Well, we return to 1 Samuel,
but only to a phrase in verse 3 of chapter 20. Now, you know
that we've been following this, never intended for it to be a
series, but that's what it's turned into. And David was well
aware of Saul's envy. Saul, the first king of Israel. God advised them through Samuel,
you shouldn't want a king. God was their king. If they were
a picture of the people of God, God was their king. But David
was well aware, because he's now anointed to be king. And
he's loved by the people. He's defeated Goliath. He's done
so many, everything he seems to put his hand to, God blesses.
But Saul was envious. You remember what the women sang?
Ah, Saul slain his thousands. Oh, isn't he good? David slains
his tens of thousands. So much better. And Saul was
envious. And Saul wanted to kill him.
I told you last week that from about chapter 18 through to the
end of the book to chapter 31, it's just full of Saul's attempts
to kill David. And Jonathan didn't believe it
was so. At the start of chapter 20, in
the verses there, I'll just paraphrase them, but in verse 2, Jonathan
says, no, my father's not going to kill you. God forbid, you
shan't die. My father won't do anything to
you. Why? Because, of course, Saul had
taken Jonathan. He'd understood Jonathan's love
for David. And he thought, I'll persuade
him that I have no evil intention towards David. Jonathan didn't
believe it but David knew that Saul would have him dead by whatever
means he could. He made him captain of a big
part of the army and sent him into a fierce battle thinking
well surely he'll get killed there but he wasn't. Why wasn't
he? God was with him. God was with
him in everything that he did. But in verse 3 of chapter 20
of 1st Samuel knowing jonathan's disbelief
of it david tells him the truth of it david swear moreover and
said thy father certainly thy father saul certainly knoweth
that i have found grace in thine eyes that you jonathan like me
therefore he's not going to tell you jonathan what he intends
to do to me and he says let not jonathan know this lest he be
griefed that i intend to kill him but truly as the Lord liveth
this is David saying to Jonathan truly there's nothing truer as
thy soul liveth There is but a step between me and death. A step between me and death. I've called this message, But
a Step. There is but a step between me
and death. That's what David realized, this
young man who had so much blessing upon him, he knew that there
was but a step between, how close to eternity he was. Do you know,
that fact, that statement, There is but a step between me and
death. It applies universally even today. They say, you read
in the news, we hear in the news, we're all living longer. We're
all living longer. That's a bit of an exaggeration.
Some people on average are living longer, but we're not all living
longer. Some people are still dying quite young. Maybe. On average, many people are living
longer, but there is still but a step between all of us and
death. Let me read again those verses
we read in Psalm 90. You don't need to turn to it,
but if you can do so. Psalm 90, verse 10. The days
of our years are three score years and ten. Now those of you
at school know, when I went to school we were taught what scores
were. 20, 20. Three score, three twenties,
60. Plus 10, 70. The lifespan was
written to be 70. And you wonder, if you ever wander
around old graveyards, you know on your tours around the country,
wander around old graveyards, you look at the ages at which
they died. 20 something, 30 something, not many of them beyond 70, the
days of our years are three score and 10. And if by reason of strength,
ladies at the front, if by reason of strength, they before score
years, which there are for two of you, 80 plus, yet is their
strength labor and sorrow. come on preacher preach something
happy we don't want to hear this sorry this is what the word of
God says their strength yet is their strength labor and sorrow
for it is soon cut off and we fly away who knoweth the power
of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath You
know, we're sinners. We have to face a God of justice.
So, teach us. This is a prayer. Teach us to
number our days. Teach us to be aware of the fragility
of our lives. Teach us to be aware that we're
not here forever. teach us to be aware that we
are, like all flesh, going to die, and we're going somewhere
else, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. You see, I can tell you that we're all
going to die, and you go, yeah, okay, all right, but it doesn't
really start ringing an alarm bell in there. But when it does
start, if it does, by God's grace, start to ring an alarm bell,
do you know what you'll want to know? Where can I apply my
heart unto wisdom? Do you know what that wisdom
is that it speaks of in verse 12? It's the wisdom that's throughout
the scriptures. It's the wisdom of the grace
of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. For Christ is made unto
us Wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.
That's wisdom. When wisdom cries out in Proverbs
chapter 8, who is it that's crying out? It's the Lord Jesus Christ
in the gospel of his grace. Teachers. Teach us how fragile
we are that we may apply our hearts to knowing the gospel
of God's grace. Teach us to be aware of the limited
span of our lives and to use what we have in the knowledge
of God's gospel and the comfort of his salvation and in the blessings
of wisdom which is from God. and in the service of our Lord
Jesus Christ, for there is no happier way to live. Ah, says
Satan to your fallen soul, don't listen to them, come with us,
come with us, look at the world, look at the fun it's having,
look at the great time it's having. Teach us to apply our time to
wisdom, the limited time we have. I've got three points. Number
one, a universal unavoidable fact. Number two, some are nearer
than others, and number three, some presume falsely that they
have time on their side. First of all, a universal, unavoidable
fact. A universal, unavoidable fact.
There is but a step between me, between all of us, and death.
Now, this isn't a new message. You've heard me say this almost
every time I preach you know it you know it's true if you've
listened to a word I've said you know it's true this isn't
a new message but it's one that we need to hear and keep in mind
again and again when you're young waiting for your next birthday
or where are we now we're October so younger people are waiting
for Christmas aren't you you know what's going to happen you
see when When the older ones amongst us were kids, Christmas
was a nice family time and there were some nice little presents
like tangerines and nuts in the stocking at the bottom of your
bed. These days, Christmas is payday for being children. It's
payday, where these parents that had you as children are under
an obligation to pay you significant blessings of material goods and
things, yes? Isn't that the way it has become?
And so you can't wait to get there, to get your rights, you're
due at Christmas, yes? And it seems to go on forever,
doesn't it? It seems an awful long time waiting for a birthday
or for Christmas. The older you get, The older
you get, things don't seem to hang around. They seem to speed
up. Everybody who's older will say,
the older you get, you think back and you think, gosh, where
did it go? I can't believe that. Where did it go? Look back. Do
you know, I know I've said this before, apologies, but it's worth
meditating on these things. You'll have examples for yourself.
It is coming up for 16 years since we moved into this house.
And the day we moved in, Evelyn and Janine came and helped us
and bought us fish and chips from the shop down the road,
and we all sat in that room there, and do you know, to me, it seems
like it was last Friday. Sixteen years ago. Where did
it go? And when another time like that
has gone again, do you know what? I'll be over four score years.
I will. I'll be in my four score years,
and a bit, by then. You see, it goes so quickly. Do you know, inside here, inside
me, the guy inside here, he's 25. You know that? 25, this chap
in here is 25. And he can hardly believe that
in actual fact this body's 65. You know, isn't that, you're
all, the old ones, you're nodding. You know, there's a young person
in there, isn't there? But the body's getting old. and
decaying. Even the very old, those that
have lived to a hundred or more, confess how quickly it all seems
to have passed. You know we read in the scriptures
of the young pretty flower just yesterday and today it's wrinkled
and infirm and it's old. Jacob told Pharaoh. Pharaoh said
to Jacob when he was a hundred and thirty years old, he lived
to a good old age, a hundred and thirty years, and Pharaoh,
you know like people like to say to old people, how old are
you? And Jacob said, the days of the years of my pilgrimage
are a hundred and thirty years. Oh, good for you! No, Jacob says,
few and evil have the days of the years of my life been. Few
and evil. That's the best I can say of
them. Apart from knowing the wisdom of the gospel which he
knew when God turned him from Jacob to Israel, when he turned
him from the cheat and the swindler into Israel, a prince with God,
apart from that, he said, in the flesh, view and evil have
been the days of the years of my life. James tells us in the
New Testament, chapter 4 verse 14, ye know not what shall be
on the morrow. What's going to happen tomorrow?
You know what you think you might do, you know what you think will
probably happen, but you don't know, do you? You don't know,
none of us know, for what is your life? It is even a vapour. Have you seen a vapour? You know
when the kettle's boiling and the steam's coming out of it
and seconds later, where's it gone? It's a vapour, a vapour
that appears for a little time and then vanish, vanisheth away. None of us knows when or how
we will die. We don't know whether we'll die
in old age, of old age, my mother died just over a year ago of
old age they couldn't put anything else on the on the death certificate
she just gradually faded away because her body had just given
up and things stopped working you might die like that of old
age you might die by accident people do young people do you
might die by disease it used to be very common over a hundred
years ago to die of infectious disease it's a lot less common
now but it's not unknown not unknown You might die by violence,
as many people still do around the world, in natural disaster,
or in war, or in conflict. But what is true for everybody,
Hebrews 9, 27, that every one of us have got an appointment.
It's appointed for each to die once, and then the judgment.
And there are certain things that are absolutely indisputable
facts. The unbeliever will dispute them,
but the truth of God says this. Don Faulkner said this. Number
one, We're going to die because we all deserve to die. If you
know anything of the holiness of God, and the justice of God,
and what we are by nature, you know that we deserve to die.
You know by observation that we are certain to die, certain
to die, sooner or later. That when we die, that that verse
has just told us, when we die, immediately, we stand before
the judgment seat of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 10, we
must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Number four,
this is indisputable. Our body may die, but our soul
is immortal. And that will continue in eternity,
either in a state of bliss in heaven with God, or in a state
of hell under the just condemnation of God for sin. And here's the
fifth one. whether our time, I say time,
that's the wrong word to use, whether we pass into an eternal
heaven or an eternal hell is determined before we die. What
is the state of your heart before God now? From the day of your
birth, all of us, you're a dying man or a dying woman. You know,
we rejoice in a newborn child, but you know, from that very
moment, there is one who is dying. There is one who is dying. Are
you awake to the mortal state you are in? Or are your fingers
in your ears? You know, people go, they don't
want to hear something, la la la, put their fingers in their
ears. Will you listen to God's word and heed its warnings? Because if you will, If you will,
I know there's alarm and fear with this, but I have the best
news that an alarmed soul can hear this side of death. Stick
with me for a bit longer. That's the first point. It's
a universal, unavoidable fact. Secondly, some are nearer than
others. Some are nearer to it than others.
Whilst it's universally true that we're all going to die,
for some it's reasonable to assume that they're closer to that step
into death than others. Wouldn't you say? I would. I
would say I'm closer now than I was forty years ago, by a long
way. Some of you are a bit closer
than me, aren't you? Three score plus ten, maybe four
score. We regularly hear of people living
beyond a hundred, as if everyone without exception soon will,
but beware of presumption. How do you that are old view
that fact that you're closer to death than most people that
live around us in society. As you get older the closer you
get to it. How do you who are old view that fact If life is
a day, 24 hours, right? And these young folks, like this
little chap over here, he's kind of, he's barely 6 o'clock in
the morning, he's kind of 4 o'clock in the morning. And there are
some others that are kind of 7, 8 o'clock in the morning,
and some that are 10 in the morning, and some that are getting into
the afternoon, and others of us are well on into the evening,
and some are probably 10 or 11 o'clock at night. I'm not pointing
fingers or saying anything. It's just a fact, isn't it? If
life is a day, some of you who are older are well into the evening
hours. Now your reaction to that fact,
that startling realization hinges on one thing. It's whether you
have the faith of God's elect or not. Do you have the faith
of God's people? If you do, your reaction to the
fact that you're close to death is completely different to your
reaction if you don't have that faith. Without that faith, it
is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
That's what the scripture says. We're told that our God is a
consuming fire. to those who are outside of Christ.
We're told that outside of Christ there is nothing other than just
wrath for sin. We're told that outside of Christ
there is the curse of the law. For cursed, says the scripture,
is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them. There's a curse outside
of Christ. There's condemnation for sin. There's the transgression of
God's law and of God's nature which demands justice. And there is a debt, a debt,
don't like being in debt, a debt you cannot pay. You know that
you face a debt in eternity. And verse 27 of Hebrews 10 tells
us that it is a certain fearful looking for judgment and fiery
indignation. What, short of your eternal condemnation,
will satisfy the strict justice of your Creator? Ask yourself
that. What is it, short of your eternal condemnation? Nothing.
He must eternally condemn to satisfy his strict justice. But,
but, be alarmed if you're outside of Christ. Hear that, be alarmed.
But if you have the faith of God's elect, you look to Christ. You look to God's Son. You look
to the one who has made complete satisfaction to the offended
justice of God for you. That's where you look. You're
closer to death, but it's not a fear for you, it's not a dread
for you, for you look to Him. You know that He who knew no
sin, was made your sin, and bore the law's punishment for your
sin, that the justice of God might be satisfied, that the
accounts might be balanced, that the debt might be cleared, because
he has made you the righteousness of God in him. How holy must
you be to go to heaven as righteous as God. You must have that holiness,
that righteousness, without which no man shall see the Lord. And
in what the Lord Jesus Christ has done, believer, old believer,
Old believer, resting in Christ, looking to him, you know he has
made you the righteousness of God in him. The debt is cleared
in full. Righteousness, the righteousness
of God is imputed to your account. Bold will I stand in that great
day. Who ought to my charge shall
lay? I'll stand there before that throne, for there is therefore
now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Do you
fear death? Not if you're in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Oh, it might feel like a chilly river, the prospect
of a chilly river, but oh, There's no fear. There's no fear there. There's nothing other than a
welcome in the eternal bliss of God's glory. Isaac Watts,
the hymn writer, some of whose hymns we've already sung this
morning, he said that when he went to bed each night, he was
happy. He was in a state where he was
happy to wake either here or in eternity. Is that you? When
I go to sleep each night, I'm happy. If he takes me to eternity,
If I die and leave this body, I'm happy because I know in whose
arms I rest. I'm happy to be in him. Listen
to Philippians chapter 1. Here's an apostle, the apostle
Paul, who was in prison, and knew he was going to die, he
was in prison under house arrest in Rome. But look what he says
in verse 20 of chapter 1. According to my earnest expectation
and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, so that with
all boldness as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified
in my body, whether it be by life or by death. I don't mind. It's not a big issue to me anymore,
I don't mind. Whether it be by life or death.
For to me, to live, is Christ. If I carry on living here, my
life has got to be Christ. For as he wrote in Galatians,
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not
I, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me
and gave himself for me. To live is Christ. And to die? Well that's better. That's gain.
That's gain. If I die, that's gain. If I live
in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour. Yet what shall
I choose? I want my mind out. I cannot
make my mind up. I'm in a strait betwixt two,
having a desire to depart, to die, to go to be with Christ
in glory. For he's promised that in his
father's house there are many mansions. What does he mean by
that? I don't know. It does not yet appear what we
shall be, but this we know When we shall see him, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is believer. If you're
trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, no wonder there's a desire to
depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. But Paul
says then, nevertheless, to abide in the flesh is more needful
for you. And maybe God keeps us here because
there's a service for him that we have yet to do. Oh yes. With the faith of God's elect,
you look with hope and confidence to that eternal state. It isn't
a fearful thing to you. You're nearer. Oh, praise God
for that. Do you know something? People
say, oh, I wish I was younger again. Do you know, I'm not speaking
piously in the slightest bit, but to have to go through all
that again. I loved so much of it, but I don't want to have
to go through it again. I don't, you know, it's like, it's like,
you know, the marathon runner who's run the marathon and he's,
right, go back to the beginning and do it again. Oh, no, I don't
think I want to do that. No, I'm nearly at the finishing
line. No. But without Christ, without the
faith of God's elect, listen, this is what Hebrews 2.15 says.
It talks about them who don't have the faith of God's elect,
who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage. The world would view me now as
being the wrong side of 60, but no, in Christ, I'm the heaven
side of 60. Isn't that good? I've told you
this one before, I heard it years ago. There was a an old lady
who was confined to bed and she was dying she knew she was dying
she had a disease from which she wasn't going to recover and
she knew she was dying and I think it was an old pastor visited
her and he came into the room and he said he said I said I
see you're still in the land of the living she said no I'm
still in the land of the dying she said I hope soon to be in
the land of the living that's the truth that's what it's like
for those who have the faith of God's elect are you happy
Are you contented? Are you unafraid? Are you living
your life, whatever your age or state of health, knowing you
are but a step from death? Oh, that's a blessed state to
be in, isn't it? What a blessing. Do you know
David? We're talking about David in 1 Samuel, but Paul quotes
him in Romans 4, 6-8. Even as David in the Psalms also
describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without work, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to
whom the Lord will not impute sin. Is that the testimony of
your heart? Because if you're in Christ it
is. you look to him. Every debt that you owe to the
law and justice of God has been paid by him, and in Christ you
know blessedness because you know he's borne my sins, he's
taken them away. I know I can stand, as I've already
said, bold shall I stand in that great day. Bold! Why? For Christ has done all for me.
Thirdly, third point, some presume they have time on their side.
You're young. You're healthy. You might have
had one of these work health reports of the type that I used
to get when I was working. You go for your Bupa health check
and it comes out and oh, good figures. Oh, look at that. Last
one I had, I think I was, I was probably about 58 or 59. And you know they get you to
blow into this machine with a great big, and you think it's going
to be hard, like blowing up a balloon. It isn't, it's, there's nothing
there. And the idea is that you have
to blow and keep blowing as long as you can, with no resistance
there. And on the strength of that, they told me at 58, I had
the lungs of a 36-year-old. Good, eh? What? Oh, yes, yes.
So, good medical report. Still fit. Think so. Think so. Despite some people thinking
I'm losing a bit too much weight, but yes, I still feel fit. And
you acknowledge that you're going to die. Yes, I do. You might,
you know, you're young, you've got time on your side, you acknowledge
it, but it's not for many years yet, is it? Is it, you young
ones, you're not gonna die for a long time, there's no need
to be alarmed, is there? You might even have been taught
the gospel. You might even have been taught
the gospel. And you don't deny, you know it's true, you know
all these people that you love around you, they believe it,
and you know it's true, but you think that you can live as if
you've got many years untroubled before you. You know, you know
this gospel, but for now, I'm going to do the things I want
to do and what the world entices me to do. And then when death
gets a bit nearer, and I know I'm nearer to it, then I know
the gospel, then I'll make my peace with God. That's what many
think, you know. Beware of presumption. Don't
procrastinate. Do you know what that word means?
Procrastinate? It's to do with Latin for tomorrow. Crass, I think, is Latin for
tomorrow. If I remember rightly from my school days, put it off
till tomorrow. Don't put it off till tomorrow.
Don't procrastinate. Don't procrastinate. Do it now. Get right with God now. Think
about your eternal state now. Teach me to number my days and
apply myself to wisdom, the wisdom of the gospel. Spurgeon told
a story of a man on a ship that was in a terrible storm and he
was frightened the storm was going to overwhelm the ship and
they and all the crew were going to die. And the man was on his
knees praying in the storm and the captain came up to him when
all help was needed to help save the ship. And the captain said
to him, save your prayers for fine weather. Now is not the
time, save your prayers for fine weather. Do you know, that's
so true. Save your prayers for fun. Don't
think you can leave it till the end of life crisis. You can't.
When is the time to mend the roof of your house if it's got
a hole in it? Wait till the hurricane comes.
Wait till the rain is pouring down in floods. That's not a
good time to try mending the house. I remember a couple of
years ago when Stephen and Sam were having the extension put
on the roof. And the way it was done, there was a violent storm
and the story goes, well not a story, it's absolutely true,
he's sat here nodding with me, that steam was up about two o'clock
in the morning trying to batten down the hatches where there
was a bit of the roof missing as the water was pouring into
the house. The time to mend the roof is not when the storm is
on, the time to mend the roof is when the sun's shining. That's
it. Mend the roof when the sun shines.
Get right with God now. Now. A believer was lying on
his deathbed. Here's another one. A believer
was lying on his deathbed, and not long for this world. And
a visitor told him, again, probably a pastor, seeing how ill he was,
how close to death he was, he said, you know, like the Catholics
do, make your peace with God before you die. And this man
was a believer. And do you know what he said?
My peace was made with God by Christ at Calvary, and there's
nothing more to do. That's the testimony of faith.
My peace was made with God at Calvary, and there's nothing
more to do. Those of you who think you're
a long way from death, ask God, as that verse in Psalm 90, to
teach you to number your days, to resolve to get right with
God now, in the gospel of his grace, The world would tell you
to sow your wild oats while you're young. You're fit. Do it now. Leave the things of
eternity till you're older. But you don't know if you'll
ever have the chance. You don't know. Who knows? Those
that have had their lives snatched away from them by accident or
sudden disease. You read about it all the time.
I know it's not common, but it happens. Do not think you're
immune. 2 Corinthians 6 verse 2, talking
about salvation. When is the best time to believe?
When is the best time in your life to believe the gospel? Behold
now is the accepted time. Behold now is the day of salvation. Now is the day of salvation.
Get your accounts in good order and do it now, with God and with
fellow men. with the latter, with fellow
men. Don't let the sun go down on your wrath. That's what the
scripture says. Don't let the sun go down. Make peace. Right
the wrongs before it's too late. Again Spurgeon tells the story
of a husband and wife who had a quarrel and it was a serious
quarrel. And the husband was going out
to work and before he went he resolved to make peace with his
wife and he said, let's not part like this. Come on, kiss me.
Before I go out to, and she turned away, she said, no, I'm not kissing
you. And he went out and you know, he was killed in his work
that day. And that wife lived the rest
of her days in bitter, bitter sorrow that her husband had died
and they hadn't made peace. Oh, with you fellow men, Don't
let the sun go down on your wrath. Make peace. Right wrongs before
they're too late. But what's more important? With
God. With God. with God. Today is
the day of salvation. What does he say? Look unto me
and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth, for I am God and
there is no other. What do you do to be saved? What
must I do, Philippian jailer? What must I do? I know there
is but a step between me and death and that step might be
in the next 24 hours. What must I do to be saved? Paul
and Silas believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be
saved and not just you but anybody else in your household. Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ. Look and be saved. Look like
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness said Jesus
to Nicodemus in John 3. referring back to Numbers 21.
As Moses lifted up that serpent, which was a picture of the thing
that was killing the people, the poisonous snakes, look unto
me and be ye saved. There is life in a look at the
crucified one. There is life in that, eternal
life. What must I do? Believe. Jesus
said, whosoever, whosoever And if free grace, why not for me? And if free grace, oh bless God
for free grace and sovereign grace and electing power. And
if free grace, why not for me? Whosoever believeth in me hath
everlasting life. You who believe, no wonder you
can sleep tonight indifferent as to whether you wake up here
or in eternity because you have eternal life. And what are you
to believe? Believe Christ. Trust Christ. Rest on Him. Rest on your union
with Him. That Christ has fully satisfied
divine justice for you, on your behalf, in your place. And believing,
commit to Him. Rest in Him. Put your eternal
soul in His safekeeping. And all the blessings that flow
from that. This morning, we read Ephesians chapter 1. Before we
got up this morning we read Ephesians. Have you read it recently? If
you want a condensed package of the blessings of believing
the gospel of Christ, read Ephesians chapter one again. And then go
to bed tonight unafraid of dying. For you'll be in the everlasting
arms. For in Him, in Him is all that you need. Everything. See
how many times it says in whom? In Christ. In Christ we have. Spiritual blessings, spiritual,
every spiritual blessing, it says right at the start, every
spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ. Oh, the blessedness,
the blessedness of the people of God. There is but a step between
you and death. There is but a step. Oh, the
blessedness of knowing that you're ready for it whenever it happens. Amen.