A Man of Influence | February 22, 2026 PM

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message from God's Word will be a blessing to you.

Second Samuel chapter #17 this evening.

Second Samuel chapter #17 I was actually talking in my office

this morning, Brother Dwight, for just a few moments.

And as we were talking, he had pointed to a photo that I have

next to the typewriter in my office, the typewriter that I

don't really type anything on, but I like having it there.

And he said, who is that person that's there?

And I was glad to be able to kind of tell him a little bit of

the story about Brother Steve Baker, the man who led me to

Christ. And Brother Chuck was so kind to

be able to at the 20th anniversary of of ministry for

myself and my wife, to be able to collect some of those

mementos, those videos from some pastors for the Baker who is in

the midst of ALS, was not able to make a video, but was able to

dictate a message for me. And Chuck again, and his

kindness was able to print out that with the photo and put it

together. And I have that in my office.

But if you've been in my office any length of time, that doesn't

mean you're in trouble if you're in my office, by the way.

But if you've been in my office, there's.

All kind of. Little Knick knacks and curious

and those kind of things. And some of them don't even seem

to sense, all things considered. It might be a pair of glasses

that are on the bookshelf or maybe a Syracuse cup that I hold

pens and pencils in and those kind of things.

And maybe you'd say pastor, you just like a collector or you a

hoarder. I mean, what exactly is it?

Well, I have learned in the few years I've had an office, for

many years at Liberty, I didn't have an office.

The necessity of what it was, I work at home or even the first

couple years when I worked out of the home here at the church,

I had a little cart that put all my items in and I had a folding

table. It was out in the back during

the week and then on Sunday or Wednesday it had to go to the

back because that's just the way that it was.

It's been a blessing to have an office the last couple years

because I could tell you that having, you know, meeting with

people after church in the nursery, which is what I usually

have to do if we have the meeting wasn't great with all

little kids toys, no making noise and all that stuff around

there. Say Pastor, you going somewhere?

No, I'm going to be here in the next 45 minutes, but I am going

somewhere. All right?

All these random items, and they're there for a reason.

Each and every one of them remind me of someone who had

influence in my life, somebody that meant something to me, some

in very small way, some in great and large ways.

That photo of Steve Baker will be the obvious 1.

He led me to Christ. Those glasses that are there or

the last pair of glasses that my mother had before she passed

away and I don't have much from my mom, but what I do is special

to me. Those glasses there remind me of

her influence in my life. That cup that's over there from

Syracuse. I don't care a thing about

Syracuse University or the city of Syracuse in general, other

than the fact that there's some people who've been a blessing to

me over the years. And you've heard the names

before, Dan and Dora Woodward. He gave me that cup.

And I don't drink coffee out of it because I don't want to drink

coffee out of a Syracuse cup. But I will put my pens and

pencils in there because when I see it, it reminds me of how Dan

and Dora had been a blessing to me in my life.

However you have been in your Christian walk, Listen, all

glory goes to God, Amen. For whoever you are, whatever

you have become, we know that we give the glory to God because.

Because we are not self-made men and women, whatever we are, we

are because of the grace of God. But let's also be equally honest

that God has also used some people in our life to get us to

the place where we need to go. Sure, God is the one.

God is the one who is the driving force within our life

because he is God. But God has used men.

God has used women. God has used the elderly.

God has sometimes used the very young within our lives to be

able to teach us lessons that we need to learn.

To teach us what it meant to be a Christian, To teach us what it

meant to love the Lord. To teach us what it meant to

read your Bible every day. Or to teach us why tithing was

important. Or to teach us how to tithe.

Or to teach us why certain things aren't supposed to be in

your life, or why certain things ought to be in your life, or

whatever. It could be that there were some

people who are along the way who gave influence to us, and we

will be wise to consider not just being receivers that

influence, but also being givers of that influence as well.

We're always very quick to be able to receive the blessings of

which people give us. Why?

Because people like to receive blessings.

I don't know about you. I like receiving them, but at

the same time we have to be conscious, we cognizant of the

fact that we need to be the givers of that same blessing of

which we receive, Particularly as we get older in the Lord,

particularly as we get older in our Christian walk, there will

be something within us that says I want to give back in the way

that I received in my Christian walk.

No, no, and that's not being arrogant.

That's not being proud of saying I've got so much to be able to

offer other people. We don't look at ourselves in

that way, but we do know that God has taught us some lessons

along the way. And those lessons He has taught

us, we want to humbly be able to help to someone else so that

they can teach others also. And as I look at that here this

evening in our text in Second Samuel chapter #17 there was a

man named Barzili, and Barzili was a gentleman.

And remember this cast of characters that seems to be

following David as he makes his flight out of Jerusalem, as we

saw Ahithophel last week. And we've looked at others, and

some we'll look at now, some we'll look at later.

As David's returning as Mephibosheth, we'll be looking

back again at him and his servant Zeba.

But as we look at all of these different people that are this

rogues gallery that are around him, some good and some not so

good as he's making his flight, we see Barzili tonight.

And he's a man who had great means and he was a great man who

had much of his own. But yet, he realized, instead of

just keeping it all for myself, I want to be an influence to

somebody else. And help them along the way as

well. Would you stand?

Please for Second Samuel chapter #17 we're just going to read 3

verses. I've gone light on you today on

verses while you're standing up. So of course I've paid you back

by preaching longer, but other than that, that's OK.

Second Samuel chapter 17. I'll say this.

2 Samuel 17 · chapter mention

I talk about the time a lot. There's nobody in this church

that ever talks to me about the time in the in the pulpit.

I'm so thankful for that, that you just want to hear the Word.

And I take that seriously. I mean, I want to make sure

that, you know, we're not circling the same, you know,

runway 7 or 8 times. We got to land the plane when it

needs to land. But it's the same time.

If there's something that needs to be said from the word, you're

always so wet, ready to listen. That means a lot to me.

It really, really does. Second Samuel chapter 17, verse

2 Samuel 17 · chapter mention

#27 says this. And it came to pass when David

was come to Mahanam that show be the son of Nahash of Raba, the

children of Ammon and Maker, the son of Amiol of Lodibar and

Barzilli the Gileadite of Rogelem brought beds and basins

and earthen vessels and wheat and barley flour and parched

corn, beans and lentils and parched pulse and honey and

butter and sheep and cheese of kind of cows for David and for

the people that were with him to eat.

For they said this people is hungry and weary and thirsty in

the wilderness. Now you're blinking.

You miss it there. Verse #27 Here's that man

Barzili High. We're going to learn more about

him in an adjoining passage here in just a moment.

But he was obviously a man who had some great means.

He was obviously a man who had some things at his disposal.

But instead of holding on to him, he decided to give his

influence to somebody who was. And need and we wanted to look

at that a little bit more here tonight.

Why don't you be seated as we pray together.

Heavenly Father, we do thank you for this night and I do thank

you again for how you're work in our midst.

I do pray that you help me to be able through your spirit to give

your word and the way, the method, the mode of which you

desire me to. Lord, may I just be a vessel to

be able to teach some of the things of which I've learned

over the years. And may your word be what truly

lodges and hearts. We can tell stories, we can get

personal antidotes, but those don't change lives.

They might give light to your word and how we apply it, but

truly it's your word that changes lives.

So may that be what sticks in people's minds and hearts

tonight. And we ask it in Jesus name,

Amen. Once again, like a hit the fell

last week, Barzilia I was one of those men who star Brown star

shone very bright. For a few chapters and then he's

gone just like that. In fact, we only find him in

three different texts of narrative in his own life.

There's also two passages that mention him briefly in Nehemiah

and Ezra. But as far as the narrative of

his life, he is only mentioned here in Second Samuel chapter

#17 as well as two other passages we're going to read

tonight as well. And as we met him, we're meeting

him again as David is on this process of leaving the Jordan,

or rather leaving Jerusalem and he's going to approach the

Jordan River. As he he does so, he is going to

cross the Jordan River and go into the land that is sometimes

called the land of Gilead that would be on the eastern side of

Jordan. Going will afford David a little

bit of protection. It will afford him a little bit

of space from Absalom and his forces.

Remember who Shy has bought David some time by giving the

counsel of saying don't just go after them while on the run.

Make sure you gather as many people from Israel as possible.

Spread the word far and ride Absalom about this rebellion of

which you're starting. And who Shy gave them that

council, knowing that if he spread the word far and wide,

not only would Absalom gain sympathizers, but, well, David

would gain sympathizers too. And it would give David the time

that they needed to be able to dig in and truly be able to have

a fighting force ready to meet Absalom at the proper time.

But as we see that there's this time when David in his flight

has need. Because I imagine that even if

they raided the pantries before they left and even if they

grabbed whatever they could before they got out of town,

they're going to run out of these supplies very quickly.

Remember David and his royal caravan, there's probably at

least 600 who were there. We saw that he had 600 armed

guards with him. And so when you consider his

royal family, you consider the people that we're following.

Could there have been 1000 or more that are taking flight with

David, it would have been very possible.

These people need to be fed. These people need to sleep.

These people need water. They need sustenance of all

kinds. And so we're introduced to these

gentlemen here at this place of Mahanayum.

Now, you may have heard of Mahanayum before.

Mahanayum is on the eastern side of Jordan.

What's interesting about Man AM is the last time we read about

this place, it was when that gentleman named Ishbosheth came

to power. You remember Ishbosheth that

after David should have become the king of all of Israel, that

there was Abner who set up this this man who really was a man of

very low character named Ishbosheth.

He was probably very likely an illegitimate son of Saul, not

one that was in the proper line. And of course, even if he was in

the proper bloodline of Saul, we know that the Kingdom had been

promised to David anyway. It really wasn't up to what Saul

thought. It really wasn't up to David

thought. It was really what up to God had

said. And David was the next anointed

king. But Ishbosheth was set up in

this place called Mahanam. And interestingly enough, maybe

David could have got to that place and wondered, do I have

any support here? Maybe I there's some lingering

hard feelings from the past of these people who were not

following me in my reign in those early seven years before

Ishbosheth ended up being assassinated.

But he gets there and David is treated well, quite well in

fact, so much so that it says in verse #28 they brought beds and

basins and earthen vessels and wheat and barley and flour,

parched corn and beans and lentils and parched pulse and

honey and butter and sheep and cheese, for kind for David and

for the people that were with him.

And interestingly enough, they brought enough for both their

needs and even some of their wants.

I mean, this is quite a luxurious and quite a sumptuous

amount of food and supplies that are being brought to them.

Sure, they could have slept on bed rolls, but instead they

slept on beds. They had basins.

Those basins would have been just to be able to hold water,

to take care of the general needs of cooking and cleaning

and even personal cleanliness. The earthen vessels would have

gone along with that. Different types of grain.

Not just grain, but different types of grain, Cheese and

butter, dairy products. Honey.

Honey is not. Necessary, but yet they had

their needs taken care of and also their wants.

These men didn't just go to meet the need.

We can even put it this way, they went above and beyond, They

gave far beyond even what was necessary because they wanted to

be a blessing to the King while he was on the run.

And their thought process is there at the end of verse #29

they said the people is hungry and weary and thirsty in the

wilderness. Now this isn't my message, but

you will do well if you see people who are around you that

are hungry or thirsty or weary in the wilderness of life.

You say, well you mean talking about just trying to help people

on the street. A lot of times the people who

are on the street. Aren't helped by you handing

them some money. In fact, sometimes you can hurt

their cause by just handing them a dollar bill.

Because I was just a few days ago walking in a area not too

far from here and I saw someone who was homeless who had all of

their their goods around them sleeping there on the ground and

with those goods that sleep on the ground with. 3 or 4 things

of beer. And I thought that's what

happens often times if you just hand someone cash, just loose

out there on the street. I'm not saying not to buy

someone a Wendy's hamburger. I'm not saying handing someone a

sandwich, those kind of things. But you got to be careful that

you are not helping someone in their addiction to rather

further their addiction just by handing them loose cash and

telling them let it go. I know sometimes that could pull

in your heartstrings, but please be careful in understanding

these things. But I do think that sometimes

because we see that scenario that I just told you about just

a few days ago in my own life, and certainly we've all

witnessed many times, I think sometimes times we are hard

hearted, if we're not careful to the needs of those who are

hungry and those who are thirsty and those who are weary.

Now, I will say that we may not come across people often times

that are truly hungry and and thirsty.

I mean, here in the United States of America, people talk

about how there's, you know, these food deserts and there's

people that don't have food. There's more food in this nation

than any other nation in the history of the world.

I'm not saying there aren't places where there are need.

There certainly are. We do need to be sensitive to

those things. But there is an abundance here

in this nation. But there are people who are

weary and they're everywhere. There are people who weary here

tonight. Somebody saying, pastor, I'm

tired now. I'm not talking about being

tired of the. Of the body, probably tired of

spirit. They're weary.

You look around you. Need to be.

Aware because you know you can help someone in their hunger and

thirst and they'll be hungry and thirsty again.

If you look around and help someone who's weary in their

soul, you can be someone that could be a true blessing to

someone else. Here's Barzili and some others

who saw that need, and they didn't just meet the need, but

they went above and beyond the need.

Even producing things like cheese, butter, honey, they

weren't necessary. Different types of.

Grain one would have been enough, but they said we want to

go above and beyond. This is the king, we're going to

help him. What's the 1st place that we see

of this Barzili? But the second place I want to

see is a couple chapters later. This is in Second Samuel chapter

#19 and I know I've referenced this before, but after David

wins the victory against Absalom, and I know we've

referenced this already, David is going to go back to

Jerusalem. And as such, he's going to meet

a lot of those same people that he saw on the way out when he

was leaving Jerusalem. He's going to come and encounter

them once again. And as he does so, Barzili is

one of those men. So look at Second Samuel chapter

2 Samuel 19 · chapter mention

19, Lu verse #31 it says this. And Barzili the Gileadite,

remember that land of Gilead, that's where he's from, came

down from Rogelem and went over Jordan with the king to conduct

him over Jordan. Now Barzilii was a very aged

man, even 4 score years old. Now I'm not touching that there

other than it says the Bible says the man was old and he was

80 years old. OK, that's what it says.

You can take it for what it is. And he's proved he provided the

king of sustenance while he laid at Mahanam, for he was a very

great man. And the king said unto Barzili,

I come now over with me, and I will feed thee with me in

Jerusalem. Now just stop right here.

So David is now going back to Jerusalem.

He is restored to his throne. And as he's conducting himself

back, Barzili, I says I'm going to get you to Jordan and I'm

going to go over with you. But I'm going to go back home

and mentions here that he was a man who was aged even 4 score

years old. He had provided for the king of

sustenance and he was a very great man.

And so David says to him, he says, listen, stop, come with

me. You don't need to live out here

in what would have been considered the country.

Gilead was more of a of an outskirts area where it was not

really where the main hub of activity would have been in the

western side, Jerusalem and all of those areas there and this

would have been more rural. In fact, we saw that it was more

of a rural pasture type land, which is why the 2 1/2 tribes

thought that this would be a great place for them to have

cattle is why they desired to go there in the 1st place.

So David says you don't need to live out here in the sticks

anymore. OK, maybe he didn't put it that

way. That's kind of the general idea.

You don't need to live out here. Come with me and I will take

care of you. And Barzili, I said to the king

in verse #34 How long have I to live that I should go up with

the king under Jerusalem? I am this day 4 score years old

again, 80 years old. And can I discern between good

and evil? Now he's not saying that he

doesn't understand what is being able to take place in life and

has no spiritual discernment. Understand as we go on what he's

trying to say. Can I serve it, taste what I eat

or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of

singing men and singing women? Wherefore should then, should I

serve it be yet a burden unto my Lord the King?

So he says, David, this is incredibly generous to you.

You understand I'm on the back end of life.

You understand that when it comes to the issues of life,

whether they be good or they're bad, it doesn't make much of a

difference to me. He says you can feed me the most

sumptuous fare, but I'm not going to be able to taste it the

way that I used to. He says I can hear the most

incredible singing, but I'm not going to be able to hear it the

way that I used to. Old age is setting upon me.

I'm not going to be able to enjoy the dainties of which you

are telling me that I will be able to enjoy in Jerusalem.

David, it's incredibly generous of what you're offering me

because of what I did for you. But I would have to decline.

But he actually continues on. And he says in verse #36 thy

servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king.

And why should the king recompense it me with such a

reward? Why would you pay me back in

such a way? But he says this, Let, my

servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in my own

city, and be buried by the grave of my.

Father and of my mother. But behold, I serve at Chim Ham.

Let him go over with my Lord the king, and do to him what shall

seem good unto thee. David, or rather Barzili makes a

little bit of A twist here. He says, David, if it's all well

with you, you don't need to pay me back for what I did.

I did it because it was the right thing to do.

I did it because you were the king.

And if it's all the same, I want to go home because I want to be

buried in my ancestral land. I want to be buried next to my

father's. But if you were truly genuine

about what you've just said, I have a servant here.

His name's Chim Ham. Chim Ham's a young man.

Chim Ham can taste his food. Chim Cam can hear music.

Chim Ham can appreciate the things of life.

And if you were going to do any good to me, would you instead do

it? For my servant here, will you

conduct him across with you? Will you take him with you?

Can he sit at your table? Whatever you are going to do for

him, for me, will you do it for him instead?

What an incredible man. Who would really say?

The king would have taken care of him.

He says, no, I think I'm good. This young man here, he could

use it more than I could. Will you take care of him?

And David answers the verse #38 Chim.

Ham. Shall go over with me, and I

will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee.

In fact, David kind of twists it around, doesn't it?

Barzili says you do with him whatever you think is right.

And David says, Barzili, you're such a great man, I'll do to him

whatever you think is right. In fact, if you think this is

good, I'll do it if you think there's something.

Specific I should do for him I will do it.

You are such a great man that I think this is appropriate for me

to do. I will do to him that which

shall seem good unto thee, and whatsoever thou shalt require of

me that. Will I do for thee?

And all the people went over Jordan.

And when the king was come over, the king kissed Barzili and

blessed him, and he returned unto his own place.

There's three things I see about this man Barzilia, and we saw it

actually back up in verse #32 and the first was that he was a

man of maturity. Did you see when it says in

verse #32 I know I kind of skirted over it and laughed

about a little bit that he was a very aged man, even 4 score

years old again, 4 score. And seven years ago, what?

We know that from the Gettysburg Address, don't we?

But we know that would be 87 years, 4 score.

A score is 20 years. That would be 80 years, this man

of 80 years. And of course, with life

expectancy as such, that time, he was a very age man.

He would have been at that time. And as such, he was a man of

maturity. Now, I will say this this

evening, just because you're older doesn't mean you're

mature. And just because you're young

doesn't mean you're a dummy, because maturity doesn't always

come with age. Maturity ought to come with age.

Maturity ought to befit the graying hairs on our head.

But yet at the same time, maturity and age don't always go

together. From 16 verse 31 says the hoary

head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of

righteousness. The hoary head that the hair of

Gray that comes upon us, it is a crown of glory if it be found in

the way of righteousness. Just earning these Gray hairs by

living life doesn't mean that you're mature.

It doesn't mean that you're living godly.

What it does mean is you've gone a few turns around the sun, but

what does it mean? It means you should be wiser if

you do what you're found in the way of righteousness.

Barzili, I was a man of maturity.

He obviously had a great spiritual understanding.

When he saw the anointed king was in trouble, he didn't run to

Absalom and try to join in with him like a hetaphal.

So I got to take care of my king.

I've got some items here, I've got some beds, I've got some

basins, I've got some honey, I've got some butter.

Hey honey, clear out the fridge. The king needs some help.

Why did he understand that? Because he was a man of

maturity, but he was also a man of means as well.

I mean, that's very obvious, isn't it?

When you look at that list, that's obviously someone

particular that time who had a lot of means.

And it says even 4 score years old.

And he had provided the king of sustenance while he laid it.

Mayhem. Now, he wasn't the only one.

There were other names that were attached in chapter #17 as well.

But it's obvious that this is the man who stands out from the

bunch because he's the one that we continue to follow on through

the biblical narrative. But he was a man who provided

these very expensive items and very likely for what I would

commit to be over 1000 people, men, women and children, hungry

soldiers. And he's able to provide for

them and to be able to provide their needs.

It's obvious that this man had a lot of financial wealth.

Now understand this this evening, not everybody has a lot

of financial wealth. I wish I could say to this

evening that you know, I'm preaching to the group of

Fortune 500, you know, and CEO's this evening and we're all just

look, that's not the way that is.

I understand that. I also know that I don't know

everyone's net worth. I also know I don't want to know

everyone's net worth. I don't want you to know my net

worth. All right, we don't need to know

that about one another. That's really not anyone's

business. But I have learned over the

years just to be able to preach in just a general way.

And I'm not preaching as if you have a lot of means this

evening. You know the amount of monetary

value of which you have in your hand.

But I will say this, if you have any amount of means at your

hand, understand that you have a great gift from God.

Baby, you worked hard. I pray that you have maybe you

made some smart choices and investments and I pray that you

have. But even if you had worked hard

and even if you had made some good investments, it was God and

his grace that shined upon you in your life to give you the

strength to be able to do what you're doing.

To be able to make the Wiz wise investments to do that which

putting from this account to that account to this business,

to that business, to that stock, to that stock to be able to give

you what you have. Understand that if you have any

type of means in your life, whatever it is, allow God to be

able to use that to be a blessing with other people.

Barzili in his old age could have just hoarded it all and

say, well, David's got plenty, he should be fine.

Well, David may had plenty, but he didn't have it in the desert.

David May had a lot of food, but it was back in Jerusalem and he

was at Mahanam and that food at Jerusalem is not going to help

him when Absalom. 'S eating it and Barzili, I said

King needs some help. I'm going to help him out with

my means. Now, you might say, well,

pastor, I don't have any means. So I don't know how this helps

me. And maybe you don't have much,

but I will say we have more than we realize.

We certainly have more than many on this planet.

There's not many of us that don't buy a coffee every once in

a while and don't think anything of it.

I mean, there are times probably in all of our lives where

getting a coffee would have been a luxury.

But for most of us now we're at the place that if you, you know,

you buy a coffee, you're probably not going to go

bankrupt. You're not going to hear that

sound like on Wheel of Fortune as soon as you drive away from

the Duncan drive through. You know what I'm saying.

But understand, even if you don't have a lot of means,

that's OK. A few verses here for you.

Psalms 37 verse 16 a little that a righteous man hath is better

Psalms 37:16

than the riches of many wicked. You may not have a lot of means,

but if you've got the Lord, you've got more than anybody.

Part of 15, verse 16 better is little with the fear of the Lord

than great treasure and trouble there.

With part of 16, verse 8, better is a little with righteousness

than great revenues without right.

Whatever you have, just use it for the Lord.

You may not have heads and basins and butter and cheese and

all of these different things as he did in this extravagant

amount of way. I got enough for our family.

And sometimes it feels like we're feeding an army, but I'm

not feeding an army. And here's this man who had it

all. He says someone else needs it.

I'm OK. Why?

I think he had a fundamental understanding.

Of what Jesus taught in the New Testament, that we're truly just

stewards of that which we have. That what's been put in your

hand really isn't yours in the 1st place.

It all belongs to God. And so you're just the one

that's using the accounts and you were the one that's taking

these things and you're trying to be.

Wise in that which God has given you, but truly it's God who's

enriched us. He was a man of maturity.

He was a man of means, but He was also a great man as well.

Did you see at the end of verse #32 it said For he was a very

great man. Now, you might think that that's

because of his money. And certainly maybe we could say

that he was a great man because of the amount of money he had.

But I also believe the wording here allows us to see that he

was a great man not necessarily because of what he had, but

because of what he did with what he had.

I will run that by, again, he wasn't necessarily a great man

because of what he had, but he was a great man because of what

he did with what he had. Because again, it says in verse

#32 that he was a great man, but before it he says he provided

the King's sustenance while he laid at Mahon AM, for he was a

great man. It was not just about the

provision, it was about that the man provided the provision in

the 1st place and that's what made him great.

I know I used this quote a few weeks ago.

Couldn't get it out of my head again while studying this

message from Jim Elliott. He is no fool who gives away

what he cannot keep. To gain what he cannot lose that

when we invest in those things that are spiritual, we're wise.

And here's a man who saw the big picture.

And that means that he wasn't just a man of means and he

wasn't just a man of maturity, but he was also a man of morals.

When I say he's a great man, he was at the Bible says he great.

He's a man of morals. He saw the big picture for what

it was, he saw life for what it truly ought to be, and he was a

man who allowed that which God had put in his hand to be a good

influence to someone else who needed it in a great time of

need. This man didn't mind giving away

his means to help the king, and he had no problem lifting up

someone else who needed help. Let's not just focus on the fact

he helped the king, he also helped a young man who was his

servant at that time. How many people?

Really took care of their servants and took concern for

their servants. And here is David who hands him

a golden ticket. If you will come with me, your

life. Will be at ease.

Come with me. There'll be nothing that you

need anymore. And certainly he could have gone

to Jerusalem and enjoyed something.

It's not as if he's he is being humble here.

It's not as if he had gone there and would have enjoyed nothing

of living in Jerusalem. He would have been there in the

city. He would have been there with

the temple. He would have been there in the

presence of the king. But he said, you know, this

would mean a lot to me, but you know who would mean a whole lot

more to It's got Jim Ham here. Thank you for what you've done

for me. But, David, will you help him?

And he used his influence to be able to help someone else who

was younger, someone else who was greener, someone else who

was not a man of means, and help pull him up all along the way.

And this issue comes down to not so much money as it does just

being aware that we are influenced and influencing the

people around us. Again, I know you don't want to

think of yourself in that way, and honestly, I don't want to

think of myself that way as just walking into church and saying

let me see who I can influence today.

Let me see who I can lead along the way.

There's something kind of arrogant about that if you truly

walk in with that kind of air about you.

But at the same time, there is something that should be within

our minds that we should be receivers and not and rather

givers. Say it right, Adam.

That we should be. Givers and not receivers.

When we come to church, that when we come to church, it's not

just sitting in the Pew. And saying Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,

Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.

Give me all right I. Was afraid he was going to say

something. All right, this just, I'm going

to come down and I'm going to plop down here in the front row.

Actually, nobody sit in the front row, but I would pretend

I'm a plop down the front row. I just give me Lord.

Give me Lord. I hope somebody comes up to me

and talks to me. I hope somebody has a blessing

to me. I hope someone encourages me.

I hope someone helps me. I hope someone.

I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope, I hope.

And it's all about you. But when we come into the House

of God, you ought to be, you know what, I've had a tough

week. I bet some other people had some

tough weeks. I'm going to go around with,

talk to people, go around, be a blessing.

Not that I'm going to try to impart a life lesson to

everybody that I talked to. You.

Hey, Vincent, you know, let me. Let me.

Teach you a few things before service tonight and I probably

could get away with that because I'm a pastor, but I'm not going

to do that. Even I won't do that.

But you just get around and you concerned about people because

you're concerned about people. Just love on people because you

love people and you hear them talk and you'll learn

conversations will happen. And you don't have to be as

mature as Barzili. You don't have to be 80 years

old. You don't have to have as much

means and money as Barzili. He was a man of incredible

wealth. We can't compare to today, but I

know we're probably not feeding that many people on a regular

basis, no matter how much our grocery bills may be.

But we can, with that which we have in our hand, be able to

help others in a way that we're not just trying to take from

people in the Christian life. We're also trying to be givers.

And I know that could be, you know, handing somebody a $20

bill because they might have some issues or something like

that. But I'll be honest with you,

it's really so much more than that because money can come and

money can go. And certainly there have been

times people have blessed us with finances.

Somebody handed us something at just the right time to pay just

the right bill to help us with something.

I'm not minimizing that at all. It's a blessing when the body

takes care of issues like that as it does.

But I can tell you there are times I've come into this

building so low. I come in this building low,

sometimes low enough that I could feel lower than a snake in

a tire track just there in the ground.

And someone came to me and talked to me and helped me.

It was a blessing, let me tell you, a few years ago here.

And you know, Diane's gone through a lot of health issues

and she's struggling right now, certainly not to the stage that

she has in years passed by God's grace.

But if you continue to pray for we, we appreciate that.

But there was one night we're getting ready for the Lord's

Supper. The Lord's Supper is a big deal.

You know, we, we do it once or twice a year, usually here at

liberty. It's a big deal.

And I remember getting ready to church and probably about two or

three years ago and she's crying.

I said, well, what, what's the management?

I, I can't come. And I knew in her heart, it

wasn't that she didn't want to come or anything.

She just physically could not come and do the things that she

wanted to do. And it broke my heart.

And I'll tell you, we were at a place in the church where about

a couple months before, we had just a fairly large contingent

of people that had left. You think of COVID and you think

of all the different things that happened.

And I'm at the place. I sat in my office after church

and I just felt like, AM I, I'm just wasting my time here?

Am I just spinning my wheels? You know, this might be a little

too real for some of you, but this is just what it is, OK?

I'm the pastor, right? So I'm supposed to be, I'm

supposed to be encouraging you all.

But I'm, I'm after church. I'm thinking this is.

And it was one of those nights, you know, after the Lord's

Supper, we say, you know, we always just leave quietly

because we want to reflect. And it was one of those nights I

was so glad to tell everybody to leave because I didn't want to

talk to nobody. And I had someone come in, I'm

not going to say who, but I had someone come into my office and

sit down. And I, I don't know that this

person came with the idea of, you know, hey, let's, let's

encourage the pastor. I need to teach him something.

I need to be, you know what? He just sat with me and I talked

and he listened. I belly ached a little bit.

I shared my heart a little bit. He listened.

That was a big help. You say you mean I can do

something like that? You could change the course of

someone's life in smaller, great ways by even just paying

attention. If you can't pay someone's

bills, you can pay attention and the House of God should be the

place. So we're all able to use the

influence that we have to be able to help one another, to

give people that which they need in the times when they're weary

and hungry and thirsty, or at the times when there's someone

who's young and so green, they don't know which way is up in

the Christian life. They ask questions that you, and

I think that's crazy that somebody even asked that

question, but they're so young, but you use your influence to be

able to help them and to be able to bring them along the way like

a Barzilli. I have a good friend you, he's

preached here before. It's been a few years named Jeff

Copes. He's the vice president of

Heartland Baptist Bible College. He's been one of the, I'd

probably say on on a list of three of the most influential

men in my life. And he's influential to me not

just because he's the vice president of a college.

It's just because he has taken thought for my life over the

years. And there are times I don't know

what to do. And I call him and he gives me

counsel, not what I want to hear, but what I need to hear.

I'll tell you one of the things I learned from Jeff Coates.

And there's a reason why I do what I do in my office.

He has in his office at Heartland Baptist Bible College.

And I think probably Kaylee has seen it before.

There's a wall of actually, I know you have because you've

seen it with me. His wall of influence picture of

6 couples, people that have been influential in his spiritual

life. It's a reminder to him, not just

that these people been influential to him.

Barzili eyes, if you would, but that he is to be able to be that

for the other people that come into his office as well and

think about that. There's six people who on that

Jeff Copes grew up in Walpole this area.

He went to Walpole High. He had nothing to want to do

with the Lord. He was a rebel not just because

he went to Walpole High. They are the rebels, but he was

a rebel in the very real sense of the word.

And God got a hold of his heart in a major way and changed his

life forever. And so those six people

influenced Jeff Copes. There's 12 people, there's six

couples influence Jeff Copes. Who then has influenced me, who,

whether you realize it or not, has influenced you through the

lessons that I have learned that I'm able to bring to you through

the Bible. And you see how that circle just

continues to grow. But we use our influence instead

of having the awe shucks. Well, I can't really do nothing

for nobody, I guess. I reckon.

I guess that's more Oklahoma than anything talk that we would

up here, but God has uniquely put you in a place to be a

Barzili and you say, well, I'm not rich.

You're rich in spiritual things. I'll say that again.

You're rich in spiritual things. God has blessed you so greatly

spiritually. There's people that you want to

be able to help and need to be able to help.

I've made it my point over the years.

When I was a youth pastor, I wanted to invest in teens.

I'm thankful for that now. I have I.

I have younger preachers that I love being able to talk to or

talk to about preaching and keep in touch with them.

There's several in the area that I do on a regular basis.

And God's laid on my whole heart.

Some older preachers, preachers that already retired and it's

like they kind of get forgotten. And to be able to call them

every couple months or to text them or just to check on them

and those kind of things, they weren't you.

Aren't you so good, pastor? No, I'm just saying people have

been good to me, so I want to be good to other people.

People have helped me along the way to be what I am.

And so I want to help other people along the way.

I want to be able to be a Barzili I to help the king when

he needs trouble and to help the the ones who are maybe lowered

down who need to be brought up along the way.

That it's not about enriching myself, it's about helping other

people. Can I help you as a pastor?

My philosophy on these types of things?

And you may wonder, well, pastor, you know, why do you do

this a certain way? Why do you do this a certain

way? Why do you come to church early

and why do you stay late? Do you know why?

Because I have found that I can influence people just as much,

if not more, if I come early and I stay late as I can from this

pulpit. I'm not saying the word of God

is not powerful. There's nothing more, no force

more powerful than the word of God, the preached word of God.

But there are conversations that happened before church and after

church. I hear things.

I mean, I'm listening to your conversations.

I'm just saying you tell me things, you share your heart,

and I'm able to be able to use that as a way to hopefully be an

influence in your life. You can't do that if you come in

at service start and you leave as the last.

Amen. Be an influence, be a help, be

an investment to people. Remember I mentioned that there

were three times, Barzili, I was mentioned.

I've only looked at 2:00. There's one more.

It's only one verse. That's the First Kings chapter

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

2. Will you turn there?

I know we've been jumping all over Second Samuel and 1st Kings

the last couple weeks, but the only way for us to be able to

look at these characters is to do so.

First Kings chapter 2, David's about to die, Solomon is about

1 Kings 2 · chapter mention

to become king, and there's this one verse that's mentioned, and

that verse is this. But show kindness under the sons

of Barzilii the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at

thy table. For so they came to me when I

fled because of Absalom thy brother.

I would submit to you that it's likely Barzili is now dead

because he is not mentioned, but the sons are.

And here's Barzili I who thought I could take up this offer and

go with David, but I'm going to use my influence to help David.

That's how he got the offer in the 1st place.

But I'm also going to use that influence to to parlay it into

an offer for my servant to be able to go to live the life that

I know I really can't fulfill myself.

So what ends up happening? Well, Barzili, his sons end up

receiving the same treatment that Chin Ham received, and they

received it from King Solomon, who would have been the richest.

Of all the kings it would have, he would have made Barzili look

like a pauper. So as Barzili, I used.

His influence and instead of accruing to himself, he just

tried to be a blessing to other people.

You know what happened? He was blessed in the sense that

he was able to turn that into a blessing for his family.

And many, many more people were blessed because he did what he

did. If he hadn't, I don't know

necessarily that his family would have received because

David is saying the blessing that I wanted to give him has

been delayed. He's dead now.

So what we need to do is we need to bless his heirs.

We bless the family. And I want you to understand

this tonight. A man of influence who uses his

influences by for others will always be taken care of by the

king. A man of influence who uses his

influence for others will always be taken care of by the king.

Well, Pastor, what if I give too much?

I don't know that any of us are in danger of that.

But what if I give too much? And I'm not talking about you

giving recklessly, but if you give by faith and you consider

that to be something that's dangerous, understand if you

give by faith and God is leading, use your influence

wisely and you'll always be taken care of by the King.

Well, pastor, when do I come? When do I come to church?

And. And you're telling me I'm

supposed to be caring about other people when I come to

church. And I'm coming to church and I'm

tired and I'm thirsty and I'm, I'm, I'm hungry and I'm coming

in. I'm helping other people.

Who's gonna help me? You use your influence for

others and you will be taken care of by the King.

Amen. Diane and I have made it our

point with our children to teach them that the ministry is about

people, about caring about people, and there are times it

wasn't easy for us as a family. I mentioned before about driving

Uber and doing those kind of things.

There were times I wasn't there as a father the way that I

wanted to be because I was going.

There's times I put a lot of pressure on Diane and on the

children because I was here and there and everywhere.

But we tried to emphasize with them during that, that when it

comes to the ministry, that the ministry is not a negative.

It's a net positive. Because whatever we give, God

has blessed over and above. And time would not, time would

fail me to be able to tell you of all those things that we said

we could not do because of the ministry that God has repaid us

over and over and over and over and over again.

But not just in our lives. Now we're seeing it in our

children's lives as well. Because there's a Barzili I who

says, no thanks, I love you king, but I want to help others.

And now the richest king, whoever lived is taking care of

his family. Something to be said for not

just hoarding influence to yourself.

So what? What am I, what am I saying to

you tonight? Because I need to be done. 1st

is remember the people who have been influential in your life.

Find a book, write them down, put their names in the front of

your Bible. Get a journal and write what

they have done. Remind yourself, put them in a

place, find photos, find mementos.

That's what I've done. I don't have a wall of

influence, but I have mementos of people, pastors, people from

churches, family members that have been influential my life

and I have them in there just to remind me.

Almost everything that's in that office is a reminder of

somebody, something or somewhere where there's been influence on

my life. And not everything because

there's a couple of coffee mugs in there.

I just like them. But the bass pro Remember who

has been an influence in your life, and as you remember that,

be an influence to someone else. Oh, Pastor, Well, I just.

I don't really have anything to offer.

Stop. That's false humility.

Are you saying God hasn't blessed you?

Are you saying God hasn't taught you?

Are you saying God hasn't spiritually enriched you?

If he hasn't. Don't share anything by all

means, but. Since he has.

You need to be a Barzili and help someone in need.

Pull someone up who is down and use the maturity and the means

to be a great man for God, and not a great man because you have

means, but great because you're willing to use them in service

for the King. Thank you for listening to the

sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.

If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we

can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at

[email protected]. Or you can visit us this Sunday

at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA.

May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.