Now, I direct your attention
to the book of 1 Samuel tonight, chapter 29. 1 Samuel, chapter 29. The subject tonight is God's sovereign
intervention. God's sovereign intervention. We today hear quite a bit about
intervention. Because we live in such a culture
where drugs and alcohol and things like that are such a problem.
And we hear about families who set up interventions for loved
ones who have been caught up in those dreaded things. So we
know something about it. But we who know Christ, we who
are saved by the grace of God, we certainly know something about
God's divine intervention, His sovereign intervention. And that's
what we're going to talk about. You know, the view of God that
pervades religion today, sad to say, is so far from the truth. What most people think about
God is that he is at their beck and call, like a genie in a bottle
almost. And of course, they've replaced
rubbing the lamp with prayer. That you can just get God to
do what you want if you're sincere enough, or if you do well enough,
or if you pray enough, or if you knock on the door enough,
whatever, however they put it. But you see, that's not the God
of the Bible. The God of the Bible is a sovereign
God. The Bible calls Him a potentate. Now that word, about the only
time you ever hear it today is if you're talking about a lodge
member or something like that. But that word comes from the
term potent, which means power. And potentate means all-powerful
one. And what we understand here,
we're looking at this passage of scripture. Again, we're looking
at David, King David. He's not yet king, but he's appointed
and anointed to be king. But he's at one of his lowest
points in his life. This is a moment of disobedience,
a moment of doubt. moment of unbelief. You know,
I say a moment. We read last time this moment
lasted a year and what, four months. But that's a short span
of time in God's whole scheme of things. But this is not one
of David's best moments, to say the least. And whenever I look
at things like this, you know, it's always reminded of two of
the Psalms, one in which David made this statement. He said,
this is Psalm 130, he said, O Lord, If thou, Lord, shouldest mark
iniquities, who would stand?" Well, not me, and not you, and
not David. If God marked iniquities, that
word marked there means that he would lay them to our account,
if he would charge them to our account. And in light of that,
the second psalm that comes to mind when I read things like
this is Psalm 32, where David said, "'Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.'" And just like one of our brothers
mentioned, you know, in the study, that there's therefore now no
condemnation to them that are in Christ. Why? Because Christ
took the sins of his people upon himself and literally on the
cross drank damnation dry. But another thing I wanted to
stress tonight is this. Here we're looking at David in
one of his lowest moments, and I'm reminded of those Psalms.
That if the Lord were to charge David with sin, if he were to
charge me with sin in my low moments, I wouldn't stand. You
wouldn't either. And blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth
not iniquity. But you know, we ought to feel
the same way about that whole issue, even at our best moments. You know, it's no different.
If I'm having a great day, if I'm on the mountain today, having
a good day, a day of obedience, I'll say, not perfection now.
I'm not talking about perfection. We don't even come close to that.
Our perfection is Christ. But even we're having a good
day, sitting and worshiping the Lord as you are today, having
your mind fixed on the message and not somewhere else. As my
dad used to say, not out in noise new ground somewhere. But you're
thinking along the lines of the Scripture. You ought to still
be just as fervently thanking God that he doesn't mark iniquities,
and that blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputed not iniquity.
Because you see, what I'm saying is this, I need Christ, I need
his blood to wash away my sins and his righteousness to give
me a complete, right, eternal, unchangeable standing before
God, just as much at my best as I do at my worst. And so keep
that in mind as we go through this. Now here's David, again,
at a low point in his life. And what we're going to see is
that the theme of this comes through in what we read in Lamentations,
chapter 3, and what we sang in that hymn. Great is God's faithfulness. Great is God's faithfulness. And that our salvation, now and
forever, is not conditioned on our faithfulness to God, but
is conditioned on His faithfulness to save us as He promised in
Christ. All the promises of God are in
Christ, yea, and in Him. Amen. And we are faithful by
His grace. But that's the fruit of His grace,
isn't it? Not the cause. God's not responding
to us. We're responding to Him. And
He is the potentate. It's His power. The power of
God unto salvation. Power to save us. Power to keep
us. Power to preserve us. And in
our lives, what we're going to see, just like in David's, God
is constantly intervening sovereignly to keep us. To keep us faithful. And that's what happens here.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 11, he said,
he wrote, it is a faithful saying. He says, for if we be dead with
Him, with Christ, we shall also live with Him. How am I dead
with Christ? When Christ died on that cross, I died too. He
died for me. He put my sins away. My sins
were charged to Him. His righteousness is charged
to me. When He died, I died. I was planted together with Christ.
And I'm risen with Him. I live with Him. The Holy Spirit
has given me the earnest of that expectation of forever. In the
new birth, he's given me life. That's a resurrection. That's
being born from above. And then he says, if we suffer
with him, if we suffer, we shall also reign with him. So that
Paul wrote in another place that the sufferings of this present
world are not even to be compared with the glory that's to come.
And then he said, if we deny him, he also will deny us. That's
that's a total unbeliever there. But listen to this. He says,
if we believe not. Yet he abideth faithful, he cannot
deny himself." I want you to notice it does not say, if we
believe not, yet he abideth faithful, because he feels sorry for us.
That's not what it says. It says, for he cannot deny himself. You know, if God were to fail
to save even one of the children of promise, one of his elect
children, one whom he sent Christ to redeem, one whom he sends
the Spirit to regenerate, you know he would lose more than
we would. He would lose his glory. But he can't do that. He cannot
deny himself. Dr. John Gill wrote this. He
said, this may be understood of those who are totally unbelievers
that their unbelief of the gospel does not frustrate or hinder
or make void the faithfulness and power of God to save all
His people from sin and bring them to faith in Christ. You
know, Paul dealt with that in the book of Romans when he was
talking about how the nation of the Jews rejected the gospel. But that didn't hinder God. That
didn't trip Him up. God's going to save His... The
Bible says that the foundation of the Lord standeth sure the
Lord knows them that are his." And he's going to save them.
Christ said, my sheep hear my voice, and they follow me. That
I know them, they know me. He said, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. But Dr. Gill said this in his
commentary on this. He said, it can also be understood
of true believers who are struggling with the remaining contamination
and corruption of sin manifested in the form of doubt and unbelief."
Now, have you ever been there? I know that you have. If you're
honest, I have too. The unregenerate unbeliever is
in unbelief. That's his state, that's his
condition, total unbelief. But the regenerate, the born-again
person, the believer, is not in a state and condition of unbelief,
but listen to me, unbelief is still in us. Lord, I believe,
help thou mine unbelief. It's a struggle. Sometimes our
faith is very low, but it's always there. because it's the gift
of God through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit who
continually indwells us and will never leave us. And so we can
take comfort and have assurance that Christ is always faithful
to all his promises, all his covenant engagements for us,
to keep us, and to bring us to glory. And he's faithful to every
word of promise concerning our eternal well-being, our happiness
even. And he's ever the same in his
love. His love never changes, never waivers for us. And listen, he's ever the same
in his power. The power of his blood never
changes. Washes away all our sins, past sins, present sins,
future sins, all sin. And think about this, his salvation. is an everlasting and unchangeable
one. He can't take it back because
great is his faithfulness. He can't go back on a promise
that he's made because his faithfulness is engaged in that promise. He
can't do it. And our security and salvation,
we're going to see in the example of David here. It doesn't depend
on our acts of believing. It didn't depend on our frames,
but on the firmness and the unchangeableness of Christ, who's the object of
faith. He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. We're not. We changed. We're different.
I may feel good tonight. I may feel terrible in the morning.
I may be happy tonight. I may be angry in the morning.
But he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And that's
why I need his blood and his righteousness for my whole salvation.
David expressed that in the Psalms. This episode in his life, he
probably didn't write any Psalms in this low point, but he wrote
enough by the power of the Spirit to let us know where his hope
was and is in Christ, our hope. The blood of Christ is not made
effectual by our believing. Now, did you hear that? The blood
of Christ is not made effectual or empowered by our believing. That's what the religious world
today teaches. It is not rendered powerless by our not believing. Thank God. He's always faithful
to save us and to bring us to glory. And so we're told in Hebrews
chapter 12 and verse 2, let us hold fast the profession of our
faith without wavering. What is the profession of your
faith? My faith, Christ and Him crucified and risen again. God
forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ. That's the profession of the believer's faith. And
so it says, for he is faithful that promised. And let us run
the race of this life, Hebrews 12, 2, looking unto Jesus, the
author and the finisher of our faith. Now look at 1 Samuel 21. There's not a whole lot specifically
in the wording of this chapter, so we're just going to read through
it. But look at it. Here's David. He's among the
Philistine army, the grand enemy of Israel. Here's the man who's
been appointed to be king of Israel. In 1 Samuel 29, and he's
among the Philistine army here. And it says in verse 1, Now the
Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek, and
the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. This is
all north of Jerusalem. And it says, The lords of the
Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands, but David and
his men on in the rearward, that's in the back of them, with Achish,
he was bringing up the rear, that's what that means. Look
what happens in verse 3. Then said the princes of the
Philistines, what do these Hebrews hear? What are these Hebrews
doing here? And Achish said unto the princes
of the Philistines, is not this David, the servant of Saul, the
king of Israel, which hath been with me these days or these years?
And I have found no fault in him since he fell unto men to
this day." You remember how David got there. He gave up. He said,
I guess I'm going to die by the hand of the saw. My only recourse
is to go to the enemy, the Philistines. Well, that was doubting God.
And here Achish thinks David's on his side. It says in verse
4, the princes of the Philistines were wroth or angry with him. And the princes of the Philistines
said unto him, said unto Achish, make this fellow return. that
he may go again to his place which thou hast appointed him,
and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle
he be an adversary to us." In other words, if he goes with
us, he's a traitor, he's going to turn on us. "'For wherewith
should he reconcile himself unto his master? Should it not be
with the heads of these men?' In other words, if we're not
in agreement with this thing, don't bring it. Verse 5, he says,
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances,
saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands?
A lot of those ten thousands were Philistines, so they are
suspect here. Verse 6, Then Achish called David,
and said unto him, Surely, as the Lord liveth, thou hast been
upright. And thy going out, and thy coming
in with me, and the host is good in my sight. For I have not found
evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me, and to this
day nevertheless the Lord's favour thee not." You notice there that
Achish, he was an idolater, but he invoked the name of the Lord,
Jehovah. And you know, it's kind of like
today, you know, a lot of people, one God is just about as good
as the next. That's the way people think,
isn't it? Akish didn't know the true and living God, but he invoked
the name in order to keep David's favor. And it says in verse 7,
Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease
not the lords of the Philistines. Verse 8, David said unto Akish,
But what have I done? And what hast thou found in thy
servant, so long as I have been with thee unto this day, that
I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
Now you realize who David's calling enemies of the king here. That's
Israel. That's King Saul, that's the people of Israel, that's
Jonathan. He's in that number. I'm sure that when David ascended
the throne of Israel and Jerusalem, he didn't want this on his resume. I fought with Achish, or was
going to anyway. That was his intention. Verse
9, And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art
good in my sight. You know, when I read that, I
said, big deal. What's the big deal about being good in his
sight? I mean, I know we want to put forth a good witness,
but this man is an idolater who's getting ready to do battle with
the children of God. And so he says, as an angel of
God, that's how he appeared to Achish, notwithstanding the princes
of the Philistines have said he shall not go up with us to
the battle. Wherefore, now rise up early in the morning with
thy master's servants that are come with thee, and as soon as
you be up early in the morning and have light, depart." So David
and his men rose up early to depart in the morning to return
into the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to
Jezreel. Now that's what happened. Think
about this. You know what we see here is
this. Whenever God's children give
in to doubts and unbelief, give themselves over to disobedience,
there are two things that are going to happen. Number one,
and this is precious, God will keep us by his powerful, sovereign
grace in Christ. He will never leave us nor forsake
us. He will not utterly let us go. He just won't do it. That's
the first thing. Second thing is this, God will
always intervene in some way, somehow. And usually it's a way
that we couldn't figure out. But some way, somehow God will
intervene in some way to bring us back to himself and bring
us to repentance in godly sorrow over our sin. That's God's sovereign
intervention. Whether it's David or any other
true believer, They could not and cannot fall totally away
from Christ because of God's power and faithfulness to save
us to the uttermost by the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what I believe
John was writing of in 1 John 3 and 9 when he said, whosoever
is born of God does not commit sin. Speaking of the sin of apostasy,
falling away unto perdition, revealing that we never believed
to begin with, it says, for his seed, his offspring, literally,
remain in him. Well, whose offspring are we?
We're Christ. Who are we in? We're in Christ. In whom do we remain? We remain
in Christ. What is this? Is this some kind
of a ping-pong game where the ball goes back and forth? Are
we in Christ one day and out of Christ? No. We're always in
Him, you see, before God. And we cannot sin. We cannot
fall away unto perdition because we're born of God. were born
of God. Let me give you these things.
First of all, God's sovereign intervention proves this, that
he's sovereign over all things. There's nothing outside of his
control. Listen, how did God intervene here on David's behalf?
He used the hatred, the jealousy of these Philistine leaders.
That's what he did. God used the hatred of these
Philistine princes for David and Israel to keep David from
going into battle with his own nation. Listen, if David had gone into
battle with Israel, that would have been it for him. You see,
God is sovereign over all, even evil men. God's not the author
of evil. He's not the author, but He's
sovereign over it all. The Bible says in Proverbs 21
verse 1, the king's heart is in the hand of the Lord as the
rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he will. How often has the Lord worked
for us by turning the world against us? Think about that. How many times would we have
gone headlong, head first, into the rebellion and unbelief of
the world if the Lord hadn't turned the world against us.
Think about that. The world is against us. Christ
told his disciples that in John chapter 15. He said marvel not
if the world hates you. Verse 18, he said hated me before
it hated you. Are you my follower? It's going
to hate you too. But we know all things work together for
good to them that love God who are the called according to his
purpose. And if God be for us, who can be against us? There's
blessing. Think about it. And this is a
concept that even we as believers, we know it's true, but we have
such a hard time with it because it's not a pleasant thing. But
here's what it says. There's blessing in persecution. Matthew chapter five, blessed
are you when you're persecuted for my sake, for righteousness
sake. And you know why there's blessing
in persecution? Because of God's sovereign intervention. If it weren't for that, there
wouldn't be blessing in persecution, just be hurt and harm and unpleasantness. But God's sovereign over all
things. Here's the next thing. God's
sovereign intervention proves that only God can restrain us
and deliver us. Only God can do it. Now, He may
use means. There are second causes. But
God's the first cause of all things. You know, David here
in chapter 29, he was in a mess that he could not get himself
out of. Have you ever been in a mess
you couldn't get yourself out of? I have, and you have too. He was in the wrong place at
the wrong time for the wrong reason with the wrong people.
You can just keep on going. Nothing about this is right.
He was walking in the counsel of the ungodly, Achish. He was companion with unbelievers,
idolaters. The Bible says, come out from
among them. Don't be unequally yoked with
them. David was all those things right here at this point in time. But you see, only God can get
him out of it. Only God can restrain us from
going the full lengths of our depravity. Thank God for his
restraining grace. Only God kept David from going
into battle against his own people. David wrote in Psalm 16, Preserve
me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. He said in Psalm 32,
the part of which I quoted earlier, Thou art my hiding place. Thou
shalt preserve me from trouble. Thou shalt counsel me about with
songs of deliverance. I think about the Apostle Peter.
He denied the Lord three times. Denied him three times. He said
he wouldn't do it. You remember that? When the Lord revealed
to him by prophecy, he said, you're going to deny me three
times. Oh, no, not me. Not me. How many times have you
said, not me? Oh, I'd never do that. Read something
in the paper and somebody did something to him. You say, no,
I would never do that. Peter denied him three times.
And out of that experience came these words as the Holy Spirit
inspired him in 1 Peter 1 and verse 5, that we are kept. by the power of God through faith
unto salvation, ready to be revealed at the last time. We're kept.
My friend, if you're a child of God, you know what you are.
You're a kept person. It goes against our grain naturally,
doesn't it? It goes against the flesh because
we like to stand on our own two feet, crow about our own works.
We're the captain of our own fate, all that rot. We're just flat kept. Kept by
the power of God. That's what David's going through
right here. He's being kept by God. Think about it. If God were to
allow us to go headlong into the depths of our depravity,
we couldn't imagine the depths we would go. Can't even begin
to imagine how far we would go. Sometimes He allows us to get
a little glimpse of it, just like He did David right here.
And later on came those songs. Those psalms of repentance, godly
repentance, remorse, godly sorrow. O Lord, if Thou Lord shouldst
mark iniquity, who would stand? In these times, He shows us that
only He can deliver us and preserve us. I mentioned there in verse
6 of 1 Samuel 29 how Achish and Idolater invoked the name of
the true God of Israel. David didn't invoke his name
during this whole session, as we're told what's recorded in
Scripture, but an idolater did. Maybe God used that to remind
David of who he really was. But either way, he's forced to
return, and it's because of God's divine intervention. And how
many times have we been delivered from going to the depths of our
sin by that same intervention? But let me conclude this message
by giving you these thoughts. There are seven thoughts I want
to give you. And it has to do with the greatest act of divine
intervention the world has ever known. The greatest act of divine
intervention the world has ever known. What do you suppose that
is? Well, most of you know. And here's what it is. Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. That's the greatest act. of divine
intervention and the world will ever know. Let me give you these
seven things just quickly. This act of divine intervention
was purposed before the world began. Christ Jesus came in,
purposed before the world began. Paul spoke of that salvation
in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 9, talking about that God who
has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus, when? Before the world began."
That's divine intervention in the purpose of God before this
whole thing ever got started. That's an amazing thing to me.
You see, most people think that salvation is brought about because
either their will or their works intervene into the picture. Not
so. Because, you see, again, if God
left us all to ourselves, we would never will to come to him. Christ said, you will not come
to me that you might have eternal life. Our works could never intervene
in this picture because our works always fall short of the standard
of righteousness which God requires. So God intervened from the very
beginning before this world was ever created in purpose to save
his people. That's why Christ is called in
Revelation 13, 8, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
I like that, don't you? Here's the second thing. This
intervention, this act of divine intervention, God sending His
Son into the world, preserved God's people in the Old Testament.
Let me show you that. Turn to 2 Samuel 23. We read
this one before. God, listen, Christ had not yet
come in time, during David's lifetime, but he was promised,
and God's faithful, great is thy faithfulness, and by that
promise, God intervened and preserved his people in the Old Testament.
Look at verse 5. This is David's deathbed confession. It says in verse 5 of 2 Samuel
23, Although my house be not so with God, yet he, God, hath
made with me an everlasting covenant, and listen to this, ordered in
all things. Now who ordered it? God did.
And sure. Why is it so sure? Not because
of David, but because of David's Savior. David's coming Redeemer
the promised Redeemer Christ He's the surety and he says for
this is all my salvation right there in his lifetime. It was
all his salvation and It's all my desire. He says although he
make it not to grow although his house was a shambles his
family his kingdom even But he said it's a covenant that's ordered
in all things that divine intervention preserved men like Abel Men like
Moses and Noah, and you can keep on going down, the Hall of Faith,
Abraham, all of them. The whole Bible is a book of
Christ. That's what these scriptures
are all about, from Genesis to Revelation. It's the power of
His gracious, sovereign intervention. Listen, it didn't begin 2,000
years ago. It had already begun. Here's
the third thing. This intervention began in time
at the birth of the Savior. The Bible says, unto us a child
is born, unto us a son is given. The government is on his shoulders.
John 1.14, the word was made flesh and dwelt literally tabernacled
among us. God intervened. Galatians 4.4,
in the fullness of the time, God sent forth His Son, made
of a woman, that's the incarnation, made under the law, that's the
responsibility that He took, all salvation conditioned on
Him, to redeem them that were under the law. God intervened. That's when it began in time.
God sent forth His Son. And here's the fourth thing.
This intervention was accomplished fully at the cross. When Christ
obeyed unto death, even the death of the cross, look at 2 Corinthians
5. That's what this is talking about. 2 Corinthians chapter
5. He's talking about the reconciliation
here. And if you study this chapter,
you might read some things on this lately. This chapter is
not about regeneration. This chapter is about reconciliation,
and look what he says in verse 18. He's talking about that if
any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Now, when was this
creation created? At the cross. That's what he's
talking about. Ephesians 2.10, For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, not because
of, but unto which God hath foreordained that we should walk in. So he
says in verse 18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled
us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given unto us the ministry
of reconciliation, that is, reconciled to God by Christ, to wit, or
namely, that God was in Christ. God engaged himself in the person
of Christ. Another way of saying that is
Colossians chapter 2 and verse 9. For in him dwelleth all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily. Now that means this. That means
if you want to see the fullness of God the Father, you must look
to Christ. If you want to see the fullness
of God the Son, you must look to Christ. If you want to see
the fullness of God the Holy Spirit, you must look to Christ.
You will have no connection, no association, no relationship,
and no acceptance before God, a triune God, except through
the Son of God incarnate. And you are complete in Him,
verse 10 says that. So namely, God was in Christ.
That means He engaged everything that He is in Christ. All of
it was on the line in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing or charging or accounting their trespasses unto them. Remember
what David said, blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth
not iniquity. Well, right here is where that was accomplished
in time. It was true, just as true for David in his lifetime
as it is for us. But it was accomplished in time
at the cross, and he said, and hath committed unto us the word
of reconciliation, that's the gospel, and now then we're ambassadors
for Christ, we're not here on our own authority preaching our
own word, we're here on his authority preaching his word, as though
God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ be ye reconciled
to God. Now on what ground? Verse 21,
for God hath made him, Christ. sin for us. How did he make him
sin? By imputation. Our sins are not
imputed to us, they're charged to Christ. And he says, Christ
who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. Now all that was accomplished at Calvary 2,000
years ago. Christ said it in John 19.30,
he said it's finished. It's complete. Here's the fifth
thing. This intervention continues in
our new birth. Now look at John chapter 12. John chapter 12. This intervention
continues in our new birth. Now, what that means is this.
All whom God chose and gave to Christ, all whom Christ redeemed
on the cross, shall be born again. You must be born again. Listen
now, the new birth does not complete what Christ did on the cross.
The new birth is the fruit of what Christ completed on the
cross. Now, that's important. And I'll show you why now. Look
here in verse 23 of John 12. Speaking to his disciples, he
said, Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come that the Son
of Man should be glorified. Now, it's referring to his death,
burial, and resurrection, and ascension unto the Father. Verily,
verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat, or a seed of
wheat, fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone. But
if it die, it bringeth forth what? Much fruit. You see that? Now go down to
verse 31. He says, Now is the judgment
of this world. Now shall the prince of this
world be cast out. That's Satan, the accuser of
the brethren. slinging his airs of accusation against us. But
you see, Christ takes our sin, and he says in verse 32, and
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto
me. Now, who are the all men there?
I'll tell you exactly who they are. All who are drawn unto him
as his sheep. Isn't that right? Those he redeemed. Now, what's he talking about?
Verse 33, this he says signifying what death he should die. You
see, the work of the Holy Spirit in us in the new birth, when
God intervenes in our lives and brings us under the preaching
of the gospel and gives us life, regeneration, that's an intervention. Because we're not looking for
it, we're going our own way, but God intervenes and that's
the fruit of the death of Christ. That's the result of his death.
He said, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me. Alright,
here's the sixth thing. This intervention never quits.
Turn to 1 John chapter 2. It never quits. I've said it
this way before. You can look at David. You can
look at Solomon. You can look at all the Old Testament
saints. And you can see one thing is
true. That God saved them in spite of themselves. But you
know what? That's how he saves me and that's
how he saves you. It's always in spite of ourselves.
Always. And that's because his intervention
never quits. He still intervenes for us. How?
Look at 1 John 2, verse 1. He says, My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. That's your
goal. And if any man sin, literally it's when any man sins, we have
an advocate with the Father. Jesus Christ the righteous, and
he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world. He intervenes for
the sins of his people, God's elect, out of every tribe, kindred,
tongue, and nation, Jew, and Gentile. And he never quits. He never quits being our advocate,
our surety, our defense attorney, if you will. He's always pleading
the merits of his blood and righteousness on our behalf. Providentially,
he intervenes with us, and spiritually he intervenes. And then seven,
turn to 2 Peter 3, and I'll close with this one. 2 Peter 3, just
right across the page there. This intervention, God's sovereign
intervention, will be finally completed when he comes again. When he comes again. I'm not
going to read this whole chapter, but look at verse 1. I'll show
you what I'm talking about. 2 Peter 3. This second epistle,
beloved, I now write unto you, in both which I stir up your
pure minds by way of remembrance, that you may be mindful of the
words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of
the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing
this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers
walking after their own lust, and saying, Where is the promise
of his coming? Now, what the idea of it is,
He's promised he's coming again, but the unbelievers, the scoffers
say, well, he hadn't come yet. Where is it? In other words,
we have every reason to doubt and disbelieve him because he
hadn't come yet. And that's wrong. He says, for since the fathers
fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation. You see what they're saying here?
Everything's gone on just like it always has been. There's no
change. Well, they don't know the same God we know. He's been
intervening all along. Intervene in my life. Intervene
in your life. Intervene in David's life. And they say, well, everything's
going on just like it was from the beginning of creation. Well,
look at verse 5. For this they are willingly ignorant
of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old and the earth
standing out of the water and in the water, whereby the world
that then was being overflowed with water perished. Things are
not as they were from creation. Man fell. Sin upon sin upon sin,
God intervened in judgment and destroyed the world by water,
saved eight souls, Noah on the ark, which is a type of Christ. God intervened. And he says,
but the heavens and the earth, verse 7, which are now by the
same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of
judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing. That one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years is one day. The Lord's
not slight concerning his promise, as some men count slightness,
but his long-suffering to us-ward, that's his sheep, not willing
that any, any of them should perish, but that all should come
to repentance. But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night. He's going to intervene. in which
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the elements shall
melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are
therein shall be burned up." He's going to intervene again.
He's coming again. He's going to gather his people,
glorify his church, and my friend, he's going to judge this world.
You can bank on it, because great is his faithfulness. This is
God's sovereign intervention.