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There are several visitors with us today.
I want to extend a warm welcome to you and let you know also that we have lunch afterward and so you're encouraged to join us for lunch. We have lunch every week at the church. And then after that we have an early afternoon prayer meeting and a second service at 2 o 'clock after the prayer meeting.
A couple of announcements for everyone. The men's forum is this week, Wednesday, my house as usual. That will be at 7 .30. The youth can see more details in the bulletin and yet more details in the email that the bulletin will direct you to.
So I believe that is all I need to announce. Oh yes, one other thing. The new table talks are in and they're on the back table. So if you get those and we have a membership with Ligonier and so we get a certain number of those every month with our program so we're very thankful for that.
And you can make use of that if you wish. Alright well we're here to worship God so please stand and prepare your heart to come before God. It is a tremendous blessing to do so. Let's take a moment of silence and prepare ourselves to come before him individually and then I'll have the call to worship.
Hear now the call to worship our God. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burned outside the camp.
Therefore Jesus also that he might sanctify the people with his own blood suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to him outside the camp bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city but we seek the one to come.
Therefore by him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. Let's look to him. Most gracious heavenly father we come before you with thanksgiving for you are a welcoming God to your people.
Oh Lord we see how that is such a tendency of those who are called by your name to harden their hearts and to turn away from you and to trust in what is not you oh Lord. Even to trust in the ordinances and such that you have given to us instead of in you.
And we see that all through the ages that this has been a great defect among your people so that many times those who call upon your name are driven out from the congregation and they have to go outside the camp in order to worship you and in order to serve you.
They're driven away. And Lord we thank you for the blessings that you give to those who bear reproach with Christ and who go out with him and we pray Lord that we would not be afraid to do that should the time ever come that we would be cast out because of service to you and trust in you.
Oh Lord we know that this has happened many times in the history of the church it happened when our Lord Jesus was here it happened to him. He was rejected as one who was unworthy of life even who was a blasphemer and yet he was the very son of God who came to save sinners.
We see how all the prophets were rejected as well. Oh Lord those who speak the truth will often be sidelined and driven away from your courts. But Father we praise you that they are not driven away from your courts because we go with the Lord Jesus and where he is is where your courts are.
He is the one who is reigning at your right hand forever and ever and the church is all over the world worshiping him in this place and that place in every place where your name is called upon in truth and where you are trusted in for salvation.
And indeed Lord we praise you for what our Lord Jesus did what was so offensive to those who were named your people that our Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross as a sacrifice to atone for our sins. We recognize Lord that such measures were necessary.
We recognize that everyone is greatly in sin oh Lord apart from your salvation that we are guilty oh Lord of even the first transgression that our first father rebelled against you and we're all born in that rebellion.
We all have the guilt of that rebellion but we praise you that in your great mercy you did send Jesus and that he became a living sacrifice he was one who bore our sins and was crucified and dead and buried and rose again on the third day.
And we praise you that now he reigns forever oh Lord help us to know that in him that we have life that in him we have salvation. Help us to go forth in his name proclaiming your word with boldness and confidence.
Oh father please meet us to this day Lord and bring refreshment and encouragement to our souls. Help us Lord to have boldness to go forward in your name because of the grace that you give us even as we meet here today we pray Lord even as we look at affliction today that we would see how you use it in our lives the way you used it in your people of old.
May we then have confidence in that as well that you are a good and gracious God and that you do not afflict us without cause that it is for our own good and that we can trust you because you are so kind and gracious and you have shown such love to us father we pray that you would also continue to show that kindness that sustains us and comforts us even in our trials that you visit us in a special way so that we know you better than we ever could apart from those trials that you have designed for us.
Oh Lord then help us to encourage one another as well. We pray for those who may be afflicted at this present time that you would be with them in their affliction oh Lord. That you would strengthen and uphold them.
Oh Lord bless us now and help us to lift up your most excellent name. For you are a God who is worthy of all praise. Pour out your spirit upon us. Bless all the means of grace the preaching of the word the sacrament of the Lord's Supper the singing of praise all the things that you have given us the prayers that we lift up to you.
May all of these things Lord be pleasing in your sight and may you be glorified through this service. For your name is most excellent and you are most worthy to be praised. It is in Jesus name we bring our prayers.
Amen. Now let's confess our faith is God's people that there is only one God. The confession is printed in your bulletin and it's from scriptures. It's the shema the the testimony of God's people that there is but one God and that we're to love him with all of our being because there is only one.
So people of God what do you believe about your God here O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart with all your soul and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. And people of God. That is of course what God calls us to do is to love him with all our heart soul mind and strength. And the good news to us is that even though we come short of that if we have come to Jesus Christ and trusted in him then he not only forgives our sin but he also helps us to grow in that love so that we can love God more and more and we can see his his beauty and his excellence just as we desire to do in this service that we might love him as we should so as we come.
Before our God let's sing together. Psalm 90 C 90 C song shows us plainly that I doesn't have a whole.
Lot to work with does he. But he takes that which is ruined in sin and he makes it alive and beautiful. And that's what we trust our God to do. His beauty might be upon us. The beauty of Christ. Our scripture reading.
The first scripture reading from the New Testament is Romans 5 1 through 11 and this talks about those who have come to Christ and been justified and how that God does bring his beauty upon them. And he uses affliction to do that.
He often brings trials and difficulties to us to like like we just sang about in Psalm 92 to kind of sort us out and then bring forth like Job said we were brought forth his gold. So Romans 5 beginning in verse 1.
Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through them. Also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
And not only that but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance. Character and character. Hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us.
For when we were still without strength and due time Christ died for the ungodly for scarcely. For a righteous man will one die. Yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love toward us.
And that while we were still sinners Christ died for us much more than having now been justified by his blood. We shall be saved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his son much more having been reconciled we shall be saved by his life.
And not only that but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have received the reconciliation. And there will end that reading of God's Word. Our next one is 1st Peter 4 12 through 19 and this talks about the our Lord Jesus Christ and the afflictions that he bore and how God helps us that we might be like him.
Here is God's Word. 1st Peter 4 beginning in verse 12. Beloved. Do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you. But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's suffering.
That when his glory is revealed you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ blessed are you for the spirit of glory and of God rest upon you. On their part he is blasphemed but on your part he is glorified.
But let none of you suffer as a murderer a thief an evildoer or a biz as a busybody in other people's matters. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian let him not be ashamed but let him glorify God in this matter.
For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God. And if it begins with us first what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God. Now if the righteous one is scarcely saved where will the ungodly and the sinner appear.
Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him in doing good as to a faithful creator. Amen. Now let's sing Psalm 55a together. A song of supplication. A song of prayer 55a.
And please.
Stand to sing 55a. We have fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ when it is like that don't we when he.
Was here he knew what it was to cry out to God and say if it's possible let this cup pass from me. He wanted to be able to escape that terrible ordeal that he was brought to but when he was told when he was told that it was not possible then he went willingly to the cross and in bore our sins bore the wrath and curse of God for our sake what a great Savior he is and he sympathizes with us in all of our infirmities.
In our morning sermons we're in 2nd Samuel and at chapter 15 now we're looking at the section about the rebellion of Absalom. Absalom was King David's eldest living son. Last week I showed you how he was full of resentment toward his father and not altogether without reason.
He was resentful because David had not punished Absalom's older brother who Absalom had killed a half-brother Amnon who had raped Absalom's beautiful sister Tamar. Absalom took it upon himself to deal with Amnon when his father didn't do it and he murdered him in a very cold-blooded manner.
That was a great violation even of hospitality and inviting people for basically a celebration and such and then and then murdering his brother there. David did not want to deal with Absalom and so he did nothing until Absalom forced the issue.
And then David gave him a pardon and didn't bring any kind of consequences to him but also kept him at a distance. We saw last week in 2nd Samuel 15 1 through 12 how Absalom that was fueled all the more with resentment because of the way David had dealt with him and he formed a coup against David to take the throne from him.
It was a very masterful plan with a lot of intrigue and and incredible planning that Absalom who is the king's oldest living son now had himself proclaimed as king throughout all the land of Israel. And he did this without David's consent and without the Lord's consent with great trickery.
He also won the hearts of the people by playing politics and just like a modern politician would do be smearing David with things that weren't even true and promoting himself is the solution. We saw how he told everyone who was coming for justice to Jerusalem that their case was right.
Whoever spoke to him if one person came on one side of the issue he would tell them that they were right. When the other one came he would tell them they were right because he wasn't making real judgments that had to stand up in a court.
He was just trying to tell everyone that I'm on your side and in this way he deceived the people. This kind of technique his act was an act of treason and it was made many times worse than treason which is a great offense but many times worse because this was God's people and David was God's anointed king and he was going against the Lord.
Absalom was not anointed with God's spirit as David was but he was filled with the spirit of antichrist. We could really say the same spirit that is the spirit of antichrist later on the devil and those who are with him.
One who opposes and seeks to replace God's anointed king with another. That is what Absalom was doing here. Christ you know means anointed one and so David was the anointed king that God had chosen. Remember when David was king he would not lift up his hand against Saul because Saul was also anointed by God to be king and David waited for God to deal with Saul even though Saul was unjust and all the rest.
But Absalom comes in he has no concern about that. He is wanting to usurp. He's wanting to go against God and against David. So from the day of his coronation you see David Jesus was made king and now he is the Christ.
Jesus is the one who is king forever and ever. David was king for the day that he lived and then there were other kings who were anointed by God after him until Jesus came and we call him the Christ. But all the others being anointed were also Christ in a in a lesser much lesser way.
So Absalom was acting in opposition to the Lord God. Today we're going to see how God uses this affliction in David's life when David was cast out of Jerusalem bearing reproach for the Lord he he uses God uses affliction in our lives.
And this is what we want to see. We will have two sermons actually on this one this week and then part one this week and part two next week. So let me take a few minutes to set up this sermon. Okay this will be setting it up for the next time next couple of weeks.
First of all see what great affliction David and his servants are under here. Take a look at 2nd Samuel 15 13 where the passage we're looking at this week opens. It says. Now a messenger came to David saying the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.
It's hard to imagine what it must have been like for David to hear these words at this time. He and his servants at Jerusalem knew that Absalom had gone to Hebron but they thought that he had gone there to celebrate God's answered prayer to him and to offer sacrifices according to a vow that he had made to thank God for bringing him back safely to the land from his banishment.
David was encouraged to see this acknowledgement of God in his son but it was all a ploy it was all superficial. Now now as soon as the news comes to him he realizes that this was all a pretext and that his son had turned against him.
And not just that but that the hearts of the men of Israel were supporting Absalom to David. It made matters much worse that Absalom had gathered Israel by deception against the Lord and against his Christ against his anointed king.
David was aware that he was the anointed king just like Saul had been the anointed king. And this brought much grief to David that his own son should do this against the Lord. David knew who that he was God's Christ and that Absalom was actually opposing the Lord and his anointed here as Psalm 2 talks about this was perhaps the worst affliction that David ever experienced.
Except one. Which one do you suppose that would be worse than this one. I think a worse one for David is what he describes in Psalm 32 when he had committed sin with Bathsheba and tried to cover it up by killing her husband and then did not confess his sin for so long.
And he talks about the anguish that he was under during that period of time for nine months. What misery he was under until God and mercy came to him by Nathan the prophet and called him out and he was brought to repentance to confess his sin.
A sure way to be miserable is to refuse to confess your sin to God to harbor that sin. If you are a child of God that will make you miserable. And the way to be released from that is to call on the name of the Lord for mercy and confess your sin to him.
But now that there is this affliction that God has sent in which the whole church is under assault David's son own son has made great headway in his passion to overthrow the kingdom of the Lord. He is looking to overthrow God's anointed king.
Now let me explain what I want to show you today from our text. I want to show you as the title of the sermon says how affliction brings forth Christ's beauty in his people. When the words brings forth in that title are loaded they I carefully chose those words that they bring forth Christ's beauty in his people because I want that those words to be very comprehensive.
God's glory in Christ is brought forth in all kinds of ways in his people when they are afflicted more of Christ's beauty is brought forth because affliction reveals our new life in him. In other words you you might for example admire a woman's devotion to her husband.
But you admire it more if he becomes infirm and very difficult to take care of and maybe even difficult to get along with and she continues to be devoted to him then her devotion shines forth even more through affliction.
More of his beauty is of Christ's beauty is also brought forth in us because affliction causes our new life in him to actually grow. The love of that devoted woman that I just spoke about actually grows stronger and is increased as it is exercised with the difficulty of that she is facing and loving her husband.
And yet she continues to do so it gets stronger just the same way as when you lift weights you put more weight on you increase the resistance and then you get stronger as you handle more weight and then you put more on.
This is how God deals with us so that affliction actually increases our love for him. And then also we see more of Christ's beauty. More of Christ's beauty in his human nature is brought forth in our eyes in our purview because by bearing our own cross and struggling with patience we better understand what Christ endured and admire his patience because he was here in our flesh.
And we naturally turn toward him in our affliction. And we think about how he was afflicted far more than we ever will be. And we admire him for his steadfastness and his continued love to the father he is beautiful.
So his beauty you see becomes something that God's people see more clearly when they're afflicted. Affliction brings that out. It turns your eyes to him. We see the love of God like we read about in Romans 5 in a way that we hadn't seen it before.
When we're afflicted more of Christ's beauty in his divine nature is brought forth when we experience affliction because it comes from his sovereign hand. And we realize that that affliction was designed by him.
And we see over time how he uses it in our lives how he uses it to bring us bring forth fruit in our lives. And then like we read also in Romans 5 that we rejoice in tribulation because we see the wisdom of God we see the goodness of God in that.
So again Christ is elevated his beauty is elevated to his people during affliction. And then more of Christ's beauty as both God and man. He's one person with two natures. We see more of that when we experience how kindly and graciously he deals with us as our mediator when we're afflicted then we experience that Christ comes to us and he we bear fellowship with him in our sufferings.
He he sympathizes with us and he brings strengthening and encouragement and refreshment to us as our savior. And we come to know him and love him more and to see the beauty of his grace working in our lives.
So affliction is something that we actually come to glory in as God's people. So this is this is what we want to see in this passage here with David how that under this great affliction he and the church who is with him who are out in the wilderness now driven away that this is a time for them to bear much fruit to we see the love of God.
Christ's beauty is brought forth through their affliction. We're going to look here over the next this week and next week Lord willing at seven kinds of love that were brought forth through the ordeal of Absalom's rebellion.
Today we're going to look at the first three of these and next week get the other four. Lord willing we will have a separate scripture reading for each one. So I'm not doing the scripture reading all at one time.
It's a longer passage so I'm going to have separate scripture readings. We already had the introduction of the two words the two verses I mean and now we're going to read those again. We're going to read these two verses Christ where we see that Christ's tender love is brought forth by affliction.
So this is 2nd Samuel 15 13 through 14 it says the word of God. Now a messenger came to David saying the hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom. So David said to all his servants who are with him at Jerusalem arise and let us flee.
For we shall not escape from Absalom make haste to depart lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us and strike the city with the edge of the sword. Here Christ's tender love is seen in David.
On hearing this dreadful news about Absalom's coup David immediately makes the decision to flee. It is clear that he is not thinking only of himself but also of his people. In verse 14 he tells his people to make haste lest Absalom bring disaster upon us and strike the city he says with the edge of the sword.
He knows that given the circumstances of this situation that a civil war would be disastrous for his people and for even the city of Jerusalem they were not at all prepared. Absalom had taken away many of the leaders and by his intrigue who were didn't even know that what he was going to do.
He led them away from Jerusalem and probably had them as hostage somehow. And there would be many casualties if there was a battle here at Jerusalem. If they stayed and tried to stand against them they would be fighting also against many Israelites so that even if they were victorious they would be killing the people that are named by the Lord.
Many of them who are there having been deceived by Absalom and not even knowing for sure whether this was initially. Whether Absalom's coronation was approved by David or not. They were simply following the man that had been declared king throughout all of Israel.
And some of them knew. Some of them didn't know. It was a it was a great time of confusion. David is not a bloodthirsty man. He wants to minimize the bloodshed in this crisis as much as possible. Later on he wants Absalom indeed to be captured but he does not want him to be killed if he can cap.
If they can capture the king the the professed king then they can subdue him and then there will be very little bloodshed. He did not. He did not get his way in not having Absalom killed. But that was certainly his desire.
As we'll see later in a time of crisis David is not only concerned about himself but also about all the people. Many leaders think only of themselves in crises. Many people think only of themselves when they are in crisis.
They can't look at anyone else's affliction but their own because they're overwhelmed by their own. Later on in the same crisis we see David frequently thinking of others. How much more is this true of David's greater son the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember his beauty. We've seen is seen in his people and affliction. It's seen in us. It's seen in people like David. It's seen in the people that are with him in certain ways as God works in our lives.
But we also then look to Christ and we see him Jesus Christ. We see Jesus thinking of others at his arrest. And even when he's hanging on the cross the soldiers who came to arrest him he asked them whom they were seeking and they said Jesus of Nazareth.
And he said in John 18 8 I have told you that I am he. Therefore if you seek me let these go their way saying that of his disciples you don't need to retain these guys. I'm the man you're looking for.
Immediately after this Peter took his sword and cut the ear of one of the officers. Cut the cut the ear of the officer off Malchus. And Jesus immediately touched his ear to heal it. Thinking of Malchus thinking also of Peter and all his disciples.
For Peter would have been arrested and and severely dealt with if Jesus hadn't taken that action and healed this servant's ear. His tender mercies continued even while he was being arrested. And what do we see when he is on the cross.
He prays for his enemies father forgive them for they know not what they do. He redeems the thief on the cross and promises him today you will be with me in paradise. He looks and sees his mother and he realizes that his unbelieving brothers will not be a suitable place for her to live and to look after her.
And so as the oldest son he appoints John to look after her in John 19 27. How beautiful is his tender merciful compassionate love even when he is afflicted. But most of all in the bigger context of everything we see him thinking of others and esteeming others more highly than himself as it's described in Philippians 2.
And the whole matter of his coming here and going to the cross the whole mission that he came to accomplish was him thinking of others more highly than himself. What a model. What a beautiful model we have of this tender merciful love in our Lord Jesus Christ.
If only this could be something that. And it will be something by God's grace that will grow up in his people in all of its beauty. The beauty of Christ to be seen in us. Let the beauty of the Lord be upon us.
Establish the work of our hands. Now let's look at the next aspect of Christ's love next in this passage Christ's loyal love is brought forth by affliction in the people. Here in 2 Samuel 2 Samuel 15 verse 15 through 23.
Here again is the word of God looking here at loyal love. And the king's servants said to the king we are your servants ready to do whatever my lord the king commands. Then the king went out with all his household after him.
But the king left 10 women concubines to keep the house. And the king went out with all the people after him and stopped at the outskirts. Then all his servants passed before him and all the charithites all the peliathites and all the gittites 600 men who had followed him from gath passed before the king.
Then the king said to it tie the gittite why are you also going with us. Return and remain with the king. For you are a foreigner and also an exile from your own place. In fact you came only yesterday.
Should i make you wander up and down with us today since i go and i since i go i know not where. Return and take your brethren back. Mercy and truth be with you. And it i answered the king and said as the lord lives and as my lord the king lives.
Surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be whether in life whether in death or life even there also your servant will be. So david said to it tie go and cross over. In other words cross over join join with us.
You're crossing over. He was reviewing the people coming through. Go cross over. Then it tie the get tight. All his men and all the little ones who are with him crossed over. And all the country wept with a loud voice.
And all the people crossed over. The king himself also crossed over the brook kidron. And all the people crossed over toward the way of the wilderness. And there we end that reading from god's word. And just a note to keep in mind that the david's son the lord jesus christ crossed over this same brook when he went to the mount of olives with his disciples on the night that he was betrayed.
Loyal love is one of the great attributes of our triune god that he produces in his people when he redeems them. Jesus often speaks of this attribute that is in the triune god. When he talks about the love that the father has had for him from all eternity and the love that he has for the father in john 17 he presents this love as one of the great blessings that we have in being redeemed that we would be able to come to glory and behold the love that the father has had for him from before the foundation of the world from all eternity.
Jesus delights in the very thought of us being able to see that excellent love with understanding in such understanding as we don't have now in completeness to see it in all of its fullness. This is who god is.
The apostle john says god is love. We know that loving god with all our heart soul mind and strength is the greatest commandment. And that the second is like it to love our neighbor as ourselves. When god promises salvation to people in his covenant he promises to produce this love in us.
We don't have it. He produces it. He promises that he will forgive our sin and remember our inequities no more. That's one of his covenant promises. And the other one is that he will write his law in our heart so that we will delight in his ways and that we will love him and that we will serve him and keep his commandments.
In the passage that we just read in second samuel we see this loyal love brought forth in the time of affliction and the time of absalom's rebellion in a very marvelous way. In verse 15 we see it in all of david's servants whose loyalty is seen in their coming out of jerusalem with david.
They came with him bearing his reproach and they affirmed we are your servants ready to do whatever my lord the king commands that they would follow him when it means leaving their homes. Some of them we saw there with their children also with them that they would do this and and be pursued by david's enemy exhibits the beautiful loyal love that is in them.
They could have stayed in jerusalem and then absalom would come there and reigned and they could have waited it out and see what happens. But instead they go with david. Among these servants are david's household which would include both family members and all the servants within his household or at least many of them.
And there are also three regiments of soldiers that are mentioned the cherethites the peleothites and the gittites. They are ready to stand by david in this time of trouble and to aid him as he goes looking to subdue absalom the gittites are presented as an example of the kind of loyalty that god gives to his people that he produces in us.
The loyal love that he works into our lives by his grace. There are actually gentiles from gath that served david when he was in philistia and it appears that they had only recently come to serve david.
He says yesterday. Most don't think it was literally yesterday but just very recently. It's a way of of speaking. They had been in other words converted to the lord. They had come to make covenant with the lord and to be with his people serving the anointed king the christ that god had raised up.
Their leader is itai and david speaks to him. And he tells them that you do not need to feel compelled to come with me. You can stay in jerusalem and wait it out and i will not hold it against you. David says it's perfectly understandable if you go and serve this new king.
And and if you know god brings me back. He brings me back he he gives him leave to to go and and stay. And uh he won't hold it against him. But itai solemnly vows what every believer vows to god's anointed king.
Every true disciple has this vow sincerely made to the king of kings and the lord of lords as the lord lives. Notice that get tight. Or um itai swears by the name of the lord as the lord lives. And as my lord the king lives surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be whether in life i keep saying it wrong whether in death or life even there also your servant shall be.
Jesus told us that this loyal love is a distinguishing mark of his true disciples of the true christian. In luke 9 23 he says. If anyone desires to come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and is himself destroyed or lost. The loyal love is what he gives to those who he redeems and it shines forth.
Especially when it is costly to be his disciple when you have to bear reproach for his name when what you're doing is not popular. And you of course want to be loved and accepted by everyone. And you have to bear reproach sometimes even from other christians who are those who are named christian.
It stands out most beautifully when following him involves hardship danger and sacrifice. If you don't have it. If you don't have this loyalty this this loyal love then ask him for it. Ask him for it.
Come to him and say lord have mercy upon me. I do not have this commitment to you. I do not have this love for you. Give it to me oh lord by your grace and forgive me for my lack of this. Come to him for this loyal love.
The place where it is most beautifully seen of course is in christ himself. It is his in his loyal love for the father that caused him to endure all the way to the point of the cross. And it is his loyal love to us that caused him to do the same to go to the cross even though he had to bear the wrath of god.
For people who were unworthy to have him do such a thing in fact that we were unworthy is very clear because it's the very judgment that we had to bear that we were called to bear righteously that he bore in our place.
This loyalty is also something that god gives to us for each other especially to something that belongs to husbands and wives where they make this kind of commitment to one another of loyalty. And they must stand by that through their whole life.
And god gives us grace to be able to do that so that we stand out in the world as those who belong to jesus christ even in our marriages and on our part we need to be sure that we by the grace of god are following him.
Same applies with siblings and their loyalty to each other with parents to children and children to parents with us to one another in the church with with us especially to jesus christ with us even in our nation and to those who are in our nation fellow citizens and such.
This loyalty is something that we're called and given by the grace of god. And it is strengthened when we're when we're afflicted when it's tested and proven you you develop loyalty that way when it's hard to do that's when loyalty really shines forth and also is brought forth in a richer deeper measure.
May god be glorified then by our love for one another and for him our loyal love. May we love this love and may it be seen especially when affliction comes when there might be excuses not to love let it shine all the more brilliantly.
The third kind of love that is seen in david's affliction is what we might call trusting love. Trusting love is that love that does not question god's goodness when hard trials come when he brings as we saw when he sends trials to us we sang about that in some of the psalms that we sang we we don't question his goodness his promises or his commitment in times when affliction is heavy upon us.
How beautifully this trusting love is seen in david in second samuel 15 24 through 29 when the priests come to him with ark. Here is god's holy word once again second samuel 15 in verse 24 there was zadok also.
So these people were all coming and passing before david that were who were joining with him out from jerusalem. There was zadok also and all the levites with him bearing the ark of the covenant of god.
Now for those of you that may not know let me interrupt here. The the ark was of course a piece of furniture that was used in the worship of god in those days where it was the mercy seat where the sacrifices were offered by the high priest once a year.
And um zadok was the one who especially attended the ark. The other priest abiathar is the one who is um the high priest. So it goes on. And and they set down the ark of god. Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over from the city.
Then the king said to zadok carry the ark of god back into the city. If i find favor in the eyes of the lord he will bring me back and show me both it and his dwelling place. But if he says thus i have no delight in you here i am.
Let him do to me as seems good to him. The king also said to zadok the priest are you not a seer return to the city in peace. And your two sons with you ahimeas your son and jonathan the son of abiathar see i will wait in the plains of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.
Therefore zadok and abiathar carried the ark of god back to jerusalem and they remained there. These priests are another example of the loyal love that we just looked at. Okay there there are more examples of this as well that flow through this passage.
But they know that david is god's anointed king. They know his love and devotion to the lord because they have seen it in marvelous ways through all of those years when david went lift his hand against the lord's anointed and when he was such such a a lover of of the desiring to see the ark brought in to for god to be worshipped as he had appointed.
They too are ready to leave the city with david. And they even bring the ark with them. But trusting love is the other thing that we're looking at now. So loyal love yes that's seen with these men. But trusting love is perhaps seen here with abiathar.
Let me explain. There's a strong case to be made that the the new king james version that i read uh translates what it translates. Abiathar went up until all the people had finished crossing over could rather be translated as abiathar sent up until all the people had finished crossing over.
The word that is used there translated went up in a way it hardly fits in there. And uh the idea here is that it's it's a kind of a liturgical word that was often used for offering up sacrifices. And so the idea is that this priest was there offering up prayers and sacrifices to god in behalf of the people as they were coming through.
If this is so then here is an expression of trusting love as this priest looks in faith to the lord on behalf of david and all those who are loyal to him. You see david was there i mentioned before that people were passing in review.
He's seeing all the people getting an accounting of all the people that are there with him so he can strategize and know what to do. He's watching them all come. He's interviewing and he's talking to them encouraging them or telling them that you can go back.
You don't need to be with me. Whatever. So now you see these priests come. But this priest is there the whole time as people are passing over. He's he's. Perhaps we don't know for sure. But many um many uh who are hebrew scholars would say that that would be a good uh translation of that.
Whether it's so or not it is certain that affliction brings forth trusting love in god's elect people. True disciples may struggle when god brings hard things but they have them in them a trusting love that undergirds them so that even when they're struggling greatly and saying lord what are you doing.
Why are you doing this. Where are you. And all of these kind of questions that their faith does not fail it prevails underneath underlying it all. They may ask questions and raise objections but they will continue to look to the lord and to believe that the answer is in him.
Like psalm 88. Where there's this. This cry to the lord. I don't see you i don't hear you. Where are you. You've forgotten me. And the whole idea there is that that is faith crying out to god. That's why it's such a beautiful song.
It is what happens with a true believer in affliction. So here this priest perhaps praying. Certainly people were praying whether that translation is accurate or not. But in this passage we also see a tremendous display of david's trusting love in the way that he responds to the priest he puts the whole matter completely in god's hands.
Look at the beautiful words of faith in verses 25 through 26. Then the king said to zadok okay he's the one that looked after the ark. Carry the ark of god back into the city. If i find favor in the eyes of the lord he will bring me back and show me both it the ark and his dwelling place.
But if he says thus i have no delight in you here i am. Let him do to me as seems good to him. David of course knows that he is being chastened by the lord here the lord had revealed to him by nathan the prophet when he had called him out for his sin that he had hidden that that david would have trouble in his household.
David does not know exactly what shape this trouble will take but he also knows that god has forgiven him and that god will not go back on the promise that he made to david to establish his son a descendant of his to redeem the nations and to reign on god's throne forever and ever and ever a king forever.
The lord jesus christ. David knows those things are sure and certain. Because david has this foundational trust in the lord it frees him to leave the matter of what happens to him in this situation entirely in the hands of god and to do it in a trusting way because he knows that god is good and faithful and true.
He trusts god to do what is good concerning him what is gracious concerning him. Even if it means that david will never be back to jerusalem again if god deems it best for this to be the end of him to not receive his petitions at this time for deliverance you see in other words that's what he means by to have no delight in me.
Like i'm asking god to restore i'm asking him to bring me back. If he chooses not to do that. If he doesn't delight in these prayers and he says no to that then he's good with that what he trusts god to do what is best for him and for the people just as our lord jesus christ did when he said let this if it be possible let this cup pass for me.
Nevertheless not my will but yours be done. If it is if this is the time indeed for me to die then i will die. This is what trusting faith looks like in times of affliction. Trusting love does not dictate to god that he must heal you now or that he must deliver you now or that he must save that lost relative now.
Trusting love will pray for these things. But trusting love knows that god will do what is best for you and for the glory of his kingdom for all of his people and for the glory of his kingdom and sickness or peril.
It says i ask for healing. But if he says no i say not my will but yours be done. David also exhibits an additional expression of trusting love here zadok the priest who looked after the ark had brought it to accompany david.
But david will not have it. The religion of the world teaches us that our acceptance with god depends on following the right formula on having the right formula on doing certain things on on having the right furniture.
This is the kind of thing that um that that is taught by the world's religion. It's always man doing something for god so that he can be accepted and approved instead of the true religion where it's god's grace doing something for man it's exactly reversed.
It is what you might call rabbit's foot religion that david is opposing. As long as i have god's shrine if i as long as i have this altar as long as i have this priest whatever it is i can get god to be on my side.
David says no. It is the free and gracious favor of god that i need as ralph davis puts it david says his restoration should there be such does not depend on whether he has yaweh's furniture but on whether he had yaweh's favor.
All rest on grace. Everything rests on god's grace on his sovereign pleasure. The ark is important. David thought it very important. But it does not belong on the battlefield as a rabbit's foot. It belongs in the temple or the place in jerusalem where it was now housed waiting for the temple to be built.
God's ordinances are not me doing something to gain his favor but god's ordinances are his testimony to me of his favor. You see when we we have baptism we have the lord's supper. We're not coming to god and saying be favorable to me because i came to the lord's supper be favorable to me because i was baptized.
We're saying lord you have communicated your favor to us and you say that you are the one who washes us. You're the one who feeds us and we look to him for that blessing. It's god ministering to us not us doing something for god in our works.
In some way this is the thing that we desire. So david's trust here is a appropriate trust rather than a rabbit's foot religion. He is trusting in the living god. But david's trust is by no means a passive resignation to the will of god in a wrong in a wrong kind of way.
His trusting love does not prevent him from using every means that is available to him every appropriate means in order to subdue absalom and to foil his plans. David uses prayers. David intends to do what he can to stop this coup of absalom but he will not make a superstitious use of the ark that god has graciously given to his people to testify of his presence and redemptive grace.
He will pray he will organize he will fight but he will leave the outcome to god. So what does he do. He uses these men then as a kind of a network these priests to go back to jerusalem and you can inform me what absalom is doing and send your sons to come and tell us on the battlefield or on the in the field here so that we will know where he is and what he's doing.
You see david is not just saying oh whatever. I don't care what happens. No he cares very much what happens. And he's asking. He's seeking but he's also trusting wholly in god and what god decides. Trusting love then is a very freeing thing.
It frees you it sets you at liberty. Leave it to your gracious mighty god to order and to decide. He will always be kind. He will always be wise. He will always be gracious to his children to his people to his redeemed servants.
You can serve him and know him in sickness or in health. Sounds like marriage doesn't it. You can know him in riches or in poverty. You can know him and serve him in times of peace or in times of war.
God is always making himself known working in his people through hard things or through good things. Whether you live or die you can serve him and you can know him. You don't have to worry if you're sick or if you're going to die you are in god's hands and god will work in you through all of those situations.
If he delivers you from that he delivers you. If he doesn't hear your prayers and he he you die. You become sick. You die. You're still with god. Nothing can foil that in affliction. Then we come to trust god more fully.
We learn to leave it to him and know that his hands are the best hands to leave it in. You often have to wrestle with that because you say no i want it this way. I want it in my hands. No god's hands are the hands that you want it in not your hands.
He is the one who is more gracious than you are more wise than you are more just than you are. Dear brothers and sisters you see how affliction brings forth the beauty of christ in his people. It brings forth this beauty that we have seen this this loyal love this trusting love and the first one this merciful love.
In addition his beautiful love grows to maturity and is displayed more fully in our lives. In an affliction it is displayed more fully and affliction. We're enabled to see the glory of the love of christ better.
As our example as our god who orders all things and as our mediator who helps us. We see more of christ in affliction. How kind he is to bring this affliction to us as his people. That his love might be brought forth in us as his people.
Tender love loyal love trusting love the beauty of jesus. Let it be upon us. Let's ask for it let's give thanks. Please stand. Oh lord our god sovereign lord holy lord gracious lord wise lord just lord.
Holy lord we come before you and we thank you and praise you that our lives are in your hands that we are your people and that we have put them there. We have come and said that we will be loyal to you that we will serve you that we will do what you command.
And if you should call us to go through the dark times through the the deep waters or through the fire. Lord we pray that you would help us to bear these things trusting you all the way and looking to you even as we will no doubt wrestle.
And we'll find it hard to trust you. And we'll find it hard to give it to you. That is part of your working to help us grow. We have to have it that way in order to stretch us and in order that our love might come forth in a much greater and fuller and deeper way.
We thank you that your work is never in vain. That all the things that you do lord will be will accomplish your purposes. We thank you lord that even when it looks like that everything is going wrong and everything is falling apart.
That you're still on your sovereign throne accomplishing your purposes. Give us an eye for you oh lord and a trust in you. This trust that we talked about at the end that that you are a good god. That you are a loving god.
That you are a gracious god. That you know what is best. Father. We think about the disciples when they were seeing their lord jesus delivered over to be crucified saw him hanging on the cross wondered if maybe he would come down.
And they saw him die. They saw him put in the tomb. What could they do. What had happened. Everything went wrong all their plans all their hopes. And then he rose again from the dead with victory over death with victory over sin.
And sent them out to proclaim the gospel to all the nations of the world and went to reign at your right hand forever and ever. There he is seated at your right hand sending forth his disciples even to this day.
We pray oh lord for fruitfulness of that work. We pray that there would be many who are called to be his loyal servants. Many who are called to come and trust in him with his trusting love. Many who are called to have this tender mercy that that he brings forth in his people.
We pray oh lord that the beauty of christ would be upon us. That it would be seen in your people lord all over the world. Oh lord please be glorified in your church. Show forth your great name and be praised among your people as they also see who you are lord in the afflictions of this world.
Let us continually look up to you oh lord to see your beauty and your glory especially as is manifested in your son. He is so gracious to us as he comes to us as our high priest is our mediator to minister to us when we are afflicted to strengthen us and uphold us as he comes to us to to and also sympathize with us as he endured such affliction himself.
We praise you for his example is the one who came here and bore such affliction. And we praise you for his sovereign wisdom in bringing about the plans that he has for us as his disciples that are so wise and so good.
Oh father fill us with your holy spirit. Help us lord. Help anyone here who is afflicted in affliction right now that they might lift up their eyes to you oh lord and that they might delight in you as their god.
Thank you lord that we bear reproach with christ even when as a church that we're cast out and we're we're called wicked. We pray lord that we would know that this is what the prophets endured. They endured it from those who are called by your name.
It was almost always those that were called by your name that that killed and persecuted the prophets. So we pray that we would know lord that this is how it will be in this world. But we pray that the day will come when you will bring us all together lord.
And we know that you have promised that that day will come when we will be truly one in jesus christ and when we will see his love that that that you and he have had from all eternity in the holy spirit.
And that we will be able to delight in that love and to live in that love. Oh lord let your beauty be upon us. We pray in jesus name. Amen. Psalm 3 was written when according to the title in the psalter it was written when david was um fleeing from absalom.
So we're going to sing that now psalm 3. It's really interesting trusting god when there are 10 000 against him. David was able to sleep at that time because what he said to itai and uh to uh to the to the priest was was true that he was he was resting in.
God he whatever god does psalm 3. Lord supper today i showed you how the beauty of christ love.
Is brought forth in his people when they're afflicted so that we can grow in love more fully display love and behold his love. Several times i mentioned the cross because the cross is the place where god's love christ love is most fully manifested.
Here we see how he gave himself for us that we might be pardoned and transformed into people who belong to god forever. Each lord's day when we come to church he sets forth his love to us through preaching praise.
And at this table where we celebrate the lord's supper here he has appointed bread to represent his body and wine to represent his blood that was shed. And here he commands us to remember him who was crucified for us in order that we might be saved.
His love is seen in the affliction that he bore by commanding us to eat the bread and drink the wine. He calls us to look to him as sacrifice to spiritually nourish us so that we will see his grace and love in saving us with a much deeper appreciation and so that we might grow in our love for him and our obedience to him.
This table as well as the other means of grace become all the more precious to us in times of affliction when you're bearing hard things difficult things before the lord they are like a ballast to center and steady us.
Here we're reminded of what he has done of the victory that he has. Because in this world we're not promised that we will win every battle. We're not promised that the church will always come out in some shining way in every situation.
We know the overall plan and we know that even those times of difficulty and struggle are times that god uses to bring about his ultimate purpose. We see that nowhere more clearly than with jesus going to the cross as i mentioned about that earlier where it looked like everything had gone wrong and it had not gone wrong at all.
We need to trust our god. And at this table we come then and we're refreshed with these overall promises this overall picture that that jesus has prevailed and that he is reigning that he by his death has redeemed us and that he is now committed to bless us and to feed us and nourish us up as his people that we might grow and become more and more full of his love in our understanding of him and in our practice in the world and to him.
That is what we need to to look at most of all. Many times our spirits are lifted up when we come to this table. But sometimes they are not. When they are not we should lament that and we should plead for his mercy.
But we also need to trust him knowing that he has a purpose for us not being so encouraged at this time or that time. And one purpose is to remind us that we cannot control or manipulate him by coming to this table.
That's why sometimes it might be a struggle might be difficult. We don't control him. God is the sovereign lord and he declares to us through this table that his grace is toward us that he died for us my body given for you.
Jesus says my blood shed for the remission of your sins. So we look to him as the gracious god who promises to be gracious to all those who trust in him. Here are the words of institution for this table.
For i received from the lord that which i also delivered to you. That the lord jesus christ on the same night in which he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and said take eat.
This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me. In the same manner he also took the cup after supper saying this cup is the new covenant in my blood. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.
For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim the lord's death till he comes. Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the lord.
But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats or drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself not discerning the lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you and many sleep.
So please understand that this table is intended only for believers who have professed their faith and who are members in good standing of a faithful church. All who come should be under the official care of the elders that christ is appointed to shepherd his church.
We would encourage you to trust in jesus and join his church if you have not done so. But if you have we encourage you to come with joy and to look to him for the blessing that only he can give that can only come from him.
So let's do that. Let's look to him for blessing as we come to this table. Well lord our god we thank you that you have testified to us at this table that you bring blessing to us. That this is something that you do in your grace that through the death of the lord jesus christ that you bring life and forgiveness to your people his blood shed for the remission of our sins and that through his saving work that we are nourished we're nourished up into new life.
This is why we come to the table again and again for our sins are forgiven. When we come and trust in jesus christ initially we are justified and indeed we need to be justified. And we need to be not just we need to be cleansed from our sins as children as we continue to sin in this world.
But we thank you oh lord that you also are working in us and that you are feeding us and nourishing us so that we will become more and more what you have called us to be. That your beauty would shine upon us.
That we would have this tender love this loyal love and this trusting love that you give to your people and that you rise up. That you bring forth in them. We pray that we would see this love in you that we would also manifest it in our own lives by your grace oh lord bless in this sacrament.
Bless this bread and wine that it may be used by you to testify. It does testify of your blessing to us oh lord. And we pray that you would be pleased to give us that grace to strengthen us and nourish us and help us in our walk with you.
Give us the refreshing of our faith and our trust in you. That we may trust you as we saw david doing as we saw christ doing himself when he trusted you with all things. Oh lord thank you for all that you have given us in your goodness and grace.
We pray in jesus name amen. So you may eat and drink as soon as the tray is passed to you. And then we'll give thanks to the lord for what we have received according to the holy institution. Command an example of our lord and savior jesus christ.
I take this bread and having blessed it break it and give it to you. Take. Eat.
This is the body of christ which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of him here. Oh my people.
And i will speak oh israel and i will testify against you. I am god your god. I will not rebuke you for your sacrifices or for your burnt offerings which are continually before me. I will not take a bull from your house nor goats from out of your fields.
For every beast of the forest is mine and the cattle on a thousand hills i know. All the birds of the mountains and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If i were hungry i would not tell you for the world is mine in all its fullness.
Will i eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats. Offer to god thanksgiving and pay your vows to the most high. Call upon me in the day of trouble and i will deliver you and you shall glorify me.
According to the institution. Command an example of our lord and savior jesus christ. I also take this cup and give it to you. This cup is the new covenant in the blood of jesus christ which was shed for the remission of the sins of many.
Drink from it all of you who are trusting.
In him and we know that all things work together for good to those who love god to those who are.
Called according to his purpose for whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he predestined these he also called whom he called these he also justified.
In whom he justified these he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things. If god is for us who can be against us. He who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things.
Please stand and let's sing. Psalm 71 d 71 d. Receive now the blessing of the lord.
May the god of all grace who called us to eternal glory by jesus christ after you have suffered a while perfect establish strengthen and settle you to him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen.