Daily Radio Program with Charles Stanley - In Touc... - The Price of Popularity

Welcome to this weekend's in touch podcast with Charles

Stanley. Living for the praise of others can cost you more

than you realize. Join us in first Samuel 18 as David's

attitude teaches us how to recognize and manage the price

of popularity. Now popularity is one thing that a lot of

people are looking for in life and many people think that

somehow when they find the popularity that they're looking

for that's going to satisfy something in them. Let me tell you

something. If a person is seeking popularity to satisfy

anything what they're going to discover is when they have found it

and they have reached it it is simply an emptied promise.

Well here I believe is a lesson about the price of popularity

in a person's life. David was no more than a mere shepherd boy. In fact he was

the second son, the son of the second wife of Jess if you'll recall as we've

been studying and he was looked down upon by his brothers and when

David came as the shepherd boy over to bring something for his

brothers at the time they were facing Goliath you'll recall

that his brother said to him asking he said why don't you get back out there

with those few sheep that you have simply implying that he wasn't much

of a shepherd boy because if he had a bin he'd have had more sheep.

They scolded him they looked down upon him and he was more like a servant in that

household than he was the son. So here he is standing before

Saul telling the king that he's willing to go out and face Goliath

and he doesn't need any armor all he needs is his sling

and he picks up five stones on his way out to meet Goliath.

Here he is just a shepherd boy going out to face Old Goliath

but he comes back from that war single-handedly he defeats Goliath

saying to him I'm going to kill you I'm going to cut off your head that the

world may know that the God of Israel is God. One minute he's an unknown

shepherd boy and the next minute he's the hero of the whole army of Israel.

Now that's not many fellows who could take that kind of popularity but David

could take it and all through these scriptures as you read between the

lines how God is responding and how God is acting toward David

you see that God sees David's heart and that's why Paul said about him he's a

man after God's own heart because in spite of all their claim

there's always that spirit of humility found here in the life of David.

Now listen there are three things here I want to mention

that you and I have to deal with when we began to face popularity now

let me say two or three things here about that we talk about popularity

I don't mean that you have to be famous now as the world you can be popular

in a small group as well as a large group and you see some of you are popular

don't even know it because some people have great admiration for you

look up to you admire you and you're an example of them and you're not even

aware of that but when we talk about the price of popularity let's look at

David's life for just a few moments and see what the popularity cost him

and let's ask first of all when you think about popularity it being a

universal problem where does the first problem arise well the first

problem of popularity is this jealousy the root cause of jealousy is a

person's own sense of personal insecurity because if you'll notice in this

chapter here that the scripture says that when the women began to call out

that David had killed his 10,000s and Saul became very angry and displeased and

then he said what can they have more but the kingdom you know why he asked

that question I'll tell you why because if you'll remember when Saul and

Samuel were talking together and Samuel had to give Saul

that awesome news that God had rejected him because he had rejected the word of

God offering a sacrifice which he had should not have done because he wouldn't

wait for Samuel and that God had taken the kingdom from him

that listen Saul never forgot that there was no way for him to forget it because

he was the king of Israel and Samuel the prophet God's representative said

you will not be the king forever your family will lose the place of kingship

God has wrenched the kingdom from you and when he saw and heard and watch the

popularity of David suddenly explode right in his presence the first thing that

happened he says the scripture says what more can he have but the kingdom so his

own sense of insecurity began to develop now I like first just to take a few

moments to talk about the emotional responses that usually come

when jealousy develops well the first thing I think that so evident here

is that anger is one of those emotional responses

God sends young David he takes away himself the responsibility kills Goliath

wins the victor for Israel instead of saying praise God here is one who had the

courage to be victorious Jonathan my son I want you to be just like him

let's take him into town and set him up on the throne and let's give him the

credit let's do him and thank God that he sent David

you know what he did he acted like some Christians I know

I better watch him he'll get my job I wish I could tell you that all jealousy

was in the secular world but I can't tell you that now I'll tell you sometime

it grieves my heart doesn't make me angry it grieves me makes me sick in my heart

to see men and women who love God become jealous of each other

well anger is one of the responses the second response if you'll notice in the

eighth verse again and that is suspicion

once you become suspicious of somebody I'm telling you my friend that has got

to be one of the worst feelings you have always

suspecting someone else what are they gonna do to me next

you know what's going to happen next they're going to try to outdo me again

I'm gonna keep my own that's no way to live

yes some of you work on in your vocations you know people who just like that

suspect everybody and everything a third thing is fear

all the way through here saw was a plate of David in verse 12

he was again afraid in verse 15 you know why I kept being afraid

he saw David behaving himself wise or the scripture says

and saw was smart enough to know that there was something about that David that

was so right it frightened him let me ask you this

is there anybody that you're jealous of

do you get angry when you see them getting ahead

are you afraid you see if your own sense of self esteem or what it ought to be

you and be afraid of what somebody else gets in life

and then the problem of irrational that when you become so angry and so fearful

and so suspicious you begin to act irrational verse 11 chapter 18

and Saul and here he was David playing the harp for Saul and quietening his

his spirit and Saul cast the javelin for he said I will

smite David to the wall with it and David aboard that of his presence twice

that is that you can imagine Saul had to be a pretty good shot with that

thing and he threw that javelin and missed

then he threw it again he must have chased him out of the house with it

interesting thing is that David comes right back plays the harp again

now you remember this my friend if you're jealous of somebody and you don't take

care of it you're going to express anger you're going to get suspicious you're

going to be afraid and then you're going to begin to act toward that person

in an irrational way Saul knew better than that here he was an adult

here he was the king of Israel and couldn't control his suspicious anger

and fear to the point that here he was throwing javelins

at a shepherd boy look if you will in verse 17 because

another emotional reaction of jealousy if we're not careful is this

and that is we seek some way to take vengeance on the person

we're jealous of and two ways here it happened many many times but one of

the ways he tried to kill David as we say he

threw the javelin at him a couple of times which he's going to do again

and then verse 17 Saul said that David behold my elder daughter

Mirab her will I give thee to wife only be thou valiant

for me and fight the Lord's battles but Saul said

let not my hand to be upon him but let the hand of the listings be upon him

and then he connive with his general to pull back in the midst of battle so

David would get killed now you see he was committed

to vengeance to take his life but I'll tell you something worse than that

more than likely you wouldn't take in about his life but you might stoop I

certainly hope you would not do what Saul did because if you'll read on over

you'll recall that he promised him one wife and then

in to spite him and to hurt him he gave that daughter to someone else

verse 20 Michael Saul's daughter loved David and they told Saul the thing

pleased him and this shows about Saul's attitude to

his own daughter and toward his own family

and Saul said I'll give hurt to him that she may be a snare to him

now listen more than likely you're not going to go out and kill anybody

but let me ask you this are you jealous enough

of anybody's possessions anybody's position

anybody's appearance are you jealous of anybody

for anything enough to plan to hurt them

in order to satisfy something in your own heart

I hope to almighty God you're not because that is to stoop to the level to make

yourself useless in the eyes of almighty God

God's people need to learn to praise one another and not plot against each

other well these are some reactions I think but I want you to notice the

proper response if somebody is jealous towards you then how ought you to respond

now we say the jealousy is one of the prime prices you have to pay for

popularity whether it's in your family if you're a favorite son or a favorite

daughter in a large family it can be very difficult for you

don't even have to be a large family all right how do you respond to jealousy

well you do what David at first of all he behaved himself wise that that

he was very careful how he responded in each situation

he behaved himself wise the second thing that's evident here is that he was

very humble about it there is not one single

birth of scripture that indicates pride on the part of David

at this period of his life he refuses to be proud always talks about being

a humble servant willing to come back and help

Saul even though Saul tried to pin him to the wall with a javan

the third thing I want you to notice here he refused

under any condition to take revenge on Saul now he could have done it because he

begins to run now and he lives in caves and it took him eight long years to

become the key of Israel even though Samuel had

anointed him eight long years of running and trying to

stay away and to get out of the grass

of Saul twice in caves he cut off a piece of Saul's clothing

and then held it up outside to remind him that he was so close

he cut off a piece of his garment he could have run the javan straight through

his heart but David said I will not touch

God's anointed my friend that says something about David

that under no condition is there one single thread of evidence that he

stooped to take revenge on a man who was

absolutely committed to killing him so what am I saying

that you and I must behave ourselves wisely that to be humble in our spirit

toward the other person regardless of what they do

we ought to avoid revenge like David avoided Saul's javan

we're not to take it and revenge on any condition not only that

but we are to offer help to the person who is jealous of us

he goes right back to play the harp again even though

Saul is trying to take his life he showed respect for him as the king

he said I'll not touch God's anointed now when somebody's jealous of us if

we'll just remember we're not good to take revenge

we're not to become angry we don't have a humble spirit before them

we're to offer to help them we're to show respect to them in every possible

way my friend there is no way to defeat that kind of spirit

and that's exactly what David was doing to Saul

he wasn't arguing with him there's not one verse of scriptures that

Stephen says he took any argument at all against Saul

he loved him he loved his son he prayed for him he didn't argue with him

he didn't defend himself a single time

he simply responded even as Saul saw that is he behaved

himself very wisely and listen as God blesses you financially

as he blesses you in your vocation as he blesses you in your home as he

blesses your family as he promotes you in your vocation

and as God's blessings become material as they become evident to other people

they're going to be people who are going to be jealous of you

and if you and I can remember how David responded

but once we stoop to taking vengeance or even trying to prove anything to the

other person what we're going to do is to delay or set aside God's blessing

until we're able to behave ourselves very wisely now

I have to mention the other two things and just simply mention them in close

and that is the price of popularity first of all we have to face the

jealousy of others and second and let me just throw this out and live with you

we have to face the problem of other people leaning on us now listen

sometimes when you become popular are you get a position on your vocation

are you appear to be the stronger one or the leader there are people who

emotionally or who in their own sense of self-esteem feel weak so here's what

they do they find someone who is strong or someone who is

popular and what they do emotionally is they lean on you

now for the moment they may appear to be becoming your friend

but that's not why they're leaning on you they want to be seen in your presence

they want to be seen where you are they like to be known as your friend

they want to be where you are noticed and seen

now friend that's not friendship one of the prices of popularity is that some

people will lean on you emotionally because

who you are in the eyes of the world being seen with you

helps them to feel like they are better but i want to tell you my friend

some people will become a part of your life

an intimate part of your life not because they desire your friendship

they desire something they cannot even identify within their own hearts

it is not purposeful on their part they don't mean to do it

they don't even know that they're doing it but they want to be in your

presence and they want to be seen with you and they want to be closed to you

because of what it does for them in the eyes of other people

what they don't understand is this they need a deepening relationship with

Jesus Christ and when somebody begins to lean upon you my friend

ask yourself this question what is it that they want to need they don't need

to lean on you they need to be built up by you and if we are not careful

and we don't understand and we're not perceptive and we're not sensitive to

what their needs are one day they will fall and they won't know why

and you won't know why the third price of popularity is this

and that is that you and I must be extremely sensitive

to our own relationship and absolute and total dependence upon Jesus Christ

less you and your vocation get the big head

and you get a little car a little proud because you lead all these guys behind

you here and they jumped over about three or four people to choose you for

that position you want to keep it then you do what David did

act very wisely be very humble toward those who were skipped over

and all of you to be chosen seek to help those people advance

in their occupation their vocation and their particular position

and show them respect as your fellow workers

now whatever position in life you and I may have

whatever it may be it may be small in the eyes of some large in the eyes of us

but what I've shared with you works anyway whether it's in a family

or in a business or in a church or whatever it might be

you and I have the responsibility of always responding wisely in the eyes of

God when they're those who may look to you

and some may be jealous some may lean

but more important than either one of those you and I must be very very careful

that we understand that every single solitary blessing

that we have comes from Almighty sovereign God

who could take it away quicker than we received it

and so our response must be that of Christ's likeness

David is a beautiful example of a man who knew how to respond

to the problems the dangers and the hindrances as well as the blessings of

popularity

thank you for listening to the price of popularity

for more inspirational messages like this one

visit our online 24-7 station and if you'd like to know more about Charles

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