"Assaults on the Kingdom of God"

Order of Service

• Call to Worship — Psalm 100
• Hymn — All People That on Earth Do Dwell
• Prayer of Invocation
• Confession of Sin — Psalm 38
• Assurance of Pardon — Isaiah 12:2
• Scripture Reading — Acts 15:22-41
• Hymn — We Gather Together
• Pastoral Prayer
• Offering
• Hymn — The Solid Rock
• Sermon
• Closing Prayer
• Hymn — A Shelter in the Time of Storm
• Benediction — Romans 16:20

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Sermon Title: Assaults on the Kingdom of God

Scripture: 2 Samuel 2:12-32

I. The Assaults of the Kingdom of Darkness Are Aggressive

A. Abner and his army are the aggressors, moving south toward Judah to attack the Davidic kingdom (2 Samuel 2:12-17)

B. The contrast between Saul's kingdom and David's kingdom is stark

1. David mourned over Saul, blessed the men of Jabesh-gilead, and showed humility and grace
2. Abner aggressively pursues the kingdom of honor, humility, and grace

C. The church, like David, is often simply minding its own business and loving its neighbors, yet is treated as the aggressor

1. Justin Martyr appealed to the Roman Emperor: what have we done to deserve persecution?
2. Paul urges prayer for rulers in 1 Timothy 2 so believers may live quiet and godly lives — even while Nero was on the throne

II. The Assaults of the Kingdom of Darkness Are Painful

A. Asahel, brother of Joab, is killed by Abner while pursuing him after the battle (2 Samuel 2:18-23)

1. Abner warned Asahel to stop; Asahel did not heed the warning and was struck down
2. This painful loss is sandwiched between summaries of David's victory, showing the Bible's honest portrayal of war

B. The Gates of Hell will not prevail against the church, but the assault brings real pain

1. The promise of Matthew 16:18 does not eliminate suffering — it brings Gethsemane and Golgotha
2. Martyrs faced genuine terror and pain; losing family for Christ is inspiring but deeply painful

C. What suffering believers need most is empathy — not over-spiritualized language, but brothers and sisters who say, "That hurts. That's painful," as Job's friends should have done

III. The Assaults of the Kingdom of Darkness Are Deceitful

A. Abner, after being pursued by Joab and Abishai, attempts to blame-shift and portray himself as the victim (2 Samuel 2:24-28)

1. Joab's reply (better rendered in the NASB): "If you had not spoken first, there would have been no bloodshed" — Abner started it
2. The kingdom of darkness aggressively attacks, then casts itself as victim and the Kingdom of Light as aggressor

B. This pattern repeats throughout redemptive history

1. Pharaoh framed the destruction of Hebrew males as a defense against Israel's growing threat (Exodus 1)
2. Haman portrayed the Jews as unruly citizens threatening Ahasuerus's kingdom (Esther 3)
3. The Jewish leaders accused Jesus before Pilate as an aggressor threatening Caesar's rule (Luke 23)

C. This pattern continues today: the church is cast as the villain in popular culture, while the servants of the kingdom of darkness are portrayed as victims seeking justice

IV. The Assaults of the Kingdom of Darkness Are Hopeless

A. The passage is bookended by the defeat of Abner's forces and the victory of David's servants (2 Samuel 2:17, 31)

1. "All Israel" under Abner pursues little Judah in little Hebron — and goes home defeated
2. Psalm 2 — "He who sits in the heavens laughs" at those who plot against the Lord's anointed

B. The first 300 years of church history illustrate this hopelessness

1. Nero used Christians as scapegoats and began mass persecution in the 60s AD
2. Emperor Decius (250 AD) demanded all citizens deny Christ or be killed
3. Diocletian launched the greatest persecution of the church at the end of the third century — his reign ended in 305 AD
4. Just eight years later, the Edict of Milan (313 AD) made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire

C. Satan's two weapons — accusation and bodily harm — are both rendered hopeless in Christ

1. As accuser, Satan's charges cannot reach the Judge because Christ intercedes (Romans 8:34)
2. As the one who threatens the body, Satan cannot win because Christ is risen and victorious over sin and death
3. Genesis 3:15 — the seed of the woman bruises the serpent's head; at the cross, Christ crushes Satan's greatest weapons
4. Romans 16:20 — the body of Christ, united to the Head Crusher, participates in crushing Satan under its feet

D. Conclusion: Fight on, Christian soldier — amidst pain, loss, slander, and darkness, believers are more than conquerors through Christ, the seed of the woman and the head crusher