Jonathan was in a war and he found honey to eat. That taste helped him to see. His eyes were brightened to face his challenge. (1 Samuel 14:24-31)

Speaker(s): Thomas Schaller, Mike Plunkett
Sermon 12235
6:30 PM on 1/16/2022

P. Mike Plunkett –

Okay. Good evening. It’s an interesting evening out there, isn’t it? Congratulations! You made it. For those
on the internet, it started to snow about a couple of hours ago quite fiercely, so it was fun getting
here. Let’s have a prayer. (Prayer).
Okay. I am partly here because I’m going to talk a few minutes about Singapore. My wife and I
are going there in the first week of February. There should be a map. That’s my red pen there. I
did that. This is kind of if anybody does not know where Singapore is or have not heard much of
anything about Singapore, you are about in the same place I was six months ago cause I didn’t
know about it either. But you can tell the neighborhood, they’re surrounded on one side by
Malaysia. It’s actually a small island. The word “Singapore” is much bigger than the actually
Singapore! It’s hidden behind those words. Then you have Malaysia to the north. Cambodia.
Thailand is over to the left. Philippines. You can kind of see the neighborhood.

It’s about 6 million people in Singapore. There’s about 75% of those that live there are Chinese,
ethnically Chinese. I think – I’d have to look it up – then it was Malaysian was the next thing.
15% Malaysian and then 7.5% Indian. It’s kind of an interesting demographic of people, but the
great thing is it’s an English speaking country and for East Asia, that’s pretty special. It’s actually
the commonly used language for everything. Even though they have languages according to
their ethnicity – a lot of people speak Mandarin – you’ve got Hindi, Malay, Tamil, but it’s all
connected by English. So you don’t have to learn Chinese or anything to go there. It’s kind of
fun.

Then it’s a city state. I think there might only be three in the world. One was Monacco. Then
there’s another one, can’t remember what it was, Yes, I think it was Vatican City. Yes. I think
Vatican City is a city state and the third one is Singapore. And it just basically means it’s a city
that’s a country. It’s a very small area but anyway, Avril and I are excited about going there and
we are hoping that it will be a long-term mission.

And our desire is that God will allow us to stay there that we can plant churches in Singapore,
have a Bible college and there would be a work that starts there. We appreciate your prayers
from this Body. We appreciate all of you to remember us and to think about it and maybe God
can stir and remind us in prayer along with the other missionaries that are out in the world. Let’s
just kind of see what happens. It’s kind of exciting.

Over the last several years, I’ve kind of thought it would be fun to go and just start from zero and
try to go to a place and just pray and evangelize and see what happens. It’s kind of a fun
experience. I was thinking it would be fun to do that again. God has allowed us to do that at this
time, so I’m kind of happy about that. It’s exciting. There are people that are interested. There
are people that are praying about going and joining us there.

The plan is that Avril and I go first and we figure some things out hopefully and we can feed
information to some other people that are praying about going and being a part of the team.
This is fun. Our spirit and we sense the Holy Spirit in this. We don’t exactly know how long we
will be there. It could be a long time. It could be a short time. In my mind, I’m thinking a long
time, but you know these things are not up to us. They’re up to God.

Just as kind of a thought that goes a long with this I was thinking of 1 Peter 1. This weekend I
shared with some friends in Asia on this topic, and I was kind of meditating too just about
Singapore and what are we going to do there? We’re going to go to Singapore. What are we
going to do there? One of the things that came to me was we’re moving to Singapore to think.
There’s a verse here 1 Peter 1:13 and then 1 Peter 3:15. When we go to Singapore, it’s like what is
my plan? My plan is to really receive God’s thoughts. From the Bible to receive God’s thoughts.
Reading the Bible, having the Holy Spirit work, having the Holy Spirit speak through the Bible
and to receive and to think God’s thoughts. That’s what I’d like to do in Singapore. Of course, we
are going to evangelize. Of course, we are going to invest in people. We’re going to disciple.

We’ll preach. We’ll worship, and also I want to think.
I want to walk down the streets of Singapore and I want to think with God. I want to be seeking
his thoughts. I want to receive his thoughts and then think and live in the thoughts that he gives
us through the Scripture. So that’s really what I was thinking.
I think God wants people in places that are fellowshipping with him through his thoughts and of
course everybody here does this in Baltimore. And people are doing it throughout the world in
the midst of church planting, Bible college, and discipling. There’s an amazing layer of thinking,
of being ready every morning, girding up the loins of your mind, being ready to receive
something fresh from God and to live in that and think with him. Meditate with him. Fellowship
based upon those thoughts.

The psalmist said your thoughts are many and wondrous towards me and there’s never a
shortage. There’s never a shortage. So that’s what we would like to do. We’d like to hunger for
that, to think with him, to live in those thoughts, and to walk the streets of Singapore in his will
thinking what he is thinking. Thinking the same things and just watching his will be done and his
character be revealed. So thank you for your prayers. I appreciate it and God bless.

P. Schaller –

Okay. We want to welcome Nathan back from Finland. Nathan. Nathan. Come on
down for a second. Just stand right down in the front there. He came back and brought the
weather with him! So, wave to the camera. We’re so glad you’re back. What would you say to
everybody? [Indistinct]. Yeah, that’s perfect. Do you think you’re going to move to Finland?
Maybe? We have to talk about it and we pray about it. Alright. Praise the Lord. Good to have
you back. You may be seated.

Scott Dubay, thanks so much for plowing out there. There’s a wedding tomorrow. How does the
weather go? We have the snow and then it ends when? Tonight or tomorrow? Tomorrow
morning. Then the rain comes. The rain comes and the temperatures go up, and the snow goes
away. That’s the plan. Then the wedding happens. That’s like – is anybody here a prophet?
Turn to 1 Samuel for our message tonight, and it’s from the text we shared this morning, chapter
14. P. Mike, he just said – I know what he means. Just go to Singapore, meditate and pray and
have God’s Word and people come to listen. He did that in China with Avril and the team, and
he did a great job in China. Absolutely so good. Great job. This is an excellent pastor and he did
such a good job.

Now, because of the change in things, now they are moving to Singapore. I believe they are
going to be very successful just because of what he said. We’re going to go. We’re going to
walk the streets. Pray. Meditate on the Word, and then speak God’s mind. Gird up the loins of
our mind and minister the Word and they’re going to be fruitful. He said it’s a lot of fun. He’s
looking forward to it, and he wants to do it again. He did it in China, and he wants to do it again.
It’s going to happen in Singapore. That’s amazing. Thank you for that.

Tonight, I want to repeat the morning message shortly and then go on into the second part of it.
And this is 1 Samuel 14:24. We didn’t read the whole text this morning. Bear with me. I know that
we have one historical interpretation of the Scripture but we have many spiritual applications.
I’m going to take the liberty to use this and apply it to a principle that you will see. vs. 24. He got
the idea that nobody is to eat today, and we will have a military victory. vs. 25. It represents God
coming to the ground and ministering finished work and grace. God coming into our world. God
being humble.

Samson said he killed a lion and three months later the bones are there and the bees have
made a bee hive in the carcass, dried out bones. Then he came back three months later, ate
the honey, and he had a rhyme or what’s that called? A riddle that the sweetness came out of
the eater. The eater is the lion. Sweetness came out. That reminds us of Christ. Christ is the lion
of the tribe of Judah. Out of him comes this sweetness. We have resurrection food. This is something to consider. vs. 26. They were forbidden to eat it.

We said this morning that that happens amongst us, too. Maybe there is honey there but you
may not know it. You may not see it. Even if you see it, you may not eat it. It’s forbidden. And
maybe somebody tells you don’t eat the honey. Don’t eat the honey. Don’t eat the honey.
Application: Don’t go to the church. Don’t read your Bible. Don’t believe in God. It doesn’t work.
We can’t do it. The devil forbids us to eat the honey. The world system says there is no honey.
There is no honey. Only in Las Vegas do we have honey for you at the casino. We have honey
for you in the bar room but it isn’t honey. It’s poison. Christ has the honey. Christ has the food.
Christ gave us grace. Christ gave us the Holy Spirit. Christ is the answer for the human heart.
Christ satisfies the person.

vs. 27. there’s always somebody around who has eaten the honey. There’s always somebody in
our society who has eaten the honey. There’s always a man or woman of God that ate the
honey. They didn’t hear the oath. They don’t know what you are talking about. It’s normal to eat
it. I need it. I eat it every day when I go as a missionary to Singapore. And by the way, look at
the geography of that place. Wow! The center of the universe! When I go to Singapore and I eat
the honey and I’m restored in my soul and I have faith in my heart and the Spirit of God in my
life.

vs. 27-28. You know, people care about the wrong things. They are worried about the wrong
things. People are distracted. When the spies went into the Promised Land, they said there are
giants. The walls are high. There’s armies and kingdoms. They care about the wrong thing.
They’ve lost sight. They’re worried. They’re afraid. It says in 1 Corinthians 7:32 I would that you would
be carefree without anxiety.

Jesus in Matthew 6 said that we are not to worry about what we eat or what we are clothed with. Philippians
4 be anxious for nothing. I love the carefreeness of P. Manny Harrison who is sitting back there.
They said there is a snowstorm tonight. He says, I don’t know what – I’m from the Philippines! I
don’t know what you’re talking about! No, I’m joking. Wait a minute. I got to get this point.
Jonathan didn’t hear what his father said.

Read the next verse, vs. 29. “My father has troubled the land.” Wait a minute. He thought that if
we would fast for the day, we would have victory, but Jonathan is seeing it a different way. He
ate the honey and his eyes were enlightened. He had a military victory. He’s going to do it. We
read it in the chapter. He has a military victory. He has the strength to do it. I just want to use
that to make my point tonight. Thank you, Lord.

Let’s see. Trouble. The Israelites were at the Red Sea and they were in a lot of trouble, Exodus 14.
They didn’t have the food to eat also on the other side, Nu. 20. Moses was delayed up in the
mountain, Exodus 32. The spies brought their report and everybody was troubled. Elijah was under
the juniper tree and in the cave in 1 Kings 19 and he was very troubled and very worried. The
disciples asked as how the multitude could be fed. They were troubled. They were troubled in
the storm on the Sea of Galilee when Jesus was asleep on the ship.

When Christ was crucified, they were troubled. When Mary was at the sepulcher she was
troubled. When the people were shipwrecked with the Apostle Paul, they were troubled. I am
thinking it’s so easy to be troubled in my heart. There are so many things in the world I can be
troubled over. Some people feed on the trouble like on the news and the politics and the
economy and all kinds of things that happen every day. Even the things that haven’t happened
yet that we worry about. We are troubled and nothing has happened yet but we are troubled
when nothing has happened. We are worried and we are troubled. What’s the answer? It’s what
Jonathan says here.

Read it in vs. 29. I’m the pastor of the church here. I hope I’m not troubling you. I could. I’m the
father of a family. Are you troubling your family. You could. Randy and others they run
businesses and they could be troubling their business. I could be a teacher in school, and I could be troubling the classroom and troubling the school. I’m a Bible college teacher and I
could be troubling the Bible college and the students and leading them in worry and leading
them in fear. It’s so easy to do that. But this morning we preached from Romans 8. There’s honey on the ground right where we are living. All the time. We said it’s really on the ground. Remember my soul cleaves to the dust.
And when my soul cleaves to the dust, God is there with the honey, and he’s saying turn to me.
I am the one you are looking for. I will fill you with my Spirit. I’ll make you carefree. I’ll restore
your youth like the eagle. I’ll build you up in the most holy faith. I’ll show you the way. My way is
easy and my burden is light. I’ll give you a light heart and worship. I’ll teach you to pray and
meditate like P. Mike said.

Like we’re just going to go to Singapore and meditate and pray and
we’ll love people and share the message and gird up the loins of our mind. In other words, we’re
going to embrace the honey that comes from God. People say don’t eat it. It’ s not there. Don’t
even look for it. It can’t happen. Well, it does happen. It’s real.
So read the last part here. vs. 29-30. We need to eat, so let’s see what we have here.
Contentment. “Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him (Psalm 37:7).” Wait upon the Lord. Wait patiently for him. I had a time like that yesterday in my study. I just sat and drove one place, sat at a park for an hour or an hour and a
half and read my Bible without any distraction and was just praying and thankful for all that God
has done. Wait patiently for him. “Fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way.” “A
little that a righteous man has is better than the riches of many wicked.” You might not have
much but you are a righteous man. You have great treasure. “A good man shall be satisfied
from himself (Proverbs 14:14).”

“A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance.” That’s like us
gathering together tonight with a merry heart. “He that is of a merry heart has a continual feast.”
“The light of the eyes rejoices the heart and a good report makes the bones fat.” I want to hear
good news.

Have you shared good news with people? Do you have a good influence on them? Have you
eaten the honey that is from the ground? I mean it’s from God. It’s from the bees of course but
meaning it’s here. It’s mine. And it’s what’s so important for our lives. Prov. 16:8, “better is a little
with righteousness than great revenues without right.” “Better is a dry morsel and quietness
therewith than a house full of sacrifices with strife.” “A merry heart does good like a medicine.”
Okay.

One last part I think I have here to read to you. Quoted it. “Be careful for nothing but in
everything by prayer and supplication…” What you worry about, eat the honey and say your
prayers. Yeah. Winny the Pooh, did he eat a lot of honey? Wasn’t he a honey eater? He was
eating the honey. Yeah. The believer looking for the grace, looking for the Spirit to build me up
when I come into the Body of Christ. Looking for the edification and then we are able to do what
God has called us to do.

What has God called Nathan to do? What has God called Benscu to do? Every time when I was
in Finland, I would say Benscu is marrying my granddaughter, Mika. Everybody would get on
the edge of there seat. Yes? Yes? Where will they get married? I don’t know. What are they
saying about it? Nothing. Will they get married in America or in Finland? I don’t know. Then they
wanted to hear about Benscu and the singing and they wanted to hear about the Bible school
and could Benscu and Mika move to Finland? And I was like fooling around with them like I
usually do and having a good time with them. I’m so happy about it all and thankful to God for it.
I am saying that you and I have a lot of reason not to find the honey. It’s not there the devil says,
but it is. You can’t eat it the devil says but we do.

The world says don’t pay any attention to it and let’s think of this lastly. I would like all the young people in America to turn to Christ. I would like all the NFL quarterbacks in the whole league, all the wide receivers, all the coaches. I would
like everybody in Hollywood. I would like all the governors of all the states. All the congressman
to turn to Christ and find the honey that satisfies.

I would like God to bless in Singapore so that years from now we would have churches there
and in the Philippines and Vietnam and Cambodia and Malaysia and Singapore and Indonesia
and Irian Jaya and all the islands. Fuji and Fiji and all the other places in the South Pacific and
have churches. I would like all of them to turn to Christ and find the honey that enlightens the
eyes and encourages you in your faith.

Do you have a marriage problem? Raise your hand. Two automatically right over there! Find the
honey. Turn to them and point your finger at them and tell them, find the honey! Find the honey.
It’s right on your feet right down there. Find the honey. Are you discouraged? Find the honey.
Are you alone? Find the honey. Hey, listen to this. You don’t have a wife. Find the honey. Hey,
you don’t have a husband, find the honey. Find the honey. You’re alone. Whatever it is whatever
trouble. That’s it. Amen. Pray with me please.

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