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[0:00] We'll find it on page 309, page number 309, we're going to read together the whole of the chapter. Page number 309, 2 Samuel chapter 5, Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, Behold, we are your bone and flesh.

[0:30] In times past when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, You shall be shepherd of my people Israel and you shall be prince over Israel.

[0:41] So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. David was 30 years old when he began to reign and he reigned for 40 years.

[0:57] At Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months. And at Jerusalem he reigned over Israel for, over all Israel and Judah for 33 years.

[1:10] And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off, thinking David cannot come in here.

[1:22] Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is the city of David. And David said on that day, Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind who are hated by David's soul.

[1:37] Therefore it is said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all round from the millow inwards.

[1:50] And David became greater and greater for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. And Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.

[2:01] And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron.

[2:14] And more sons and daughters were born to David. And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem. When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David.

[2:41] But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of the Lord, Shall I go up against the Philistines?

[2:52] Will you give them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand. And David came to Baal-Perazim. And David defeated them there.

[3:03] And he said, The Lord has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood. Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-Perazim. And the Philistines left their idols there.

[3:14] And David and his men carried them away. And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, You shall not go up.

[3:26] Go round to the rear and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself. For then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.

[3:38] And David did as the Lord commanded him. And struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer. Amen. And we pray together that God will bless his own word to us.

[3:50] We're going to now sing in Psalm number 76. It's from the New Psalms. The Sing Psalms version is Psalm 76. We're going to sing from the beginning to the verse mark 9.

[4:04] The tune is Martyrdom. It's on page 99 in the Sing Psalms books. Page number 99. And it's Psalm number 76.

[4:16] In Judah's land, God's name is known. In Israel he is great. In Salem he has pitched his tent. His home in Zion set.

[4:27] And that word Salem, it means Jerusalem. It's another word for Jerusalem. He broke the fiery arrows there. The military might of those who with their swords and shields against us came to fight.

[4:39] Your splendor is more glorious than hillsides. Rich with prey. Brave men were stripped of all their spoil asleep in death. They lay. We're going to sing from verse 1 to the end to the verse mark 9.

[4:51] That's the first six stanzas. The tune is Martyrdom. We're going to stand to sing. In Judah's land, God's name is known.

[5:08] In Israel he is great. In Israel he has pitched his tent.

[5:24] His home in Zion set. He broke the fiery arrows there.

[5:41] The military might of those who with their swords and shields against us.

[6:02] The military might of those who with their swords and shields against us. The military might of those who with their swords and shields against us. Your splendor is more glorious than hillsides.

[6:21] With brave, brave men were still Of all their spoils As deep in death they lay Not one of those great warriors Could lift his hands to kill At new rebuke O Jacob's God Ride hard and heartly still For you alone are to be here

[7:25] Before you who can stand Who can endure your anger, Lord The judgments you command From heaven your verdict was pronounced The land was hushed in awe When you arose to save the poor And vindicate your love Turn with me for a New Testament reading this evening

[8:32] To Revelation chapter 21 Revelation chapter 21 The last book of the Bible We're going to read it from verse 9 Revelation 21 and verse 9 Then came one of the seven angels Who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues And spoke to me saying Come I will show you the bride The wife of the Lamb And he carried me away in the spirit To a great high mountain And showed me the holy city Jerusalem Coming down out of heaven from God Having the glory of God Its radiance Like a most rare jewel Like a jasper Clear as crystal It had a great high wall With twelve gates And at the gates twelve angels And on the gates the names Of the twelve tribes Of the sons of Israel

[9:32] Were inscribed On the east three gates On the north three gates On the south three gates And on the west three gates And the wall of the city Had twelve foundations And on them were the twelve names Of the twelve apostles of the Lamb And the one who spoke with me Had a measuring rod of gold To measure the city And its gates and walls The city lies four square Its length the same as its width And he measured the city With his rod Twelve thousand stadia Its length and width And height are equal He also measured its wall One hundred and forty-four cubits By human measurement Which is also an angel's measurement The wall was built of jasper While the city was pure gold Clear as glass The foundations of the wall Of the city Were adorned with every kind of jewel The first was jasper The second sapphire The third agate The fourth emerald The fourth onyx The sixth carnelian The seventh chrysolite The eighth beryl The ninth topaz The tenth chrysoprase

[10:32] And the eleventh jacinth The twelfth amethyst And the twelve gates Were twelve pearls Each of the gates Was made of a single pearl And the street Of the city Was pure gold Transparent as glass And I saw no temple In the city For its temple Is the Lord God The Almighty And the Lamb And the city Has no need of sun Or moon To shine on it For the glory Of God Gives it light And its lamp Is the Lamb By its light Will the nations walk And the kings of the earth Will bring their glory Into it And its gates Will never be shut By day And there will be No night there They will bring Into it the glory And the honour Of the nations But nothing unclean Will ever enter it Not anyone Who does What is detestable Or false But only those Who are written In the Lamb's Book of life Amen We ask God Once again To bring his word To us in power And once again We're going to bow Our heads

[11:32] In prayer Our Father in heaven We ask for the needs Of the world And for the needs Of the gospel And for the needs Of the church We give thanks For the privilege Of being able To pray for one another We pray for those Who suffer this evening And we recognize That we are privileged Today to be able To contribute To the needs Of our fellow Christians In particularly In Iraq And in Syria And we pray That the contributions That we make today In our retiring collection Will be blessed By the Lord That you will take That little contribution And make it go A long way We thank you Lord That just like you Took the five loaves And the two fishes And made them feed The five thousand That you're able To do the same today By your power And this is what We ask Lord We ask that We are so unable To do We are unable To do much But we can give And we can pray And pray oh Lord For those who are Desperate

[12:32] And those who are Sorrowing And those who are Broken in their hearts And grieved in their minds We pray that you will Bring healing To them And bless Their witness And pray that their witness Will be effective In bringing others Even those tonight Who are hardened Who are hardened In murderous intentions We pray that you will Bring them to Jesus We give thanks oh Lord For the privilege of Belonging to the Worldwide church We pray for the Worldwide church Today but we also Pray for our local Churches as well We thank oh Lord Of all of the Churches here We thank you that we Live in a part of the World where your word Is revered and where It's respected and Honoured and we pray That you will bless Everyone and Particularly as we Come to a weekend Of communion we Pray that you will Prepare our hearts And prepare the hearts Of all of your people To sit at the Lord's table We give thanks Lord For that privilege

[13:32] And we pray that you Will that we may be in The right frame of Mind that we will be Humbled by your word And that as we sit and Listen as we face Ourselves for what we Really are and as we Examine ourselves in the Light of your word we Pray that we will see What you see but then That we pray also that We will see your Forgiveness and that we Will run to where there Is cleansing and washing In the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ We pray Lord for our Brothers and sisters in The high fellowship as They celebrate the Lord's supper for the First time since Becoming one of our Own congregations we Pray for them pray that You will strengthen them And guide them Lord in What they do and in the Future we thank you Lord for that there is Unity between us and We pray that you will Bless the word and Bless their fellowship Together we thank you For the new ministries That have are taking Place in our own Presbytery we pray for

[14:33] Myrtle Campbell as he Preaches his first Service tonight as Minister of Barvis we Ask Lord your spirit Will fill him and that He may know the power Of God and as he Begins his new Ministry pray for Thomas Davis on Wednesday as he's Installed in Carloway And ask the same for Him that he may know The power of God and That more and more People will be reached For the gospel and That they will be Brought in to your Kingdom we give Thanks oh Lord that We are able to Rejoice with those Who rejoice and we Give thanks that we Are able to identify And empathize with Those who mourn so We pray Lord for Those who are who are Broken this evening Over the loss of Loved ones we also Rejoice over those who Are celebrating birth in Our congregation and We we pray Lord that You will bless every Occasion that there Is and remind us oh Lord of the brevity of Life and the

[15:33] Preciousness of life and That we give we thank You Lord for those Occasion pray for those Who are the babies that Were baptized today we Ask that you will that You will bless them as They grow up and that They will hear the Sound of your voice and That you will be their God and that they will Belong to you and bless The parents as they Fulfill their vows we Pray for the students Who are those who are Leaving home for the First time to go away To to start work or to Start a student life we Pray that you'll protect Them and go before them Well Lord we think of Rachel Thompson as she Begins her time with Navigators in Glasgow and We ask that this may be a Real strength and Encouragement to her and That she will be able to Be an encouragement to Other people or these Are only some of the Many many issues that We want to bring before You this evening we Thank you that we're Able to do so so go Before us and bless your Word to us now in Jesus Name amen Before we turn to God's

[16:35] Word we're going to sing Again and this time in Psalm 45 it's the new Version it's on page 57 Of sing psalms it's 45a We're going to sing from Verse 3 down to verse 7 The tune is Irish O mighty one take up your Sword and bind it on your Thigh with glorious splendor Clothe yourself and with your Majesty psalm 45a from verse 3 to verse 7 and that's five Stanzas we're going to stand to Sing O mighty one take up your Sword and bind it on your Thigh with glorious splendor Clothe yourself and with your Your majesty

[17:36] Write forth this day victoriously For meekness truth and right Let your right hand display Your feet of awesome power and Light let your sharp arrows pierce the Hearts of those who hate the King And all the nations of the earth into subjection bring.

[18:40] Your royal throne, O God, will last throughout eternity.

[18:55] Your kingdom scepter will be one of truth and equity.

[19:11] Anointing you with oil of joy, your God has made you great.

[19:27] Because you care for righteousness and wickedness you hate.

[19:49] Turn back with me to the original chapter we read in the Old Testament, 2 Samuel chapter 5, page 309. We're going to look at the whole of this chapter, I hope, in the time that there is this evening.

[20:03] I know it's a tall order, but we'll try in any case. 2 Samuel 5, verse 3. So all the elders of Israel, along with all the tribes of Israel.

[20:15] That's what we read at the beginning of the chapter. All the tribes of Israel. There must have been a massive host of people. And so all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron.

[20:28] And King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. Amongst other things, this week will go down in history as the week of the Ice Bucket Challenge.

[20:52] Of course, I'm referring to the current craze that there is all over the world to raise awareness and to raise support for charities with connection with motor neurone disease.

[21:09] And the way that this has come about, I'm not quite sure how, was for individuals to gather sponsorship by pouring buckets of iced water over them.

[21:20] It seems that everyone, everyone is up for this. The internet is full of it. Videos of people from shopkeepers to comedians to singers to celebrities to ordinary people to bankers to free church ministers.

[21:41] You name it. They're all into it. And in the space of a few days, everyone, it seems, has heard of it. And most seem to have undertaken to do it.

[21:54] One exception anyway. Well, of course, this is one example again of the power of social media in today's world, without which nothing like this could ever have happened.

[22:14] And one is left utterly amazed at how the whole world, it seems, can come in an instant, in the matter of a couple of days, and everyone is doing the same thing. Well, things didn't quite happen that quickly in Israel at the time of David.

[22:32] But even without social media, I'm still amazed at the fact that everyone in Israel, on this occasion, had gathered together and they were all doing the same thing.

[22:47] Word had got around. They didn't have Facebook. It took a bit longer for the word to get around. But the will was still there. And where there's a will, there is a way.

[22:58] And where there was a will in the hearts of the people of Israel, there was a way. And the big issue on this occasion was to take David and to make him king, because everyone wanted him to be king.

[23:14] I don't think there was a single person by that stage who didn't want David to be king. And there wasn't a single person who didn't recognize that he was the rightful king. Everyone, word had got around and everyone was now doing the same thing.

[23:27] And then they were making David king. It hadn't always been like this. In fact, in the seven years since David was anointed king by his own tribe, we read about that last time in chapter 1, the tribe of Judah in Hebron.

[23:45] In that seven years, there had been civil war between Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the tribes of Israel, in which many men had lost their lives. The first four chapters of 2 Samuel are a sorry tale.

[24:00] They're a horrible tale. It can be very explicit in the detail that they give as to how people were killed and how long it took for the rest of Israel to slowly be brought round to the reality that David was the rightful king.

[24:17] In chapter 2, David was anointed the king by his own tribe in Hebron. But then Abner, Abner who belonged to the Benjaminites and who had been Saul's commander-in-chief.

[24:29] Saul was now dead. But Abner took it upon himself to make Ish-bosheth, who was Saul's son. He wanted him to be king. So right away there was an internal conflict within Israel as to who should be the rightful king.

[24:42] But then there was a whole series of killings in which Abner, he stabbed Ashael, Joab's brother, and killed him.

[24:53] Then Joab and Abishai, two brothers, they pursued Abner. After a standoff, there was a ceasefire for I don't know how long.

[25:05] But then Abner and Ish-bosheth, they fell out over a woman, a woman who had been a concubine of Saul. So Abner decided to turn.

[25:17] He decided to hand over the whole kingdom to David. He decided that for the reason that he had fallen out with Ish-bosheth, that he wanted now David to be the rightful king.

[25:29] I suspect he wanted also a good place in his army. David agreed to at least consult with Abner. David asked him to bring Michal, his estranged wife, over to him.

[25:42] And she comes to him, followed by Paltiel, the husband that she had been given to. Meanwhile, Abner then conferred with Israel's elders to make David their king. And he spoke to the Benjaminites and he persuaded them that they should all fall in line with David.

[25:57] Abner and twenty men, he went to David and he prepared a feast for them. Everything looked so good until Joab came on the scene. And Joab was outraged that David should be talking to Abner. Joab went after Abner and he murdered him.

[26:09] He killed him. David had nothing to do with it. David lamented the death of Abner. And he said, a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel today. But in being while Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, he had heard that Abner was now dead.

[26:25] And he lost courage altogether, quite naturally. But he was put to death by two men, Banna and Rechab. And they, just like the man in chapter one, the Amalekite, they went to boast about the way that they had killed Ish-bosheth to David.

[26:41] But David did exactly the same thing to them as he did to the Amalekite in chapter one. He put them to death because they had murdered someone without cause. And all of this was a very sorry, sad, violent tale of civil war.

[26:57] All of this took place because some in the kingdom refused to recognize the legitimacy of David as being the rightful king. And what made him the rightful king was that God had made him the rightful king.

[27:10] And some in this kingdom had taken upon themselves to resist God. Always, always, an unwise policy. In any case, in chapter five, by this stage, the whole of the kingdom had come now to recognize that David of the house of Judah should be the rightful king.

[27:32] Which was what God said all along. And this was the moment. This was his third anointing. I said that last time. Where he was anointed this time. Not just by Samuel.

[27:43] Not just by his own tribe. But by the entirety of the kingdom of Israel. And now his kingdom was going to be established once and for all.

[27:58] And chapter five gives a collection of different events. They're not necessarily in chronological order. We don't know what order they came in. That's not important. But chapter five is a bringing together of various things which the writer, inspired by the Holy Spirit, believes that were essential for our information.

[28:21] And believes that they were essential for the establishment. We're looking here at the establishment of the kingdom, the covenant kingdom of Israel under David's rule.

[28:33] And I want us to look at six things very briefly. Six very brief elements in this chapter. And hopefully to extract some principles out of these that we can apply to our own lives as God's people.

[28:53] First of all, the kingdom itself was consolidated. And that takes place in two ways. First of all, it is established on God's word.

[29:04] In verse two, we read that Saul was king over us. And you shall be... In verse two, I'll start again. And the Lord said to you, said the people, You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.

[29:18] And then later on, all the elders, they made a covenant with David. David was not... The kings of Israel were not allowed to simply do whatever came into their head.

[29:32] A covenant was an agreement. It was a signed agreement between the people and the king in which he had to recognize that he was under the authority of God.

[29:42] And he could only rule and reign insofar as God's word allowed him. They, in turn, had to submit themselves to him and to his rule.

[29:56] Insofar as he ruled according to God's word. That was what it meant. Now, that was entirely different from the other nations around about them. Where the king was a tyrant and a murderer.

[30:08] And he could do whatever he took it into his head to do. Well, David wasn't like that. He was a man after God's own heart. So this was a kingdom that was ruled by God. It was God's kingdom.

[30:19] It didn't belong to David. It belonged to God. And David had to recognize that. So that's the first element that establishes the kingdom.

[30:31] That God is the real king. God is the true king. And David is simply his servant to be, to manage the kingdom on behalf of God.

[30:46] I want you to notice, secondly, that the chapter moves on to what's going to be the very heart of the kingdom. And that's the city of Jerusalem. From verse 6 to verse 10, we're introduced to the city of Jerusalem.

[31:03] Up until that point, Jerusalem was occupied or inhabited by the Jebusites. It wasn't part of Israel until David defeated that city.

[31:17] But I want you to notice what is the information that's given to us about it. First of all, when David and his men surrounded the city, the Jebusites said to them, You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off.

[31:37] And they thought David cannot come in here. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion. That is the city of David. And he said on that day, whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind.

[31:55] This is the way, the particular way in which David managed to find his way into the heart of the city. Normally in a battle, as we very often read about.

[32:08] And in history, normally a battle took place where the army would surround a city and where there was battering rams. But there was no point in doing that here because Jerusalem was on the top of a hill, Mount Zion.

[32:23] And it was fortified with thick walls all around it. And so the men at the top of the walls taunted David. And they teased him saying, there is no way you can come in here.

[32:36] But there was a way. There was only one way. And that was that there was a water shaft running down through the mountain. Large enough for a string of soldiers to climb up.

[32:52] A water shaft that ended up at the bottom of the mountain. And it started off right in the heart of the city. Of course, the bottom of the mountain would have been camouflaged.

[33:05] It would have been very difficult to find. But somehow, David and his men found the source or the end of this water shaft. And they managed, unbeknown, meanwhile, while all of these men, they were shouting abuse at David and his army.

[33:20] Meanwhile, David and his army were actually making their way all the way up this water shaft into the very heart of the city. And before you know it, within an instant, they were overcome and they were defeated.

[33:31] And now it was the city of David. Now, I find that an amazing illustration. And the illustration that comes so clearly to my mind is how the gospel works.

[33:50] The gospel in the New Testament, in the church, in the world today, doesn't operate by means of sword or spear or killing or armies. We don't need that.

[34:02] There is a much more powerful force than the force of war. The gospel operates by means of a message. And the message is this.

[34:14] God has come into the world as one of us and he has died on the cross for our sin. God and Jesus Christ has risen again from the dead.

[34:27] And we can have forgiveness by believing and trusting and following Jesus Christ as our savior. There is nothing in all the world.

[34:39] There is no force, no power, no influence in all the world as powerful as the gospel. So we don't believe in weapons of war.

[34:51] The church has never advanced that way. It advances by persuasion and by the power of God's Holy Spirit to change a person from within.

[35:02] You see where I'm coming from? Just like the city of David, just like the city of Jerusalem was changed, it was transformed from within.

[35:15] Because David found his way through that one channel that there was all the way up the mountain to the very heart of the city. And there overcame and defeated so that it now became the city of David.

[35:27] There are many people in here tonight who can testify to the very same thing happening in their own lives.

[35:38] You can remember five years ago, ten years ago, twenty years ago, when there was a day when you said to God, You can't come in here. Just like these people stood on the wall and said to David, You cannot come in here.

[35:50] You said to God, You can't come in here. We don't want you here. We hate you. And we're strong enough to resist you and everything that you stand for.

[36:02] But tonight, God found his way in, didn't he? In a way that you never imagined. Some of you here tonight, you never thought in your wildest dreams that you would ever be sitting tonight listening to the gospel and actually enjoying listening to God's word.

[36:21] Some of you who will sit at the Lord's table next Lord's day, five years ago, ten years ago, the very thought would make you sick. You would have said, I have no account.

[36:34] That's one thing. I can give you every assurance. I will never sit at the Lord's table. I hate the thought of the idea. And yet, that's where you are. That's where you'll be.

[36:45] How is that? Because God found his way in, didn't he? He found the one way in. He knows where that way is. And he doesn't need a sword. He's got a sword already.

[36:55] It's the sword of the Bible. He's got a sword of his message that's able to get all the way through. And I can think of examples, dozens of examples, of people I know.

[37:07] And I remember them in their past life and how resistant they were. And now they love the Lord. What is that? Because somehow they've had a change of heart. And because they certainly have had a change of heart.

[37:19] But it wasn't a turning over a new leaf. It wasn't anything they did. It was something God did in breaking. I remember some years ago. And I hope that if the person's here tonight, they'll forgive me mentioning this.

[37:29] I won't mention any names. I remember a number of years ago. I got an email from this person. And that person said, Dear Ivor, A year ago, I set out to prove that there wasn't a God.

[37:47] But now, I've been converted. I had no idea that this person was converted. And I laughed when I read that email.

[38:00] I laughed partly in rejoicing, but partly in the irony of that, isn't it? That there are people tonight who are determined to keep God out of their lives. And sometimes, the more determined you are, the more determined God will be to make sure that that changes.

[38:14] And he will find the one issue in your life, the one issue in your thoughts and in your minds, in which you will change, you will turn in his grace.

[38:26] I remember I knew a guy ages ago, a number of years ago, who was a Christian. I remember him telling me how he became a Christian. And he too was an atheist. He too didn't want to know anything about the gospel.

[38:37] But there was one thing that really got to him, and that was the issue of suffering. And he was one of these, one of the people who would blame God for suffering. He would say, if there's a God, why does he allow suffering?

[38:50] I guess every one of us has asked that same question. It's a natural question. We all abhor the reality of suffering in the world. It's awful, isn't it?

[39:01] And there is no clear, neat answer to that question. But even although this man had concluded that there cannot be a God because there cannot be a God who could allow such suffering, it still got to him because he couldn't get away from the question, well, well, why am I so bothered about suffering?

[39:23] Why is it such an issue to me? And then he read his Bible. And he came to the conclusion that the only place in the world where there was any rational, reasonable explanation for the problem of suffering was the Bible.

[39:45] The Bible teaches that it's because of sin, because we live in a world that is separate from God. And that's the reason that we are in such chaos on which there is such human misery in the world.

[39:59] And he looked elsewhere and he couldn't find anywhere else. And then he began to listen to the gospel. And he came to faith in Jesus Christ. But there was a man who resisted the gospel.

[40:11] But then, from that moment, God found his way in. And many of you can testify to exactly or something similar tonight. God found his way into your heart and he defeated that hostility to the gospel.

[40:26] That voice that said, you cannot come in here. It's been broken down. It's been silenced. And now, the city that once was occupied by Jebusites, by a hostile force, is now occupied by David's greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

[40:41] He rules, doesn't he? Maybe there's someone here tonight and that's what you're saying. You're here by coercion. You're here because, you don't, you're not because you, you, you like to be here, but because you're trying to, you're here because you're pleasing someone else and this is the last place you want to be here.

[40:59] Well, and you're perhaps saying exactly the same as the Jebusites, you will not come in here. Well, you're not the first person to have said that. And our prayer tonight is that you, your heart will be opened by God himself and that God will find his way in.

[41:16] And I'm asking you tonight, I'm challenging you tonight to have an open mind on the gospel. Why is your mind so made up? Why are you so intolerant? If I can use a modern word, why are you so intolerant of what Jesus says and what Jesus did?

[41:33] Why is there such a determination in you to say what the Jebusites said? You will not come in here. That's irrational because if Jesus is who he says he was, then the very first priority in every human being ought to be to recognize him and to come to him in faith.

[41:50] Isn't that right? Why do you have such a closed mind to the gospel? Well, God tonight can open up that mind and I'm challenging you tonight to ask him to do that, to ask him to show you who he really is.

[42:14] And then the chapter moves on and it tells us of, it tells us about how from that point in verse 11, Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters and masons who built David a house.

[42:30] You see, the establishment of the kingdom of Israel under David meant it had international consequences. And that too is true about the gospel and the New Testament message of Jesus Christ.

[42:45] Jesus said, because I have now authority in Matthew chapter 28, because I now have authority over everything, you go into all the world and make disciples of all nations.

[42:58] And here are the first glimpses of people who weren't Jews, who didn't belong to Israel, but they recognized that there was something about this David that was unique, different to anything they'd ever seen before.

[43:13] something that moved their hearts and something that drew them into allegiance and alliance with King David.

[43:27] The earth is the Lord's tonight. The earth will, the God is building up his kingdom and people are coming to know Jesus Christ as their Savior all over the world.

[43:40] But I want us to notice that the chapter moves on to expose for us perhaps the cracks already in David's character.

[43:50] David was a man after God's own heart, but that did not make him invincible and it didn't make him perfect. We saw in his first chapter when he was being pursued by Saul that there were weaknesses in David's character.

[44:04] We saw that by way of him going over to the Philistine territory where he should not have and he should have stayed and trusted in God. Well, it's easy to say that. But here we see something in David's character that we're going to see more of as time goes on and that is his weakness for women.

[44:26] In verse 13, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron and more sons and daughters were born to David and these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem.

[44:42] Now, I know that in the Old Testament people in Israel had two wives, three wives, four wives. I know all that. And of course, there's that question as to how legitimate that was.

[44:54] Was that always God's intention? My answer would be no. It was not always God's intention. God's intention from day one in the Garden of Eden was therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be united to his wife.

[45:07] One man, one woman. That's always God's intention sexually for humankind. In the Old Testament, you had polygamy where a man would have two, three, four wives.

[45:18] Well, you say, well, how did God allow that? Well, he did allow it. That's just a fact. By the time the New Testament comes, it is not allowed anymore. Things have moved on.

[45:29] They developed amongst God's people so that he no longer allows it. But nevertheless, it opened the door to license on the part of David, I believe.

[45:41] In that, of course, naturally, if you go down that road, then, especially if you've got some power and authority, then you can just think that you can take anyone you want. And that's exactly what David did in chapter 11.

[45:55] We'll come to that in due course. All I'm going to say tonight is that there are cracks. And when the cracks appear, it's best to recognize them as soon as they appear before they become a major downfall.

[46:11] And that applies to every single one of us in our personal Christian life. And all the more reason why tonight we should be asking the Lord to search his light into our hearts to see if there be any sinful way in us.

[46:25] To see if there be any temptation that we give in to too easily without a fight so that we ask the Lord to strengthen our, to ask the Lord to strengthen us.

[46:38] And then lastly, from verse 17 onwards, there was conflict. Let me give you all the seas. There was consolidation where all the people came together at the beginning of the chapter.

[46:52] And they made David king and they made a covenant. And then there was conquest when David surrounded Jerusalem, found his way in and overcame Jerusalem from within.

[47:03] Then there was the cooperation that Hiram king of Tyre as a consequence of David's reign. Then there was his compromise, I believe, in verse 13 where he took more and more and more concubines and wives.

[47:19] But now there is the conflict which is going to mark his reign and which is going to try him and test him from now on to the very end of his life.

[47:32] And that conflict, of course, came from, by way of the Philistines. The Philistines must have utterly hated David. Why? Because he used to belong to them at one point. Remember seven years ago before the battle of Gilboa?

[47:45] Remember he had actually gone over with his men and he had made his dwelling amongst them. He had settled in Ziklag and he was on the point where he was joining with them in their battle against Israel.

[47:58] That was incredibly, he came really close to utter disaster at that point. But in any case, the Philistine rulers, they said, what's he doing with us? He should be sent home. So they sent him home.

[48:09] But now he's the king of Israel. So they must absolutely hate him. Their reason for existence, they existed in order to war against Israel.

[48:19] Well, they wared against Israel in any case, but all the more because of David. And now, as soon as he becomes king, verse 17, when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David, but David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

[48:37] Then the Philistines came to the valley of Rephaim. So what was his response when he was threatened by an enemy force? Same response as when he was threatened by Saul and his men.

[48:49] What's the first thing that he did when he was challenged, when there was conflict? He prayed. Because he knew that all the military strength in the world wouldn't do a thing for him without the power of God.

[49:03] Saul had all the military strength of Israel and he was defeated on Mount Gilboa. But David knew that first priority had to be the Lord as a man after his own heart.

[49:16] So what did he do? Well, first of all, he asked God every step of the way, what should I do? What should I do? Just the same way as he had in chapter 2, he had asked God which direction he should go in because his reign was founded on the guidance that God was going to give him.

[49:37] totally different from his predecessor, Saul. But it's exactly the same principle by which Christians need to learn to live their day-by-day lives.

[49:52] Jesus said the Holy Spirit dwells within us and guides us into all truth. We believe that our lives as servants and as children of God are not random, they're not a series of random events that take place.

[50:10] We believe in the guidance that God gives on a day-by-day basis and there is nothing too mundane for God to be involved in and there is nothing too ordinary for you to ask God about and to seek God's guidance in.

[50:25] The big things as well as the small things and sometimes, sometimes we leave God out of the picture when we're challenged or when there's conflict or when there's some difficulty that really overcomes us and overwhelms us, the very last thing we do is the very first thing we should do which is to take it to the Lord in prayer.

[50:45] That's what David did when he saw the Philistine forces coming against him. He took it to the Lord in prayer. Verse 19, inquired of the Lord, shall I go up against the Philistines?

[50:56] Will you give them into my hand? God's answer was, go up for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand. That's a straightforward answer to prayer. David just does as God directly tells him.

[51:10] But, the problem doesn't go away. And the challenges in your life and in mine won't go away either. They arise again and again and again.

[51:24] There's never an end. If you're looking for a lifetime of people, if you ever think you're going to reach a point in your Christian life where you're going to have no more conflict, then I'm afraid you're mistaken. I've got bad news for you.

[51:38] The challenges are going to arise. The temptations. The warfare is a continuous warfare. We have to be continuously ready and prepared because we have an enemy, says the apostle, who goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.

[51:55] And he uses events and occurrences and choices that we have to make and he works inside us and he works in outside events and he works in other people.

[52:06] People who are not Christians and people who are Christians. There are all kinds of the most perplexing circumstances that we have to face.

[52:19] And you know what? The more perplexing, the more God forces us on our knees and the more these things ought to draw us into a closer relationship with the Lord.

[52:29] That's exactly what's happening. When David's overwhelmed, he comes straight to the Lord. What kind of an example is that? That's a fantastic example.

[52:40] That's exactly what we should be doing. So, God said to David, go up for I will certainly give. But the next time, verse 20, David came to Baalperazim and he said, the Lord has burst through, therefore the name of that place, sorry, verse 23, and when David inquired of the Lord the second time, he said, you shall not go up, go round to the rear and come up against them opposite the balsam trees.

[53:04] Now, what does that teach us? It teaches us that sometimes what we think is the logical solution to a problem is not God's way. Sometimes God has to actually put his hand out and say, no, no, that's not the way.

[53:18] You think that's the right way. You think that's what makes sense. But that's not my way. And so he brings us and he leads us in a different way, in a way that we have never even thought about.

[53:30] But that turns out to be the best way after all. Don't ever put your logic in front of God's leader. Always ask the Lord to lead you and guide you into every right circumstance.

[53:48] us. There are three things here I want to leave you with as we read these chapters. I so wish I could read this in detail, but just three things I want to leave with you because I'm not going to return to this next week.

[54:05] We're going to move on. There are three things which God says to David in this last section.

[54:15] first of all he says I will guide you. He says exactly the same to us. The Holy Spirit says Jesus is there to guide us into all truth.

[54:28] The steps of a man are ordered by the Lord. And we need to become more and more aware that our lives are going. If we are aware then all the more reason why we need to commit every day to the Lord and ask him to prepare us for every eventuality that takes place.

[54:48] The second thing that God teaches David on this occasion is this. There is nothing that God cannot do. Look at verse 23.

[54:59] He says the Lord has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood. Somehow God ordered things so that his power was made so clear and so obvious to David that it really encouraged him.

[55:17] And there are times like that when we see God's power as never before and when we come to the same conclusion there is nothing with God's help says David I can over leap a wall.

[55:30] Nothing is impossible for God. Do you believe that tonight? Nothing is impossible with God. And are you prepared to bring even the most impossible situations in your life to the Lord believing that he is ruling and reigning over every circumstance.

[55:47] And then I want to leave you with the most encouraging thought I think I can ever imagine from this chapter.

[55:58] It's found in verse 24. For then, the last part he says, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.

[56:10] The Lord has gone out before you. We need to know tonight that whatever we face in the coming days, in the coming weeks, life is full of unexpected events, isn't it?

[56:27] We don't know what a day or an hour is going to bring. We don't know what's going to happen tonight. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or through the week. For us, it's all so uncertain.

[56:38] We just don't know what's going to happen. But in Jesus, we know this, that God is there already.

[56:50] He's there before us, waiting for us to meet the challenge and ready to give us whatever we need.

[57:09] He is the God who supplies us with all our needs according to his riches in mercy. I can't think of a more encouraging thought tonight to remind myself of and to leave with you tonight.

[57:27] that very thought, that very truth and reality that God is there already. Whatever we face and whatever we go through in this life.

[57:39] Well, we're going to bring our service to a close by singing to God's praise in Psalm number four. No, sorry, Psalm 72. That's the wrong number.

[57:50] Psalm 72. Psalm 72. And you'll find it on page 314. We're going to sing about the reign of David's greater son.

[58:06] And very often there are glimpses of that reign in the life of David the king. And we're going to read one of these glimpses and sing about it.

[58:21] But we're going to keep in mind how these words, these great words, were fulfilled and will one day be fulfilled all across the world. His name, that's the name of David's son, Jesus forever shall endure.

[58:35] It's verse 17. We're on page 314. And it's verse 17. His name forever shall endure last like the sun. It shall men shall be blessed in him and blessed all nations shall him call.

[58:48] Last three verses of Psalm 72 to God's praise. His name forever shall endure.

[59:04] Loss like the sun is shall. Men shall be blessed in him unblessed.

[59:21] All nations shall end shall end call. Now blessed be the Lord the God the God of Israel for he alone doth wondrous works in glory that excel.

[60:04] And blessed be his glorious name to all eternity.

[60:18]  the whole earth let his glory fill Amen so let it be And now may the grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the love of God the Father and the communion and fellowship of the Holy Spirit rest on and abide with each one of us both now and always Amen You