1 00:00:00,400 –> 00:00:04,760 Well, please open your Bible at 2 Samuel chapter 23 2 00:00:04,760 –> 00:00:07,000 that’s been read for us. 3 00:00:07,000 –> 00:00:12,000 We’re looking today at the last words of David. 4 00:00:13,500 –> 00:00:16,240 Now these of course are not the last words 5 00:00:16,240 –> 00:00:18,620 that David ever spoke. 6 00:00:18,620 –> 00:00:21,379 In 2 Kings and chapter two, 7 00:00:21,379 –> 00:00:24,760 we have the last words that he spoke in private 8 00:00:24,760 –> 00:00:26,559 to his son Solomon 9 00:00:26,700 –> 00:00:30,160 where he exhorts his son to love the Lord 10 00:00:30,160 –> 00:00:31,920 with his whole heart. 11 00:00:32,840 –> 00:00:35,240 But these verses that are before us today 12 00:00:35,240 –> 00:00:38,560 are the last public words of David. 13 00:00:38,560 –> 00:00:40,720 They were as we might say today, 14 00:00:40,720 –> 00:00:43,180 the last words that he spoke as the King 15 00:00:43,180 –> 00:00:47,020 on the record, so to speak. 16 00:00:47,020 –> 00:00:50,200 And these verses show us what was in the mind 17 00:00:50,200 –> 00:00:52,360 and in the heart of David 18 00:00:52,360 –> 00:00:55,779 as he approached the very end of his life. 19 00:00:56,180 –> 00:01:00,400 And they show what he wanted people to remember him for. 20 00:01:02,119 –> 00:01:06,500 But what I think is even more significant is this, 21 00:01:06,500 –> 00:01:09,059 because as he clearly states here, 22 00:01:09,059 –> 00:01:11,839 he was speaking scripture 23 00:01:11,839 –> 00:01:16,059 under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, 24 00:01:16,059 –> 00:01:18,019 God was speaking through him, 25 00:01:18,019 –> 00:01:21,120 that’s the significance of the beginning verse 26 00:01:21,120 –> 00:01:23,580 the first verse that speaks of an oracle of God 27 00:01:23,680 –> 00:01:26,660 and him speaking by the spirit, 28 00:01:26,660 –> 00:01:28,559 that tells us very clearly that 29 00:01:28,559 –> 00:01:31,480 this is what was in the mind of God 30 00:01:32,559 –> 00:01:34,059 at the end of David’s life 31 00:01:34,059 –> 00:01:36,059 and the God is saying to us, 32 00:01:36,059 –> 00:01:40,639 this is what you should remember in regards to King David. 33 00:01:42,180 –> 00:01:45,339 Now I think that if we were to do 34 00:01:45,339 –> 00:01:48,099 a survey of people who know the Bible 35 00:01:48,099 –> 00:01:50,019 at least a little bit, 36 00:01:50,019 –> 00:01:51,660 and we were to ask the question 37 00:01:51,699 –> 00:01:54,860 what is the first thing that comes to 38 00:01:54,860 –> 00:01:58,019 your mind when you think about David? 39 00:01:58,900 –> 00:02:02,980 I think some people would say David and Goliath. 40 00:02:03,959 –> 00:02:05,360 I think a whole lot of Christians 41 00:02:05,360 –> 00:02:08,479 would say David and Bathsheba. 42 00:02:08,479 –> 00:02:10,360 I actually tested it out a few times 43 00:02:10,360 –> 00:02:13,520 and found out that theory was correct. 44 00:02:16,139 –> 00:02:17,419 We’ve seen in this series 45 00:02:17,419 –> 00:02:20,100 that David’s failures were many. 46 00:02:20,839 –> 00:02:23,559 We’ve seen how sadly lacking he was 47 00:02:23,559 –> 00:02:27,320 over many years as a husband and as a father. 48 00:02:28,839 –> 00:02:32,419 The Bible never once airbrushes its heroes, 49 00:02:34,100 –> 00:02:35,839 and throughout this series we have 50 00:02:35,839 –> 00:02:37,600 seen consistently that David’s 51 00:02:37,600 –> 00:02:39,679 failures point again and again 52 00:02:39,679 –> 00:02:42,179 to our need of a greater king. 53 00:02:44,339 –> 00:02:47,139 But I want you to see today in our last, 54 00:02:47,139 –> 00:02:48,800 in the series from David, 55 00:02:48,800 –> 00:02:51,000 with this marvelous glimpse of the 56 00:02:51,000 –> 00:02:53,960 grace and the mercy of God. 57 00:02:53,960 –> 00:02:56,520 That at the end of David’s life, 58 00:02:56,520 –> 00:03:01,020 God does not put his finger on David’s failure. 59 00:03:01,020 –> 00:03:04,320 He does not point to David’s sin. 60 00:03:04,320 –> 00:03:05,940 Your sins and your inequities I 61 00:03:05,940 –> 00:03:08,880 will remember no more, our God says, 62 00:03:08,880 –> 00:03:10,380 and he says at the end of David’s 63 00:03:10,380 –> 00:03:12,020 life, speaking in this oracle, 64 00:03:12,020 –> 00:03:15,600 here is what David is to be remembered for. 65 00:03:15,600 –> 00:03:18,320 Here are the things that will 66 00:03:18,320 –> 00:03:21,820 remain forever when everything 67 00:03:21,820 –> 00:03:25,660 else has passed away. 68 00:03:25,660 –> 00:03:27,039 Thank God that what remains of our 69 00:03:27,039 –> 00:03:29,559 lives in Jesus Christ is not our 70 00:03:29,559 –> 00:03:32,479 sin and our failure. 71 00:03:32,479 –> 00:03:34,600 God says to us in Jesus Christ, 72 00:03:34,600 –> 00:03:36,720 your sin and your iniquity I will 73 00:03:36,720 –> 00:03:39,160 remember no more. 74 00:03:39,160 –> 00:03:41,740 Now, we’re clearly looking in these 75 00:03:41,740 –> 00:03:44,479 verses then that the legacy that is 76 00:03:44,520 –> 00:03:46,899 left by someone who seeks, 77 00:03:46,919 –> 00:03:49,080 however falteringly, to walk 78 00:03:49,080 –> 00:03:52,279 throughout life with the Lord. 79 00:03:52,279 –> 00:03:54,380 And in our minds, as we look at 80 00:03:54,380 –> 00:03:56,460 these words of David will be this 81 00:03:56,460 –> 00:03:58,839 reality that there will be certain 82 00:03:58,839 –> 00:04:01,339 things that you will be remembered 83 00:04:01,339 –> 00:04:03,940 for when you are no longer here. 84 00:04:03,940 –> 00:04:05,820 And every day, each of us is 85 00:04:05,839 –> 00:04:08,020 shaping the legacy that 86 00:04:08,020 –> 00:04:10,259 we will leave behind. 87 00:04:10,259 –> 00:04:12,419 I want then to point out the four 88 00:04:12,419 –> 00:04:14,460 folded legacy that according to 89 00:04:14,460 –> 00:04:16,540 the word of God was left by King 90 00:04:16,540 –> 00:04:18,660 David for us to aspire 91 00:04:18,660 –> 00:04:21,119 to follow in his example 92 00:04:21,119 –> 00:04:22,299 first. 93 00:04:22,299 –> 00:04:24,079 We see here a legacy of 94 00:04:24,079 –> 00:04:26,160 gratitude for the 95 00:04:26,160 –> 00:04:27,959 grace of God. 96 00:04:27,959 –> 00:04:29,339 Look at verse one. 97 00:04:29,339 –> 00:04:31,839 Now, these are the last words 98 00:04:31,839 –> 00:04:34,339 of David, the Oracle 99 00:04:34,339 –> 00:04:36,160 of David, the son of Jesse, 100 00:04:36,160 –> 00:04:38,519 the Oracle of the man 101 00:04:38,519 –> 00:04:41,320 who was raised on high, 102 00:04:41,320 –> 00:04:43,480 the anointed of the 103 00:04:43,540 –> 00:04:45,880 god of Jacob. 104 00:04:47,899 –> 00:04:48,880 Now, the first thing that’s 105 00:04:48,880 –> 00:04:50,660 very striking to me, just 106 00:04:50,660 –> 00:04:52,179 pondering these verses, 107 00:04:52,179 –> 00:04:53,720 here’s the last words 108 00:04:53,720 –> 00:04:55,559 of David, 109 00:04:55,559 –> 00:04:57,019 And remember that his life 110 00:04:57,019 –> 00:04:59,059 was in three chapters 111 00:04:59,059 –> 00:05:00,179 we’ve seen throughout the 112 00:05:00,179 –> 00:05:01,179 story, there were his 113 00:05:01,179 –> 00:05:02,440 trials, his triumphs and 114 00:05:02,440 –> 00:05:03,540 then the last season of 115 00:05:03,540 –> 00:05:05,140 his life was dominated 116 00:05:05,140 –> 00:05:07,179 by troubles. 117 00:05:07,220 –> 00:05:09,059 One difficulty on top 118 00:05:09,059 –> 00:05:11,320 of another, 119 00:05:11,320 –> 00:05:13,420 the abuse of his daughter 120 00:05:13,500 –> 00:05:15,500 Temar. 121 00:05:15,500 –> 00:05:17,100 The murder of his son 122 00:05:17,100 –> 00:05:18,720 Amnon, 123 00:05:18,720 –> 00:05:20,480 the rebellion of Absalom 124 00:05:20,480 –> 00:05:22,040 who hated the father who 125 00:05:22,040 –> 00:05:23,640 loved him, 126 00:05:23,640 –> 00:05:25,279 the betrayal and defection 127 00:05:25,279 –> 00:05:26,540 of his friend and wise 128 00:05:26,540 –> 00:05:28,679 counselor Ahithophel, 129 00:05:28,679 –> 00:05:29,899 The unrelenting 130 00:05:29,899 –> 00:05:32,540 aggravation of Shimei, 131 00:05:32,540 –> 00:05:34,459 the rebellion of Sheba, 132 00:05:34,459 –> 00:05:36,059 the scroundrel, the crimes 133 00:05:36,059 –> 00:05:37,480 of Joab, David’s 134 00:05:37,480 –> 00:05:38,220 commander 135 00:05:38,220 –> 00:05:39,839 who increasingly became 136 00:05:39,839 –> 00:05:41,459 a thorn in David’s side 137 00:05:41,459 –> 00:05:42,579 in the later years of his 138 00:05:42,579 –> 00:05:43,119 life, 139 00:05:43,119 –> 00:05:44,420 the giants and the 140 00:05:44,420 –> 00:05:46,019 relentless wars against 141 00:05:46,019 –> 00:05:47,019 the Philistines that 142 00:05:47,019 –> 00:05:48,220 seem never to end 143 00:05:48,220 –> 00:05:49,299 so that David himself 144 00:05:49,299 –> 00:05:50,700 became weary 145 00:05:50,700 –> 00:05:52,059 and at the end of it all 146 00:05:52,059 –> 00:05:53,339 yet another rebellion 147 00:05:53,339 –> 00:05:54,739 by another son of David 148 00:05:54,739 –> 00:05:55,540 whose name was 149 00:05:55,540 –> 00:05:56,579 Adonijah, 150 00:05:56,579 –> 00:05:57,980 the troubles in the last 151 00:05:57,980 –> 00:05:59,459 season of David’s life 152 00:05:59,459 –> 00:06:01,720 were unrelenting. 153 00:06:03,279 –> 00:06:04,359 And you might think 154 00:06:04,359 –> 00:06:05,820 that a man who faces 155 00:06:05,820 –> 00:06:07,059 so many troubles in the 156 00:06:07,059 –> 00:06:08,220 last season of his life 157 00:06:08,220 –> 00:06:09,100 would end on the note 158 00:06:09,100 –> 00:06:10,179 of complaint. 159 00:06:10,179 –> 00:06:11,660 There isn’t a hint 160 00:06:11,820 –> 00:06:13,640 of complaint 161 00:06:13,839 –> 00:06:15,559 at the end of this man’s life. 162 00:06:17,119 –> 00:06:18,299 Some of you know what it 163 00:06:18,299 –> 00:06:19,739 is to be in a season 164 00:06:19,739 –> 00:06:21,119 where you are experiencing 165 00:06:21,119 –> 00:06:22,660 one trouble after another, 166 00:06:22,660 –> 00:06:23,600 just keep coming 167 00:06:23,600 –> 00:06:25,179 relentlessly and you say, 168 00:06:25,179 –> 00:06:25,940 now, when is this ever 169 00:06:25,940 –> 00:06:27,440 going to end? 170 00:06:28,799 –> 00:06:30,579 Think about David here. 171 00:06:31,799 –> 00:06:33,399 When you might expect 172 00:06:33,399 –> 00:06:34,779 that he would end his 173 00:06:34,779 –> 00:06:35,940 life as a rather 174 00:06:35,940 –> 00:06:38,459 miserable old man, 175 00:06:39,220 –> 00:06:40,839 what is so striking here 176 00:06:40,839 –> 00:06:42,519 is that his last words, 177 00:06:42,519 –> 00:06:45,320 despite all these troubles are 178 00:06:45,320 –> 00:06:47,660 words of gratitude 179 00:06:48,500 –> 00:06:49,760 for the sheer grace and 180 00:06:49,760 –> 00:06:51,880 mercy of God in his life. 181 00:06:53,079 –> 00:06:54,200 Look at what David says 182 00:06:54,200 –> 00:06:54,940 about himself. 183 00:06:55,380 –> 00:06:56,660 He’s the son of Jesus. 184 00:06:58,079 –> 00:06:58,880 That reminds us, 185 00:06:58,880 –> 00:07:00,440 he’s the youngest son 186 00:07:01,480 –> 00:07:03,480 in an obscure family 187 00:07:04,320 –> 00:07:06,079 in a little known town, 188 00:07:06,760 –> 00:07:08,380 a place called Bethlehem. 189 00:07:09,220 –> 00:07:10,940 And he describes himself 190 00:07:10,940 –> 00:07:13,980 as a man who was raised 191 00:07:13,980 –> 00:07:15,619 up on high. 192 00:07:16,820 –> 00:07:18,119 It was the grace 193 00:07:18,119 –> 00:07:20,440 of God that lifted me. 194 00:07:20,440 –> 00:07:22,019 That’s what he’s saying. 195 00:07:23,040 –> 00:07:24,339 In all of his troubles, 196 00:07:24,339 –> 00:07:26,019 he never lost the sense 197 00:07:26,019 –> 00:07:27,239 of wonder 198 00:07:27,239 –> 00:07:28,519 at the grace of God 199 00:07:28,519 –> 00:07:30,100 that had laid hold of him, 200 00:07:30,100 –> 00:07:31,779 had lifted him up 201 00:07:31,779 –> 00:07:33,119 and despite all of his 202 00:07:33,119 –> 00:07:34,660 many sins and failures, 203 00:07:34,660 –> 00:07:35,779 had held him and kept him 204 00:07:36,040 –> 00:07:37,880 and never, never, never 205 00:07:37,880 –> 00:07:39,179 let him go. 206 00:07:39,179 –> 00:07:41,140 Look at what God has done for me, 207 00:07:41,140 –> 00:07:42,940 he says. 208 00:07:42,940 –> 00:07:45,220 God has raised me up. 209 00:07:45,220 –> 00:07:46,059 As he puts it 210 00:07:46,059 –> 00:07:46,880 in Psalm 40, 211 00:07:46,880 –> 00:07:48,739 he took me from the miry pit 212 00:07:48,739 –> 00:07:50,779 and he has set my feet 213 00:07:50,779 –> 00:07:52,000 upon a rock. 214 00:07:52,000 –> 00:07:53,739 There’s not a hint of complaint. 215 00:07:55,079 –> 00:07:56,799 And that is very striking to me 216 00:07:56,799 –> 00:07:58,940 that there’s not a hint of pride. 217 00:07:59,980 –> 00:08:01,119 Especially when you think 218 00:08:01,119 –> 00:08:02,700 of what this man achieved. 219 00:08:02,700 –> 00:08:04,019 I mean, he was the greatest 220 00:08:04,359 –> 00:08:07,579 of the Old Testament kings. 221 00:08:07,579 –> 00:08:08,920 We’ve seen in this series 222 00:08:08,920 –> 00:08:11,880 that he inherited this loose coalition 223 00:08:11,880 –> 00:08:13,880 of tribes all at sixes and sevens 224 00:08:13,880 –> 00:08:14,799 with each other, 225 00:08:14,799 –> 00:08:16,859 barely able to defend themselves 226 00:08:16,859 –> 00:08:19,559 and he melded them into one nation. 227 00:08:19,559 –> 00:08:22,559 No one had ever done that before. 228 00:08:22,559 –> 00:08:25,279 And he subdued the enemies of God 229 00:08:25,279 –> 00:08:28,839 for the first time in 400 years 230 00:08:28,839 –> 00:08:30,299 since the time of Joshua 231 00:08:30,299 –> 00:08:32,479 when he had led the conquest of the land. 232 00:08:32,500 –> 00:08:34,260 Enemies had remained embedded 233 00:08:34,260 –> 00:08:36,020 for more than four centuries 234 00:08:36,020 –> 00:08:37,880 only in the time of David 235 00:08:38,840 –> 00:08:40,820 where the enemies of God pushed back 236 00:08:40,820 –> 00:08:44,460 and peace established and secured. 237 00:08:44,460 –> 00:08:46,299 And, as we saw last time, 238 00:08:46,299 –> 00:08:48,780 he did this not only once but twice 239 00:08:48,780 –> 00:08:51,380 because, after the rebellion of Absalom, 240 00:08:51,380 –> 00:08:53,059 God’s people were divided again 241 00:08:53,059 –> 00:08:55,059 and the enemies were rampant again. 242 00:08:55,059 –> 00:08:56,840 And so, everything that he had achieved 243 00:08:56,840 –> 00:08:59,900 had to be achieved all over again. 244 00:08:59,900 –> 00:09:00,940 But by God’s grace, 245 00:09:00,940 –> 00:09:02,099 it was accomplished 246 00:09:02,099 –> 00:09:05,580 when Saul died God’s people were oppressed 247 00:09:05,580 –> 00:09:07,340 and they were scattered. 248 00:09:07,340 –> 00:09:08,679 And when David died, 249 00:09:08,679 –> 00:09:12,359 they were strong and they were united. 250 00:09:12,359 –> 00:09:15,919 Now, that is an amazing achievement. 251 00:09:15,919 –> 00:09:17,979 And you might think that such a man 252 00:09:17,979 –> 00:09:19,219 with such an achievement 253 00:09:19,219 –> 00:09:21,460 might be saying at the end of his life, 254 00:09:21,460 –> 00:09:23,219 look what I’ve done! 255 00:09:24,900 –> 00:09:26,799 But there isn’t a hint of that. 256 00:09:28,479 –> 00:09:30,039 It’s 257 00:09:30,039 –> 00:09:31,780 God did it. 258 00:09:32,979 –> 00:09:36,260 Look what God has done. 259 00:09:37,700 –> 00:09:39,900 And of course, that’s the great significance 260 00:09:39,900 –> 00:09:41,820 of the words that he uses here. 261 00:09:41,820 –> 00:09:44,659 He describes himself as the anointed 262 00:09:44,659 –> 00:09:47,200 of the God of Jacob. 263 00:09:48,059 –> 00:09:50,460 Anointed simply means empowered. 264 00:09:51,979 –> 00:09:55,340 It means that God’s spirit came on David 265 00:09:55,340 –> 00:09:56,760 and enabled him to do 266 00:09:56,760 –> 00:09:59,500 all that was accomplished under his reign. 267 00:09:59,500 –> 00:10:01,979 And God’s spirit remained with him 268 00:10:03,159 –> 00:10:05,419 despite his many failures. 269 00:10:05,419 –> 00:10:07,099 This is why, in Psalm 51, 270 00:10:07,099 –> 00:10:09,020 David pleads with God 271 00:10:09,020 –> 00:10:10,039 as he comes to God 272 00:10:10,039 –> 00:10:10,979 in repentance. 273 00:10:10,979 –> 00:10:15,099 He says, do not take your holy spirit from me 274 00:10:15,099 –> 00:10:15,919 because, God, 275 00:10:15,919 –> 00:10:17,500 if you take your anointed from me, 276 00:10:17,500 –> 00:10:19,359 if you take your spirit from me, 277 00:10:19,359 –> 00:10:20,380 I’m nothing. 278 00:10:20,380 –> 00:10:22,780 I have nothing in and of myself. 279 00:10:25,859 –> 00:10:27,599 And people who can discern 280 00:10:27,599 –> 00:10:28,520 the work of God 281 00:10:28,679 –> 00:10:31,340 are filled with a sense of gratitude 282 00:10:32,979 –> 00:10:34,119 to God. 283 00:10:35,460 –> 00:10:38,580 And that just pours out of David 284 00:10:40,020 –> 00:10:42,900 at the end of his life. 285 00:10:44,700 –> 00:10:46,599 What do you want to be remembered for? 286 00:10:48,200 –> 00:10:51,960 If your legacy was to be defined 287 00:10:51,960 –> 00:10:54,419 by your words this week, 288 00:10:55,739 –> 00:10:57,260 would it be a legacy 289 00:10:57,260 –> 00:11:00,760 of complaining about your troubles? 290 00:11:00,760 –> 00:11:03,900 Would it be a legacy of pride in your achievements? 291 00:11:03,900 –> 00:11:07,859 Or would it be a legacy of gratitude 292 00:11:07,859 –> 00:11:08,979 for the grace of God? 293 00:11:08,979 –> 00:11:10,119 He lifted me. 294 00:11:11,659 –> 00:11:13,359 And whatever has been accomplished 295 00:11:13,359 –> 00:11:15,159 has been by the anointing of his spirit 296 00:11:15,159 –> 00:11:17,559 and his grace at work 297 00:11:17,559 –> 00:11:18,400 within me. 298 00:11:19,200 –> 00:11:20,039 Second, 299 00:11:21,059 –> 00:11:23,859 a legacy of trust in the word of God. 300 00:11:23,859 –> 00:11:25,640 What a marvelous legacy this is. 301 00:11:25,659 –> 00:11:27,799 He left not only a legacy of gratitude 302 00:11:27,799 –> 00:11:29,200 for the grace of God, 303 00:11:29,200 –> 00:11:33,080 but a legacy of trust in the word of God. 304 00:11:33,080 –> 00:11:35,359 Verse one, the Oracle of David, 305 00:11:35,359 –> 00:11:37,479 and now he refers to himself 306 00:11:37,479 –> 00:11:42,159 as the sweet psalmist of Israel. 307 00:11:43,260 –> 00:11:45,099 And then taking that up, he says, 308 00:11:45,099 –> 00:11:48,700 the spirit of the Lord speaks by me. 309 00:11:48,700 –> 00:11:52,419 His word is on my tongue. 310 00:11:52,419 –> 00:11:55,380 The God of Israel has spoken 311 00:11:56,239 –> 00:12:00,099 and the rock of Israel has said to me. 312 00:12:02,000 –> 00:12:04,640 Now, if we are to think about the legacy of David, 313 00:12:04,640 –> 00:12:07,679 what has King David left to the world? 314 00:12:08,559 –> 00:12:11,200 A very large part of the answer to that question 315 00:12:11,200 –> 00:12:16,200 has to include the wonderful book of Psalms in the Bible. 316 00:12:17,859 –> 00:12:20,520 I sometimes ask folks in the congregation 317 00:12:20,520 –> 00:12:22,440 who are struggling with great difficulties, 318 00:12:22,440 –> 00:12:23,539 someone who is bereaved, 319 00:12:23,539 –> 00:12:26,080 someone who is going through a very difficult time. 320 00:12:26,080 –> 00:12:28,900 I sometimes say, what part of the Bible 321 00:12:28,900 –> 00:12:31,659 are you reading as you are going through this? 322 00:12:31,659 –> 00:12:33,539 And I’ll tell you the number one answer 323 00:12:33,539 –> 00:12:34,979 without any question, 324 00:12:34,979 –> 00:12:39,979 Pastor, I’m going back to the Psalms every time. 325 00:12:41,559 –> 00:12:42,859 Some of you are there now. 326 00:12:44,299 –> 00:12:47,859 And this treasure that God breathed through 327 00:12:47,859 –> 00:12:50,179 and out of David’s troubles 328 00:12:50,880 –> 00:12:55,880 is a blessing and a comfort to God’s people in our trials, 329 00:12:55,960 –> 00:12:58,080 perhaps more than any other part of scripture. 330 00:12:58,080 –> 00:12:59,739 That’s why we keep going back to it 331 00:12:59,739 –> 00:13:04,559 and is a great part of the legacy of King David 332 00:13:04,559 –> 00:13:07,140 to all of the people of God. 333 00:13:07,140 –> 00:13:09,460 Now think about this. 334 00:13:09,460 –> 00:13:11,840 The Psalms were breathed out by God, 335 00:13:11,840 –> 00:13:14,299 they are scripture breathed out by God 336 00:13:14,299 –> 00:13:19,239 through the troubles that David experienced. 337 00:13:20,619 –> 00:13:23,099 And a large part of your legacy 338 00:13:23,099 –> 00:13:25,780 will come out of your trusting God 339 00:13:25,780 –> 00:13:29,500 in the greatest troubles of your life. 340 00:13:30,539 –> 00:13:33,659 David reminds us here in a very important verse, 341 00:13:33,659 –> 00:13:34,760 and I hope you’ll have this marked 342 00:13:34,760 –> 00:13:36,299 and this will be a scripture 343 00:13:36,299 –> 00:13:38,200 you can come back to in the future. 344 00:13:38,200 –> 00:13:40,700 He reminds us that the Psalms, 345 00:13:40,700 –> 00:13:42,200 like all of scripture, 346 00:13:42,200 –> 00:13:45,900 are indeed the Word of God. 347 00:13:45,900 –> 00:13:48,679 And what the New Testament affirms 348 00:13:48,799 –> 00:13:50,880 about the scripture 349 00:13:50,880 –> 00:13:55,299 is marvelously and clearly stated right here 350 00:13:55,299 –> 00:13:58,679 by King David in reference to the Psalms. 351 00:13:58,679 –> 00:13:59,559 Think about this. 352 00:13:59,559 –> 00:14:03,280 What do we believe about the Bible? 353 00:14:03,280 –> 00:14:05,080 Well, we believe about the Bible 354 00:14:05,080 –> 00:14:08,039 that God has spoken. 355 00:14:08,039 –> 00:14:09,219 In the New Testament, 356 00:14:09,219 –> 00:14:10,679 we read about all scripture. 357 00:14:10,679 –> 00:14:12,080 It’s put in this way, 358 00:14:12,080 –> 00:14:16,719 that all scripture is breathed out by God. 359 00:14:16,719 –> 00:14:17,559 In other words, 360 00:14:17,559 –> 00:14:20,000 it’s simply the product of human experience 361 00:14:20,000 –> 00:14:22,719 that God himself has actually spoken. 362 00:14:22,719 –> 00:14:25,140 And notice that that’s exactly what David says 363 00:14:25,140 –> 00:14:26,820 in regards to the Psalms 364 00:14:26,820 –> 00:14:29,219 that God spoke through him. 365 00:14:29,219 –> 00:14:32,659 The Spirit of the Lord speaks. 366 00:14:32,659 –> 00:14:35,840 The God of Israel has spoken. 367 00:14:35,840 –> 00:14:37,760 The Rock of Israel has said. 368 00:14:37,760 –> 00:14:39,320 He says it three times. 369 00:14:39,320 –> 00:14:40,640 What you have in the Psalms 370 00:14:40,640 –> 00:14:42,840 is the very word of God. 371 00:14:42,840 –> 00:14:43,840 Three times over. 372 00:14:44,580 –> 00:14:46,700 Now, how has God spoken? 373 00:14:47,559 –> 00:14:49,039 Well, again, in the New Testament, 374 00:14:49,039 –> 00:14:51,080 it is made very clear that God speaks 375 00:14:51,080 –> 00:14:53,880 through the prophets and the apostles. 376 00:14:53,880 –> 00:14:55,239 That is how he has spoken. 377 00:14:55,239 –> 00:14:59,880 He has given his word through prophets and apostles. 378 00:14:59,880 –> 00:15:01,119 And, in the New Testament, 379 00:15:01,119 –> 00:15:03,280 the Apostle Peter puts it this way. 380 00:15:03,280 –> 00:15:06,320 Men spoke from God 381 00:15:06,320 –> 00:15:09,539 as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 382 00:15:09,539 –> 00:15:11,299 So, God speaks. 383 00:15:11,299 –> 00:15:12,599 And how it has come to us 384 00:15:12,780 –> 00:15:14,979 is that men, that is apostles and prophets, 385 00:15:14,979 –> 00:15:16,320 spoke from God 386 00:15:16,320 –> 00:15:20,320 as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 387 00:15:21,219 –> 00:15:23,340 Now, notice how David says 388 00:15:23,340 –> 00:15:25,960 precisely the same thing here about the Psalms. 389 00:15:25,960 –> 00:15:27,760 And, again, he says it three times. 390 00:15:27,760 –> 00:15:30,020 The Spirit of the Lord speaks how? 391 00:15:30,020 –> 00:15:31,919 By me. 392 00:15:31,919 –> 00:15:35,700 The rock of Israel has said, to me. 393 00:15:35,700 –> 00:15:39,479 His word is on my tongue. 394 00:15:40,440 –> 00:15:44,500 So, God speaks and God has spoken through David, 395 00:15:44,500 –> 00:15:47,099 acting as one of the prophets here. 396 00:15:47,099 –> 00:15:49,239 And it is in this way that not only the Psalms, 397 00:15:49,239 –> 00:15:52,760 but the whole of the scripture has come to us. 398 00:15:52,760 –> 00:15:56,479 And notice one more thing that is really important here. 399 00:15:56,479 –> 00:16:00,799 Notice what was placed on David’s tongue. 400 00:16:00,799 –> 00:16:05,200 What was placed on David’s tonge is God’s word. 401 00:16:06,320 –> 00:16:08,520 That’s very important. 402 00:16:08,520 –> 00:16:12,280 In other words, it is not that God gave David 403 00:16:12,280 –> 00:16:15,919 a general idea of what was to go in the Bible 404 00:16:15,919 –> 00:16:18,520 and then left David to figure out the best words 405 00:16:18,520 –> 00:16:20,599 to express these general ideas. 406 00:16:20,599 –> 00:16:25,599 No, David says, His word is on my tongue. 407 00:16:25,599 –> 00:16:30,599 Theologians call this the verbal inspiration of scripture. 408 00:16:31,200 –> 00:16:35,880 In other words, what we have is the very word of God. 409 00:16:35,900 –> 00:16:40,760 God has breathed out not just a set of ideas 410 00:16:40,760 –> 00:16:42,960 that somehow then needed to be interpreted 411 00:16:42,960 –> 00:16:46,219 and figured out in the words of apostles and prophets, 412 00:16:46,219 –> 00:16:48,400 but God gave to the apostles and prophets 413 00:16:48,400 –> 00:16:51,760 the very word of God so that we can have 414 00:16:51,760 –> 00:16:54,400 the highest confidence in the authority 415 00:16:54,400 –> 00:16:58,239 and in the sufficiency of the scripture itself. 416 00:16:58,239 –> 00:17:01,400 This is really important because if you back up 417 00:17:01,400 –> 00:17:04,540 to a most fundamental question like 418 00:17:04,660 –> 00:17:06,920 how do we know who God is? 419 00:17:09,099 –> 00:17:12,079 How do I know what God’s will is 420 00:17:12,079 –> 00:17:14,319 and what He requires of me? 421 00:17:15,500 –> 00:17:17,260 Are we just guessing? 422 00:17:18,160 –> 00:17:21,119 Are we left in confusion as to the various answers 423 00:17:21,119 –> 00:17:22,719 that will be given by the various cultures 424 00:17:22,719 –> 00:17:26,000 and religions of the world, no. 425 00:17:26,000 –> 00:17:28,819 God has spoken, the one who created 426 00:17:28,819 –> 00:17:32,479 the heaven and the earth, He has spoken. 427 00:17:32,520 –> 00:17:34,979 He has made Himself known. 428 00:17:34,979 –> 00:17:38,839 He has made Himself known through His word. 429 00:17:38,839 –> 00:17:42,239 And it is through His word that you will come to know Him. 430 00:17:42,239 –> 00:17:45,400 This is a huge part of the legacy of David. 431 00:17:45,400 –> 00:17:47,260 I hope it will be part of your legacy 432 00:17:47,260 –> 00:17:49,540 that you’re passing on to others who watch you 433 00:17:49,540 –> 00:17:51,900 that you have supreme confidence 434 00:17:51,900 –> 00:17:54,560 in the Bible as the Word of God. 435 00:17:55,520 –> 00:17:58,099 Gratitude for the grace of God. 436 00:17:59,099 –> 00:18:01,180 Trust in the Word of God. 437 00:18:03,359 –> 00:18:04,199 Thirdly, 438 00:18:05,560 –> 00:18:06,400 a legacy 439 00:18:07,540 –> 00:18:08,359 of hope 440 00:18:10,219 –> 00:18:11,939 in the Son of God. 441 00:18:11,939 –> 00:18:13,180 A legacy of hope 442 00:18:14,500 –> 00:18:15,680 in the Son of God. 443 00:18:15,680 –> 00:18:18,099 Look at verses three and four. 444 00:18:19,359 –> 00:18:21,939 When one rules justly over men, 445 00:18:23,880 –> 00:18:26,540 ruling in the fear of the Lord, 446 00:18:27,880 –> 00:18:31,140 He dawns on them like the morning star. 447 00:18:32,560 –> 00:18:34,479 Like the morning light. 448 00:18:35,560 –> 00:18:39,739 Like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning. 449 00:18:40,839 –> 00:18:43,839 Like rain that makes grass to sprout 450 00:18:45,119 –> 00:18:46,380 from the earth. 451 00:18:47,459 –> 00:18:48,959 I love this verse. 452 00:18:50,020 –> 00:18:52,920 Three observations on it. 453 00:18:52,920 –> 00:18:53,739 First, 454 00:18:54,939 –> 00:18:58,540 we clearly here have something that is given to us 455 00:18:58,540 –> 00:19:02,699 to describe the effects of good and godly leadership. 456 00:19:05,599 –> 00:19:08,459 When someone rules justly, 457 00:19:08,459 –> 00:19:12,640 when someone exercises leadership in the fear of the lord, 458 00:19:16,119 –> 00:19:18,900 a good husband, a good father, 459 00:19:18,900 –> 00:19:19,979 a good elder, 460 00:19:21,300 –> 00:19:22,479 a good leader, 461 00:19:24,079 –> 00:19:28,079 what does good leadership look like in the home? 462 00:19:28,880 –> 00:19:31,819 What does it look like in the church? 463 00:19:31,819 –> 00:19:34,819 What does it look like in the world? 464 00:19:35,780 –> 00:19:39,859 Well, look at this description and how wonderful it is. 465 00:19:39,859 –> 00:19:41,800 Here’s what good leadership looks like. 466 00:19:41,800 –> 00:19:45,160 The one who rules justly and in the fear of the lord 467 00:19:45,160 –> 00:19:48,199 dawns on them like the morning light, 468 00:19:48,199 –> 00:19:52,359 like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning. 469 00:19:53,760 –> 00:19:57,939 That is just a beautiful picture of hope, isn’t it? 470 00:19:58,739 –> 00:20:02,239 When the sun rises on a cloudless morning, 471 00:20:04,699 –> 00:20:08,859 like today, you say, it’s going to be a beautiful day. 472 00:20:10,479 –> 00:20:12,219 By the way, you have to have lived in Britain 473 00:20:12,219 –> 00:20:14,680 for 40 years to really appreciate this verse. 474 00:20:14,680 –> 00:20:17,180 Now, it’s only once in a while 475 00:20:19,199 –> 00:20:22,939 you ever see a cloudless morning there. 476 00:20:22,939 –> 00:20:25,400 But you think about this. 477 00:20:25,400 –> 00:20:28,900 When the sun rises on a cloudless morning, 478 00:20:28,900 –> 00:20:32,219 you say oh, it’s going to be a beautiful day. 479 00:20:32,219 –> 00:20:34,760 That’s the effect of good leadership. 480 00:20:34,760 –> 00:20:36,040 What is that image saying? 481 00:20:36,040 –> 00:20:39,959 It’s saying good leadership brings people hope. 482 00:20:41,439 –> 00:20:45,599 And of course that’s what David’s leadership did for Israel. 483 00:20:46,920 –> 00:20:49,160 God used him to bring unity 484 00:20:49,180 –> 00:20:50,760 and to bring peace. 485 00:20:54,680 –> 00:20:56,739 And the blessing of it, the joy of it, 486 00:20:56,739 –> 00:20:59,260 the good of it was like the sun rising 487 00:20:59,260 –> 00:21:01,180 on a cloudless morning. 488 00:21:02,479 –> 00:21:05,579 After long, long years of the judges 489 00:21:05,579 –> 00:21:07,800 that were just miserable, 490 00:21:07,800 –> 00:21:11,420 dark years of bitter conflict and disappointment 491 00:21:11,420 –> 00:21:12,959 and then all the disappointment 492 00:21:12,959 –> 00:21:15,520 that had come from the reign of King Saul, 493 00:21:15,699 –> 00:21:18,219 David was just like light in the morning. 494 00:21:18,219 –> 00:21:19,459 He really was. 495 00:21:21,760 –> 00:21:24,380 Then good leaders, here’s a second description, 496 00:21:24,380 –> 00:21:27,280 are like rain 497 00:21:28,280 –> 00:21:31,099 that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 498 00:21:31,099 –> 00:21:33,339 That’s a picture of refreshing, isn’t it. 499 00:21:34,719 –> 00:21:38,219 Good leaders cause other people to grow 500 00:21:39,140 –> 00:21:40,760 and to flourish. 501 00:21:41,739 –> 00:21:43,939 To flourish like the grass after the rain. 502 00:21:43,939 –> 00:21:46,699 You think about the browned grass and it needs water 503 00:21:46,699 –> 00:21:50,599 and then the rain comes and suddenly everything greens up. 504 00:21:50,599 –> 00:21:52,140 That’s the image here. 505 00:21:52,140 –> 00:21:55,199 That’s the kind of leadership we need in our homes. 506 00:21:56,900 –> 00:21:58,260 Husband, father, 507 00:21:59,099 –> 00:22:02,780 leadership that causes your wife to flourish. 508 00:22:04,079 –> 00:22:06,239 Your children to flourish, 509 00:22:07,959 –> 00:22:12,959 because they’re surrounded by the kind strength and love. 510 00:22:14,599 –> 00:22:17,500 The wise and godly husband and father is going to bring. 511 00:22:19,280 –> 00:22:21,199 Oh, you look at this, it’s beautiful. 512 00:22:21,199 –> 00:22:23,160 Who wouldn’t aspire to this? 513 00:22:23,160 –> 00:22:25,959 A good response to this would surely be, 514 00:22:25,959 –> 00:22:30,959 Lord, help me to live this week in such a way 515 00:22:31,199 –> 00:22:33,939 that others will be refreshed 516 00:22:35,239 –> 00:22:37,479 and will see the light of hope. 517 00:22:39,680 –> 00:22:41,079 That’s what good leaders do. 518 00:22:42,060 –> 00:22:46,880 Second observation, clearly this is pointing beyond David 519 00:22:46,880 –> 00:22:51,339 and speaks to us of what Jesus Christ does for his people, 520 00:22:51,339 –> 00:22:55,979 and Jewish scholars throughout the centuries 521 00:22:55,979 –> 00:23:00,979 have seen these words of David as a prophecy of the Messiah, 522 00:23:01,479 –> 00:23:04,119 and quite clearly they are. 523 00:23:04,119 –> 00:23:08,839 David’s words point beyond any of his immediate successors, 524 00:23:08,880 –> 00:23:10,420 they all ruled over Israel, 525 00:23:10,420 –> 00:23:15,079 and notice this prophecy speaks about a ruler over mankind, 526 00:23:15,079 –> 00:23:18,400 and as Christian believers we rightly see therefore 527 00:23:18,400 –> 00:23:23,400 in this a marvelous description of what it is like 528 00:23:23,560 –> 00:23:28,099 to live under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. 529 00:23:29,119 –> 00:23:34,119 He dawns on them like the morning light 530 00:23:34,959 –> 00:23:37,880 and like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning 531 00:23:37,880 –> 00:23:42,000 like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 532 00:23:43,380 –> 00:23:46,900 Think about this, we don’t bring the sun up. 533 00:23:47,760 –> 00:23:49,540 The sun rises on us, 534 00:23:50,660 –> 00:23:52,319 and that’s what he says here. 535 00:23:52,319 –> 00:23:56,739 He dawns on them. 536 00:23:56,739 –> 00:23:59,079 Has that not been your experience 537 00:23:59,079 –> 00:24:02,380 that the Lord Jesus Christ dawned on you? 538 00:24:03,800 –> 00:24:04,959 He found you. 539 00:24:05,859 –> 00:24:09,239 He made his light to shine upon you. 540 00:24:09,239 –> 00:24:11,660 You became aware that somehow, 541 00:24:11,660 –> 00:24:14,359 though you had been surrounded by darkness yet 542 00:24:14,359 –> 00:24:16,060 there was light that had come to you 543 00:24:16,060 –> 00:24:17,400 and the light that has come to you 544 00:24:17,400 –> 00:24:18,640 is Jesus Christ himself. 545 00:24:18,640 –> 00:24:20,800 He dawned on you. 546 00:24:20,800 –> 00:24:22,319 It’s the most marvelous thing. 547 00:24:23,800 –> 00:24:26,000 And he dawned on you like the sun 548 00:24:26,000 –> 00:24:29,400 shining forth on a cloudless morning. 549 00:24:29,400 –> 00:24:31,959 Oh, there may be all kinds of clouds in your life, 550 00:24:32,020 –> 00:24:34,719 and of course, there were so many troubles in David’s, 551 00:24:35,780 –> 00:24:38,560 but there are no clouds in Jesus Christ. 552 00:24:40,060 –> 00:24:41,920 He’s like the cloudless morning. 553 00:24:43,020 –> 00:24:44,239 When the law was given, 554 00:24:44,239 –> 00:24:46,140 when God was laying out to his people, 555 00:24:46,140 –> 00:24:48,099 this is what you have to do, 556 00:24:48,099 –> 00:24:50,400 you remember Mount Sinai? 557 00:24:50,400 –> 00:24:52,800 When the law was given there was thunder, 558 00:24:52,800 –> 00:24:53,640 there was lightning, 559 00:24:53,640 –> 00:24:55,180 and the whole place was covered in what? 560 00:24:55,180 –> 00:24:56,900 A dark cloud. 561 00:24:57,859 –> 00:24:59,359 Why was it covered in a dark cloud? 562 00:24:59,359 –> 00:25:01,979 Because none of us are able to keep the law of God. 563 00:25:02,920 –> 00:25:04,560 Not one of us. 564 00:25:04,560 –> 00:25:06,760 Not one of us has kept the first commandment of God, 565 00:25:06,760 –> 00:25:09,040 which is to love the Lord, your God with all your heart 566 00:25:09,040 –> 00:25:09,959 and with all your soul 567 00:25:09,959 –> 00:25:13,079 and with all your mind with all your strength. 568 00:25:13,079 –> 00:25:14,599 That’s what David called his son to do 569 00:25:14,599 –> 00:25:16,640 and Solomon wasn’t able to do it either. 570 00:25:18,160 –> 00:25:20,800 His lust for other women got far too much in the way. 571 00:25:23,119 –> 00:25:26,920 So there is this dark cloud that hangs over Sinai 572 00:25:26,920 –> 00:25:29,280 because this is the law we cannot keep. 573 00:25:30,520 –> 00:25:33,520 The law came by Moses but grace and truth 574 00:25:33,520 –> 00:25:37,479 came by Jesus Christ and he is like a cloudless morning 575 00:25:38,939 –> 00:25:42,280 because there is grace and there is mercy for all of us 576 00:25:42,280 –> 00:25:45,599 unendingly in him. 577 00:25:47,239 –> 00:25:50,640 And he is like the rain that makes the grass 578 00:25:50,640 –> 00:25:52,339 to sprout from the earth. 579 00:25:52,339 –> 00:25:55,560 Here’s a promise today for the person who’s dry 580 00:25:57,160 –> 00:26:01,040 you’re parched, you’re burned out 581 00:26:02,160 –> 00:26:05,219 like the grass in the middle of summer. 582 00:26:07,119 –> 00:26:10,119 And God’s word is saying this to you today 583 00:26:10,119 –> 00:26:13,839 that Jesus Christ himself is the rain 584 00:26:14,800 –> 00:26:16,699 that will refresh your soul. 585 00:26:16,699 –> 00:26:18,660 David knew this from his own experience 586 00:26:18,660 –> 00:26:20,739 the Lord is my Shepherd he says. 587 00:26:20,739 –> 00:26:25,699 He restores my soul 588 00:26:26,579 –> 00:26:27,979 and he will do that for you. 589 00:26:28,920 –> 00:26:31,260 He will never let you go even at your driest 590 00:26:31,260 –> 00:26:33,920 and most difficult point in life. 591 00:26:34,979 –> 00:26:37,380 So if you find yourself in great darkness today 592 00:26:37,380 –> 00:26:39,540 if you find yourself dried out 593 00:26:39,540 –> 00:26:43,400 there is hope for you in the Son of God 594 00:26:43,400 –> 00:26:45,260 and that’s the last thing David wanted to say 595 00:26:45,260 –> 00:26:46,099 on the record. 596 00:26:46,099 –> 00:26:49,579 I want you to know that there’s every reason 597 00:26:49,579 –> 00:26:52,180 to be filled with gratitude for the grace of God 598 00:26:52,180 -> 00:26:54,900 every reason to have trust in the word of God 599 00:26:54,920 –> 00:26:57,060 and I want you to know that there is every reason 600 00:26:57,060 –> 00:27:01,099 for you to have hope in the Son of God. 601 00:27:02,739 –> 00:27:04,699 And then just one more observation 602 00:27:04,699 –> 00:27:09,479 on this marvelous prophecy that David makes here 603 00:27:11,260 –> 00:27:13,800 and that is that David speaks these words 604 00:27:13,800 –> 00:27:17,819 at the end of his own life 605 00:27:19,420 –> 00:27:22,680 and this really got me thinking about this this week. 606 00:27:23,199 –> 00:27:28,339 David’s speaking at the end of his life, 607 00:27:28,339 –> 00:27:31,479 his last public words 608 00:27:33,160 –> 00:27:37,119 and you might expect that his last public words 609 00:27:37,119 –> 00:27:40,760 would be about the sun setting. 610 00:27:40,760 –> 00:27:42,920 That he might say something like, 611 00:27:42,920 –> 00:27:46,199 you know, I have lived a long life 612 00:27:46,199 –> 00:27:49,760 and I have been greatly blessed by God 613 00:27:50,719 –> 00:27:53,880 But now, I am into the evening of my life 614 00:27:54,760 –> 00:27:58,839 and the sun is setting for me. 615 00:28:00,560 –> 00:28:02,439 Do you see how wonderful this is, 616 00:28:02,439 –> 00:28:05,319 that at the end of his life, his last words, 617 00:28:05,319 –> 00:28:07,280 he’s not speaking about the sun setting, 618 00:28:07,280 –> 00:28:09,680 he’s speaking about the sun rising. 619 00:28:10,760 –> 00:28:14,280 He’s speaking about morning light 620 00:28:15,540 –> 00:28:18,699 and a cloudless morning at that. 621 00:28:20,540 –> 00:28:23,000 Listen, Christian believer, brother and sister 622 00:28:23,000 –> 00:28:25,800 in Jesus Christ, your life will not end 623 00:28:25,800 –> 00:28:27,979 with the sun going down on you. 624 00:28:30,219 –> 00:28:34,000 Your life will end with the sun rising for you 625 00:28:34,000 –> 00:28:36,459 and to a cloudless morning. 626 00:28:38,260 –> 00:28:40,859 You will have more joy in Jesus Christ 627 00:28:40,859 –> 00:28:42,859 than you have ever known in this life 628 00:28:44,079 –> 00:28:45,359 and you will be more like him 629 00:28:45,359 –> 00:28:48,599 than the most godly Christian you have ever admired 630 00:28:48,599 –> 00:28:49,939 in this life. 631 00:28:51,920 –> 00:28:56,219 The sun is rising for you, older Christian, 632 00:28:57,800 –> 00:29:01,400 and it is rising to a cloudless morning. 633 00:29:03,680 –> 00:29:06,780 A legacy of gratitude for the grace of God. 634 00:29:07,640 –> 00:29:10,699 A legacy of confidence and trust in the word of God. 635 00:29:11,959 –> 00:29:14,280 A legacy of the most marvelous hope, 636 00:29:14,280 –> 00:29:16,920 living hope, in the Son of God. 637 00:29:17,520 –> 00:29:22,520 And lastly, a legacy of joy in the promise of God. 638 00:29:23,400 –> 00:29:25,319 Now notice what David says next, verse five. 639 00:29:25,319 –> 00:29:29,079 For does not my house stand so with God? 640 00:29:30,160 –> 00:29:34,560 For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, 641 00:29:35,979 –> 00:29:38,660 ordered in all things and secure, 642 00:29:39,739 –> 00:29:44,739 for will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? 643 00:29:47,880 –> 00:29:52,619 Now David is prophesying here about a future king 644 00:29:52,619 –> 00:29:56,560 who will be the one who brings the cloudless morning. 645 00:29:56,560 –> 00:30:00,839 Who will rule in righteousness and in the fear of the Lord. 646 00:30:02,479 –> 00:30:05,819 And who will come from the line of David. 647 00:30:07,739 –> 00:30:10,160 Now, we of course, looking this side 648 00:30:10,160 –> 00:30:13,839 of the birth, death, resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ 649 00:30:13,839 –> 00:30:15,520 can see how clearly that prophecy 650 00:30:15,660 –> 00:30:17,780 that was wonderfully fulfilled in him. 651 00:30:17,780 –> 00:30:19,719 But if we try and stand just for a moment 652 00:30:19,719 –> 00:30:22,599 in the shoes of David back when he spoke these words 653 00:30:22,599 –> 00:30:25,400 I think it would have looked rather different. 654 00:30:25,400 –> 00:30:27,400 David speaks about his house. 655 00:30:27,400 –> 00:30:32,400 Does not my house stand so with God? 656 00:30:33,760 –> 00:30:37,219 Well, we know a lot about David’s house from our series. 657 00:30:38,959 –> 00:30:40,599 We know this about David’s house 658 00:30:40,599 –> 00:30:44,119 that his son Amnon was consumed by lust. 659 00:30:45,819 –> 00:30:48,939 That his son Absalom was consumed by hatred. 660 00:30:50,219 –> 00:30:54,079 And that his son Adonijah was consumed with self-interest. 661 00:30:56,060 –> 00:31:00,459 And I think that David was also anxious 662 00:31:00,459 –> 00:31:03,099 about Solomon at the end of his life. 663 00:31:03,099 –> 00:31:06,260 He prays, this is in first Chronicles chapter 29, 664 00:31:06,260 –> 00:31:10,040 he prays publicly that Solomon will have a whole heart 665 00:31:10,040 –> 00:31:11,619 in following after the Lord, 666 00:31:11,619 –> 00:31:14,520 which seems to indicate that he saw some ambivalence 667 00:31:14,520 –> 00:31:16,900 in Solomon himself, which of course comes out 668 00:31:16,900 –> 00:31:18,339 later in Solomon’s life. 669 00:31:20,579 –> 00:31:23,160 Did David fear that his own worst sins 670 00:31:23,160 –> 00:31:25,060 would be repeated in his son? 671 00:31:26,640 –> 00:31:27,939 And of course they were. 672 00:31:30,140 –> 00:31:35,140 But here we read about a king out of the line of David 673 00:31:35,660 –> 00:31:38,699 who will bring light and life to his people. 674 00:31:38,699 –> 00:31:42,780 What, what hope is there of such a king 675 00:31:42,780 –> 00:31:44,280 coming out of this family? 676 00:31:44,339 –> 00:31:47,119 Well, not much hope of him coming out of David’s family 677 00:31:47,119 –> 00:31:50,859 any more than such a one coming out of your family or mine. 678 00:31:53,880 –> 00:31:56,819 So, where is David finding this joy 679 00:31:56,819 –> 00:32:00,239 that is evident in him as he speaks 680 00:32:01,280 –> 00:32:03,640 these very last words? 681 00:32:03,640 –> 00:32:05,619 Well he tells us. 682 00:32:05,619 –> 00:32:09,900 His confidence isn’t in what he sees going on in his family 683 00:32:09,900 –> 00:32:12,079 at that particular time. 684 00:32:12,079 –> 00:32:13,760 It was very ambivalent indeed. 685 00:32:15,020 –> 00:32:17,859 His confidence is in the promise, 686 00:32:17,859 –> 00:32:19,739 the everlasting covenant of God. 687 00:32:19,739 –> 00:32:21,339 That’s what he says, verse five, 688 00:32:21,339 –> 00:32:23,040 when he thinks about his family, 689 00:32:23,040 –> 00:32:25,339 then this is where he puts his trust. 690 00:32:25,339 –> 00:32:30,339 God has made with me an everlasting covenant. 691 00:32:32,660 –> 00:32:34,060 And of course the reference there 692 00:32:34,060 –> 00:32:37,339 is back to the great covenant that God made with David, 693 00:32:37,380 –> 00:32:40,760 which you can read in Second Samuel Chapter seven, 694 00:32:40,760 –> 00:32:42,540 when your days are fulfilled 695 00:32:42,540 –> 00:32:44,500 and you lie down with your fathers, 696 00:32:44,500 –> 00:32:45,839 when you’re dead and gone. 697 00:32:45,839 –> 00:32:47,540 Here’s what God says he will do. 698 00:32:47,540 –> 00:32:49,540 I will raise up your offspring after you. 699 00:32:49,540 –> 00:32:51,579 I’ll establish his kingdom. 700 00:32:51,579 –> 00:32:53,699 I’ll establish his kingdom forever. 701 00:32:53,699 –> 00:32:55,459 I will be to him a father 702 00:32:55,459 –> 00:32:57,619 and he shall be to me a son. 703 00:32:57,619 –> 00:32:58,939 God had promised that. 704 00:32:58,939 –> 00:33:02,560 So David on the one hand, there’s what he sees. 705 00:33:02,560 –> 00:33:04,819 And on the other hand, there’s what God has promised 706 00:33:04,880 –> 00:33:07,359 and they’re not the same and you’ll find that. 707 00:33:08,739 –> 00:33:09,939 And you look at what’s around you, 708 00:33:09,939 –> 00:33:11,780 you look at the state of the world today 709 00:33:11,780 –> 00:33:15,599 and you would not deduce from that a glorious future. 710 00:33:17,619 –> 00:33:20,180 So when you cannot deduce a glorious future 711 00:33:20,180 –> 00:33:22,099 from what is immediately around you, 712 00:33:22,099 –> 00:33:23,040 what do you do? 713 00:33:23,040 –> 00:33:26,180 You have to look to and lean on and find your joy 714 00:33:26,180 –> 00:33:27,579 in not what you see around you, 715 00:33:27,579 –> 00:33:30,140 but in the promise of God. 716 00:33:30,140 –> 00:33:32,219 And that’s what David does right here. 717 00:33:33,180 –> 00:33:37,560 He has made with me an everlasting covenant. 718 00:33:39,660 –> 00:33:41,579 Let me give you seven reasons 719 00:33:41,579 –> 00:33:43,619 why you can rejoice in God’s promise. 720 00:33:43,619 –> 00:33:46,219 You say, seven reasons? 721 00:33:46,219 –> 00:33:48,300 And he’s got five minutes to go. 722 00:33:48,300 –> 00:33:51,800 Fear not, fear not. 723 00:33:53,180 –> 00:33:56,020 Seven reasons you can trust God’s promise. 724 00:33:56,020 –> 00:33:59,300 Number one, it is God’s promise. 725 00:33:59,319 –> 00:34:02,520 He has made with me an everlasting covenant. 726 00:34:02,520 –> 00:34:05,739 There’s a covenant of grace and it’s God who’s made it. 727 00:34:05,739 –> 00:34:09,899 If God has justified, who then can condemn? 728 00:34:09,899 –> 00:34:11,520 It’s from God himself. 729 00:34:11,520 –> 00:34:13,820 The quality of any promise depends on who made it. 730 00:34:13,820 –> 00:34:15,979 God made this promise, that’s why I can rejoice in it. 731 00:34:15,979 –> 00:34:19,939 Second, the promise is for you. 732 00:34:19,939 –> 00:34:24,939 He has made with me an everlasting covenant. 733 00:34:25,179 –> 00:34:26,340 This is David speaking, 734 00:34:26,360 –> 00:34:29,300 but of course, the promise of God’s grace is for you 735 00:34:29,300 –> 00:34:31,199 on the day of Pentecost 736 00:34:31,199 –> 00:34:33,879 when Peter speaks of the resurrection of Jesus 737 00:34:33,879 –> 00:34:36,659 who fulfills all of this great promise to David. 738 00:34:36,659 –> 00:34:39,040 He speaks about forgiveness of sins 739 00:34:39,040 –> 00:34:40,919 and the gift of the Holy Spirit. 740 00:34:40,919 –> 00:34:45,179 And then he says, the promise is for you. 741 00:34:46,959 –> 00:34:48,719 Says this to a crowd of thousands, 742 00:34:48,719 –> 00:34:51,520 many of whom just a few weeks earlier 743 00:34:51,520 –> 00:34:53,760 would have called for the crucifixion of Jesus. 744 00:34:53,760 –> 00:34:55,780 And he says, the promise of forgiveness 745 00:34:55,820 –> 00:34:58,000 and of the Holy Spirit is for you. 746 00:34:59,560 –> 00:35:01,860 Third reason you can rejoice in this promise, 747 00:35:01,860 –> 00:35:04,959 it is a covenant he has made with me. 748 00:35:04,959 –> 00:35:06,979 An everlasting covenant 749 00:35:06,979 –> 00:35:08,939 that is God is utterly committed 750 00:35:08,939 –> 00:35:12,300 to redeeming everyone who is in Jesus Christ. 751 00:35:12,300 –> 00:35:16,739 And this covenant is sealed by his blood. 752 00:35:16,739 –> 00:35:19,560 As we remember, every time we take communion, 753 00:35:20,899 –> 00:35:24,100 a covenant sealed in the blood of the son of God 754 00:35:24,100 –> 00:35:25,739 can never, never be broken. 755 00:35:25,739 –> 00:35:30,739 It’s given by God the father it is sealed by God the son. 756 00:35:31,020 –> 00:35:33,739 That means that will never ever in the history of the world 757 00:35:33,739 –> 00:35:37,500 be a person who seeks forgiveness from God 758 00:35:37,500 –> 00:35:39,979 through Jesus Christ to whom God will say no. 759 00:35:39,979 –> 00:35:42,580 That will never happen, because of His covenant, 760 00:35:42,580 –> 00:35:46,520 all of God’s promises are yes for you in Christ, Jesus. 761 00:35:46,520 –> 00:35:49,659 Number four, you can rejoice in this covenant. 762 00:35:49,659 –> 00:35:52,540 This promise of God, because it’s everlasting. 763 00:35:53,139 –> 00:35:57,780 God’s love, think about this, had no beginning. 764 00:35:57,780 –> 00:35:59,199 There’s nothing before it. 765 00:36:00,219 –> 00:36:01,939 And it will have no ending. 766 00:36:01,939 –> 00:36:04,780 There will be nothing after it, it is everlasting, 767 00:36:04,780 –> 00:36:07,139 that’s the meaning of the word. 768 00:36:07,139 –> 00:36:11,219 Your salvation was conceived in the loving heart 769 00:36:11,219 –> 00:36:15,600 of your Father in heaven before time began. 770 00:36:15,600 –> 00:36:19,620 It was accomplished through His son Jesus Christ 771 00:36:19,639 –> 00:36:22,699 in the giving of himself in his sacrificial death 772 00:36:22,699 –> 00:36:24,820 and it is delivered into your life 773 00:36:24,820 –> 00:36:28,479 by the active, powerful work of the Holy Spirit 774 00:36:28,479 –> 00:36:31,179 who brings you life from the dead and lifts you up. 775 00:36:33,699 –> 00:36:38,300 It’s ordered, it’s ordered in all things 776 00:36:39,979 –> 00:36:44,979 from the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit. 777 00:36:45,520 –> 00:36:47,060 Through the Holy Spirit. 778 00:36:47,060 –> 00:36:49,780 Number six, it is secure. 779 00:36:49,780 –> 00:36:52,219 He who began a good work in you 780 00:36:52,219 –> 00:36:55,699 will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. 781 00:36:55,699 –> 00:36:58,340 Christ will bring all of his people safely home. 782 00:36:58,340 –> 00:37:01,100 There won’t be one of them that’s lost. 783 00:37:01,100 –> 00:37:01,939 Not one. 784 00:37:04,580 –> 00:37:06,560 Spurgeon says this, 785 00:37:06,560 –> 00:37:09,600 if God was to put my salvation in my hands, 786 00:37:09,600 –> 00:37:11,760 I’d be lost in 10 minutes. 787 00:37:11,760 –> 00:37:12,820 Yes. 788 00:37:12,820 –> 00:37:15,800 but my salvation is not in my hands, 789 00:37:15,800 –> 00:37:18,000 it is in the hands of Jesus Christ. 790 00:37:19,020 –> 00:37:20,120 That’s how secure it is, 791 00:37:20,120 –> 00:37:23,199 as secure as that he is right there now 792 00:37:23,199 –> 00:37:24,840 at the right hand of the Father. 793 00:37:26,060 –> 00:37:27,840 And this promise will prosper. 794 00:37:27,840 –> 00:37:31,600 Notice for will He not cause to prosper 795 00:37:31,600 –> 00:37:33,320 all my help and my desire? 796 00:37:33,320 –> 00:37:34,760 Who’s my help and my desire? 797 00:37:34,760 –> 00:37:35,820 That’s the Messiah, of course. 798 00:37:35,820 –> 00:37:37,100 That’s the Lord Jesus Christ. 799 00:37:37,100 –> 00:37:38,000 He’s my help, 800 00:37:38,000 –> 00:37:39,320 He’s my desire, 801 00:37:39,320 –> 00:37:41,020 and what we’re being told here 802 00:37:41,560 –> 00:37:42,520 is that God the Father, 803 00:37:42,520 –> 00:37:44,840 God himself will cause to prosper 804 00:37:44,840 –> 00:37:46,320 the work of the Messiah. 805 00:37:46,320 –> 00:37:50,659 The will of the Lord will prosper in His hands. 806 00:37:50,659 –> 00:37:51,659 The work of Christ, 807 00:37:51,659 –> 00:37:52,500 in other words, 808 00:37:52,500 –> 00:37:54,439 will not ever end in disappointment. 809 00:37:54,439 –> 00:37:57,260 He will see of the fruit of the travail 810 00:37:57,260 –> 00:37:58,560 of His own soul, 811 00:37:58,560 –> 00:38:01,919 and He will be satisfied. 812 00:38:03,739 –> 00:38:04,580 And so you see, 813 00:38:04,580 –> 00:38:05,760 David is saying, 814 00:38:05,760 –> 00:38:07,379 after all these troubles 815 00:38:07,379 –> 00:38:08,639 in the last season of his life, 816 00:38:08,639 –> 00:38:11,100 even in the midst of trouble, 817 00:38:11,100 –> 00:38:14,500 you can find joy in this promise 818 00:38:15,520 –> 00:38:18,379 that is yours sealed 819 00:38:18,379 –> 00:38:21,939 through Jesus Christ. 820 00:38:23,959 –> 00:38:26,179 Let me just end with these questions. 821 00:38:27,399 –> 00:38:29,540 Aren’t you thankful for Jesus this morning? 822 00:38:33,159 –> 00:38:33,979 The Messiah, 823 00:38:33,979 –> 00:38:36,780 who brings light and life 824 00:38:36,780 –> 00:38:38,399 for all who will come to him. 825 00:38:39,100 –> 00:38:43,219 Messiah could never have in the full sense 826 00:38:43,219 –> 00:38:45,020 come out of David’s line. 827 00:38:45,020 –> 00:38:46,879 He had to come in to David’s line. 828 00:38:46,879 –> 00:38:48,260 The son of God came. 829 00:38:50,040 –> 00:38:52,100 Born into the line of David, 830 00:38:52,100 –> 00:38:56,239 bringing light and life to all who will receive him. 831 00:38:57,580 –> 00:38:59,979 Second question are you living in a way 832 00:38:59,979 –> 00:39:02,860 that will leave the kind of legacy that David left? 833 00:39:03,959 –> 00:39:06,300 Are you living in such a way? 834 00:39:06,300 –> 00:39:08,340 Will you live this week in such a way 835 00:39:08,379 –> 00:39:11,919 that people will see in you gratitude for the grace of God? 836 00:39:12,959 –> 00:39:15,780 Confidence in the word of God? 837 00:39:15,780 –> 00:39:18,139 Hope in the son of God? 838 00:39:18,139 –> 00:39:18,979 And joy? 839 00:39:18,979 –> 00:39:22,939 Not in what you see around you but in the promise of God. 840 00:39:24,679 –> 00:39:26,340 And the last question is simply this, 841 00:39:26,340 –> 00:39:28,199 what would hold you back 842 00:39:29,540 –> 00:39:33,300 from yielding your life fully and unconditionally 843 00:39:33,300 –> 00:39:34,820 to Jesus Christ? 844 00:39:35,060 –> 00:39:38,899 What would keep you today from trusting Jesus Christ 845 00:39:38,899 –> 00:39:41,820 with your whole heart and with your whole life? 846 00:39:43,580 –> 00:39:47,360 Is it that you fear, young person, older person, 847 00:39:48,659 –> 00:39:51,800 is it that you fear that he will make your life less? 848 00:39:54,699 –> 00:39:57,060 Is it that you think that if you become 849 00:39:57,060 –> 00:39:59,020 a follower of Jesus Christ 850 00:39:59,020 –> 00:40:02,020 that it will somehow be a life of misery and gloom? 851 00:40:02,340 –> 00:40:05,919 Listen, here’s why you need never fear 852 00:40:05,919 –> 00:40:09,959 submitting yourself unconditionally to Jesus Christ 853 00:40:09,959 –> 00:40:12,300 as your Lord and as your King. 854 00:40:12,300 –> 00:40:17,300 He is like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning 855 00:40:20,300 –> 00:40:24,219 and he’s like the rain that makes the grass 856 00:40:24,219 –> 00:40:25,679 to sprout from the earth, 857 00:40:25,719 –> 00:40:29,040 and he’s like the rain that makes the grass 858 00:40:29,040 –> 00:40:31,000 to sprout from the earth. 859 00:40:32,879 –> 00:40:36,040 And those as David says, who turn away from him 860 00:40:36,040 –> 00:40:37,739 in the end, they’re like thorns 861 00:40:37,739 –> 00:40:39,280 that get burned up in the fire. 862 00:40:41,600 –> 00:40:44,639 But those who submit to the rule of this King 863 00:40:45,600 –> 00:40:50,600 will be blessed forever and forever. 864 00:40:50,639 –> 00:40:52,360 Forever and ever. 865 00:40:52,360 –> 00:40:54,800 Father, we lift our hearts to bless you 866 00:40:54,800 –> 00:40:58,379 for our King, Jesus Christ. 867 00:40:58,379 –> 00:41:00,800 Ascended from the line of David, 868 00:41:00,800 –> 00:41:02,560 born of the Virgin Mary, 869 00:41:02,560 –> 00:41:06,820 our Savior, our Lord, and our King. 870 00:41:08,399 –> 00:41:13,399 We bless you that He is light and that He is rain. 871 00:41:14,320 –> 00:41:18,320 That there is hope and there is life to be found in Him. 872 00:41:19,320 –> 00:41:22,060 And we ask that we may live in such a way 873 00:41:22,060 –> 00:41:25,280 that others may see from our legacy 874 00:41:25,280 –> 00:41:28,959 how great and how glorious He is. 875 00:41:28,959 –> 00:41:32,219 And these things, we ask together in Jesus’ name. 876 00:41:32,219 –> 00:41:33,040 Amen.