We're gonna be in 2 Samuel chapter 18, looking at the close of that chapter. Now this passage here follows the death of Absalom and it covers, now what we're gonna be looking at here, it covers the report that is given to David concerning these things.

And for David, the only thing that mattered The only news that mattered to David was the news about Absalom. That's all he wanted to know, is how has it gone for Absalom? Is the boy safe or not? And so that's the focus of tonight's message here. Now, it's been well documented regarding Absalom that he sought to overthrow his own father.

He is the son of David. He sought to take the throne from David. He sought to take David's life. If he could have done it, he would have taken his own daddy's life to have his throne. But that was the throne that was promised to Solomon, David's other son, Solomon. And Absalom was going to take it for himself.

And so the first thing that we notice here in this is that this is what we see in Absalom is an example of the rebellion in the heart of man by nature against God. It was God's will that David sit on the throne. It was God's will that the throne passed to Solomon. Absalom didn't care for God's will. Absalom wanted the throne for himself, and it's a picture of the nature of man who rebels against the rule and the authority of God.

It's as that parable that our Lord gives where the citizens of that country sent and said, we will not have this man. your son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we will not have him to reign over us. And so Absalom is a picture of man's corrupt, sinful nature.

Yet we also know that in the grace of our God, knowing what we are, seeing us, knowing what we are and how sinful and wicked man is capable of being and what man is capable of doing, yet God has chosen a people for himself. He's chosen a people in Christ. He's given them to Christ. It's a people that he loves dearly. He chose His people. He loves them dearly. And even though that people in Adam fell, our Lord still sent His Son to come forth to redeem His people that are sinners, that fell in Adam. He still is very gracious so that He came forth for sinners, dead in trespasses and sins.

When you look at the children of God, You can't tell any difference between them by nature and the world, especially before conversion. There's no difference in them. There's nothing special about them that would say that's a child of God. When we judge, we judge wrongly oftentimes.

It's usually the one that you least expect is the one that the Lord calls. and blesses. And so he came forth to deliver his people from death. He came forth to save his people from that condemnation. And in fact, when we were yet sinners, when we were yet in enmity against God, seeing God, viewing God as an enemy of ours, heeding the voice of the wicked one, the scriptures tell us that God commended his love in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. And even when we didn't deserve it. In other words, we didn't deserve it. We didn't do any works. We didn't do anything to merit God's favor or to God say, oh, well, they're trying. No, we weren't trying at all. The only thing we were trying to do was cast God off from us.

And so this remembrance of God, what he has done for us, who by nature are sinners, rebels, rebellious sinners against the true and living God, that picture of the gospel, that sense of the good news for us, is what we see here in David's tender love for his son. David loves his son Absalom. He's very dear to him. And so for us, as we're looking at it from the outside, we're looking at David, and we're hearing David taking care to say, don't harm the boy, Make sure you take care. Go easy on him. Don't kill him. Don't take his life. Go easy on him. He's my son. Take it easy. We look at that and say, David, come on, man. What are you thinking? Are you that naive? This boy hates you. He's ready to kill you. You mean nothing to him. And you're going to put your men in danger. to risk their lives to catch him, but without killing him. He could take out 10 people doing that. And it's just not very thoughtful or very wise, David. How can you be so foolish? This man has caused so much anxiety and stress in the kingdom. The productivity of the kingdom's lost. Everything's upset. Stuff's got to stop. And you're all fleeing. And the expense of what you're doing, it has great cost, what he's doing. but you're gonna love him and forgive him and just receive him and you don't want us to harm this man.

And then at the news, when it is told to David that his son died, he's mourning for him and he's crying out for him. He's saying things like, would God I had died for thee? Oh Absalom, my son, my son. And I don't know if he means, I would have preferred if you got me before I got you. But what I think he's saying is, if naturally I would have died, if it would have been God's will to give you the throne, I would rather have just naturally died and you just took it than it worked out the way it worked out.

And so we look at David and we think, come on David, you're being really naive, but I mean as a parent, you know, when it's your child, you think about things differently. That is one thing, but I don't think this is put here in scripture for us to judge. This isn't about David's character or about whether or not we agree with David being soft and tender toward his son.

There's a purpose why this is recorded in scripture, and it's about the gospel. And in the light of the gospel, there's light shed on this passage that reveals to us the glory of the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That's what we want to see. That's what we want to hear is Christ. What does this say to me about the Lord Jesus Christ? What does it say to you, the hearer? What does it say to me, who's here preaching? this gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. What do we take from this passage here?

Well, the first thing that we notice is from David's love for this rebellious son is that, well, we are reminded, first of all, of God's love for his rebellious people. That God does have a people whom he loves, not because we merited it, not because we deserve it, but because God loves whom he loves. He is compassionate to whom he is compassionate. In fact, we think that there's no love greater than the love of a mother for her child. That there's no greater love there.

But the scriptures say that that's not even necessarily true. In fact, it's not true. Isaiah says in Isaiah 49, 15, can a woman forget her sucking child, her newborn babe? Can a woman forget that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget. It does happen. It does happen. And there are women that would, to save themselves, would abandon their child and leave their child. It does happen. But the Lord says, I won't forget. I won't do that to you. You who I've set my love upon from before the foundation of the world, I will not forget you. I will never leave you nor forsake you. I will not forget you.

We mustn't forget that we have been born again, raised from being dead in trespasses and sins, but when we were born, we were born dead, we were born sinners, we were born in ignorance and in darkness, yet the scriptures tell us that when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, by the death of his son.

Now, Ephesians 2, 4 through 8 says, so that God, who is rich in mercy, we forget, we may abandon, we may do a loved one wrong, but when it comes to God, who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened, or made us alive together with Christ, by grace ye are saved, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Now you think about Absalom who was ready to take his father's life that he could sit on his throne. And here the scriptures tell us that you that are Christ and purchased of him, we're already there. We're already seated in heaven. Though we don't see it except by faith, we already have our eternal inheritance. We're seated in the presence of Christ. I don't understand that fully, but we're there. We are right now in the presence of our Lord, seated with him in glory. And so he's raised us up together in that sense. And therefore, right now, by faith, we are partakers of that inheritance.

We are partakers of His grace so that we hear His word, we hear the voice of Christ, we follow Him, we believe Him. That, he tells us, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace and his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are you saved, through faith, and that, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Meaning that faith is not of this flesh. All men have not faith, but you that have faith, it's because God gave it to you. It's his gift to you whereby you believe Christ because you have been raised together with him and are even now seated with the Lord Jesus Christ. And in the ages to come, that faith will become sight. And you'll see it. And you'll know it.

Now from the beginning of Absalom's evil works being recorded in scripture, David was always willing to reconcile with Absalom. You go back to the earliest recordings of Absalom's murdering his brother Amnon, and David, I mean, he was not happy with him, but he was willing to reconcile with him. And he was willing to, I mean, even from what he says, it seems like he would have preferred to have reconciled with his son Absalom. And do we not see that same willingness in our God and Savior who promised from the foundation of the world when his people fell in sin, when his people rebelled in Adam and heeded the voice of the wicked one, sold ourselves into slavery for nothing, got nothing out of it, except for corruption and death and ruin, Even then, at the beginning, the Lord promised that He would send His Son, who would crush the head of the serpent, who would destroy the works of the devil, and deliver us from them, and give us life and salvation in Him, that He would reconcile and restore all things by redeeming us with His own blood, purchasing us with His own blood. And so, our Lord laid it out from the very beginning. that he was willing to reconcile with his people right at the very beginning, and did it, took steps to do it.

Everything he promised to do, he's brought forth unto us. Everything he says in the scriptures, he's brought forth. And so he even then, after he gave his word there, went and slew two beasts, slew them, shed their blood, and took their skins, and covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve.

A picture of substitution. And also picture that our works, they were sown fig leaves together. And you know when you pluck a leaf off the tree, it's dead. It begins to die immediately. And that's all. Their works were work and was dead, corrupt, ruined, covering.

And so he covered them with skins. It's a picture of our being covered with the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. His blood being shed for ours. Him bearing our sin. to put it away, the sin of his people, to put it away, and to give us life in himself. And so right in the beginning, God preached the gospel of substitution. Now, as David was focused on his son Absalom, who was lost in his rebellion there, so likewise our Lord had determined good for his lost and ruined children. And he purposed to save his people from their sin. And the way that God provided for his children was to commit his people to the care of Jesus Christ. Since we can't save ourselves, since we sold ourselves to slavery and have nothing to pay down our debt and nothing to redeem ourselves with, our Lord paid the price.

He redeemed us by the Son. And so the scriptures say in John 3, 15 through 17, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not a son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. That is, all his people, though they be scattered throughout the world, there is one Savior, and that Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father sent. So that when our Lord came into the world, the Father testified of his good pleasure in him. He's saying, look to him, while the Father's saying, I'm looking to him.

I committed your care and your life to him. I'm looking to him, and I'm well pleased in him. All who come to me in Christ, I am well pleased in him. He said that at his baptism, and then he testified of his being well pleased in all Christ's works. As Nicodemus came to our Lord by night and said, we know that thou art of God. God is with thee, because no man could do the works that you do, except God were with him. We know that. And so when our Lord came into the world, the Father testified of his good pleasure, in him, and he sent him, and he did all these wonderful works, and the scriptures tell us, the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things unto him, given all things into his hand.

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. So, in Christ, God is well pleased. There's no wrath. No wrath for the sinner who flees to Christ. No wrath for them. But those who come to God outside of Christ in their own works, there's only wrath for them. There's nothing but wrath for them.

And so, the life of the sinner who believes on Christ is obtained through the death of the Son. I'm just emphasizing this point before we come into the passage. Our life is obtained through the death of the Son whom the Father sent. It's Christ's death, and the detail surrounding His death is what is most important.

I know a lot of people go to the scriptures and churches, so-called, to preach morality and character improvement and do's and don'ts. That's not what this word is given for. You're not going to fix yourself or save yourself. The only one that can fix you and save you and heal you and bless you with peace with God is the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith, through faith. This book is given to turn our eyes not to what I need to do better and start doing and stop doing, but to turn you to Christ, to flee to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why this word was given.

And so the details around his death are very important. who he is, why he came, and what he accomplished. Why did the Son of God come? Because we're sinners, we can't save ourselves, and he gave his life to purge us of our sins, to put our sins away, to satisfy the holy justice of God, and he rose again on the third day to justify, to show that all who believe him are justified from all things which we could not justify ourselves or save ourselves by. He's done it all. And so these details of his death are of the utmost importance in the preaching of the gospel.

In fact, turn over to Luke 24. Go to Luke 24, to the end of the chapter there, picking up in verse 44. Our Lord says, this is our risen Lord speaking to his disciples whom he's commissioned as his church to go forth preaching the word, preaching the gospel. And he's gonna tell them what that gospel is.

He said unto them, verse 44, these are the words which I spake unto you while I was yet with you. that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me. So as I said before, this book here, we don't go to the Old Testament and start preaching object lessons and character lessons and characters of the Bible and just making you good little Bible students. We're looking here to see Christ, who is salvation, the salvation of God. And he says, all these things spoken of me must be fulfilled concerning me.

Then opened he their understanding that they might understand the scriptures. In other words, then opened he their understanding that they might see, oh, this is testifying of Christ. This whole thing is in a how-to manual. It's telling me about Christ.

And he said unto them, verse 46, thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, meaning to suffer and die. It behooved him to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day. And that repentance and remission of sins, forgiveness of sins, should be preached in his name, not outside of Christ, not just telling you how bad you are and how good you got to be to get to heaven. It's not that. in Christ's name.

You look to Christ through faith. That's where our sins are forgiven. In Him, that they should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. This is the message. This is the whole purpose of the church, is to preach Christ, to exalt Him, so that, because that's how God saves sinners, is in the Lord Jesus Christ, by Him, and by Him alone. All by Him.

And so, We're preaching and declaring that through the death of the son who died as a substitute in the place of his people, we are freed. And freed from our debt and made alive unto God by the gift of his spirit and his grace that we're reconciled unto the father. Just like David wanted to do with his son. We are reconciled to the father by the death of God's son. And so the Lord made everlasting peace with us.

Hebrews 10, 14 through 17 adds, for by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us, for after that he had said before, this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I will put my laws into their hearts. I'll give them life. And in their minds will I write them, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

The preaching of the gospel, the accurate, faithful preaching of the gospel is most important. It's most important because it concerns the death of God's son and what he accomplished. And I say all that to say that's exactly what this passage, the gospel that's being declared in this passage is ministering to us as we read it. It's not just about a little family matter in David's family. That's the gospel, the issue, the importance of the death of the son.

So let's see that. So after Absalom's death, picking up in verse 19, we won't read every verse, but I just want enough to give you this sense here. Verse 19 in 2 Samuel 18, 2 Samuel 18, verse 19. Then said Achimaeus, the son of Zadok, let me now run, right? So Absalom has just been put to death by Joab and Joab's 10 armor bearers.

Let me now run and bear the king tidings how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies. And Joab said unto him, thou shalt not bear tidings this day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day, but this day thou shalt bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. Then said Joab to Cushi, right, so right after that, he says no to Ahimez, and now he turns to this fellow named Cushi, and he says, go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab and ran. Then said Ahimea, he sees this kid taking off, going to tell the king the news. And he says to Joab, but howsoever let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi.

And Joab said, wherefore wilt thou run, my son? It's a tender word, my son. He cares for Ahimea, seeing that thou hast no tidings ready. But howsoever, so Ahimea says, but whatever. He said, let me run. And Joab said unto him, run. Okay, go ahead, get out of here. Go ahead and you run. Then Ahimeas ran by the way of the plain and overran Cushi.

All right, so let's just break this down. This is two messengers, right? Two messengers going out here. One messenger, as we'll see, one messenger carries the full report. One is gonna carry the full report, the whole thing. The other one only carries a portion. of the news.

He's going to say just the easy things that are easy to say and easy to be heard, the things that everybody can be happy about. He's going to just report some of the things. In other words, when he gives just some of the things, what you're going to see is it's not going to satisfy the king. It's not what the king needs to hear, because the king has one need. to hear how things have gone with Absalom. That's all he wants to know, is how have things gone with Absalom. And so that's all he wants to know, but the one runner isn't going to say that. He's not going to give him what he needs to hear. Now there's other differences between these two men as well.

We know Achimaeus was previously useful. He was made useful in reporting some news to David. when Ahithophel's council, wise council, was defeated by Hushai. And Hushai went and got the two boys, and they sent word to David to say, Ahithophel's council's defeated, but you might want to head out further just in case. And so he's a good man. In fact, David calls him a good man. If you look in verse 27, when they recognize that it was Ahimeah's run him, David said, he's a good man. He's a good man.

And it's possible, I mean this is just me speculating, it's possible that Joab didn't want Achimaeus to go and report this news because he's seen David kill people for bad news before. And if he goes and reports that David's son, whom David wanted kept alive, is now dead, he might not be too happy. And so he Maybe, you know, because he did call him my son, obviously it's a term of endearment. Ahimaaz is a little more precious and of value to Joab, and so maybe he just didn't want him to have his name tied to that bad news going to David.

And it's risky. It's risky to tell a king plain news like that, because they might get mad, they might take your life, they might not be too happy with you, just like sometimes maybe you've been unhappy with the bearer of bad news, even though they're not the originator of it, they're just letting you know, and sometimes people take things out on them, just for being the one to tell them.

And so that's why it's believed that Joab sent Cushai instead. And so this is an important detail because Joab allows Ahimeas to run. He says, all right, fine, you can go run, but only Cushai is sent. Hushai is the one who is sent to tell the word to David. And the scriptures speak of the importance of a man, of a preacher, being sent of God. We don't just volunteer and say, I'm just going to do it. But only if the Lord sends us, then we'll go, if the Lord sends us.

And so Romans 10.15 says, how shall they preach except they be sent?

And then it goes on to say, it's written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace. All right, not a half gospel, not just a little bit, the easy parts, but the whole gospel, because in the whole gospel, declaring the full free grace of the salvation of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, not by your works, not my works, but by his works, by what he's done, that is the salvation. That's the peaceful word. That's the word that brings peace between God and men. That's the gospel. and they bring glad tidings of good things.

And so that's of note here in these two messengers going out. Additionally, we might be able to glean something from their names. Ahimea's, his name means brother of anger or my brother is wrath. And so if he only preaches a half message, he's leaving you hanging out there for the wrath of God. You need to hear of Christ. You need to believe on him. You need to look to Christ to be delivered from the wrath of God.

Cushite, on the other hand, is so named, that's not even a name. All that is, is he's a Cushite. He's a Cushite. He's a black man from Ethiopia descended from Cush. They don't even have a name for him. Hey, Cushai. Cushai, come here. Come here, boy. That's all they're saying.

He's a slave. He's a servant of Joab. And we know he's a servant because in verse 21, Cushai bowed himself unto Joab and then ran when he got the orders. When he was sent, he bowed and then he ran. Ahimeas did no such thing. Ahimeas wasn't a servant of Joab. And so we see here that Cushai, he's a servant. and he's sent, and if David is angered by the news, and he takes it out on Cushi, so be it. That was the will of his master, of Joab, that he go and declare this news to David, and he didn't send Ahimaeus. But Cushi also, we're told, is a witness.

He saw these things. He's a witness. Remember, as our Lord said, you are witnesses of these things, right? that today it's not saying that we had to see it back then, but rather we see it by the spirit and grace of God. We are made witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, who he is, why he came, what he accomplished. And we bear witness to you. We testify of these things to you.

And Cushi was a witness to the death of the son. He saw it. In fact, in verse 21, it says, then Joab said to Cushi, go tell the king what thou hast seen. You saw it. You were an eyewitness to it. Go and tell the king what you saw. Just say it. Just lay it out there and tell him what you saw. And then Cushai bowed himself and then ran off to do that which he was sent to do. So again, Cushai is a servant. He's a witness to the death of the son. And he's sent to go and tell it.

He's the one that was sent, whereas Ahimaaz is none of these things. Now, he may have known that Absalom died. He may have known that he died, but it doesn't appear that he's a true witness. And he's not going to bear witness. You're going to see he doesn't even bear witness to it. And so these differences make all the difference. These differences make all the difference in the message that they have to say to David. The whole difference is here.

So Ahimaaz, look at verse 28, Ahimaaz reaches David first. He runs up there, he gets there first. And Ahimaaz called and said unto the king, all is well. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king and said, blessed be the Lord thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

But, That's not a complete message. That's not the whole thing. And as you're going to see, verse 29, the king said, is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimeh has answered, when Joab sent the king's servant, and me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. I saw a big fight going on, but I don't know what happened there. Now, I think that Ahimeh did know what happened there.

But it doesn't necessarily say. Maybe he really did him. But again, that just proves he wasn't the one sent. He wasn't a witness. He wasn't able to bear witness in a complete report to David there. And so he didn't tell David. If he did know, he kept back the most important detail, the David. That was the one thing that David needed to hear. And he wanted to tell David just the easy things.

All right, that's the false gospel, just telling people what they wanna hear, telling people the easy things that tell them, you got this, the Lord is happy with you, you just do your best, and you just keep coming to church and doing it, do what we do, and don't worry about that heart thing. Don't worry about being made a new creature and born again, which is something only the Lord can do.

In other words, we look to Christ in the hopes that the Lord will break their heart, in the hope that the Lord will bless them with his spirit to fall upon them and to break their heart and to show them their need of the Lord Jesus Christ, to tell men that we're sinners, that we cannot save ourselves. If we tell men and put the salvation in their hand as though it's something that they can do for themselves, that's just a lie. It's not the truth. We need God to be gracious to us, and we see his grace in the Son. Look to the Son, believe on him, and thou shalt be saved.

And so he only wanted to say the easy things to David, the things that men can hear, but he kept back what was hard to hear, because he didn't want to say. I don't know if he just feared or if he just wasn't a witness. It really didn't know, but the king wanted to know one thing above all things. Is Absalom safe? That's all he wanted to know. I don't care that we're winning the battle. Is Absalom safe? That was the whole message as far as David was concerned. That's all that he needed to know.

What of my son? What of the death of my son? Now, if this were the gospel being declared, this is what I'm getting at. If this were the gospel that Ahimeh is declaring to David, he left out the most important detail, the death of the son. You see that? If this is the gospel, then he left out the most important detail of the whole thing while we're gathered here. Why did the son come? Why did the son die?

What did he accomplish in his death? We are declaring how that God, by Christ, has put away the sins of his people. He delivered his people from eternal death. He's given life to his people. That's the most important detail. That's why we preach the suffering and death of Christ, and that he rose again on the third day. That's why we preach those important details, because if he was preaching the gospel of David here, David would still be under the wrath of God, having never heard the most important thing, the death of the son. And so for all the effort and speed of Ahimea's that he put into this work, we read in verse 30, the king said unto him, all right, step aside, you stand over here. And he turned aside and stood still. Because it wasn't useful to David. He didn't have what he needed to hear. And then in comes now the slower-footed Cushi.

But he carries the news that the king most needs to hear. Verse 31, And behold, Cushi came, and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king, for the lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee. And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Cushi answered, The enemies of my lord the king And all that rise against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. Wow, those are some bold words to say to the king concerning his son. He didn't hold back, did he? He just said, all your enemies, let them be put to death the way that young man was put to death. And that's bold.

And knowing how tender David was toward his son, yet to hear that word, that plainly, that simply and plainly put there, that is exactly what David needed to hear. And when David heard it, his heart was smitten, his heart was broken, and he wept. He was broken. It says, verse 33, the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom, would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son."

Now, if this were the gospel, if he was there preaching the gospel to David there, even though Cushi was slower, he's less esteemed, he's not a man of renown, he's not known to be a good man or be anything, he's just a servant. He's just an expendable servant that Joab could have done without, yet he's an eyewitness.

He's a witness, and his witness was true. His witness was accurate. His witness was plain. It was exactly what the king needed to hear, exactly what David needed to hear concerning the death of his son. It was a faithful witness concerning the death of the son. He didn't hold anything back trying to gain favor with David. He wasn't looking for any favors. He knew all he was sent to do there was to tell him exactly what he saw.

And that's what it is to preach the gospel. It is to go there and to say things that sometimes people don't want to hear. People do all the time get very upset and mad when you know they want you to say one thing, but you're going to tell them something else. You're going to tell them about Christ, and you're going to exalt Christ, and you're going to keep exalting Christ. And they're telling you, I just want you to talk to me about me. I want you to tell me about good things about me. No, I've got to tell you about Christ.

And we've got to declare when we're sent, we've got to declare Christ. Preach Christ faithfully concerning the death and resurrection of the Son, because that's how men's hearts are broken and smitten. That's when we see, I'm the sinner. I'm the one who's offended.

Holy God, Lord, have mercy on me. Because otherwise, if we take it easy, then you just go out uncaring. Oh, well, no big deal. I can deal without that. Turn over to Acts chapter 2. I want you to see this. Acts chapter 2, and we'll pick up in verse 36. Peter is preaching to the Jews the death of the Son. He's declaring the death of Jesus Christ.

And he says in Acts 2.36, Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made the same Jesus whom ye crucified, both Lord and Christ.

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart. And said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

And the way we save ourselves is fleeing to Christ. He is the salvation of God. And so there's things that men don't want to hear. But if they're the Lord's, he's going to smite their heart. He's going to break their heart. And it's going to be exactly what they need to hear. And they're going to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, because that's who hears it, God's sheep. They hear the word. They're smitten. And they believe.

And so Jesus Christ is the one thing needful. He's the one thing needful for you that are sinners. And his death is what changes everything for the child of God. Just like we see with David, the hearing of the death of his son was the one thing that changed everything for David. It's what he needed to hear, and that's what men need, is to know we're sinners, the Father sent the Son, and Christ saved his people. His death satisfied our Heavenly Father against us for our sins. His death has put away our sins forever.

And so all who believe in Christ and trust His righteousness to save them, the spirit of faith in them is testifying that Christ died for them. And those that don't believe, there's no good news for them. There's nothing to say. We can't say that Christ died for them.

But you that believe Christ, you that confess Him in faith and follow Him, that's a testimony that God is your God, that God has saved you, that God has put away your sins, that God has peace with you, that you are in peace through Jesus Christ with the true and living God. And so it's by that grace we preach this gospel, and you that hear it, believe. Believe on him. And so if God ever sends a preacher to you, he's gonna preach the whole word, he's gonna tell you of Christ, he's gonna declare the death of the son, and by his grace and power, you'll hear and believe being smitten in the heart, and you'll follow him.

There's plenty of preachers out there. They're a dime a dozen, and they're worthless. If they don't tell you what you need to hear of Christ, they're worthless preachers. We don't need more morality. We need sinners broken and delivered from death by the Lord Jesus Christ. He does it. He does the whole thing, the whole thing. So I pray that the Lord breaks your heart and gives you peace only and by the Lord Jesus Christ. Through that message, through the death of the son, I pray the Lord bless that word.