David

You are exalted by God as you… 

“Humble yourself under God’s authority.” 

FOUR TRUTHS 

1. God is the originator of authority, and Satan is the originator of rebellion. 

Romans 13:1-7 (NKJV)

13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 

2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 

4 For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 

5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. 

6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. 

7 Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-10 (NKJV)

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 

8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 

10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 

2. Rebellion against God’s direct or delegated human authority is a serious sin with serious consequences. 

Romans 13:1-2 (NKJV)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 

2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 

1 Samuel 15:22-26 (NKJV)

22 So Samuel said:

“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.”

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 

25 Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the Lord.”

26 But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

3. Understanding and accepting the principle of submission to authority accelerates spiritual revelation and maturity. 

Matthew 8:5-10  (NKJV)

5 Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, 

6 saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.”

7 And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.”

8 The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. 

9 For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

10 When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!

4. Submission to authority brings supernatural favor, blessing and protection from God. 

Ephesians 6:1-3 (NKJV)

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 

2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 

3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” 

FOUR TESTS 

1. The Arrogance Test. 

1 Samuel 17:32-36  (NKJV)

32 Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

33 And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, 

35 I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. 

36 Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.”

2. The Abuse Test. 

1 Samuel 19:9-10 (NKJV)

9 Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand. 

10 Then Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he slipped away from Saul’s presence; and he drove the spear into the wall. So David fled and escaped that night. 

1 Peter 2:13-19 (NKJV)

13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 

14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 

15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 

16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for [b]vice, but as bondservants of God. 

17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

18 Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 

19 For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 

3. The Advantage Test. 

1 Samuel 24:16-20 (NKJV)

16 So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 

17 Then he said to David: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. 

18 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. 

19 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. 

20 And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 

1 Samuel 26:7-11  (NKJV)

7 So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. 

8 Then Abishai said to David, “God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!”

9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” 

10 David said furthermore, “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. 

11 The Lord forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.” 

4. The Association Test. 

2 Samuel 1:13-16 New King James Version (NKJV)

13 Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

14 So David said to him, “How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 

15 Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. 

16 So David said to him, “Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ” 

1 Corinthians 15:33  (NKJV)

33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”  

Jimmy Evans   
https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/media/message/david   https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/files/groups/guides/2-19-12.pdf