Now, I have indoctrinated and exhorted
all week in the Bible classes. I was telling Bob Coffey at lunch
today, when you prepare and teach the
Scriptures, the Word of God, for two hours and a half, every
day. You teach that much, you talk
that much, two and a half hours every day. And about an hour
and a half this morning, you come to the place where you
kind of run out of something, you know. You haven't been there
since, just run out. The well runs dry. So tonight, instead of indoctrinating
and exhorting, I'm going to try to inspire and encourage. I need comfort. And I think God's people need
comfort. I think that God's people need
encouragement. I need encouragement. And it may be, I'm going to speak
tonight on true comfort, really solid, genuine, true comfort,
especially in the hour of death. Where is it that we find true
comfort, true encouragement? It may be that not everyone here
will find my words interesting and applicable, but the majority
will. And I speak especially for some
of us who stand on the threshold of a new and brighter day. Literally, literally on the threshold. Our lives move so quickly, don't
they? The years go by so quickly. Suddenly one day we wake up and
we're in the sunset years. I've had some new experiences
lately. I get letters from retired, retirement
organizations, you know, and senior citizens organizations.
I'm not used to getting those letters, you know. Let's go to the mailbox, and
up in the left-hand corner it says, American Association for
Retired Persons. I said it must be somebody else,
but it's got my name on it. This is Doris's sixty-third birthday
today, and we were talking about this this morning, about how
quickly the years go by. We've been married forty years. Man told me the other day that
the secret of a long and happy marriage is two things. Frequent
absences and loss of hearing. That's why we're so happy, I
guess. No, she's why we're so happy.
That's why. She's such an integral and important
part of this ministry and of my life, and I'm grateful for
her. I know you are. You know, the scripture says
something about her children, she'll rise up and call her blessed. I told someone recently, I think
it was a young preacher, I said the pastor's wife is so important,
so important. No one knows the importance of
the pastor's wife. I've been pastor here now for
unbelievably 36 years. She's been at my side all those
years. And I told this young man, I
said, she has never at any time ever been a problem to me or
the church or anyone in it. That's so you who have been here
all those years know that. She's been an example to the
young and old, she's cared for people, and her house has always
been open to missionaries and preachers and guests from all
over the world. And I think I'll just dedicate this sermon to
her, that'll be all right. Yeah. He that findeth a good
wife, findeth a good thing. Findeth a good thing. The preachers, especially landmark
preachers and missionary Baptist preachers, are always preaching
on the woman's place in the Church. Well, I tell you, it's a mighty
important place. The way they approach it is not.
But I'll tell you, who can take her place? Who can take her place? Such a vital part of God's kingdom,
our dear ladies, dear, dear ladies who pray for us encourage us,
and comfort us, and help us, and assist us, and aid us, and
feed us, and clothe us, and care for us, and take care of our
children. I tell you, if you want to grow
an appreciation for your wife, you stay home some day and take
care of the children and send her out shopping. When she gets
home that night, she'll say, oh, I appreciate you. Their work
is never ended. I want you to turn to 2 Samuel
23. And so I say, as I said about
Doris, I say about all the dear ladies of this church, all the
dear ladies of this church, I appreciate you, I'm thankful for you, and
I speak for all the men who are grateful to God for you, more
than we tell you, more than we tell you. All right, let's look at 2 Samuel
23, and you say I've looked at it before. Let's look at it again.
I've looked at it before, too, and I've read it many, many times,
and I've preached from it more times than you can imagine, because
it's actually one of my favorite portions of God's Word. I dearly
love these five verses. Now, these be the last words
of David. These be the last words of David. That ought to arrest your attention.
These be the last words of the last thing he spoke on this earth
before he died. David, the son of Jesse, said,
the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God
of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel, the God of Israel said, The rock
of Israel spake to me. He that ruleth over men must
be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light
of the morning when the sun rises, even a morning without clouds,
as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining
after rain. Although my house be not so with
God. he hath made with me an everlasting
covenant, ordered in all things and sure, for this is all my
salvation and all my desire, although he make it not to grow."
Now there was much activity and anxiety about the palace in Jerusalem. To appreciate these words, you
have to know what was taking place. What sort of an hour this
was. There was much activity and anxiety
about the palace in Jerusalem and in the city of David. Messengers,
I can just imagine, visualize it to be this way. Everyone was
speaking to one another in hushed tones. Messengers were running
here and there. people were coming and going.
There was a great hush over the city. No one was speaking in
a loud voice. A deep concern was among the
people. This was an unusual day. Everybody knew that King David
was dying. King David was dying. It says here in verse 1, David
the son of Jesse. That's the first time that I
encountered David in the Word of God, the son of Jesse. The
son of Jesse. You know, the Bible says that
the Messiah, the Redeemer, would be the root of Jesse. The son
of Jesse. But everybody thought it would
be one of the other sons. Not David. In fact, David was
the youngest. sort of overlooked, as God's
people many times are. But Jesse received word from
Samuel, the prophet of God, that he was coming down to his house
and anoint, on orders of God, and anoint a king. And Jesse
gathered his sons about him, and he didn't tell them what
was going on, but he told them to shave and put on their best
clothes, and they were going to have a special visitor that
day, Samuel, the prophet of God. Samuel. Samuel was the most important
man in the kingdom of Israel. Samuel. The man for whom this
book is entitled, Samuel. And he said, Out you fellas to
be on your best behavior and look your best. He went down
the line, all seven of them, six of them, rather, and then
he said to the seventh one, Now, David, son, there'll be plenty,
you're just young, and you'll have plenty of activity in the
future. I tell you what, he's probably not interested in you.
Why don't you relieve your brothers of their duties and go out and
you take care of the sheep, all right? You just go on out there
and care for the sheep. I tell you what, your father,
I'll do something special for you someday. We'll have a special
time together. I know you're going to miss seeing
Samuel the prophet, and you're going to miss the feast, and
the anointings, and all these things, but you just go on out
there and take care of the sheep, and come on home when all of
it's over, and take care of the sheep. All right, son, fine with
David. That's the kind of man, that's
where we run into David. First time. First time. So he went out there to take
care of the sheep. And while he was—God moves in mysterious
ways. God rejects the first and chooses
the second. God shows contempt for human
pride and human strength and human wisdom, human glory, and
natural gifts, and chooses whom he will for his glory. He passed
by all six of those boys. Was it six of them, Paul? It
was seven in all, Captain David. But he passed by all six of them.
And every time one of them would come in front of Samuel, Samuel
would say, This is God's anointed Shirley. The Lord said to Samuel,
he said, look not on his outward countenance. The Lord looked
not on the outward countenance, the Lord looks on the heart.
I've rejected it. And he passed by all of them.
Finally, Samuel turned to Jesse and he says, these are all the
sons you have? I know God sent me down here to anoint one of
your sons. And Jesse said, well, yes, I have another son, but
I didn't think you'd be interested. Just a young lad. And he's out
taking care of the sheep. And David was sitting up there
on the hillside watching those sheep. That's usually where God's servants
found, watching his sheep, caring for them, feeding them. Sitting
up there watching those sheep and probably playing his guitar.
He played a stringed instrument, a lute, wrote beautiful songs. You know that's the song. And
he was sittin' up there on a rock playin' his guitar and singin'
for the glory of God, watchin' sheep. And this fella came up
here and said, David. And he turned and he said, your
father sent me up here to relieve you. He sent me here to watch
the sheep and told you to come down to the house. And David
said, well, he told me to watch the sheep. He told me they were
having something special and Samuel was down there and he
wanted me to take care of the sheep. And the man said, well,
he sent him for you. I'll take care of the sheep.
You go down and see what your father wants. So David, you know,
he wasn't dressed up. He had on his shepherd clothes. And he'd just come down from
the hills, and he walked down and walked through the yard,
and everybody's standing there looking at him. I can visualize this. Man proposes and God disposes. That's the way it is. Man makes
his plans and God interrupts them. And David came walking
through that crowd of people, and everybody was quiet. They
were all watching him. They knew something was wrong here. Something
was holding up the procedure. And I know what was holding it
up. God's man wasn't there. And he came walking through,
and he came to the door of the house and opened the door and
stood there. There was everybody in this room there with the great
Samuel and his rejected brothers and his confused father. And
David stood in the door, and God spoke. And God said, Arise,
anoint him. The Lord's anointed is before
him. That's David. That's who died
here. God's anointed. Look at it. It says, David, the son of Jesse,
the root of Jesse, and the man who was raised on high, who in
the kingdom of Israel ever reached the position that David hailed
so many years. A king ruling in the fear of
the Lord. A man after God's own heart. Twice it says that. A man after
God's own heart. Twice it says that in the Word
of God. David, I have found David my servant to be a man after
my own heart. God said that. That's what makes
these words so weighty, so heavy, so important. so earth-shaking,
oh, that the whole world was listening tonight to see what
this man would say. The anointing of the God of Jacob. Rise, he said Samuel, anoint
him, pour the oil on him. The emblem of the Holy Spirit
of God. Anoint him with the Holy Spirit. He shall be my king, and not
only my king, but he shall be the the type and picture of the King
of Kings, the Messiah. That's right, the Messiah came
through David. In fact, the name Christ the
Messiah wore was what? Son of David. That's right, Son
of David. What think ye of Christ? Our
Lord said, whose son is it? They said, Son of David. As he
walked through Jericho, the blind man cried out, Jesus, Son of
David! have mercy on thee. Son of David. And what's this? And the gentle,
tender, sweet psalmist of Israel. A giant, but a gentle giant. That's something that's so difficult
for us to learn. A man with power, yet ruling
in love. a man exalted so high, and yet
a man of sweetness and tenderness and gentleness, a man with so
much power, a man who could walk into the very presence of God
and talk with the King of kings and Lord of lords and be spoken
to by him, and yet could talk with a gentle spirit with the
smallest child. That's grace. That's great. That's David. And when he describes
him here, it talks about him being the son of Jesse, the root
of Jesse, in the line of the Messiah. It talks about him being
a man whom God exalted and raised so high. It talks about him being
a man anointed in the secret chambers of God. A man whose
name was named that young in the council of eternity, in the
covenant of grace, and yet a man who could sing psalms and play
a guitar for the glory of God. John, you see that? Play that
guitar, sing for the glory of God, the sweet psalmist of Israel. Well, I'm just sure that everyone
who stood about his bed that day or night or whenever it was,
David was lying there on the pillar. He was about 75 or 80
years old. David didn't live to be an old,
old, old man. He just, I believe he died about
75 or 80. Is that correct? Something like
any of you know about that, 75 or 80. But he was lying there on the
bed and he was dying. And they all, everybody knew
it. And everybody knew these things that you know. They knew
of God's hand on this man. There was no question about God's
hand being on this man. From the time he was a young
lad, there was no question about God's hand being upon him in
a most unusual fashion. And I know that everyone stood
about the bedside desiring to hear him speak at least one more
time. And they wanted him to speak
about this moment. They wanted him to speak about
this moment, about this particular trial, about this particular
experience. They wanted to hear him speak
about his hope. That's what they wanted to hear
him talk about. David, who has sung about God and talked about
God and wrote about God and ruled in the name and power of God,
is now going to meet God. And he knew it and they knew
it, and they wanted to hear what he had to say. about his feelings in this great,
great hour. And so David speaks. David speaks. And as David always did, and
as we always ought to do, the first thing he said when he spoke
is this, listen, the Spirit of the Lord spake by me. and his word was in my tongue. David is saying this, I want
all of you to know, and I don't know how much alertness he had
or how strong was his voice, but this is what he said, and
it's written in God's word. I want you to know, he said,
that the words I have spoken and the words I have written
and the words of the Psalms and the words spoken by me on every
occasion are not to be looked upon as my words." That's exactly
what he's saying. They're not my words. They're
not my inventions. They're not my private thoughts.
They're not my theories. The words I have spoken to you
and the words I have written to you are God's words. That's what he's saying. See,
that's what the Spirit of the Lord spake by me. I've written
these Psalms and I've spoken to you and ruled over you and
I've exhorted you and I've prayed for you, but the message I've
spoken and the words I've written are not my words, they're God's
word and God's gospel and God's message to God's people. Don't
praise David, praise God. That's what he's saying. Don't
praise David, praise God. Praise God for David. Praise
God he gave David. Praise God he took Saul down
and put David up. But praise God. Hold your hand
right there at 2 Samuel and turn to the book of 1 Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians chapter 2. And this is something that I
want you to hear and to see and to read for yourselves. The Apostle
Paul felt the same way. The same way that David felt.
In 1 Thessalonians 2 verse 13, Paul said, For this cause also
thank we God without ceasing, because when you receive the word of
God, which you heard of us, you received it not as the word of
men, but as it is in truth the word of God, which effectually worketh also
in you and in me and in all who believe. That's what David said. These are not my words, Charlie.
My words fall to the ground as nothing but empty holes. My words
are like those coconuts that have laid on the sand for months
and months and months, and they look so good, and you break them
open and they holler. There's no meat and no food.
But his word will not return void. And David is saying here,
he said, they're not my words that I've spoken. They're God's
words. Now you keep 1 Thessalonians
2 and go back to David's last words. And he said in verse 2,
the God of Israel said to me, the rock of Israel spake to me,
and he said, he that ruleth over men. And that's he that teacheth
men, he that preacheth men, he that leadeth men, he that guideth
men, he that hath any overseership over men for God. must be four
things. I tell you, this is rich here,
if you remember who's saying it, and under what circumstance
he's saying it, John. He's dying. He's dying. This is his last message to his
beloved people. And he's saying, don't praise
David, praise God. What God's given you through
me is not my invention, it's his work. And he said this to
me. He said, any man that rules men,
or leads men, or guides men, or teaches men, or has any overseership
in the affairs of God with men, must be, number one, he must
be just. He must be just. He must be just. He must be honest
and sincere in his dealings with men for God. He must be a just
leader. And secondly, he must rule and
have his overseership and leadership in the fear of God. Not in the
fear of men, in the fear of God. And thirdly, verse four, and
he shall be as the light of the morning. Boy, when that morning
sun pops up over the hill, bright, dispels the darkness, light of
the morning sun. The clear light by which everything
is seen in the light of the morning sun. No sun brighter than that
light of the morning sun. He must be as the light of the
morning sun. When the sun rises, even a morning,
no clouds to cover the sun. A clear cloudless day when that
bright brilliant sun shines forth. Now watch it. And as tender grace,
tender grace, food for the sheep, the tender grass of the pasture.
And how tender is it? It's tender grass springing out
of earth by clear shining right after the rain has fallen. It's
so tender. It's got grass and water too
on it. It's so tender. It's so edible.
It's so digestible. It's not that old dry brittle
grass that you find out there in a parched field, it's that
tender grass, that clover that's grown up right after the rain.
That's what David said. God said that to me. If you're
going to lead my people, if you're going to be an overseer, if you're
going to be an example and a guide for the people of God, you've
got to be just, honest, and sincere. You've got to rule in the fear
of God. Back of everything you say and
do must be the fear of God. And you've got to be a clear
shining light uninterrupted by clouds. And you've got to give them that
food that's tender like the grass after the morning rain. You still
got 1 Thessalonians 2? See, Paul didn't say the same
thing. The greatest man in the Old Testament,
David, and the greatest man in the New Testament, of course,
we exempt our Lord Jesus, but Paul. All right, look at 1 Thessalonians
2, verse 3. What did David say the first
thing God said about his man? Just, honest, sincere. And Paul said, 1 Thessalonians
2, 3, Our exhortation was not of deceit. I don't deceive men. nor of uncleanness, nor in guile."
My message was straightforward from a sincere heart. No deceit,
no deceit, no uncleanness, and no guile. It's a straightforward message,
honoring God, glorifying God for the good of your soul. What's
the second thing? You must be just, ruling in the
fear of God. Paul said, but as we were allowed
of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak,
not as pleasing men, but God who tries our heart. Don't fear
me, and he said, I fear God. I preach without deceit before
God. Before God. Walking in the fear
of God. Past the time of your sojourning
in fear. What's the third thing? He said
something about that bright sun coming up with that clear light,
that clear light, that plain truth. Look at verse 5. Neither
at any time use we flattering words, as you know, nor a cloak
of covetousness, no clarity, no cloak of covetousness. God
is my witness. nor of me insult we glory, neither
of you nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome
as the Apostle of Christ, we gave forth a clear message without
being covered with flattering words or clouds of covetousness."
Here it is. This is what it says. Almighty God is God. Sound that
message clearly without any clouds of covetousness or any flattering
words. Just glory to God. Man is a fallen,
depraved creature. Sound the note clearly like the
morning sun. No clouds in between. Don't cover
it up now. Don't try to make it appealing
to men. Just preach it. Let the sun shine. God elected
a people, chosen in Christ before the world began. Don't stutter
and stammer and flatter. Just preach it. Christ is an
effectual, sufficient Savior who died to redeem His people,
an atonement that atones, a ransom that ransoms, a redemption that
redeems, a Savior who saves. Say it! Let the sun shine. It'll
make the flowers grow. The Holy Spirit is that effectual,
powerful Spirit of God that convinces men of sin and converts the heart.
Say it! Say it. No clouds of covetousness. people will persevere. What's
that fourth thing? He said, He that ruleth men must
be just, straightforward and honest and sincere. He must fear
God, not men. He cannot take into account what
men will think. He cannot take into account what
men expect. He must take into account one
thing, the glory of God. And he must give forth that message
as the bright morning sun comes up without a cloud in the way.
And then he must be as gentle like the tender grass that springs
up after the rain. What he said in verse 7? But
with all that awesome responsibility, we were gentle among you as a
nurse feeding her children, cherishing her children, holding on her
breast. the little month old child, giving
it something to eat. And being affectionately desirous
of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you not only the
gospel of God, but our own souls, because you were so dear to us." David and Paul. God gave them that gift, but
is it any wonder God used them? Is it any wonder God used them?
It's the grace of God that gives the gift, but the gift magnifies
the grace of God. And I've told preachers this
wherever I go, and I say it in every Bible conference, I say
it in the privacy of their homes, I say it in the secret chambers
of their study. If you sell out to God one hundred
percent, preach His gospel without fear, without compromise, to
exalt and magnify Christ and have in your heart one goal and
one objective, the gospel and the glory of the Son of God.
God will bless you, so help me, he'll bless you. He that honors
me, my Father will honor him. I just put that down as a guarantee. But there can't be any subtlety
or any covetousness on the part of the preacher. He cannot seek
his own glory, he cannot call anything his own, he cannot go
in the strength and energy of the flesh, he's got to cast himself
1,000% on the provisions and the power and the spirit of the
living God. That's all got to sell out. And God will bless
you. Now David speaks. I've got to
hurry, but look at the next verse. David sighs. David's lying there on the bed.
And they're listening to him, and he speaks. He said, A spirit
of God spake by me. My words. These words are not
my words, they're his. God told me when I began
this journey, if you're going to rule me, you've got to rule
in justice and sincerity, in the fear of God, as a bright
shining sun, and gentle and tender. And then he sighs. And I don't
know how these eight words were spoken, but I think with a great,
great sigh of heaviness and heartache. And I think he must have paused
a long time after he spoke the words recorded in verse four,
and then after a few moments he said eight words, although
my house be not so with God. My house be not so with God.
He's saying God knows that my house, my house, David's house
was a big house. And he's saying neither I, nor
my children, nor my servants, nor my friends, nor my kingdom,
nor my people, nor my soldiers, nor my leaders, have lived and
walked before God as we should." That's what he's saying. We have not lived and walked
before God as we should. We have not enjoyed uninterrupted
fellowship with God as we should. We have not believed God as we
should. We have not obeyed God as we
should. And I believe as he spake these
words, he considered all the dark clouds that had passed his
way through all the years from that time when God called him
down from the mountains and anointed him as king and made him ruler
of Israel. And he thought about all these
different experiences. He thought about the joys and
he thought about the sorrows and he thought about the victories
and he thought about the defeats. And he thought about the successes
and he thought about the failures. And his mind mainly was on the
failures right now. He said, I'll go my house, be
not so with God. David knew something about this
matter of failure and sin. I want you to turn to 1 John
chapter 2. Is there any man who can review
his life with satisfaction? Is there any man or woman, boy
or girl here that can look back over your life, the whole life,
and say, I'm satisfied? Can't do it. And David couldn't
either. You know, in 1 John, chapter
2, verse 16, the scripture says this. All that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,
that's the three areas. is not of God, but of the world.
What are they? The lust of the flesh. David
know anything about that? Oh, yeah. He remembered one time
out yonder on the side of the hill when he's running from Saul. He had, what, 400 men with him
fleeing from Saul, and they were hungry. They were hungry. Hadn't
had anything to eat in days. And there was a fellow named
Nabal that lived down there in the valley, and David and his
men had protected that man and protected his flocks, protected
his sheep, protected his shepherds, protected his servants, ran outlaws
and bandits away, and David had just been a real protector of
that fellow Nabal. He was a rich, rich, rich man.
So David sent two of his men down there to see him and said,
We've taken care of you fellas for weeks here now, and watched
over you and protected you, and we're hungry. Send us some raisins
and some meat and some wine, something to eat and drink."
And Abel puffed up and he said, Why, who is David? David's a
renegade who's running from Saul. Am I supposed to feed every renegade
that runs from his master? And here David's sitting there
waiting on these fellas to come back, having sent them to request
some food from a man he'd protected. And they came back and stood
in front of him, and they said, David said, Where's the food? He said, Nabal said, He wasn't
going to give you any food. And he added a few strong words. He said he wasn't supposed to
take care of every rebel and reprobate and renegade and rampant
mismaster. David whipped out his sword.
I can see his eyes flashing. I can see his veins standing
out in his neck. I'm just like him a lot of times.
You are too. He said, get every man, put his
sword on, and we'll go down there and we'll kill every male in
the camp. I don't want a boy, male child,
or a man living when you walk out of that camp. Kill them every
one. You know what he said? That's
flesh. Preachers, that same fellow over
here, the Lord is my shepherd, that's the same fellow. That
same fellow. That man after God's own heart,
that's him. That's the fellow. That's that
carnal nature. Lust of the flesh. Then he knew
something about the lust of the eyes when Bathsheba Took her
clothes off and took a bath on the rooftop. And then he knew something about
the pride of life. He was sitting on the throne
one day and ran out of something to do, really. And he was thinking
about how big he was, how important he was, and he called Joab and
he said, Go number my troops. Number Israel. And let me know
how many men we got. We can whip anybody now, can't
we? Joab said, God can whip anybody, but you got no business numbering
Israel. Joab, wasn't it Joab? Try to talk him out of it. Said,
David, don't do that. God said never number his people.
He kept records. David said, I said, go number
Israel. And God killed 76,000 men? You see, this is what David
is lying there and he's saying, although my house, be not so
with God. And I'll tell you, David's David's
folly. He was totally aware of his folly. He was totally aware of his sinfulness.
He was totally aware of his pledge. He was totally aware of his pride.
That's what he's saying. All over my house, be not so
with God. He sighed with heaviness and heartache. But then he shouts, Yes! I like that yes. Yes! Notwithstanding all my sins
and transgressions. Yes! Notwithstanding all my failures. Yes! Notwithstanding all our civil
wars and upheavals and struggles. Yes! God. He. God. God who knew me before I
was born. God who chose me before I was
born. God who knew my sins before I
ever committed them. God who has all power in heaven
and earth. God who will have mercy upon
whom he will have mercy. Yet God hath made with me an everlasting
covenant. Could I ask you to hold that
place again and go to Ephesians 2? Is this not what Paul is saying
over here in Ephesians 2? Ephesians 2 verse 2, wherein in times past you walked
according to the course of this world. You walked according to
the Prince of the Piotry. You walked according to the spirit
that now worketh in the children of disobedience, among whom also
we all had our behavior in times past fulfilling the lust of our
flesh, the desires of the flesh, and the pride of the mind. And
we were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." Yes! But God. That's what David said. But God! But God. Be not so with God, yet He."
I didn't have anything to do with it. It was made before I
was born. It was made with my representative,
Christ Jesus, my surety, Christ Jesus, my good, great and chief
shepherd, Christ Jesus. God made with me an everlasting
covenant, an unchanging covenant, a covenant whereby He would give
me a Redeemer, a Messiah, whose kingdom would be everlasting. You'll really be blessed if you'll
turn with me to Psalm 89. I've read Psalm 89, but not like
I did yesterday. Not like I did yesterday. Coupled
with these last words of David. Psalm 89, listen to it. It'd
be worthwhile for us to read several verses. Psalm 89, got
it? Verse 20. I have found David,
my servant. With my holy oil have I anointed
him. with whom my hand shall be established,
my arm also shall strengthen him." Now, who's doing this?
God's doing it. It's not a decision David made
under the high pressure of an evangelist. This is not an emotional
fad that David said, I think I'll serve God the rest of my
life. God says, I'm going to do something for David. He made
with me an everlasting covenant. Read on. Verse 22, the enemy
shall not exact upon him. nor the son of wickedness afflict
him. I'll beat down his foes before his face, I'll plague
them that hate him. But my faithfulness and my mercy
shall be with him, and in my name shall his power horned be
exalted. I will set his hand also in the
sea, and his right hand in the rivers. He shall crown to me,
Thou art my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. And
I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the
earth. My mercy will I keep for him forevermore. My covenant
shall stand fast with David. His seed also will I make to
endure forever, his throne as the days of heaven. If his children
forsake my law and walk not in my judgments, if they break my
statutes and keep not my commandments, then will I visit their transgressions
with a rod and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my
lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him. nor suffer my
faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break,
nor, after the thing that is gone out of my lips, once have
I sworn by my holiness, I will not lie to David. His seed shall
endure forever, his throne as the sun before me. It shall be
established forever as the moon, as a faithful witness in heaven."
Who's speaking? God's speaking. Now, it's Christ
in there, but David's the type of Christ. And God is speaking
of this. That's His covenant. I'll tell
you this. It's not your faithfulness, it's
His faithfulness. It's not your keeping on, keeping
on. It's Him keeping on, keeping
on. And keeping you on board by His restraining, keeping grace. I'll do these things. David will
be up and down, but God's always the same. He never changes. He's always the same. You know,
David knew something about a covenant, didn't he? Before he ever became king in
Israel, he stood out in a field one day and shook hands with
his best friend, Jonathan, and promised Jonathan that upon his
death, Jonathan's death, that he, David, would take care of
his son. He promised him. And when David became king, that's
the first thing he did. You sang about it. He went after
Mephibosheth and found him. That old broken, lame, forsaken,
deserted boy. And brought him up there and
set him at his table. And Mephibosheth sat at David's
table as long as David was king. And nobody dared touch him. And we gonna sit at the king's
table as long as the king reigns. And that's forever and forever
by his covenant. And this covenant He said this
about it, he's made with me a covenant, look, ordered in all things,
although my house be not so with God. Yet, he, not my works but
his works, not my faithfulness but his, he ordered these, this
covenant and all things, and it's sure, it's through the righteousness
of his dear Son and the blood of our dear Savior. That's the
covenant. That's what it's based on. All
right, David speaks. My words are not mine, they're
his. David sighs, although it be not
so with my house, as he thinks over his life. And David shouts,
yes, he's made with me a covenant. That's for confidence, that's
for comfort. His covenant, His grace, His mercy in Christ. And
then David sleeps. God giveth his beloved sleep
a comfortable rest, and these are the last things he said as
his voice faded out. And this is all my desire. I'm all right. This is all my
desire. This is all my salvation. both temporal and eternal. It's
all my salvation. I'm saved by the grace of God.
I'm saved by the purpose of God. I'm saved by the will of God.
I'm saved by the blood of Christ. I'm saved by the sacrifice of
the Redeemer. I'm not saved by any works, merit,
deeds or whatever, law or whatever. This is my salvation. God's covenant
of mercy in Christ Jesus. This is my salvation and this
is all my desire. I don't have any other desire.
One thing Turn to one other passage, Psalm 27. And David wrote this. This fits in, Brother Charlie,
with what you read in the study tonight. Psalm 27, verse 4. One
thing have I desired of the Lord. One thing have I desired of the
Lord. Psalm 27, verse 4. And that will
I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life. to behold the beauty of the Lord,
and to inquire in His temple. And that's when I'll be satisfied. And then I puzzle over this last thing before
he died. He said, My house be not so with
God. He thought about his troubles
and sorrows, and he perked up, he said, yet God's made with
me a covenant, a covenant, nothing lacking or needed, ordered in
everything, and sure and certain as God's in heaven. This is all
my salvation, and this is all my desire. And then he said,
although he make it not to grow, although he make it not to grow, Oh, how many I would have to
know Him whom I know who do not know Him. Oh, how many I would have to
experience and taste the joy and love of God that have not
tasted it. Oh, how many I would have to
enter in the presence of the Lord by the grace of God But
he said that's in his hands. That's in his hands. I'll leave
that in his hands. He'd make it not to grow like I'd like
to see it grow. Wouldn't you? I would if I could give every
man, woman, boy, girl that I know the peace and joy that comes
from knowing Christ. Wouldn't you? But that's in his
hands. I do know this, and I can't explain
it. I do know all who want it will receive it. if that's what
they want. If that's what they want. If
you can come to the place David came to, one thing have I desired,
and that will I seek after. You won't seek that in vain.
You won't seek that in vain. But I'm afraid that, and I wouldn't
sound a blue note, but I'm afraid that I'm afraid most of us are
more involved with and concerned over maybe this flesh than we
are our spirits and our relationship with God. The fashion of this
world fadeth away, but he that doeth the will of God shall abide
forever. All right, might come lead us
in a closing hymn, if you will, please.