I'd like to read the first seven
verses. And while I'm reading these,
think about the intercession of Christ. This is Jonathan interceding
for David. But think in terms of the intercession
of Christ. Verse 1, And Saul spake to Jonathan
his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David. And Jonathan told
David, saying, Saul, my father seeketh to kill thee. Now, therefore,
I pray thee take heed to thyself unto the morning and abide in
a secret place and hide thyself. And I'll go out and stand beside
my father in the field where thou art. I will commune with
my father of thee, and what I see, that I will tell thee. And Jonathan
spake good of David unto Saul his father. and said unto him,
Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because
he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been
toward thee very good. For he did put his life in his
hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great
salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it, and didst rejoice. Wherefore then wilt thou sin
against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?' And Saul
hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan. And Saul sware, As the Lord liveth,
he shall not be slain. And Jonathan called David, and
Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought
David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past."
Let's pray. Lord, we come into your presence
with thanksgiving. Lord, what a blessed privilege
to meet together and open your word. But Lord, it's all vain
if we don't have your presence and your blessing. We pray that
you would speak to each heart here according to your will.
Teach us your gospel. Teach us what it is to rest in
your son. Teach us what it is to love one
another and be servants one to another. Forgive us of our many
sins for Christ's sake. In His name we pray. Amen. Now, Saul comes out in the open. Kill David. He even tells Jonathan,
kill David. He no longer wants to have anything
to do with David. Kill David. Everybody was ordered to kill
David. And we read in verses two and three, but Jonathan saw
a son delighted much in David. He loved him dearly. And Jonathan
told David, he warned him about his father's desire to kill him.
My father seeketh to kill thee, now therefore I pray thee take
heed to thyself into the morning and abide in a secret place and
hide yourself away from my father's wrath. And I'll go out and stand
beside my father in the field where thou art and I will commune
with my father of thee. And what I see, that I'll tell
thee. And this is Jonathan's promise
to David. Now look at the way Jonathan
spoke of David. And Jonathan spoke good of David.
He didn't ask his father for a favor. He spoke good of David
unto Saul, his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin
against his servant, against David, because he hath not sinned
against thee, and because his works have been to thee very
good. It would not be right for you
to kill him, because he is not guilty. Verse 5, for he did put
his life in his hand and slew the Philistine, and the Lord
brought a great salvation for all Israel. Thou saw'st it and
didst rejoice. Wherefore then wilt thou sin
against innocent blood to slay David without a cause? And Saul
hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan, and Saul sware, As the Lord liveth,
he shall not be slain. Now we know this didn't last
because soon after he's going to want to kill him again. Now,
every Old Testament event Every historical narrative is given
to illustrate the gospel of Christ. Every one of them. And I think
the main proof of that is found in Galatians chapter 4. where
we read of the story between Abraham and Sarah and Hagar and
Ishmael and Isaac. You remember that story? And
Paul tells us this is an allegory. These are the two covenants.
Now, would you have ever dreamed reading that story without that
information that these are the two covenants, this allegory?
Would you ever read that story and said, well, this is a picture
of law and grace? You wouldn't have done it. But this lets us
know that every Old Testament story, every historical event
is given to illustrate the gospel of Jesus Christ. Here's what
I think is a really powerful example is Genesis 27 where Jacob plots to steal his brother's
birthright. There wasn't anything right about
it. He gets in a league with his
mom. He comes to get Esau's birthright.
He puts on Esau's clothes so he smells like Esau. This was
deceitful. He puts goat hair on his arm so he felt like Esau's
hairy body. This was deceitful. When his
daddy asked him, are you really Esau? He said yes. Jacob said
yes. He lied. He had to answer to the name
of Esau. Now that's a deceptive thing. And yet what a beautiful
picture we have of the gospel. For me to be accepted by the
Father, I have to smell like Christ, I have to feel like Christ,
I have to answer to His name. My only identity is found in
His name. So we see all these Old Testament
pictures or types and examples of the gospel, and in this story
we have an example of intercession. Jonathan interceding for David,
and you know Jonathan is a type of Christ. You remember the story
of Mephibosheth where David said, is there any of the house of
Saul that I can show the kindness of God to for Jonathan's sake?
That's what God says, or is there any of the house of Adam I can
show kindness to for Christ's sake? Now, this is Jonathan interceding
for David. This represents Christ's intercession
for us. And I think this made me understand
Christ's intercession more clearly than I ever have before, just
from this passage of Scripture. So I hope this will be a blessing
to all of us. Now, notice it says, Jonathan,
in verse two, Saul wanted to kill David. He was insanely jealous
of him. His name was much set by. Everybody
loved him and he wanted to put him out of business. But Jonathan
and Saul's son delighted much in David. Now to think of Christ
delighting much in me, in you. I want you to ponder that believer.
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ delights much in you? He sees you as lovely and beautiful,
his beautiful bride. Now, he warned David of his father's
wrath, didn't he? He warned David. The Lord Jesus warns us of his
father's wrath. Throughout the scriptures were
warned, the soul that sinneth shall surely die. We're warned
by our Redeemer of God's justice. And he tells David to go into
hiding. Christ is our hiding place, isn't
He? The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run into
it. To hide in it, I hide in His name. The righteous run into
it and are safe. Christ is our hiding place. And the Lord Jesus, and notice
that He promises to tell everything. He says, I'll go out, look at
verse 3, I'll go out and stand beside my Father in the field
where they are, and I will communion with my Father of thee, and what
I see that I'll tell thee. You know, the Lord Jesus Christ
is the faithful and true witness, isn't He? What He sees, He tells
us. Now, here's what really hit me
about this passage of Scripture. I want us to notice when Jonathan
was interceding for David, he wasn't asking for a favor. This
is very important, and it's very significant. He was not asking
for a favor. Look in verse 4. And Jonathan
spake good of David, and to Saul his father, and said unto him,
Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because
he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been
to thee very good. Now in his intercession, he didn't
ask for a favor. He said, You do what's right. His works have been very good.
Everything he has done is good. He wasn't asking for a favor.
He was asking for the king to do what was right. What Jonathan
had done was nothing but good. You know, when the Lord Jesus
intercedes, He doesn't ask the Father for a favor. It's very important. He pleads
what's right. He didn't ask the Father for
a favor. You know, when you and I intercede for someone, have
you ever tried to go to bat for somebody? Maybe you're trying
to get them a job or think somebody to speak well of them or think
well of them, and you go to bat for them and intercede for them,
and you're asking a favor. Do this as a favor to me. Now,
the Lord Jesus Christ never intercedes for us. Like, here we say, well,
do me a favor. Let him get by this time. Oh,
he did it again. Forgive him again. Let him get by. He did
it again. Let him get by. No, the Lord
Jesus never intercedes like that. He always intercedes for that
which is right. He asks for justice, and his
intercession for us springs from his atonement. Romans 8, 34,
who is he that condemneth? It's Christ that died. Yea, rather
that's risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also maketh intercession for us. He prays for us. To think
of the Lord praying for me right now as my great intercessor.
And like I said, He's not asking the Father for a favor. He's
demanding justice. You see, when the Lord intercedes,
He's not making a request. He's speaking of His will to
the Father. He said, Father, I will. that
they whom you've given me be with me where I am. Now, can
you imagine me or you praying that way? Father, I will that
you do. Oh no, it's just offensive to
even think of. But when the son prays for his
people, he does so as equal with the father. And he says, father,
I will that you do this. When he said, father, forgive
them, they know not what they do. He wasn't just making a request,
hoping the Father would answer him. He knew he would. He said,
with regard to Peter, with regard to Peter, he said, Peter, I've
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not. You know what? Peter's
faith didn't fail because Christ prayed for him. And when Christ
prays for somebody, it's not asking a favor. Now, how could
Christ intercede for me that way? How could he say to the
Father, He's never done anything wrong. And everything He's done
is right. He's behaved Himself wisely. Why? He put His life on the line
in that fight with Goliath. How could Christ pray that way
about me or you? Because the fact of the matter
is, how much have you sinned? How much have I sinned? Could
the Lord talk about anything that I've done and say, well,
that was good. Forgive Him. He pleads justice. He doesn't
say, he pleads justice. He says, do what's right. How
could he do that? Well, he does. He does. And this demonstrates the reality
of imputation and justification. That's what this does. When Jesus
Christ intercedes for me, It's because God's justice demands
my salvation. I've never done anything wrong.
I've always done that which is right. That's the way Jonathan
pleaded for David. Look in verse 4 again, Jonathan
spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said, Let not
the king sin against his servant, against David, because he hath
not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to
thee very good. For he did put his life in his
hand, and slew the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great
salvation for all Israel. Thou saw'st it, didst rejoice.
Wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay
David without a cause? Now that is Christ's description
of every believer because of imputation and justification. Now let me try to speak of this
for a few moments because religion has watered down and misrepresented
what imputation and justification mean. Now listen real carefully. What does imputation mean? Well,
imputation means my sin is put on Christ's account and charged
to Him. and his righteousness is put on my account and charged
to me. Now, is that really what imputation
means? Well, let me ask you a question.
If what I did, if I did something wrong and I put it on your account
and you had to pay for it, would that be right? No, it would be unjust. it would be wrong. For me to
do something wrong and evil, and it to be put on your account,
and you have to be punished for it, it'd be wrong. Now, if you
did something right, and it was put on my account, and I was
rewarded as if I did it, it was imputed to me, so I don't have
to be punished. Would that be right? No. That would be wrong. That would
be unjust. We wouldn't accept that kind
of behavior. Now, imputation cannot be understood apart from
union with the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, my sin was not simply
charged to his account. If I'm united to him, he became what I am. If I'm united to him, I become
who he is. Now that's imputation. It's not
just diplomatic immunity. It's not just a free pass. It's not just, well, what I did
was charged to his account. What he did was charged to my
account. And that's the way religion presents imputation, just transferring
things. My guilt's transferred here.
His righteousness transferred to me. I've got a piece of paper
that says I'm justified. No, no. In imputation, All that
I am in my filthiness and sinfulness, He was made to be on Calvary's
tree. Do I understand how to explain
all that? Absolutely not. God can do it
though. God can do this. He took my sin. He made Christ to be who I am
on Calvary's tree. in all my sin, and He makes me
to be, being united to Christ, He makes me to be who Christ
is. So I am the very righteousness
of God in Him. And now when He pleads regarding
me to the Father, He says, He's done nothing but good. He's right. He's never done anything wrong.
His works have all been good. Justice demands me to be accepted. Now, that is so glorious. Remember,
Christ Jesus isn't asking for a favor. He's not saying to the
Father, oh, forgive him this time, forgive him that time,
do me a favor and let him get by again. And oh, I know he's
committed that 40,000 times, but for the 40,000th one time
I'm asking, forgive him. That's not Christ's intercession. No, every believer stands just
like Jonathan did, without fault before God. And when Christ intercedes,
he intercedes for that which is right. Now, justification. You can't separate justification,
imputation, union. Justification is kind of looked
upon as just as if I never sinned, a free pass, diplomatic immunity,
you have the papers that let you in. Justification is you
have never sinned. That's what justification means.
Turn with me to Isaiah 53 for a moment. Lord willing, within the next
week or two, we're gonna look at this entire chapter of Isaiah
53, but look beginning in verse 10. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him. He hath put him to grief when
thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin. Now that word offering
for sin is generally just translated sin. I don't even know why the
word offerings put in there. It's generally translated sin
or guiltiness. When thou shalt make his soul
sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see the
travail of his soul and shall be satisfied. Now, God is satisfied
with what Christ did, and Christ is satisfied with what he did,
and we're satisfied with what he did, aren't we? There's a
threefold satisfaction. By his knowledge shall my righteous
servant justify many, his knowledge of me, for, and here's how he
shall justify many, he shall bear their iniquities. That sin
that I have, was given to him, and he bore it, and he put it
away, and it's gone. And that's how he justifies,
and that's how he intercedes. Verse 12, Therefore will I divide
him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil
with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death.
He was numbered with the transgressors. That's how he was That's how
he was. He was numbered. He was, it came
right with him. And he bare the sin of many. And there, that
word bare is gravid. That's the meaning of it. Impregnated
with. Now, the closest union I can
think of is the union between a mother and her child in the
womb. Is there any union that's closer
than that that we can even imagine between people? Well, it says
he became pregnant with our iniquities. Just be amazed. Don't try to
question it in the sense of, how could that be? I don't know.
It's just that this was what God does. And that's how sin
is put away. He bared the sins of many, and
he made intercession for the transgressors. Now, that's me
and you. He made intercession for the
transgressors. But how does he do it? Not asking for a favor. Not asking for a favor. John
chapter 17, verse 9, the Lord said, I pray for them. I pray for them. I pray not for
the world, but for them which you have given me, for they are
thine. I pray for them. Peter, I prayed
for you. Like I said, when he intercedes,
he is expressing his will. Isn't that powerful concerning
his person that he can say to the Father, Father, I will that
you do this. I will. I will that they whom
you've given me be with me where I am that they may behold my
glory for thou lovest me from the foundation of the earth.
Because of the gospel, because of the person and work of Christ
on our behalf, he can save us what Jonathan said of David. What he's done is very good.
He never sinned against thee. That is his intercession for
us. Now, Jonathan's intercession,
it lasted for a while, didn't it? David came back, but you
know the chapter of 19, that's the only time he comes back,
and he's on the run for years after this. His life is miserable
after this. God is anointing him to be king,
but what happened? I mean, I gotta run constantly
from one place to another. And Saul ended up, he was okay
with him for a while, but afterwards he's gonna go at him again because
Jonathan, he's just a type. And his intercession,
it worked temporarily, but it didn't work for long. He ended
up being on the run again. And Jonathan wasn't alive to
make sure his intercession took place. But listen to this scripture.
Turn with me there. Hebrews chapter 7. Verse 25. Wherefore, he is able also to
save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them." He's not going to
die like Jonathan did. He ever lives to make intercession,
to make sure his will is always done. That's exactly what he
does in making intercession. Now, one last scripture. Turn
to 1 John chapter 2. This is a very familiar scripture.
But I hope we'll have some more light on this scripture when
we think of the advocacy, the intercession of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Chapter 2, verse 1, My little children, these things
write I unto you, that you sin not. You know, I love it the
way the Lord says that. You know, there's never, ever,
ever an excuse for a believer to sin under any circumstance. You believe that, don't you?
These things write unto you that you sin not. Everybody in this
room, everybody outside of this room, ought to never sin again. Don't ever think that the grace
of God is an excuse for sin, because it is not. These things write I unto you
that you sin not. May God give me and you the grace
to make our resolve to never sin again in thought, in word,
in deed. Now that's the command. And then
John says, And if any man sin, and I've
pointed this out before, that word is generally translated
when. Not if, when. When you do, like
right now. When you do, like the minute
I said don't sin anymore, you did. You know it. You know it. When you do, we have an advocate with the
Father. And this advocate we have isn't
asking the Lord to do him a favor and let us off the hook one more
time. No, he pleads that which is right. And it's all because
of his propitiation. He's the propitiation for our
sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the
whole world. Jew, Gentiles, black, white,
rich, poor, whatever, no distinctions. He's the propitiation. If you're
going to have propitiation, if you're going to be accepted by
God, it's because of His blood only. But His blood, His propitiation,
His removal of the guilt of God's people, that's what that is.
It's a removal of guilt. It makes it to where When He
intercedes for you, think about this, He says, they've done nothing
but good. They've never done anything wrong.
Now that, my dear friends, is a powerful intercession, isn't
it? May the Lord give us that assurance in His intercession,
okay.