CALL TO CONFESSION

Colossians 3:15-17

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God Most High, though we spend much time toiling, troubled, and distressed, you are forever at perfect peace. You have no fear or anxiety, your power knows no limits and your goodness no boundaries. You bring order out of our confusion, triumphing in our greatest defeats. Come and reign over the riot of our fearful hearts and minds. Though we should trust you, we are prone to walking through life with heavy hearts and chaotic minds. We worry about our health, finances, friendships, work, and families. We fret anxiously about losing all the good things you've given us, forgetting to thank you often. Father, forgive us.

Lord, we are fearful of our own sinful hearts. When we try to obey you and fail, we fear your anger and disappointment, and are deeply embarrassed by our inability. Father, give us peace with our weakness. Help us to accept the truth that as long as we live here on earth we will wrestle with sin, yet we bear the glorious image of your Son, and we are safely sealed by his blood. May we be freshly astounded by your love for us in Christ.

Thank you for our precious Savior, who put off his glory and put on our sin so that we could put off our condemnation and put on his robes of joyful obedience. Show us Christ, walking through this chaotic and sinful world, bringing peace to creation, stilling waves, and quieting souls with equal ease. Show us Christ, forever standing before your throne, pleading for us, protecting and defending us. Gracious Father, melt our hearts with this truth until we delight to obey you, with hearts overflowing with thanksgiving and unshakable joy. In Jesus's name, amen.

“Take a few moments to personally confess your sins to the Lord.”

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

“Hear these words of comfort and assurance.” 

Ephesians 2:13-17

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

• What kind of faith do you possess?
• Does the faith you profess with your mouth ever move your feet to action?
• That is the question our passage today forces every one of us to face. 
• Today’s text places two kinds of faith side by side. 
• On one side, a king, He has an army. He has a priest with the sacred ephod. He has counselors at his side. And he is sitting under a pomegranate tree. 
• On the other side, a young man. He has a sword. He has one companion. He has a cliff in front of him and an enemy at the top. And he is about to climb.
• Listen to what he says to his armor bearer, “It may be the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” 
• That language can only come from the heart that is convinced that nothing is impossible for God. 
• That is the faith that climbs cliffs and storms strongholds. 
• Here is the main idea: God moves on behalf of the believer who trusts him enough to act. Daring faith watches the Lord save by many or by few. Passive faith watches the world go by. 

1 Samuel 14:1-23

One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, 3 including Ahijah the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, the priest of the Lord in Shiloh, wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone. 4 Within the passes, by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistine garrison, there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. The name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 5 The one crag rose on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south in front of Geba.

6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.” 7 And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.” 8 Then Jonathan said, “Behold, we will cross over to the men, and we will show ourselves to them. 9 If they say to us, ‘Wait until we come to you,’ then we will stand still in our place, and we will not go up to them. 10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ then we will go up, for the Lord has given them into our hand. And this shall be the sign to us.” 11 So both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, “Look, Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they have hidden themselves.” 12 And the men of the garrison hailed Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, “Come up to us, and we will show you a thing.” And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” 13 Then Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed them after him. 14 And that first strike, which Jonathan and his armor-bearer made, killed about twenty men within as it were half a furrow's length in an acre of land. 15 And there was a panic in the camp, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and even the raiders trembled, the earth quaked, and it became a very great panic.

16 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude was dispersing here and there. 17 Then Saul said to the people who were with him, “Count and see who has gone from us.” And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 18 So Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God here.” For the ark of God went at that time with the people[f] of Israel. 19 Now while Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the camp of the Philistines increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.” 20 Then Saul and all the people who were with him rallied and went into the battle. And behold, every Philistine's sword was against his fellow, and there was very great confusion. 21 Now the Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before that time and who had gone up with them into the camp, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 22 Likewise, when all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they too followed hard after them in the battle. 23 So the Lord saved Israel that day. And the battle passed beyond Beth-aven.

• Things were looking bleak for the armies of Israel. 
• The Philistines had ensured Israel would be defenseless.
• The men of Israel trembled and hid in caves and rocks. 
• Saul had been rebuked by the prophet, and his army shrank from 3,000 down to 600 trembling men. 
• The Philistines were sending out raiding parties to ravage the countryside. 
• And Saul, the king of Israel, was sitting under a pomegranate tree at the edge of Gibeah. 

SAUL’S PASSIVITY

• In ch 13 we were introduced to Jonathan, the son of Saul the king. 
• In this opening scene, a comparison is painted for us. 
• Jonathan is contrasted with his father, Saul.  
• Jonathan is moving, going, taking his armor-bearer with him. 
• And Saul is sitting, staying, surrounded by men who don’t have a clue what is happening. 

• v2, “Saul was staying in the outskirts of Geba…”
• The verbal form for “staying” means “to sit, to dwell, to remain in place.” 
• It’s as if Saul has settled in under the pomegranate tree. 
• Where should the king of Israel be? He should be going out before his people in battle. But he’s not doing that. 
• He is sitting in the shade while his nation is being ravaged. 
• The contrast between the two could not be more stark. 

• Think about what Saul had. He had 600 soldiers. He had Ahijah the priest. 
• He had the ephod, the priestly garment used to inquire of the Lord. 
• And he had the ark of God. 
• Every spiritual resource Israel possessed was at his disposal at the moment. 
• And he is using none of them. 
• Interestingly, the narrator gives us the genealogy of the priest, reminding us that this priest’s uncle was Ichabod. The one whose name meant, “The glory has departed.” 
• The nephew of “The glory has departed” is with the king who was rapidly losing his kingdom.
• And all of the remaining remnant with Saul had not even noticed that Jonathan, the king’s son had departed. 
• Why didn’t Jonathan tell his father? Perhaps he knew his father wouldn’t allow it. 

THE DANGER OF PASSIVE FAITH

• One of the most subtle and dangerous conditions a believer could fall into is the slow, quiet, paralysis that comes from keeping up religious appearances without active faith. 
• Saul had the appearance of leadership, but he wasn’t leading, he was sitting. 
• Paul wrote to Timothy that some have the appearance of godliness but without the power. (2 Tim 3:5)
• There are countless professing Christians who sit in pews and chairs on Sunday like Saul sat under the pomegranate tree. 
• They look the part, talk the talk, but their faith never translates into action. 
• What are you doing with what you’ve been given? 
• You have God’s Word. You have the local church. You have the means of grace. You have the gospel. You have the Holy Spirit, if indeed you belong to the Lord. 
• You have everything you need but are you using any of it? 
• Or have you settled into the comfortable shade of the passive Christian life, watching the world go by? 

• The devastating commentary on Saul’s leadership demonstrates what passive leadership produces. 
• “And the people did not know that Jonathan had gone.” 
• They were so spiritually asleep that the king’s own son could leave undetected. 
• That’s passive faith. It’s unawareness. You can faithfully attend church and not realize that your spouse is drifting from the Lord. Or that your teenager is doubting. Or that your neighbor is dying without Christ. 
• Passive faith dulls our spiritual senses. It puts us under the pomegranate tree. 
• The people under our care take their cues from us. If we are spiritually settled, they will be too. 
• Saul’s passivity infected an entire army. Your passivity will infect your home and your influence. 

• Additionally, Jonathan slipping away reminds us that God often does his greatest work through people no one is watching. 
• No one noticed him slip out of the camp and yet God was about to use him to save a nation. 
• Do not measure the value of your faithfulness by who is watching. 
• The mom who prays for their wayward child in secret. The believer who shares Christ with a coworker during lunch. The person who faithfully serves in “unglamorous” ministries. 
• None of these make headlines. None of these get you platformed to speak at conferences. 
• The camp doesn’t notice, but God notices. 
• And the things that God does through unnoticed obedience often turn out to be the things that change the course of history. 

• Now the scene shifts to a pass between two rocky crags or cliffs. 
• The fact that these two rocky cliffs are given a name should cause us to pay attention. 
• Bozez means “shining” or “slippery.” Seneh means “thorny.” 
• This tells us that what Jonathan was facing were jagged, slippery, thorny rock faces on each side. 
• For Jonathan to climb with armor and weapons was a serious undertaking. 
• And on top of those cliffs is a Philistine garrison. 

CONFIDENCE IN GOD

• v6 Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few.”
• Jonathan doesn’t have any special revelation. All Jonathan has is the Word of God he has known since he was a little boy. 
• He knows the character of God. He knows the ways and works of God. And he knows that it is time to act. 
• He doesn’t seem to have any fear of the Philistines. He calls them “uncircumcised.”
• He understands this isn’t just a battle between two nations. These are not just the enemies of Israel, they are the enemies of God. 
• Jonathan's courage comes from his faith in God. 
• We see in Jonathan a quality that Saul clearly lacked. 
• Saul was staying and trembling and Jonathan was moving in faith-filled obedience. 

• Jonathan’s faith wasn’t presumptuous. Notice his words: “It may be that the Lord will work for us.” He is not demanding God act a certain way. 
• He’s saying, “I don’t know exactly what God will do. But I know who God is and I’m going to act on what I know about him.” 
• He says, “Nothing can hinder God from saving by many or by few.” 
• Jonathan clearly understood something fundamental about God. 
• The size of the army or the strength of the enemy does not matter to the God of infinite power. 
• Nothing is too difficult for the Lord and nothing is impossible with God!
• Do you believe that? 
• If you don’t believe this in your heart you will not be able to fully put your trust in God. 
• The Lord saves by many. And the Lord saves by few. 

• Now look at the armor-bearer’s response. Jonathan says, “Let’s climb” and he says, “Do whatever’s in your heart to do. I’m with you heart and soul.” 
• What a beautiful picture of partnership in faith. 
• When God puts a daring faith in someone’s heart he often raises up someone to come alongside. A spouse. A friend. A fellow elder. 
• Someone who says, “I see what God is doing in you and I’m with you.” 
• Some of you have been waiting for permission to climb and to act with daring faith. 
• Find your armor-bearer or be one for someone else.
• Daring faith is rarely a solo endeavor.  

• Now some would look at Jonathan’s action and think it is reckless.
• But daring faith is not the same thing as recklessness. 
• Look at what Jonathan does. He asks for a sign. 
• He’s not charging up the cliff with no thought. He is testing and discerning. 
• He is saying, “Lord if you are in this, give me a sign.” 
• Jonathan asks for a sign, similar to Gideon “putting out a fleece.” 
• Is that something we should imitate today? I don’t believe so. 
• We have God’s complete Word and the indwelling Spirit. 
• We discern God’s will through the careful and prayerful application of Scripture and the wisdom of godly counsel. 
• But the principle holds. Daring faith is not blind faith. It looks, listens, tests, and prays. Then it acts.  

• Now look at what happens in vv11-12. They come out from cover and the Philistines see these two Hebrews and begin to taunt them.  
• They say to Jonathan and his companion, “Come up to us and let us teach you a lesson.” 
• But Jonathan hears something different. He hears the voice of God and says, “Come up after me, for the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.” 
• He heard the taunting and the dare as a sign of God’s intentions to save Israel.
• The Philistines thought they were issuing a challenge but what they were actually doing was issuing an invitation that God himself was using to confirm his plan. 
• We see throughout Scripture, the Lord works through the words and actions of unbelievers without their even knowing it. 

THE VICTORY

• V13 Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet and his armor-bearer after him. He is crawling. He is scrambling up a cliff face, in armor, with his weapons, knowing there is a garrison of trained soldiers at the top.
• This is gritty, knuckle-scraping obedience and confidence in God. 
• This is what daring faith looks like. 
• To others it looks too risky. It looks awkward. It might look ridiculous from the outside. 
• And then God shows up! 
• And these two young men bring down about twenty trained soldiers in tight quarters. 
• And a panic breaks out in the Philistine camp and among the raiding parties.
• This is a God-induced panic. 
• This was the Lord himself shaking the ground and throwing the terror of the Lord into the hearts of the Philistines. 
• Two men climb a rocky cliff acting in faith and God terrified an army. 
• Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few. 

• This is what the Lord does. When his people move in faith, he moves with them. 
• And when God moves stuff happens. He shakes the earth. He confuses the enemy. He turns the tide of battle in a moment. 
• The same God who shook the ground in Michmash and Geba is the same God who is at work today when his people stop sitting and start climbing. 

• The ripple effects of the victory God gave Jonathan shows us what happens when one person acts with audacious faith. 
• The watchmen back in Saul’s camp see the Philistine army across the valley starting to come apart. 
• They had no clue that Jonathan and his armor-bearer had climbed the rocky crag and taken out the garrison. 
• V17 Saul suspected what might have happened. He wants a headcount to determine who is missing from the camp. 
• And they realize Jonathan and his armor-bearer are missing. 
• When Saul is told that he seemed to panic. Now Saul finally moves. 
• He tells Ahijah to bring the ark of God. Now he wants to inquire of the Lord. 
• But then he sees that the turmoil in the Philistine camp is growing and he quickly changes his mind. 
• Saul was completely out of step with God.  
• When it was time to act, he prayed. When it was time to pray, he acted. He had everything backwards. 
• I think there is a spiritual principle here for us. 
• We are a praying people. But there is a kind of religiosity that uses prayer as an excuse to avoid obedience. 
• It is a false spirituality that hides behind prayer to keep from climbing the cliff. 
• It is not obedience to say you will pray about something that God has already commanded. 

• So now was the moment the king was going to get into the battle. 
• He rallied those who remained with him to get into the fight. 
• But it really didn’t take much effort on their part. God had thrown the enemy into confusion. 
• The Israelites get reinforcements from unexpected places. 
• Those who had previously defected to fight with the Philistines joined the Israelites. 
• Those who were hiding in holes and caves scurry out to join in the battle. 
• They were emboldened to come out of hiding when they heard the Philistines fleeing.
• One man’s daring faith pulled hundreds of hesitant, fearful fighters out of hiding. 
• One man believed God and climbed a cliff and an entire nation was victorious. 
• Jonathan had no idea what the ripple effects of his decision and action would be. 
• But there were a great number of Israelites watching and waiting from their hiding places, too afraid to act. 
• But the moment they saw God moving, the moment they heard that the Philistines were running, they came out fighting. 
• Jonathan’s leadership highlighted the failure of Saul’s leadership. 
• Saul’s passivity infected the camp. Jonathan’s daring faith inspired courageous action. 

• There are people watching you. People in your workplace. People in your family. People who are not yet in the fight. 
• They are watching to see if you really believe what you say you believe. 
• They are watching to see if your faith ever climbs a cliff or if it just sits under a pomegranate tree. 

• V23 is the summary verse. “So the Lord saved Israel that day.” 
• The Lord saved Israel. Not Jonathan. Not his armor-bearer. Not Saul. THE LORD! 
• That is the whole point of this story. From beginning to end, salvation belongs to the Lord. 
• He works through the faith of his people and He honors the boldness of those who trust him. 
• But to him alone belongs all the glory. 

• Example: William Carey who founded the Baptist Missionary Society.
• One of Carey’s most famous sayings is, “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God” 
• The God who said, “nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few” is still the God at work today through his people. 

CONCLUSION

• Paul writes that the stories we have in our Bible are given to us as an example and for our instruction (1 Cor. 10:11). 
• This story has been given to us for a reason.
• The cliff looks different for each of us. But the call is the same. 
• For some of you, the cliff is in your home. 
• There is a conversation you have been avoiding with your spouse, with your child or with a parent. 
• The Lord has been pressing it on your heart for months. Climb the cliff!
• For some of you, the cliff is in your daily life. At work, at school, in your neighborhood. 
• There is a person God has placed in your path who needs to hear the gospel from you.  Climb the cliff!
• For some of you, the cliff is in this church. 
• There is a ministry the Lord has been nudging you toward. Climb the cliff! 
• Some of you are young and you’re tempted to wait until you are older. Don’t wait. 
• Jonathan was a young man. The same God who used him can use you. 
• Some of you are seasoned saints, and you are tempted to coast. Don’t coast. 
• The last chapter of your life may be your most fruitful one. 
• To those of you raising children, building families, paying mortgages, working hard. 
• The temptation at this stage of life is to play defense. 
• But this is exactly the season where daring faith is most needed. 
• This isn’t the time to sit, it’s the time to climb the cliff!  
• The safest thing is not always the best thing. God is calling us to climb! 
• God is calling us to be a people of daring faith! 
• Whatever your cliff, the question is the same. Will you sit or will you climb? 

• Beloved, if we’re honest with ourselves, most of us have done no better than Saul.
• We have all sat under our own pomegranate trees. We have all hesitated when God said go. 
• Which is exactly why we need a better king than Saul. We need a better climber than Jonathan. 
• And we have one! His name is Jesus! 

• Jonathan went down to the valley and climbed a cliff to save Israel. 
• Our Lord Jesus Christ descended into the valley of the shadow of death and climbed the cliff of Calvary to save his people. 
• Jonathan said “It may be that the Lord will work for us.” 
• Jesus said, “It is finished.” 
• Jonathan was bold because he believed God would save. 
• Jesus was bold because he was the Savior. 
• Jonathan defeated twenty men in tight quarters. 
• Jesus defeated sin, death, and hell on a Roman cross. 
• Jonathan’s victory pulled the Israelites out of their rocky hiding places. 
• Jesus’s victory pulls sinners out of the miry pit and sets their feet upon the Rock of ages! 

• If you’re here today and you do not yet know Christ. Hear me. 
• The Lord Jesus has done what only Jonathan could only picture. 
• He has climbed the cliff for you. He has fought the battle for you. He has crushed the enemy for you. 
• And he calls you this morning, to come out of the rocks you have been hiding among. 
• Come out of your shame, your guilt, your fear, your sin, your unbelief. 
• Come out and trust Him. He is the God who saves by many or by few. 

• If you are a believer, take heart. The greater Jonathan has gone before you. 
• Whatever cliff you are facing, he has already climbed an infinitely steeper one. 
• Whatever enemy you are fighting, he has already defeated a stronger one. 
• You are not climbing alone. He goes before you and he is with you. 
• Our God said he would never leave you nor forsake you. 

• Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few. 
• Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving you. 
• Nothing can hinder the Lord from using you. 
• Nothing can hinder the Lord from filling this church in revival. 
• Nothing can hinder him. 
• Will you sit, or will you climb?  

APPLICATION AND REFLECTION

In light of today's message....

• What did I learn about the gospel?
• How can I apply what I learned about the gospel to my life?
• With whom can I share the gospel this week?