An Army of Rejects

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Introduction: Have you ever stopped and pondered why God would save you?  or How He could use you to do something?  Do you ever get a desire to do something for Him and then you remember who you are and all of the things that you need to straighten up before He would use you?  Have you ever said to yourself, “I’ll serve the Lord when I….”?  Though it is true that there are some things in life that we must correct before we can serve in higher capacities, many a saint of God has let opportunity after opportunity pass with the excuse of their own insufficiency.  The story of David’s soldiers ought to encourage you to serve now.   

1. The Struggles of David’s Soldiers (1Samuel 22:2) 
   1. Distressed
   2. Debt
   3. Discontented 
2. The Strengths of David’s Soldiers 
   1. Unity – “gathered themselves unto him” (1Samuel 22:2)
   2. Obedience to the Command of the Captain
      1. Go to Keilah (1Samuel 23:1-5)
      2. Let Saul live (1Samuel 24:7)
   3. Recruiters
      1. About 400 (1Samuel 22:2)
      2. About 600 (1Samuel 23:13)
   4. Faithfulness – you don’t read of any leaving except by death
   5. Those who stayed by the stuff (1Samuel 25:13)
      1. To faint to fight anymore (1Samuel 30:10)
      2. Saluted by David (1Samuel 30:21) 
3. The Success of David’s Soldiers 
   1.  In Battle
      1. The Philistines (1Samuel 23:1-5)
      2. King Saul
         1. 1Samuel 24:1-7
         2. 1Samuel 26:1-10
      3. The Amalekites (1Samuel 30:1-5; 8-20)
   2. In Character
      1. They were fighting the “battles of the Lord” (1Samuel 25:28)
      2. They had taken on the heart of their captain (2Samuel 1:11-12) 

Conclusion:  When a man goes fishing he looks for keepers.  He may say, “oh well that one is too small” or there may be some other problem and he will throw it back.  Our Lord is not so for when He goes fishing He sees the problem but says I’ll keep it anyway.  Christ did not save you to exclude you from serving Him.  I know you’ve got problems, you know you’ve got problems and He knows you’ve got problems.  Serve Him anyway.  The battles that you go through and the time spent close to the captain will transform you into an incredible soldier.  What are you waiting for?  Serve Him.