Two Kings

In the game…

Unexpected Both were…

Unexpected Called Both were…

Unexpected Called Successful Both were…

Shocking Disappointments! Both were…

Saul… Acted in fear not faith… He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. I Samuel 13:7-9

Saul… Disobeyed and Deceived Samuel said, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? I Samuel 15:22-23

Saul… Rebelled and Rejected Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to listen than the fat of rams. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” I Samuel 15:22-23

David Acted out of Lust not Love It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. II Samuel 11:2

David Deceived and Destroyed In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” II Samuel 11:14-15

David Covered and Callous When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. II Samuel 11:26-27

The Next Move…

Game plan… David Took responsibility Saul Blamed others

Game plan… David Took responsibility Turned to God Saul Blamed others Turned away from God

Game plan… David Owned his failure Turned to God Accepted the future Saul Blamed others Turned away from God Resisted the future

Game plan… David Took responsibility Turned to God Accepted the future Put himself in God’s hands Saul Blamed others Turned away from God Resisted the future Took matters into his hands

Game plan… David Took responsibility Turned to God Accepted the future Put himself in God’s hands Started Over Saul Blamed others Turned away from God Resisted the future Took matters into his hands Stayed in the past

Game plan… David Left a legacy of honor and Godliness. Saul Left a legacy of shame and disgrace.

It’s Your Move…

The Game Plan... Lean forward in a new destiny and direction with new determination, not backward to the failure. See yourself in terms of God’s grace and goodness not your weakness and failure. Define the future. Don’t let the worst moment of your life define the rest of your life. Learn from the failure. Don’t live in it.

The Game Plan... Trust God’s promises and provision not the judgments of others. Invest in the future. Stop trying to undo the past. Take chances. Don’t be afraid to follow God. Don’t quit.

End Game...

The End Game... Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Acts 13:21-23

The End Game... Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. Acts 13:23

The End Game... For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers Acts 13:36

Your Game

Identify an area or areas of failure in your life.

Your Game What is your “next move”? How have you responded to the failure? Like David? Like Saul? Identify things that need to change..

Your Game What is your “game plan”? Review the eight parts of the “game plan.” Rate your response to each on a scale of 1-5 (1- Poor, 3-Average, 5-Outstanding).

Your Game How do you see the “end game” of your life? Write a brief paragraph defining the “end game” you’re working toward by completing the following statement. “Despite my failures with God’s help my legacy will be...”

Two Kings