Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
Elder Lee

      • Psalm 133:1NKJV

      • Psalm 147:3NKJV

  • 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.

      • Matthew 20:28NKJV

      • Deuteronomy 1:11CJBIB

      • Hebrews 1:3NKJV

      • Psalm 133:1NKJV

      • Psalm 147:3NKJV

Grace Covenant Church of Mid Mo
info@damascusministries.org
573-290-2144
https://www.mograce.org
16 members