursue, overtake, and recover all.
    Ziklag looked like another loss, but it stood close to David’s elevation. Shortly after this, Saul died, and David was brought into the place God had promised.
    The pressure intensified because the transition was near.
    This can become a powerful word for the church:
    Do not mistake the intensity of the battle for the cancellation of the promise.
    The enemy wants you to quit near the border of fulfilment.
    David had to keep moving while grieving.
    He had to seek God while disappointed.
    He had to lead while wounded.
    He had to pursue while exhausted.
    Yet when God said pursue, David moved.

    The Season of Running Came to an End

    In 2 Samuel 5:1-3, the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and acknowledged what God had already established.
    They said, “The Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.”
    David did not have to campaign for what God had promised.
    The same people who once overlooked him came to recognize him.
    The same nation that watched him flee from Saul now gathered to crown him.
    God knows how to bring people into agreement with what He has spoken.
    David was thirty years old when he began to reign. The promise had survived the waiting. The oil had survived the wilderness. The calling had survived the cave.
    He did not arrive empty. He arrived prepared.

    The Prophetic Declaration

    This section can rise with repetition and congregational response:
    I declare that in this season, you are going higher.
    Not higher in pride, but higher in purpose.
    Not higher so people can applaud you, but higher so God can use you.
    Higher in discernment.
    Higher in discipline.
    Higher in prayer.
    Higher in wisdom.
    Higher in spiritual authority.
    Higher in your understanding of the Word.
    Higher in your ability to forgive.
    Higher in your ability to endure.
    Higher in your ability to hear God clearly.
    God has already turned it around for your good.
    What was intended to destroy you has developed you.
    What tried to break you has built endurance in you.
    What forced you into the cave taught you how to pray.
    What made you cry taught you compassion.
    What stripped you taught you dependence.
    What delayed you taught you patience.
    What opposed you taught you how to stand.
    Romans 8:28, still declares that all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.
    The way has been made.
    The door has been opened.
    The season has changed.
    Your due season is here.
    Galatians 6:9, says that we shall reap in due season if we do not faint.
    You did not faint.
    You may have cried, but you did not faint.
    You may have slowed down, but you did not faint.
    You may have questioned how long it would take, but you did not walk away from God.
    Now it is time to reap the harvest of the Lord.

    A Strong Refrain

    The cave was not my ceiling. The wilderness was not my grave. The oil is still on me. The promise is still alive. In this season, I am going higher.
    Another refrain could be:
    I survived the cave. I passed the test. I kept my heart. I am ready to go higher.

    Christological Direction

    David’s story ultimately points us to Jesus Christ.
    David was an anointed king who suffered before he reigned. Jesus is the Anointed One who suffered before entering His glory.
    David was rejected by Saul, though he had done no wrong. Jesus was rejected by His own, though no sin was found in Him.
    David went into the cave and emerged to reign. Jesus was placed in a tomb, but the grave could not hold Him.
    Philippians 2:8-11, shows Christ humbling Himself unto death, followed by God highly exalting Him and giving Him a name above every name.
    The pattern of the Kingdom is clear. The way up passes through surrender. The crown follows the cross. Resurrection follows death.
    Because Jesus got up, every believer joined to Him has hope beyond the cave.
    Your higher place is not grounded in positive thinking. It is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    Theological Emphases

    Sanctification before elevation: God develops the inner person before expanding the public assignment.
    Divine providence: God can use opposition, delay, rejection, and wilderness seasons without becoming the author of evil.
    Christlike restraint: Spiritual maturity is revealed by what we refuse to do, even when we possess the power to do it.
    Resurrection hope: The cave cannot become the final word over the life of one who belongs to the risen Christ.

    Questions to Press Upon the Congregation

    What has the cave produced in you?
    Has the wilderness made you bitter, or has it made you dependent on God?
    Can God trust you with authority after you have been wounded by authority?
    Are you trying to force what God has promised?
    Have you mistaken an opportunity for an instruction?
    Are you prepared to leave the pain of the previous season behind?
    Can you encourage yourself in the Lord when everyone else is silent?
    What must be healed in you before you go higher?

    Altar Direction

    There are people who know that God has called them higher, but they are tired from the cave.
    They are tired of running.
    Tired of waiting.
    Tired of fighting the same battle.
    Tired of carrying the memory of what Saul did.
    This altar is for those who are ready to release the wilderness season.
    You are not coming because you have failed. You are coming because God is preparing you for what comes next.
    Bring Him the fear.
    Bring Him the bitterness.
    Bring Him the disappointment.
    Bring Him the need to be understood.
    Bring Him the temptation to force the promise.
    Come and declare, “Lord, prepare my heart for the place You are taking me.”
    The cave was not your ceiling. The wilderness was not your grave. The oil is still upon your life.
    I declare that in this season, you are going higher.
  • The Crown Was Not the Finish Line

    Primary Scriptures: 2 Samuel 5:1-25, 2 Samuel 6:1-15, Psalm 24:7-10, Ephesians 2:4-6
    Ephesians 2:4–6 NKJV
    But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

    Opening and Series Recap

    For the past two weeks, we have been walking with David through the places that prepared him for what God had promised him.
    We watched the oil find David in the field.
    We watched him defeat Goliath in the valley.
    We watched him enter Saul’s palace.
    We watched Saul’s jealousy turn the palace into a dangerous place.
    We watched David run into the wilderness and hide in caves.
    Yet the cave was not his ceiling.
    The cave became his classroom.
    The cave taught David how to depend upon God when he had no army, no palace, no title, and no visible protection. The cave taught him how to worship when nothing around him looked like the promise.
    Then, last week, we watched David face a different kind of test.
    Saul entered the cave where David was hiding. David had the opportunity to kill the man who had spent years trying to kill him, but David refused.
    David put the spear down.
    He learned that every opportunity is not authorization. He learned that having the ability to do something does not mean he has God’s permission to do it.
    David understood that he did not have to become Saul to escape Saul.
    He did not have to take Saul’s life to receive Saul’s throne.
    He did not have to manipulate what God had promised.
    What God had promised, God was able to perform.
    Then we followed David to Ziklag.
    The city was burned.
    The families were taken.
    David’s own men spoke of stoning him.
    But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
    He called for the ephod.
    He sought the Lord.
    He asked, “Shall I pursue?”
    And God said, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
    David pursued.
    David overtook.
    David recovered all.
    At the Brook Besor, David revealed that he already possessed the heart of a king. He refused to forget those who were too weary to continue into battle. He shared the spoil with those who fought and those who remained with the supplies.
    He protected the weary.
    He honored every contribution.
    He understood that the victory belonged to God.
    David had not received the crown yet, but the cave, the spear, Ziklag, and the Brook Besor had already taught him how to wear it.
    Now we arrive at the final movement of this message.
    David has recovered what the Amalekites stole, but he has not yet occupied everything God promised.
    The cave is behind him.
    Ziklag has been recovered.
    Saul’s season has ended.
    The door is beginning to open.
    The question now is not whether David can survive the low place.
    The question is whether David can remain faithful in the higher place.
    Because getting out of the cave is one thing.
    Knowing how to live after the cave is another.
    Recovering what was stolen is one thing.
    Knowing what to do with what you recovered is another.
    Receiving the promise is one thing.
    Carrying the responsibility of the promise is another.
    The crown was coming, but the crown was not the finish line.

    Jesus Christ, the Greater Son of David

    David’s journey points beyond David.
    It points us to Jesus Christ, the greater Son of David.
    David was anointed, then rejected.
    Jesus was declared the beloved Son, then driven into the wilderness.
    David was hated without cause.
    Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
    David had the power to kill Saul but chose restraint.
    Jesus declared in Matthew 26:53, that He could call upon the Father and receive more than twelve legions of angels, yet He surrendered to the will of God.
    When Peter used the sword in the garden, Jesus told him to put it away.
    Jesus would not establish His kingdom through the weapons of fallen men.
    David refused to throw Saul’s spear back at Saul.
    Jesus refused to answer violence with violence.
    David entered a cave and later emerged to reign.
    Jesus entered a tomb, but early Sunday morning He rose with all power in His hands.
    The grave was not His ceiling.
    Death was not His ceiling.
    The stone was not His ceiling.
    The Roman seal was not His ceiling.
    The power of darkness was not His ceiling.
    Philippians 2:8-11, tells us that Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name.
    Because Jesus went higher, we can rise through Him.
    Our hope is not built upon human ambition.
    Our hope is built upon the resurrection.
    Our future is not secured by positive thinking.
    Our future is secured in the risen Christ.
    The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is at work in those who believe.
    Deuteronomy 30:19–20 NKJV
    I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

    1. Wait for God’s timing

    David refused to force the promise by killing Saul. He knew God had chosen him to become king, but he would not reach the throne through disobedience.
    1 Samuel 24:6-7,
    Obedience means trusting that what God promised does not require manipulation, revenge, or human interference.
    Key truth: A delayed promise is better than a premature position gained through disobedience.

    2. Seek God before making your move

    At Ziklag, David did not allow grief, anger, or urgency to direct him. He called for the ephod and asked God whether he should pursue.
    1 Samuel 30:7-8,
    Even when the answer appears obvious, obedience still asks, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
    Key truth: Pain does not remove the need for prayer, and urgency does not replace divine direction.

    3. Move when God gives the command

    When God told David to pursue, David got up from the ashes and moved. God promised recovery, but David still had to participate through obedience.
    1 Samuel 30:8-10,
    There is a time to wait, but there is also a time to arise, pursue, rebuild, and reap.
    Key truth: God’s promise does not excuse passivity. Obedience requires movement.

    4. Ask God again for fresh instructions

    David had defeated the Philistines before, but when they returned, he did not assume that the previous strategy would work again. He inquired of the Lord again.
    2 Samuel 5:19-25,
    The enemy was the same, but God’s instructions changed. Yesterday’s victory could not replace today’s listening.
    Key truth: Familiar battles may require fresh direction from God.

    5. Follow God’s order and carry His presence

    David desired to bring the ark to Jerusalem, but his first attempt did not follow God’s prescribed order. He corrected the method and brought the ark into the city with reverence, sacrifice, and worship.
    2 Samuel 6:1-15,
    Good intentions do not replace obedience. David learned that the higher place meant nothing without the presence of God.
    Key truth: Do not pursue the blessing while neglecting God’s order, holiness, and presence.

    Congregational Declaration

    I will wait for God’s timing. I will seek God before I move. I will move when God speaks. I will ask God again. I will follow His order and carry His presence. In this season, I am going higher through obedience.
    Deuteronomy 28:1–2 ““If you listen closely to what Adonai your God says, observing and obeying all his mitzvot which I am giving you today, Adonai your God will raise you high above all the nations on earth; and all the following blessings will be yours in abundance—if you will do what Adonai your God says:”
    I declare that in this season, you are going higher.
    You are going higher in prayer.
    You are going higher in wisdom.
    You are going higher in discernment.
    You are going higher in discipline.
    You are going higher in love.
    You are going higher in forgiveness.
    You are going higher in spiritual authority.
    You are going higher in your understanding of the Word.
    You are going higher in your ability to hear God clearly.
    The cave was not your ceiling.
    The wilderness was not your grave.
    Ziklag was not your ending.
    The fire did not destroy the promise.
    The betrayal did not cancel the oil.
    The delay did not change God’s mind.
    God has already turned it around for your good.
    What tried to destroy you developed you.
    What tried to bury you planted you.
    What made you cry deepened your prayer life.
    What stripped you taught you where your true strength comes from.
    What rejected you pushed you closer to the God who chose you.
    The way has been made.
    The door has been opened.
    Your due season is here.
    Now it is time to go and reap the harvest of the Lord.
    Do not carry Saul’s spear into your next season.
    Do not carry the ashes of Ziklag into your next season.
    Do not carry the anger of the cave into your next season.
    Let God heal your heart.
    Let God clean your hands.
    Let God renew your mind.
    Let God prepare you for what He has prepared for you.
    The crown will not destroy you because the cave trained you.
    Authority will not corrupt you because restraint has matured you.
    Victory will not make you arrogant because Ziklag taught you that the victory belongs to God.
    You survived the cave.
    You survived the spear.
    You survived the betrayal.
    You survived the fire.
    You survived the threats.
    You survived the nights when nobody knew what you were carrying.
    Now hear the word of the Lord:
    Pursue.
    You shall overtake.
    You shall recover.
    You shall reap.
    You shall see the goodness of the Lord.
    You shall walk into what God promised.
    You shall not die in the cave.
    You shall not remain beside the ashes.
    You shall rise.
    You shall rebuild.
    You shall recover.
    You shall go higher.

    Congregational Refrain

    The cave was not my ceiling.
    The wilderness was not my grave.
    The oil is still upon me.
    The promise is still alive.
    I will not throw the spear.
    I will not lose my heart.
    I will pursue what God has promised.
    In this season, I am going higher.

    Call to Action

    There are people who have survived the cave, but you are still carrying the anger of what happened there.
    You did not kill Saul, but you have replayed the moment in your mind.
    You did not throw the spear, but you are still holding it.
    You are waiting for the chance to explain yourself.
    You are waiting for the chance to expose somebody.
    You are waiting for the chance to make people feel what you felt.
    But the Lord is saying, “Put the spear down. I am taking you higher.”
    There are others standing beside the ashes of Ziklag.
    You have cried until you have no more power to cry.
    You have wondered whether you have the strength to rebuild again.
    You have asked whether there is anything left to recover.
    God sent this word to tell you that the fire did not have the final word.
    Strengthen yourself in the Lord.
    Bring the ephod.
    Seek His direction.
    When He says pursue, get up and move.
    This altar is for those who are ready to release the wound, put down the spear, leave the ashes, and follow God into the next season.
    Come with your disappointment.
    Come with your exhaustion.
    Come with the betrayal.
    Come with the anger you have struggled to release.
    Come with the fear that says it will never happen.
    Come with the grief of what was taken.
    Jesus is here.
    The same Christ who walked out of the grave can bring you out of the cave.
    The same Christ who restored Peter can restore your confidence.
    The same Christ who healed wounded hearts can heal yours.
    You are not coming because you have failed.
    You are coming because God is preparing you for higher.

    Impartation Over the Church

    Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I speak over every person under the sound of my voice.
    Strengthen those who are tired.
    Heal those who have been wounded.
    Cleanse every heart from bitterness, revenge, resentment, and hidden anger.
    Give us the restraint to refuse every opportunity that does not carry Your permission.
    Teach us to trust Your timing.
    Teach us to honor You while we wait.
    Teach us to pursue when You speak.
    Teach us to recover without becoming arrogant.
    Teach us to lead with compassion.
    Teach us to remember those who remained beside the supplies while others fought the battle.
    I declare that the cave has completed its work.
    The wilderness has produced dependence.
    The test has produced character.
    The fire has not destroyed the promise.
    The oil is still flowing.
    The word is still alive.
    I declare that every necessary door is opening.
    Every crooked place is being made straight.
    Every divine connection is coming into alignment.
    Every resource assigned to the vision is being released.
    Every gift that has been buried beneath grief is rising again.
    Every voice that became silent in the cave is receiving a new sound.
    Every person who became weary at Ziklag is receiving fresh strength.
    You will pursue.
    You will overtake.
    You will recover.
    You will reap.
    You will walk into your due season.
    You will not enter the next season bitter.
    You will enter healed.
    You will not enter carrying Saul’s spear.
    You will enter with clean hands.
    You will not enter trying to prove yourself.
    You will enter knowing that God has already established you.
    I declare over this house:
    We are going higher.
    Our worship is going higher.
    Our prayer is going higher.
    Our commitment is going higher.
    Our unity is going higher.
    Our service is going higher.
    Our expectation is going higher.
    Our faith is going higher.
    The cave was not our ceiling.
    The fire was not our ending.
    The promise of God is still alive.
    The way has been made.
    Our due season is here.
    Now we will go and reap the harvest of the Lord.
    In the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ.
    Amen.
      • Ephesians 2:4–6NLT

      • Deuteronomy 30:19–20NLT

      • Deuteronomy 1:11CJBIB

      • Hebrews 1:3NKJV

      • Psalm 133:1NKJV

      • Psalm 147:3NKJV