May God now be with us and instruct
us as we turn together to consider his word. We'll turn together
to the Gospel according to Mark, chapter 15, and we'll read verse
5. The Gospel according to Mark,
chapter 15, reading verse 5. But Jesus yet answered nothing. so that Pilate marveled. But Jesus yet answered nothing,
so that Pilate marveled. No doubt you children, a number
of you have heard of Corrie ten Boone. There's the book, The
Hiding Place, which you may well have read about her. She was
living in the time of Second World War in Holland, and their
family sheltered Jews in their home. And as a result of that,
after a number of years, she and her family and her sister
Betsy were taken and put in a concentration camp by the German authorities. And there's a story which occurred,
an event which occurred whilst there. They were working in the
camp and her sister Betsy had become particularly weak and
was unable to carry a shovel, was unable to move the earth
that the group was being ordered to do so. And one of the guards
started to make fun of her, started to mock the way that she walked
and what she was doing. And Corrie says in her book how
angry she became. as her sister was being mocked. But she turned around and noticed
that her sister Betsy was actually laughing along. And she joined
in and said, yes, that was a good impression and in many ways took
it very graciously, very lightly. But at some time during this
event, the guard changed his temper and lashed out at Betsy
and hit her very hard. And Corrie says she felt the
anger rise up inside her. And she grabbed her shovel and
ran towards him. She was going to hit him with
this shovel as hard as she could. She was so angry at the way he
had treated her sister. And she saw the wound starting
to come up on her sister's face and her sister's neck. And she
says, as I ran towards this guard, Betsy put up her hand and she
held the shovel. and stopped me taking another
step forward. And as I looked at the wound
growing on her face, she said, don't look at it. Don't look
at it. Look to Jesus. Look at Jesus. Focus on him. Focus on what he
suffered. Focus on his agony. Focus on
how he is helping. Don't look at it. What grace
she had, what compassion, what a humble, gentle spirit to stop
someone who was, we could say justifiably trying to defend
her. Well, with that in mind, we read
together that account and we'll turn to it, if you can turn to
it in your Bibles, in the second book of Samuel, chapter 16. And
we read of David, As I said in opening, David was coming out
of Jerusalem. He was coming out because Absalom
was coming in. And the rebellion had rised up
and David was having to flee. And as he comes out of Jerusalem,
this man called Shimei meets him. Shimei is of the house of
Saul. So he's a descendant of Saul,
the previous king of Israel. And he curses David and the people
who he is with and throws stones and dust and dirt at them as
he does so. As they travel along the road,
he is running alongside, shouting at them and cursing them and
throwing things at them. Now, how hard this must have
been for David. David is at a particularly low
point. in his life and in the time of
the kingdom. It would seem as if Providence,
God's ordering, is entirely against him. His own son has raised up
in rebellion. His own son has driven him from
the kingdom, from Jerusalem. And now he's having to flee with
the people around him. Providence is against him and
now, as it were, when he's in his lowest point, this man rises
up to attack him. And Abishai, his servant, wants
to defend David. He says, why should this dead
dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee,
and take off his head. He wants to defend David. He
wants to go and show this man, Shimei, that he should not be
doing what he's doing. He wants to teach him a lesson,
as it were. and to defend the reputation
of David. And how tempting that could have
been for David, when he's at his low point, when everyone
seems to be against him, to lash out at this man Shimei, to allow
Abishai to attack him, to allow him to be killed. It would satisfy
for a few moments, wouldn't it, the sadness and the anger that
David was feeling. But no. Notice A gracious response. David allows him to curse. What have I to do with you, you
sons of Zerui, he says. So let him curse. Because the
Lord has said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Wherefore
hast thou done so? David said to Abishai and to
all his servants, Behold, my son, which came forth of my bowel,
seeketh my life. How much more now may this Benjamite
do it? Let him alone and let him curse,
for the Lord hath bidden him. What a gracious, humble spirit. It may be, David says, that God
is in it. It may be that God is allowing
him, has even commanded him to do this. It may be that I deserve In a sense, though David wasn't
guilty as charged by Shimei here, David was a guilty man, wasn't
he? We'll come to that in a moment. David, in a sense, deserved the
cursing. He was a guilty man. And he says,
well, maybe the Lord is in it. But he says, it may be that the
Lord will look on my affliction. The Lord will quite be good for
the cursing this day. Maybe the Lord will recompense.
for the cursing that I'm suffering, for the ill-treatment that I'm
suffering now. And he says, either way, my own
son has risen up against me. Absalom himself hates me, wants
me for dead. Absalom himself is, as it were,
cursing me and driving me out of Jerusalem. If Absalom does
this, this man has his reasons as the house of Saul. And he
allows Shimei to live. even to allow him to continue
to curse. We read, as David and his men went by the way, Shimei
went along in the hillside against him and cursed as he went through
stones at him and cast dust. What a gracious spirit. But as
we read through this second book of Samuel, as we come to a couple
of chapters later in chapter 19, we read that the two met
together again. At this point, chapter 19 from
verse 18, David is returning now to Jerusalem. Absalom has
died, the rebellion has come to an end, and David is now returning
back to Jerusalem, and Shimei greets him again. And he comes,
we read from verse 18, he fell down before the king as he was
come over Jordan, and he said to the king, let not my lord
impute iniquity to me. Neither do thou remember that
which thy servant did perversely the day that my lord the king
went out of Jerusalem, that the king should take it to his heart. You see, Shimei realizes that
David would be justified now that he is returning to Jerusalem
to judge him for what he did. And Abishai says the same thing.
He wants to put him to death. But verse 22, David says almost
the same words, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zerui,
that ye should this day be apophies unto me? Shall there any man
be put to death this day in Israel? But do not I know that I am this
day king over Israel? Therefore the king said to Shimei,
Thou shalt not die. So you see, when we put these
two events together, both times David would be, we could say,
well justified But he allows Shimei to live. What a humble
and a gracious spirit. Well, what can we learn then
from this passage today? Well, firstly, just looking at
its context, we can learn that sin has its consequences. Sin has consequences. David, when we trace back his
life before this point, had sinned. David, as I'm sure we are well
aware of, had been committed adultery with Bathsheba. He then
organized the murder of her husband and had then covered it up for
some time. David was a guilty man. Now the
Lord, in his goodness, had brought David to repentance. And Nathan
the prophet had told David that he would not die, that the Lord
had put away his sin. The sin was forgiven. But that
did not mean that sin did not have its consequences. And for
David and for his family, it most certainly did. Indeed, as
Nathan came to David and told him that he was the man, he told
him the consequences of his sin. Now therefore the sword shall
never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me,
and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. The Lord said, Behold, I will
raise up evil against thee out of thine own house. And this is what happens when
we trace through the history from the very moment of David's
sin with Bathsheba and Uriah. It's not very long after that
sin is found in his own household, In his own family, there's incest
between Amnon and Tamar. There's revenge because Absalom
kills Amnon. The sin is not dealt with. The
people are not reproved. And finally, Absalom raises up
an army. Absalom takes control and drives
David out. You see, the result of his sin
is found in these events. David is being driven out. There
is division in the family because of his sin with Bathsheba and
Uriah. Sin has its consequences. It
may be forgiven. And David was always thankful,
of course, to the Lord for his mercy in forgiving him. But there
were consequences of his sin that he walks out in the years
to come. And that's a good lesson for
us to remember. God is merciful to forgive sin. He washes us. He cleanses us. He brings us
into a right relationship with him through the person and work
of the Lord Jesus Christ, the saviour of sinners. But that
does not mean that we do not often have to suffer the consequences
of sin and the events that flow from them as a result. And it
may be that so many years after a particular thing has been done,
and we have come to the Lord, and we have come to repentance,
and we have known his mercy, that that sin comes back. And
it comes back to press home, and it comes back to grieve us.
And we have to walk the path because of what we did. This
lesson should teach us never to sin lightly. Never to sin
with just the glib thought that the Lord is merciful and the
Lord will forgive and all will be well. Remember, sin is offensive
in the sight of God. Sin cost for his people, the
blood, the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we cannot take his
grace for granted. We cannot just assume that it
will be plain sailing when we have committed sin. Do not sin
lightly. So it's an example here of the
consequences of sin and a warning for us. But there's also here,
of course, an example for us in the person and in the attitude
of David. David is not rash. David is not
proud. David does not lash out against
Shimei. And what an example here there
is for us, when perhaps accused, perhaps falsely, or when we are
attacked or when we are persecuted, for the Lord's sake, we do not
lash out, we do not respond rashly. May we have this attitude of
David. May we be able to leave it in
the Lord's hands and to say, well, it may be. that the Lord
will look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite
me good for the cursing this day. He is the judge of the earth. May we be given grace, like David,
to leave the matter with him. So there are lessons, and no
doubt there are many more from this account, but what I really
want to consider this morning is a greater one than King David,
is one who showed more grace more compassion, more humility
than David did. And that, of course, is our Lord
and Saviour, Jesus Christ. David does not lash out against
Shimei. He doesn't curse him. He doesn't
command his servants to take off his head and to respond in
such a violent way. But you see, the Lord Jesus Christ,
he faced more than the attacks and the stones and the words
of Shimei. And yet, as we read, Jesus yet
answered nothing. So the Pilate marveled. We read, Peter tells us, doesn't
he, though he was reviled, yet he reviled not again. He didn't
respond. He didn't answer back. He didn't
take the power that he had and was able to use to wreak revenge
on these people. He answered not a word. He was accused, but he never
answered back. And there's many examples of
this when you read the last few chapters of each gospel. It's
amazing when we read of the responses of the Lord Jesus Christ when
he was accused and when he was attacked. Let's take just a few
examples. In Matthew's Gospel, we read
the accusation against him. This fellow said, I am able to
destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days. The high priest arose and said
unto him, answerest thou nothing? What is this which these witness
against thee? But Jesus held his peace. What a temptation to answer back.
What a temptation to tell the high priest that his words were
being twisted, they were being misused. What he really meant
was regarding his own body and his own flesh. What he really
meant, he could have justified himself, he could have answered
back, he could have confounded these witnesses and shown their
inconsistencies and defended himself and freed himself. But
no, Jesus held his peace. A bit later on, when they say
he is guilty of death, we read that they said, prophesy unto
us thou Christ. Who is he that smote thee? As
they hit him in his blindfold on and said, tell us who it was
that hit you, mocking him. He could have told them. He could
have pointed the finger. He could have touched their conscience.
But we don't read he did. You see, he kept his silence. Again, we read later that when
he was accused of the chief priests and the elders before Pilate,
he answered, nothing. He answered nothing. In our word
here in Mark chapter 15, Pilate asks him saying, answers thou
nothing? Behold how many things they witness against thee, but
Jesus yet answered, nothing. So that Pilate marveled. Having been judged of Pilate,
we read, don't we, that Jesus was taken to Herod, who had the
jurisdiction of the area at that time. And Herod was pleased that
Jesus had been brought to him. Herod had hoped to have seen
him before. Herod wanted to see some miracle done by Jesus. We read, Herod saw Jesus, he
was exceeding glad. For he was desirous to see him
of a long season, because he had heard many things of him.
And he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. And he questioned
with many words, but he answered him nothing. He answered him
nothing. And then finally, the accusation
of the people around the cross, if thou be the Christ, save thyself
and we will believe, come down from the cross. And he didn't,
did he? In a sense, he answered them
nothing. When we read these accounts,
Something within us cries out, doesn't it? Something within
us longs for Him to respond. We want him to answer them. We
want him to confound them and to show them who he is and to
show them how awful and how sinful and how outrageous they are in
their accusations. We want him to display his power
and to display his authority as the king of kings and of the
glorious son of God. Something within us wants him
to answer these words and yet he answered nothing. in accusations and hatred far
exceeding that of Shimei against David. So then, why is David,
why is Jesus rather silent? Why doesn't he respond to these
words and to these acculations? Why doesn't he deliver himself
when he so easily could? And of course, he easily could,
couldn't he? He could have commanded the 12
legions of angels to come to him in the Garden of Gethsemane
and to free him from those who had come to take him to Caiaphas
and to Pilate. Pilate himself had no power over
him except it were given him from above. Jesus could have
easily delivered himself from this circumstance as he had done
before. We read, don't we, that there
was a time when they wanted to take him and he passed through
the crowd. Somehow he escaped from their
presence. His time had not come. So why
not now? Why not at this time? Why does
he remain silent? Well, one reason, firstly, is
because he would do nothing to hinder the path of suffering
that he must take. He would do nothing to hinder
his path. His hour had come. His hour of suffering had come. When he was in the garden of
Gethsemane before his arrest, he prayed to his father, didn't
he, as he bowed down and sweat great drops of blood under the
weight and burden of what was before him. He says, if it be
possible, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me. Is
there any other way? Is there any other way other
than the cross that I can go to save my people? Let this cup
pass from me. Nevertheless, he says, not my
will, but thine be done. It was not possible. There was
no other way. He must go to Calvary and he
knew it. And he knew why he must go to
Calvary. He must go there to save his
people. He must go there to buy them
back, to shed his blood that they might be bought to give
His life so that they might live. And He, in His own will and His
own heart, is determined to walk that path. He's determined to
do it because He will obey His Father. Because it is his father's
will, nevertheless not my will, but thine will, but thine be
done, he says. It's his father's eternal plan
that his people will be saved and his son must be the savior. And in perfect love and obedience
to his father, he will go that way. But he will also go that
way because his heart is filled with love for each member of
his church. And He is determined to save
them, and He is determined to buy them, and He is determined
that they would be with Him in glory. He is determined to walk
willingly the path to Calvary, even the death of the cross. And He will do nothing to hinder
that path. The hour has come. The day has
come. He has walked the roads of Galilee. He has walked the road into Jerusalem
on Palm Sunday, as we call it. He has instituted the Lord's
Supper on the Passover night. He has been taken in the Garden
of Gethsemane. He knows the hour has come. So
he answers yet nothing. What love we see here, don't
we, in these words, or lack of words, as it were, in these actions.
What love. What love. That Christ could,
in his own power and authority, have not gone this way. But then
there would be no church. And then there would be no life
and no hope for any one of us. And yet, because there was such
love, he willingly gave his back to
the smiters, and willingly gave his hands and feet to the nails,
and willingly gave his life. And he stood before these evil
men, and he stood before these accusations which were false,
and he stood before their hatred when he could have confounded
them in a word, and yet he answered nothing. So he did it to do nothing
to hinder his path. He also did it, secondly, because
he had complete authority over all these events. He had complete
authority. There was no need for him to
argue. There was no need for him to
defend himself. He had authority over all the
proceedings. He was, as it were, the unseen
king, the unseen hand and force above it all. They didn't realise
when they acted in their own will, as they thought it, in
their own desires, in their own hatred, that really the Lord
was in complete control at all times. And therefore there is
no need for him to make a plea, there is no need for him to defend
himself, there is no need for him to make a long speech to
try and save himself, because he is an authority, because he
is in complete control of it all. He knew what must come. He knew the outcome of all these
proceedings and everything that was going to happen. He knew
and he gave himself willingly to it. We see here standing a
king. A king. And there's a kingly
grandeur about his silence, isn't there? a kingly grandeur about
this silence, as he stands not pleading, not begging for his
life. He stands in complete control. Here is the king of kings. Here
is the sovereign of the universe. Here is the sovereign of the
world, the sovereign of these events. And he has Pilate and
Herod and Caiaphas and the soldiers and the chief priests and the
mob and the crowd. He has them all in his hand.
And he knows what he's doing. This king, who we read of in
his grandeur and even in his silence, is our sovereign today. He's the same king of his people
today, who has all events in his control. And there is none
who has power that he has not given. As I say, as he said to
Pilate, you would have no power over me unless it were given
you from above. And it's the same today, there is none who
has power over above the authority of Christ. And his people today,
each believer is his peculiar treasure, his child. And he kept
his silence that he might go to Calvary for that child. And
they fall under his hand, his protection, his care, his love.
This glorious king is our king, if we're a Christian this morning.
Isn't that a wonderful thought? That our life is in his sovereign
hand. And even the words and thoughts
and intents of those who despise us for our religion are in his
sovereign hand, as Pilate was also. And we see the awful events
of Paris on Friday. And of course that hits home
because it's a European city not far away. There are awful
events all around the world every single day. Some of it hits the
headlines, many of it doesn't. We see terror and violence and
hatred and suffering. It's difficult to believe, isn't
it, that this world can get worse? It's difficult to believe that
the Lord is in control. But here, in this most awful
of events, on the night of the judgment and of the death of
the Lord Jesus Christ, as he stands in his kingly grandeur
and silence, we're reminded that even in those proceedings he
was sovereign. It's encouraging when we see
such events in our world today to be reminded that our king
is still on the throne and is still our sovereign. So he answers not a word, firstly
not to hinder his path, secondly because he did have authority
over these events, and thirdly he kept his silence in a sense
that he would not gratify the evil, intensive man. He would
not play for them. When he goes to Herod, as we
mentioned a moment ago, Herod desired to see him. He wanted
to see Jesus, but not really for any good motive. Not because
he wanted to know him himself, or he wanted to come to know
the Lord, or he had a spirit of repentance, or any such thing.
He comes because he wanted to see some miracle done by him.
He wanted, and I don't mean this reverently in the slightest,
he wanted Jesus to perform He wanted to see something great,
something impressive, some miracle that he could say that he had
witnessed, might boost his own grandeur, might boost his own
pride, to have this miracle worker on his side. He wanted to see
something impressive because he had heard of these miracles
before. And Jesus will not gratify these
desires of Herod. He questioned him with many things,
but he answered him nothing. He was not there for the pleasure
of men. He was not there to gratify the
flesh of sinners. He was not there to show some
great thing that they might bow down to him just in an outward
amazing sense. He wasn't there to please King
Herod, to show something exciting, to show something impressive.
And for that reason, he keeps his peace. He will not dignify
these proceedings with a response. You see, the Lord Jesus Christ
and true religion today is not just to gratify the flesh. Religion
isn't just to make us feel better. Religion isn't just something
impressive, something exciting, something that we can enjoy.
Something that just makes us feel good. For many people, Christianity
is just the social, or it's just the excitement, or something
impressive, or being part of the club, as it were. True religion
isn't the gratifying of the flesh. True religion is a depth. It's a thing of the heart. It's
a thing of the most inner being. It is spiritual. It's a spiritual
thing. The Lord's people know him in
a spiritual sense. And they love him. And they desire
to serve him. And they have a relationship
with him. You see, it's much deeper. than an outward impressive
thing. And he keeps his silence before
Herod because that's all Herod looked for. Is that what you're
looking for this morning? Looking for something just to
please yourself, looking for something that will keep you
happy, looking for something impressive, looking for something
lively, looking for something that just pleases your flesh.
That isn't true religion. You may find something that you
think answers that need, but it won't be true religion. Yes,
true religion brings happiness. It brings peace. It brings joy. But in an inner, deeper, heartfelt
sense. True religion is a state between
our soul and God. True religion is a relationship
that we have with him. He walks with us. He speaks to
us through his word. We speak to him in prayer. And
the Lord, therefore, didn't come to just show something impressive
to Herod, and he keeps his silence. I hope we're not left to just
simply want a religion like Herod, simply want a Lord Jesus who
comes, perhaps, as it were, just to entertain and keep us happy. We want the Lord at times. We
want him when we're in need. We want him at certain times
of our life, but we want nothing to do with him at other times.
Herod wanted him at this time. He wanted to see something, but
Herod wouldn't bow the knee. Herod wouldn't worship the King
of Kings. Herod wouldn't bow before Jesus of Nazareth. Do
we want him, as it were, to see something for a time? But tomorrow
morning we want to drop it. Tomorrow morning we want to get
on with our own enjoyment. Tomorrow morning we want ourselves
to be king. We'll have Jesus on Sunday but
we won't have him on Monday. Is that the religion of Herod?
Is that the religion of us? That's not the religion of Christ.
See, the Lord Jesus Christ kept his silence and it may be that
you're seeking something impressive for a short time and the Lord
Jesus is keeping his silence. May we be brought to more bow
before him in true sorrow and repentance and worship. So the Lord keeps his silence
to not hinder his path and keeps his silence because he has authority.
He keeps his silence because he will not gratify the pleasures
of men. And fourthly, he keeps his silence because he is determined
to completely and perfectly fulfill scripture. Isaiah prophesied
in a well-known chapter, Isaiah chapter 53. And he prophesied
of a suffering savior. He prophesied that one would
come to bear the sins of his people and carry their sorrows.
And in that prophecy, he says that that Messiah would come,
he was oppressed, he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth. He is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth
not his mouth. Many, many hundreds of years
before, Isaiah prophesied of a Saviour who would come, who
would come as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers
is done, so He opens not His mouth. And isn't it wonderful
when we then come to the events of the Lord Jesus Christ before
His death, and read that He opens not His mouth, He answers not
a word, He perfectly fulfills this scripture. He perfectly
fulfills this prophecy. All scripture we can believe
is true, and is accurate, and is believable. The Lord Jesus
Christ fulfilled it. He was determined to fulfill
it. He was indeed the suffering Savior as prophesied in Isaiah
53. And He would walk that path as
the Savior, and as the sheep before the shearers is done,
as the Lamb of God. The promised one, the prophesied
one, the much looked for, the longed for Christ has come. What this teaches us today is
one, of course, the accuracy and the fulfilment of scripture.
But it shows us that Christ is indeed the saviour. He is indeed
the only way to be saved. He fulfils completely and fully
the prophecies of the Old Testament like none other ever could have
done. And therefore, doesn't that challenge
us today? If we are looking for a savior
and we're looking elsewhere, there is no other. If we're looking
for a savior, there is none other who has fulfilled the prophecy
and the promises of God. If we're looking for one who
can save us, there is none other who's, he has said, I am the
way, the truth, and the life. Isn't this a challenge for us?
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the way to God. The Lord Jesus
Christ is the promised one, is the Messiah. He fulfilled scripture. And he would walk that way and
he would open, not his mouth, as a lamb, as a sheep before
her shearers is done, because he would fulfill all, every single
little part of the scripture of God. answered nothing. So here we
have a greater than David. Here we have one who is far greater,
with a far more gracious attitude than David had before Shimei.
Here we have the saviour of sinners who willingly passed that way
and who laid himself and gave his life so that we might live. Here we have the only way to
God who fulfills scripture. Here we have the one who had
authority over all events and has authority over us. Do we
know this Saviour this morning? Do we know this Lord Jesus Christ?
And do we this morning, do we react in a sense of wonder and
awe? That though we have hurled abuse
at Him like Shimei did, And though we have cursed him from our sinful
hearts, and though we have ignored and rejected his kingdom like
Shimei rejected the kingdom of David, yet the Lord has had compassion. Yet the Lord has not struck us
down as we deserved. Yet the Lord has come, and the
Lord has still blessed us. Doesn't that fill us with amazement?
Doesn't that fill us with wonder and with love? But there's one
other thing, finally, about Shimei which is good for us to remember.
I said that there's that first account when Shimei curses David
and David allows it to continue. There's a second account when
David is returning to Jerusalem and Shimei comes out in a seemingly
repentant spirit and David says that he will not die. But there's
a third mention of Shimei in the scriptures. In the first
book of Kings in chapter two, David has died by this point,
and Solomon, his son, is on the throne. And Solomon sends and
calls for Shimei, and he says to him, build thee a house in
Jerusalem and dwell there, and go not forth thence any whither. He tells him to come and live
in Jerusalem and not to leave. I think Solomon has his concerns
about Shimei, concerns about his allegiance. And he tells
him not to leave. And there's an account then,
I won't read it all now, but Shimei essentially has servants
who go down to the king of Gath, to Achish king of Gath. And Shimei
makes a decision to go and find them. And he leaves Jerusalem
and goes down to Gath. And Solomon discovers that Shimei
has not kept his word. He promised he would stay. And
Solomon goes forth and he sends his men, and he charges Shimei,
thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to,
that thou didst to my father David. Therefore the Lord shall
return thy wickedness upon thy known head, and King Solomon
shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established
before the Lord forever. And king commanded Benaiah the
son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him, that he
died. What a solemn end to Shimei.
Remember this, final, continual rejection and
disrespect of the king led to Shimei's end. And yes, the Lord
Jesus Christ is full of mercy. And the Lord Jesus Christ does
not deal with us as we deserve. And the Lord comes and blesses
and saves those who truly repent at his feet. And the Lord willingly
went to the cross and did not save himself so that he could
save his church. And there is a glorious gospel
to hear and a glorious gospel to preach. But there is another
side. Because final, continual rejection
and disrespect of the King of Kings leads us to Shimei's end. and final destruction and final
death. There's a warning here very much
for us today. May we be found coming to Christ,
knowing Him, loving Him, rejoicing in Him, and may we know His blessing
in our life so that we are not found like Shimei who finally,
sadly falls under the wrath of the King. We have today a wonderful
Saviour. We sing, don't we, how willing
was Jesus to die that we rebel sinners might live. We may have
cursed him and the law may have demanded action against us, but
Christ died, Christ gave himself, Christ suffered in our place
this morning. Is he our plea? Is he our hope? So the Lord's silence. The Lord
answered, not a word. But the Lord did not always keep
his silence. And in those days and in those
hours, the Lord did speak. And God willing, this evening,
I want to turn to that other side and consider what he did
say and the wonder of those words. Well, may the Lord add his blessing
this morning. Amen.