today to 1st Samuel. 1st Samuel
chapter 30. 1st Samuel chapter 30. And it came to pass when David
and his men were come to Ziglag on the third day that the Amalekites
had invaded the south and Ziglag and smitten Ziglag and burned
it with fire and had taken the women captives that were therein. They slew not any, either great
or small, but carried them away and went on their way. So David
and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with
fire. And their wives, and their sons, and their daughters were
taken captives. Then David and the people that
were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had
no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken
captives, Hannah Am, the Jezreelite, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal
the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed,
for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all
the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his
daughters. But David encouraged himself
in the Lord his God. And David said to Abathar the
priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abathar brought hither the
ephod to David. And David inquired at the Lord,
saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake
them? And he answered him, Pursue,
for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover
all. David went, he and the 600 men
that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where they
that were left behind stayed. But David pursued, he and 400
men, for 200 abode behind, which were so faint that they could
not go over the brook Besor. And they found an Egyptian in
the field and brought him to David, and gave him bread, and
he did eat. And they made him drink water,
and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters
of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit
came again to him, for he had eaten no bread nor drunk any
water three days and three nights. And David said unto him, to whom
belongest thou? And whence art thou? And he said,
I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. And my master
left me because three days ago and I fell sick. We made an invasion
upon the south of the Cherethites and upon the coast which belongeth
to Judah and upon the south of Caleb. And we burned Ziglag with
fire. And David said to him, canst
thou bring me down to this company And he said, swear unto me by
God that thou wilt neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands
of my master, and I will bring thee down to this company. And
when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad
upon all the earth, eating and drinking and dancing because
of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of
the Philistines and out of the land of Judah. David smote them
from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day. And
there escaped not a man of them, say 400 young men which rode
upon camels and fled. And David recovered all that
the Amalekites had carried away. And David rescued his two wives. I came to this scripture today
because of what we read in verse number six Concerning David,
at the end of the verse we read, David encouraged himself in the
Lord his God. Every child of God at times experiences
distress and discouragement. Notice this verse tells us David
was greatly distressed. Every child of God. At times,
as we go through this life, we experience that which distresses
us and brings discouragement. Job said this, he said, yet man
is born into trouble as the sparks fly upward. When sin came into
the world, it brought with it sickness, sorrow, temptation,
and death. One man said, we live in a world
that is in trouble with God because of sin, this world. It is in
trouble with God because of sin. And God's children are not exempt
from trouble. You could begin in Genesis and
read through the word of God and you will hardly find a man
who is named who did not experience trouble in this world. I think
of Abel, one of the first men the scripture speaks about that
God accepted, that he was declared righteous because of his sacrifice. He was killed by his brother
Cain. I think of Noah, who along with his three sons and their
daughters escaped the flood. And yet when they came out, the
trouble that Noah experienced in this life. I think of Abraham,
of Lot, of Jacob, of Joseph, of Joshua, all the judges, Naomi, David, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah,
and on into the New Testament we could go through. And we find
out that God's people, God's children, experience trouble,
distress in this life. And I would remind you that this
also included God's dear son, the Lord Jesus Christ. For a
child of God, as David was, these do not come as punishments. But sometimes they are our Heavenly
Father's discipline or chastening. Many believe that this was the
case with David at this time. Because you see, it was his unbelief. If you look back to chapter 27
and verse 1, it was his unbelief which started the chain which
took him and his men away from the city of Ziglag that the Amalekites
destroyed and captured. In chapter 27 in verse 1, we
read, And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by
the hand of Saul. Certainly a word of unbelief.
God had anointed him to be king. He was not going to perish by
the hand of Saul. God had delivered him on several
occasions Miraculously. Can you imagine David and his
men inside a cave? And here comes Saul with all
of his army. And where did they turn? They
turn inside the cave. How is he going to escape? God's
in heaven. And Saul and his men, they went
to sleep. And David and his men escaped. I mean, there was just several
experiences like that. But yet, there came a day when
David said, I'm going to perish by the hand of Saul. So he went
into the land of the Philistines, who were the enemies of the nation
of Judah. It was his unbelief. Now, it
should be apparent to you and I today that if an Old Testament
saint, like David, if an Old Testament saint, when distressed
and discouraged, could and did encourage himself in the Lord
his God, Then how much more, how much more reason for you
and I in this new dispensation? How much more do we have at our
hands, at our fingertips from the Word of God to encourage
us in the Lord our God? When we are distressed and when
we are discouraged, listen, we have both the Responsibility
as well as the possibility to encourage ourselves in the Lord
our God. We have that responsibility.
You say, well, that's easier said than done. I agree, but
I'm still saying it is our responsibility not to be like those the Bible
speaks of who refuse to be comforted. God has comfort for his people. And it's our responsibility as
well as our opportunity, when distressed and in discouragement,
to encourage ourselves in the Lord our God. Now I have three
divisions of the message this morning. First, let's assume,
let's assume David's discouragement or distress was his Heavenly
Father's discipline. that he was distressed, that
he was discouraged, and it was because of his heavenly father's
discipline. You see, the verse says, and
David was greatly distressed, and the way it reads, for the
people spake of stoning him. Are we to understand then that
the only thing that caused David distress was the thought that
he was about to be killed? that he was about to be stoned
to death by his men. I don't think that would have
been all that distressed him. David was a child of God, and
like every child of God, he knew that to leave this world is to
go and to be with the Lord, to be with his Savior. I think,
personally, what distressed David so much is he felt he had let
these people down. He was their leader. They followed
him. They observed what he told them
that they should do. He's the one that led them into
the land of the Philistines. He's the one that led them away
from their families. I think a lot of his distress
was caused by his sense of failure, that he had let his men down. And I don't know about you, but
I know many times this is what causes God's children to be distressed
and to know discouragement. It's because we feel that we
have let someone down. We have let others down. But
think about this. Suppose this was the Lord's chastening. This discouragement had come
upon David because his father, God Almighty, was disciplining
him. Well, think about this, that
he might use to encourage himself. We know this from the letter
of Hebrews, and the writer of Hebrews is quoting from Old Testament
scripture, but he says this, for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines. Suppose this is discipline. Chastening. God only disciplines and chastens
those he loves. And that scripture goes on to
say that if we be without chastisement, of which all are partakers, then
are we bastards, illegitimate, and not sons. Because God chastens
every son. that he receives. And that word
that's translated chastened or disciplined, it carries with
it the thought of punishment. There's no doubt about that.
But remember this, when God chastens, when God disciplines one of his
children, he does so as their father. It's one thing to be
disciplined by a stern judge. A man sitting on the bench and
he disciplines, he chastens someone. That's one thing. But for a child
of God to be disciplined, to be chastened by his loving, kind,
caring father, that's something different, isn't it? No doubt
he had many ways and many thoughts that could encourage him. in
the Lord his God, even if he knew and was convinced that this
was the chastening of the Lord. I want you to look with me in
Psalm 139 just a moment. This is one of my favorite Psalms,
Psalm 139. But today I only want us to look
at the last two verses, which or a prayer that David prays. Search me, verse 23. Search me,
O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts,
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting. Now David is asking the Lord
to search him, to search his heart. And when he says, to see
if there be any wicked way in me, David is not praying as though
he thought there might not be sin in him. David knew, like
every child of God knows, that in this life, even though before
God, in the court of heaven, we are justified. God's people
are declared righteous before God Almighty. Therefore, by faith,
we are justified before God. But in this life, we continue
to have an old man, an old nature, and we continue to experience
sin. In fact, the apostle John tells
us, if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. In Psalm 19, David prayed and
asked the Lord to deliver him from presumptuous sins. Those
would have to be the worst of sins, presumptuous sins, but
also from secret faults. David, when he prays here and
asks God to search him, He's not praying as if there might
not be sin in him, but search me, show me my sin, reveal to
me my sin, that I might repent. And here's where the encouragement
comes from. We encourage ourselves in the
Lord as we hear His Word. If He shows us that yes, this
discipline, this trouble is discipline, it is chastisement, but We have
His word which tells us, he that covereth his sin shall not prosper. You see, that's the tendency
that we all have, isn't it? Is to cover our sins, to just
act like that didn't happen, that we're not guilty. But our
God tells us in Proverbs 28 and verse 13, he that covereth his
sin shall not prosper. But, now here's a wonderful promise. What a blessed thing is this,
if he realized he was being chastened for his sins, but whoso confesseth
his sins, and forsaketh them shall, listen now, shall have
mercy. It doesn't say he may, he might
peradventure, oh no. He that covereth his sins shall
not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy. And then here's another scripture.
For thou, Lord, art good and ready, ready to forgive. That's encouraging, isn't it?
I've sinned, I've brought this upon myself, this trouble. God
chastens me because He loves me, if that's the case. Now,
don't read into this that all trouble is chastening from the
Lord. Because I do believe that the Bible teaches us that all
trouble is ordained of God for His children. But it may not
be all chastening. But it is a form of discipline.
But if we know that it is, we read, for thou, Lord, art good
and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call
upon thee. That call upon, that's it. You
say, well, I don't, I just can't accept that. Well, you should. You should. You've got the word
of God who cannot change, who cannot lie, and he tells us that
He is good, that He is ready to forgive, that He is plenteous
in mercy. I believe it was John Bunyan
who said one time that God has bags of mercy. You know, people
used to keep their gold and their precious things in bags. God
has bags of mercy that He hasn't opened yet. He's plenteous in
mercy. unto all them that call upon
thee. And here's another scripture.
But there is forgiveness with thee. There is forgiveness with
thee. If I'm distressed because I've
disappointed others, I've disappointed myself, I've sinned, but thank
God there is forgiveness with God. How could we live a day
in this world How could any child of God? How could you? I know
I couldn't. How could I live a day in this
world if I did not know and believe and am convinced that with God
my Father there is forgiveness? There is. And there's forgiveness,
he says, that thou mightest be feared. In other words, the fear
of the Lord, to reverence Him. John says in the New Testament,
if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So first, let's, we just assume
that David was distressed because it was the chastening of the
Lord. But here's the second thing. Let's think of David's interest
in the everlasting covenant. You turn with me to 2 Samuel
chapter 23. His interest in the everlasting
covenant. And we know from this passage
of scripture that David, he knew about this everlasting covenant.
2 Samuel chapter 23 in verse 5. And these, the scripture says,
be the last words of David. These were very close to the
last words that he spoke. Although my house be not so with
God, yet 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. All my salvation, comes from
that everlasting covenant, that covenant that David said, he
made with me. It's ordered in all things and
it's sure. When David uttered these words,
when he says that God had made with him an everlasting covenant,
we might say, well, how could that be? This covenant is everlasting. That means that it was made before
the foundation of the world. And yet David says this, he hath
made with me an everlasting covenant. Was David in existence when the
everlasting covenant was made? Not physically, not literally,
but he and every one of God's elect were in Christ, their head. And it was with Christ and us
in Him that this everlasting covenant was made. We were constituted
members of His body, the church, and Christ is the surety of this
covenant. That's the reason David said,
it's ordered in all things and sure. If your salvation If your
relationship to God depended upon your works, for you, for you, for me, this
covenant is sure. It's ordered in all things and
sure. The Lord Jesus Christ has the
surety for all of his chosen people, all of those that he
came to represent. All of those who make up his
mystical body. He's the head and we're members
of his body. He stood as the surety. And what that simply means is,
Father, whatever they owe, I'll pay. Whatever they owe, I'll
pay. And he paid. David knew about
this everlasting covenant. What encouragement as we read
the promises of this everlasting covenant. When we think of the
everlasting covenant, I think most of us think of those promises
that are named in Hebrews chapter eight and Hebrews chapter 10,
like these, I will be to them a God and they shall be my people. That's one of the promises of
this everlasting covenant. God said to David, I will be
your God. and you will be my son. Another promise we think of,
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities
will I remember no more. That's a wonderful promise of
this covenant, isn't it? Many times we can't forget sins
and things that we've done in our past, but God won't remember
them. In fact, the Scripture says,
as a thick cloud, I have blotted out thy transgressions. Well, look with me in Jeremiah.
We usually think of those promises, but I want you to look this morning
at this promise here in Jeremiah chapter 32 in the everlasting
covenant. What a cause of encouragement
is this. What a means of encouragement
is this when distressed and discouraged. Jeremiah chapter 32 and verse
40. And I will make an everlasting
covenant with them. Now notice this. That I will
not. I will not. I will not. turn away from them to do them good. But I will put
my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me."
David, in the midst of that burned out city, encouraged himself
and the Lord his God Having this wonderful promise and this everlasting
covenant, God had told him, I will not turn away from thee, from
doing thee good. I just won't do it. That was
his promise. That's your promise, if you're
one of his children. And look back just a page or
two here at Jeremiah to chapter 29. Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse
11, God speaking, for I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord. David, you
don't know the thoughts that I have concerning you, but I
know them. Thoughts of peace, you're going
to reign. You're going to have a long reign.
And of your descendants, the seed in whom all the world shall
be blessed is going to come. You don't know, David, the thoughts
that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace,
not of evil. God never has thoughts of evil
towards his children, does he? No. To give you an expected end. Who could have thought, as David
encouraged himself in the Lord, he calls for the priest who has
that ephod by which they could discern the will of God. And
he asked, should I pursue after this truth? God answers them
through that ephod, through the priest, go after them and each,
now think about this, each and every one of the wives, the children
of David and all of his men and all of their cattle and all of
their wealth, I'm going to restore unto you. Seems almost impossible,
doesn't it? But all things are possible with
God. Now, here's the third part of
the message. Let God's children, you and I
today, let's consider these four truths to encourage us. First of all,
God is God. You say, well, that's pretty
simple. Yeah, pretty simple. God is God. And yet He tells us, be still
and know that I am God. Be still and know. Now what does
it mean to know that God is God? Well, it certainly means more
than to know that there is a God. The devils believe and tremble,
the scripture says. They know that there is a God.
But no, we are told to be still and know that He is God. What does it mean to know that
God is God? It means to know from the Word
of God. And this is where we find out
knowledge about God, isn't it? It's not by the stars. They may show God's power. in
creation, but for us to know that God is God, we must turn
to the Word of God. And what we find here in the
Word of God is that God is sovereign. He's sovereign in creation. When He alone existed, it was
His prerogative, His will, to create or not create. He's sovereign in creation. He's sovereign in providence,
the fact that you were born into the family in which you were
born. That didn't happen by accident. Let me tell you something, when
your mother and your father first looked at you and decided, I'm
going to name that baby whatever, God had named you from before
the foundation of the world. He's sovereign in creation, in
providence, And He's sovereign in redemption. To know that He
is God. Nothing from the smallest thing. Let me tell you something. I
was at the house the other night and I felt something sting in
this eye. And I asked my wife to put some
of that eye wash in it. You know, before long, I found
out what it was that caused my eye to sting. It was a tiny little
ant. An ant had crawled into my eye,
and I felt it, and I brushed it. When I did, the ant stung
me. Did you know that God is in control
of the very minutest, smallest thing that takes place in this
world? in your life as well as those
men and women who are in charge of nations and governments. God rules from the smallest thing
to the greatest. It is reported that Martin Luther
told Erasmus. Erasmus was a scholar and he
put together the Greek New Testament But he was an unbeliever. He was very smart, very intelligent,
but he didn't have faith. And it's reported Martin Luther
told him one day, your problem is your God is too small. Your
God is too small. We serve, and he's the only God,
a great God. a sovereign God. In fact, in
Deuteronomy chapter 10 and verse 17, the people of Israel, they
were told, for the Lord your God is a God of gods, and Lord
of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth
not persons, nor taketh reward. You know, you can grease the
palms of some people, can't you? They take rewards. and they'll
look a different way, or they'll give you something that you want.
I tell you, God won't. You can't bribe God. Everything
you have is His. You're His. God Almighty. Be still and know that I am God. Number two, God has given His Son to redeem
us. This is a means of encouragement,
isn't it? God has given his son to redeem
us. Look with me in Romans chapter
eight, and I'll finish the message here in Romans chapter eight.
But in verse 32, we read, he that spared not his
own son, but delivered him up for us all. How shall he not
with him also freely give us all things? All things that we
need for time and for eternity, he freely gives us. And who can
doubt it, seeing that he spared not his own son? We love Romans
chapter 8, it begins with these words, there's therefore now
no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. And then
you see in verse 33, who shall lay anything to the charge of
God's elect? No one, no one, no one. Your conscience may charge you
and may make you feel guilty, no doubt about it. But in the
court of heaven, no one, no one can bring a charge against one
of God's elect. Why? Because Christ has died. And then it ends, chapter 8,
it ends with there being no separation from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus. Meditate. Encourage yourself,
knowing that God is God, that God has given His Son to redeem
you. Number three, that God the Holy
Spirit lives in you, and He will never leave you. And our Lord
said, I will give you another comforter. He lives in the believer,
and He lives in us to comfort us. And He uses His word. I can't
emphasize that too much. You're not going to find comfort
going to a psychiatrist or psychologist. If they don't give you the word
of God, my friends, they're going to give you human thoughts and
human ideas. For the child of God, the Lord
encourages us with his word. With his word. Comforts us with
his word. And then fourth, the Lord Jesus
will soon come. Encourage yourself with this
wonderful truth. He's soon going to come for you. And you know where he's going
to take you if you're one of his children? He said, in my
father's house or many mansions. Isn't that encouraging to think
that one day soon we'll be in our father's house, in his father's
house, and our father. There's so many things that could
be mentioned, but I would close with this again. It is our responsibility
as well as our opportunity to encourage ourselves when distressed
and discouraged, to encourage ourselves in the Lord, our God. May the Lord bless His word to
all of us here today.