WEBVTT 00:00:00.720 --> 00:00:04.759 So let's read God's word together, 2 Samuel chapter 8 on page 311. 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:10.560 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. 00:00:11.480 --> 00:00:14.800 And he took Methag Amah from the control of the Philistines. 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:17.000 David also defeated the Moabites. 00:00:17.120 --> 00:00:21.120 He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:25.320 Every two lengths of them were put to death and the third length was allowed to live. 00:00:25.879 --> 00:00:28.760 So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute. 00:00:28.760 --> 00:00:37.700 Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer, son of Rahob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at the river Euphrates. 00:00:38.660 --> 00:00:45.920 David captured a thousand of his chariots, 7,000 charioteers and 20,000 foot soldiers. 00:00:46.740 --> 00:00:49.700 He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses. 00:00:50.820 --> 00:00:58.439 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 of them. 00:00:58.759 --> 00:01:04.759 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. 00:01:05.500 --> 00:01:08.840 The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. 00:01:10.120 --> 00:01:14.759 David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:22.680 From Tiber and Berethi, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, king David took a great quantity of bronze. 00:01:23.719 --> 00:01:28.660 When Tau, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 00:01:28.780 --> 00:01:35.000 he sent his son Joram to king David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, 00:01:35.219 --> 00:01:36.840 who had been at war with Tau. 00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:41.460 Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze. 00:01:41.459 --> 00:01:48.479 King David dedicated these articles to the Lord as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued, 00:01:48.919 --> 00:01:52.479 Edom and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines and Amalek. 00:01:52.859 --> 00:01:57.479 He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer, son of Rahob, king of Zobah. 00:01:58.339 --> 00:02:05.339 And David became famous after he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 00:02:05.340 --> 00:02:11.400 He put garrisons throughout Edom and all the Edomites became subject to David. 00:02:11.960 --> 00:02:15.800 The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:21.420 David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. 00:02:22.300 --> 00:02:24.280 Joab, son of Zariah, was over the army. 00:02:24.480 --> 00:02:27.480 Jehoshaphat, the son of Haliad, was recorder. 00:02:28.060 --> 00:02:32.699 Zadok, son of Hittub and Ahimelech, son of Abathah, were priests. 00:02:33.479 --> 00:02:34.739 Zariah was secretary. 00:02:35.060 --> 00:02:38.719 Benaiah, son of Jehoshaphat, was over the Kerathites and the Pelathites. 00:02:39.159 --> 00:02:41.659 And David's sons were priests. 00:02:43.359 --> 00:02:48.000 Well, keep that passage open in front of you and we're going to try and work our way through it together. 00:02:48.060 --> 00:02:55.120 But if I can, before we look at it in detail, I want to try and persuade you from 2 Samuel chapter 8 this morning, 00:02:55.120 --> 00:03:04.300 that even if you had everything that you wanted in life, even if everything had worked out for you just as you wanted it to, 00:03:04.580 --> 00:03:11.379 I want to try and persuade you this morning from 2 Samuel chapter 8 that that would still not be enough. 00:03:11.860 --> 00:03:12.879 Not be enough for you. 00:03:12.879 --> 00:03:17.400 Not because I'm suggesting that you're greedy or not easily self-satisfied. 00:03:17.719 --> 00:03:19.359 That might be true, but that's not my point. 00:03:19.500 --> 00:03:24.079 My point is that there is a destructive force inside each of us, 00:03:24.439 --> 00:03:28.680 which without resolution will ruin whatever success we have. 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:34.300 Now, as ever, the Bible's conviction, God's conviction, is the best way for you to learn that truth, 00:03:34.400 --> 00:03:37.599 this truth that even if we had whatever it was that we wanted, 00:03:38.040 --> 00:03:42.580 it would not be enough for us because there's a destructive force inside of us which will destroy it. 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:49.700 The Bible's conviction is the best way to teach you that lesson is not just by a propositional statement. 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:53.700 Now, you open the Bible and it doesn't say, you know, you read it and it goes, 00:03:53.699 --> 00:03:58.219 you will destroy yourself if you have everything that you want and you don't resolve this problem. 00:03:58.539 --> 00:03:59.379 It doesn't say that, does it? 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:06.439 The Bible's way of teaching us these things is by telling us stories, true stories, to persuade us of these truths. 00:04:06.560 --> 00:04:12.639 It wants us to see this in reality and thinks that's the best way for us to learn it. 00:04:13.399 --> 00:04:16.379 It's to witness it in the story of someone else's life. 00:04:16.439 --> 00:04:18.439 And that's what's going on here in 2 Samuel chapter 8. 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:23.459 So 2 Samuel 8, to come to it now, we get an overview of the early years of David's reign. 00:04:23.699 --> 00:04:29.199 If you remember in previous chapters, Saul has been killed, David has been made king, he's moved to Jerusalem, 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:36.399 he has united the kingdom and he is ruling over it under these astonishing promises of God, which we got in chapter 7. 00:04:37.000 --> 00:04:42.779 And then comes chapter 8, really in a sense as a summary of all the early years of King David. 00:04:43.439 --> 00:04:45.779 It starts with the words, in the course of time. 00:04:46.300 --> 00:04:48.839 And actually the chapter itself covers a number of years. 00:04:48.939 --> 00:04:51.279 It's an overview of what follows. 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:55.579 It took years and years to unfold, especially given some of the distances involved. 00:04:56.439 --> 00:04:58.839 Now amongst all the difficult names and places in the reading, 00:04:59.119 --> 00:05:02.500 what you might have spotted was that the writer's favourite word here is defeated. 00:05:03.259 --> 00:05:09.639 David defeated the Philistines, he defeated Moab, he defeated Hadadezer, whose name comes several times. 00:05:10.159 --> 00:05:13.679 It's such a big deal in fact that he gets mentioned by someone else as well. 00:05:13.799 --> 00:05:17.939 Someone else comes to David because he's so excited that Hadadezer has been defeated. 00:05:17.939 --> 00:05:23.000 The other favourite word is subdued. David subdued the nations around him. 00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:26.600 The Lord gave him victory wherever he went and he defeated them. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:30.100 So let me just show you these three big things from the story. 00:05:30.439 --> 00:05:33.720 Notice that everywhere is conquered. Everywhere is conquered. 00:05:33.939 --> 00:05:39.540 If you plot the places that David calls out on a map, you notice that he wins on every point of the compass. 00:05:39.540 --> 00:05:44.020 The Philistines in the east, Moab in the west, Zobor in the north, Edom in the south. 00:05:44.500 --> 00:05:48.080 Literally, the idea is that David is winning on every front. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:50.319 Every border is secured. 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:53.720 David is making the place secure. 00:05:54.680 --> 00:05:57.020 The next theme is that everyone is conquered. 00:05:57.960 --> 00:06:03.120 The Philistines in verse 1 have been the famous enemy of God's people up until this point. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.379 And after this, they don't really feature that much. 00:06:05.600 --> 00:06:09.939 Instead, in verse 18, we find the Philistines called the Kerethites and the Pelethites, 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:13.340 who are now employed as mercenaries to protect the king. 00:06:14.379 --> 00:06:18.660 The thought, I think, is that mercenary soldiers who fight for money make good bodyguards for the king 00:06:18.660 --> 00:06:20.860 because they have no interest in overthrowing him. 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:24.860 Moab is a longstanding enemy too, and David defeats them. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:28.100 He lays them out on the ground, if you remember that from the reading. 00:06:28.100 --> 00:06:32.800 He lays them out on the ground and he kills two-thirds of them, but displays mercy to a third, 00:06:32.920 --> 00:06:34.120 which sounds brutal to us. 00:06:34.180 --> 00:06:39.220 But the point in the reading is that actually David is being merciful here by not killing all of them. 00:06:39.540 --> 00:06:42.420 And that would have been a surprise to the original listeners. 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.100 Likewise, we said King Hadadezer had obviously been a big deal, hadn't he? 00:06:47.200 --> 00:06:51.400 If you look at verse 3, he was going up the river Euphrates to restore his monument, 00:06:52.180 --> 00:06:54.600 some kind of ceremonial power display. 00:06:54.600 --> 00:07:02.980 He was rich and well-armed with horses and chariots and with gold shields in his commander's hands in verse 7. 00:07:03.680 --> 00:07:07.920 But David did what no one else had managed to do, which is defeat him. 00:07:08.020 --> 00:07:10.260 He killed his soldiers, he took his cities and his money. 00:07:11.180 --> 00:07:14.820 Such big news is the defeat of King Hadadezer that Tao, king of Hamath, 00:07:14.920 --> 00:07:19.240 sends his son Joram to give David silver, gold and bronze in verse 10. 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:23.819 Presumably, Tao is so pleased to have Hadadezer off his back, 00:07:23.980 --> 00:07:28.460 but also is conscious that David might turn on him as well, so he paid him off. 00:07:29.420 --> 00:07:32.840 The Edomites are the last group to be mentioned in verses 13 and 14. 00:07:32.980 --> 00:07:35.500 These guys too had been long-standing enemies of God's people, 00:07:35.620 --> 00:07:40.040 but David defeated them and left soldiers there to run the place and collect taxes. 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:45.680 The writer summarises it, doesn't he, twice in verse 6 and at the end of verse 14 with the phrase, 00:07:46.160 --> 00:07:50.160 and the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 00:07:51.200 --> 00:07:52.160 Everyone is conquered. 00:07:52.920 --> 00:07:54.780 Finally, though, everything is organised. 00:07:55.379 --> 00:07:59.360 I think it would be easy to pass over verses 15 to 18 at the end of the chapter, 00:07:59.420 --> 00:08:00.480 but it's important, isn't it? 00:08:00.920 --> 00:08:03.460 David is not only winning everywhere and everyone, 00:08:03.680 --> 00:08:06.120 he's also getting everything sorted. 00:08:06.120 --> 00:08:09.060 He's leading in a clear way. 00:08:09.959 --> 00:08:14.780 That's the point in verses 15 to 18 where David administers justice and equity, 00:08:15.019 --> 00:08:16.199 fairness for all his people. 00:08:16.560 --> 00:08:20.620 He appoints recorders, literally, I think the word there is rememberers, 00:08:21.100 --> 00:08:25.300 people who would remember the events that had happened and remind people of them, 00:08:25.639 --> 00:08:29.060 and he appoints priests and secretaries too with the aim of teaching the people 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:30.639 and organising the nation. 00:08:31.519 --> 00:08:34.039 Benaniah, who is one of David's hard men, 00:08:34.039 --> 00:08:37.319 we're told elsewhere, he'd killed a lion in a pit in the snow. 00:08:37.779 --> 00:08:40.559 He runs the squads of hired soldiers that were mentioned earlier, 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:42.779 and David's sons are priests, 00:08:43.079 --> 00:08:45.259 probably in a sort of supporting role, 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:48.019 because they are not Levites. 00:08:49.059 --> 00:08:51.439 Guys, there are plenty of seats over here. 00:08:52.099 --> 00:08:53.039 Come grab a seat, it's all right. 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:54.539 No, no, no, don't worry. 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:56.799 Don't worry, you haven't missed anything. 00:08:56.799 --> 00:08:59.379 There you go. 00:08:59.419 --> 00:09:04.039 So David is winning everywhere, everyone and everything. 00:09:04.819 --> 00:09:07.819 David is literally triumphing everywhere. 00:09:09.719 --> 00:09:11.839 Now, you're meant to hear that and go, 00:09:12.559 --> 00:09:15.539 wow, David is an amazing king. 00:09:16.359 --> 00:09:18.579 David is as successful as a king could ever be. 00:09:19.059 --> 00:09:22.079 In the world of kings, David is a winner. 00:09:22.660 --> 00:09:24.000 He is winning every battle, 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:27.840 accumulating millions and millions of pounds worth of gold, silver and bronze. 00:09:28.400 --> 00:09:29.540 And he's thoughtful too. 00:09:29.660 --> 00:09:31.980 He gives his money towards the future building of the temple. 00:09:32.300 --> 00:09:34.620 He gives his people justice and fairness. 00:09:35.259 --> 00:09:38.220 There is not a better time to be an Israelite 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:41.540 than to live in chapter 8 of 2 Samuel. 00:09:42.020 --> 00:09:43.900 These are the glory days for David. 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:47.160 Now, we find it difficult to relate to the story, don't we? 00:09:47.160 --> 00:09:48.879 David is very much a man of his time, 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:52.080 lining up people on the ground and killing two thirds of them 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:54.080 is not the way that we roll today. 00:09:54.340 --> 00:09:55.240 At least I hope not. 00:09:55.740 --> 00:09:57.960 And the truth is, I think you and I should be grateful 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:00.480 that we don't live in the brutal world of David. 00:10:00.860 --> 00:10:04.120 It is generally speaking easier to be alive here and now 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:05.259 than it was there and then. 00:10:05.860 --> 00:10:07.500 But the point as we read it is that 00:10:07.500 --> 00:10:10.000 not we get all twisted up about the morality of it. 00:10:10.100 --> 00:10:12.279 Was David right or wrong to do this? 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:15.700 Well, the point is to see that God is at work here 00:10:15.700 --> 00:10:20.520 in the history of this Bronze Age, Iron Age battle. 00:10:21.379 --> 00:10:23.840 In this kingdom, in this world of kill or be killed, 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:25.200 God is still at work. 00:10:25.680 --> 00:10:28.620 Not to kind of pin his stamp of approval on the methods of war, 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:31.040 but rather to bring about his eternal purposes, 00:10:31.460 --> 00:10:33.259 purposes which he promised in chapter 7. 00:10:34.340 --> 00:10:36.340 Now, that means that what we're to see here 00:10:36.340 --> 00:10:38.360 is David smashes through all these other kings 00:10:38.360 --> 00:10:39.680 and wins victories like this. 00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:44.359 This is really the sort of 1000 BC version of winning at life. 00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:46.000 Winning at life. 00:10:46.239 --> 00:10:49.219 This is like being the most popular kid at school. 00:10:49.939 --> 00:10:52.519 This is like smashing your GCSE results, 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:54.359 killing it on the basketball court. 00:10:54.439 --> 00:10:58.179 This is like walking home with a group of devoted friends. 00:10:58.959 --> 00:11:01.299 It is perhaps like having the job that you always wanted, 00:11:01.419 --> 00:11:02.919 the home that you've always dreamed of, 00:11:03.099 --> 00:11:05.919 the family life that you've been praying for and working for, 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:07.439 the health that you long for. 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:10.380 It is having a successful business 00:11:10.380 --> 00:11:13.160 or being the best driving instructor in the city 00:11:13.160 --> 00:11:16.880 or being a respected doctor or the best TA in the school. 00:11:17.580 --> 00:11:19.300 It is working from home, 00:11:19.400 --> 00:11:21.180 but actually getting the job done 00:11:21.180 --> 00:11:22.800 and the washing and the cleaning 00:11:22.800 --> 00:11:25.160 and going for coffee with your friends all on the same day. 00:11:25.920 --> 00:11:28.540 It is the church equivalent of having a renovated building, 00:11:28.740 --> 00:11:29.960 a full bank account, 00:11:30.060 --> 00:11:33.100 a highly motivated and extremely capable membership. 00:11:33.920 --> 00:11:37.380 It is being in time and on point as a music group. 00:11:38.380 --> 00:11:41.260 Because here in chapter eight, David is the winner. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:42.420 He's winning at life. 00:11:43.320 --> 00:11:45.100 David would be on the cover of Time magazine 00:11:45.100 --> 00:11:47.560 in the top Times Rich Lift. 00:11:47.660 --> 00:11:49.600 He's as generous as Bill Gates. 00:11:49.660 --> 00:11:51.160 He's as powerful as Jess Bezos. 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:52.820 He's as ripped as Anthony Joshua. 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:56.160 He's as organized as Martin money-saving expert. 00:11:56.840 --> 00:11:58.060 David is the winner 00:11:58.060 --> 00:12:01.340 because the Lord gives him victory wherever he went. 00:12:01.440 --> 00:12:03.540 Everywhere, everyone, everything. 00:12:04.500 --> 00:12:06.799 Now, in a way, that's the end of chapter eight 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:07.919 and we could leave it there. 00:12:08.459 --> 00:12:11.899 God gives David victory everywhere, everyone, everything. 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:15.459 But there is a big surprise in 2 Samuel chapter eight. 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:17.919 In the sort of big sweep of 2 Samuel, 00:12:18.079 --> 00:12:20.839 here is the big shock of 2 Samuel chapter eight 00:12:20.839 --> 00:12:22.919 in the sweep of the book. 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:24.139 It's this. 00:12:24.699 --> 00:12:26.139 Look how short it is. 00:12:26.139 --> 00:12:30.259 It's only 18 verses in the whole book. 00:12:31.539 --> 00:12:32.960 You know, if this is the fulfillment 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:35.120 of the promises of God in chapter seven, 00:12:35.439 --> 00:12:37.039 if this is the glorious life, 00:12:37.100 --> 00:12:38.299 if this is David winning, 00:12:38.419 --> 00:12:39.919 if this is the high point of the kingdom, 00:12:40.299 --> 00:12:41.840 if these are the glory days, 00:12:41.939 --> 00:12:42.799 why are they so short? 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:46.139 Why does the writer of 2 Samuel leave this behind 00:12:46.139 --> 00:12:49.939 so quickly to spend so much time telling us next 00:12:49.939 --> 00:12:51.339 everything that goes wrong? 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:53.659 Because you'll see in 2 Samuel 00:12:53.659 --> 00:12:56.120 that you find David committing murder and adultery. 00:12:56.240 --> 00:12:58.919 You'll find one of his sons raping one of his daughters, 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:01.839 followed by more murder, even a coup. 00:13:02.859 --> 00:13:04.719 See, if you stand back from the story 00:13:04.719 --> 00:13:05.859 and think about it in a moment, 00:13:06.259 --> 00:13:08.219 you know, imagine if 2 Samuel 00:13:08.219 --> 00:13:09.779 was the story of your life, right? 00:13:10.639 --> 00:13:13.759 Imagine the writer was writing the account of your life 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.439 and he came to show you what he'd come up with. 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:19.339 Have a look, have a read of your story. 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:20.500 I've written it down for you. 00:13:20.539 --> 00:13:21.639 Come and have a look at what I've written. 00:13:22.439 --> 00:13:23.579 And there's like a brief mention 00:13:23.579 --> 00:13:25.720 of how you got great GCSE and A-level results. 00:13:25.860 --> 00:13:28.539 There's a short line about a university career. 00:13:28.699 --> 00:13:30.980 There's a little bit about how you managed 00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:32.839 to afford your dream home 00:13:32.839 --> 00:13:35.500 and get your dream car and five children. 00:13:35.779 --> 00:13:37.220 You know, there's a picture of you, 00:13:37.259 --> 00:13:38.360 you know, dripping in gold 00:13:38.360 --> 00:13:40.000 and having your photo taken 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:40.720 and all that sort of stuff. 00:13:40.779 --> 00:13:44.940 But then there are 12 chapters on your weakness, 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:47.800 a really detailed expose 00:13:47.800 --> 00:13:49.680 of your lifelong battle with lust 00:13:49.680 --> 00:13:51.360 in all its private shamefulness. 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:54.820 Then there are the gory details of family conflict, 00:13:54.820 --> 00:13:56.659 which you tried really hard 00:13:56.659 --> 00:13:57.779 to keep behind closed doors. 00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:00.399 There are chapters and chapters on that. 00:14:00.879 --> 00:14:02.039 What do you say to the writer? 00:14:02.840 --> 00:14:03.399 What do you say? 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:05.180 Hang on a minute. 00:14:05.360 --> 00:14:07.000 Could you spend a little bit more time on my success? 00:14:07.000 --> 00:14:07.360 Yes. 00:14:08.720 --> 00:14:09.919 Well, you'd conclude, wouldn't you, 00:14:09.960 --> 00:14:12.720 that the writer thought something of you. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.899 That the writer thought this person, 00:14:16.019 --> 00:14:17.740 for all the great things that happened in their life, 00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:19.779 this person is not the Messiah. 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:21.220 They're not the Messiah. 00:14:21.879 --> 00:14:24.180 And that's what the writer of 2 Samuel 00:14:24.180 --> 00:14:25.759 is telling you about David. 00:14:26.000 --> 00:14:28.500 For all the great things in David's life, 00:14:28.919 --> 00:14:31.360 for all the ways that he won at life in chapter eight, 00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:33.159 the main point here is, listen, 00:14:33.940 --> 00:14:34.860 David's not the Messiah. 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:36.240 He's not the Messiah. 00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.840 See, the surprising thought in chapter eight 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:41.200 is that David is building a kingdom with a sword. 00:14:41.659 --> 00:14:41.800 Yeah? 00:14:42.639 --> 00:14:44.840 That's what you used to build kingdoms in those days. 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:45.820 You might not use that today. 00:14:45.899 --> 00:14:49.940 You might use politics or economics or technology, 00:14:49.940 --> 00:14:51.080 but he used a sword. 00:14:51.180 --> 00:14:51.860 That's what he had. 00:14:52.560 --> 00:14:53.940 And he builds a kingdom with a sword. 00:14:53.940 --> 00:14:56.760 And chapter eight is the best kind of kingdom 00:14:56.760 --> 00:14:58.780 that you can build with a sword, 00:14:58.900 --> 00:15:00.120 where you win everywhere, 00:15:00.540 --> 00:15:01.860 where you're blessed by God, 00:15:02.280 --> 00:15:04.300 but it's all that you can do. 00:15:04.380 --> 00:15:05.080 You notice that? 00:15:05.380 --> 00:15:06.740 It's all that you can do 00:15:06.740 --> 00:15:09.020 because it's followed by 12 chapters 00:15:09.020 --> 00:15:10.940 of utter chaos and carnage. 00:15:11.860 --> 00:15:13.120 Listen up, this is what's really going on. 00:15:13.180 --> 00:15:15.120 It's vital that we see this together this morning. 00:15:15.180 --> 00:15:16.180 What we need to see 00:15:16.180 --> 00:15:18.220 is that the sword of David, 00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:19.460 for all its power, 00:15:19.460 --> 00:15:22.519 cannot defeat the great enemy 00:15:22.519 --> 00:15:24.500 that David faces at every turn. 00:15:25.540 --> 00:15:28.120 The great enemy that David faces at every turn 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:29.960 turns out not to be the Philistines, 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:33.720 not even Hadadeus' thousand charioteers. 00:15:34.580 --> 00:15:37.200 The enemy that David faces at every turn 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:39.400 is his sin. 00:15:39.879 --> 00:15:40.620 That's what he faces. 00:15:41.519 --> 00:15:43.480 In other words, there is inside of David 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.000 a destructive force that is so strong 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.139 that it doesn't matter 00:15:47.139 --> 00:15:49.040 whether he has everything he's ever dreamed of, 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:50.980 everything that human strength can achieve. 00:15:51.459 --> 00:15:53.599 Still, the sin which is internal to him 00:15:53.599 --> 00:15:55.259 and not external from him 00:15:55.259 --> 00:15:58.079 will in the end destroy what he's made. 00:15:58.939 --> 00:16:00.939 So much so that in David's life story, 00:16:01.099 --> 00:16:03.519 his success with the sword 00:16:03.519 --> 00:16:07.039 is a footnote to the carnage 00:16:07.039 --> 00:16:08.459 of his internal failings. 00:16:09.439 --> 00:16:11.199 And I want to suggest to you this morning 00:16:11.199 --> 00:16:13.399 that if that's true for David, 00:16:13.719 --> 00:16:15.959 it's true for you and me as well. 00:16:16.639 --> 00:16:18.679 And we feel it, don't we? 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:22.779 We live in a period of extraordinary 00:16:22.779 --> 00:16:24.919 technological success, don't we? 00:16:25.599 --> 00:16:28.799 We live in an age where people actually don't need 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:30.399 to die of hunger anymore, 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:32.639 where we can move around the globe 00:16:32.639 --> 00:16:34.539 in search of freedom and work. 00:16:34.980 --> 00:16:37.199 We live in a time where we can get an education, 00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:38.919 where we can communicate with the world, 00:16:39.059 --> 00:16:41.480 where you can have the answer to any question 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.139 just by typing it into a little square thing 00:16:44.139 --> 00:16:45.139 on the palm of your hand. 00:16:48.259 --> 00:16:51.439 And yet still, despite all of that, 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:54.819 we still struggle with selfishness, 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:57.559 lust, greed, anger. 00:16:58.039 --> 00:16:59.039 And it means we live in a world 00:16:59.039 --> 00:17:00.600 full of cynicism and brutality, 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:03.080 where no one is sure what's true anymore, 00:17:03.580 --> 00:17:04.960 and where war and wickedness 00:17:04.960 --> 00:17:06.700 spoil all the things that we achieve. 00:17:07.379 --> 00:17:08.660 You see, for all of our success, 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:09.840 we have found, haven't we, 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:12.940 that there is no app to out-tech sin, 00:17:13.259 --> 00:17:13.600 is there? 00:17:14.440 --> 00:17:17.300 We can't out-science sin. 00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:19.100 There's no cure for it. 00:17:19.560 --> 00:17:21.279 Do you notice, within a few months, 00:17:21.340 --> 00:17:22.960 we had a vaccine for COVID, 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:25.779 but it turns out that all the other things 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:26.920 that were going on in the background 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:27.920 during the COVID pandemic, 00:17:27.920 --> 00:17:29.819 we weren't able to vaccinate against at all, 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:30.220 were we? 00:17:31.920 --> 00:17:32.940 Even personally, 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:34.880 for all our learning, 00:17:35.019 --> 00:17:36.860 we can't seem to educate ourselves 00:17:36.860 --> 00:17:39.200 out of wrong thinking or unkind actions. 00:17:40.180 --> 00:17:42.380 We can't rip out unwanted thoughts 00:17:42.380 --> 00:17:43.380 or selfish desire. 00:17:44.140 --> 00:17:45.980 Even if we are winning at life, 00:17:46.100 --> 00:17:48.420 defeat to our sin is only ever around the corner. 00:17:48.980 --> 00:17:50.960 So that in the very story of our lives, 00:17:50.960 --> 00:17:52.759 the chapter eight of our lives 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:56.220 is always only very, very short 00:17:56.220 --> 00:17:58.259 because that's all a sword can do. 00:18:01.340 --> 00:18:03.539 This is where we started this morning, isn't it? 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:05.559 It doesn't matter if you have everything 00:18:05.559 --> 00:18:06.620 you ever wanted. 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:08.299 It doesn't matter if you're living 00:18:08.299 --> 00:18:10.380 the chapter eight of your life this morning. 00:18:10.980 --> 00:18:12.559 It doesn't matter if all of your dreams 00:18:12.559 --> 00:18:14.019 about jobs, homes, children, 00:18:14.140 --> 00:18:15.360 and retirement are coming true. 00:18:15.700 --> 00:18:17.740 You need to understand that there is a force 00:18:17.740 --> 00:18:19.860 inside of you that is so destructive. 00:18:19.859 --> 00:18:22.339 You know in your honest moments, 00:18:22.419 --> 00:18:24.319 it will ruin everything that you have. 00:18:24.679 --> 00:18:26.919 And that is your sin. 00:18:27.599 --> 00:18:28.899 And if that's not dealt with, 00:18:28.979 --> 00:18:30.419 it doesn't matter what you have. 00:18:32.059 --> 00:18:33.359 Now, don't get muddled here. 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:35.059 Maybe some of you are asking the question, 00:18:35.139 --> 00:18:35.599 wait a minute, Steve, 00:18:35.679 --> 00:18:37.039 is David a Christian here? 00:18:37.919 --> 00:18:39.219 Is David in the right here? 00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:40.819 Of course he is, right? 00:18:40.959 --> 00:18:42.419 The Lord is giving him victory. 00:18:42.659 --> 00:18:43.919 He's generously providing 00:18:43.919 --> 00:18:45.159 for the building of the temple 00:18:45.159 --> 00:18:46.979 and ruling in a way which displays 00:18:46.979 --> 00:18:48.500 a surprising justice and mercy. 00:18:48.500 --> 00:18:50.440 Besides, David showed us last week, 00:18:50.480 --> 00:18:50.680 didn't he, 00:18:50.700 --> 00:18:52.240 what it looks like to have saving faith 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:52.980 in the promises of God. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:53.880 That's not the point. 00:18:54.680 --> 00:18:56.319 The point is whether you're a believer 00:18:56.319 --> 00:18:58.059 in the Lord Jesus or you're not. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:00.339 Whether you've been a Christian for 50 years 00:19:00.339 --> 00:19:02.740 or you're a hard-nosed atheist this morning, 00:19:02.900 --> 00:19:04.500 the truth that you need to understand, 00:19:04.619 --> 00:19:06.819 and it is plain before all of us, 00:19:06.880 --> 00:19:09.940 is that a sword is never enough. 00:19:10.059 --> 00:19:10.880 It's never enough. 00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:12.779 Even if God gives you the sword, 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:15.420 a great job is never enough, 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:16.399 even if God gives it to you. 00:19:16.440 --> 00:19:17.940 A great ministry is not enough, 00:19:18.019 --> 00:19:19.099 even if God gives it to you. 00:19:19.359 --> 00:19:20.579 That's what we've got to see. 00:19:21.399 --> 00:19:23.440 Because the truth is we need something 00:19:23.440 --> 00:19:26.220 bigger and stronger than just a sword. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:28.660 Let me try and illustrate it 00:19:28.660 --> 00:19:30.379 just to kind of plant it in our minds. 00:19:30.440 --> 00:19:32.759 Imagine someone gives you a bicycle, okay? 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:34.279 They give you a bicycle, 00:19:34.279 --> 00:19:37.440 but the problem is there's a broken chain 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:38.559 on the bicycle, right? 00:19:38.559 --> 00:19:41.240 And so it doesn't matter. 00:19:41.399 --> 00:19:43.200 You pedal and you just go nowhere 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:45.339 because the chain has snapped on this bicycle. 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:46.639 So it doesn't matter the fact 00:19:46.639 --> 00:19:47.599 that you love the bicycle, 00:19:47.799 --> 00:19:49.059 you think the bicycle's really cool, 00:19:49.159 --> 00:19:50.700 you put a new bell on the bicycle, 00:19:51.139 --> 00:19:52.099 you kind of bling it up, 00:19:52.159 --> 00:19:53.019 you paint it black 00:19:53.019 --> 00:19:54.960 because that kind of looks stealthy and cool. 00:19:55.039 --> 00:19:55.519 And so you think, 00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:57.179 oh, this is a great looking bike. 00:19:57.240 --> 00:19:58.539 It's got great suspension on it. 00:19:58.579 --> 00:19:59.859 You put some new handlebars on it 00:19:59.859 --> 00:20:01.440 so that you're riding your bike 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:02.259 like Nick Arcus, 00:20:02.339 --> 00:20:04.819 he rides bikes with handlebars really wide like that. 00:20:04.859 --> 00:20:05.940 So it looks really cool, right? 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:07.960 So it looks amazing, this bike. 00:20:08.559 --> 00:20:09.919 But the point is, 00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:11.419 it will always be disappointing 00:20:11.419 --> 00:20:12.879 to try and ride it, won't it? 00:20:13.399 --> 00:20:14.740 Because the chain is snapped. 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:16.679 Unless you address that, 00:20:17.159 --> 00:20:19.839 the bicycle will always, always let you down. 00:20:19.899 --> 00:20:21.019 It doesn't matter how good it looks. 00:20:21.639 --> 00:20:23.440 And in a sense, that's 2 Samuel chapter eight. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:24.919 You can smash Hadadezer in battle. 00:20:25.019 --> 00:20:26.200 You can win in the north, the south, 00:20:26.279 --> 00:20:26.960 the east and the west. 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:29.779 But if you do nothing about the sin in your heart, 00:20:29.819 --> 00:20:31.139 it will all very quickly unravel 00:20:31.139 --> 00:20:33.940 because the truth is David and you and I 00:20:33.940 --> 00:20:35.579 need more than a sword. 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:38.480 If we're going to realize the great promises of God 00:20:38.480 --> 00:20:39.619 in 2 Samuel chapter seven, 00:20:39.819 --> 00:20:41.839 if we're going to have a kingdom that lasts, 00:20:42.039 --> 00:20:43.939 we're going to need something stronger than a sword. 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:45.480 What is it? 00:20:46.980 --> 00:20:47.799 What's stronger than, 00:20:47.899 --> 00:20:49.279 what can build a kingdom 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:50.839 stronger than a kingdom 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:52.119 that you can build with a sword? 00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:53.019 Let me tell you, 00:20:53.939 --> 00:20:55.159 Jesus' cross. 00:20:55.759 --> 00:20:57.000 That's what's stronger than a sword. 00:20:57.799 --> 00:20:58.519 So you just think about it. 00:20:58.559 --> 00:20:59.699 Do a compare and contrast 00:20:59.699 --> 00:21:01.179 through 2 Samuel chapter eight with me. 00:21:01.180 --> 00:21:03.180 Let's have a think about what David's sword builds 00:21:03.180 --> 00:21:03.920 in 2 Samuel eight. 00:21:04.279 --> 00:21:04.980 And let's have a think about 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:06.940 what the cross of Jesus Christ builds. 00:21:07.580 --> 00:21:09.519 You know, David's sword defeats enemies 00:21:09.519 --> 00:21:10.660 on every side, doesn't it? 00:21:10.720 --> 00:21:11.640 It secures the borders. 00:21:11.779 --> 00:21:12.799 It establishes the nation. 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:13.380 It's amazing. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:18.160 Jesus' cross defeats all spiritual enemies. 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:21.019 Indwelling sin, the devil and his lies, 00:21:21.240 --> 00:21:24.000 death and hell are smashed at the cross. 00:21:25.120 --> 00:21:26.160 As on the cross, 00:21:26.279 --> 00:21:29.019 Jesus takes on himself the sins of his people, 00:21:29.019 --> 00:21:31.619 sheds his own blood to take the penalty 00:21:31.619 --> 00:21:32.460 our sin deserves 00:21:32.460 --> 00:21:34.839 and robs the devil of his captivating power 00:21:34.839 --> 00:21:35.559 over our lives 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:37.339 and frees us from the sentence of hell. 00:21:38.480 --> 00:21:39.740 Works in us by his spirit 00:21:39.740 --> 00:21:42.240 to transform us from one degree of glory to another 00:21:42.240 --> 00:21:43.319 so that little by little, 00:21:43.900 --> 00:21:44.759 step by step, 00:21:44.859 --> 00:21:46.079 we are becoming the people 00:21:46.079 --> 00:21:47.299 the cross has made us to be. 00:21:48.460 --> 00:21:50.940 Yet David's sword wins over enemies. 00:21:51.420 --> 00:21:54.099 The cross of Jesus Christ defeats all enemies, 00:21:54.279 --> 00:21:56.180 including our sin. 00:21:57.100 --> 00:21:58.779 David's sword secures the finances 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:01.000 to build the most impressive temple ever seen, 00:22:01.080 --> 00:22:02.140 the finest building 00:22:02.140 --> 00:22:03.820 that has ever been built in history. 00:22:04.440 --> 00:22:08.920 Jesus' cross builds a temple with people. 00:22:10.440 --> 00:22:12.360 People washed clean of sin, 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:14.259 robed in white, beautifully prepared. 00:22:14.820 --> 00:22:17.120 The great reality that the temple David funded 00:22:17.120 --> 00:22:17.980 was pointing to 00:22:17.980 --> 00:22:20.480 so that when Jesus returns in victory, 00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:22.200 we don't get whisked off to heaven 00:22:22.200 --> 00:22:23.279 for a bodiless existence 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:24.140 for the rest of eternity, 00:22:24.140 --> 00:22:26.240 but rather through the victory of the cross, 00:22:26.320 --> 00:22:28.780 we spend eternity in the sacred presence 00:22:28.780 --> 00:22:30.200 of the God who made us, 00:22:30.820 --> 00:22:33.340 remade by his power and his glory for all eternity. 00:22:35.100 --> 00:22:38.520 David's sword brought justice and equity to his people. 00:22:38.940 --> 00:22:39.900 That's great, isn't it? 00:22:40.120 --> 00:22:42.020 What a great kingdom to live in like that. 00:22:42.860 --> 00:22:46.800 Jesus' cross brings grace and mercy to his people 00:22:46.800 --> 00:22:48.360 so that incredibly, 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:50.020 we're not treated as our sins deserve, 00:22:50.120 --> 00:22:52.500 but shown kindness and mercy and grace, 00:22:52.500 --> 00:22:54.099 not cheap mercy, 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:57.400 but mercy and grace that costs Jesus dearly 00:22:57.400 --> 00:22:59.440 as he hangs in our place on the cross, 00:22:59.559 --> 00:23:01.160 delivering justice for sin, 00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.500 but mercy to sinners, 00:23:03.140 --> 00:23:05.220 that we might be forgiven and fitted 00:23:05.220 --> 00:23:06.940 for the kingdom he's preparing for his people. 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:08.839 Now, this is the point. 00:23:09.059 --> 00:23:10.460 As exciting as it would have been 00:23:10.460 --> 00:23:12.279 to live in 2 Samuel chapter eight 00:23:12.279 --> 00:23:13.920 in the kingdom that David's sword built 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:15.619 or whatever the 2024 equivalent 00:23:15.619 --> 00:23:17.160 of that kind of kingdom is, 00:23:17.539 --> 00:23:19.579 living in what is built by the cross 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:20.740 is always better. 00:23:21.179 --> 00:23:22.240 It's always better. 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.500 It's better for now and it's better eternally 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:26.519 because it doesn't matter if you're winning at life. 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:29.939 What you really need is not the victory of the sword, 00:23:30.159 --> 00:23:31.319 but the victory of the cross. 00:23:31.399 --> 00:23:32.159 That's what you need. 00:23:32.819 --> 00:23:35.319 So let me just finish with three sort of thoughts 00:23:35.319 --> 00:23:37.659 on how we might apply this to ourselves this morning. 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:38.980 First one is this. 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:41.819 Don't get too excited by victories. 00:23:42.159 --> 00:23:43.500 Don't get too excited by victories. 00:23:43.500 --> 00:23:46.859 I think 2 Samuel eight is a solitary lesson, isn't it? 00:23:46.880 --> 00:23:48.779 Not to get too carried away when things are going well 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:50.140 and we seem to be winning at life. 00:23:50.839 --> 00:23:53.180 The truth is that new job that you might have got 00:23:53.180 --> 00:23:55.880 is only ever a new job. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:59.960 That new home that you long for is only a new home. 00:24:00.660 --> 00:24:03.460 The new qualification is only just a qualification. 00:24:03.640 --> 00:24:09.059 The successful grandchild is only a successful grandchild. 00:24:09.900 --> 00:24:11.599 The holiday is only a holiday. 00:24:11.599 --> 00:24:13.659 The comfortable cruise is only a comfortable cruise. 00:24:13.779 --> 00:24:15.339 The clear test results at the hospital 00:24:15.339 --> 00:24:17.939 is only a clear test result for now. 00:24:18.719 --> 00:24:21.119 Now that's not to rob the joy of any of those things. 00:24:21.199 --> 00:24:24.059 Actually, the best way to enjoy the good things in this life 00:24:24.059 --> 00:24:25.500 is to see that they're temporary 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:26.759 and to see that they're short. 00:24:27.459 --> 00:24:29.980 That's the best way to enjoy the good things that we're given, 00:24:30.339 --> 00:24:31.959 to enjoy them as temporary gifts 00:24:31.959 --> 00:24:33.879 that they are on our way to glory. 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:37.359 So don't get too carried away or too excited by victories. 00:24:37.539 --> 00:24:39.619 Secondly, don't get too despondent at failures. 00:24:39.619 --> 00:24:43.879 The truth is that all of what we build will come crashing down. 00:24:44.979 --> 00:24:48.279 I know a number of you in this room have retired from your careers 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:49.579 or whatever it was that you did before. 00:24:50.539 --> 00:24:53.039 And the sort of sound truth is that as you retire, 00:24:53.139 --> 00:24:56.619 you watch somebody else ruin what you spent years building. 00:24:57.000 --> 00:25:00.819 Maybe your kids are about to leave home 00:25:00.819 --> 00:25:03.599 or have just left home or are leaving home. 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:08.279 Well, they'll undo all the lessons that you taught them. 00:25:08.819 --> 00:25:10.799 They'll no longer fold their clothes neatly in the drawer. 00:25:10.899 --> 00:25:13.159 They'll just shove them in there, won't they? 00:25:14.459 --> 00:25:17.439 There'll come a time when you'll not be able to remember your A-level results. 00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:20.759 You won't remember the names of the people who were on your course at university. 00:25:21.459 --> 00:25:23.119 Or it might be even more tragic than that. 00:25:23.279 --> 00:25:24.480 You might never be winning in life. 00:25:24.539 --> 00:25:25.359 You might lose the job. 00:25:25.439 --> 00:25:26.359 You might lose your health. 00:25:26.359 --> 00:25:27.939 You might fail your exams. 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:32.179 But don't despair because the truth is Christ by the cross is building something 00:25:32.179 --> 00:25:36.019 both deeper in its victory and longer lasting in its success. 00:25:36.219 --> 00:25:38.259 And he's inviting us to join it. 00:25:39.059 --> 00:25:41.000 Come to this unshakable kingdom. 00:25:42.199 --> 00:25:45.079 That leaves us, I think, with this last thought, which is the main thought, isn't it? 00:25:45.459 --> 00:25:47.439 That if our successes will not be enough for us, 00:25:47.559 --> 00:25:49.159 then we are silly to live for them. 00:25:49.160 --> 00:25:52.040 Because really what we need is to live for the kingdom that's to come. 00:25:52.740 --> 00:25:54.019 Live for the kingdom that's to come. 00:25:55.040 --> 00:25:58.279 That chapter that we looked at, or that verse that we looked at with the children earlier 00:25:58.279 --> 00:26:03.779 in the book of Hebrews, compares living in the Old Testament age to living in the New Testament age. 00:26:04.120 --> 00:26:08.380 He says in the Old Testament age, what you did is you came to a copy of the realities. 00:26:08.460 --> 00:26:09.400 Not the realities themselves. 00:26:09.600 --> 00:26:11.700 You came to a copy of the temple. 00:26:12.080 --> 00:26:13.660 A copy of God's presence. 00:26:14.660 --> 00:26:18.240 And you came by the blood of animals that could never really take away your sin. 00:26:18.240 --> 00:26:20.599 And he says that was a scary thing to do. 00:26:20.640 --> 00:26:23.259 It's a scary thing to go to the temple in the Old Testament, right? 00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:26.859 Because you knew your sin and you knew you didn't deserve to be there. 00:26:27.519 --> 00:26:30.099 Now in the New Testament, he says, you don't come to the copy. 00:26:30.200 --> 00:26:31.279 You come to the reality. 00:26:31.900 --> 00:26:32.599 What is real? 00:26:32.660 --> 00:26:34.380 You come to the real presence of God. 00:26:34.500 --> 00:26:36.640 To the real temple of his presence. 00:26:36.940 --> 00:26:40.759 And you come not by the blood of animals, but by the blood of his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. 00:26:40.759 --> 00:26:43.839 So that you can come right into the very presence of God. 00:26:44.140 --> 00:26:46.240 And you come into an unshakable kingdom. 00:26:46.359 --> 00:26:47.799 The realities themselves. 00:26:48.240 --> 00:26:52.400 And yet we still need to come with awe and with fear. 00:26:52.400 --> 00:26:54.660 Because God still is a consuming fire. 00:26:55.519 --> 00:26:59.400 But he says you need to understand that all of this is very shaky. 00:26:59.759 --> 00:27:01.200 All of this is very solid. 00:27:02.180 --> 00:27:08.839 And so live your life looking to and trusting in the solid realities of what Christ has done. 00:27:09.660 --> 00:27:13.579 Let me read that verse to you again from Hebrews chapter 12. 00:27:13.579 --> 00:27:17.819 Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. 00:27:17.819 --> 00:27:18.980 We're not building it. 00:27:19.299 --> 00:27:21.960 Yeah, we're not building it with our successes or our technology. 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:26.419 We're receiving it from God by grace through the Lord Jesus Christ and the victory of his cross. 00:27:26.960 --> 00:27:29.220 And since we are receiving it, let us be thankful. 00:27:29.220 --> 00:27:41.160 See, what's the point in living for the shaky kingdom of this world? 00:27:41.380 --> 00:27:44.759 When we can live for the unshakable kingdom of Christ. 00:27:45.220 --> 00:27:46.360 And how do we do that? 00:27:46.759 --> 00:27:48.319 Well, we're marked with thankfulness. 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:51.399 Thank you, Lord, that you're giving me something that will never pass away. 00:27:52.079 --> 00:27:57.279 Thank you, Lord, that I have the opportunity to live this short life for something that means something. 00:27:58.259 --> 00:27:59.200 Thank you, Lord. 00:27:59.720 --> 00:28:01.059 And in reverence and awe. 00:28:02.059 --> 00:28:03.700 Lord, I don't do this flippantly. 00:28:03.859 --> 00:28:06.399 I don't come to you trusting in my own righteousness or goodness. 00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:11.039 I don't come pretending that actually what I've got in the Lord Jesus is something that doesn't really matter. 00:28:11.039 --> 00:28:16.960 I come in reverence and awe of you because you still are a consuming fire. 00:28:17.879 --> 00:28:23.079 Well, let's pray as we close that God might help us to live like that for his praise and glory. 00:28:23.559 --> 00:28:23.960 Let me pray. 00:28:28.659 --> 00:28:33.659 Heavenly Father, how we pray now that you might help us to live for your praise and glory. 00:28:33.660 --> 00:28:43.720 Forgive us, Lord, that so often our time and our energies and our thoughts are tied up in getting wins in this short world. 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:47.680 And not in thankfulness for what you have done for us in the Lord Jesus. 00:28:48.720 --> 00:28:52.759 Thank you that the cross of Christ is more powerful than the sword of David. 00:28:53.560 --> 00:28:56.040 All of the victories of our own lives. 00:28:56.620 --> 00:29:00.160 Thank you that Christ's cross is building something that lasts forever. 00:29:00.800 --> 00:29:03.100 And that we get to be part of that through faith in him. 00:29:03.659 --> 00:29:09.059 So we pray, please, that you might be at work in us to grow our trust and our confidence in Christ. 00:29:09.539 --> 00:29:10.539 In his name we pray. 00:29:11.359 --> 00:29:11.719 Amen.