Evidently the battery in this
is dead or something, no lights coming on. Oh yeah it is, I'm sorry, I'm
sorry, I just didn't see it. Psalm 60. Now the title speaks of what
took place in. Second, Samuel Chapter 8. David says, Oh God. Val has cast
us off. Val has scattered us. Val has
been displeased. Oh, turn thyself to us again. Thou has made the earth to tremble. Thou has broken it. Heal the
breaches thereof for it shaketh. Thou has showed thy people hard
things. Thou has made us to drink the
wine of astonishment or trembling. Thou has given a banner. to them
that fear thee, that it might be displayed because of the truth. Selah, that thy beloved may be
delivered, save with thy right hand and hear me. God has spoken
in his holiness. I will rejoice. I will divide
Shechem. and meet out the valley of Sukkoth.
Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also is the
strength of mine hand. Judah is my lawgiver. Moab is
my washpot. Over Edom will I cast out my
shoe. Philistia, triumph thou because
of me. Who will bring me into the strong
city? Who will lead me into Edom? Wilt
not thou, O God, which hath cast us off, and thou, O God, which
didst not go out with our armies, give us help from trouble? For
vain is the help of man. Through God we shall do valiantly,
for he it is. that shall tread down our enemies. Let's pray. Lord, we come into your presence
with thanksgiving. We're so thankful for the blessed
privilege of opening up your word But Lord, we're aware that
we can't understand anything in your word unless you're pleased
to make it known. We pray for your spirit, that
we might be enabled by your grace to hear your gospel from your
word. Lord, we thank you for who you
are. We thank you that your God and beside thee is none else.
We thank you for the salvation that you've given in your son.
We thank you for all your glorious attributes. We thank you for
your providence. We thank you that you're in control
of everything and everybody. Truly, we're thankful. We're
thankful for the trials you send our way because we know they
come from you for our good and for your glory. Lord, we ask
for the forgiveness of sins for Christ's sake. We pray for your
presence with all your people, wherever they meet together.
We pray for our friends that aren't here, that you'd keep
them by your grace. Now bless us for the Lord's sake. In his
name we pray. Amen. Now, if you would read 2 Samuel
chapter 8 about the events that took place, it seems like they're
all victories. They're all wins. And yet, when
David speaks of what takes place, he speaks of them as losses. Now, you read 2 Samuel 8 when
you get a chance, you don't read anything but victories. And we
know this is what David is speaking of from this title. And it is
all defeats and losses in the way he felt about it. Look what
he says in verse 1, O God, thou hast cast us off. Thou has scattered
us. Thou has been displeased. Oh,
turn thyself to us again. He felt like the Lord had turned
away from him. And he says, Lord, turn yourself to us again. David speaks of these victories
as defeats. Now, perhaps there were heavy
casualties and David believes it's because of their sin. He
says, you've cast us off. You've scattered us. destroy
this, you've been displeased with us. What I thought about in this
statement of David's is he put all the blame on them. This is so important. We have
a tendency in everything to be just like Adam. The woman that
you gave me, she gave me of the fruit and I did eat. Every problem we have, we ought
to be saying like the apostles when the Lord said, one of you
are going to betray me. How did they respond? Is it I? Is it I? Every one of us should
look to our, everything that happened, every disagreeable
thing, every difficult thing. It's my fault. It's my fault. It's not somebody
else's fault. I'm not a victim. It's my fault. I wish I would
always look at everything in that light. Always look to my,
it's not them, it's me. And that's what David is saying
at this time in the cause of all these problems, we are the
problem. What he says, thou has made the
earth to tremble. This is talking about the immensity
of God. When he sees the Lord God, he
makes the entire earth to tremble. Thou has broken it. Heal the
breaches thereof for it shaketh. Thou has showed thy people hard
things. Thou has made us to drink the
wine of astonishment. Everything seems to be going
bad. You ever been there? You ever
felt that way? Well, the first thing to remember
is this. I'm the problem. And David realized
that. May God give me and you the grace
to be that way. I am the problem. You know, when I say things like
that, I think, why don't you listen to what you're saying?
I am the problem. Conflicts. I'm not without guilt. I am the problem. And that's
what David is saying, but let's go on reading. He does what he
so often does in the Psalms. All of a sudden, it's like, it's
totally different. All of a sudden, look what he
says in verse four. Thou has given a banner. An end sign, a flag, something
to be lifted up. Thou has given a banner to them
that fear thee, that it might be displayed so everyone can
see it because of the truth. Now here we have such a clear
reference to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou has given
them a banner. Now, thou has given them a banner. It's a gift of your grace. And this word banner means something
lifted up to be seen. And the first time this word
is even mentioned in the scripture is in Numbers chapter 21, when,
well, let's go ahead and turn there, Numbers chapter 21. Verse four, and they journeyed
from Mount Hoare by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land
of Eden. And the soul of the people was
much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against
God and against Moses. Wherefore have you brought us
up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there's no bread. Do you know they had had the
man to fall on the ground that very day? There is no bread. Neither is
there any water. And our soul loatheth this light
bread. Notice what they called the manna. Insubstantial. It's not enough
for us to find true satisfaction. It's light bread. It used to
be best bread that ever tasted, but it isn't anymore. And the
bread hadn't changed. They had changed. And the Lord sent fiery serpents
among the people and they bit the people and much people of
Israel died. Therefore the people came to
Moses and said, we've sinned for we have spoken against the
Lord and against thee. Pray unto the Lord that he may
take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent. in
the likeness really of the serpents that were biting the people and
set it upon a pole. Now that pole is the same word
that we have in our text. What's it called? A banner. Yeah, I can't believe I forgot
that, but I did. A banner, a pole for everyone to see. for everyone
to see. And I love to think of Moses
having that serpent up on the pole and he was saying, look,
all people were to do was to look to that pole and anybody
who looked at the serpent on the pole lived. They didn't look
at their swords. They didn't look at their bites.
They didn't look for ways to prevent the serpents from getting
to them. They just looked at the serpent on the pole and everybody
that looked lived. Isn't that beautiful? This is
the gospel. Thou has given a banner to them
that fear thy name. I want you to turn to another
passage of scripture. Would you turn to Exodus chapter 17? This is where the, uh, one of
the seven names of the Lord, Jehovah Nissi comes from. And that word is the Lord, our
banner. the Lord our banner. Exodus chapter 17. Now, this
is the first battle that took place after the children of Israel
left Egypt. The war with Amalek. And the
significance of this is, you're not really gonna have a battle
with sin until you leave Egypt, till God saves you. And when
God saves you, that is when the battle with sin begins. You don't really understand sin.
If you're unconverted, if I'm unconverted, if I'm unregenerate,
oh, I see problems sin brings. Oh, the conflict, the problems
in my life sin brings, but you don't really understand what
sin is until you're given a new nature. And then you see it's
more than just bad things you do, it's what you are. It's what
you are, and everything you do is bad because you did it. That's
all the reason it's needed. Now, this battle, did not take
place till after they had left Egypt and entered the promised
land. Now let's begin in verse eight. Then came Amalek, Exodus 17,
verse eight. Then came Amalek and fought with
Israel in Rephidim. This was the first battle. And
Moses said unto Joshua, choose us out men and go out and fight
with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top
of the hill with the rod of God in my hand. The banner. So Joshua did as
Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek and Moses and Aaron
and Hur went up to the top of the hill. Moses, Aaron, the priest, Hur,
his name means light, and this represents the Holy Spirit. And
it came to pass when Moses held up his hand so that all could
see. This banner lifted up so that
all could see. Israel prevailed. But when he
let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Verse 12, but Moses' hands were
heavy. Can you imagine what it would
be like to just keep your hands lifted up? Of course they were
heavy. He couldn't keep them lifted
up. But here's the point I'd like to make. We have complete
victory in Christ, don't we? Complete victory. Thanks be unto
God, which always causes us to triumph in Christ. We have victory.
Do you always feel like you have victory? No. No. In your experience, when
you're unable to look to Christ, you win. In your experience,
when you're not looking to Christ, you lose. Isn't that so? You know it in your own experience.
When Moses kept his hands up, Israel won. When they went down
and the banner was not seen, Amalek, the flesh, won. This is a picture of the battle
between the spirit and the flesh. That's what this is given and
you're going to see this more as we go on. Let's go on reading.
Moses' hands were heavy and they took a stone and put it under
him and he sat there on and Aaron and her stayed up his hands. The priesthood, the intercession
of Christ, the light of the Holy Spirit, the one on the one side
and the other on the other side and his hands were steady into
the going down of the sun and Joshua disconfitted Amalek. and his people with the edge
of the sword." Now, you know what that word discomfited means?
Weakened. Weakened. They weren't totally
destroyed. They weren't all dead. They were
weakened. And the Lord said unto Moses,
write this for a memorial, verse 14, in a book and rehearse it
in the ears of Joshua, for I will utterly put out the remembrance
of Amalek from under heaven. Do you know that this is a battle
that continually went on? Now, Amalek is not brought out
of remembrance until every believer's dead. You don't remember the
flesh anymore. You don't even remember what it's like to be
a sinner. Isn't that amazing, that thought? It's so beyond
our comprehension. But Moses built an altar and
called the name of it Jehovah Nisi, the Lord our banner. Same
word in our text, Jehovah our banner, the cross. For he said,
because the Lord has sworn. that the Lord will have war with
Amalek from generation to generation. Now, this is talking about the
continual battle between the spirit and the flesh. It's from
generation to generation. It's going to continue going.
It's going to continue going. And every day, every believer
is called upon to deny himself, take up his cross and follow
the Lord Jesus Christ. Israel's first battle after they
left the promised land, the battle between the old nature and the
new nature that will continue until the Lord puts it all down
and Amalek won't even be remembered. I so look forward to that, to
where I won't even remember what it's like to be a sinner. I look
at the Lord's scars and I'll know the only reason I'm in heaven
is because of what he did. I won't be looking at myself
in any way. But what a thought that Amalek will be not even
remembered. So go back to verse four. Thou has given a banner, the
gospel, to them that fear thee. Who is it that appreciates the
gospel? The person who fears God. What's it mean to fear God? Is it you're afraid you'll have
a car wreck if you're disobedient or you're afraid God will give
you some kind of disease if you sin and all the different foolish
things we think? Here's what it is to fear God.
You're afraid to look anywhere but Christ. You have that kind
of fear? That's the fear of God. Not the
fear of misfortune and bad things happening because you didn't
do this or you didn't do that. That's not the fear of God. That's
really the hatred of God. You look on him in a negative
light. But the fear of God is where
you have such respect and awe and reverence for his person
that you won't look anywhere but Christ alone. And that's
the person who appreciates this pull, this inside, this banner. Thou has given a banner to them
that fear thee that it might be displayed." You know what
the preaching of the gospel is? The displaying of the banner
because of the truth. It's the gospel. It's the banner
that declares the truth of the true character of God. It declares
the true character of man and it declares the true character
of salvation. Verse five. that thy beloved may be delivered. Every believer is his beloved. Every believer is his beloved. We had a wedding here at the
church yesterday, and Mabel and Mason got married, and during
the course of that wedding, I was talking about Christ's
love for his church, thy beloved, Christ's special love for his
church. And I said to Mason, if Mabel
said to you, do you love me? And I said, well, I love you
like I love every other woman. We'd have problems, wouldn't
we? We'd have real problems. But oh, God's special saving
love is towards his beloved, those in his son. To make God's love for everybody
without exception is to make God's love meaningless. Because
if God can love somebody that's in hell, his love didn't do anything
for them, did it? Oh, the beloved. Paul called
the Romans beloved of God. That thy beloved may be delivered,
saved with thy right hand, the Lord Jesus Christ. And hear me,
God has spoken in his holiness. Aren't you thankful God has spoken?
God has spoken in his holiness. Now, this is David speaking.
He says, I will rejoice I will divide Shechem and mete out the
valley of Sukkoth." Now, these are places that he had not yet
had victory over, but he says, since God has spoken and has
given it this banner, I've got the victory. I've got the victory. Do you know, if you're a believer,
you have every victory in Christ. You've already got it. Even though
it hasn't happened yet, God's promised it. And because of God's
promise, it's already done when he promises it. If I say something
that might come to pass, maybe it won't come to pass. I can't
foresee what's going to happen. But when God says something,
it's already come to pass. even if it hadn't happened yet,
in your experience. And David says, these victories are mine. I've got them. Gilead, another
people he had not yet triumphed over, is mine. And Manasseh is
mine. Ephraim also is the strength
of my head. Judah, the lion of the tribe
of Judah, David understands, Judah, David came out of Judah. Judah is my lawgiver. Then he
talks about Moab, Israel's enemy. They're my washpot. I wash my
feet in them. They may cause me much trouble,
but all they are is my washpot. They're a part of Romans 8, 28.
Over Edom. Well, I cast out my shoe. I've
got victory over there. Philistia. Philistia, talking
about the Philistines. Triumph thou because of me. I've
got the triumph over you is what that means from what I've read.
I got the triumph over you. Who, verse nine, who will bring
me into the strong city? Who will lead me into Edom in
victory over Edom? Wilt not thou, O God, which hast
cast us off? He's talking about what he's
talked about in the first three verses. Wilt not thou, O God, which hast
cast us off? And thou, O God, which didst
not go with our armies? That's why we were defeated.
I wish this would be emblazoned in the heart of everybody here.
Give us help from trouble for vain. Vain, useless, without any power
is the help of man. Vain is the help of man. It does not help. I wonder how
much we understand this. I'll tell you when you understand
it is when you cry with that man in Mark chapter nine, I believe
Help thou mine unbelief. I can't be helped unless you
help me. Help thou mine unbelief. I think of the Syro-Phoenician
woman when the Lord said, I'm not sent but to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. What a statement he made to her.
She was crying for him and he says in no uncertain terms, I've
only come to save the elect. Now that's exactly what that
means. I've only come to save the elect. What did she do? Then came she and worshiped him,
saying, Lord, help me. If you don't help me, I will
not be helped. Help me. Help us, Lord, for vain. Is the help of man. They can't
do anything for us. I can't do anything for myself.
I think of that statement that God helps those who help themselves. No, he doesn't. He only helps
those who cannot help themselves. If you cannot help for yourself,
you know what you're going to do? You're going to cry to him
for help and not before then. Verse 12. Through God, we shall do valiantly,
courageously. And here's why. For he it is
that shall tread down our enemies. Notice he didn't say he will
enable us to tread down our enemies. He doesn't say that, does he?
He says he will tread down our enemies. He fights for us. This is not about us being unable
to do anything. This is Him doing it all. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? God justified them. God did it. He did it all. We didn't have any hand in this.
And since He is the one who treads down our enemies, We'll do valiantly. We'll be encouraged in this fight. You remember, Amalek was disconfitted. He was weakened. Now, my old
nature is just as sinful as it ever was. And if I made any claim
to the contrary, I'd be a lying hypocrite. And you would, too. My sinful nature is just as sinful
as it ever was. But sin shall not have dominion
over you. Sin shall not have lordship over
you. Sin's not your lord, he is. And because of that, you will
win. Amen.