Act Like Abigail | Evangelist Michael Maupin

Oh come on. Like you.

Mean it tonight. From the bottom of your heart,

with everything that's inside of you, I love you, Jesus.

I love you, Jesus. Come on.

Why don't you just say? That all.

Over and over again, He loves to hear you say it.

I love you, Jesus. I love you, Jesus.

Oh what a great God. Thank you, seniors and

musicians. Thank you, pastor, for that

song. And I want to give honor tonight

to the Mcgees and the Masons. I love and appreciate them very,

very much. And what a great weekend we've

had. And thank you for all your

kindness. Thank you for your faithfulness

of being in the House of the Lord.

And I know God is going to reward you.

I just believe God's getting ready to do great things, not

just in this church, but all across the globe.

I believe God is getting ready to wrap this thing up, and I

believe He's going to have a great revival and harvest before

he does. And I want to be a part of it,

don't you? Amen.

So good to see each and everyone of you.

Got to. Talk to brother Bryce right

before service and he's one of the few people that I've met

that know, not just knows where Pocahontas AR is has been to

Pocahontas AR and we we know several.

He knows my in laws and some other friends there in small

world because I bet nobody else has ever heard of Pocahontas AR.

We got a couple. But anyway, but it's so it's so

good to have him today and all the guests.

Thank you for being here and thank you for being in the House

of the Lord. If you have your Bibles, turn

with me to the book of First Samuel, First Samuel, the 25th

chapter. Tonight will be a little

different. I don't expect you to be

swinging from the chandeliers before we're done.

Even though I don't see any chandeliers, if we had them, I

don't expect you to be swinging from them.

First Samuel 2523 and when Abigail saw David, she.

Hasted and lighteth off the donkey she fell before David on

her face she bowed herself to the.

Ground and. Fell at his feet and said upon

me, my Lord, upon me, let this iniquity be, and let thy

handmaid, I pray thee, speak in that audience and hear the words

of thy handmaid. I want to preach to you tonight

on this Sunday evening to close down this great weekend on this

thought at Like Abigail. Look at your neighbor.

And tell him, say act like Abigail.

Would you set your Bible down? Would you lift your hands?

Would you lift your hearts? Would you help us?

Pray right now, Lord, we love. You and we thank you for who you

are. We thank You for your power, we

thank. You for Your Majesty, we thank.

You for your glory, we thank. You for your spirit God, we ask

you to move in this place like only you can.

Speak to our hearts, speak to our lives, God, we ask you to

move in this place, God. I ask you, God, to let a spirit

of intercession fall in this house tonight, God.

Speak to us, God. Let us leave here different than

what we walked. In, we give you praise for what

you're going to do. In the mighty matchless.

Name of Jesus we. Pray.

Amen. Why don't?

We clap our hands one more time, and the Bible says not only to

clap your hands, but shout unto God with a voice of triumph.

Hallelujah. Thank you.

You can be seated when I was a kid, I like I almost said little

kid, but I don't want to lie to you fine people when I was a

kid, I loved story time. Anybody loved story time when

you were So I'm I'm going to we're going to have a little

story time for. Just a minute.

There was a certain man in Moan who carried on his business in

the region of Carmel. He was very prosperous.

He had 3000 sheep and 1000 goats.

And it was sheep sharing time in Carmel.

The man's name was Nabel and his wife's name was Abigail.

The woman was beautiful and good looking and intelligent, and the

man was brutish and mean. While out in the Backcountry,

David hears that Nabel is shearing his sheep, and he sends

ten of his young men with these instructions.

Go to Carmel and approach Nabel. Greet him in my name and speak

peace and life to him and peace to their entire household and to

everyone there. And tell him that we've heard

that it is sheep shearing time and that when his shepherds were

camped near us in the wilderness, we never took

advantage of them. They didn't lose a single thing

the entire time that we were with them in Carmel.

And tell him that he can ask his young shepherds and they'll

verify the story. And all that we're asking is

that he would be generous with us and share his feast.

And give whatever your heart tells you to give to your

servants and to me, David, your son.

So David's young men, they go and deliver the message word for

word to Nabel, and Nabel tears into them.

Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse?

The country is full of runaway servants these days.

Do you think I'm going to take my good bread and wine and meat

freshly butchered for my sheep shears and give it to men that

I've never even laid eyes on? Who knows where they've even

come from? David's men got out of there and

they went back and told David what he had said.

And David says, strap on your swords.

And 400 men strapped on their swords.

And they followed David back to Nabel's house.

Meanwhile, one of the young shepherds, Toad Abigail Enable's

wife. What happened?

And David sent messages from the Backcountry to salute our

master, but he tore into them with insults.

Yet these men treated us very kindly.

They took nothing from us and never took advantage of us the

entire time we were in the fields with them.

They actually formed a wall of protection around us, protecting

us day and night the entire time we were out tending the sheep.

Do something quickly, because big trouble is ahead for our

master and all of us. Nobody can talk to him.

He's impossible. He's a real brute.

Abigail flies into action. She takes 200 loaves of bread, 2

skins of wine, 5 sheep dressed out and ready for cooking, a

bushel of roasted grain and 100 Raisin cakes, 200 fig cakes.

And she loads them all on some donkeys.

And she tells her young servants, go ahead and pave the

way for me. I'll be right behind you.

But she said nothing to her husband, Abel.

And as she was riding that donkey descending into a ravine,

David and his men were descending from the other end of

the ravine, and they met there on the road.

And David had just told his men that it was a waste of time

guarding everything that Naval had while they were out in the

wilderness. Yeah, so that he didn't lose

anything. And this is how he rewards me

with insults. This is a slap in my face.

And David said, May God do worse to me if Naval and every cur and

his misbegotten brood aren't dead meat by the morning.

As soon as Abigail sees David, she gets off the donkey.

She falls on her knees at his feet, her face to the ground and

homage, saying, my master, let me take the blame.

Let me speak to you. Listen to what I have to say.

Don't dwell on what that brute Nabel did.

He acts out the meaning of his name.

Nabel. Full foolishness oozes from him.

I wasn't there when the young men, my master sin arrived.

I didn't see them. And now my master, as God lives

and as as you live, God has kept you from this avenging murder.

And may your enemies, all who seek my master's harm, end up

like navel. Now take this gift that I've

brought to you, your servant girl, and give it to the young

men who follow in the steps of my master.

Forgive my presumption, but God is at work in my master,

developing a rule solid and dependable.

My master fights God's battles and as long as you live, no evil

will stick to you if anyone stands in your way.

If anyone tries to get you out of the way, know this.

Your God honored life is tightly bound in the bundle of God

protected life, but the lives of your enemies shall be hurled

aside as a stone is thrown from a sling.

When God completes all the goodness he has promised to my

Master and sets you up over over the King of Israel, my Master

will not have this dead weight in his heart, the guilt of an

avenging murder. And when God has worked things

for good from my Master, Remember Me.

And David said, blessed be God, the God of Israel, he has sent

you to meet me. And blessed be your good sense,

Bless your keeping me from a murder and taking charge of

looking out for me. This was a close call.

And as God lives, the God of Israel who kept me from hurting

you, if you had not come as quickly as you did, stopping me

in my tracks, by morning there would have been nothing left of

navel but dead me. Then David accepted the gift

that she brought him and said return home in peace.

I have heard what you have said, and I will do what you ask.

Now story time is over. Let me preach for a few minutes.

There are three main characters in this story.

In this chapter of the Bible. There's Nabal, the evil wealthy

man whose name means full or foolishness.

Then there is Abigail his wife, beautiful and intelligent, which

her name means source of joy. And then there is David, the

anointed king, whose name means loving naval represents this

foolish world that we live in. Abigail represents the source of

joy, the Church, and David represents Jesus, our loving

anointed King. And just as this foolish naval

didn't realize it, this foolish world doesn't realize it either.

But there has been an anointed king on the outskirts of town,

watching and protecting this world while they have been

enjoying themselves, partying and celebrating their abundance

and their blessings. And just as David, the loving,

anointed king, sent messengers to the foolish naval, Jesus, our

loving anointed king, has constantly and consistently been

sending messengers to this foolish world.

And just as David's messengers reminded the foolish neighbor at

his party that they had been keeping and protecting them so

they can even have what they have and celebrate their wealth,

and all they want in return was for them to share their feast,

so has God's messengers came with the same message.

They come to remind this foolish nables of this world that the

King of all glory is the only reason we are alive today.

He is the only reason that we are blessed.

He's been keeping you. He's been protecting you, He's

been blessing you. And all He wants in return is

some gratitude, some thankfulness, some love and

appreciation. He desires your praise and your

adoration. He wants your devotion, who

wants your heart. It's not too much to ask in

return for all the blessings and benefits that he has given to

us. And just like the foolish naval

question the messengers. Who is this David?

This foolish world questions God's messengers to who is this

Jesus? Who is this anointed king that

you speak of? I don't know him.

I've never heard of him. I've never met him.

He's just a figment of your imagination.

This is my life. This is my stuff.

This is my spouse. This is my family.

These are my kids. This is my money.

This is my job. This is my education.

This is my house. These are my vehicles.

I'm the one that's worked so hard for them.

Why should I share any of this with this Jesus that you talk?

You mean you want me to do what? You want me to give my life to

Him? You want me to come to church on

Sunday, my only day off? You want me to come to church

again on Wednesday after I've worked hard all day and I'm

exhausted? You want then.

You want me to give my ties and my offerings out of my paycheck

that I work so hard to earn. But see, you need to understand

he has been dealing with this rejection from fallen humanity

for thousands of years. And his judgment tonight is

sure. But I'm so thankful that it's

not swift. But one day he will return, and

just like David was angry and told his men to get their swords

on and get ready for war, one day Jesus will do the same with

all of His angelic army. Revelation 1911 tells us about

it. And I saw heaven open, and

behold, a White Horse. And he that set upon him was

called faithful and true. And in righteousness He does

judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of

fire, and his head were many crowns.

And he had a name written that no man knew but he himself.

And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and his

name is called the Word of God. And the armies which were in

heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen,

white and clean. And out of his mouth go with a

sharp sword, that with it it should smite the nation's, and

he shall rule them with a rod of iron.

And he treaded the wine Press of the fierceness and wrath of

Almighty God, and he hath on his vestures and upon his thigh a

name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

See, one day our anointed King is coming to this earth again,

but next time it's going to be different.

This time he won't be the meat sacrificial Lamb of God, but

next time he's returning as the triumphant lion of the tribe of

Judah. He's not returning as a lamb

slain from the foundation of the world, but he's returning as the

King of Kings and Lord of Lords to conquer this world.

And if you're not ready to meet him, I don't know if you can

tell by the news, but end time prophecy is daily being

fulfilled. If you're not ready to meet him,

you need to get ready tonight. If you've not repented of your

sins, you need to repent of your sins.

If you've not been baptized in the only name under heaven given

among men, whereby we must to be saved, the saving name of Jesus,

tonight is your night. If you've never been filled with

the Holy Ghost, tonight is your night.

If you've grown cold, if you're back slid, tonight is your night

to get days right. But thank God that there's

another character in this crazy story, Abigail, the source of

joy that represents the church, which is God's source of joy.

When Abigail hears what all the commotion at the party is about,

the spirit of intercession comes over her, and she realizes that

she must do something, like all of us here tonight need to do.

She understands that she must become an intercessor, that she

must stand in the gap and make up the heads for the rest of her

household and community, and Abigail quickly gathers her

servants. She instructs him to gather

food, wine, and gifts, hoping to appease the Anointed King's

natural appetite and his appetite for revenge.

And Abigail and David meet along the road between them.

Abigail falls on her face. She grapples at his feet.

She begins to beg. She begins to intercede.

Please don't destroy all of our people for one man's

stubbornness and foolishness. Here, take this food, take this

wine, take these gifts. Let your anger be subdued.

I know my husband is worthy of death and our entire household,

but please spare us. And just as Abigail, the source

of joy, met David at that place between them, and she interceded

with the anointed king for her husband and her household, we,

the church, his source of joy, we must meet with Jesus at this

place between heaven and earth to intercede with our anointed

king for the souls of this world.

We need to pray, God, I know we're justified of judgment.

I know we're deserving of death. But God, could you meet out a

little mercy? Could you give us some grace?

Could you convey some compassion?

Would you lend us some love? Could you find some forgiveness?

Jesus, my family isn't ready to meet you.

My children are back slid. My neighbor hasn't accepted my

invitation for a Bible study. My coworker hasn't seen the

revelation yet. Please, God, give us more time.

There's still a harvest. There's still souls not ready to

meet you. Oh, anointed King, give us a

space of grace to win more people before you return.

And you know what happened, David?

The anointed king accepts Abigail's intercession and

judgment is held back. See, I believe that's the only

reason we talked about it the other night.

I believe that's the only reason that the anointed King Jesus

hasn't returned yet. It's the prayers and the

intercession of Abigail, the church begging for one more day

to reach one more song, and what I find probably most amazing

about this story. So Abigail could have easily

just stayed at the party enjoying the abundance and the

blessings. She could have went on with life

and business as usual. And you know what?

You and I have the same option here tonight.

We can choose to just enjoy life.

We can spend our days and our time enjoying the blessings and

benefits of belonging to Him. We can live out our life

enjoying the favor and faithfulness of our anointing

King Jesus. We can just live our lives

comfortable and complacent until He returns without a care in

this world. World, or for this world,

because you know what? We've we have it good tonight.

We are. We're spiritually spoiled and

religiously rotten because none of us have been persecuted like

they're being persecuted in communist countries as we speak.

No one has ever taken one of my numerous Bibles away from me.

No one has ever threatened my life if I talk about, teach,

preach, proclaim, or mention the name of Jesus or his glorious

gospel. No one when I walked in here

tonight, no one threw eggs, tomatoes, or rocks at me when I

entered this beautiful building. Nor will it happen when we leave

and go home and return later this week.

We have carpet instead of dirt floors like some churches I've

preached in overseas. No one sitting on the floor.

You're sitting on pews. This isn't an open air building

with animals crawling in and out and bugs flying around.

But this is an air conditioned building.

No one had to walk miles and miles to church and hours and

hours just to come to church. Tonight we are enjoying this

party called Pentecost. Just coming to church, just

going through the motions, leaving and enjoying the life

we've been blessed with. And when he returns, we're going

to make it. You're going to survive his

terror and his revenge. But there are others.

Our family members, our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers,

our classmates that don't have the same privilege tonight.

And Abigail, the source of joy, the church realizes that it

wasn't about her anymore. It wasn't about her blessings

and her abundance. It wasn't about the party, but

it was about those that were getting ready to be slain with

David sword. And she quickly realizes that

she's getting ready to attend more funerals than parties.

And can I tell everyone in this house tonight, we can't get so

fixated on this party called Pentecost that we, the church,

forget that outside of these four walls is a world that is

lost, dying, and on their way to an eternity of torment and a

devil's hell. And Abigail stopped worrying

about if everyone was having a good time at the party.

She stopped making sure that there was enough appetizers and

punch. She stopped worrying about the

music was too loud and if everybody had a comfortable

seat. She stopped worrying about what

was happening, happening in the house, in the party, and she

started worrying about what was happening outside the house and

outside the party. What seemed to matter before no

longer matter to her. What was seemingly significant

before was now merely insignificant to her.

And the only thing that stopped the justice of David, the

anointed king was Abigail. And the only thing that's going

to stop the justice of Jesus, our anointed king, is a church

that's willing to become and act like Abigail and intercede for

the lost souls of humanity. Help us to pray.

Help us to beg. Help us to plead.

Help us to intercede. Give me one more Jay Jesus.

Give me one more prayer meeting. Give me one more Bible study.

Give me one more church service. Give me one more altar call.

I'm working on my family. I'm working on my friends.

I'm working on my coworkers. I'm working on my classmates.

I'm working on my neighbors. Don't get so distracted by the

party that you forget about the pitiful.

Don't get so distracted by the celebration that you forget

about the Sinner. Don't get so distracted by the

blessings that we forget about the backsliders.

You know what happened in the end of that story, Nabal?

Here's what Abigail did. And the Bible says that his

heart turned to stone and he died.

Then David, the anointed king, he marries Abigail because of

her beauty and her actions. And can I tell you tonight that

one day after this gospel has been preached to the entire

globe, there will be some that their hearts are going to turn

to stone and they're going to die a spiritual death.

But Jesus, our anointed King, is coming back to marry his bride

because of her beauty of holiness and her actions of

intercession. Because it can't just be

righteous living and not reaching the lost, nor can it be

reaching the lost without righteous living.

We must do both. We can't get so worried about

our appearance that we forget about His appearing tonight.

And I draw to a close with these two Scriptures 2 of what I

consider the saddest scriptures in the entirety of the Bible.

Isaiah 5916 And he saw that there was no man, and wondered

that there was no intercessor. Ezekiel 22 and 30.

And I sought for a man among them that should make up the

hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I

should not destroy it. But I found God when you show up

on a Sunday night, God, when you show up in this house tonight,

don't find an Isaiah 5916 church, don't find an Ezekiel 22

and 30 people God. When you stop by on this Sunday

night and you look down into this service, don't let it be

said that there was no intercessor found.

Don't let it be said that there was nobody that would make up

the hedge or stand in the gap so that you wouldn't destroy the

land. God and I know we're homesick.

With each and every passing day, we get more and more homesick.

Seemingly with every report or word coming out of Washington

DC, we long more and more for the coming of our Lord and

Savior. I know we pray.

Come quickly, Lord, especially the more evil and dark this

world becomes. We cry out for our Redeemer.

We cry out for our Deliverer. But while we're praying for him

to come, we also need to pray. We also need to intercede.

We need to travail. We need to make up the heads and

stand in the gap for the lost of this world.

Because Isaiah said that as soon as Zion prevent travailed, as

soon as the church travailed, she brought.

Forth her children. You know what I think?

I think that we ought to turn this building tonight into a

labor and delivery unit. God, let there be weeping.

Let there be travailing, Let there be interceding until

spiritual babies are born. God, let there be a spirit of

Rachel that falls on us today and we say, give us children or

else we die. God, Lord, I don't want you to

stop by here and just see a church going through the motions

and join this party that we've been enjoying.

But God, when you look down on us tonight, let there be

somebody that's willing to intercede.

Let there be somebody willing to make up the hedge.

Let there be willing somebody willing to stand in the gap.

Let there be travailing take place until children are born.

I don't know about you, but I got family members that are

lost. I've got friends that are lost.

I've got backsiders in my family.

I got backsiders in my friends. I don't know about you, but I

can tell you story after story of people that are lost tonight.

And if Jesus came back right now, they would not go with him.

God help me to pray for them. Help me to intercede.

As we see times drawing to a close, we should be praying more

fervently. We should be interceding like

we've never interceded. We should be travailing like

we've never travailed. We should be standing in the gap

like we've never stood in the gap.

We ought to be making up the heads like we've never made-up

the head. So I wonder tonight, can we just

turn this place into a prayer room?

Can we just turn this place into a labor and delivery unit?

Can you just in your own way, in your own place, if you want to

come to the front, if you want to kneel, if you want to stand,

if you want to walk around? But would you just find a

posture of prayer and begin to intercede?

God, I know you're coming soon, but before you come, God, help

me to reach my family. God, I've got children that

aren't ready to meet you. God, I got parents that aren't

ready to meet you. God, my spouse isn't ready to

meet you. God, my coworker, my classmate,

my neighbor, my friend, they're not ready.

God, come on, church, act like Abigail.

Come on. Let a spirit of intercession

arise in you tonight. Let there be travailing in this

house. Let there be interceding in this

place. Come on, Mama, pray for them

babies. Come on, grandparents, pray for

your grandchildren. Oh, come on.

If you're not going to do it, who's going to do it?

Somebody's going to act like Abigail in this house tonight.

It was Abigail, the source of joy, that stopped the anointed

King David from killing everybody in the camp.

God help us to act like Abigail and intercede with our anointed

King Jesus.