There's something special about
a man's last words. The last words of great believers,
of faithful men of God, are especially meaningful. I think it would be a blessing.
I know it would be a blessing to the church, I think it would
be a blessing to the man if, like David, we were forewarned
of our death, our day of death, so that we might share our thoughts
with our friends. We might talk to our wife, our
children, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our friends about
our our feelings and our thoughts.
I wrote to Brother Ward this morning and mailed it. And I
told him in the letter that it may please the Lord to heal him. The doctor says a few months,
but doctors don't always know. God killeth and maketh alive. God, to him belong the issues
of life and death. But I suggested And I hope he
will do what I suggested that he do. I told him he could print
it in his own paper or send the articles to me, and I'd print
them in our little monthly paper. But I'd like for him, if these
are his last days, to write some things. Dictate them, let his
wife write them, somebody. And let us go through this with
him. Let us in on what God says to
him, and how God deals with him, and what God teaches. And wouldn't
you like that? It would bless me. I told him
that. I said, Norbert, it would bless me. It would mean so much
to me. Because this is a path we all
must walk. This is an experience that we,
every one, are going to face. It's appointed unto men once
to die. And we're going to grow old.
And we're going to get sick, and we're going to die. And it
would be so helpful if he felt impressed of the Holy Spirit
to share with us this experience. And I hope that he does. And
someone would say, well, the admonition here that is most
timely is that we ought to live every day as if it were our last
day. I know that. But let's be practical. I know that we ought to live
every day as if it were our last day. I know that everything in
our lives ought to be considered in the light of death, judgment,
and eternity. But now let's be practical. There's
too much flesh in you and there's too much flesh in me to ever
attain to that plane. Now, let's just be honest about
it. It's a worthy goal. It's a worthy goal to live every
day in the light of death and judgment and eternity and meeting
God. For the Scripture says, Boast
not thyself of tomorrow, thou knowest not what a day may bring
forth. I know that. But now, most of
us here tonight, if we were totally, completely honest, do not believe
we're going to die tonight. Now, we just don't believe that.
And there's no sense in saying that we do, and there's no use
in trying to deceive ourselves or
others. We do not believe that. We've
not laid hold on that. We have not grasped that. And
so it really has to be brought to us, it has to be brought to
us in reality before we'll ever accept it. And then, even then,
we don't accept it. Even then, it's difficult for
us. But this man knew. These were the last days of David. David knew God had revealed to
him that he was going to die. And these were his last words.
And this is what he had to say. Now, this is interesting in verse
1 of 2 Samuel 23, that so often when we read about Abraham or
Moses or Paul or David, we say, well, now, yeah, but that was
Abraham. I'm nothing. Well, Abraham was
nothing either. Yeah, but that was Moses, preacher,
or that was Paul or John. Well, Paul said, I'm not one
whit behind the chief apostle, but I'm nothing. But that was
Elisha. I know, but Elisha was a man
of like passions as we are. That's what God keeps telling
us, that these are just men, normal, mortal, natural men who
had the grace of God in their souls, as you do and as I do.
And now watch how he says this, these, verse 1 of 2 Samuel 23,
these be the last words of David, David the son of Jesse. Jesse's
boy. That's how he starts off. David
was a son. I'm a son. I'm the son of John. David is the son of Jesse. No
more than I am, just a son, a son of another man, begotten by a
human father. Human blood ran through his veins.
David cut himself, he bled. David had the same passions and
desires and needs and temptations and trials that you have and
that I have. He was nothing but a man. That's all. David was
a son. David was a father. I am too.
David was a husband. I am too. David was a brother. David was a grandfather. David
was a friend. He was the son of Jesse. That's
what the Holy Spirit's saying to us here. David, the son of
Jesse. Well, he says something else
about him. He says, David, the man who didn't start out on high,
but the man who was raised up on high. Sure, David was on high, spiritually
high, but God put him there. God raises the poor from the
dunghill and puts him on the throne. David was an object of
God's favor. I've been an object of God's
favor. David was an object of God's grace. David, like Noah,
found grace in the eyes of the Lord. He was raised from spiritual
death to life in Jesus Christ. He was raised from the pit of
sin to sanctification in Christ the Lord. He was raised from
darkness to the kingdom of God's dear Son. You had to quicken
who were dead. and trespasses and sins. I can
identify with that. David, the son of Jesse. And
David, the man who was raised up on high, who didn't start
up there, who didn't deserve to be up there, who didn't keep
himself up there. He was raised up there. God put
him there. God put him there. He certainly
didn't deserve it. He didn't merit it. He didn't
earn it. God put him up there. And then he says, the anointed
of the God of Jacob. God gave David a special office. God gave it to him. God anointed
him. God ordained him. God Almighty appointed him. He
was the king of Israel, but God made him king. He was the leader
of the people, but God made him their leader. He was the minister
of God. He was a preacher, prophet, and leader of Israel because
God chose him and God ordained him and God appointed him, appointed
of God. Everything David had was given
to him. Everything David knew, God taught
him. Everything that David ever accomplished
was accomplished with the power of his God. And that's true of
any leader, or any preacher, or any prophet, or any king,
or any man whom God hath appointed. Our strength is not in ourselves,
it's in Him. Our sufficiency is Christ. Don't ever say, I can't. If God
gives you something to do, you can do all things through Christ
who strengthens you. No, you can't. You're dead right
about that. You can't, but God can. I just
can't do it. That's right, you can't, but
God can. That's what Paul said when he
faced this thing of ministering the gospel. He says, who's sufficient
for these things? Well, I'm not, but Christ is,
and our sufficiency is Christ. Without me you can do nothing,
Christ said. You're right, you can do nothing,
but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I
can too. by his grace. I can't without
it. And then the fourth thing, he
was the sweet psalmist of Israel. David wrote most of the psalms
and David set them to music. And they're called sweet. They're
sweet psalms and they're delightful to the ear. Why? Because they
gave God all the glory. They gave God all the praise.
Anything is sweet to the ear and heart of the believer that
exalts his Lord. I never wearied. Charles Spurgeon
said one time, one of the evidences that I have that I'm a child
of God is that I'm never weary of hearing the gospel. I never
get tired of hearing about Christ. Now I get tired of hearing men
boast of their works. I get tired of hearing men split
hairs over doctrine. I get tired of hearing men argue.
the scriptures, but I never get tired of hearing the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Never get weary. Just preach
about Christ and I'll sit with you all night. Never get tired. That's an evidence, he says,
that God has saved me. Well, the Holy Spirit ought to
have our attention now. He says these are the last words
of David. And that certainly ought to get
our attention. I'm interested in a man's words. particularly
his last words. I'm interested in a man's word,
but especially when he knows he's going to die. Now when the
sun is shining and all of life is ahead and the roses are blooming
and our family's intact and everything's going our way, we just lie and
say anything. But when the sun's gone down,
And when the flowers are wilted and faded, and the family's gone,
and somebody comes and says, the master has come, he's calling
for you. It's your time. It's your time. Now I'm interested in what a
man's got to say now. I'm interested in what he's got
to say. And the Holy Spirit adds for our further edification,
To get our attention, he says, this man David, that you're going
to listen to say his last words, he's a man, a mortal man, son
of Jesse. He wasn't virgin born, he was
just the son of Jesse. But he was a man whom God raised
up on high, and he was a man whom God anointed. He had some
spiritual wisdom, he was taught of God, and he was the fellow
that wrote the hymn book of the church, the sweet psalmist of
Israel. Well, I divide this message into
six very brief parts so you can remember it. First of all, verse
5, here are the last words, verse 5. There's a great sigh. There's a great sigh. David says,
although my house be not so with God. My house is not right with God. My family is not right with God. My house does not love God. My
house does not worship God. My house does not seek God's
glory. That's a great sigh. It's a trial,
a trial with which some of you can be identified. with which some of you may refuse
to be identified. But let me warn you, and I say
this as kindly as I can say it, don't ever compromise the truth
of salvation in order to give some hope to members of your
family. I've known people in years gone
by who were strong believers in salvation by grace alone. And then when some member of
the family died who didn't know God's grace and who didn't know
God's Son, who gave no evidence of ever receiving Christ, yet
somehow they're about ready then cut the corner a little bit and
get old Joe in, you know. And that bothers me. They're
ready to, well, you know, maybe they knew God after all. Well,
maybe they didn't, too. So don't ever be guilty of that.
Sometimes our real foundation is tested Let's be honest like David. David
just said the truth. He said Absalom ain't right with
God. That's what he said, Joe. Amnon,
he's not right with God. That's just exactly what he's
saying. My sons are not right with God. He didn't say, well,
maybe Absalom went to heaven anyway. Well, maybe he didn't.
David wouldn't say that. David said he's not right with
God. That's a great sigh, it's a great
heartache. I know he loved his family as
much as you love yours, but he loved God most of all. He loved
the honor of his Lord most of all. His family was one of rebellion
and insurrection and all manner of sin, and David faced it and
admitted it and left it there. I'm sure he not only met his
family, his immediate family, but he met the royal court I'm
sure he meant the nation of Israel. And this dying believer sighed
over his family. They're not right with God. I expect they were just as religious
as your family is, maybe more so, because these Jews had a
certain religious duties to perform, and they did
it. They had certain days to keep,
and feasts to observe, and sacrifices to offer, and scripture to read,
and laws by which to abide. But David didn't open the door
and say, well, maybe they knew God. He just said, my house is
not right with God. My house is not right with God.
And this dying believer wept over it, and sighed over it,
and grieved over it. They're not right with God. And he carried that burden all
the days of his life. And you will too, and I will
too, and you can enter into this, and I can too. They're not right with God. But
here, secondly, here's a great sigh, but here's a great comfort. Yet, yet, he, God, hath made
with me, personally, individually, an everlasting covenant. David
found no comfort in his deeds, he found his comfort in God's
covenant. He didn't say although my boys
don't serve God, I do. Although my daughter is not right
with God, I am. Although my children Don't worship
God, I do. No, sir. He says, although my
house is not right with God and does not love God and does not
seek God and does not know God, God in His mercy and in His grace
made a covenant with me. He made a covenant. David didn't
find any comfort in his deeds or in his faithfulness, he found
comfort in the Lord's sovereign grace. God said, Moses, I'll
be merciful to whom I will be merciful. I will be gracious
to whom I will be gracious. I will save a people. The Lord
God gave His Son to redeem a people, and the Lord God is reconciled
and justified toward those people in Christ Jesus. And that was
David's great comfort. The Lord hath made with me a
covenant. an everlasting covenant, an everlasting
covenant, an eternal covenant. God made it. God made it. That covenant was to redeem David. That covenant was to make David
his own. He hath made with me a covenant.
Thirdly, a great security. And this covenant, he says, is
ordered in all things. The mercies of God are never
left to chance. The covenant of God's grace is
not left to the will and the whim and the decision of natural
men. God Almighty made a covenant.
He purposed and planned to redeem David, and He carried out everything
that was necessary for the redemption of David He carried it out, worked
it out, by himself, for his glory, through his Son. It's ordered
in all things ensured. The fulfillment of that covenant
of grace is not in the hands of any man, but in the hands
of one man, Christ Jesus. God's righteousness, redemption,
and sanctification are all vested in Christ and worked out by Christ
and given by Christ to men. And He cannot fail. It's free
gift. The Lord Jesus Christ perfected
it, He performed it, He purchased it, and He presented it. That was David's comfort. That
was his security. Here's a dying man. I visited
a dying man one time that shocked me. He was a member of a church.
He'd been in church all his life. He was an officer in the church. The doctor said he's going to
die, and I went to see him, and I went in the room, and he was
lying there on the bed and took me by the hand and started crying
and weeping. He said, brother man, I'm going
to die. Well, I said, maybe not, maybe
God will raise you up. No, I'm going to die. I've done
the best I can. Well, you know yourself, I've
been in church every Sunday since you've been here. I've tithed,
and I've worked, and I've visited. And every time he'd say something,
it'd be like a sword in my soul, Charlie. Every time he'd say
something like that, it'd be enough. Hadn't he heard anything? What's
this? David's dying, and David says,
my house is not right with God, but God hath made with me a covenant,
an everlasting covenant, a covenant of grace, a covenant of mercy.
And that covenant is ordered in all things, and sure, because
Jesus Christ, my Lord, has perfected it and performed it. And by His
grace, He's presented it to me. It's a free gift. Hold that place
right there and turn to John 6, just a moment, and let's read
something here. John chapter 6. These are the
last words of David now. This is his hope. This is his
foundation. This is what he believes. This
is nothing but plain fact now, no eloquence here, no oratory
here, no trying to win friends and influence people here, just
stating facts about where he stands. on what he builds. John 6, 37,
Our Lord said, All that my Father giveth me, John 6, 37, shall
come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. I came down from heaven not to
do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this
is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he
hath given me I lose nothing but I should raise it up again
at the last day. It's ordered. It's certain. And
I'll not lose a one-up. It's sure. That's my hope. All
right? The fourth thing, a great satisfaction. Now listen to this. And this
is all my salvation. Somebody says now I believe God
made a covenant and that's part of my salvation But there's a
part I have to fulfill Dave said that's all my salvation. I Know
Christ died, but no David said that's all my salvation. That's
the whole thing God Almighty in eternity past made Christ
my surety for I was ever born Before the world was ever created.
He was a lamb slain before the foundation of the world He made
Christ the surety. Christ was the elect. We were
chosen in Him. Christ Jesus, our surety. Christ
Jesus, our representative, who in the fullness of time came
down here in the flesh, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh,
numbered with the transgressors, obeyed the law in our place instead,
imputed to us a perfect righteousness, died on the cross bearing our
condemnation and sins and our judgment. was buried and rose
again as our justifier and ascended to the right hand of God and
there he's seated with all authority in heaven and earth. And that
was all in the purpose and plan of God from eternity past. And
David said, that's all my salvation. Not my decision nor my doctrine,
not my experience nor my feeling, not my righteousness nor my works,
Not my prayers nor my church membership, not my baptism of
the Lord's table. All my salvation is God's covenant. That's all. You see, to redeem
us, a work had to be done toward the Father and toward the sinner. And you and I didn't have a part
in either one of those. A work had to be done toward
the Father and toward the sinner. God's angry with the wicked,
and the wicked angry with God. Natural mind is enmity against
God, and God hated the workers of iniquity. God can't be friends
with rebels. So Jesus Christ came down here
and made enemies friends. He made us the friend of God
and got our friends. You see, Christ reconciled us
to the Father. Christ removed all of the rebellion
and all of the sin, all the treason, and all the iniquity and all
the transgression, all the filth between us and God. And because
of Christ, God can look on us and love us, and He can be just
and justify us, and He can be righteous and receive us. But
He also did a work toward us. By the power of His Spirit, He
took that enmity out of my heart. and gave me a love for God, shed
abroad his love. I didn't do it, he did it. He
did it because he decreed to do it. He did it because he purposed
to do it. He did it because he made a covenant
to do it. The gifts and calling of God
are without repentance. That's our sole satisfaction. This is all my salvation. I know that I know a sinner must
call on God. I know a sinner must believe
on Christ and he will. I know a sinner must receive
Christ and he will. But salvation is not by calling
on God, but by the crucifixion of God's Son. Salvation is not
by my doing something for God. It's because God in mercy has
done all that needs to be done for me. Oh, my son, that's what
David said. My house is not right. And I'm
sorry, and it's broken my heart, and I grieve over it and I weep
over it. But God made a covenant, and God included me in that covenant.
Who maketh thee to differ? What do you have you didn't receive?
Nobody won you to Christ. God gave you to Christ. God gave you to Christ. You didn't,
you didn't, you didn't in any way contribute to your salvation. Christ perfected it and performed
it all. It's ordered in all things and
sure, and this is all my salvation. Now what's the next, listen to
this, listen to this song. I want to quote you a song I
jotted down here, got out of one of those old books. Great
God, great God. when I approach thy throne and
all thy glory see, this is all my hope and this alone that Jesus
Christ died for me. How can a soul condemned to die
escape thy just decree? A vile, unworthy wretch am I,
but Jesus Christ died for me. Burdened with sin's oppressive
chain. Oh, how can I get free? No peace
can all my efforts gain. But Jesus Christ died for me.
And Lord, when I behold thy face, this must be all my plea. Save me, Lord, by thy matchless
grace, because Jesus died for me. That's the whole thing. Oh, I had a great request. Watch
this. He says, and this is all my desire. Now here's what I get out of
this right here, all my desire. Not only do I find comfort in
God's covenant of grace, this may be a little testy right here,
but we need to look at it. See, this is not what he's saying.
Not only do I find comfort in God's covenant of mercy in Christ
Jesus, the free gift, the unspeakable free gift of God, not only do
I find salvation in God's covenant of grace, His sovereign, particular covenant of grace designed by
Himself for His glory, which cannot fail, But I also delight
in God's covenant of grace. Do you? Can you? I want to see
it fulfilled. My one great desire is to see
this covenant fulfilled. That's what David said. Now watch
this. Although it be not so with one
who is part of my body, my flesh and blood. Although it be not so with maybe
Joab, Yet God, in His sovereign, matchless
purpose, has made a covenant, and He included me. And He ordered it in all things
ensured. I didn't make a contribution, and no other flesh made a contribution. It's ordered in all things ensured,
perfected and finished. This is all my hope. This is
all my salvation. This is all of my salvation.
And incidentally, it's all my desire to. I want to see it fulfilled. I want to see God glorified.
Let God be true and ever man a liar, even Absalom. Let God
be true and ever man a liar, even Joab. Let God be true and
ever man a liar, no matter who that man is. Let God's justice
be honored on whomsoever it falls. Let the riches of Christ be honored
on whomsoever he decrees. That's my desire. That's my desire. I will not complain. I will not
murmur. I will not find fault with God
Almighty's purpose, whatever it might be, because the judge
of the earth must do right. He can't do wrong. Don't deny the Lord. and the
Lord's Word to make room for a rebel even if you did sire
him, right? Huh? That's right. That's what
David's saying here. Don't compromise God to make
room for rebels no matter how close they are to you. That's
what David's saying. This is my desire that God's
will be done. And we'll never learn to pray
until we quit saying it and start thinking it. Thy will be done. We'll never learn to worship
until we quit talking about it and start doing it. Thy will
be done. It's not hard. That's not harsh. Don't you say it is harsh. It's
the road to godliness. And that road is not an easy
road. It's not an easy road. And then
last of all, here is a realistic view. He says, although he make
it not to grow. Although he make it not to grow. Although at present there are
not many signs that God has anything for me. Here I am with a withered
body, broken health, no strength, scarcely any friends, not much
kingdom left. Not much family left. There aren't
many signs and evidences that God has anything for me. That's
what it looks like. But you know, Job was brought
to that place. Job was brought to that place.
And then over here in Habakkuk. Turn to Habakkuk. It would be
good to turn over here. Somebody read this not long ago. And it made such an impression
upon me. Habakkuk chapter 3, verse 18,
no, verse 17. Habakkuk 3.17, and here's what
David's saying, the same thing. Job said, though he slay me,
I'll trust him. But Habakkuk 3.17, although the
fig tree shall not blossom. Can you imagine a country depending
upon figs and the tree not blossoming?
like the tobacco crop in Kentucky totally wiped out. Neither shall
fruit be in the vine, and a country depending upon the grapes, that's
what they raised, no fruit on the vine. And the labor of the
olive, the olive tree, it's failed too. And the fields yield no
wheat and no corn and no rye. And the flock shall be cut off
from the foal, and there'll be no herd in the
stalls." That's trying times, isn't it? That's empty. Nothing. Famine, pestilence. Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. Not in my good deeds and my works, what I've done for God and what
I deserve, but I'm going to rejoice in the Lord. Not just in His
benefits, it doesn't look like He's given us any. Not just in
His blessings at the present time, doesn't look like no evidence
that we have any of His blessings. But we're going to rejoice in
Him, blessings or no blessings, benefits or no benefits. Cattle
in the stall or no cattle in the stall? Fruit on the vine
or no fruit on the vine? We're going to rejoice in the
Lord. Now, that's when we're coming to the place, as old Dr. Herman used to say, Ronnie, to
commence, to begin, to get started to praising God. When we can
praise Him for Himself alone and not just for what He gave
us and not just for what He's done for us lately, but praising
God for Himself alone. because of who he is, because
he's worthy to be praised, and because he's the only one who
should be praised, and because it's the responsibility of every
creature to praise God that has breath. Just praise God. Our Father in Heaven, how we
need to be taught. We look into Thy Word the words
of men like this man and we realize how fleshly are our thoughts
and our feelings and how dependent we are upon things that we see
and touch and feel and taste and how far removed we have been
from this business of real worship and honoring and praising thee
for who thou art, what thou art. whatever our situation. May we say with the Apostle Paul,
I know how to be abased and I know how to abound and I've learned
in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. and being content
with such things as I have to avoid covetousness. Teach me
to praise Thee, O Lord. Teach me to pray, Thou will be
done. Teach me to rest in what You've
done for me, for I've done nothing for Thee. And I'm made to cry
with David of old, who am I and what is my house, that Thou hast
brought us safe thus far. We look to Thee for Thy tender
mercies. We're so much in need. In the
name of Thy Son we pray, Amen.