Open—M. Payette
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And you find encouragement in looking at these things that are Jesus Christ.
And that we might be found going on in.
I had this portion in Second Samuel, the 23rd chapter.
It's from the eighth verse.
It speaks of David's mighty men and.
Perhaps one would think that in days of small things and weakness.
We shouldn't be talking about mighty men.
When you know if millions of Christians are going on.
For example, holding on to the Word of God, to the Bible as the word of God, we'd be one of them.
But I say in the day of weakness, if you were the last ones to hold on to the word of God, you would be to the Lord Jesus one of these mighty men in those dark days. And as the days are getting darker, and perhaps it is a day of small things, but I think the small things are important to the Lord Jesus. And I've enjoyed this portion as to what the Spirit of God brings before us, what these men did for David.
The rejected king and I'd just like to just briefly go through them.
Just a few thoughts here in living room for someone else.
23rd chapter of Two Samuel 8 verse. These are the names of the mighty men whom David had.
The Tacoma night that sat in the seat, chief among the captains. The same was the Dino Dias night. He lifted up his spear against 800, whom he slew at one time.
Well, this is the first one. Adeno Dias night.
Remarked about this man. Is that through one feet? One feet?
He had a great victory. He slew 800 with his spear.
One time.
And if I was to single out in the whole of creation, one feet done by one man.
That is worthy.
To be considered the greatest feet of all time, that's the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.
By 1 Sacrifice he had perfected forever then that are sanctified.
Among those that I call themselves Christians, there are those that put in doubt the finished perfect word of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I believe that for every one of us here, young people, young and old, that the Lord's values are holding on to His work, the perfectness of His work.
The ninth verse.
After him was until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword, and the Lord wrought a great victory.
Since multi philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword. And the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him, only him only to spoil. Well, what did this one do?
For this one he held on to the sword. He held on to the sword until his hand was waxed weary. And I know if he lost his hand, but the spirit guide suggests to me that his hand slave unto the sword, holding on to the word of God, that it is the word of God from cover to cover. Not only that it contains the word of God, as some say, but it is the word of God and the Lord Jesus.
Values you're holding on to His holy word. He values are holding on to His work.
And his values are holding on to his word.
And after him was Shama 11 verse the son of Aji. The Aright and the Philistines were gathered together into a troop.
There was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines, but he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slew the Philistines, and the Lord wroth a great victory.
There was this portion of ground full of lentils, and you know, lentils.
They're used to make the poor man bread.
The poor man's bread and shaman saw that portion. Everybody else that said.
It was a portion that wasn't worth fighting for. And Shama said this belongs to us, this belongs to Israel. And he stood in the midst and he delivered that portion.
And I thought of that, what would that portion of lentil speaks of? And as many thoughts here, but one that stuck with me was the portion of the poor.
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The Lord's people holding on to those that are precious to the Lord, holding on to the Lord's people.
Shama thought that portion was so precious, even though in human eyes it was just wordless. The bread of the poor, He stood in the midst of that porch as this belongs, if I could use the word, to the Lord Jesus Christ. And nobody's going to get this portion. The poor belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ, and they're worth fighting for, Brothers and sisters, they're worth holding onto as much as we can. Well, this is what Chama did.
Now look at verse 13.
And three of the 30 chiefs went down and came to David in the harvest time unto The Cave of Adalam. And the troops of the Philistine pitched in the valley of Wrestling, And David was in the Unhold, And the Garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. And David longed and said, Oh, that one would give me the drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate.
And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines.
And drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink their oven. Poured it out unto the Lord. And he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this is not just the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did, these three mighty men.
I want you to notice that these three men, I do not know their names.
I don't know who these three men are. We know about Shama and the other two there, and we'll read about other ones after, but these three men?
Are unknown to me and I'm sure well known to David.
And you know, it's something for us to realize that it doesn't matter if we are known or well known on the earth, as long as we are known of the Lord. You know, the Lord knows and sees everything that is done for Him. Not only does he see what's done for Him, He sees in our hearts and He sees why, why we do that for our glory or for Him.
And I want you to notice the character of these three mighty men.
First of all, they were drawn to David.
They were drawn to David. That was a portion of their heart. They were drawn to David and they came to him.
But it was the hardest time, you know, harvest time, where we live, harvest time is a busy time. And the farmers, you don't see the farmers, they're out in the fields until they're finished because the weather can.
Ruin their crops and if they get nice weather they just work at it and they never stop until they're done. Harvest time the busiest time of the year.
To take care of what you need for you and your family. It was harvest time for these three mighty men, but where were they? Busy at the harvest.
No, they were not.
They had something more important to do to be with their David before us. To be around the Lord is important to you and I to be around the Lord, for He values that.
That nothing would distract us from being around the Lord when He affords us the opportunity of meeting together in His name for.
Remembering the Lord for prayer, ministry of the Word, to sit around the Lord, to pour out our hearts, to receive or to receive from his heart. Well, you know, I was thinking of these men in a hat. Every excuse, every human excuse to say.
Who would give me the drink? It was just the longing of this heart, just a desire in his heart. And it would have been reasonable to say, well, it's very nice that you're a church. But this water over here and there's water over there. I hit your water from the well right here by the mountainside there. He wanted water from the well. It was by the gate at Bethlehem. And somebody might think, well, he was difficult. Maybe these men said this.
He's difficult. I get him cold water, we'll get some ice somewhere.
It's harvest time. I got to go, David. I just can't, you know? I'll come back tomorrow, you know?
And then it says, right there, it says, and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the Valley of Reference. You know the Philistines, they were an enemy in the land. We found them there. They were against Shama, who was fighting for that portion in the land and that enemy to Philistine. If you get up in the morning and you look in the mirror, there's one right there.
It's the natural man in the things of God.
And there's nothing worse for us Christians to put our natural man and our natural minds that work in the things of God because we're going to make a mess of it. And that's what the Philistine did. Didn't they spoil the enjoyment of the people of God in their land? Surely they did. And it was allowed of God because of young faithfulness of the children of Israel. But it says here that Phyllis signs they were pitched in the valley of Rafa. Well, refereham is giants.
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The Valley of the Giants. The Philistines.
In a valley of the giant. Now talk about enemies. They were right there and they were pitched in there. They were just passing by. Or they were right there in the valley of the giants and they could have said these mighty men, said David. No, they're right there. All of them. We can't.
You don't find any arguments from these mighty men view and it says here in the 14th verse and David was.
In an old or in a strong place, David was not in any particular danger.
They didn't have to assure David's protection or do anything for him. He was in a strong place. He was in a secure place.
And then the next thought and the Garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. Well, right where he wanted the water from. There was a Garrison there and soldiers and everything. That's the last place they want to go. And David long and said, oh, that one, he didn't say, oh, you three men, would anyone of you go and get water for me?
He said, oh, that one.
Would give me the drink of the water of Bethlehem, which is by the gate, you know.
Brother brought this verse before this was on my heart. First Corinthians 11/23.
That he had received that of the Lord this new in remembrance of Maine. You know the Lord doesn't say, OK you three there. Would you Remember Me? No.
I would want, would want give me a drink of the water by the well that is by the gate of Bethlehem. You know David, and that was the way he was born, where he was born in Bethlehem. That was the city of his birth.
And his desire, perhaps as a young boy, as a shepherd boy, he'd often enjoy that water, that special water there being in the sunlight all day and really thirsty in there, thought well there and it brought memories to him. And perhaps that was the best water he ever tasted. He said, oh, who would give me the drink of the water of the well? That's why they gave him Bethlehem for the desire of the Lord Jesus expressed to us this too, in remembrance of me, has not to do with the place of his birth.
But rather the place of his death. And Noel speaks of death.
The depth of his suffering, brethren, we can't enter into it. It says by the gate. So we just the gates open there and the Spirit of God gives us a view of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can't enter them. We can't measure them. We can just in our own little measure, appreciate them and bow our hearts and worship as he does that. But you know, this was just a longing of David Hart. You know, I know a Christian group.
I won't mention who it is. It's a Christian denomination and they use the name of the Lord Jesus and they say, you know what they say? They say unless you remember the Lord.
They can't be safe when they use that verse. And they say unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no light in you. And they say if you don't remember the Lord.
Yeah, Cathy's safe, but you know that's a lie of the devil because in order to be said, you don't need to remember the Lord. You simply have to have the Lord in your heart as your own personal Savior, as we had last night. One verse. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. So the Lord doesn't make a commandment, He makes it a desire of his heart. And in His great He expresses it to us, not only to the apostles on the night he was betrayed, but right from the glory to the apostle Paul, and it's brought back.
1St Corinthians 11 Oh, who would give me the drink for that? One would give me to drink the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate. And the three mighty men breakthrough the hosts of the Philistines, and they drew water out of the well at Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he would not drink thereof or poured it out unto the Lord. Of devotion to David, devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ have been spoke, Speaking about devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. You know when our hearts are devoted to the Lord Jesus, the Lord just can take that devotion and force before.
Father say, look at that Father, the worship that we bring to the Father become the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the on the cross and he's glorified in our worship. And when we worship him, he gives it all to the Father and our devotion to him poured it out before the Lord. And he said, be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do. This is not just the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did.
These three mighty men.
These things did these three mighty men. It was so beautiful in the French Bible. The Lord brought it before me one morning because he saw. It says this do is set to see.
And you would say this they did.
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In fear, Sir, love, it's exactly the answer to the pet to see this. Do we would say these men did this, These men did that. They did give to David a desire of his heart. Well, as I say, did they have small things? It's not a small thing to the Lord Jesus that we gather around him from week to week, and dependent on the Spirit of God gathered at his precious name, and that we sow forth his death till he comes that works that greatest.
Universe, the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. We have the privilege of showing that force once a week when we come together. And we know that as we come, as we remember that blessed One in those hours of anguish and humiliation on the cross, our hearts are touched and there's worship flowing out to the Father and to the Son because of that by their spirit. Well, these men did this. And I ask you in this afternoon, brothers and sisters in the Lord, I don't know your name, all of your names, but.
Would you be one? Would you be one to answer to the Lord's request? Would you be one of those mighty men? He said. I'm so weak, I'm so young. There's so many difficulties. Well, you know, there were a lot of difficulties for these men, but there was one motive in their heart, one motive, love for David. And is that motive in your heart this afternoon, your young one, an older one too.
When we come together, us, we've been at the Lord's Table for a while. What's the motive in our hearts?
Routine.
Or love for the Lord Jesus. I trust that we come in love and devotion to the Lord, in giving the Lord the desire of His heart. Well, let's just go on.
There's three more, and I'd be shy of the brother of Joab, the son of Zariah, which chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against 300 and slew them, and he had the name among three. Was he not most honored of trees? Therefore he was their captain, albeit he attained not the first three. Well, this is a little thought here in that #3 there's a lot of trees in there. And I was just thinking of three things that are the things of Jesus Christ and that He loves us to be occupied with. And.
Is seeking out the lost sheep or the Lord Jesus has a heart for lost. She doesn't. He came to seek and to save that which was lost or anything you do in your life in a spirit of God to seek out the lost sheep either by a word or a service or whatever it is or the Lord values that and you know when someone comes to the Lord Jesus, there's the caring.
There is. He delights in our caring for one another because he cares for each one of us.
And anything that we do out of love, by the Spirit of God, take care for one another. Oh, he takes notice and he's happy about that.
And you know, there's a third group and there's the ones that have been saved and there could say not lost sheet, but their sheep could have gone astray. Some have been either around the meeting or at the meeting and they've been turned aside for whatever reason. What would be the Lord's feeling towards them?
Or that He would put in our hearts and that affection for them that He has and that love that He has when there is His desire to see them back to be restored and enjoy this other. Well, just share these three things in connecting with the three that we find in the service of God. Looking out for those that are unsaved and then taking care of those that are saved and seeking out, Seeking out those that have been LED astray to have them won over again to the Lord Jesus.
And then verse 20 And then I had a son of Jehoiada.
The son of a valiant man of Catziel, who had done many acts, he slew 2 lion like men of Mohab. He went down and also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in a time of snow. And he threw an Egyptian, a goodly man. And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand. And he went down to him with his staff and plucked the spear out of it, the Egyptian hand, and flew him with his own Spears. These things did Benahaya, the son of Jehadaya, and had a name among.
Three mighty men Well.
This last one we have the Father and the Son and we have what the Father had done. He had playing two lion like men of Moab or two lions of Moab. And I was thinking of that. You know, our fathers or my father, my natural father was not a man of God. He didn't know the Lord wasn't brought up in the assembly. But we have spiritual fathers.
And it's good for us to remember our fathers, you know, it says in the first Peter that an event conversation they had gotten from their fathers.
Well, their fathers didn't know the Lord Jesus, but our spiritual fathers, they did. They did. The Lord made it work in the past century, and He woke up the spirit of many brothers and sisters, and He brought them in the enjoyment of the truth of the Scriptures and the revelation of His coming and the truth of the church and all these things. You know, let's not despise that. Let's remember that those that have gone before, it says in Hebrews 13 that we should imitate their faith. So let's not forget.
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What we've gotten from men and and the women of God who preceded us, who were our fathers, you might say.
Not in a natural sense, but in helping yourself and giving us an inheritance in the things of God by their writings or by their life or by their ministry. And some of them, I would say, are still among us. Let's listen to those that are fathers among us. And I would exhort those that our fathers among us to be patient with us and you.
To be much with the Lord that they would give us, not only in their words, but in their life, that mind of Christ that we would see in them also and encourage them to go on that way. What it says here, what this man had done, he explained 2 lionelike men of Moab and your Moab were different enemies here that confront these mighty men of God. They were just the Philistines. There's the Moabites and we have the Egyptians. The last one were the Moabites suggests to me the thought of corruption, you know, because the origin of Moab is an immorality and there's much immorality.
Corruption in the world that we're in and our two sources, two line like men of Moab. And I want you to be warned, you might say for these two lions of Moab and one of them is the world right around you. It is corrupt and it has corrupting power and influence over your soul. And if you expose yourself to the world, you're going to be corrupted.
We have escaped the corruption which is in the world through lust. Having escaped that corruption, well, let's stay escaped.
Stay away from the corruption that's in the world. But the other source of corruption, it's right in here. It's right in our natural heart. That corruption out there in the world is being done by men and women that have hearts, natural hearts like mine and who have a nature just like you and I have. We have two natures now. We still have an old one and it's just as corrupt as the one that active out there.
Well, this man, this mighty man he slew, pursued lions of Moab to have it done with the corruption that's in the world, not to play around with it.
And to use a sharp knife on ourselves too. And so we have the feats in Of the Sun, it says.
He verse 20, the mid verse he went down also and threw a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow. Well, I've enjoyed it this way. The line you know, and the enemy of our souls is faith. And he has different disguises, but one of his favorite disguises is discouragement that we are in a pit.
All you can see around you is mud.
Put your head up. You can see the sky, but if you look around, there's no there's no source of health. It's all black, it's all dark. It's no use going on. That's what the devil says when you're in a fish.
And it was a day of snow. Not only was he in that pit, but it was cold. Ever feel cold? Ever feel cold? Even in the assembly and the presence of your brothers and sisters? Oh, that we would warm each other up and not give ourselves, each one, each each of us, a sense of coldness and not feeling for one another. Don't talk to me about that today. Call me tomorrow. I can't right now.
Well, this man here, he slew the lion in a pit.
In a time of snow and you know how to play a lion and a pit in a day of snow.
You just trust the Lord. You just trust the Lord.
Be confident in the Lord. He will never, ever, ever, ever let you down.
Lord has never, ever, ever been late for an appointment.
He's just trustful. He knows where you are and he knows what you're going through, and you just trust in him. And when that time comes, he'll deliver you. He'll change your circumstance. I'll give you more grace to keep on. Get a little while. Well, this is what this man did. He flew a line in the midst of a pit in Timeless. Now then he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man, and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, and he went down to him with a staff and plucked a spear out of the Egyptian town and flew him.
His own state, well, the Egyptian speaks of the world and its attraction. And it was here an Egyptian, a goodly man that says in Frankie had a nice factory. It looked good, looked very good, but he was an enemy. He had a fear in his hand. You know, even those things that look good in the world, they're going to harm you in the end.
And this mighty man, he had a staff in his hand. Well, that speaks of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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You hold on to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. You hold on to the work of the Lord Jesus on the cross.
You hold on to the cross of Lord Jesus. The apostle cross is the cross by which I'm crucified to the world and the world is crucified unto me. Well, I trust we've had these encouragement here that every one of us, we find ourselves in situations where we can, we can perform some of these seats.
The things of the Lord Jesus Christ, holding on to his work and holding on to His Word, and holding on to His people, and holding on to him and his desires, and holding on to his service in the gospel and taking care of the Lord's people, or seeking out those that have been LED astray for holding on for our confidence in the Lord, and holding on to the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
300 and 18.
Oh my God.
#47 #47.
Bring me home to God.
I love his name.
Of the world.
I can do that till now.
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Well, we pray. I would like to read a version in the book of Titus.
Quite a chapter 2.
And verse 11.
For the grace of God.
That bringeth salvation.
Has appeared to all men.
Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly love.
We should live soberly, righteously, and godly.
In this present world, looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and of our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity, purify unto Himself a peculiar people jealous of good works.
These things speak and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one decide.
Our blessing.