1 Sam. 30:11-15                A STRANGER FINDS MERCY
Intro:  Ill. The context.  David and his men are pursuing the men who destroyed their 
homes and took their families captive.  Along the way, they encounter a man who 
was placed there by the providence of Almighty God.  Ill. Isn’t it great how He 
governs in the affairs of men?  There is more to this great story than just David and 
his men chasing their attackers.  There is a picture here of the great love and mercy 
of Holy God for fallen men.  In these verses, we can see a portrait of the Lord Jesus 
and His compassion for the sinner.  As God gives liberty tonight, I want to preach on 
this thought, A Stranger Finds Mercy.

  I.  						HIS SITUATION
    A.  v.11  He Was A Foreigner – Ill. A stranger from the promises of God and the 
	hope of Israel!  (Ill. Remember what it was like outside Jesus!  (Ill. Eph. 2:-1-
	3; 12  (Ill. John 8:44, Isa. 59:2)
    B.  v. 13  He Was Friendless – Ill. Left for dead!  This is exactly how much the 
	devil values your life and mine.  He delights in using us up and throwing us 
	away!  Ill. The sinner only has one Friend –   Ill. David – Psa. 142:4!  Pro. 
	18:24; John 15:13.
    C.  v. 12  He Was Famished – He was literally starving to death!  (Ill. The world 
	will never satisfy the longing soul.  The sinner will never find fulfillment in the 
	arms of the world.  It is only in the Person of Jesus Christ that the sinner can 
	find true rest and perfect satisfaction.  (Ill. Matt. 5:6; Psa. 107:9)  (Ill. John 
	4:13-14; John 7:37! Ill. John 6:35!)

 II.						HIS SAVIOR
    A.  v. 11  He Found Him – Ill. No sinner can truthfully say that he has “found” 
	Jesus.  It is the Lord who does the looking, the finding and the awakening to 
	the need of salvation – John 6:44; Luke 19:10.
    B.  v. 11-12b  He Fed Him – Ill. David and his men met the need of this man.  Ill. 
	Jesus, when He is received meets the greatest need of mankind – the need of 
	the soul!  He brings salvation and forgiveness and eternal life!  He satisfies the 
	deepest longings of the heart of man!  (Ill. John 6:48; 51)  Ill. He never stops 
	fulfilling our needs – Phil. 4:19.

III.						HIS SALVATION
    Ill. David freed this man.  His life was changed after he met David.  Notice what   
    David delivered him from.
    A.  Slavery – Ill. The slavery of sin!  Rom. 6:16; Eph. 2:1-3.  Jesus sets the 
	captives free – Luke 4:18; John 8:36!
    B.  Death – The man would have surely died.  David brought him life.  Ill. The 
	Christian need never fear death.  He has been delivered through Jesus.  (Ill. 
	John 5:24; John 11:25-26; Ill. Rom. 6:23- He paid the price and we benefit 
	from it!)
    C.  Disuse – Here was man who had been used up and thought his life was over.  
	David gave him new life and a new future!  Ill. What Jesus does for those He 
	saves!  Ill. Eph. 2:10.  (Ill. Jesus rescues us from the scrap pile and puts us in 
	the Kings service!  (Ill. 2 Cor. 4:7** God puts His Treasure in our trash!)

Conc:  I don’t know many things this afternoon, but there is one thing I do know for 
sure.  I know that I am saved and that Jesus came to where I was lying broken and 
wasted one day.  I know He saved my soul and has given me a new life and I know 
that I am grateful and that I love Him.  Thank God He lifts the fallen, delivers the 
captive, helps the burdened and saves the sinner.  Thank God I was found one day.  
What about you?

Sermon By Alan Carr