Samuel 14. You remember in chapter 13, Israel was in a great predicament.
Huge army of the Philistines. 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen,
and people as the sand is on the seashore in multitude. And everybody run. Everybody
went and hid. And then you remember Saul's
predicament was the absence of God. God left him. God left him. And we saw the
consequences of sin, not only on him, but the consequences
of our sin on the Lord Jesus Christ. And Saul went from 3,000
men to 600. 600. And What happens here is Jonathan.
We are introduced to Jonathan again. Jonathan is a man that
the Bible says an awful lot about him here in 1st Samuel and 2nd
Samuel. He was different as day and night
as his father was. He decided that he took his young
man to bear his armor and said we are going to go over here
fight these Philistines. Two of them. Just when you're
going to sneak away. I don't want my father to know. I don't want nobody in Israel
to know. We're going to go out and fight the Lord. It's kind
of like David, you know, when he was just a boy, went out and
faced a 10-foot giant. Nobody else could face him. A
whole army was afraid to face him. David went out there and
faced him and slew him. And he said, is there not a cause?
You're not fighting Israel, you're fighting the God of Israel. And
that's the way David felt. And what Saul was doing is, he
was sitting down under a pomegranate tree, taking life easy. And he got the priest there in
verse 3, Athenia's son, Ichabod's son, You remember Engebod, you know
how that when he was born his mother died and said they took
the ark and said the glory of God has departed. And he's sitting
under a pomegranate tree and he asked the priest and he used
him to try to discern God's will. And he's still suffering from
the absence of God. Now Jonathan is a singular character. You will see it later. But him
and David, he's not going to get to be king. He's the king's
son and by rights he should have been the next king. But God had
already told him, I've got a man after my own heart that I'm going
to make king. He's going to be over my people. And Jonathan
and David became the closest two men that you could have.
The scripture says their love surpassed the love of a woman.
And Jonathan protected David, watched out for David, and they
entered into a covenant together. Entered into a covenant together.
And he protected David from his own father. And I tell you what,
if he knew that he wasn't going to be the king, then David was
going to be the king. And he went out to face this
garrison, and face him and him and just one other fellow. And
look what it says down here in verse 6 now. This is where I
want to get my subject if I can. And Jonathan said to the young
man that bare his armor, Come and let us go over to the garrison
of the uncircumcised. These unclean, these uncircumcised,
these heathen idolaters. Let's me and you go over there
and listen to this. It may be the Lord will work
for us. For there is no restraint to
the Lord to save by many or save by few. No restraint to the Lord. He
can save by a bunch or he can save by a few. In fact, God saved
all of his people by one man. One man. God saved all of his
people by one man. The Lord Jesus Christ. And oh,
what a blessed, blessed confidence that Jonathan had in God. His father didn't have that.
His father intruded into the priesthood. His father intruded
and done things that he should not have done. And it cost him.
But oh, what a blessed, blessed confidence he had in God. It
may be the Lord will work for us. There's no restraint to Him. There's no restraint on God.
There's no restraint on His power. There's no restraint on His grace.
There's no restraint on what He can do in His ability. It
gets saved by me and you or it gets saved by a great army. It
don't make any difference to Him. And I tell you what, here's
my first point. God uses the weak to confound
the mighty. He uses the weak to confound
the mighty and uses the foolish to confound the wise. And the
reason he does that is to bring glory to himself. He's going
to put men in situations where he's going to get all the glory
or he's not going to work. And that's what you find him
doing all the way through the scripture. Anybody that God used,
He humbled him first. Just like take Moses. Before
God called Moses out of that burning bush, he was a man so
full of pride. He was a man so self-sufficient.
He was raised in wealth. He was the adopted son of Pharaoh's
daughter. And so he was a prince. He was somebody. And then he
was grown, he saw this Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew. He took
it upon himself, says, now what are you doing bothering my brother?
And so what he did, he got angry, got upset and impulsive, and
he killed that Egyptian. Killed him. Buried him. And the next day he saw some
men doing the same thing. Some Hebrews fighting among themselves.
And he said, why do you brethren do this among yourselves? And
you know what they said to him? He found out real quick that
he wasn't accepted and he wasn't loved and he didn't have no ability. They said, who made you a judge
and a deliverer over us? You going to do us like you did
that Egyptian yesterday? Moses left town. Huh? Oh my. I tell you Moses had to
leave. And Moses was proud. Moses was
impulsive, given to anger. But you know God's going to use
him. But you know what God's going to do to him before he
uses him? Puts him on the back side of the desert tending sheep
for 40 years. He put him back there by himself. Alone. Tending sheep. Went from being son of Pharaoh's
daughter to tending sheep up in Midian. And he was on the
back side of the desert one day and God spoke to him out of a
burning bush. And you know what the first thing
out of his mouth was? Lord, I'm not an elephant. I've
got no abilities. I can't speak. I'm tongue-tied. I'm stammering. Everything about
me is wrong. But you know what God said? Who
made man's mouth? Who made man's ears? Who made
man's eyes? I can use you. I can use anybody. And oh my. And then you know
what? He wasn't so quick to go down. In fact, God had to make him
go before he was ready. And God, He's going to whittle
a man down until I tell you what. He's going to come to find out.
He's nothing but dust. But you know what they said about
Moses? Look over here in Numbers 12. This is the way he became. Numbers chapter 12, verse 3,
I think it is. This is what he became after,
you know, here he committed murder. He committed murder and now God's
done something for him. God called him out of a burning
bush. And oh, he said, oh, I can't
go. I can't talk. I can't speak. God said, that's one major mouth,
I'll use it. Look what it said about Moses
here. Went just the opposite of what he was. Now the man Moses
was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the
earth. Went from being high-minded,
trying to rule over down there in Egypt, and here he is, meekest
man on the earth. And how foolish, how foolish
it is for men to think they have some ability. Even the greatest,
so-called greatest people in this world are nothing but dust.
Nothing but dust. And then there's Gideon. We're
talking about God saved by many or by few. Have any of y'all
ever read about Gideon over in Judges? God raised up Gideon. And he gave him an army to fight
the Midianites. Army of Midianites. He had a 32,000 men army. And he complained,
it's too small. We can't go against these Midianites
with just 32,000 people. You know what God said? That's
too many. That's too many. He said, let
everybody go down there to the water. And said, men to get on
their knees and drink out of the water. He said, send them
to the house. And men who take their hands
and whack it up like a dog. He said, that's the ones you'll
keep. And when it's all said and done, there was just 300.
And God defeated the Midianites. Went from 32,000. And He said,
that ain't enough. And God wheeled them down to
300. And he defeated the Midianites. Oh, there's no restraint to the
Lord. He's saved by many or saved by a few. You know why he does
that? So he shows that he's the one that's got the power. He's
the one that's got the authority. He's the one who's got the ability.
And oh, listen. And here's the thing about God.
Gideon didn't consider God. And without God, Gideon was just
a weak, tiny, insignificant man There was nobody from nowhere
until God set him apart to use him. Went from 33,000, 32,000
down to 300,000. Said, now go fight. Now go fight. And then Simon Peter. We're talking
about the Lord can save by few or by many. Everybody knows what
Peter was like. Oh, he was a proud man. An impulsive
man. So quick to speak. He would speak
when nobody else would say to him. But one time he said, when
he wished not what to say, he said. He said, somebody's got
to say something, so he didn't know what to say, so he just
said. If you ain't got nothing to say, just don't say nothing.
But he said, wished not what to say, and he said. Proud, impulsive,
quick to speak, and so quick to act. Oh, how many times he
was so quick to act. He was so quick to even rebuke
our Lord one time. He was a rugged old fisherman.
He was bold, outspoken, and I tell you what, he wasn't much afraid.
When they came to arrest our Lord Jesus Christ that night
in the garden, he was the one who had the sword. He's the one
who defended Christ. He's the one who took his sword
and tried to cut that fellow's head off and just missed and
got his ear. Oh, he was something. But you
know what he didn't know? He didn't know how weak he really
was. He didn't know how weak he really
was. A woman, just a little old maid,
just a little old maid, working, working woman, little old woman,
said something to him. And he began to tremble, shook
in the presence of a woman. And I tell you what, after that,
Peter was a different man. After that, after his failure,
he became a great apostle. He became the one that God gave
the keys of the kingdom to, to the Gentiles and to the Jews. And you know what he said? This
is what he said. I want you to see it. 1 Peter
5. This is what he said after this. After he had been humbled,
after he had been stripped, after he had been brought so down,
and found out how weak he really, really was. Look what it says here in 1 Peter
5, verse 5 and 6. Boy, if he'd have known this,
if he'd have knew this when he was young, if he'd have knew
this and practiced this, when he went into the high priest's
palace. Likewise, you younger, submit
yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one
to another. And listen to this, and be clothed
with humility. Don't think you're good. Don't
think you're strong. Don't think you're proud. Don't
think that you're somebody. Be clothed with humility. Have
humility as your clothes. Listen to this God resists the
proud and he knows something about that because he is proud
He knows something about God resisting the proud But over
here's a humble man. God gives grace to that fella
And listen to what he says humble yourselves therefore under the
mighty hand of God Why wouldn't a man humble himself under the
mighty hand of God? That He, He, God, may exalt you
in due time. And God brought all these men,
Moses, Gideon, and every other man that He ever used, brought
these men to nothing, nothing, that He'd get all the glory.
Back over here in our text, look what Jonathan did. He said, Jonathan
understood God's mighty power. And what he was saying was, God
don't need a whole lot of people to do what He's going to do.
He doesn't. He doesn't. God doesn't need
great armies, and God doesn't need mighty men. God doesn't look on mighty men. You know what, when God's eye
looks on human race, and looks on people like you and me, you
know what He sees? He sees weak people, frail people, dust to
the earth, the best estate where vanity, helpless without Him. Pieces of clay in the potter's
hands to do with us what He pleases to do. We don't know what He's
going to do, but He puts us in His hands. He can do anything
He wants to us, any day of any week, any moment of any hour,
from the time He saves us until He takes us to glory. And we're
His, and He can do what He wants to us. And there's not a believer
on the face of this earth that knows anything about the grace
of God that would not say, yes, Lord, yes, not my will, but thine
be done. I know I'm nothing. I used to, and I still pray this
way, Lord. It's like this glass. You know, like a cup. You throw
that thing down and bust it all to pieces. And that's the way
I pray sometimes, God, I'm just like a cup, and You tear me all
to pieces and put me back together, if that's what You mean to do,
to make me where I can be used of You in any way. I know how,
listen, The humblest man that I've ever known still got so
much pride in him that God would damn him for it if it wasn't
for the grace of God. Is that not right? And that's what's so awful about
free willism or an Arminianism. What makes it so awful is it
glories in the freedom of the will. Not God's will, but man's
free will. It glories in man's ability,
human ability. Faith is something that man is
born with and if you can just convince him to exercise it and
accept the Lord Jesus Christ, so then go back to human ability,
man's power of his free will. The distinction between one man
and another is not what God made the difference, but their ability
to accept Jesus and the other one didn't. I remember years ago, up in Indiana,
up there where Bruce is at, he used to go up there and preach
all the time. There was this fellow that said, oh yeah, I've
seen grace, I've seen grace. Well, we was riding around, we
got talking about it. And I said, I'm a total predestinarian,
absolute predestinarian. Ain't nothing happening in this
world that God didn't predestinate. Nothing. There ain't a thigh
on the wall that God didn't put there. Now that's right. But anyway, this fellow, he said,
oh man, you've took grace too far. And I said, what do you
mean? He says, well, he said, you got to repent and believe.
So I said, well, then your repentance and your faith is what caused
God to save you. He said, that's exactly right.
Well, what made anybody else different than you? Why didn't
God save somebody else? Well, they didn't repent and
believe like I did. I said, well, that's not grace
at all. Is there anything grace about that? And I said, no, you don't know
nothing about grace. Huh? Oh my, but that's the danger
of free willism and Arminianism. And God tells John, Jonathan
said, Oh Lord, you can save by many or you can save by few.
God started out in this world with just 12 men. He built an ark by one man. And I tell you this idea that
man's got something that he can do for God. God's will will not
allow man to have this. He refuses to let man have the
glory. He refuses to let man be saved
by the power of His own will. God Himself says, of Him are
you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption, as it is written that no flesh,
no flesh, no flesh should glory in His presence. If of any man
glory, let him glory in one thing, the Lord. God made that distinction. And I tell you, for by grace
are you saved through faith. And that's not of yourselves.
It's the gift, gift, gift of God. God gives it to you. You're not born with it. God
gives it to you. Not of works. He gives you grace. It's not of works. And of course,
if it was works, a man would pop his gallows and say, boy,
look what I've done. My I tell you listen if I you
don't get anything else. I say that I listen to this We
are saved by any strength in us God saves us because we have
no strength No ability in us God saves us
because we have no ability God has mercy on men that are
dead and comes to them and meets them where they are. And if they
have life, He gives it to them. If they hear His voice, He gives
them the ears. If they see Him, He gives them
the sight. If they know Him, He made Himself
known to them. God does it all. To God be the
glory. And that's what we're talking
about. Now here's Jonathan standing before this Philistine army.
He's going here and up here on the south there's a big old great
rock and up here on the north a big old great rock and he goes
in between them. Climbs up that mountainside and
looks over at that army. Just telling his army about it.
And he said, I'll tell you what. If they tell us to come to them,
we're going to go. If they say they're going to
come out to us, we know that God's not in it. And they said,
come on down to us. And boy, him and that armor bearer
went down there and he killed 20 men just like that. And that
whole army got shook up. Oh, listen, he looked at that
army and it was an impressive sight. 30,000 chariots. Oh, my. It didn't frighten him. And he wasn't presumptuous. Read
this verse six again. Let me show you the difference
between presumption and arrogance. Jonathan said to his young man
that bears armor, come and let us go over unto the garrison
of these uncircumcised. Now listen to this. It may be,
or perhaps the Lord. That's what it may be. It may
be. The Lord just might do something for us. He don't have to. He don't ought to us. We don't
deserve it. Now that's what he said. It may
be. Perhaps the Lord will. Huh? And what he said is, God you're
able. God's got the power. God's got
the ability. It's like our Lord Jesus Christ
when he went into the garden to pray. He said, Abba Father,
all things are possible with you. All things are possible
with you. But if it's your will for me
to take this cup, thy will be done. Thy will be done. And that's why there's this too.
This blind man came to the Lord Jesus Christ one time and asked
for his sight. He said, do you believe I'm able
to do this? He said, yes, Lord. Got his sight
just like that. What do you believe God's able
to do? Daniel's down in the lion's den. And their king looked down there
and said, is your God able to save you? He's able. Now over in Jude verse 24 it
says this, now unto him that is able to keep you from falling
and to present you flawless before his glory. Now that's some ability. That's some ability. He wasn't
presumption. God's able and Lord we say have
thine own way. Faith knows that God is able
and will do His holy will regardless of this earthly situation we're
put in. I don't care what God puts us
in, what situation He puts us in. He will and can do His will. And that's what we want. Anybody
here not want the will of God? Anybody here that wouldn't want
God's will done in their heart, in their home, in their life,
on their job? And I tell you what, that's why
the Scriptures tells us don't despise the day of small things. And that's what it was. God takes
the little things, the things that don't amount to nothing.
He takes nobody's. Nobody's and they gonna find
this out one of these days. He takes nobody's People that
are not as far as the world's concerned To bring to nothing them who
think there's something You wait till God puts us all Against
this world sets all the sheep over there and they'll say every
one of these folks right here. Believe me. I They believed that
I had the ability. They believed in grace. They
trusted me. They lived on me. They had nothing
in this world but me. And you all had everything. You
had the power. You had the money. You had the
wealth. You had the ability. You had the crops. But you get over it with all
them goats. And all this. And you made this
high and mighty bunch. That pope with his pointed hat. Can you imagine what it's like
for him when he wakes up in hell? How many popes are in hell? And
everybody in the world. Tens of thousands go and stand
right in front of him every time he speaks. And his word is called
law. And people stand there just to
have him look at them and wave their hands over him. And here
we are, a bunch of nobodies. You don't mean not being called
that, do you? A bunch of nobodies, nothing's from nowhere. So it's
got you saying, nobody from nowhere. But I'm telling you, I'm telling
you, I'd rather be us, have no Christ, than to have this world
and all that's in it. I'd rather believe in God's sovereignty
I'd rather believe in my inability. I'd rather believe in electing
grace. I'd rather believe in the death of Christ. And I'd
rather believe in the resurrection of Christ. And I want to believe
that by God's grace that He is all and all and everything. He's all we need because He's
all we have and He's all we want. And that's why I want to be that
way. And all this, and God, Jeremiah
said it this way, six great things for thyself, seek them not. Seek them not. Oh my, we're in this day and
age, especially in this, why do they call this stuff social media? They have celebrity worship and
preacher worship. But that's what happened to Paul
one time. He told the Corinthians. Poor little Corinthians said,
oh, listen. I'm of Paul. I'm of Apollos. I'm of Cephas. And Paul says, you're just too
carnal. You're carnal. He said, who is Paul? Who is
Apollos? Who is Cephas? One souls. Another comes along, pours a
little water on it, when he's preaching. He said, but you know
who, what happens? It's God that gives the increase.
They don't care how many seeds sown, how much water is watered
on it. It's God that gives the increase.
So they either pause nothing, to pause nothing, to see if it's
nothing, to God be the glory. Ain't that right? Paul said,
I ain't no, I'm just seeing, I sow a few seeds and water a
little bit every once in a while. But if God don't give the increase,
it ain't going to amount to nothing. Amen? There's no restraint to
the Lord. He can save by many or save by
few. Our Father, oh, blessed be your
name. How wonderfully gracious you
are. How wonderfully kind and tender you are. How loving and
merciful. And Lord, we thank you for your
word. But Lord, we pray that you'd
be so loving and so kind and so merciful and so gracious to
my dear brother and his family, to my dear brother and his congregation
there that he pastors. Oh God, let him feel your love,
let him feel your strength, let him feel your grace, let him
feel it. Let him experience it in a wonderful, wonderful way.
Oh Lord, we bring all of our loved ones before you. We bring so many before you. And Lord, you'll do what's right
by them. You love your people, and you're
going to protect your people, and you're going to preserve
them. And Lord, we pray for them, for Christ's sake. Amen. Amen. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. grows strangely dim in the light
of His glory and grace.