In his home of Norfolk State,
on Brighton's side, Rock Island, all other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand. When he shall come with trumpet
sound, O may I then in him be found, Dressed in his pride shall
nest alone, All with his family o'er the throne. Now open your
Bibles to 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel 23. I'm so thankful for
the life of David recorded in the script here. David, though he was a king,
yet he was a man that I can relate to. If you read the Psalms, any
psalm practically, you will find him expressing the very feelings
of your heart. All the doubts and fears and
worries and struggles, struggles with sin, unbelief, struggles
with himself, struggles in the world, are all recorded there
for us to read, for our comfort. All the ups and downs that David
went through, and he went through many. He lived a full life, 70
years. And I'm so thankful that God
recorded his life, all his sin, David's life gives me hope and
comfort. Or rather, David's God. I encourage
myself, as David once did, in his God. The mercies of a covenant
God. The scriptures talks about the
sure mercies of David. And what that means is, the sure
mercies of God, which he made concerning David. And this is my hope. This is
all my hope. Look at verse 5. Verse 5 is our
text. And these, verse 1 says, these
be the last words of David. That is, these are the last recorded
words of inspiration. through, by God, through David. Verse 5, David says, Although
my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. For this is all my
salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."
That's our text tonight. We're going to look at David's
house, David's house, and David's hope. And I hope you get, I hope
you get some hope. David's house, he said, although
my house be not settled with God. Go with me to 1 Samuel. We're going to just browse through
the life of David, OK? 1 Samuel, this should be a great
blessing and comfort to you. 1 Samuel 17, we're going to look
at the life of David, the house of David. When he talks about
his house, he means my life, my family, my surroundings, everything
concerning him. Although my house be not so with
God. David was like all of us. He
had lifelong family struggles. Lifelong struggles in the world. Lifelong. In 1 Samuel 17, he
had seven brothers. And his oldest brother, named
Eliab, resented David, was jealous of him, and falsely accused David,
though David had done nothing wrong. Do you remember the story
when David came out to where Goliath was? That's this story.
And he came out, and his brother confronted him. Verse 28 and 29. His eldest brother heard when
he spake unto the men. David was speaking to the men
about Goliath. And Goliath's anger was kindled
against David. And he said, Why camest thou
down thither? What are you doing here? Talking
to his youngest brother. What are you doing here? And
with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness?
Why aren't you watching your sheep? He said, I know your pride
and the naughtiness of thine heart. Now, nothing was further
from the truth about David. He wasn't proud. He was a humble
man, young man. He wasn't naughty in heart. He
was a man after God's own heart. But his brother, his own flesh
and blood, despised him. Read on. He said, you've come
down just to see the battle. You're just curious. And David
said, what have I done? What did I do to deserve that?
That's what David said. Is there not a cause? Alive was
the one that was proud. Alive was the one that was guilty
of all these things. As a man thinketh in his heart,
so is he. But he accused David of that.
His own brother. Falsely accused. David went to work for a man
named Saul. King Saul. David went to work
for him. Chapter 18. This was his employer. This was
his boss. His boss hated him. His boss
hated him. Had it in for him. Why? I guarantee
he's the best employee Saul ever had. Best servant Saul ever had. But he hated him. He was jealous
of him. He hated him because he hated
David's God. 1 Samuel 18. Now, you can apply all this to
yourself. Verse 9, it says, Saul eyed David
from that day forward. Some people were bragging on
David, you know, thanking God for David. And verse 10, it came
to pass on the morrow, the evil spirit from God came upon Saul,
and he prophesied in the midst of the house, and David played
with his hand. Saul hired David to be a musician
in his court. And there was a javelin in Saul's
hand. Saul's sitting there on his throne with a javelin in
his hand. A big spear. And David's just playing for
Saul. Playing one of his psalms. No
telling what psalm he was singing. Psalm 27. Psalm 23. And Saul got that javelin and
cast that javelin through David. Wanted to kill him. He said,
I'll smite David to the wall with this. And David avoided
out of his presence. Twice this happened. Twice. Saul was afraid of David, he
said, because the Lord was with him. See that? He hated David's
God for what it was. Well, David got married. David married Saul's daughter. did this and he married Saul's
daughter and David, in the process of time, many years passed by,
David became king. The Lord greatly blessed David.
Greatly blessed David. His hymn and his house. He was
married now and he was a king. But in spite of that, the great
blessings of God, yet David suffered tremendous losses. Chapter 30,
1 Samuel chapter 30, this story, we've looked at this story before,
David at Ziklag. David was gone with his men one
time, and the Philistines, the Malachi, came and invaded. And, well, let's read it. 1 Samuel 30. Verse 1, And it
came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on
the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag,
now this is where David was with all his family at the time, and
smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire. David's home was burnt,
everything he owned was burned up. He lost everything. And they
had taken the women captive, taken his wife and children. They didn't slay any. God saw
to that. But carried them away and went
on their way. Verse 3, So David and his men
came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and
their wives and sons and their daughters were taken captive.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine? Everything you own was burned
to the ground and all your family had been taken, kidnapped. You
don't know if they're dead or alive. All of them. First of
all, the people, David and the people, lifted up their voice
and wept until they had no more power to weep. They cried until
they couldn't cry anymore. Now, this is sorrow. They lost
everything and everyone. And David's wives were taken.
He had more than one wife. At this time, verse 6, David
was greatly distressed, and on top of that, the people spoke
of stoning him. They blamed David for this. The people, the soul of the people
is grieved, but it goes on to say, the last line of verse 6
says, David, where is he going to get any comfort? An inexpressible
grief and loss. David's lost everything and everyone. Where is he going to find any
comfort at all? Why did this happen? David encouraged
himself in the Lord his God. Just like Eli, it's the Lord. Just like Job, the Lord gave,
the Lord taken. Where are you going to turn?
He encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Great losses and
great trials, inexpressible grief. He lost his best friend, 2 Samuel
chapter 1. You know the story of David and
Jonathan? Jonathan was his dear friend
from a young man. Jonathan and David, their souls
were knit from the time they were Oh, probably around 18 years
old, until 40. Long time close friends. Dear
friends. And Jonathan was slain in battle,
terribly. Mutilated. His body was mutilated. I killed David. And he said,
here in 2 Samuel 1, Upon hearing the news, verse twenty-five and
six, how are the mighty fallen in the midst of battle? Oh, Jonathan,
I can't read this like David said it. Oh, Jonathan, thou wast slain in thy high places. I am distressed for thee, my
brother Jonathan. Very pleasant hast thou been
unto me. Thy love to me was wonderful. passing the love of women. How
are the mighty fallen? Jonathan's eulogy. David spoke. Well, there wasn't much peace.
David now is in his forties, approaching fifty. Chapter three,
there wasn't much peace in David's house. David says, my house is
Not much peace in the house of David. Continual wars and rumors
of war. Chapter 3, verse 1. There was
long war between the house of Saul and the house of David.
And it was unjustified. David was
friends of Saul. David spared Saul. You know the
story. David spared Saul's life several times. What did he get
in return? Hatred and enmity. Saul pursued
him until God killed Saul. Long war. Long war. Saul reigned about 40 years. 40 years of war. David said in
one psalm, he said, I'm for peace, but they're for war. Continual wars and rumors of
wars. The world was against him. David's
wife. Look at chapter 6 with me. David's
wife, you remember I mentioned Saul's daughter, Michael. That
was David's first wife. He loved her. He loved her dearly.
She was his first child. She was his first wife. She was
the wife of his youth. She was his sweetheart. She was
the one David wanted to begin with. And he got her. She turned
against him. Because she didn't like David's
God. Just like her daddy. 2 Samuel 6, this is, oh, I love
this story. David, the ark was taken by the
Philistines. Ark was taken. Ark is a picture
of the gospel. And it got in the hands of the
enemy and they desecrated it and took it and put it beside
Dagon. I remember another story, they put it beside Dagon. But
they, anyway. And they recovered the ark. Recovered
the ark. And David was bringing the ark
back to its rightful place in Jerusalem. I love this story. And he was so happy that the
ark had come back. And here's the story. Chapter
2 Samuel 6, verse 14. David danced before the Lord
with all his might. And he danced. He was so happy. that he was dancing before the
ark. I'd like to get that happy one time in my life, at least
all of us together, not just me. David was girded with a linen
ephod, verse 15, David, all the house of Israel, brought up the
ark of the Lord, was shouting the sound of the trumpet. And
as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, the blessings
of God, picture of the gospel, return. Saul's daughter looked
through a window. She wasn't a part of it. So she
looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing
before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. David was so
happy. David rejoiced so much in the
gospel, the blessings of the Lord. She didn't have him. She wasn't
interested. And his enthusiasm, she got sick
of it. And it says down in verse, look
at verse 20. David returned to bless after
the worship service was over. There's some folks in here that
can relate to this. After the worship service was
over, David went home. His wife wasn't a part of it.
She was at home. David went home to bless his
house. He said, David returned to bless his house. He was so
happy. God has blessed us all. We had
such a wonderful worship service. You could have been a part. And
Michael, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David, and I
could hear her voice, and I thought, oh, how glorious. Just mocking
him. How glorious was the king of
Israel today, who uncovered himself. today in the eyes of the handmaids
of his servants, as one of the vain fellows. Well, you sure
acted a fool today, she said. David said to his wife, verse
21, it was before the Lord which chose me, because God elected
me, because God chose me. before thy father, before all
his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord,
over Israel. Therefore will I play before the Lord, and I'll yet
be more vile than this. I'll be based in mine own sight.
Of the maidservants that you spoke of, I'll be had in honor
of them." Michael was without children
from that day forward. The Lord cursed her. David's very wife was against
him. And then you know the story of David's sin, Bathsheba. And he suffered terribly for
that. Go over with me to 2 Samuel 12.
2 Samuel 12. I've got to move on. 2 Samuel chapter 12. This
is the child that was born to David and Bathsheba, a young
child, probably about two years old. And David loved this child. In verse 15, Nathan, the prophet,
just left, and the Lord struck the child at Uriah's white bear
unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore sought God for
the child. David fasted. David went in and
lay all night long on the earth, asking God not to kill his child. Verse 19, and David heard, he
heard everyone talking, they were afraid to tell him, the
child had died. Verse David, David saw that the
servants whispered, David perceived the child was dead. David said
to his servant, is the child dead? They said he's dead. David arose from the earth, washed,
anointed himself, changed his apparel, came into the house
of the Lord and worshiped. He came to his own house. They
sent bread before him, and he did eat. And his servants couldn't
understand. They thought it should have been
the other way around. They said, what have you done?
What is this? You could fast and weep for the child while
it was alive, but when the child was dead, you rise and eat bread. And he said, verse 22, I love
this, while the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept. For
I said, who can tell? Whether the God will be gracious
to me that the child may live, but now he's dead. Wherefore,
why should I pass? Can I bring him back again? I
shall go to him. He shall not return there. And then there were troubles
at home. We're talking about David's house here. Although
my house be not so. He had a daughter named Tamar
whom his son raped in his own house. Now David is
the father of a large household, many children. The more children
he had, the more trouble he got. The more wives he had, the more
trouble he got. He was full of trouble on every
hand. Not just that, but every hand. Nothing but trouble. Nothing
but trouble. On and on. Absalom. You know
the story of Absalom, don't you? David loved Absalom. Absalom
was one of his oldest sons. Oh, he loved Absalom. Absalom
was a big, strong, robust, probably looked like David. He was. Absalom
was a beautiful young man to look at. People looked to him.
People loved him. Absalom. David looked proud of
that boy. That young man thought, surely he's going to be king
in my stead. Absalom turned against him. Turned against his own dad. And
eventually, when Absalom was in his twenties, died by hanging. Hung in a tree. Somebody came
along and thrust a spear at this horrible death. David heard about
it and killed him. He just killed him. Do you remember
how David, oh, Absalom, Absalom, my son, Absalom, my son. Now go to our text. Now, 2 Samuel 23, he says, Although
my house. These be the last words of David.
He's 70 years old now. He's gone, if it's something
to go through, he's gone through it. For his troubles to be had,
he's had it ten times over. His house has been nothing but
trouble. And he says, although my house
be not just so. With God. In the eyes of God. Although it seems that Everything
is against me. Although my own family turns
against me. Although my son is against me. Although my daughter is against
me. Although my wife is against me. Although my life is full
of troubles and trials and tribulations and distresses and griefs and
guilt. I'm full of sin myself. I'm filled
with this loathsome disease. Although my house just be not
the way it ought to be with God. Yet. Yet. Read it. Yet! He. This sounds like Ephesians
2 to me, doesn't it? But God. You who are children
of wrath, evil as others. Children of disobedience even
as I. You who were dead and trespassing in sin, but God. And you, but
God, who is rich in mercy. For His great love were with
the loveless, even when we were dead in sin. That's quick. Yet
He, David said, hath made, He hath made with me, read on, an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things. My God, David
said, has ordered all things concerning me. And they're sure. It's always so. That's David's house. It's a
sorry bunch. It's a sad life, isn't it? Yet, David said, God has made
for me. Go back to 2 Samuel 7. This is
where that covenant is given. 2 Samuel 7 is where the covenant
David speaks of, where God gave this covenant to David, gave
this covenant with David. God hath made with me an everlasting
covenant ordered in all things, and they are sure. Now, this
is, I told you about Michael. That was in Chapter 6. Remember
how his wife was married to an unbelieving
woman that despised him and ridiculed him? Nothing but trouble. Right
after that, though, don't you know that just killed him? That
just struck him like a sword in the heart, and his wife did
that, said that. Nothing but bitterness and hunger.
Yet right after that, Nathan, the prophet, The preacher sent
him good words from God. Right after that, listen to the
significance of that. Right after that, that was one
of the bitterest trials. I've often said, perhaps the
hardest trial any believer could go through would be marriage
when I'm gone. I just know that. They'd
just kill every bit of joy you had. Not living with somebody
that didn't have the same joy and love for the gospel. Can
you imagine? You who are married to believers, you take it for
granted. I know you do. Y'all can go home and talk about
the gospel together. You can go home and rejoice in
it together. To go home and somebody just cast it all down. Nobody to talk to. You unmarried
young people. Don't you dare marry an unbeliever.
You'll never know the trouble like that. Well, right after that, though,
God sent a preacher today with good words, encouraging words,
encouraging words. And I told you before, I reminded
you, God never spoke to David out loud. Never. Before I told you that,
did that surprise you? Reading the Psalms of David,
you would think that David sat on a hill and God spoke out loud
to him. He and God just spoke together
like... God never spoke out loud to David.
God never appeared to David. Ever. You would think, as close as
David was to God, that God appeared to him and spoke to him. No.
Never. Where did David get all of his
comfort? How did David have such a relationship? This is all he had. No, he had less than that. That's all he had. That's all
he had. Right there. Look at this. It's all David had. And he said, oh, if he had five
books, maybe six, and, oh, he prized them. Read Psalm 119.
It's better than fine gold. He was probably, he was king,
Mancini, and very few people had copies. He had copies. And
he prized it. It's his prized possession, God's
Word. You know, the hour. But right
out, God sent a preacher to every time God spoke to David, it was
through a preacher. You know that every time, whether
it was rebuke. Now, David said, God made with
me this covenant. God never spoke to David. When you talk about a covenant,
when the Scriptures talks about a covenant, God never made a
covenant with any man and said, if you'll do this, I'll do it. John, you and I make a covenant,
all right? A covenant is an agreement. The
covenant is a purpose, a will, a testament, an agreement that
certain things are going to be done. Say John and I make a covenant
between ourself. I agree to do this, he agrees
to do that, and so forth. That's not the covenant. God
never made a covenant like that with men. Never. Except Adam and the garden. God said, don't. Don't touch that tree. He really didn't tell him to
do anything, Jerry. He just said, don't do that. That's the difference. He never
said, Adam, if you'll, then I'll. No. He said, just don't do that. Don't sin against me. God never
made a covenant with me and say, if you'll do this, I'll do that. That's modern religion. That's
what they think about salvation and God. God says, if you'll
do this, if you're willing, if you'll accept me, then I'll...
No, sir. That's not David's hope. There's
no hope in that for a sinner. A covenant like that, God says,
I'll be your God if you'll live right. I'll save you if you'll straighten
up and fly. No. The covenant here made with
David is concerning David. That's what it means. It's concerning
David. God's eternal covenant purposes were made with someone,
all right. With His Son. With His Holy Spirit. There were three involved in
the covenant, all right, but no men were there. No men and
women were there. No sons of Adam were there. The
Son of God was there. God the Father, God the Son,
God the Holy Spirit are the ones that made this covenant and ordered
them in all things concerning David and concerning all of us. And David just found out about
it. Now listen, David's not saying anything. David's not answering.
God's not asking. God's just telling. And David's
just listening. Now listen to it as we read it.
David, God's not saying if, if, if. God's just declaring what
all he's going to do for him. What he's done for him, what
he's going to do for him. David's just listening. David's listening to the preacher. David's not doing anything. David's
not responding, responsive reading. David's not, now I've said, David's
just listening, marveling at what all God has said He has
done and going to do. That's the covenant of grace.
That's the eternal covenant of grace concerning all His people.
Here it is. I've got to get to it. 2 Samuel 7, look at verse 8. See if we can't apply this. Say
unto my servant David, thus saith the Lord of Hosts, this is Nathan
preaching, I took thee from Sheol. David, I found you. You didn't find me, I found you. You didn't choose me, I chose
you. You didn't come to me, I came
to you. I chose you, sitting out on the
backside of the hill, looking at the backside of the sheep,
and I came to you. I chose you. I brought you. Elect
according to the foreknowledge of God. I'm bound to give thanks
to God. I took you from the sheep coat,
from following sheep. David, look where I found you.
Look where I brought you. Be a ruler over my people, O
Israel. I was reading the other day where it said, Remember the
pit from which you were digged. Remember the pit from which you
were digged. Potick will never forget that
he was in the pig pen. Don't ever forget that. Don't
ever. Verse 9, And I was with thee,
with us over thy witness. I have watched over you since
the day you were born. I've been with you, ordering
all things concerning you, the sovereign God, and I've cut off
all thine enemies out of thy sight. Oh, and they that be for us are more
than they that be against us. If God be for us, who can be
against us? Cut off your enemies? Oh, I've
cut off your sins, God said. I've made thee a great name.
I've changed your name. from Jacob to Israel. Read on. Verse 11, And since the time
I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, I caused thee
to rest from all thine enemy. I'll give you rest, Christ said. Also the Lord telleth thee that
he will make thee in house. Christ said, I'll go to prepare
a place for you. if it were not so, but I go. If I go, I'll come again to receive
you to myself. There's a place, a reservation,
an inheritance that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you, waiting for us to be kept by the power of God, just like
me. This is the pure mercies of David.
We're part of it. This is us. God has made this
covenant with us concerning Verse 12, When thy days shall be fulfilled,
thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, and rest. Mark the perfect man,
the righteous, and that man's peace. Mark it down. Every one
of God's people, if they get to the deathbed, it's going to
be grass. I've seen many of God's people
die, and it's always been peace, just like He said. And you're
going to rest with the Father, and I'll set up thy seed. Verse
13, talking about the king's son, David's son, Christ, he
shall build a house for my name, establish the throne of his kingdom,
and I'll be his father. All of that concerning Christ
is all purposed. The purpose of God concerning
David had something to do with David's son, to build a house
and so on. Solomon. Which is all a picture
of Christ. God's purpose, covenant mercies
in Christ. David's answer. David did answer. And it's the most glorious portion
of Scripture in all of God's Word. Are you with me? Do you
want to quit? Verse 18. Here's David's answer. David just sat and listened as
God told him everything he'd done and is going to do. David went in and sat before
the Lord, and read it, verse 18, and said, Who am I? O Lord God, and what is my house
that Thou hast brought me into? And this was yet a small thing
in thy sight, O Lord God. Thou hast spoken also of thy
servant's house for a great while to come. Is this the manner of
man, O Lord God? What can David say more of today?
Thou, Lord God, knowest thy servant. You know everything about me,
and yet you still chose me. For thy word's sake, according
to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things,
to make thy servant know them. To know what? I am your God,
as you have done it for your sake. Wherefore, thou art great,
O Lord God, there is none like thee. There is no God beside
thee. According to all that we have
heard, all the other gods, there is no God at all. What one nation in the earth
is like your people, like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a
people to himself, to make him a name, to do for you great things,
terrible, mighty things, for thy land, before thy people?
Verse 24, you be confirmed yourself to your people forever. Oh, Lord,
thou become their God. Well, for the sake of time, I'm
going to stop there. But you, you go back and read
that. Go back to our text. You go back and read that for
yourself, all of it. 2 Samuel 23, and so David says, and David said, although my house
be not so with God. And calling to remembrance, it's
blessed covenant. eternal covenant, ordered in
all things and sure, that he heard through the preacher. He
said, yet God hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things and sure. What verse of scripture does
that sound like to you in the New Testament? Can you think
of anything, all things ordered, sure? Romans 8.28, huh? But we know that all things work
together. for good to them that love God,
who are called according to His eternal covenant purpose. We know that, for sure, for sure. We know that and are sure. Did
David rest in peace? Did he? Read it yourself. Yes,
he did. Yes, he did. God gave him rest in the end.
Did David's son reign? Yes, he did. Somebody tried to
usurp the throne, but he didn't. He wasn't successful. David's
son was put on the throne. Did David's son build a house?
Oh, did he? Did David's son have a people? Yeah, oh, did he? Does Christ
have a name? Oh, does he? Shall we rest with
him? Yes, we will. It's sure. It's
sure. David's hope, this is what he
said in our text. He said, this is all my salvation. This is all my salvation. Is
this all your salvation? I dare not trust a sweetest friend.
This is all my salvation. A double A. This is all my desire,
he said. See there? All my desire. God,
David's a good grace preacher. The only one thing he preaches,
the only one thing he talks about, Psalm 71, I'll make mention of
your righteousness and you're at home with me. This is all
my salvation, David said. I'm a sinner through and through,
but I'm saved by his righteousness. I'm poor and needed, yet the
Lord thinketh on me. This poor man cried, and the
Lord came. My loins are filled with a loathsome
disease, yet there's power in the blood. This is all of my
salvation, all my desire. Look at the next line. Although
he make it not to grow. Although. Now David says here,
here's what David says. This is all my salvation. It's
all based on an eternal covenant purpose God made with Christ
before the world began concerning me, and it's just as sure as
there is a Savior and a mediator on the throne. Just as sure as
there's blood before the Lord right now. Just as sure. Just
as sure. This is all my salvation, all
my desire. The thing I want to look into
more, know more about, grow in knowledge of, If the angels want to look into
it, and they had no part in it, surely I should. That should
be my one desire. It's His covenant. Although, things may never change
at home. God never did save Michael, David's
father. His brother never did. The Lord
never, alive, never, nope, there's no story saying that alive changed
his mind. He had peace with his brother.
No, he never did have peace with his brother. Although his house
still wasn't set. Till the day he died. Although he doesn't, God didn't
change him. Although his David, was it David? No, it was
Isaiah said, though my father and my mother. No, it was Jacob.
Though my father and mother were saved. We just read that. It
was the Lord that told me that. Though I suffered
great losses, endured distresses and griefs and afflictions and
trials, doesn't know those things don't change. Though I do not
grow, like I want to. David, when he was a 70 years
old, when he started numbering Israel, God told him, don't do
that, David. God especially told him not to
number the people. What did he do? He turned around
and numbered them twice. I had learned a thing or two. Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's still
a sinner. And David, I know he thought
As an old man, he thought, have I not grown in grace at all?
So, this is all my salvation. Though I don't grow in grace
like I ought to. This is all my salvation. You
see? Are you getting any comfort out
of it? This is all my salvation. What is it? God hath made with
my Christ. An everlasting covenant. Everlasting. That means it won't end. That
means it's eternal. Ordered in all things. That means
nothing I do can change it. Nothing anybody else does can
change it. Concerning me, if I'm one of
God's own, it's not fatalism. This is hope. It's not hyper-Calvinism. This
is belief. This is trust. Ah, it's all my
salvation and all my desire. All my desire. One thing if I desire to belong
to God, well, I sit here. I want to dwell in His house.
Dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. David
said, I want to keep coming where God's people are and worshiping
because I've got to hear about their covenants. I get away and
I get down and dirty and trouble is nothing but troubles out there.
Everywhere I go, I go home, there's trouble. I go to work, there's
trouble. I go get the troubles in the world. I want to dwell
in the house of the Lord all my days so I can hear about that
covenant. So I want to celebrate, so I'm
going to hope to behold the beauty of the Lord. To behold his beauty, his glory,
his majesty, his power, his mercy, his grace, his wonder, his love,
his redemption, And inquired into history. I got a lot more
to learn, David said. And David went to hear Nathan. All he could. All he could hear
about that covenant. Tell me again, you reckon he
ever got tired of that? Nathan, what are you going to preach
today? Well, David, I thought I'd preach
on God's covenant. I'll be on the front row. All
right, stand with me. Our Lord, thank you for that
covenant. Your gospel, another word for
the gospel, covenant, the eternal gospel of Christ, ordered in
all things and sure in our surety in Christ. Thank you, Lord, for
making that covenant with your Son, and we are accepting in
Him. And this is all our salvation,
all our desire. All our hope, although things
aren't as they should be, yet we rejoice in God our Savior.
And it's in Christ's name we met here. Amen. Thank you very much.