WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.800 of 2 Samuel chapter 7. This week we are finishing the chapter off. 00:00:04.480 --> 00:00:05.100 Good morning. 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.900 First Samuel chapter 18, 7. 00:00:12.120 --> 00:00:16.280 The King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, 00:00:16.940 --> 00:00:23.300 Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that you have brought me this far? 00:00:24.300 --> 00:00:29.500 And I see if this were not enough in your sight. 00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:34.280 Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant. 00:00:35.240 --> 00:00:39.000 And this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human. 00:00:40.579 --> 00:00:42.539 What more can David say to you? 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.100 For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:48.820 For the sake of your word and according to your will, 00:00:49.320 --> 00:00:53.820 you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant. 00:00:54.900 --> 00:00:57.019 How great you are, Sovereign Lord. 00:00:57.020 --> 00:01:02.480 There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:05.240 as we have had with our own ears. 00:01:05.939 --> 00:01:07.799 And who is like your people Israel, 00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:14.219 the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, 00:01:14.960 --> 00:01:16.859 and to make a name for himself, 00:01:16.859 --> 00:01:20.280 and to perform great and awesome wonders, 00:01:20.280 --> 00:01:23.500 by driving out nations and their gods, 00:01:24.239 --> 00:01:27.480 and before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt. 00:01:28.640 --> 00:01:32.819 You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, 00:01:33.319 --> 00:01:36.260 and you, Lord, have become their God. 00:01:36.260 --> 00:01:43.859 And now, God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. 00:01:45.100 --> 00:01:49.460 Do as you promised, so that your name will be great forever. 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:52.380 And people will say, 00:01:52.900 --> 00:01:55.020 The Lord Almighty is God over Israel, 00:01:55.640 --> 00:01:57.780 and the house of your servant, David, 00:01:58.080 --> 00:02:00.300 will be established in your sight. 00:02:00.299 --> 00:02:03.679 Lord Almighty, God of Israel, 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.079 you have revealed this to your servant, 00:02:06.259 --> 00:02:06.579 saying, 00:02:07.259 --> 00:02:09.439 I will build a house for you. 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.680 So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:16.439 Sovereign Lord, you are God. 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:18.699 Your covenant is trustworthy, 00:02:18.699 --> 00:02:23.479 and you have promised these good things to your servant. 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:25.879 Now be pleased, 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:28.519 and to bless the house of your servant, 00:02:29.119 --> 00:02:33.419 that it may continue forever in your sight for you. 00:02:34.439 --> 00:02:35.239 Sovereign Lord, 00:02:35.620 --> 00:02:36.459 have spoken, 00:02:36.899 --> 00:02:37.899 and with your blessing, 00:02:38.199 --> 00:02:41.299 the house of your servant will be blessed forever. 00:02:41.859 --> 00:02:42.120 Amen. 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:46.459 Amen. 00:02:46.659 --> 00:02:47.199 Thanks, John. 00:02:47.479 --> 00:02:48.639 Now, keep that passage open. 00:02:48.780 --> 00:02:50.839 We're going to be working our way through it together. 00:02:50.840 --> 00:02:52.800 And on the inside of your notice sheet 00:02:52.800 --> 00:02:55.379 is an outline of the sermon as well, 00:02:55.460 --> 00:02:57.539 which you might like to follow along with. 00:02:58.640 --> 00:02:59.379 Now, really, 00:02:59.539 --> 00:03:03.920 this morning's sermon is part two from part one last week. 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:04.780 So last week, 00:03:04.819 --> 00:03:07.920 we were looking at the beginning of 2 Samuel chapter seven. 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:08.400 This week, 00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:09.819 we are finishing the chapter off. 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:11.460 And if you weren't with us last week, 00:03:11.520 --> 00:03:14.259 then let me try and super quickly get you up to speed 00:03:14.259 --> 00:03:15.879 with what we looked at last Sunday. 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:19.980 2 Samuel chapter seven is all about God's promise to David. 00:03:19.979 --> 00:03:23.399 And the first half of the chapter outlines that promise 00:03:23.399 --> 00:03:26.679 as Nathan the prophet comes and speaks to David 00:03:26.679 --> 00:03:28.659 and tells him this promise. 00:03:29.299 --> 00:03:29.939 David says, 00:03:30.479 --> 00:03:33.280 I want to build a house for the Lord. 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:34.899 And the Lord says, 00:03:34.979 --> 00:03:35.219 no, 00:03:35.579 --> 00:03:37.579 I'm going to build a house for you. 00:03:38.039 --> 00:03:40.679 I promise I'm going to give you a dynasty 00:03:40.679 --> 00:03:42.239 that will last forever. 00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:43.759 And so last week, 00:03:43.819 --> 00:03:45.939 we saw that God who is free, 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:48.060 God can do what he wants to do 00:03:48.060 --> 00:03:49.259 whenever he wants to do it. 00:03:49.259 --> 00:03:50.799 God is the free God, 00:03:51.199 --> 00:03:53.620 yet he binds himself to a promise, 00:03:53.799 --> 00:03:54.399 a commitment. 00:03:55.159 --> 00:03:55.479 He says, 00:03:55.539 --> 00:03:56.780 I'm going to do this. 00:03:57.239 --> 00:03:59.519 And it's a promise that's ultimately fulfilled 00:03:59.519 --> 00:04:01.859 in the sending of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:04:01.859 --> 00:04:04.479 as the eternal King of God's people. 00:04:05.019 --> 00:04:05.979 Now that was last week. 00:04:06.579 --> 00:04:09.459 And this week is all about how David responds 00:04:09.459 --> 00:04:11.259 to what God has said to him. 00:04:12.239 --> 00:04:14.139 You'll notice at the beginning of the section 00:04:14.139 --> 00:04:15.459 that John read for us, 00:04:15.819 --> 00:04:16.980 David goes into the tent 00:04:16.980 --> 00:04:17.960 in which the ark is kept 00:04:17.960 --> 00:04:20.439 and he sits before the Lord, 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:22.420 reflecting on what God has said. 00:04:23.460 --> 00:04:25.259 Now to work our way through the passage together, 00:04:25.360 --> 00:04:26.740 I want you to notice first 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:30.960 that David asks three rhetorical questions. 00:04:31.800 --> 00:04:34.620 Does anyone know what a rhetorical question is? 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:38.079 That was a rhetorical question. 00:04:39.680 --> 00:04:40.899 A rhetorical question, 00:04:41.019 --> 00:04:42.000 that was supposed to be a little joke, 00:04:42.060 --> 00:04:42.579 but it doesn't matter. 00:04:42.980 --> 00:04:43.740 Thanks, Joan. 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:45.980 A rhetorical question is a question 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:47.300 where the answer is obvious. 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:48.899 Yeah, so you don't need to ask. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:50.439 It's like asking a teenager, 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:51.699 would you like some food? 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:53.620 Rhetorical question, 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:55.379 because the answer is obvious. 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:56.280 It's yes. 00:04:57.099 --> 00:04:59.939 So David asks three rhetorical questions. 00:05:00.099 --> 00:05:00.559 Look down. 00:05:00.939 --> 00:05:02.079 Verse 18, he says, 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:03.239 who am I? 00:05:03.479 --> 00:05:04.000 He says. 00:05:04.659 --> 00:05:06.199 Then in verse 20, he says, 00:05:06.439 --> 00:05:08.079 what more can I say? 00:05:08.839 --> 00:05:10.739 And then in verse 23, he says, 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:12.139 who is like your people? 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:14.559 And the answer to all of those questions 00:05:14.559 --> 00:05:16.179 is obvious. 00:05:16.319 --> 00:05:17.399 What's the answer to all those questions? 00:05:18.639 --> 00:05:19.000 Nothing. 00:05:19.819 --> 00:05:20.219 Nothing. 00:05:21.659 --> 00:05:22.239 Who am I? 00:05:22.339 --> 00:05:22.939 I'm nothing. 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:23.539 I'm no one. 00:05:23.540 --> 00:05:25.439 What more can I say? 00:05:25.500 --> 00:05:26.340 I can't say anything. 00:05:27.120 --> 00:05:28.020 Who is like your people? 00:05:28.200 --> 00:05:29.240 Who can compare to your people? 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:30.700 Nothing can compare to your people, 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:31.379 he says. 00:05:33.280 --> 00:05:34.760 There is nothing good 00:05:34.760 --> 00:05:36.780 like what God has done. 00:05:36.960 --> 00:05:37.660 Now, the point of that 00:05:37.660 --> 00:05:39.160 is that David realizes 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:40.100 that what God has promised 00:05:40.100 --> 00:05:40.860 is incredible. 00:05:41.000 --> 00:05:41.920 It's out of this world. 00:05:42.220 --> 00:05:43.700 He has nothing to compare to it. 00:05:43.759 --> 00:05:44.439 It's more brilliant 00:05:44.439 --> 00:05:45.180 and more majestic, 00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:45.840 more amazing 00:05:45.840 --> 00:05:47.140 than anything else he's ever heard. 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.100 Any promise he's heard before, 00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:51.160 nothing, nothing, nothing 00:05:51.160 --> 00:05:52.300 compares to this. 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:53.320 Nothing. 00:05:54.160 --> 00:05:55.300 Now, all those nothings 00:05:55.300 --> 00:05:56.040 doesn't mean that the passage 00:05:56.040 --> 00:05:57.360 has nothing to say. 00:05:57.640 --> 00:05:58.860 We've not quite finished yet. 00:05:58.939 --> 00:06:00.280 I want to show you three things 00:06:00.280 --> 00:06:02.920 that flow out of that nothingness, 00:06:03.020 --> 00:06:03.900 nothing to say. 00:06:04.200 --> 00:06:05.160 The first thing is this. 00:06:05.220 --> 00:06:07.000 I want you to see a humble king, 00:06:07.100 --> 00:06:07.840 a humble king. 00:06:08.520 --> 00:06:10.620 When David asks that first question, 00:06:10.780 --> 00:06:11.780 who am I? 00:06:12.780 --> 00:06:14.840 It's not because he's reflecting 00:06:14.840 --> 00:06:16.379 so much on his sinfulness. 00:06:16.379 --> 00:06:17.860 That comes later in 2 Samuel. 00:06:18.100 --> 00:06:19.480 What he's reflecting on here 00:06:19.480 --> 00:06:20.620 is his humanity. 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:23.699 The point is that the size 00:06:23.699 --> 00:06:25.800 and the scale of God's promise 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:29.860 does not match his mere manness, 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:30.899 as he puts it. 00:06:31.420 --> 00:06:33.379 There is a discontinuity 00:06:33.379 --> 00:06:35.800 between the size of what God has promised 00:06:35.800 --> 00:06:38.720 and the smallness of David. 00:06:40.220 --> 00:06:41.620 Not only does David know 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:43.160 that he is the smallest son 00:06:43.160 --> 00:06:44.180 in an unknown family. 00:06:44.180 --> 00:06:44.980 In verse 18, 00:06:44.980 --> 00:06:46.879 he was out keeping the sheep, 00:06:47.000 --> 00:06:47.379 if you remember, 00:06:47.520 --> 00:06:49.100 overlooked even by his own father 00:06:49.100 --> 00:06:50.819 and yet now is anointed king 00:06:50.819 --> 00:06:52.259 over a united Israel. 00:06:52.660 --> 00:06:54.439 But that, says David in verse 19, 00:06:54.520 --> 00:06:55.520 is a small thing 00:06:55.520 --> 00:06:57.360 compared to what now has been promised 00:06:57.360 --> 00:06:58.379 about the future, 00:06:59.020 --> 00:07:00.759 the future of the house of your servant. 00:07:01.700 --> 00:07:02.060 In other words, 00:07:02.140 --> 00:07:03.759 David, as he looks in on himself, 00:07:03.900 --> 00:07:06.120 is empty of any reason 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:08.040 why God would give him 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:09.400 what he has promised. 00:07:10.840 --> 00:07:12.040 Empty of any reason. 00:07:12.500 --> 00:07:13.759 There is nothing in me. 00:07:13.759 --> 00:07:15.480 The reason for God's promise 00:07:15.480 --> 00:07:16.480 has to be grounded 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:18.699 in God's extraordinary generosity, 00:07:19.199 --> 00:07:20.800 not in David's strength. 00:07:21.800 --> 00:07:22.699 David sees that 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:25.019 and he is humble before the Lord. 00:07:26.560 --> 00:07:27.899 Actually, you see this humility 00:07:27.899 --> 00:07:28.980 all the way through the passage 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:30.699 in the way that David refers to himself. 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:33.079 He consistently calls himself 00:07:33.079 --> 00:07:34.879 God's servant. 00:07:35.519 --> 00:07:36.879 Nine times in the chapter, 00:07:37.019 --> 00:07:38.839 he calls himself servant, 00:07:39.259 --> 00:07:40.240 the servant king. 00:07:41.039 --> 00:07:42.800 With any greatness that David enjoys 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:44.120 comes from the heart of God 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:44.939 or the will of the Lord, 00:07:45.060 --> 00:07:45.699 verse 21, 00:07:45.860 --> 00:07:46.860 to David, his servant. 00:07:47.720 --> 00:07:48.060 In other words, 00:07:48.139 --> 00:07:49.620 David is humble and empty 00:07:49.620 --> 00:07:51.319 and God's promise fills him 00:07:51.319 --> 00:07:52.319 and exalts him. 00:07:53.460 --> 00:07:55.300 Now, the important detail to notice here 00:07:55.300 --> 00:07:56.620 is in verse 19, 00:07:56.860 --> 00:07:58.819 when David says that this promise 00:07:58.819 --> 00:07:59.960 is also a decree. 00:08:00.420 --> 00:08:01.519 Look down at verse 19 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:02.439 and you'll notice that. 00:08:02.519 --> 00:08:03.439 He says at the end, 00:08:03.860 --> 00:08:04.819 and this decree, 00:08:05.060 --> 00:08:05.699 sovereign Lord, 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:07.939 is for a mere human. 00:08:07.939 --> 00:08:11.120 Literally, the word there is law or Torah. 00:08:11.819 --> 00:08:14.120 It means not so much law as in rules 00:08:14.120 --> 00:08:14.980 in this situation. 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:16.920 It means more instruction. 00:08:17.959 --> 00:08:18.439 Instruction. 00:08:18.879 --> 00:08:19.300 In other words, 00:08:19.379 --> 00:08:20.860 the promise that you have given, 00:08:20.959 --> 00:08:24.040 this gigantic promise to empty David, 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:26.540 that is meant to be an instruction. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:28.860 It's supposed to teach 00:08:28.860 --> 00:08:32.960 that God fills the empty with glory. 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.980 And it's not just to teach David, 00:08:36.139 --> 00:08:36.720 the mere human. 00:08:36.820 --> 00:08:37.580 I think the sense here, 00:08:37.680 --> 00:08:39.240 as in your footnote in your Bible, 00:08:39.360 --> 00:08:40.400 is really it's meant to teach 00:08:40.400 --> 00:08:42.200 the entire human race. 00:08:42.740 --> 00:08:43.060 In other words, 00:08:43.100 --> 00:08:44.000 all of us this morning 00:08:44.000 --> 00:08:44.840 are meant to look 00:08:44.840 --> 00:08:46.460 at the size of God's promise 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:48.560 and the emptiness of David 00:08:48.560 --> 00:08:50.040 and see something, 00:08:50.820 --> 00:08:52.040 learn something together. 00:08:52.660 --> 00:08:53.180 Not simply, 00:08:53.280 --> 00:08:54.340 I think that David's humility 00:08:54.340 --> 00:08:55.560 is something that we should copy, 00:08:55.700 --> 00:08:56.360 although it is, 00:08:56.440 --> 00:08:57.660 and we'll talk about that in a moment, 00:08:58.019 --> 00:09:00.759 but rather this idea of God's promise 00:09:00.759 --> 00:09:02.620 being fulfilled in emptiness 00:09:02.620 --> 00:09:04.240 is a lesson, 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:05.980 something that we should be looking for. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:06.539 Why? 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:08.440 Well, because as we know 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:09.460 from the rest of our Bibles, 00:09:09.560 --> 00:09:10.740 it's the exaltation 00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:12.539 of an empty human king 00:09:12.539 --> 00:09:14.279 that brings salvation. 00:09:15.539 --> 00:09:16.639 The promise to David 00:09:16.639 --> 00:09:17.360 is a pattern 00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:18.220 that teaches us 00:09:18.220 --> 00:09:19.000 to look for Jesus. 00:09:20.200 --> 00:09:21.159 Think about it with me. 00:09:21.779 --> 00:09:23.419 Jesus is the king of kings. 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:25.039 He's the Lord of lords. 00:09:25.159 --> 00:09:26.039 He's the glorious, 00:09:26.259 --> 00:09:27.980 eternal son in human flesh. 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:29.419 Where do you find him? 00:09:30.560 --> 00:09:31.720 You find him in a stable, 00:09:31.820 --> 00:09:32.440 not a palace. 00:09:33.320 --> 00:09:33.960 You find him laid 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:34.799 in a feeding trough, 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:35.980 not an ornate cot. 00:09:36.600 --> 00:09:37.440 But as you read that 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:38.060 in the Gospels, 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:39.600 you shouldn't be surprised by that 00:09:39.600 --> 00:09:40.779 because you've been taught 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:44.759 that God's extraordinarily large promise 00:09:44.759 --> 00:09:46.560 is seen in the emptiness 00:09:46.560 --> 00:09:48.259 of humanity. 00:09:49.539 --> 00:09:50.700 In Mark chapter 10, 00:09:50.840 --> 00:09:52.379 Jesus picks up David's language here 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:52.940 when he says 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:54.659 that he's not come to be served, 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:55.560 but to serve 00:09:55.560 --> 00:09:56.379 and give his life 00:09:56.379 --> 00:09:57.220 as a ransom for many. 00:09:57.620 --> 00:09:59.279 I am the servant of all, 00:09:59.399 --> 00:09:59.840 says Jesus, 00:10:00.100 --> 00:10:00.820 just like David. 00:10:00.820 --> 00:10:02.320 In other words, 00:10:02.400 --> 00:10:03.920 David's humility here 00:10:03.920 --> 00:10:05.780 helps us recognize Jesus, 00:10:07.100 --> 00:10:09.360 the eternal, glorious son 00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.440 who empties himself of glory, 00:10:11.560 --> 00:10:13.520 taking on weak human flesh, 00:10:13.940 --> 00:10:15.760 pouring out his life on the cross, 00:10:16.040 --> 00:10:18.040 only to be filled with the glory 00:10:18.040 --> 00:10:19.740 as he receives the blessing 00:10:19.740 --> 00:10:20.300 of his father 00:10:20.300 --> 00:10:22.280 in the name that is above every name. 00:10:22.279 --> 00:10:24.379 Let me ask you 00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:25.299 whether you see this 00:10:25.299 --> 00:10:26.100 this morning. 00:10:27.199 --> 00:10:28.139 It's wonderful 00:10:28.139 --> 00:10:29.120 if you all grasp this. 00:10:29.220 --> 00:10:30.199 I know it's a sort of 00:10:30.199 --> 00:10:31.899 abstract theological concept, 00:10:32.019 --> 00:10:33.539 but there is glory 00:10:33.539 --> 00:10:34.740 and there is wonder in this 00:10:34.740 --> 00:10:36.179 if we will just listen to it. 00:10:38.059 --> 00:10:39.439 In his divinity, 00:10:39.699 --> 00:10:40.720 the eternal son 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:42.439 is eternally glorious. 00:10:43.059 --> 00:10:44.199 There is no glory 00:10:44.199 --> 00:10:45.139 that God has 00:10:45.139 --> 00:10:46.379 that is not belonging 00:10:46.379 --> 00:10:47.139 to the son. 00:10:47.539 --> 00:10:49.399 The son is eternally glorious 00:10:49.399 --> 00:10:50.079 with the father 00:10:50.079 --> 00:10:50.600 and the spirit 00:10:50.600 --> 00:10:51.740 in eternity past. 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:53.420 And without shedding 00:10:53.420 --> 00:10:54.700 any of his divinity, 00:10:55.220 --> 00:10:56.940 he takes on himself 00:10:56.940 --> 00:10:59.000 the humanity of David, 00:10:59.920 --> 00:11:00.980 empties himself 00:11:00.980 --> 00:11:03.060 and becomes mere human, 00:11:03.180 --> 00:11:03.899 to use David's words 00:11:03.899 --> 00:11:04.580 in verse 19, 00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:06.740 so that in his empty humanity 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:07.779 through his fulfillment 00:11:07.779 --> 00:11:08.820 of the promise of God 00:11:08.820 --> 00:11:09.779 and his work on the cross, 00:11:10.180 --> 00:11:10.940 he can be filled 00:11:10.940 --> 00:11:11.759 not so much 00:11:11.759 --> 00:11:13.120 just with the divine glory, 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:14.440 but actually can be filled 00:11:14.440 --> 00:11:15.040 with the glory 00:11:15.040 --> 00:11:16.600 of being God's appointed king. 00:11:16.600 --> 00:11:17.139 King, 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:18.879 the fulfillment of David, 00:11:19.379 --> 00:11:20.740 the God-man ruler 00:11:20.740 --> 00:11:21.420 of his people, 00:11:21.920 --> 00:11:23.019 the final fulfillment 00:11:23.019 --> 00:11:24.320 of 2 Samuel chapter 7. 00:11:24.879 --> 00:11:25.879 This is how Paul puts it 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:27.000 in Philippians chapter 2. 00:11:27.360 --> 00:11:28.159 Speaking of Jesus, 00:11:28.300 --> 00:11:28.600 he says, 00:11:28.680 --> 00:11:30.019 who being in very nature God 00:11:30.019 --> 00:11:31.300 did not consider equality 00:11:31.300 --> 00:11:31.779 with God 00:11:31.779 --> 00:11:33.259 something to be used 00:11:33.259 --> 00:11:34.300 to his own advantage. 00:11:34.800 --> 00:11:35.080 Rather, 00:11:35.220 --> 00:11:36.480 he made himself nothing. 00:11:36.860 --> 00:11:37.659 Literally there in the Greek, 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:39.360 he emptied himself 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.220 by taking the very nature 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:42.879 of a servant 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:43.620 and being made 00:11:43.620 --> 00:11:44.560 in human likeness 00:11:44.560 --> 00:11:45.560 and being found 00:11:45.560 --> 00:11:46.560 in appearance as a man, 00:11:46.639 --> 00:11:47.440 he humbled himself 00:11:47.440 --> 00:11:48.860 by becoming obedient to death, 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:50.259 even death on a cross. 00:11:51.060 --> 00:11:53.019 Therefore God exalted him 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:54.120 to the highest place 00:11:54.120 --> 00:11:54.879 and gave him the name 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:56.139 that is above every name, 00:11:56.860 --> 00:11:57.820 that at the name of Jesus 00:11:57.820 --> 00:11:59.019 every knee shall bow 00:11:59.019 --> 00:12:00.259 in heaven and on earth 00:12:00.259 --> 00:12:01.519 and under the earth 00:12:01.519 --> 00:12:02.799 and every tongue acknowledge 00:12:02.799 --> 00:12:04.000 that Jesus Christ 00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.799 is Lord, King, Ruler 00:12:06.799 --> 00:12:08.860 to the glory of God the Father. 00:12:09.659 --> 00:12:10.519 This is the brilliance 00:12:10.519 --> 00:12:10.899 of all this. 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:11.659 Philippians 2 00:12:11.659 --> 00:12:12.419 is the fulfillment 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:13.699 of 2 Samuel 7 00:12:13.699 --> 00:12:15.120 when a thousand years 00:12:15.120 --> 00:12:16.240 before the coming of Christ 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:18.019 a young shepherd king 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:19.240 sits in a tent 00:12:19.240 --> 00:12:20.279 and prays and says, 00:12:20.379 --> 00:12:21.459 God, you've promised something 00:12:21.459 --> 00:12:22.980 which doesn't match 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:24.720 my mere humanity. 00:12:25.720 --> 00:12:26.819 And God says, 00:12:26.919 --> 00:12:27.199 doesn't he, 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:27.799 in a way, 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:28.620 no, no, 00:12:29.220 --> 00:12:30.279 this is how I work, 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:31.480 watch and wait 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:32.759 for the coming king. 00:12:34.879 --> 00:12:35.480 Now, of course then, 00:12:35.500 --> 00:12:36.799 there's a lesson for us too, 00:12:36.879 --> 00:12:37.240 isn't there, 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:39.000 that we too should be humble, 00:12:39.000 --> 00:12:40.000 we should be empty 00:12:40.000 --> 00:12:41.320 of self-importance 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:41.960 like David 00:12:41.960 --> 00:12:42.679 and like Jesus, 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:44.679 that in experiencing 00:12:44.679 --> 00:12:45.700 the blessings of God 00:12:45.700 --> 00:12:46.480 in turning to him, 00:12:46.539 --> 00:12:47.000 we're not asking 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:48.539 that God might see 00:12:48.539 --> 00:12:49.220 our potential. 00:12:50.220 --> 00:12:50.399 I mean, 00:12:50.600 --> 00:12:51.779 just imagine for a moment 00:12:51.779 --> 00:12:52.720 that David sits down 00:12:52.720 --> 00:12:54.899 in the tent before God 00:12:54.899 --> 00:12:55.240 and goes, 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:56.700 finally God, 00:12:56.799 --> 00:12:57.779 someone has seen 00:12:57.779 --> 00:12:58.519 my potential. 00:12:59.179 --> 00:13:00.639 My dad always overlooked me. 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:02.000 He was always more interested 00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:02.600 in my brothers 00:13:02.600 --> 00:13:03.340 than he was in me. 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:04.639 Thank you, Lord, 00:13:04.700 --> 00:13:06.039 that you've finally seen 00:13:06.039 --> 00:13:07.639 what great value I have. 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:09.600 It would be a wicked thing 00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:10.159 for him to say, 00:13:10.240 --> 00:13:10.639 wouldn't it? 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:11.059 Why? 00:13:11.720 --> 00:13:12.860 Well, because God's blessing 00:13:12.860 --> 00:13:14.500 is for the self-empty, 00:13:14.580 --> 00:13:15.899 not the self-full. 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:17.240 That's the lesson 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:17.779 of the promise. 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:19.620 And so for you and me 00:13:19.620 --> 00:13:20.580 and for us together 00:13:20.580 --> 00:13:21.139 as a church, 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:22.679 it's only as we 00:13:22.679 --> 00:13:24.939 recognize our emptiness, 00:13:25.139 --> 00:13:26.399 it's only as we 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:28.100 shred our self-reliance 00:13:28.100 --> 00:13:29.340 that we can begin 00:13:29.340 --> 00:13:30.120 to be filled 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:31.319 with the power of God. 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:32.879 Why should God 00:13:32.879 --> 00:13:33.639 revive the work 00:13:33.639 --> 00:13:34.059 of the gospel 00:13:34.059 --> 00:13:34.759 in Queen's Park 00:13:34.759 --> 00:13:35.200 and Kilburn? 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:35.819 Why? 00:13:35.820 --> 00:13:37.940 Why should God 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:38.740 give you the strength 00:13:38.740 --> 00:13:39.260 for tomorrow? 00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:40.720 Why should God 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:41.420 rescue us 00:13:41.420 --> 00:13:42.520 from this sin-sick world 00:13:42.520 --> 00:13:43.040 for a place 00:13:43.040 --> 00:13:43.879 in eternal glory? 00:13:44.300 --> 00:13:44.900 Who are we 00:13:44.900 --> 00:13:45.640 for such a promise? 00:13:46.680 --> 00:13:47.379 Who am I? 00:13:48.060 --> 00:13:48.760 I'm no one. 00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:49.820 I'm nothing. 00:13:50.520 --> 00:13:51.820 It's about God's generosity, 00:13:51.980 --> 00:13:52.879 taking what is empty 00:13:52.879 --> 00:13:53.700 and filling it 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:54.379 with his power 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:55.120 and his strength 00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:55.800 for his glory. 00:13:57.560 --> 00:13:58.379 Let me just try 00:13:58.379 --> 00:13:58.879 and press this 00:13:58.879 --> 00:13:59.360 a little more. 00:13:59.440 --> 00:14:00.080 If you're a Christian 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:01.200 this morning 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:03.820 and you don't share 00:14:03.820 --> 00:14:04.480 this sense 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:05.300 that the promise 00:14:05.300 --> 00:14:06.400 of God in Jesus Christ, 00:14:06.500 --> 00:14:07.060 the promise 00:14:07.060 --> 00:14:08.000 that he has given you 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:08.780 in the Lord Jesus, 00:14:08.920 --> 00:14:09.580 the promise not just 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:10.220 for this life 00:14:10.220 --> 00:14:10.900 but for eternity 00:14:10.900 --> 00:14:11.500 in his kingdom, 00:14:12.340 --> 00:14:12.920 if you don't, 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:13.800 if you're a Christian 00:14:13.800 --> 00:14:14.940 and you don't sense 00:14:14.940 --> 00:14:15.620 like David 00:14:15.620 --> 00:14:17.360 that you are no one 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:18.379 to deserve that, 00:14:18.900 --> 00:14:19.780 then either you 00:14:19.780 --> 00:14:20.640 don't really know 00:14:20.640 --> 00:14:21.120 yourself 00:14:21.120 --> 00:14:22.240 or you don't really 00:14:22.240 --> 00:14:22.900 know the size 00:14:22.900 --> 00:14:23.660 of the promise 00:14:23.660 --> 00:14:25.660 because it's wonderful 00:14:25.660 --> 00:14:26.660 what's been offered here 00:14:26.659 --> 00:14:28.719 and David recognises 00:14:28.719 --> 00:14:29.559 that the size 00:14:29.559 --> 00:14:30.319 of what God has promised 00:14:30.319 --> 00:14:30.980 does not match 00:14:30.980 --> 00:14:31.559 the emptiness 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:32.360 of his humanity 00:14:32.360 --> 00:14:34.399 and so for you and me. 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:36.579 Second theme, 00:14:36.679 --> 00:14:37.799 the awesomeness of God, 00:14:37.879 --> 00:14:38.980 the awesomeness of God. 00:14:39.779 --> 00:14:40.480 In verse 22, 00:14:40.659 --> 00:14:42.000 David launches into praise 00:14:42.000 --> 00:14:42.779 as he tells God 00:14:42.779 --> 00:14:44.100 there is no one like him. 00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:45.059 Look at verse 22. 00:14:45.719 --> 00:14:46.959 How great you are, 00:14:47.079 --> 00:14:47.500 sovereign Lord. 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:48.719 There is no one like you 00:14:48.719 --> 00:14:50.120 and there is no God 00:14:50.120 --> 00:14:50.839 but you. 00:14:51.439 --> 00:14:51.980 And because God 00:14:51.980 --> 00:14:52.559 is like that, 00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:53.519 it means there is nothing 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:54.740 like being one of his people 00:14:54.740 --> 00:14:55.139 either. 00:14:55.639 --> 00:14:56.639 No one has it as great 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:57.039 as Israel. 00:14:57.139 --> 00:14:58.059 Look at verse 23. 00:14:58.539 --> 00:14:59.699 And who is like your people, 00:14:59.860 --> 00:15:00.159 Israel, 00:15:00.319 --> 00:15:01.779 the one nation on earth 00:15:01.779 --> 00:15:02.759 that God went out 00:15:02.759 --> 00:15:03.279 to redeem 00:15:03.279 --> 00:15:04.559 as a people for himself. 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:05.720 No one else 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:06.480 has ever been rescued 00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:06.860 like that. 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:07.460 No one else 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:08.439 has ever been turned 00:15:08.439 --> 00:15:09.759 from slavery 00:15:09.759 --> 00:15:10.879 to freedom 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:12.299 for the possession of God. 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:12.799 No one else 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:13.299 has received 00:15:13.299 --> 00:15:14.279 such amazing things 00:15:14.279 --> 00:15:14.919 that God has done. 00:15:15.399 --> 00:15:15.840 No one else 00:15:15.840 --> 00:15:16.319 has received 00:15:16.319 --> 00:15:17.759 this kind of forever promise 00:15:17.759 --> 00:15:18.539 that God has now 00:15:18.539 --> 00:15:19.659 given to his people 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:20.620 in verse 24. 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:21.960 You have established 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:22.939 your people Israel 00:15:22.939 --> 00:15:24.519 as your very own forever, 00:15:24.860 --> 00:15:25.259 he says. 00:15:25.679 --> 00:15:26.179 And you, 00:15:26.179 --> 00:15:26.459 Lord, 00:15:26.500 --> 00:15:27.079 have become 00:15:27.079 --> 00:15:28.120 their God. 00:15:29.219 --> 00:15:29.839 That's important 00:15:29.839 --> 00:15:30.459 to notice here 00:15:30.459 --> 00:15:30.939 that David 00:15:30.939 --> 00:15:31.719 is seeing 00:15:31.719 --> 00:15:32.739 this promise 00:15:32.739 --> 00:15:33.459 God has made him 00:15:33.459 --> 00:15:34.259 and understanding it 00:15:34.259 --> 00:15:35.219 in line with the other 00:15:35.219 --> 00:15:35.899 actions of God 00:15:35.899 --> 00:15:36.500 in history. 00:15:37.219 --> 00:15:37.959 Notice the way 00:15:37.959 --> 00:15:38.759 that he refers 00:15:38.759 --> 00:15:39.599 to God here. 00:15:39.779 --> 00:15:41.639 It's sovereign Lord, 00:15:41.759 --> 00:15:42.639 Lord God, 00:15:43.239 --> 00:15:44.120 as it's translated. 00:15:44.779 --> 00:15:45.500 That's significant 00:15:45.500 --> 00:15:46.979 because David here 00:15:46.979 --> 00:15:48.179 is taking on the language 00:15:48.179 --> 00:15:49.379 that Abraham uses 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:49.919 for God 00:15:49.919 --> 00:15:51.759 in Genesis chapter 15 00:15:51.759 --> 00:15:52.679 when God spoke 00:15:52.679 --> 00:15:53.219 to Abraham 00:15:53.220 --> 00:15:53.740 and gave him 00:15:53.740 --> 00:15:54.279 a promise. 00:15:54.800 --> 00:15:55.379 David's saying 00:15:55.379 --> 00:15:56.759 that God, 00:15:56.899 --> 00:15:57.580 Abraham's God, 00:15:57.700 --> 00:15:59.120 that God is my God, 00:15:59.180 --> 00:15:59.600 he says. 00:15:59.960 --> 00:16:01.379 This Abrahamic God, 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:02.620 that God is the God 00:16:02.620 --> 00:16:03.360 now who's spoken 00:16:03.360 --> 00:16:04.080 to me in promise, 00:16:04.180 --> 00:16:04.680 he says. 00:16:05.940 --> 00:16:07.160 And then in verse 23, 00:16:07.300 --> 00:16:07.860 David is talking 00:16:07.860 --> 00:16:08.560 about Moses 00:16:08.560 --> 00:16:09.100 and the rescue 00:16:09.100 --> 00:16:09.600 from Egypt, 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:10.259 saying that what 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:10.980 has been promised 00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:11.340 to him 00:16:11.340 --> 00:16:12.399 is essentially 00:16:12.399 --> 00:16:13.879 the part B, 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:14.660 the sequel 00:16:14.660 --> 00:16:16.100 to the Exodus. 00:16:16.100 --> 00:16:18.680 God is not doing 00:16:18.680 --> 00:16:19.820 something new 00:16:19.820 --> 00:16:20.460 with David, 00:16:20.580 --> 00:16:21.220 he is building 00:16:21.220 --> 00:16:21.940 on what he has 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:22.899 already been doing, 00:16:23.200 --> 00:16:24.200 all of which are showing 00:16:24.200 --> 00:16:25.220 that God is alone 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:25.940 in generosity, 00:16:26.139 --> 00:16:27.320 unparalleled in kindness, 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:28.120 which has been going 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:29.720 through the generations 00:16:29.720 --> 00:16:30.659 of the Old Testament, 00:16:31.220 --> 00:16:32.399 working out in promises 00:16:32.399 --> 00:16:33.080 to Abraham 00:16:33.080 --> 00:16:34.200 and to Moses 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:35.399 and now to David. 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:37.720 Now that's brilliant, 00:16:37.800 --> 00:16:38.360 but I think to see 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:39.040 the gold here, 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:39.860 you've really got to 00:16:39.860 --> 00:16:41.360 notice and think carefully 00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:42.460 about what David says 00:16:42.460 --> 00:16:43.660 about God's awesomeness 00:16:43.660 --> 00:16:44.420 in those promises. 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:46.079 So just notice 00:16:46.079 --> 00:16:46.899 these two big ideas 00:16:46.899 --> 00:16:48.279 in verse 22 and 23. 00:16:49.099 --> 00:16:50.539 That on the one hand, 00:16:51.019 --> 00:16:52.139 there is no one 00:16:52.139 --> 00:16:52.860 like God 00:16:52.860 --> 00:16:53.939 and on the other hand, 00:16:54.019 --> 00:16:54.919 there is nothing 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:55.899 like being one 00:16:55.899 --> 00:16:56.479 of his people. 00:16:57.500 --> 00:16:58.959 If you only see 00:16:58.959 --> 00:16:59.779 one of those, 00:17:00.259 --> 00:17:00.839 you only get 00:17:00.839 --> 00:17:01.759 half the story. 00:17:02.459 --> 00:17:03.120 If you see 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:03.819 that there is no one 00:17:03.819 --> 00:17:04.220 like God 00:17:04.220 --> 00:17:04.839 but you forget 00:17:04.839 --> 00:17:05.339 there's nothing 00:17:05.339 --> 00:17:06.159 like being his people, 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:06.740 you only get 00:17:06.740 --> 00:17:07.420 half the story. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:08.200 If you think 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:08.579 there's nothing 00:17:08.579 --> 00:17:09.359 like being his people 00:17:09.359 --> 00:17:10.059 but you forget 00:17:10.059 --> 00:17:10.940 that there is no one 00:17:10.940 --> 00:17:11.339 like God, 00:17:11.399 --> 00:17:11.859 you've only got 00:17:11.859 --> 00:17:12.579 half the story. 00:17:12.579 --> 00:17:18.259 because it's not just here that God is great, right? It's not just that God is powerful or 00:17:18.259 --> 00:17:22.079 mighty. Of course, that's true. And we're used to thinking in that category. I don't know 00:17:22.079 --> 00:17:25.339 what you think about when you think about God, but maybe you just think of a great 00:17:25.339 --> 00:17:32.039 force or power or might or majesty. Well, in a sense, that's kind of true, isn't it? But it's 00:17:32.039 --> 00:17:36.980 only really part of it. Let me try and show you what's going on. Look at verse 26 and look at 00:17:36.980 --> 00:17:43.200 what David calls God. David says that the Lord Almighty is God. Literally, the God of 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:51.380 heaven's armies is God. But notice what he adds. He says, over Israel. You notice that the Lord 00:17:51.380 --> 00:17:55.819 Almighty, the king of heaven's armies, the one who is powerful and majestic and glorious 00:17:55.819 --> 00:18:04.579 is over Israel. It's the same in verse 27. Lord Almighty, majestic, glorious, powerful, 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:11.399 mighty God of Israel. God of Israel. Or take a look at verse 22. David knows there is no one 00:18:11.399 --> 00:18:17.559 besides God. Why? Well, because he has heard with his ears what God has done in redeeming Israel from 00:18:17.559 --> 00:18:24.559 their slavery in Egypt. And now he hears their promise, the promise of God for him. And he says, 00:18:24.639 --> 00:18:32.139 listen, I've got nothing more to say. There's nothing more to say. God in all his awesome power is for 00:18:32.140 --> 00:18:41.640 David, not against him. In other words, God's awesomeness is for David, right? His awesomeness 00:18:41.640 --> 00:18:47.820 is salvation for Israel. Because not only is God powerful and majestic and glorious, powerful to 00:18:47.820 --> 00:18:52.560 crush all enemies and destroy everything in his path, which is sort of good news, I suppose, in a way, 00:18:52.840 --> 00:18:58.200 and maybe how you think about God, but his greatness is seen in his mercy towards David, 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:04.299 in his love and his kindness, that this great power is for him, not against him. 00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:11.480 So suddenly, God's power is not something that David is terrified of, but is something he loves 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:17.160 and delights in. Let me just try and illustrate what's going on here. I want you to imagine for a 00:19:17.160 --> 00:19:23.059 moment that you're stuck in the mud, okay? I don't know how you got there, but it's your fault, 00:19:23.059 --> 00:19:29.720 right? You're up to your waist in the mud. You can't get out. You can't move. You're going to just 00:19:29.720 --> 00:19:36.599 be there forever and ever in the mud, right? You're stuck. It's a terrible situation. Your life is in 00:19:36.599 --> 00:19:44.299 danger. You're going to die in the mud. And just as you think this cannot get any worse, it gets worse, 00:19:44.299 --> 00:19:53.039 because through the mud is driving a huge digger towards you. And you're stuck, right? So you can't 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:58.500 get out. You've got no hope of getting out of the way of the digger. So what's going to happen when 00:19:58.500 --> 00:20:05.019 the digger comes to you? It's going to crush you right over the top of you, and you can't get out 00:20:05.019 --> 00:20:10.039 of the way. So listen, I put it to you that the bigness of the digger while you're stuck in the mud 00:20:10.039 --> 00:20:16.319 is not good news, is it? It's not, is it? You're terrified of the digger because you're stuck in 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:21.659 the mud. It's not good news. It's bad news. The size of the digger is bad news. This is the end. I'm 00:20:21.659 --> 00:20:31.859 lost. But then you look carefully and you notice that the driver of the digger is your dad. That's my 00:20:31.859 --> 00:20:41.859 dad there. And you know that your dad loves you. He has a heart for you. He wants to rescue you. 00:20:42.599 --> 00:20:50.299 And he's coming to use the power of the digger to lift you from the mud. What do you think then about 00:20:50.299 --> 00:20:57.139 the size of the digger? Well, you're singing about it, aren't you? Oh, how mighty you are, digger. I love 00:20:57.140 --> 00:21:04.280 you digger. Your scooping power is great. I love it. All of a sudden, what was terrifying to you is 00:21:04.280 --> 00:21:12.840 brilliant news. Why? Why? Well, because you know that the one in whose hand is that power 00:21:12.840 --> 00:21:20.080 loves you, loves you. And that's what's going on in our passage. David knew that God was great, 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:27.359 but what he finds out in the promise is that God loves him and is for him. That's the great news of 00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:34.139 2 Samuel chapter 7. Now, of course, if David could see that about God from what he has heard in 2 Samuel 00:21:34.139 --> 00:21:40.079 chapter 7, how much more can we see that as we see the fulfillment in Jesus Christ? You know, who is 00:21:40.079 --> 00:21:45.599 like the God who stoops down from the glories of heaven to take on himself in the person of the Son, 00:21:45.599 --> 00:21:53.919 frail human, empty flesh, to die on the cross to save us from our sin, from slavery, not in Egypt, 00:21:54.859 --> 00:22:02.839 but to sin and death, dying, rising. Who is a God like that? Who is a God like that? Who has a name 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:09.139 as great as that name? The greatness is not crushing but saving. It's not far off or distant. It's not 00:22:09.139 --> 00:22:14.679 something I read about in a dispassionate way as if, oh, yeah, yeah, God's great, isn't he? It's something 00:22:14.680 --> 00:22:22.740 that I know is close by me and I love it that God in his triune awesomeness, Father, Son, and Spirit 00:22:22.740 --> 00:22:29.000 moves towards me in the person of the Son to scoop me out the mud of my sin and lift me to glory. 00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:35.420 What great news. No one like that God and there's nothing like being one of his people, which brings 00:22:35.420 --> 00:22:40.980 us to the final point, which is about saving faith. I don't know whether you noticed this as John read the 00:22:40.980 --> 00:22:45.960 passage for us earlier, but there's only one request in David's prayer. Did you notice that? 00:22:46.360 --> 00:22:52.640 It's there at the end of verse 25. Notice it. It's do as you promised. It's the only thing that David 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:57.039 asked. Do as you promised. It's an amazing thing when you think about what's been going on in the 00:22:57.039 --> 00:23:01.319 story. Here's David. He's sat in this tent before the Lord. God has spoken to him through Nathan the 00:23:01.319 --> 00:23:06.579 prophet, said all these amazing things to him, and in effect, his prayer is something like this. Praise 00:23:06.579 --> 00:23:12.859 you, Father. The only thing I want is you to do what you said you're going to do. The only request 00:23:12.859 --> 00:23:18.559 I have is, Lord, just do what you've promised. That will be enough for me, Lord, if you will do 00:23:18.559 --> 00:23:22.419 what you promised. That promise, that promise that you've made that I've heard through Nathan, 00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:26.299 that's what I want, Lord. I don't want anything else. That's what I want. That's what I need. 00:23:29.179 --> 00:23:33.599 David goes on to explain why he's asking for it. If you look down at verse 27, see what he says. 00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:39.439 It's because God has said, I will build a house for you that he has courage to ask. It's because 00:23:39.439 --> 00:23:45.919 God's words are true and trustworthy in verse 28, and he has promised a good thing. So David speaks 00:23:45.919 --> 00:23:50.859 to God and says, please do what you've promised. Please do it. See, listen to this, because this is 00:23:50.859 --> 00:23:55.959 really important for us this morning as we come to a conclusion. This is what it is for David to have 00:23:55.959 --> 00:24:03.179 saving faith in God. There are two aspects to it. One is David looks at God and goes, I can trust you 00:24:03.180 --> 00:24:08.560 to do what you say. I know, God, that you are trustworthy. But that's not all, okay? He says, 00:24:08.779 --> 00:24:14.140 I know, God, you're trustworthy. But the second part is, he says, your promise, you keeping your 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:22.860 promise is all that I want in life, all that I need. Imagine it like this. I don't know whether 00:24:22.860 --> 00:24:26.680 this might happen in your family when you had smaller children, or if you're a young person this 00:24:26.680 --> 00:24:29.940 morning, this may still happen in your house. It does happen in ours from time to time. Imagine 00:24:29.940 --> 00:24:34.340 that you and your siblings are fighting over a small chunk of chocolate. 00:24:35.700 --> 00:24:42.200 You know, whose is it? And you're squabbling and fighting. And then your mum comes in, maybe 00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:44.860 this takes a bit more imagination, because this never happened in my house. But imagine 00:24:44.860 --> 00:24:49.660 your mum comes in with a giant kilo bar of chocolate and says, listen, I promise to give 00:24:49.660 --> 00:24:56.580 this to you. I promise to give it to you. What happens to the fight about the little chunk 00:24:56.579 --> 00:25:01.679 of chocolate? Suddenly it evaporates, doesn't it? Why? Well, because the promise is way better 00:25:01.679 --> 00:25:06.539 than the thing you were really concerned about before. It's eclipsed, isn't it? Your fight 00:25:06.539 --> 00:25:10.980 over the chocolate is eclipsed by the kilo bar promised to you. And all you want is your 00:25:10.980 --> 00:25:16.139 mum to keep the promise. Please just keep your promise, mum. Please keep your promise. And 00:25:16.139 --> 00:25:21.460 you will stop fighting. Now that's what's going on here. David is suddenly consumed by the 00:25:21.460 --> 00:25:25.679 promise of God. And David was thinking, oh, I'm going to build a temple. I'm going to kind 00:25:25.680 --> 00:25:30.100 of make Jerusalem like the place that I really want to be. I've built my own cedar house. 00:25:30.200 --> 00:25:34.380 Now all I really need is to get that Ark of the Covenant out of a tent and into a nice 00:25:34.380 --> 00:25:39.080 cedar building itself so that we can make Jerusalem nice and cosy. Let's bed in. Let's settle down. 00:25:39.180 --> 00:25:42.980 Let's get comfortable. Let's build heaven here. Let's build the eternal kingdom here. Maybe 00:25:42.980 --> 00:25:48.200 this is what being God's people is about. It's about building home here and enjoying it. 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:56.799 And God comes and says, no, listen, listen, my promise is for something much, much better than 00:25:56.799 --> 00:26:04.660 that. My promise is not the chunk. It's the kilo bar. My promise is not just for the short time now. 00:26:04.660 --> 00:26:13.000 My promise is for ever. I am not talking about a short kingdom here in Jerusalem. I'm talking about 00:26:13.000 --> 00:26:19.500 an eternal heavenly kingdom. I'm not talking about a place where you're king, David. I'm talking 00:26:19.500 --> 00:26:26.640 about a place where I'm king. I'm not talking about a place where you live for a short time and then 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:31.880 you die. I'm talking about a place where you live forever and ever and ever. I'm not talking about a 00:26:31.880 --> 00:26:38.480 place where you cry and weep and mourn and suffer. I'm talking about a place where every tear is wiped away 00:26:38.480 --> 00:26:40.980 and you live forever with me 00:26:40.980 --> 00:26:43.980 in a world remade by my power and my glory 00:26:43.980 --> 00:26:45.720 forever and ever and ever. 00:26:46.039 --> 00:26:49.160 And David says, oh, that's what I want. 00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:51.039 That's what I want. 00:26:51.480 --> 00:26:53.160 And that's saving faith. 00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:58.180 Being a Christian is not just saying a sinner's prayer 00:26:58.180 --> 00:26:59.500 with your mum by the bedside 00:26:59.500 --> 00:27:01.180 and then just getting on with life. 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.799 I think some of us think that, don't we? 00:27:03.880 --> 00:27:07.319 You know, we pray, Lord, please forgive me for my sin. 00:27:07.319 --> 00:27:08.839 And then I'm just gonna carry on with life 00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:09.720 as I was living before, 00:27:10.019 --> 00:27:11.179 as if that's what it's all about. 00:27:11.500 --> 00:27:12.579 You know, building heaven here, 00:27:12.679 --> 00:27:14.460 trying to get a career, trying to get a house, 00:27:14.879 --> 00:27:16.899 trying to get enough money to live. 00:27:18.099 --> 00:27:21.000 Asking God to help me do what I want to do 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:22.259 and fulfill my plans. 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:25.039 But being a Christian in 2 Samuel chapter seven 00:27:25.039 --> 00:27:26.039 is not like that at all. 00:27:26.819 --> 00:27:29.720 Being a Christian in 2 Samuel chapter seven is saying, 00:27:30.399 --> 00:27:32.639 yes, I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it. 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:33.700 I trust you. 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:37.740 But Lord, what you promise is what I want. 00:27:37.920 --> 00:27:40.100 I don't want anything else. 00:27:40.200 --> 00:27:43.640 If I cannot have that, I want nothing. 00:27:44.019 --> 00:27:45.519 Because that's what really matters. 00:27:45.640 --> 00:27:48.740 The promise is better than anything else we travel over. 00:27:51.779 --> 00:27:53.500 So let me say to you this morning, 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:55.860 whether or not you'd call yourself a Christian, 00:27:56.440 --> 00:27:57.720 have you seen that? 00:27:58.360 --> 00:27:59.420 Have you seen that? 00:27:59.420 --> 00:28:02.600 Until you see that this promise of God made in Abraham, 00:28:02.900 --> 00:28:03.640 Moses and David, 00:28:03.779 --> 00:28:05.779 fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, 00:28:05.880 --> 00:28:07.779 until you've seen that that really is 00:28:07.779 --> 00:28:09.500 the only lasting treasure, 00:28:09.860 --> 00:28:11.920 then you've not really understood what God is saying here. 00:28:12.920 --> 00:28:13.860 So have you seen it? 00:28:14.640 --> 00:28:15.779 Do you know that? 00:28:16.440 --> 00:28:18.360 Have you seen that in life and death, 00:28:18.440 --> 00:28:20.420 the only treasure of any value 00:28:20.420 --> 00:28:22.580 is knowing God through Christ, his King, 00:28:22.840 --> 00:28:24.360 that we are empty 00:28:24.360 --> 00:28:27.600 of any reason in ourselves to receive that, 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.839 that God in his awesomeness scoops us up, 00:28:31.619 --> 00:28:33.819 gives us this amazing promise 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:36.579 that now by faith we're invited to reach out 00:28:36.579 --> 00:28:39.219 and take hold of living life and dying death 00:28:39.219 --> 00:28:41.599 with something bigger than our own dreams 00:28:41.599 --> 00:28:43.259 and aspirations driving us. 00:28:44.139 --> 00:28:45.699 Well, let me pray and then we'll sing 00:28:45.699 --> 00:28:47.539 in response to what we've heard. 00:28:47.619 --> 00:28:48.019 Let me pray. 00:28:48.019 --> 00:28:48.079 Let me pray. 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:48.119 Let me pray. 00:28:48.119 --> 00:28:50.119 Let me pray. 00:28:50.119 --> 00:28:52.119 Let me pray. 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:54.119 Let me pray. 00:28:54.119 --> 00:28:56.119 Let me pray. 00:28:56.119 --> 00:28:57.579 Let me pray. 00:28:57.599 --> 00:28:58.599 Let me pray. 00:29:02.059 --> 00:29:06.019 Heavenly Father, we want to say with David, 00:29:06.339 --> 00:29:09.980 please, Lord, do as you have promised. 00:29:10.759 --> 00:29:13.000 What you've promised in the Lord Jesus Christ 00:29:13.000 --> 00:29:15.919 is better than anything that we could do for ourselves, 00:29:16.179 --> 00:29:19.139 better than anything that we have planned for our lives. 00:29:19.140 --> 00:29:23.560 Lord Jesus Christ, knowing you, trusting you, 00:29:24.500 --> 00:29:27.960 eternity with you in a world remade by your power 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:29.640 and your glory forever and ever 00:29:29.640 --> 00:29:32.940 is better than any of the simple little things 00:29:32.940 --> 00:29:34.540 that occupy us now. 00:29:35.280 --> 00:29:37.200 Please, Lord, fill our hearts 00:29:37.200 --> 00:29:40.500 with the great treasure that it is in knowing you 00:29:40.500 --> 00:29:43.560 and do as you have promised, we pray. 00:29:44.020 --> 00:29:46.380 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:29:46.380 --> 00:29:46.580 Amen. 00:29:46.780 --> 00:29:47.120 Amen. 00:29:47.600 --> 00:29:47.740 Amen. 00:29:47.740 --> 00:29:47.780 Amen. 00:29:47.780 --> 00:29:48.259 Amen. 00:29:48.259 --> 00:29:48.820 Amen. 00:29:49.140 --> 00:29:50.140 Amen.