WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.080 And Liz is going to come and read God's word for us. 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:05.120 So Liz, over to you. Thank you. 00:00:06.200 --> 00:00:07.879 To Samuel chapter 10. 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:13.080 In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:16.780 and his son Hanum succeeded him as king. 00:00:17.879 --> 00:00:21.480 David thought, I will show kindness to Hanum, son of Nahash, 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:23.640 just as his father showed kindness to me. 00:00:24.359 --> 00:00:29.019 So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanum concerning his father. 00:00:30.019 --> 00:00:32.799 When David's men came to the land of the Ammonites, 00:00:33.299 --> 00:00:35.780 the Ammonite commanders said to Hanum, their lord, 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:41.560 do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? 00:00:42.619 --> 00:00:48.439 Hasn't David sent them to you only to explore the city and to spy it out and overthrow it? 00:00:49.399 --> 00:00:54.739 So Hanum seized David's envoys, shaved off half of each man's beard, 00:00:54.740 --> 00:00:59.079 cut off their garments of the buttocks and sent them away. 00:00:59.079 --> 00:01:04.840 When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, 00:01:05.340 --> 00:01:06.939 but they were greatly humiliated. 00:01:07.939 --> 00:01:13.400 The king said, stay at Jericho till your beards have grown and then come back. 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:18.140 When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, 00:01:18.760 --> 00:01:24.160 they hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, 00:01:24.860 --> 00:01:30.680 as well as the king of Marka with 1,000 men and also 12,000 men from Tob. 00:01:30.680 --> 00:01:36.100 On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. 00:01:36.860 --> 00:01:43.040 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the city gate, 00:01:43.620 --> 00:01:50.940 while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Meaka were by themselves in the open country. 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:56.420 Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him. 00:01:56.420 --> 00:02:01.420 So he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:06.060 He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai, his brother, 00:02:06.560 --> 00:02:08.420 and deployed them against the Ammonites. 00:02:09.560 --> 00:02:16.039 Joab said, if the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue. 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:21.180 But the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and rescue you. 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:28.080 Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. 00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:31.340 The Lord will do what is good in his sight. 00:02:32.680 --> 00:02:34.740 Then Joab and the troops went with him. 00:02:34.980 --> 00:02:40.260 Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans and they fled before him. 00:02:41.260 --> 00:02:44.100 When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, 00:02:44.460 --> 00:02:47.420 they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. 00:02:47.419 --> 00:02:51.500 So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem. 00:02:53.079 --> 00:02:57.419 After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:02.959 Hadadiza had Arameans brought from beyond the river Euphrates. 00:03:03.839 --> 00:03:09.019 They went to Helam with Shobak, the commander of Hadadiza's army leading them. 00:03:09.979 --> 00:03:15.419 When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. 00:03:15.419 --> 00:03:20.219 The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 00:03:20.859 --> 00:03:27.579 But they fled before Israel and David killed 700 of their charities, 40,000 of their foot soldiers. 00:03:28.539 --> 00:03:34.119 He also struck down Shobak, the commander of their army, and he died there. 00:03:34.899 --> 00:03:39.979 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadiza saw that they had been routed by Israel, 00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:44.119 they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them. 00:03:44.120 --> 00:03:48.560 So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:04:02.240 Now, as we start this morning, I want you to imagine with me that you're at the top of a roller coaster. 00:04:03.539 --> 00:04:07.080 Looking at some of you, it's probably been a few years since you've been on a roller coaster. 00:04:07.140 --> 00:04:09.560 So let me try and describe it for you and what it's like. 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:14.759 You know, roller coasters make that sort of slow ascent, don't they? 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:19.139 And it goes click, click, click, click, click, click as you get to the top of the roller coaster. 00:04:19.759 --> 00:04:23.899 And then you hang there just for a few moments. 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:30.019 And you know that it's about to thunder down the loops and go round and round. 00:04:30.019 --> 00:04:35.039 But just for a few seconds, you're hanging there at the top of the roller coaster. 00:04:35.779 --> 00:04:38.699 Click, click, click, click, stop. 00:04:40.240 --> 00:04:44.019 What are you thinking to yourself in that moment as you're at the top of the roller coaster? 00:04:44.579 --> 00:04:46.819 Right at the top, you know it's about to hurtle down the tracks. 00:04:46.919 --> 00:04:48.339 What are you checking? 00:04:49.599 --> 00:04:54.620 Well, I think if you're anything like me, you're going to be just giving it a little push on that safety bar, aren't you? 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:56.980 Is that properly engaged? 00:04:57.600 --> 00:04:59.019 Is that actually going to hold me? 00:04:59.800 --> 00:05:05.180 You'll probably glance across to the five-year-old who's sat next to you perfectly calmly and thinking, 00:05:05.420 --> 00:05:06.540 I'll pull yourself together, Steve. 00:05:07.259 --> 00:05:09.399 If they think they're going to be all right, you're going to be all right. 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:12.639 But it's that last minute thought, isn't it? 00:05:12.939 --> 00:05:15.939 Am I going to be safe? 00:05:16.600 --> 00:05:18.120 Is this going to be okay? 00:05:18.259 --> 00:05:19.379 Let me check. 00:05:19.379 --> 00:05:26.060 Now, in a way, 2 Samuel chapter 10 is that kind of pause at the top of a roller coaster. 00:05:27.199 --> 00:05:31.800 We've climbed the heights, if you've been with us, we've climbed the heights of David's success. 00:05:32.439 --> 00:05:35.219 We have seen him being anointed as king. 00:05:35.360 --> 00:05:36.980 We've seen him uniting the kingdom. 00:05:37.519 --> 00:05:42.319 We've seen him getting everybody together underneath his rule in Jerusalem. 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:46.240 And we are about to descend into the chaos of the rest of his life. 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:51.680 And if you know anything about the story of David, you know that there are some twists and turns to come. 00:05:51.840 --> 00:05:53.280 It's going to be a terrifying run. 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:56.759 And here in chapter 10, you've got this pause. 00:05:57.500 --> 00:05:58.980 You're hanging at the top. 00:05:59.120 --> 00:05:59.980 It's about to fall. 00:06:00.460 --> 00:06:04.540 And there is, in chapter 10, a safety check for us. 00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:09.879 Right at the heart of the passage, the safety bar for the roller coaster of life, if you want to put it that way. 00:06:10.220 --> 00:06:11.819 And it's what we looked at with the children. 00:06:11.819 --> 00:06:16.099 And so I want us to come and spend most of our time thinking about that and how that works. 00:06:16.180 --> 00:06:20.620 But before we do that, let me just run through the story so that we know what's going on here. 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:26.139 The story starts, doesn't it, with David showing kindness again. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:30.319 We saw last week him showing kindness to a guy called Mephibosheth. 00:06:30.659 --> 00:06:36.560 But this time he is showing kindness to a guy called Hanan, who is the new king of the Ammonites. 00:06:36.560 --> 00:06:44.220 We haven't got time for all of that background, but Hanan's father, Nahash, appears previously in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 11, 00:06:44.480 --> 00:06:52.680 when he threatens the residents of a place called Jabesh Gilead, telling them that he's coming and he's going to gouge out their right eyes. 00:06:52.920 --> 00:06:57.699 Anyway, Saul, who's the king of Israel, comes to rescue them and defeats the Ammonite army. 00:06:57.840 --> 00:07:00.100 And ever since then, he's put Nahash in his place. 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:06.060 But now Nahash is dead in 2 Samuel, chapter 10, and his son, Hanan, is king in his place. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:14.920 And David thinks, OK, so what I'm going to do, I defeated his father, or my predecessors all defeated his father, and we had a treaty with him. 00:07:15.019 --> 00:07:22.259 Let me now show kindness to his son so that we might carry on in this relationship with one another. 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:27.879 The word kindness there is the Hebrew word hesed that we saw last week. 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:34.399 It's this sense of a promised kindness, a covenant, that there's been this sort of arrangement between David and the Ammonites 00:07:34.399 --> 00:07:36.919 that we will be kind to you. 00:07:38.719 --> 00:07:40.679 But Hanan has other ideas, doesn't he? 00:07:41.060 --> 00:07:45.819 On the advice of his young princes, he's persuaded that David had bad motives in sending servants to his land. 00:07:45.879 --> 00:07:47.560 So what do they do? Well, they humiliate them. 00:07:48.579 --> 00:07:53.379 They shave off half of their beards, and they cut their clothes off at the waist. 00:07:53.719 --> 00:07:55.919 Now, as insults go, that's pretty bad, isn't it? 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:59.780 Cutting off half their beards would have been seen as an insult to their manliness. 00:08:00.939 --> 00:08:05.340 And chopping off their clothes at the hips meant that they had to walk home with their buns exposed, 00:08:06.020 --> 00:08:07.800 which would have been embarrassing. 00:08:08.460 --> 00:08:10.360 But it's not a kind of practical joke, is it? 00:08:10.840 --> 00:08:12.560 Actually, they know, don't they? 00:08:12.660 --> 00:08:13.379 Hanan knows. 00:08:13.520 --> 00:08:14.240 David understands. 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:21.780 This is effectively the weirdest, but most successful, the weirdest declaration of war you've ever heard in your life. 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:24.439 How can I declare war against David? 00:08:24.540 --> 00:08:26.259 Well, I tell you what, he'll send envoys to me. 00:08:26.360 --> 00:08:30.280 I'll shave off half their beards and cut off their clothes so they walk home semi-naked. 00:08:30.639 --> 00:08:32.759 He will know I'm in business. 00:08:34.440 --> 00:08:35.299 And so that's what happens. 00:08:35.500 --> 00:08:36.740 The Ammonites get themselves ready. 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:40.299 Now, without getting too technical or boring you with the details here, 00:08:40.299 --> 00:08:46.259 the way the rest of the story is broken up is with a series of five they saw or they heard statements 00:08:46.259 --> 00:08:47.759 which come at the beginning of each scene. 00:08:48.179 --> 00:08:52.799 That there's one in verse 6, one in verse 7, one in verse 9, one in verse 15, and one in verse 19. 00:08:53.839 --> 00:08:57.079 Starting off in verse 6, the NLV translates it, 00:08:57.139 --> 00:08:58.159 they realized. 00:08:58.799 --> 00:09:01.659 Literally, the Ammonites see war coming. 00:09:02.719 --> 00:09:05.099 They have hired a load of help then from the Syrians. 00:09:05.100 --> 00:09:11.800 And then David, when he hears that in verse 7, sends out Joab with the mighty men to sort it out. 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:15.740 It seems from the context, and we'll see this in weeks to come, 00:09:15.800 --> 00:09:17.840 that most of this happens in the city of Rabba. 00:09:18.399 --> 00:09:23.800 And the situation is perilous for Joab because the Ammonites come and meet him outside the city 00:09:23.800 --> 00:09:26.920 while the hired Syrians come behind him, 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:30.080 trapping the soldiers in between two armies, 00:09:30.240 --> 00:09:33.500 one just outside the city and one coming up from behind him. 00:09:33.500 --> 00:09:38.399 In response, Joab sets his brother up to fight the Ammonites in front of the city 00:09:38.399 --> 00:09:44.039 while he takes the best of the men to fight the professional soldiers who've come from Syria, 00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:48.059 telling his brother Abishai that they will fight for one another, 00:09:48.179 --> 00:09:50.419 helping each other out if it all gets a bit much. 00:09:51.480 --> 00:09:54.039 What's amazing and should stun you as you read the passage 00:09:54.039 --> 00:09:56.120 is that both Joab and Abishai win, 00:09:56.500 --> 00:09:59.059 and the Assyrians flee back into their city of Rabba, 00:09:59.360 --> 00:10:01.659 and the Assyrians run back and regroup. 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:06.919 Now the follow-up battle with the Assyrians at Rabba will happen in chapters 11 and 12, 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:11.199 and you might know a guy called Uriah the Hittite who dies close to the wall, 00:10:11.259 --> 00:10:13.559 and we'll find out more about that story in weeks to come. 00:10:14.379 --> 00:10:17.919 So chapter 10 kind of works as this link passage, if you like. 00:10:18.339 --> 00:10:23.559 It links back with David's hesed kindness in chapter 9, 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:26.679 and it links forward with this battle for a place called Rabba, 00:10:26.879 --> 00:10:28.319 which we'll find in weeks to come. 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:32.760 But before that, the Syrians have regrouped and they're ready for a second try. 00:10:33.280 --> 00:10:36.300 Hadadezer, their king, has gathered more of his military power, 00:10:36.760 --> 00:10:40.280 but still he is defeated by David and the Israelites, 00:10:40.540 --> 00:10:45.680 killing 40,000 of their horsemen and 700 of their chariot riders, 00:10:45.879 --> 00:10:47.320 including their army captain. 00:10:48.280 --> 00:10:50.360 Now, if all that seems familiar to you, 00:10:50.420 --> 00:10:53.140 it's because this victory was also mentioned in chapter 8, 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:54.519 which we saw previously. 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:58.620 It's a famous victory as David wins peace with the surrounding nations, 00:10:58.939 --> 00:11:01.460 and they all think twice now about threatening David. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:03.379 Now, that's the story. 00:11:04.379 --> 00:11:07.120 I grant you that the killing of 40,000 soldiers 00:11:07.120 --> 00:11:09.299 doesn't exactly sound like calm before a storm, 00:11:09.399 --> 00:11:11.000 but believe me, if you know the rest of this story, 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:13.120 this is the calm before the storm. 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.500 This is the very top of the roller coaster. 00:11:15.779 --> 00:11:18.679 Click, click, click, and we're here. 00:11:19.579 --> 00:11:20.819 It's all downhill from here. 00:11:21.699 --> 00:11:25.879 And then look at the safety check right in the middle here. 00:11:26.319 --> 00:11:28.739 This is the final test of the bar of the roller coaster. 00:11:28.819 --> 00:11:29.779 Look at verse 12. 00:11:30.099 --> 00:11:31.199 Let me read it to you again. 00:11:31.719 --> 00:11:32.519 Be strong. 00:11:33.219 --> 00:11:36.339 Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. 00:11:36.719 --> 00:11:39.779 The Lord will do what is good in his sight. 00:11:41.099 --> 00:11:43.639 Now, it's worth noting that this is Joab, 00:11:44.120 --> 00:11:47.559 the crazy commander of David's army, who's saying this. 00:11:48.199 --> 00:11:50.500 Joab, who to this point, and really from this point, 00:11:50.599 --> 00:11:52.419 shows himself essentially to be a thug, 00:11:52.799 --> 00:11:54.579 who's capable of killing lots of different people. 00:11:54.659 --> 00:11:58.479 But here the writer puts these amazing words in his mouth, 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:02.299 which are meant to help us navigate the rest of the book of 2 Samuel. 00:12:03.379 --> 00:12:05.439 So let's just consider those words together 00:12:05.439 --> 00:12:07.419 and work backwards through them with me. 00:12:08.119 --> 00:12:09.559 Notice the statement at the end. 00:12:10.019 --> 00:12:13.799 Notice that he says that the Lord will do what is good in his sight. 00:12:14.979 --> 00:12:17.039 That might sound to you just relatively straightforward. 00:12:17.039 --> 00:12:18.759 Of course, God will do what is good in his sight. 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:19.699 That's kind of obvious, isn't it? 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:22.179 Every religion, everybody who believes in God says, 00:12:22.279 --> 00:12:23.719 oh yeah, God does what's good to him. 00:12:23.819 --> 00:12:25.139 God does what's good in his sight. 00:12:25.839 --> 00:12:27.139 But there's more to it than that, 00:12:27.159 --> 00:12:29.779 because it's interesting that while Joab is confident 00:12:29.779 --> 00:12:31.779 that God will do what seems good to him, 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:35.159 he knows that there is no promise to him 00:12:35.159 --> 00:12:40.219 that he and his brother Abishai will survive the next few hours. 00:12:41.139 --> 00:12:43.419 He has no promise of victory for his army. 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:45.019 So look at the beginning of the sentence, 00:12:45.079 --> 00:12:46.860 as we read with the children from verse 11. 00:12:47.299 --> 00:12:49.719 He says, if the Arameans are too strong for me, 00:12:49.779 --> 00:12:50.959 then you are to come to my rescue. 00:12:51.059 --> 00:12:52.759 But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:54.240 then I will come to rescue you. 00:12:54.679 --> 00:12:56.240 Be strong and let us fight bravely. 00:12:56.779 --> 00:12:58.559 There's a lot of ifs there. 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:02.759 Joab is genuinely not sure what is going to happen next, 00:13:03.139 --> 00:13:06.319 even while he is sure that God will do what is good in his eyes. 00:13:07.140 --> 00:13:09.640 He's pinned by the Ammonites and the Syrians. 00:13:10.260 --> 00:13:11.379 And his confidence is not, 00:13:11.900 --> 00:13:13.780 God is going to give me a famous victory here. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:14.760 It's not that, is it? 00:13:15.120 --> 00:13:17.320 It's God will do what seems good to him. 00:13:18.420 --> 00:13:20.480 Now, that's not because Joab doesn't have faith. 00:13:20.879 --> 00:13:23.120 This isn't being written as a sign of Joab's weakness. 00:13:23.280 --> 00:13:25.540 Well, the point is that Joab knows enough 00:13:25.540 --> 00:13:28.879 to know that God will do what seems good to him, 00:13:29.320 --> 00:13:32.880 but that doesn't carry a particular specific promise 00:13:32.880 --> 00:13:35.000 that this situation that's in front of him. 00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:37.279 To put it really bluntly, 00:13:37.779 --> 00:13:41.059 Joab knows that it could seem good to God 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:44.159 for him to be defeated. 00:13:45.700 --> 00:13:47.320 Think about it like this. 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:51.659 Joab is essentially articulating two truths for us. 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:55.139 On the one hand, he knows that there is a God 00:13:55.139 --> 00:13:56.379 who rules and reigns, 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:59.419 who has plans that can never be thwarted. 00:14:00.059 --> 00:14:03.120 God knows who he is and knows what he's doing 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:06.120 and will do what he plans to do. 00:14:07.179 --> 00:14:09.960 He knows that David can defeat Goliath. 00:14:10.039 --> 00:14:11.940 He knows that trumpets and shouting 00:14:11.940 --> 00:14:13.240 can bring down city walls. 00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.179 He knows that striking rods against rocks 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:18.279 can produce water when God wants it to, 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.139 that rivers can stand still 00:14:20.139 --> 00:14:21.379 and people can wear a cross. 00:14:22.179 --> 00:14:23.060 None of that is in doubt. 00:14:23.159 --> 00:14:24.740 He knows who God is 00:14:24.740 --> 00:14:27.340 and knows that God does what God says. 00:14:27.340 --> 00:14:28.980 Yet on the other hand, 00:14:29.060 --> 00:14:31.360 he knows that there's a whole host of things 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.300 in his life and in his world 00:14:33.300 --> 00:14:36.680 that he has absolutely no certainty for. 00:14:37.639 --> 00:14:39.920 There are things that God only knows, 00:14:40.019 --> 00:14:42.340 information which he has withheld from his people. 00:14:42.840 --> 00:14:45.780 So Joab knows that he has not been promised victory 00:14:45.780 --> 00:14:46.899 in that moment, 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:47.840 in that battle. 00:14:47.840 --> 00:14:50.620 You can imagine, can't you, 00:14:50.680 --> 00:14:52.560 that Joab, at this point in his life, 00:14:52.780 --> 00:14:56.240 one of his brothers has died in tragic circumstances, 00:14:56.360 --> 00:14:57.660 even though they were winning a battle. 00:14:58.019 --> 00:14:59.100 He knows, doesn't he, 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:02.040 that God is capable of fulfilling his plans 00:15:02.040 --> 00:15:04.500 whilst also humbling him. 00:15:05.500 --> 00:15:07.440 I might die, says Joab. 00:15:08.680 --> 00:15:10.440 Now keep working backwards in verse 12 00:15:10.440 --> 00:15:12.040 with those two sets of information, 00:15:12.220 --> 00:15:15.000 God's solid plans and my uncertain future. 00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:17.899 What does Joab do 00:15:17.899 --> 00:15:19.539 with those two sets of information? 00:15:19.639 --> 00:15:21.200 What does he say to Abishai, his brother? 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:23.240 You know, okay, God has his good plans. 00:15:23.399 --> 00:15:24.700 We're not sure what's going to happen to us. 00:15:25.080 --> 00:15:25.799 Run in fear. 00:15:26.480 --> 00:15:27.480 No, he doesn't say that, does he? 00:15:28.259 --> 00:15:29.259 What does he say? 00:15:29.500 --> 00:15:32.720 Verse 12, he says, 00:15:32.840 --> 00:15:37.299 be strong, fight bravely for God's people 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:38.600 and for the cities of God, 00:15:39.179 --> 00:15:40.899 fighting boldly for what they understand 00:15:40.899 --> 00:15:41.720 to be God's purposes, 00:15:41.960 --> 00:15:44.139 trusting that whatever the outcome for them personally, 00:15:44.139 --> 00:15:46.639 this is the best way to live our lives, 00:15:47.059 --> 00:15:49.480 trusting God, even though we're uncertain. 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:51.740 It's fascinating, isn't it? 00:15:51.779 --> 00:15:55.360 The safety bar at the top of this roller coaster 00:15:55.360 --> 00:15:57.319 in Joab's life and the life of Israel 00:15:57.319 --> 00:16:01.439 is not a promise that God will not bring hard things 00:16:01.439 --> 00:16:02.360 into their lives. 00:16:02.679 --> 00:16:03.279 Notice that. 00:16:04.039 --> 00:16:06.080 The safety bar is not a promise 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:07.419 that he will win every battle. 00:16:07.419 --> 00:16:12.319 It's a promise that God doing what is good in his sight 00:16:12.319 --> 00:16:18.139 is enough for him to live courageously, bravely, 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:19.939 whatever the future holds. 00:16:20.779 --> 00:16:22.620 Think about this for ourselves for a moment. 00:16:23.620 --> 00:16:24.799 Perhaps it is this morning 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:27.059 that you are facing uncertain times. 00:16:28.019 --> 00:16:29.240 Maybe your job is a bit rocky. 00:16:29.439 --> 00:16:31.279 Maybe your family relationships are a bit difficult. 00:16:31.779 --> 00:16:33.839 Maybe your housing situation needs resolving. 00:16:33.840 --> 00:16:35.940 Perhaps you need to get a good set of results 00:16:35.940 --> 00:16:37.180 in your next exams. 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:39.700 But listen, if you're a Christian this morning, 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:40.860 what you need to understand 00:16:40.860 --> 00:16:43.259 is that those things are in this hand, 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:44.280 not this one. 00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:47.080 There is no guarantee 00:16:47.080 --> 00:16:48.600 that you'll get the grades that you want 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:50.200 or the university place that you want 00:16:50.200 --> 00:16:51.180 or the job that you want 00:16:51.180 --> 00:16:52.399 or that the family relationships 00:16:52.399 --> 00:16:53.560 will work out as you want. 00:16:53.840 --> 00:16:56.160 There is nothing like that promised to you. 00:16:56.860 --> 00:16:57.759 And being a Christian 00:16:57.759 --> 00:16:59.759 doesn't guarantee those things for you. 00:17:00.080 --> 00:17:02.139 Listen, if you find a preacher who says to you, 00:17:02.139 --> 00:17:05.400 listen, come to God and all of your plans will work out. 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:07.839 If someone says that to you, 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:09.779 don't listen to them. 00:17:09.859 --> 00:17:10.579 They're a liar. 00:17:13.019 --> 00:17:15.440 God does what seems good to him, 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:17.440 what is good in his sight. 00:17:20.539 --> 00:17:21.779 The God of the universe, 00:17:21.920 --> 00:17:23.240 the one who rules and reigns, 00:17:23.299 --> 00:17:25.180 who knows all things and governs all things, 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:26.299 who never makes mistakes 00:17:26.299 --> 00:17:28.099 and never thwarted by circumstances, 00:17:28.099 --> 00:17:30.439 he will do what he knows is good, 00:17:31.139 --> 00:17:33.139 what is best in the fullest sense of the world. 00:17:33.219 --> 00:17:33.980 He will do that. 00:17:34.139 --> 00:17:35.059 And that promise, 00:17:35.159 --> 00:17:37.339 the promise for God to do what is good in his sight 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:39.179 is better for you 00:17:39.179 --> 00:17:40.359 than the promise for him 00:17:40.359 --> 00:17:42.139 to do whatever it is that you want him to do. 00:17:43.579 --> 00:17:45.879 And that means that you can live bravely for God, 00:17:45.959 --> 00:17:47.079 living not for yourself, 00:17:47.779 --> 00:17:48.939 but for God and his people 00:17:48.939 --> 00:17:49.959 and trusting his purposes. 00:17:51.319 --> 00:17:52.959 Think about another example with me for a moment. 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:53.879 Maybe you're a parent. 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:56.840 Let me tell you that there is no promise. 00:17:57.040 --> 00:17:57.780 This is in this hand. 00:17:57.840 --> 00:17:58.820 There is no promise 00:17:58.820 --> 00:18:00.740 that your children's lives will work out 00:18:00.740 --> 00:18:01.740 in the way that you want them to. 00:18:02.520 --> 00:18:04.160 Some of you know that, don't you, painfully. 00:18:05.120 --> 00:18:06.000 There is no promise 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:07.220 that they will trust in the Lord. 00:18:07.620 --> 00:18:08.220 There's no promise 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:09.480 that they will live their lives for him, 00:18:09.520 --> 00:18:11.100 even though that's what we desperately long for. 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:12.740 There is no promise from God 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:14.760 that if you do A, B, C, D, 00:18:14.840 --> 00:18:16.580 it will all work out well for your children. 00:18:16.920 --> 00:18:18.460 There is no promise like that. 00:18:19.580 --> 00:18:20.160 John Calvin, 00:18:20.280 --> 00:18:22.820 who's the great reformer of the 16th century, 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:24.639 wrote in his sermon on this passage, 00:18:25.059 --> 00:18:25.579 he says this, 00:18:25.899 --> 00:18:29.379 we remain in suspense about much of our lives. 00:18:29.759 --> 00:18:30.859 We remain in suspense. 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:32.299 We just don't know. 00:18:32.659 --> 00:18:33.299 We don't know. 00:18:34.379 --> 00:18:35.419 Just like Joab, 00:18:35.460 --> 00:18:36.559 I think we would love a promise, 00:18:36.639 --> 00:18:36.879 wouldn't we, 00:18:36.899 --> 00:18:38.319 that we wouldn't lose our own lives. 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:40.000 But don't forget 00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:41.779 that this suspense that we live in 00:18:41.779 --> 00:18:44.259 is intended to drive us to the Lord 00:18:44.259 --> 00:18:46.019 who does what is good in his sight. 00:18:46.679 --> 00:18:48.059 Not away from him in despair, 00:18:48.179 --> 00:18:49.480 but towards him in dependence. 00:18:49.480 --> 00:18:50.819 It's a good thing 00:18:50.819 --> 00:18:53.400 that the God of infinite goodness and wisdom 00:18:53.400 --> 00:18:55.099 does what he thinks is best, 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:57.420 not what I would like him to do necessarily. 00:18:58.299 --> 00:19:01.460 God's freedom to accomplish his plans 00:19:01.460 --> 00:19:04.160 rather than his bondage to do your plans 00:19:04.160 --> 00:19:06.720 is a good thing for all of us. 00:19:07.640 --> 00:19:09.299 So we should courageously live for him, 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:11.279 commanding the gospel at every turn, 00:19:11.360 --> 00:19:13.599 making use of the things that he's given us 00:19:13.599 --> 00:19:14.660 in the life of the church 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:16.819 to live patiently waiting 00:19:16.819 --> 00:19:18.759 for God to do what pleases him. 00:19:19.679 --> 00:19:20.720 You can think about it too, can't you, 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:21.399 with other examples. 00:19:21.819 --> 00:19:23.960 You can think about it with your health 00:19:23.960 --> 00:19:24.879 or with your job 00:19:24.879 --> 00:19:25.599 or with your marriage, 00:19:25.700 --> 00:19:26.539 that there's no promise 00:19:26.539 --> 00:19:27.939 that you will live as long as you want to. 00:19:28.019 --> 00:19:28.579 There's no promise 00:19:28.579 --> 00:19:29.919 that you'll have the job of your dreams. 00:19:30.339 --> 00:19:30.980 There's no promise 00:19:30.980 --> 00:19:32.859 that your marriage will be easy and blissful. 00:19:33.279 --> 00:19:37.720 It might be that God has set for you 00:19:37.720 --> 00:19:39.259 suffering and difficulty 00:19:39.259 --> 00:19:40.480 in all of those areas, 00:19:40.619 --> 00:19:41.819 but that doesn't mean 00:19:41.819 --> 00:19:43.220 that God has forgotten you 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:45.439 or in any sense that he's lost control 00:19:45.440 --> 00:19:47.680 or in any sense that you can't have confidence 00:19:47.680 --> 00:19:48.759 in him at all 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:51.480 because God is doing what seems good to him 00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:54.420 so that you can live courageously for the Lord 00:19:54.420 --> 00:19:55.519 in the place that he's put you in, 00:19:55.580 --> 00:19:57.380 knowing that in all those uncertainties, 00:19:57.779 --> 00:19:59.759 they are still in God's good hands. 00:20:00.420 --> 00:20:02.620 And he has more power than you 00:20:02.620 --> 00:20:04.740 and is achieving something more beautiful 00:20:04.740 --> 00:20:06.059 and glorious than our health 00:20:06.059 --> 00:20:07.500 or our wealth or our prosperity. 00:20:09.340 --> 00:20:10.880 Now that's the simple truth 00:20:10.880 --> 00:20:12.640 in 2 Samuel chapter 10. 00:20:12.640 --> 00:20:14.120 But let me tell you, 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:16.259 it's even more brilliant than that. 00:20:16.780 --> 00:20:16.960 Okay? 00:20:17.220 --> 00:20:19.880 There is something else going on in these verses 00:20:19.880 --> 00:20:21.759 which is so incredible 00:20:21.759 --> 00:20:23.480 it's going to blow our minds this morning 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:24.300 when we see it. 00:20:24.860 --> 00:20:26.460 What's fascinating here 00:20:26.460 --> 00:20:29.420 is when Joab says this, okay? 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:32.920 What is it that Joab has seen 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:34.040 that makes him say, 00:20:34.280 --> 00:20:36.000 God will do what seems good to him 00:20:36.000 --> 00:20:37.540 even though I'm not sure 00:20:37.540 --> 00:20:38.460 what's going to happen to me? 00:20:38.680 --> 00:20:40.660 What is it that Joab has seen 00:20:40.660 --> 00:20:42.200 that makes him say that? 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:43.060 Do you know? 00:20:43.640 --> 00:20:46.840 Well, he has seen the kindness of King David 00:20:46.840 --> 00:20:48.279 be rejected, hasn't he? 00:20:49.160 --> 00:20:51.040 David, in covenant kindness, 00:20:51.160 --> 00:20:53.160 has moved towards these Ammonites 00:20:53.160 --> 00:20:55.080 and tried to show them 00:20:55.080 --> 00:20:57.400 this kind of promise-keeping love and care 00:20:57.400 --> 00:20:58.660 and it's been rejected. 00:20:58.660 --> 00:21:01.420 And yet, still, 00:21:02.320 --> 00:21:04.040 he says, 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:06.180 God will do what's good in his sight 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:08.140 even though I don't know 00:21:08.140 --> 00:21:09.100 what's going to happen to me. 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:10.519 You know, he knows, doesn't he? 00:21:10.540 --> 00:21:12.680 If the kindness of the king 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:13.620 can be rejected, 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:15.019 there's no guarantee 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:16.220 that me, a brutal warrior, 00:21:16.300 --> 00:21:17.400 is going to win this battle. 00:21:17.960 --> 00:21:19.080 David was kind 00:21:19.080 --> 00:21:20.360 and that was overturned. 00:21:20.540 --> 00:21:21.140 How do I know 00:21:21.140 --> 00:21:22.200 what's going to happen to me? 00:21:23.080 --> 00:21:24.880 Now, if you zoom forward 00:21:24.880 --> 00:21:26.800 at one and a half thousand years 00:21:26.800 --> 00:21:27.540 from King David, 00:21:28.260 --> 00:21:30.480 you meet the real king, 00:21:30.600 --> 00:21:30.920 don't you? 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:32.540 King Jesus, 00:21:33.800 --> 00:21:36.060 God the Son in human flesh. 00:21:36.860 --> 00:21:37.700 And what does he do? 00:21:37.780 --> 00:21:39.280 He doesn't send envoys 00:21:39.280 --> 00:21:40.340 to the Ammonites 00:21:40.340 --> 00:21:42.340 in covenant kindness, does he? 00:21:42.860 --> 00:21:44.720 No, he comes to us 00:21:44.720 --> 00:21:46.460 in covenant kindness. 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:47.580 He says, 00:21:47.700 --> 00:21:49.600 I have come not to be served, 00:21:50.060 --> 00:21:51.060 but to serve 00:21:51.059 --> 00:21:51.779 and give my life 00:21:51.779 --> 00:21:52.700 as a ransom for many. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:53.599 I have come 00:21:53.599 --> 00:21:55.759 in covenant kindness 00:21:55.759 --> 00:21:57.059 to you 00:21:57.059 --> 00:21:58.519 to love you 00:21:58.519 --> 00:22:00.200 and give my life for you. 00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:01.659 And what happens 00:22:01.659 --> 00:22:02.579 to King Jesus 00:22:02.579 --> 00:22:04.659 in his hesed love? 00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:06.220 What happens? 00:22:06.859 --> 00:22:07.940 He's humiliated. 00:22:08.359 --> 00:22:10.259 Not by having his beard 00:22:10.259 --> 00:22:11.299 half shaved off, 00:22:11.639 --> 00:22:13.839 not by having his clothes 00:22:13.839 --> 00:22:14.839 cut down at the waist, 00:22:14.960 --> 00:22:17.379 but by being nailed to a cross 00:22:17.379 --> 00:22:20.440 in total nakedness. 00:22:21.059 --> 00:22:22.659 All of his clothes removed, 00:22:23.139 --> 00:22:24.440 hanging in shame 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:25.779 and guilt on the cross. 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:28.159 And rather like the Ammonites, 00:22:28.539 --> 00:22:29.579 we declare war, 00:22:29.679 --> 00:22:29.919 don't we, 00:22:29.940 --> 00:22:31.240 on the kindness of God's king. 00:22:31.579 --> 00:22:32.500 They declare war 00:22:32.500 --> 00:22:33.299 by doing that 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:34.419 to David's envoys. 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:36.059 We declare war 00:22:36.059 --> 00:22:37.079 on the God 00:22:37.079 --> 00:22:37.859 who made us 00:22:37.859 --> 00:22:39.220 by what we do to Jesus. 00:22:41.220 --> 00:22:42.139 And yet we find 00:22:42.139 --> 00:22:43.000 that even through 00:22:43.000 --> 00:22:43.740 the death 00:22:43.740 --> 00:22:44.899 of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:46.179 even because 00:22:46.179 --> 00:22:47.179 of the death 00:22:47.179 --> 00:22:48.259 of the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:22:48.679 --> 00:22:49.059 God rescues 00:22:49.059 --> 00:22:50.899 and saves people 00:22:50.899 --> 00:22:51.759 for himself, 00:22:52.220 --> 00:22:53.139 forgiving their sin, 00:22:53.599 --> 00:22:54.740 cancelling their moral debt, 00:22:54.899 --> 00:22:56.039 paying in his own blood 00:22:56.039 --> 00:22:57.019 what their sin deserves. 00:22:58.859 --> 00:23:00.299 Now, because that's true, 00:23:00.879 --> 00:23:02.159 because the rejection 00:23:02.159 --> 00:23:03.059 of the kindness 00:23:03.059 --> 00:23:03.919 of the king 00:23:03.919 --> 00:23:04.940 can lead 00:23:04.940 --> 00:23:06.099 to salvation 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:06.940 for me, 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:09.440 I have even more reason 00:23:09.440 --> 00:23:10.179 than Joab 00:23:10.179 --> 00:23:10.819 to say, 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:11.619 God, 00:23:11.740 --> 00:23:12.700 do what seems good 00:23:12.700 --> 00:23:13.240 to you, 00:23:13.339 --> 00:23:14.639 even if I don't know 00:23:14.640 --> 00:23:15.180 what will happen 00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:15.660 to me. 00:23:19.740 --> 00:23:20.600 God will do 00:23:20.600 --> 00:23:21.100 what is good 00:23:21.100 --> 00:23:21.660 in his sight 00:23:21.660 --> 00:23:22.560 and it will be good 00:23:22.560 --> 00:23:23.120 for me. 00:23:23.780 --> 00:23:25.580 That is the safety bar 00:23:25.580 --> 00:23:26.300 in my life, 00:23:26.440 --> 00:23:27.660 just like it's the safety bar 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:28.360 in Joab's life. 00:23:28.800 --> 00:23:30.080 And if you like, 00:23:30.240 --> 00:23:31.520 when Joab pushes it, 00:23:31.640 --> 00:23:33.040 there's a few bits 00:23:33.040 --> 00:23:33.380 of wobbles. 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:34.000 When we put it, 00:23:34.060 --> 00:23:34.920 there's no wobble 00:23:34.920 --> 00:23:35.460 at all 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:36.980 because we know 00:23:36.980 --> 00:23:37.759 that the kindness 00:23:37.759 --> 00:23:38.600 of King Jesus 00:23:38.600 --> 00:23:39.640 that was rejected 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:40.360 through his death 00:23:40.360 --> 00:23:40.820 on the cross 00:23:40.820 --> 00:23:41.600 has led 00:23:41.600 --> 00:23:42.440 to our salvation. 00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:43.880 Those were the good plans 00:23:43.880 --> 00:23:44.320 of God. 00:23:44.779 --> 00:23:46.559 So ifs don't matter 00:23:46.559 --> 00:23:47.980 because God will do 00:23:47.980 --> 00:23:48.960 what seems good to him 00:23:48.960 --> 00:23:50.620 and so I cling to him. 00:23:51.180 --> 00:23:52.480 I can be of good courage, 00:23:52.580 --> 00:23:53.460 I can be strong, 00:23:53.580 --> 00:23:54.640 I can fight bravely 00:23:54.640 --> 00:23:55.220 to live a life 00:23:55.220 --> 00:23:56.120 that pleases him 00:23:56.120 --> 00:23:57.240 courageously 00:23:57.240 --> 00:23:58.140 for the people of God 00:23:58.140 --> 00:23:58.759 and his purposes 00:23:58.759 --> 00:24:01.000 as he works all things out 00:24:01.000 --> 00:24:02.220 for the accomplishment 00:24:02.220 --> 00:24:02.980 of his plan. 00:24:04.240 --> 00:24:04.500 Listen, 00:24:04.580 --> 00:24:05.299 I started this morning 00:24:05.299 --> 00:24:06.240 and we're at the top 00:24:06.240 --> 00:24:07.120 of this roller coaster 00:24:07.120 --> 00:24:09.200 and the next five chapters 00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:09.860 of 2 Samuel 00:24:09.860 --> 00:24:10.720 are terrifying. 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:10.860 terrifying. 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:12.559 But let me say 00:24:12.559 --> 00:24:13.579 the next five chapters 00:24:13.579 --> 00:24:14.680 of your life 00:24:14.680 --> 00:24:16.140 might be terrifying. 00:24:16.860 --> 00:24:17.539 Who knows 00:24:17.539 --> 00:24:19.380 if we're even going to have 00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:20.319 another five chapters. 00:24:21.600 --> 00:24:22.480 Yet I know 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:23.059 that there are 00:24:23.059 --> 00:24:24.120 some of you this morning 00:24:24.120 --> 00:24:26.360 who are still imagining 00:24:26.360 --> 00:24:27.440 that you can ride 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:28.259 the roller coaster 00:24:28.259 --> 00:24:29.240 of whatever life 00:24:29.240 --> 00:24:30.339 is bringing next 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:32.339 without a safety bar 00:24:32.339 --> 00:24:32.819 at all, 00:24:33.460 --> 00:24:34.860 without any confidence 00:24:34.860 --> 00:24:36.240 in the Lord Jesus. 00:24:37.380 --> 00:24:37.720 You know, 00:24:37.759 --> 00:24:38.380 I don't know 00:24:38.380 --> 00:24:38.799 what it is 00:24:38.799 --> 00:24:39.339 that you're thinking 00:24:39.339 --> 00:24:40.299 as you stare down 00:24:40.299 --> 00:24:40.720 the track 00:24:40.720 --> 00:24:41.679 of the rest of your life 00:24:41.679 --> 00:24:42.099 not knowing 00:24:42.099 --> 00:24:42.679 where it's going 00:24:42.679 --> 00:24:43.480 or what's going to happen. 00:24:44.480 --> 00:24:44.980 I don't know 00:24:44.980 --> 00:24:45.720 what you're thinking 00:24:45.720 --> 00:24:46.679 that you assume 00:24:46.679 --> 00:24:48.059 that you do not need 00:24:48.059 --> 00:24:48.879 to know a God 00:24:48.879 --> 00:24:50.399 who has good plans 00:24:50.399 --> 00:24:52.279 even in the ifs 00:24:52.279 --> 00:24:53.220 of our own lives. 00:24:53.919 --> 00:24:54.759 How do you imagine 00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:55.359 that you can ride 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:55.939 that roller coaster 00:24:55.939 --> 00:24:56.579 without him? 00:24:57.579 --> 00:24:57.899 Listen, 00:24:58.099 --> 00:24:59.240 we're paused today 00:24:59.240 --> 00:24:59.879 at the top, 00:24:59.939 --> 00:25:00.119 aren't we? 00:25:00.179 --> 00:25:01.079 Click, click, click 00:25:01.079 --> 00:25:02.579 and we're waiting 00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:04.939 and today is the day 00:25:04.939 --> 00:25:06.960 to grab the safety bar 00:25:06.960 --> 00:25:07.759 and say, 00:25:07.879 --> 00:25:08.279 listen Lord, 00:25:08.379 --> 00:25:09.639 you have good plans. 00:25:10.279 --> 00:25:11.240 There are lots of ifs 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:11.799 in my life 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:13.019 but you have good plans 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:14.720 in the kindness 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:15.419 of the Son 00:25:15.419 --> 00:25:16.419 of the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:25:16.720 --> 00:25:17.819 I'm grabbing hold 00:25:17.819 --> 00:25:18.439 of those 00:25:18.439 --> 00:25:19.519 and trusting you 00:25:19.519 --> 00:25:20.039 for that 00:25:20.039 --> 00:25:21.579 even in the ifs 00:25:21.579 --> 00:25:22.579 of my own life. 00:25:23.179 --> 00:25:23.919 Saying to the Lord, 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:24.839 Lord, thank you 00:25:24.839 --> 00:25:26.480 for opening my eyes 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:27.299 to the terror 00:25:27.299 --> 00:25:28.519 that life is without you 00:25:28.519 --> 00:25:30.319 that I might trust in you. 00:25:30.859 --> 00:25:31.619 Now help me Lord 00:25:31.619 --> 00:25:32.899 to trust you, 00:25:32.980 --> 00:25:33.939 to live courageously 00:25:33.939 --> 00:25:34.279 for you, 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:35.200 knowing that 00:25:35.200 --> 00:25:36.299 if the kindness 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:37.119 of King Jesus 00:25:37.119 --> 00:25:38.460 can forgive my sin 00:25:38.460 --> 00:25:39.240 then there's no 00:25:39.240 --> 00:25:40.159 loop-de-loop 00:25:40.159 --> 00:25:41.079 in my life 00:25:41.079 --> 00:25:42.559 which can throw me off. 00:25:43.960 --> 00:25:45.379 There's no sudden drop 00:25:45.379 --> 00:25:46.200 or bank curve 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:48.159 that will come equal 00:25:48.159 --> 00:25:50.259 to your sovereign goodness. 00:25:51.899 --> 00:25:52.819 For others of you 00:25:52.819 --> 00:25:53.200 this morning, 00:25:53.299 --> 00:25:53.679 I know 00:25:53.679 --> 00:25:55.319 because I talk to you, 00:25:55.819 --> 00:25:56.399 I know that 00:25:56.399 --> 00:25:57.279 even as Christians 00:25:57.279 --> 00:25:57.960 there are twists 00:25:57.960 --> 00:25:58.619 and turns 00:25:58.619 --> 00:25:59.439 and loop-de-loops 00:25:59.439 --> 00:26:00.220 in your own life 00:26:00.220 --> 00:26:01.059 which are scary 00:26:01.059 --> 00:26:01.880 and terrifying. 00:26:02.779 --> 00:26:03.539 But we are paused 00:26:03.539 --> 00:26:03.839 together, 00:26:03.960 --> 00:26:04.180 aren't we, 00:26:04.200 --> 00:26:04.660 this morning 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:05.860 to remind ourselves 00:26:05.860 --> 00:26:07.759 I belong to the Lord 00:26:07.759 --> 00:26:10.100 of closed-hand good plans 00:26:10.100 --> 00:26:11.400 even in the ifs 00:26:11.400 --> 00:26:12.880 of my own life. 00:26:13.339 --> 00:26:14.120 And that means 00:26:14.120 --> 00:26:15.360 I can live bravely 00:26:15.360 --> 00:26:15.980 for the Lord. 00:26:16.279 --> 00:26:18.200 I can live courageously. 00:26:18.360 --> 00:26:20.180 Not trusting erroneous promises 00:26:20.180 --> 00:26:20.600 that say, 00:26:20.720 --> 00:26:21.319 hey, come to the Lord 00:26:21.319 --> 00:26:22.140 and everything will be alright. 00:26:23.059 --> 00:26:23.380 No. 00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:24.880 But trusting that God 00:26:24.880 --> 00:26:26.620 does what seems good to him. 00:26:26.619 --> 00:26:29.199 You know, 00:26:29.219 --> 00:26:29.899 we're not promised, 00:26:29.979 --> 00:26:30.179 are we? 00:26:30.179 --> 00:26:32.059 It's the kind of theology 00:26:32.059 --> 00:26:32.959 of the street 00:26:32.959 --> 00:26:33.500 if you like, 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:33.939 isn't it? 00:26:34.239 --> 00:26:34.439 You know, 00:26:34.459 --> 00:26:35.539 if you do good things 00:26:35.539 --> 00:26:36.199 God will give you 00:26:36.199 --> 00:26:37.039 what you want. 00:26:37.259 --> 00:26:37.379 Yeah, 00:26:37.419 --> 00:26:38.879 that's how we talk, 00:26:38.939 --> 00:26:39.279 isn't it? 00:26:39.719 --> 00:26:39.939 You know, 00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:41.199 if I go to church, 00:26:41.279 --> 00:26:42.459 if I say my prayers, 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:43.539 if I read my Bible, 00:26:43.899 --> 00:26:45.079 then God will give me 00:26:45.079 --> 00:26:46.079 the things that I want 00:26:46.079 --> 00:26:46.819 for my life. 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:47.899 That's what we say, 00:26:47.979 --> 00:26:48.339 isn't it? 00:26:48.799 --> 00:26:49.000 Listen, 00:26:49.079 --> 00:26:50.179 that theology of the bus 00:26:50.179 --> 00:26:51.059 is nonsense 00:26:51.059 --> 00:26:51.939 just like everything else 00:26:51.939 --> 00:26:52.579 you hear on the bus, 00:26:52.619 --> 00:26:52.779 right? 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:53.839 It's rubbish. 00:26:54.839 --> 00:26:55.779 What is true 00:26:55.779 --> 00:26:56.559 is that God 00:26:56.559 --> 00:26:57.819 has good plans 00:26:57.819 --> 00:26:59.859 in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:26:59.859 --> 00:27:01.379 centered on him, 00:27:01.920 --> 00:27:02.779 granted for us 00:27:02.779 --> 00:27:03.779 through no good thing 00:27:03.779 --> 00:27:04.359 that we have done, 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:05.859 only through his kindness 00:27:05.859 --> 00:27:06.399 to us 00:27:06.399 --> 00:27:07.859 and we can trust 00:27:07.859 --> 00:27:09.480 those plans 00:27:09.480 --> 00:27:10.920 even if 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:12.779 ours don't work out. 00:27:13.740 --> 00:27:14.839 So we say, 00:27:15.160 --> 00:27:15.599 don't we, 00:27:16.700 --> 00:27:17.420 God, 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:18.259 do what you want. 00:27:19.160 --> 00:27:20.599 I trust you 00:27:20.599 --> 00:27:21.619 that what seems good 00:27:21.619 --> 00:27:22.139 to you 00:27:22.140 --> 00:27:23.259 is what I want 00:27:23.259 --> 00:27:24.160 for my life. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:25.620 Trust in me, 00:27:25.680 --> 00:27:26.340 says the Lord Jesus, 00:27:26.860 --> 00:27:27.900 and I will do something 00:27:27.900 --> 00:27:29.060 that is even better 00:27:29.060 --> 00:27:30.680 than your own dreams. 00:27:30.940 --> 00:27:32.259 I will fulfill 00:27:32.259 --> 00:27:33.780 my plans 00:27:33.780 --> 00:27:34.520 and dreams, 00:27:34.640 --> 00:27:35.340 says the Lord. 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:36.720 Let me pray 00:27:36.720 --> 00:27:37.780 as we close. 00:27:46.420 --> 00:27:47.180 Heavenly Father, 00:27:47.280 --> 00:27:48.560 we come before you 00:27:48.560 --> 00:27:49.220 this morning 00:27:49.220 --> 00:27:50.060 and we say 00:27:50.060 --> 00:27:50.880 that we're sorry 00:27:50.880 --> 00:27:51.480 that we've had 00:27:51.480 --> 00:27:52.039 the arrogance 00:27:52.039 --> 00:27:53.339 even to suggest 00:27:53.339 --> 00:27:53.880 to you 00:27:53.880 --> 00:27:55.019 that you should 00:27:55.019 --> 00:27:56.140 accomplish our plans 00:27:56.140 --> 00:27:57.039 and not your own. 00:27:58.539 --> 00:27:58.960 And yet, 00:27:59.039 --> 00:27:59.160 Lord, 00:27:59.200 --> 00:27:59.940 we also come 00:27:59.940 --> 00:28:00.799 with the tears 00:28:00.799 --> 00:28:01.700 and pain 00:28:01.700 --> 00:28:03.339 of knowing loss 00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:04.380 and difficulty 00:28:04.380 --> 00:28:06.440 and challenge 00:28:06.440 --> 00:28:07.860 and pain. 00:28:09.240 --> 00:28:09.920 And yet, 00:28:09.980 --> 00:28:10.099 Lord, 00:28:10.099 --> 00:28:10.680 we want to, 00:28:10.779 --> 00:28:11.400 by faith, 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:11.819 say, 00:28:12.019 --> 00:28:12.180 Lord, 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:13.200 do what is good 00:28:13.200 --> 00:28:14.299 in your sight 00:28:14.299 --> 00:28:15.619 and the Lord's 00:28:15.619 --> 00:28:16.159 and the Lord's 00:28:16.159 --> 00:28:16.460 love. 00:28:16.460 --> 00:28:17.279 And I will 00:28:17.279 --> 00:28:21.960 say that we trust you 00:28:21.960 --> 00:28:22.460 first. 00:28:22.740 --> 00:28:23.599 We would rather live 00:28:23.599 --> 00:28:24.019 in a world 00:28:24.019 --> 00:28:25.139 where you're in charge 00:28:25.139 --> 00:28:26.099 than one where 00:28:26.099 --> 00:28:26.980 we're in charge 00:28:26.980 --> 00:28:28.240 because we know 00:28:28.240 --> 00:28:29.139 that if you're the God 00:28:29.139 --> 00:28:29.980 who can save 00:28:29.980 --> 00:28:30.619 through the death 00:28:30.619 --> 00:28:31.299 of your son, 00:28:31.779 --> 00:28:32.440 you are the God 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:33.220 who can bring us 00:28:33.220 --> 00:28:34.419 into your eternal kingdom 00:28:34.419 --> 00:28:35.240 even through 00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:36.879 a thousand pains 00:28:36.880 --> 00:28:37.740 and sufferings. 00:28:38.520 --> 00:28:39.040 So please, 00:28:39.140 --> 00:28:39.240 Lord, 00:28:39.300 --> 00:28:39.960 keep our eyes 00:28:39.960 --> 00:28:40.700 fixed on Jesus. 00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:42.100 Keep our hearts 00:28:42.100 --> 00:28:42.860 tender to him, 00:28:42.940 --> 00:28:43.340 we pray. 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:44.860 In Jesus' name. 00:28:45.480 --> 00:28:45.820 Amen. 00:28:46.500 --> 00:28:46.780 Amen.