2 Samuel chapter 23. There are
five verses that I want us to look at for a few moments this
morning. In 2 Samuel 23 verse 1, it says,
Now these be the last words. The last words of David. My interest and attention is
immediately caught up by these words. These are the last words
of David. There's something special about
a man's last words. I'm told that the last words
of a dying man at one time were admissible in courts in this
nation. The judge would allow any final
words spoken by someone to be admitted as evidence in trials
because they reasoned that when a man is conscious and knows
that he's dying, he'll do some thinking, especially about three
things. If he's conscious, if he knows
he's dying, he'll consider three things. First of all, his past. How his life has been spent.
He'll think about his past life. Secondly, he'll think about and
consider his relationship with God. You'll think about it. And
thirdly, his future. He'll consider where and with
whom he'll spend eternity. Now Paul gives us an illustration
of that. Over in 2 Timothy chapter 4,
when he talked about dying, when he talked about the time of his
departure, what did he say? Listen. He's passed. I fought a good
fight. I kept the faith. I finished my course. He is present. The time of my departure is at
hand, and I'm ready to be poured out as a thank offering upon
the sin offering. I'm ready. And then he said,
there's laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, shall give to me in that day. And not to
me only, but to all them who love his appearance. That's right. So these are the last words of
David. I know this man's a believer.
Paul, barring his words, he said, I believe, therefore I've spoken.
David's a believer. And then another thing significant
about this, these are the last words of David, a believer, but
this man is a man after God's own heart. This is not said about
anybody else. I'm sure there are other men
who are men after God's own heart, but it's said about this man,
a man after God's own heart. These are his last words. I want
you to listen to them. Now, the next thing it says here
is David is the son of Jesse. He's a mere man. He's the son
of another man. He's the son of a fallen man.
He's the son of a sinner. He's a mortal like you. He's
a mortal like me. He was a son. of a natural man. He was a husband, as you are,
a father. He was a soldier. He was a shepherd. He was real man, real blood flowed
through his veins and his flesh was as frail as yours and as
earthbound as yours. As James says, a man of like
passions. These prophets were, Elisha,
Elijah, David, all of them. But now what's the next line?
And the man who was raised up on high, raised up, he didn't
start on high. He was brought from somewhere
to that place. He was raised up on high. He was an object
of God's grace. He found grace in the eyes of
the Lord. He was chosen of God, like you. Chosen of God and precious. He
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. God took a shepherd boy
and made him a king. Who did it? God did it. God raised
him. He raised him. What did Hannah
say? Listen over here. Don't you turn
to it. I'll turn quickly and read it. But Hannah said this.
about our Lord's grace and mercy. He raiseth the poor out of the
dust. He lifteth up the beggar from
the dunghill, and sets them among princes, and to make them inherit
the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth
are the Lord's, and He hath set the world upon them." Alright,
read on. David, the son of Jesse, and
the man who was Raised up on high. Now listen. The anointed. The anointed. Who anointed him? God said to Samuel, said, go
down to the house of Jesse. There's a king I want you to
anoint. Samuel went down to the house of Jesse. Jesse had several
sons. And Jesse sent this young boy,
David, youngest, I suppose, of the whole family, out to take
care of the sheep while they anointed the king. And they brought
the boys before Samuel the prophet, the oldest person, oldest, most
experienced, wisest, probably best looking, strongest. Samuel
looked on him, he was deceived also, just like the father Jesse
said, surely the Lord's anointed is before him, but no. God said,
this is not minority. They went right on through all
the boys. Finally, all of them had been passed over. And Samuel
said, Jesse, this all your boys? These all your boys? He said,
no, I've got one more. But he really didn't think you'd
be interested in him. He's out taking care of his sheep.
And Samuel said, well, we'll not eat. We'll not sit down until
he comes in. Scripture says that when David
came and stood in the door, God said, Arise, anoint him. This is he. This is he. Ah, anointed of the God of Jacob. Anointed. He that anointed us
made us kings and priests unto our God. The God of Jacob. Why is the Lord God called the
God of Jacob? Several times it's the God of
Jacob. A while ago in Psalm 146, I read
the God of Jacob. And believers are called the
sons of Jacob. Well, I'll tell you why. Because
Jacob's a good picture of every one of us. First of all, God
loved him. He didn't love God. God loved
him. God said, I love Jacob. God said, I love Jacob. Esau
I've hated, but I love Jacob. before he was ever born. And
God chose him before he was born. Before he done any good or evil,
when they were both in the womb, God said to the mother, the elder
shall serve the younger. God thirdly gave him the birthright
by grace. It wasn't his by nature. God gave it to him by grace.
God loved you. And God chose you before you
were born. And God gave you the birthright,
the inheritance, reserved, undefiled, fadeth not away. For you, who
are kept by the power of God. And then God met him at Bethel,
and revealed Christ to him. That's Christ. The ladders. The
ladder where the angels were ascending to the throne, and
back down to Jacob here, between Jacob and the throne of God.
Christ Jesus. The way, the truth, the life.
God revealed Christ to him, as He has to you. God changed his
name. Said to him one night when he
was wrestling with him, said, what's your name? Said, Jacob.
Said, your name is no longer Jacob. Jacob is chief, supplanter. Your name is Israel, prince. Got a new name. And then God
kept him. God always brought him back to
Bethel. As he strayed or wandered or wherever he went, God brought
him back to Bethel. Sons of Jacob. God of Jacob. Read on. And the sweet psalmist
of Israel. The sweet psalmist. David wrote
most of the Psalms. The Psalms are sweet and delightful
to the ear of the believer because they praise and magnify the Lord.
Listen to them. It's called the hymn book of
the church. And believers sing unto the Lord. Believers sing unto the Lord. David was a singer. He sang unto
the Lord. Believers sing unto the Lord.
They love the hymns of grace. They love the psalm. They love
to make a glad noise. Make a noise. Make a glad noise
before the Lord. Come before His presence with
singing. Take part in the singing. Praise God. Praise God. And then it says here, the Spirit
of the Lord spake by me. His word was in my tongue. In other words, the things that
David believed, and the things that David wrote, and the things
that David taught were not the thoughts of a clever mind, or
a ready pen, or tongue. David said, the Spirit of the
Lord taught me what I know. The Spirit of God revealed His
Word to me. The Spirit of the Lord spoke
by me. His Word was in my tongue. Our Lord said, when the Holy
Spirit has come, He'll not speak of Himself. He'll take the things
of mine and show them to you. He'll teach you. He'll guide
you into all truth. He'll glorify me. And Paul the
Apostle said this, he said, Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard,
neither hath it entered the heart of man, the things that God has
prepared. I go to prepare a place. I go to the cross, to the tomb.
I go to the right hand of God. I go to the holy of holies, not
made with hands, but heaven itself, to prepare a place for you. Make you accepted in me. And
the things God has prepared in Christ for believers, no man
by nature sees or hears or understands. But, He hath revealed them unto
us by Spirit. The Spirit of God is made by
me. What I know, God taught me. What
I've learned, God taught me. What I believe, God revealed
to me. His words in my tongue. His message. His truth. His gospel. His testimony. The God of Israel said, listen,
verse 3, The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake unto
me. I want you to look over here at Deuteronomy 32. I want you
to turn to this verse. Deuteronomy 32. The God of Israel. The Rock of Israel. The Rock
of Israel. spake to me." Deuteronomy 32,
verse 3. Because I will publish the name
of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto our God, He's the rock.
His work is perfect. For all His ways are judgment,
a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right. is He, that's
our God. The God of Israel said to me,
now listen, the rock of Israel spake to me, listen carefully
now, get a hold of this, He that ruleth over men, He that ruleth over men must
be just, ruling in the fear of God. Now, this is first applied
to David. David ruled over men, David ruled
over God's people. David was made, he was anointed
their king and ruled over them. And other men appointed by David,
by Moses, ruled. And we have preachers and elders
and pastors who rule over God's people. It says obey them that
have the rule over you. It says consider the elders who
rule and rule well. They're worthy of esteem and
honor and so forth. And he says here, he that ruleth
over men must be just, ruling in the fear of the Lord. Now,
over here in Exodus 18. Exodus 18. Let's turn over there
and listen to this. Exodus 18. God speaking to Moses
about these men who rule over His people. Over His people. In Exodus 18. I want you to look
at this now. God has given men authority and
leadership and rule over His people. And He says here, He
gives you some requirements for those men. Four of them. In Exodus
18 verse 21, Moreover Moses, thou shalt provide out of all
the people able men. That's the first requirement.
Able men. Men called of God, taught of
God, anointed of God. Gifted of God, set apart by God,
able to do. Spurgeon used to say, if God
gives a man a task, He'll give him the ability to perform it. If He sends him to deliver a
message, He'll give him the message. If He sends him to do a work,
He'll give him the skills and gifts to perform that work. Able
men, listen, such as fear God. They don't fear men, but they
fear God. Don't you fear what men can do
unto you? They can destroy your body, and after that, no more
that they can do. Fear Him who is able to cast
you, body and soul, into hell, Christ said. Fear God. Walk before
God in fear. They do not fear men. They do not seek to please men.
They do not cater to men. They fear God. They don't consult
men when they preach. They consult God. They fear God. Listen! Men of truth! They cut their tongues out before
they lie. They preach the gospel. They're
men of truth. And that truth is Christ. Christ
said, I'm the truth. And they hate covetousness. They
hate it wherever they see it or find it. Hate it most of all
themselves. They hate covetousness. They're able men. They're men
who fear God. They're men who tell the truth.
If they have to burn an estate, they'll tell it. And they're
men who hate covetousness. And you find somebody like that,
you place them over my people. To be rulers of thousands, rulers
of hundreds, rulers of fifty, rulers of ten. Like Brother Jean-Claude
said, it's not all big and colossal. It's got some fellas that are
responsible for ten. And a family. God's priest in
the home. But this is Christ too. Over
here in our text again. Turn over here. The God of Israel,
verse 3, the Rock of Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over men
must be just, ruling in the fear of God. That's our Lord Jesus
Christ. The just died for the unjust. He's a just God and a
Savior. He is just. He rules over all
the Kingdom of God, over all the covenant of grace. That's
Christ. And listen, these men whom God
appoints, As ambassadors of Christ, we beseech you in the stead of
Christ. What are they like? Verse 4. They're like the light
of the morning. They're like the morning sun
coming up. Blessed are the feet of them
that preach the gospel. Good news from a far country.
They're like the morning sun. Everybody loves to see that morning
sun. And he says they rise on a cloudless
morning, a morning without clouds. And a tender grass springing
up out of the earth after a clear shining after rain like this
morning. How fresh, how refreshing. And
how refreshing it is when God sends a man able, fear God, with
a truth who is not seeking yours but you. Has no covetous spirit. He's like the morning sun. on
a cloudless morning. He's like the green, beautiful
corn coming up after a rainy night. But that's our Lord Jesus
Christ. Our Lord is a Son of Righteousness
who rises with healing in His wings. But usually, if you meet
Him, you'll meet one of His ambassadors first. Isn't that right? The eunuch met Christ, but he
met Philip. And he spent his whole life grateful
to God for Philip. Cornelius met Christ, but he
met Simon first. Lydia got open to heart and she
met Christ, but she met Paul first. And when he came, preached
to her, it was like the sun coming out on a cloudless day and like
the springing out of the earth of the tender herbs. Son of David,
yes. And then down here in verse 5,
David, these are his last words, he said, continued, he said,
although it be not so with my house. Here's a great sigh from
a burdened heart. Like Jeremiah. What did Jeremiah
say? Oh, that my head were waters.
Oh, that my head were a fountain of tears that I might weep day
and night for the slain of the daughters of my people. They
do not know God. They do not love God. Paul said,
I could wish myself a curse for Christ for my brethren according
to the flesh. I have great heaviness of heart,
continual sorrow. My people do not know God. And David grieved. He wasn't
just grieving over his immediate household. His spirit was larger
than that. His soul was larger than that.
He wasn't that self-centered and selfish. He grieved for his
brothers. What about those brothers who
weren't anointed? What about those brothers that
made fun of him when he said, is there not a cause? Why don't
you go back, kiddo, and take care of your sheep, you remember?
He wept for them. He wept for his sisters. He wept
for his children. He wept for his servants. He
wept for his court. He wept for his nation. He wept
for everybody he knew. He calls them My house, because
He was God's King. I know that. I know His heart
was greater than just His living room. He wept for God's people. Israel, nation, Israel. Well, be not so with My house,
yet He hath made with Me An everlasting covenant. Now, I know first of
all, he speaks of that covenant, that covenant by which the kingdom
of God was settled on the house of David and on
his seed. He promised David, he said, there's
no end to your kingdom. The son of David will sit on
that throne. He's talking about Christ. The promise was made
to Christ. to Abraham and his seed, not
plural, seed, not plural, singular, seed, which is Christ. Christ
is the covenant. The covenant is in Christ. Christ
be my first elect, God said, then chose us in our head. The
Father loves the Son and has given all things into the hands
of the Son. Christ is the surety. Christ
is the covenant. Christ is the shepherd of the
sheep. Christ is the mediator. Christ is the kingdom. It's the
kingdom of God's dear Son. That's the covenant He's talking
about first. His seed. His seed. Christ. It's His kingdom. It's
His covenant. Our inheritance is because we're
in Him. The Father loves us because we're
in Christ. The Father's mercy. In Him dwelleth
all the fullness of Godhead bodily. You're complete in Him. Out of
Him, there's nothing. In Him, that's where it all is. And that's what David's talking
about. But he's talking about also that covenant of grace made
with Christ from the beginning whereby the Father gave Him a
people and put them in His hands. And David was one of them. Our
Lord prayed for those people. He said, all that my Father giveth
me will come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will
know where I was cast out. I came down from heaven, not
to do my will, but the will of Him that sent me. This is the
will of Him that sent me, that of all which He had given me,
I lose not one. But I raised Him up at the last day.
Ah, I pray for these, not these only, but for them that shall
believe on me through their word. They shall. The Father back in
the council halls of eternity said, I give to my son of people,
there will be a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth
righteousness. There will be a kingdom. There
will be no enemies. There will be no death. There
will be no pain. There will be no darkness. There will be no
sin. There will be nothing that worketh or maketh alive. All
the people shall be like Christ. I give to My Son a people. I
make Him their surety, their mediator, their intercessor,
their redeemer, their advocate, all things. Christ said, I'll
go to the earth. And I'll take on Myself their
likeness. I'll be born in the flesh, made
of a woman, under the law. And I'll keep the law and honor
it and satisfy it. And I'll bear their sins in My
body and go to the tree and die. and redeem them, cleanse them,
sanctify them, give them a holiness and righteousness. And the Holy
Spirit said, I covenant to call them. I'll awaken them. I'll
quicken them. I'll take the gospel to them.
I'll give them ears and eyes and a heart to believe. I'll
give them life. And David said, that's the covenant.
God hath made with my Redeemer a covenant. And having made it
with my Redeemer, made it with me in Him. And watch it. It's ordered. It's ordered in
all things. In everything. There's not one
jot or tittle left out. There's not one work to be done.
There's not one thing to be added. There's not one thread to be
put in that robe of His righteousness or in that atonement. We have
an atonement. It's finished! He said. It's
finished. The covenant, the requirements,
it's all finished. Finished. So that a thief in
his dying hour can look to Christ and be saved and go into the
kingdom of God as accepted, loved, glorified as a man who spent
50 years preaching the gospel. as a Judson or a Whitfield or
any of the rest of them. This mercy and grace of our God
is not left to chance. It's not left to the will of
man or the will of the flesh or the will of others. His decree,
His kingdom is decreed, determined and purposed and worked out completely
in all things. It's ordered in all things. It's
finished. And it's sure. It's sure. The sure mercies of David. This is not the sure mercies
of David who wrote this. This is the sure mercies of the
Son of David. The sure mercies. One verse I
want you to look at. The sure mercies. Romans chapter 4 verse 16. Romans 4 verse 16. Listen to
this. The sure mercies. We talk about
salvation by grace. It has to be by grace. If it's
of God, it has to be by grace. If it can be ours because we
don't have anything to buy it with, it has to be of grace if
it's sure, if it's certain. Because somewhere down the line,
we'd fail. We always have. But he says in
Romans 4.16, Therefore it is of faith that it might be of
grace, to the end that the promise might be sure. all the seed, Jew and Gentile.
Not to that only which is of the law Jew, but to that which
is also of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
It's a covenant God made with Christ, in Christ with us, and
it's ordered in all things, and it's sure. It's sure. And then David says in closing,
and this is all my salvation. God's eternal love for me. God's
choice of me in Christ. God's covenant mercies in Christ,
my Redeemer. His death on the cross. His burial. His resurrection. His acceptance
of me in Christ. This is all my salvation. From
Alpha to Omega. And all in between. It's not
by my works. It's not by my service. It's
not by my feelings. It's not by my perseverance.
It's by grace alone. Christ alone, grace alone, His
Word alone. My God, when I approach Thy throne
and all Thy glory see, this is all my hope and this alone, that
the Lord Jesus lived and died for me. And then David said,
this is not only all my salvation, it's all my desire. One thing
have I desired. One thing. That I may dwell in
the house of the Lord, and behold the beauty of my Lord, and dwell
in His presence. Paul said that I may attain unto
the resurrection of the dead. That I may win Christ and be
found in Him. That I may know Him. One thing.
This is my desire. This is my desire. The very final
word, although he make it not to grow. The Messiah had not yet come
when David said this. Things at times look dim and
dark. Even now, God's kingdom is not
yet fully completed. We don't see yet all things under
His feet, do we? We know God put all things there.
You see all things under His feet? Not yet. But we see Jesus. For a while, made a little lower
than the angels, that He may suffer death, may taste death
for us. But not yet. Not yet. We can get pretty low and pretty
depressed. We preach and preach and preach. All men don't have faith. Everybody
doesn't hear. One hear, one yonder, one day.
Although he make it not to grow. And not only the Messiah had
not come then, he has now. God's kingdom is not even now
yet fully, fully completed. It's still the people to call.
One day, the wicked shall be put where they can do no more
harm and all God's people, like Christ, then will say, Then shall
he deliver up the kingdom unto him who gave it, that God may
be all in all." And that's what David's saying. You see me? God's
made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure.
This is my salvation and my desire. Although you see me in corruption. There he lay, everybody around
his bed, listening to what he had to say in his dying hour. This is not the David that threw
the stone. This is not the David who...
They said David killed his 10,000. No. This is not the David who
ruled over the armies of God for so many years. This is a
weak, frail, dying flesh. But you wait a while. I'll be
raised in incorruption. You see me in dishonor. Dishonored. Not many people can die with
dignity. But I'll be raised in honor.
You see me in weakness. I can barely speak. But in a
few moments I'll be shouting, lift up your heads on your gates
and the King of Glory shall come in. You'll see in my natural dying
flesh, but when He shall appear, I shall see Him, and will be
like Him, although He make it not to grow. But it is as sure
as the throne of God. More happy are the saints in
heaven, but not more secure. Alright, Mike is going to sing
for us and we will be dismissed.