While David and his mighty men were away endeavoring to secure peace and safety for Israel, the Amalekites invaded Ziklag, burned the city to the ground, and took all the women and children that belonged to the children of Israel captive, and thoroughly spoiled the city. That is, they took everything. they took everything. When David and his men came home, they saw the city smoldering in ashes.

And you can imagine the pain and grief they felt. Nothing was left, everything. The wives were gone, the cattle were gone, the children were gone, the home were gone, everything, everything was gone. And the only thing standing there was a smoldering heap of ashes. Now in their madness of grief, David's men spoke of stoning him as though he had been the cause of the calamity. But his family was gone too. His possessions were gone too. His children were gone too. And so David, while these men spoke of stoning him, encouraged himself in the Lord.

Now there's a sermon in that. Whenever trouble comes your way, whenever people who ought to be your friends and companions and ought to constantly encourage and help you turn against you, whenever you have grief of heart, there's one place to encourage yourself. Encourage yourself in the Lord. Take courage in him. Find comfort in him. Cast your soul upon him. But I can't talk about that this morning. I'll save that for another time.

David waited upon the Lord to direct his steps. He called for Abiathar, the priest, to bring the ephod. And we read in verse 8 that David inquired of the Lord. And then, under the direction of God, and armed with God's promise, David pursued the bandits of Amalek.

He thoroughly defeated his enemies, and he recovered all that the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. Now in addition to recovering all their wives and children, and recovering all the cattle that Israel had lost, David took a great spoil from the Amalekites.

That is, he took everything they had. He took everything. Now as the conquering armies of Israel came back to Ziklag, as they, as they marched back across the river of Bezos, and were coming back up to Ziklag, as they used to do in those days, the conquering armies took the spoils of victory and put those out in front. They put everything right out in the front. And so, the army of David put all the spoils of the Amalekites out in front of the armies, and drove them before and said, These be David's spoil. These be David's spoil, and gave praise to David for his spoil.

Now then, read with me, if you will, verses 18, 19, and 20. This will be our text this morning. David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, all that they had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil nor anything that they had taken to them, David recovered all. And David took all the flocks and the herds which they draved before those other cattle and said, this is David's spoil.

Now, this morning I want to talk to you for a little while about David's spoil. That's the title of my message, but you probably have already guessed I'm not going to talk to you much about David. I'm going to be talking to you, rather, about another David, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, who is both the Son of God and the Son of David.

If the Holy Spirit will enable me, I want to show you from this 30th chapter of 1 Samuel, the spiritual message that is contained in this historical narrative. Certainly what is recorded here happened in Israel. Certainly these events are historical facts and they're recorded as such. But they are recorded to teach us spiritual truth.

In everything here, David is a special type of the Lord Jesus Christ. His conquest over the Amalekites is a picture of our Lord Jesus making conquest over all our enemies, over the enemies of our souls, as the captain of our salvation. David's recovery of Israel's losses portrays the recovery of all that we lost in our father Adam by the redeeming work of the Son of God. And David's spoils represent the great bounty of grace and glory which was won for us by when the Lord Jesus Christ, with his blood, obtained eternal redemption as our substitute.

Now look at the text again. We read that David recovered all that the Amalekites carried away, and David rescued his two wives, and there was nothing lacking. David recovered all. Now that's great, that's great, but then we are told that David brought back much, much more than the Amalekites carried away. And this is David's story. Now, what a picture we have before us.

When the son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ, obtained eternal redemption for God's elect upon the cross, he not only recovered all that we had lost by the fall of our father Adam, but he also obtained for us a great spoil. leaving nothing in the hands of our enemies. We read in the scriptures, after the Lord Jesus is described in his redemptive work in Isaiah 53, the very last verse says, and he shall divide the spoil with the straw. He's going to make his people strong in him, and he will divide to them the spoils of his victory. So this picture is given, clearly, of our Lord Jesus obtaining the spoils of victory for us. Using David, then, as a type of Christ, I want to show you three things.

First, we are told that David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and rescued his two wives. So the first thing I want to talk about is the recovery of all that was lost. Hold your hands here, put a mark there, and turn to Psalm 69. It was David who recovered what Israel had lost. And it is the Lord Jesus Christ alone who has recovered all that we lost in the sin and fall of our father Adam.

Here in Psalm 69 in verse 4, our Savior speaks. David is speaking, but he speaks as the representative by inspiration of the Son of God. They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. They that would destroy me, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. Then I restored that which I took not away.

The Lord Jesus restored what we lost, what we forfeited, by the sin and fall of our father Adam. All the blessings of grace that we now enjoy come to us through Christ. Without Him, we are nothing. Without Him, we have nothing, and without Him, we can do nothing. All the good that we enjoy comes to us now from God the Father, through the blood of Jesus Christ our Mediator, and by the sovereign operations of God the Holy Spirit in grace. Let me show you two or three things here with regard to this recovery of that which was lost.

David's men defeated the Amalekites, and took away their spoils. But it was for David's sake that God gave success to the armies of Israel. Understand that? As a matter of fact, some of these men are described in this passage as wicked men of Belial, down in verse 22. So when they obtained the victory, when they won this battle against the Amalekites, when they took the spoils, it was not for their sakes that God gave them success, but for David's sake.

God's eye was always on David. He dealt with Israel accordingly as he had dealt with David. And the Lord's chosen servant was David. The Lord's unwanted was David. It was not for Israel's sake, but for David's sake that the Lord led them to the camp of the Amalekites and drove them away as dried stubble before the wind.

And the point is this. It is for Christ's sake that the Lord God bestows on you and me his love, mercy, and grace. Only for Christ's sake. You and I cannot approach God. You and I can never be accepted of God. God will never look our way except through a substitute.

You understand that? The Apostle Paul says, Be ye kind one to another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you. Why does God forgive us? For Christ's sake. Only for Christ's sake. That means that everything we possess, we possess only in Christ. Christ is the channel of every mercy. God's eye is always upon his son. He deals with us accordingly as he deals with his son, if we are in his son. So that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world. So that whatever you have now, by way of grace, whatever you hope to have from God tomorrow and to eternity, by way of grace, is given to you only for Christ's sake. Not because of something you are. Not because of something you do. Not because of some goodness in you. Not because of some merit of a work that you perform. But for Christ's sake, God gives all. Understand that? God gives all. He chose us for Christ's sake. He forgave us for Christ's sake. He accepts us for Christ's sake. He pardons us for Christ's sake. He regenerates, sanctifies, preserves, and glorifies us for Christ's sake. He gives us empathy in Christ.

Hold your hands here again and turn to Romans chapter 8, Romans the 8th chapter. The apostle Paul is talking to us about God's great mercy, love, and grace toward his people. And he expresses it this way, Romans 8 and verse 32. He that spared not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? What a word of grace. Child of God, be assured, be assured, your Heavenly Father will withhold nothing from you that he's given his Son for you.

You understand that? The times draw near for Faith and Doug to get married. Last time they were here, last weekend, we sat down, Doug and I chatted a little bit, I went and got the insurance papers, got our wills, got copies of the wills, got the keys to the safe, told Doug where everything is, and said, now here, I'm giving you her, this is yours too. Everything. This is yours too. Everything. Everything. Because I've given you the best I've got, I'll certainly give you the lesser things as well. You understand that?

God Almighty has given Bobby Weston Now what do you think he's going to withhold from you? What do you imagine he's going to keep back from you? Oh, what foolishness, what nonsense! For men to imagine, to think, much less to preach, that God will sacrifice his Son for you, and yet withhold from you some aspect of his goodness, some aspect of his grace, some aspect of his glory. Be sure you understand what I'm saying.

All the blessings of God's free grace are in Christ. They flow to us from Christ, and lead us to Christ, and ultimately cause us to give glory to Jesus Christ, our Lord. All the fullness of God is in Christ. In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead, You lack nothing in here. All the fullness of grace comes to us from Christ, for of His fullness have we received grace for grace. And Christ alone must and forever be preeminent, for He's the source of all things.

From Him all things come, and to Him all things must go again. Another thing that needs to be understood. Because everything comes to us for Christ's sake, we may say of every covenant blessing, this is David's spoil. That is, this is Jesus' spoil. Upon every blessing of grace, we see the mark of the cross. We have nothing that is not bloodstained, all the fruit of Christ's death, everything pertaining to grace and glory and eternal salvation. was purchased for us by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, God's dear son.

Another thing in this regard, as David recovered all that Israel lost to the Amalekites, so the Lord Jesus has recovered for his people all, everything, everything that was lost in the fall of our father Adam, by reason of our by reason of sin, we lost everything. We lost everything. Several hundred years ago, John Milton wrote a book called Paradise Lost, in which he attempted to portray what man lost by the fall of Adam. And he was exactly right. We lost everything. We lost it all.

God created man, put him in the Garden of Eden, said, The whole thing's yours. You can have it all. Right here, Sandy, right here in the middle of the garden is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now, that's mine. But everything else is yours. It's yours. You can have it. You can have it.

You can have it lost. You lost it all. We lost it in here. We lost this world. This earth. which was once the fertile ground which brought forth earth and sea of every kind in physical abundance without toil and labor. And now it brings forth nothing but thorns and fires and thistles and death, sickness and toil and death at last. We lost all life, all hope, all happiness, and all peace that comes from the favor of God. Everything.

Had man never seen, now allow me space for a little bit of hypothesis, just allow me a little bit of conjecture. If man had never seen, no man would ever have experienced pain of any kind. You, dear ladies, would not have to cry out in agony and toil of prevailing childbirth. That's the result of sin. No child would ever have a sickness, even a runny nose. There'd be no such thing as sickness, disease, and death.

This earth, just, why even now you look at God's creation and just take what man's put in and out. Oh, what a bountiful, beautiful place this would be to live if you just didn't have the thorns and briars. Oh, but we lost it all. And we lost spiritual life. Losing spiritual life, man lost happiness. Man lost happiness. Everybody in the world wants to be happy. Seeking after happiness. And they can't find it because it's not found there. Everybody thinks, if I get this, if I do that, if I do that, then I'll be happy. Never find it. You'll never find it. I promise you, you won't find it. You can't find it here.

We lost it. We forfeited that in the garden. Man lost peace. That's the reason the wicked are in trouble in sin. Tossed to and fro. The mire of the deep is constantly cast up again. That's the reason folks run around insane. They're just, everybody in the world is is to one degree or another just absolutely insane. Man's lost peace, because man's lost the favor of God, lost all access to God, lost all possibility of ever having access to God in himself.

But the Lord Jesus Christ has restored it all. He's restored it all. You mean, you mean he's He's done a pretty good job restoring things. No, he's restored it all. We were lost. Lost. He recovered us. He said, I plucked the spoil out of his feet. There is firebrands plucked from the burner. He recovered us.

We were like the house of a strongman armed. Satan held us. And the Lord Jesus comes in stronger than he, binds the soulmate, and takes him out, and takes us as his foe. As David rescued his two wives that had been taken into captivity, so the Lord Jesus snatched his beloved bride from the hands of God's law and offended justice, from the fires of wrath, and from the arms of Satan.

We had forfeited life. Christ recovered life. We were dead, but you have equipped us. We were dead as a possibility. We had lost our heritage in Adam, but Christ restored an eternal heritage for us. We have been predestinated to, and have obtained in Christ, an inheritance reserved for us in heaven, and the Spirit of God is the earnest of that inheritance.

Behold, all of God's elect yonder, round the throne of God in heaven, perfect and righteous, this is Jesus' foil. Behold, the whole church of God, gathered at last in glory, this is Jesus' foil. Let every believer look at himself in Christ. Realizing what grace has done.

And say, this is David's boy. Turn over to 1 Corinthians chapter 6, if you will. Let me remind you of what grace has done for us. 1 Corinthians chapter 6. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? That's us. Every one of us. Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners. Ever missed anybody? Ever missed anybody? None of these shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And such were some of you, but you're washed. Oh, glory! But you're sanctified. Not only have you been washed of your sin, God made you holy, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our Behold what matter of love the Father hath bestowed upon us. Such things as this, that we should be called the sons of God.

Isn't that amazing? Don't ever get over the wonder of that. This is David's spoil. This is the spoil of Jesus Christ, the great son of David. These are the things our Savior has recovered for us. But our great Savior did more, far, far more, than simply recover that which we had lost. As Israel was enriched by the Amalekites, so God's elect are enriched by their enemies. So that in Christ, by God's promise and by God's decree, all things have been fulfilled as it is written, they that spoil thee. shall be a spark. Let's see that. Turn over to Jeremiah chapter 30. When you found that text, hold your finger there and look at Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2.

Not only did David bring back what the Amalekites took away, he brought back a whole lot more. And not only has the Lord Jesus recovered for us what we lost in our father Adam, he's recovered a lot more. Look here, Jeremiah 30 verse 60, Therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured, and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity. And they that spoil thee shall be a spoil, and all that prey upon thee will I give for a prey. for I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord, because they called thee an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after.

Well, how's that fulfilled? Look in Colossians 2 verse 12, or verse 13 rather, And you being dead in your sins, and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him. having forgiven you all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of the ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross. And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them open left, triumphing over them in his death. He led captivity, All those who held us in bondage, he's taken into bondage and made them to be a spoil for us.

Now, what on earth does all that mean? Well, that brings me to my second part of the message. Let me show you a little bit about what the Scriptures teach concerning the spoils of our Savior's victory. Again, look at our text in verse 20, 1 Samuel 30, in verse 20.

David took all the flocks and the herds which they drove before those other cattle, that is, which they drove before what was rightfully theirs, what had originally belonged to them, and said, this is David's spoils. The spoils which David brought back to Israel were things that they could never have possessed had the Amalekites not taken them back. let that sink in for a minute. They would never have possessed these cattle and these riches, which they drove out in the forefront of the army, if the Amalekites had not come in and taken Zikla and everything in Zikla.

The captivity was a very painful, sorrowful thing in the experience of it. But it was the most blessed thing that could possibly have been in the end of it. Indeed, Israel lost nothing because of it. Look at verse 2. They burned the city with fire, and that they had taken the women captives that were therein, they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away and went on their way. They didn't kill anybody. They didn't kill anybody. So when Israel was taken into captivity, they were still there.

And when David comes back, he brings all of them back and much, much more. They gain much then in their recovery. Even so, God's elect lose nothing as a result of our fall in Adam. In the end, it will prove to have been a great act of mercy on God's part that he allowed us to fall in at him, that we might be recovered by Christ. Now, I don't pretend to know all that there is to know about this, but I know these things. I know these things for dead sure you can mark them down. This is right.

God didn't cause the fall. God didn't cause the fall. Don't listen to folks, don't listen to yourself. When your puny brain begins to try to assimilate God's truth, you say, well now, if this is so, if this is so, if this, if God predestinated everything, if God controls everything, then God must cause Adam to sin, and Adam, Adam didn't have any choice in this matter, he had to sin. Don't you be so foolish as to charge God with sin. Don't you be so foolish. God doesn't tempt any man to sin, and he can't be tempted to sin.

That's what James 1.13 says. God did not cause Adam to sin. More than that, I know that God could have prevented the fall had it been his purpose to do so. That wasn't in trouble for him.

When Abimelech looked down over his palace wall and saw Pharaoh and said, I'll take her, she'll be mine. And he took her as he would take his own wife. God came to Abimelech and said, don't you touch that woman. Now remember, Abimelech's a pagan king. Abimelech has no fear of God. Abimelech is a sinful man. He has no regard for God. But God kept Abimelech from taking Sarah, and he could certainly have kept Eve or Adam from taking the forbidden fruit.

But that wasn't his purpose. Certainly, God did ordain the fall. There's no question about that. None at all. All things are of God. for of him, through him, and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. We will not in the least diminish from God's absolute all-encompassing purpose.

Whatever comes to pass, comes to pass because God purposed that it should come to pass. And God ordained it all for the good of his elect. Yes, sir. But we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the cause according to his purpose.

Now I say that because I want you to understand that God Almighty did not have to go scurrying about heaven to find a solution to the problems called by Adam's father. Adam's fall was as much a part of God's plan and purpose as Christ's redemption was a part of God's plan and purpose. Had there been no fall, there would have been no reason for a redeemer or for redemption and grace. So in the light of those things, understand this. As David turned Israel's loss into great gain, So the Son of God has turned the fall of his people in Adam into a great blessing and a great, great gain.

Now, I know what I'm saying. I'm not speaking rashly or without thought. I don't have any doubt that some may take what I'm preaching to you this morning and pervert it and misuse it and twist it. Some may some probably will even you. I'm preaching for the comfort, edification, and strength of God's elect, and the glory of Christ. So I say, let men do what they will of what I say. This, I must tell you, I'm fully convinced that in the end, God's elect will find great reason to praise and give thanks to him for their fallen Adam, as well as for their recovery by Christ. For had there been no fault, there could have been no song of redemption to the glory of the Lamb.

Turn over to Revelation chapter 5. Revelation chapter 5. This, as you read through this fifth chapter of Revelation, seems to be the climactic crescendo of heaven's glory. This is the thing to which all God's purposes had been leading. You see that? Revelation 4 opens with a vision of the throne, and everything, as you read through Revelation 4, down through chapter 5, comes working its way right up to this event.

And based on them you saw, verse 9, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof, for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. So, the very crescendo of heaven's prayers is based upon this event, that Christ redeemed a fallen people out of every nation in So I say, yes, the fall itself shall be a reason to give praise unto our God forever. I fully agree with Martin Luther in this one area. When speaking of the fall, after mulling it over and studying and contemplating it, Luther closed his Bible and said, oh, hath to fall.

You see, in Christ, manhood is lifted to the place of highest possible honor and dignity, because we're made one with him. You understand that? Adam was made a little lower than the angels. But Christ brings manhood up to the throne of God in union with himself, and makes the I heard Brother Charles Alexander from Liverpool, England years ago, he was close to 90 years old, I heard him preaching out of Hebrews 2 on one occasion concerning the problem of evil in the world. And he suggested that one of the reasons why Satan led the revolt in heaven is that God having made known his purpose to the heavenly angels to make angels to be the servants of men, Satan said, not me, not me, I will ascend to the throne of God.

They see the angels of God were created by God to be ministering spirits sent forth to them who shall minister, who shall be the heirs of eternal life and eternal salvation. Little children dying do not become angels. Little children dying in infancy and imbecility, unconfident, are God's elect and are taken to glory. But God's angels were made before any men were made. He doesn't add to the heavenly angels.

God's angels were made by him to be ministering spirits to those men and women who were purchased by Jesus Christ in covenant mercy by his blood even before the world began. They were made to minister to us. If we had not fallen in our father Adam, we could never have known the blessedness and glory of redeeming love.

The angels of God meet here with us. Sunday morning, Sunday night, Tuesday night. They're a whole lot more interested in worship than most folks in the church are. They meet with us all the time. They meet with us, they wouldn't let in any people from being here. They've never experienced the demons of life. Oh, God loved them and kept them from the fall, but they've never experienced addiction. They come here and Watch and listen as Lindsay Campbell stands here and teaches us Bible class as we sing our song, read the scriptures, and pray to learn from us the glory of redeeming God.

That's what Ephesians 3 says. Let's hear what they've got to say. Let's hear how they respond. Let's see what happens in them. one of the greatest glories of heaven, shall be the eternal honor given to Christ in remembrance and endless celebration of redemption by Him.

Over here in Revelation 7 verse 14, I said unto him, sir, thou knowest, he said, these are they which came out of great tribulation. and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. God's highest praise from his creation shall be revealed in the great multitudes of redeemed sinners who show forth the exceeding riches of his grace. Others, all others, are the works of his hands. But Bill Raleigh, you and I are We are the product of his sweat, and his blood, and his heart, and his death. Oh, these show forth the praise of the Triune God forever.

In heaven, you and I shall be creatures who have known sin Oh my God, how well we made sin. And let us never, never, never, never cease here to weep over sin. If you listen to me, Merle Hart, when you stand before God in glory, in the perfection of Jesus Christ, you will keenly remember all your sin without one pain to cause the sin. Can you get that? Without one pain to cause the sin, without one twinge of guilt, without one bit of agony in heart, without one tear in your eye to cause the sin. What on earth are you saying We shall be creatures who have known sin and know what it is to be completely recovered from the pollution of guilt and penalty and all the consequences.

I keep coming back to that event in David's life when Nathan said to him, And David said, I sinned. And the Lord said to David, or Nathan said to David, the Lord has forgiven your sin. And David went into his house, I suppose, went into his house. And in the privacy of his chamber, he penned these words, to whom the Lord will not be pleased. I, I kind of skirt around that sometimes down here. I kind of, I kind of wade out in the waters down here and enjoy the refreshing feel of that deep, deep water.

But in heaven's glory, we shall know the blessedness of being whom the Lord has not, and will not, impute sin. Should Gabriel himself offer to trade places with this ransomed sinner, I don't think I could be persuaded. You see, it is an infinitely greater honor and privilege to be the least of God's children in this world. than to be the brightest angel of his presence in heaven. We enjoy blessings and privileges of grace that Adam never had in the garden, and never could have had in the garden. We enjoy blessings and privileges of grace that the angels of God, in their perfect holiness, can never possess in heaven's glory. Never. tell us something about that. He ain't going to talk to us about that. Ruth will tell us something about that. We've been redeemed. Redeemed. We've been redeemed. Forgiven of all sin.

We who have no righteousness have been made perfectly righteous through the imparted or the imputed righteousness of Christ. and made holy by the imparted righteousness of our Savior. We, who are by nature the enemies of God, whose hearts breathe in meekness of God. Ron Whitman made reconciled to God. So that God has no reason for a quarrel with us. and we've been brought in the yin to the yang. You and I are the adopted sons and daughters of God Almighty.

Behold, John wrote, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God. Now, because of our fallen attitude, and our recovery in Christ, you and I who are born of God, shall be granted the privilege of a glorious resurrection, which is described as the glorious liberty of the sons of God.

Had we not fallen in we would never experience death, and we would never experience resurrection of the dead. Never happened. But having fallen in our father Adam, there awaits a day of resurrection glory when the Son of God shall come and gather the dust of our flesh out of the graves and conform us perfectly glory. Beyond the reach of sin, beyond the reach of sorrow, beyond the reach of death.

When we drop these robes of flesh, we'll sleep in the arms of our Savior, that is, our Father's will. We will depart to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord. We'll depart immediately and be with Christ. For these bodies, in the last day, will be raised again. And I know that in my flesh, with my eyes, I'll see my Redeemer.

And because of what Christ has done, both in allowing us to fall And in recovering us from the fall, the full glory of God shall be made manifest in us to wandering worlds. How can I express what I want to express, and what must be expressed? God in the fullness of his glorious figure, in the glory of all his splendorous attributes, could never make himself known but by redemption. Adam couldn't know him in the garden like we know him now. And we're going to know him yonder in heaven in us, God will display to wandering worlds all the glory of his being.

The damned in hell will know his power, and his justice, his truth, and his immutability. But only among them indeed can be known both his truth, and his justice, and his immutability, along with his love, and his mercy, and his grace. All here is displayed the manifold wisdom of God in redeeming sinners from a fallen, ruined condition. This is Jesus for us. Again, that which we willingly give to the Lord Jesus Christ because of our experience of his grace may be called his spoil.

Years ago, I've forgotten the details, but I read of a man for whom Philip Doddridge successfully made intercession. He was a condemned man. I don't remember his crime, it was back in the 1700s. And Doddridge succeeded in getting the man a reprieve. And this is what the man wrote to Doddridge in a letter. for you've had compassion on every drop of it.

You are my deliverer and you have a right to me. If I live, I am your property and I will be your faithful servant. Now I take his words and make this consecration to Jesus Christ. Every drop of my blood For you have had compassion on every drop of it. You are my deliverance. And you have a right to it. If I live, I'm your prophet. By your grace, I will be your faithful servant. You're not your own. You're not your own. You're bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirits, which are God's.

Our hearts must be given to Christ and to Christ alone forever. We love him because he first loved us. Our gifts must be tokens of love for Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Like the alabaster box, let's do what we can for him, just for his glory. Our talents must be spent in his service. Oh my God, what feeble talents do these hands have? What feeble talents are found in these lips? What feeble talents are found in this body? Let me use them for him and not for anything else.

Our homage and reverence, praise and obedience to Christ individually and as a congregation of believers are his rightful spoil. this whole race will one day bow before him, for this is Jesus for our eyes. This is the result of his redemption work. Now, before I send you home, let me give you a foretaste of tonight's message. Look back in chapter 30 of 1 Samuel again.

These fellows came and said, these wicked men of Belial, they said, don't give those fellows who lagged behind, those fellows who stayed by the stud, those fellows who didn't go to battle, don't give them any of the spoil. And David said, who will hearken unto you in this matter? But as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that carrieth by the sky. They shall part alike.

And it was so from that day forward that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day. And when David came to Ziklag, he sent to the spoil and to the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you. These fellas wanted to keep everything for themselves because they thought they had gotten the victory. They thought they had won the spoils. They said, we went down to the battle, we recovered, we have recovered the spoils. Is that verse 22? We will not give them all of the spoil that we have recovered.

But David knew better. David wouldn't allow it to happen. He divided his spoil equally with all the men of Israel, with the faint and the strong alike. And our Lord Jesus Christ, David's great son, will do exactly the same thing. He will come and pass out his glory in all its fullness to all his saints, making every child in his kingdom totally equal. perfectly equal, fully possessing His glory and the blessing. This is David's spoil. This is Jesus' spoil. And that's what's meant by David's spoil. Now learn these lessons, take them home and rejoice.

Sin, horrible as it is, contracts no guilt that grace does not remove. Sin, hideous, obnoxious as it is, brings no deformity that grace does not correct. Sin, debasing as it is, loses no blessing that grace does not restore, sin, tormented as it is, causes no grief, that grace does not turn to joy and to reason for praise. Where sin abounded, right here, And God's creation where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Oh, thank God for his wisdom and grace revealed in our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Lord will end tonight. I'll take up right here where I left off and I'll try to answer this question, who shall be rewarded?