Address—Dave Spence
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Like to turn to just a few verses in the first chapter of Joshua.
Thinking of the subject of the pathway to success.
According to the word of God.
And the word success, as many of us know, is I think just mentioned once in the Bible. Somebody can correct me if that's inappropriate, but I don't believe that's correct. And if there is any subject that is on the heart of the young here today, it's that of being a success in your life.
And there are many enemies in the Christians life to thwart that purpose of heart that you have to be a success.
For him now, it is possible that you're seeking to be a success in the world.
In terms of employment, in terms of having a family, which is very normal in terms of getting along in this life, but we know and we're reminded last night that our time beloved Saints and dear young people is very short.
Our time is limited.
I had a man come to my door just the other day who just became a new Christian, and he's going to a very fundamental church in our area. And he said, oh, I don't expect that we'll ever see the coming of the Lord, paraphrasing what he said in our lifetime. But I thought how good it is to know the truth, that we can expect it at any moment, as our brother Bruce has written that book on the two days.
I don't know how many of you have read it, but at least 12 Times Marissa. I don't know if that's exactly correct. In the scriptures it speaks of the two days, the 2000 year period that the church has here in this world, approximately 2000 years. We say approximately no man knoweth a day nor the hour, but we know that the time is short. We know that his coming is near. And I remember our brother Albert Hayhoe used to say I am looking into the faces of those that are going to hear the shout.
And we can say it today with some measure of certainty, because of not only the things that are happening in the Middle East and Israel now occupying the West Bank and taking possession in a nationalistic kind of spirit. Not by the Spirit of God, of course. Yet the Lord is going to reveal himself as that one who will rule in righteousness over that land and over that country, and the blessing will flow out to the other Gentile nations as a result in the millennial period.
But they're taking it by force today and we see that that area over there is nothing but a powder cake.
Waiting for something to spark it to cause some kind of inevitable disaster. And of course the the nuclear weapons are are there in many quarters of this world to be launched to retaliate. In fact, the Israeli Defense Minister Steve just sent me an e-mail the other day saying that he was ready to retaliate whatever it took in order to put down their enemies. Well, just to say that in short, beloved, we have the privilege of knowing the wonderful.
Nearness of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. And I'll have to say, there have been times in my life when I have not looked forward to that moment. And I know I'm older than most of you, but it does not depend upon age, really.
It does not depend upon how much we know about the Bible.
It does not depend on our circumstances in life. It depends upon our heart, acquaintance with the Lord Jesus Christ.
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace.
The things are going to get worse in this world. In fact, it says men's hearts will be failing them for fear for the things that are coming upon them. And ever since September 11Th, we see that in fact, how little it takes to cause this world to fear and quake and tremble in the light of the things that are coming upon this poor world that they have no answers for or solutions for. And you and I have had this precious book in our hands since we were perhaps children, Most of us. I'm not saying all. There may be some here who have not.
May it be a revelation to your heart.
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Through these meetings that the Lord Jesus Christ himself, his person, his beauties, His love for you is the answer. And it's a life lived in the joy and the good of that, that will bring you into that living.
A successful life.
Let's read just two verses in Joshua chapter one and verse 7.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded thee.
Turn not from it how easy we do to the right hand or to the left that thou mayest prosper. There's prosperity. Prosperity far above the worth of material prosperity, spiritual prosperity. It all begins with the word of God, as we had before us last night. And we cannot emphasize the the seven days a week and the 24 hours a day.
168 hours a week that we have to give some time to not only read this blessed book, but to meditate in the scriptures. To have Christ before my and your poor hearts. Because we're so empty, beloved, without him. We're so cold. We drift away, We wander away. But the precious Word cleanses us from all unrighteousness as we read it and as we apply it to our own lives.
Oftentimes in the scripture.
Courage and strength are linked together, and the foundation for that courage to be encouraged in him.
And to have that.
Strength that we need for everyday life as our days, so shall thy strength be. How is my day this morning begun? If it wasn't begun with the word of God in prayer, then my day will be just as it began.
As thy day, so shall thy strength be all that we might begin the days, the countdown to that moment when we'll be raptured out of this scene, to be united to our blessed bridegroom, to see him face to face for the very first time. Some have gone on before us of recent.
Young people.
Children.
Older ones, faithful ones, taken from us, beloved brother Bill Asali, who used to minister the word to our hearts, who lived an exemplary life, and I don't lift him up as to to look upon a man. But beloved Saints, it's as though one finished his course with joy. And if the Lord was to come this very day, and I say this to my own heart, could I finish my course with joy?
Would it be that I had all that which had come in between my heart and him for?
Ever. Not forever settled, but settled for today because we have to take up the cross a day at a time. Is there something between your soul and Christ?
Is there something between my heart and him that is a deterrent to my fellowship with him? For our fellowship is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. We're not saved just to be delivered from hell. We're saved for fellowship. We are part of the bride. Is the bride the nearest?
To the Bridegroom of any relationship that exists in this world? Absolutely. And so it will be for all eternity.
The Bride will be with that blessed one at that marriage feast. We will come back with him to be admired in Christ by this poor world, because his glory is so great, so wondrous, so magnificent, that the Church will display that glory of Christ. Oh, how wonderful. But are we going on in the Word?
And encouraged and strengthened only by the word.
If there is anything I ask you again between your soul and the Lord Jesus Christ, or between mine and him, may we take care of that. May we surrender that to him, casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The next verse, this book of the law, shall not depart out of thy mouth.
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A full 4 fold cord here, beautiful brethren.
A full forward court. It shall not depart out of thy mouth once it comes into the heart. Once it is read and enjoyed, it shall not depart out of thy mouth. And thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do all that is written therein. For then.
Thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then and only then.
Shalt thou have good success, number one out of thy mouth, the word of God, What is it that we speak?
As your heart is so, the mouth doth speak paraphrasing.
Is my heart occupied with him as he has revealed to me in the precious word?
And thou shalt meditate the second one.
Meditation upon the Word will bring you and Me into the joy of His love.
There is no substitute for that. Love is the key to your life and mine, beloved.
For working, for worshipping, for walking with him, for giving up.
On this life, because we find by the power of the Holy Spirit His love is made so precious to our hearts that we say to the things that we have gone on with, and perhaps in a wrong way with the wrong Spirit. They are refuse, they are vain vanity and vexation of Spirit. The third thing is that thou mayest observe to do, and the fourth thing.
For then thou shalt make thy way prosperous. There are many examples in the precious word of this concerning this full fourfold cordon.
The one I think of primarily is David.
And David was living a life when he was just a lad of 17 years of age, and perhaps that's an average age here today, I don't know. Removing the fathers and mothers, of course. 17 years of age, a very important age, a very valuable age in the sight of the Lord. David was living a life in such obscurity, taking care of his father's flock, that when it came time for Samuel to review the sons of Jesse as to who would be the coming king.
We find they had to call for David, who wasn't even there.
Who didn't maybe have the stature and the significance in his outward appearance, but it says God looketh not on the outward appearance, but upon the heart. He knew David, as a young man of 17 years of age, had been living a life with his father's sheep, taking care of them.
And in fact, he told Saul when he was going to fight the giant, he said to Saul. Concerning the army, he said.
There came a lion, and there came a bear and took a kid.
Out of the flock.
And he said, I took him by the beard, and smote him.
And I killed both the lion and the bear, and the Lord delivered me out of their hand 17 years of age. It was because he had.
Meditated in the word of God.
Psalm, chapter 19. Perhaps we could look at a verse there, and this describes perhaps the life of David Psalm, chapter 19 And the last verse. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight. Oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. Psalm 1914.
The words of my mouth, they were governed by the word, by the meditation of the heart in the life of David. And it says of him that he behaved himself wisely. So here was a man who knew the word of God.
Who was this called the sweet Psalmist of Israel?
And at that age began to live not in the sight of men, not in the sight of his family even, but in the sight of God.
A very successful life. We do not want to infer for a moment that we would say of anyone, of you or of us that you're living a successful life. That's for the Lord to appraise.
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Paul, the apostle said after he was saved. He said, I am less than the least of All Saints.
Because he found out when he came to the Lord Jesus Christ that he became nothing but a humble servant at the Savior's feet.
Now, could we turn to a few verses in Second Samuel chapter 23?
And we're going to look at the end of David's life.
During the time when Saul persecuted David.
Before he brought, the Lord brought David's Kingdom in the Lord's anointed to be king.
David found a spot where he could hide and it was called in First Samuel 22.
The Cave of Adalom.
And it says there that many who were in distress, many who were discontented, and many who were in debt, and his whole Father's house came down to him there, and gathered themselves unto David.
Friends, I would like to ask you, are you discontent with your life?
Are there distresses in your heart and life? Have you come bearing a burden that just doesn't seem to go away?
Unanswerable by any kinds of philosophies of this life, or any any human wisdom.
And you want with all of your heart to have that burden lifted?
This is the picture we have of David in The Cave of Adalom when they gathered unto him.
There were those who were fashioned for his Kingdom in that awful.
Cave, we might say unattractive place, a place of reproach. There were souls that were in trouble, that came to him, and they were fashioned by David's example and faith and strength and courage, and by David's successful life.
A humble, broken, spirited man he was, but their lives were fashioned by him in that place of reproach. I would like to say to you, beloved Saints, I have been raised in the lap of spiritual luxury.
But I cannot say to you this morning that I have appreciated the place that I have been in.
All of my life I used to be very envious of those who were outside and other places, who seemed to have liberties and did things, and they were in singing groups and different things that I always kind of wanted to be in. And it just, it just seemed to me for me to come to my grandfather's house, to remember the Lord to be kind of dull and uninteresting and boring.
I want to tell you something.
There is no greater place.
On the face of this earth, and it's really above this earth. It's an upper room.
That the Word of God substantiates and gives you the foundation for for a happy life gathered to our David, the Lord Jesus Christ, the coming King.
There is no more wonderful place in this world to be gathered to go to and Saints to be with. Of course we are all failures, but one blessed truth is that our David is there.
For where two or three are gathered together unto my name, there are mine in the midst of them. So these that came to David, their lives begin to change. And then when David came into power, they were used.
Second Samuel, Chapter 23.
Perhaps we can start reading with verse 4.
As he shall be as the light of mourning, the mourning.
When the sun rises, These are the last words of David, by the way before he passed away, as it says in the beginning.
Even a When the sun rises, even a morning without clouds.
We're looking for that beloved Saints. A morning when the clouds will be gone. Are there clouds in your life? Remember, there is a morning coming when there will be no clouds, when the sun will set no more. And we'll see the face of him whose face was so marred more than any man who's formed more than the sons of men. Although my house be not so with God, David, at the end of his life confesses his failure.
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But it is an interesting thing if any of you and I include myself in this, have failed, and we have, have we not? Brethren so many ways the Lord used David? It seems more after his failure, because he learned from it.
Then perhaps he did before and David At the end of his life, he says it has not been so.
With my house.
Yet he hath made me an everlasting covenant. That's to come. The Lord is coming back to rule, to reign, and that covenant will be with his people. Israel ordered in all things. And sure, for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although he make it not to grow. Then he speaks about the sons of Belial. Then verse eight. It's interesting to look at the life of a person.
Maybe not at the beginning, because we may not have had a good beginning in our lives, some of us.
But it's wonderful to look at the end of a person's life. Hebrews 13 speaks about looking under those who are the leads or the guides among you whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation, the end of their life. Here is the end of the lives of those that were gathered unto David in The Cave of Adalom, and we will see that they were successful, not confessed by them.
But appraised by God because they no doubt followed Davis''s example.
And they meditated in the Word, and the words of their mouth were pleasing unto God, and their lives were that which were lived in obedience to His Word. And they were happy, man.
Men. And they were powerful men.
In the Kingdom of David, 40 years.
And I don't know that all of them, or if any of them, perhaps a Bishop. I was mentioned previously the brother of Joab in this list, but they were kind of lived. They lived lives in some measure of obscurity.
Unknown to the Kingdom.
But well known to God and to David.
Two Samuel 23, verse 8. These be the names of the mighty men whom David had the tackle might, and in the margin it says Josh Shabet, the Tachymite.
That's a little difficult to say three times real fast, but he sat in the seat. His name means that he sat in the 1St place. Notice what he did?
The same was Adino.
That is his nickname, so to speak. He lift up his spear against.
800 whom he slew at one time. Now there is approximately 150 to 200 people here.
If we multiply this company times 4.
And we place Jim Lee on the volleyball court against 600 to 800 people. Would he have a chance? He may. He's pretty good. But beloved, let me say this.
One with the Lord is a majority. And here's a man who proved it. And he was, like the Apostle Paul, this man of God who became a man of God.
Persecuting the Lord Jesus Christ. And that was one of his the feathers in his cap.
In his secular religious history he was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, and and concerning zeal he persecuted the Church.
But he says those things which were gained to me, I counted lost for Christ. He had Christ before him, the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. And Wally mentioned that verse Christ is everything. And we might say here is a man who has the person and work of Christ before him and lives in communion with that blessed one.
So much so that this victory was nothing to him. He slew 800 men at one time.
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I don't think in one throw of the spear or the javelin.
But it was one after the other, impossible feet naturally speaking, but it was accomplished by the strength and grace and power of God. In Second Timothy Chapter 2, it is Second Timothy is a book that speaks about the ruin that has come in that we are experiencing today, beloved, the ruin that has come into the testimony. And Paul encourages Timothy. He says, My son be strong in the grace.
Of our Lord Jesus Christ ruin has come in because.
We have not been strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. And what is grace?
It is Christ himself and my fellowship with him and everything He is to my heart. John chapter one, verse 16 of His fullness have we received.
Grace upon grace or gift, Keep upon gift. And that fullness is Christ. And sometimes when we get done reading the word, we read the Bible so quickly. It's always good to read it, but we have other things in our minds. We were talking about it, some of us last night, Dean and and Jim and I, we have have other things on our hearts and we're reading the Bible just to go through the steps of reading. And that's good, but we need to find time.
Where we don't just read the lines, but we're enjoying the person who thinks about me every day, every moment, every hour. His thoughts towards me and you, each one beloved Psalm 139 says, are so innumerable they're more than the sands upon the seashore, and he's looking for some response from our hearts.
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine.
And the bride and the Song of Solomon says, I am my beloveds, and my beloved is mine, and his desire is towards me. His desire was with the sons of men. Delight thyself in the Lord Psalm 37 And he shall give thee the desires.
Of thy heart.
He doesn't say easy circumstances, you know. With success comes suffering.
Success in the things of the Lord.
It may be defeat after defeat after defeat in some way, but if you learn from that.
You can forget the things which are behind.
The defeats and the successes and be occupied as we had brought before us. Last evening I pressed toward the mark, having Christ before my heart, the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. In fact, before that it says, the life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God.
Who loved me and gave himself for me. In other words, the life he was living by the faith of the Son of God was having Christ as the object. Here is a man who had the Lord as an object, and David had showed him that life, that testimonial from his life, that it works.
There is nothing else, beloved in this world. I'd rather have Jesus.
Than silver or gold. Can you sing that from your heart? Can I?
I'd rather have him than riches untold.
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands.
I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands.
Does he mean that much to you?
Where are you coming with an empty heart?
Seeking someone.
Maybe a relationship for life to satisfy that aching need and emptiness in your life. You know a lot of marriages, even Christian marriages are are started because there's a need for a relationship. But the greatest need of relationship that we have is with him. Blessed is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, or standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
His blessing, that is the fellowship he has with his God, and that is with this man, Adino.
Was so wonderful it was unconditional blessing, unconditional. His circumstances may be difficult. They were. This was not an easy situation to face one man against 800 There was suffering connected with it. It says in first Peter 4 verse one. For as much as Christ hath suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same.
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Mind for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin. And when you say no to the devil and no to the allurements of this world, there's going to be suffering. But let me tell you.
There will be a joy that he will fill your soul with, that no one or no experience here in this life could ever fill equal to what you get from the fellowship of that Blessed One.
The next one is Eliezer verse 9, the son of Dodo.
His name means God is helper.
We have that verse this morning. I believe in our prayer meeting. God is our help. I look under the hills from whence cometh my help. He looked up, not down. The help was not from this earth. And when you're in a difficult situation, as Eliezer found himself one of the three mighty men with David.
When they defied the Philistines that were gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.
He arose and smoke the Philistine until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword, And the Lord wrought, the Lord wrought, the Lord wrought against great victory.
That day and the people returned after him, only to spoil.
Tremendous victory by one man when the men of Israel had fled away.
Have there been those that have left?
The assembly where you are.
Fled away.
Remember what the Word of God says.
Remember, not experiences, but what the Word of God says.
Never leave the assembly.
I know a man who stood up and he spoke on Matthew 1821, Lords Day, a leading brother in our assembly in Buena Park.
One week later, he was gone.
Never. See, I won't leave the assembly. It's only the grace of God that can keep us in the assembly, but never purpose in your heart to leave it.
He is the same yesterday, today and forever. To his gathered Saints, to me individually and to you individually. And here is one who knew that power. His hand clayed to the sword, to the word of God, taking the sword of the Spirit, it says in Ephesians chapter 6.
Concerning the armor taking the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, hold on to it. Even if your hand and heart is weary and there have been trials in your life, it seems like the Lord will test all of us as to how much we value the path the Word of God has marked out for us, even when others have gone away.
What is valuable to you, most valuable to you and me, beloved, that in all things he might have the preeminence. May it be so we can pray for one another, that it will be so.
And after him was Shama, the son of Aji the heroite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. Here is another time when the people fled from the Philistines.
But Shema, whose name means desolation, he didn't care what happened to himself. He was emptied of himself and filled with the power of God. He had strength and courage, David being his example. Down in The Cave of a Dalm, he learned from him the one who had slain a lion and a bear, the one who had killed the giant and delivered Israel from the Philistines.
He knew that one that David knew, and he brought them no doubt into a wonderful relationship with his God. And they knew the same power that he knew, so much so that he stood not on the outer perimeter of this ground, but he stood right in the center of it. Are you on the outer perimeter, beloved of the assembly?
The precious ground of truth.
That God has given us in His Word.
Or are you gathered, so to speak, very close knit to your brethren, to where the Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst, so you can sit at his feet, as Mary did, who heard His word?
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Martha was careful and troubled about many things, but Mary had chosen the better part. And I remember our brother chapter Brown used to say that's going to be the Saints in glory, seated at the feet of Jesus. And we're going to see Mary there, who was the example we have in the New Testament. A wonderful sister who didn't say a word, but by her exemplary testimony lived a life of such.
Heartfelt need to be at her savior's feet.
She was there in prayer, there learning his word and then pouring that expensive ointment upon him. Because.
Nothing else really mattered in this world. I'd rather have Jesus than Silver, Urbal.
She is one who did. And by the way that song was written. I think we may have mentioned that a year ago.
By a man not gathered with us, but a man used of God mightily. His name was George Beverly Shay, who had a contract offered to him with the secular world to sing and to use his gift for the world.
And he gave it up for Jesus.
He came home that night feeling kind of down.
And he sat down at the piano and there was a note on the piano, and it was this poem.
I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I'd rather have him than riches, I've told.
I'd rather have him than houses or lands. I'd rather be led by his nail pierced hands.
And as he played the piano, he put it to song.
And we're seeing it today.
He gave up so much in this world.
Are we willing to step aside from, we might even say, the Philistinian ideas as to how the Church should function? Today they have, and I don't speak critically beloved because my heart would go after these things, except that were captured in some little measure by the grace of God.
Their worship leaders.
Their itinerary and programs.
They know nothing about the Spirit of God leading in the assembly. The praise is up to God and in liberty, those brothers that speak and the sisters who worship quietly.
It is the nature of the nature of man and the things of God, and that kind of thing can come in among us where we regiment things. We have to be careful about that in the assembly.
Here is one who valued that ground of lentils, And lentils is a poor man's bread, poor man's bread.
The Lord delights to have us have that poor spirit to be poor in spirit. Verse 13. The three of the 30 chief went down and came to David in the harvest time under The Cave of Adam, and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of referee him, that is the valley of giants. And David was then in whole, and the Garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem, and David longed.
And said notice he does not ask for.
Or demand.
All that one would give me a drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem.
Which is by the gate and the three mighty men breakthrough the hosts 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 thereof, but poured it out.
Unto the Lord. Now I would just like to say in short.
Where we have come, beloved Saints gathered by the Holy Spirit.
Unto the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We hear him say those wonderful words this do in remembrance of Maine, and to signify the importance of it he said it to the disciples gathered together in the upper room. And then Paul said, I have received of the Lord, and some have suggested when he was in the 3rd heaven he heard those very words. Again I have received of the Lord.
That which I have also delivered unto you, that the same night he was betrayed, Jesus was betrayed. He took bread. And then he repeats this due in remembrance of Me, to show the significance of what it means to his heart.
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For you to be at his table.
To remember him.
Is that part of living a life in his eyes of good success?
In the eyes of the disciples they said to Mary, or about Mary, why this waste, when she poured that expensive ointment upon the Lord Jesus Christ? But the Lord Jesus said, it shall be told of her in the generations to come in the gospel, what this woman hath done, She hath done what she could, and you have the opportunity just a very short time that remains beloved.
Young people, to answer to your David, King David, our David's express desire, this do in remembrance of me. Have you done that yet?
Is there something hindering you? It doesn't even mention the names of these. They also were in obscurity.
But it mentions the desire of David.
And the Lord Jesus would never command you to do it. He wants it to be the desire of your heart to respond to His love. Love that that deserves a response.
Verse 18.
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zariah, was chief among the three, and he lifted up his spear against 300 and slew them and had the name among three. Joab is not mentioned here. He was an astute wicked man in many ways a murderer, only gaining a political position in David's Kingdom. But Abishai, the brother of Joanne, is mentioned.
One of the three.
Verse 19.
Verse 20 And Benaya the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man.
Of capsule of who had done many acts.
He slew 2 lion like men of Moab.
He went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in the time of snow.
The two lion like men, as we have maybe heard before of Moab. Moab had a very incestuous and corrupt beginning, and that's the kind of nature we have beloved young people. I have it. You have it.
Do we reckon it dead?
Do we own that Christ not only died for our sins, but was made sin for us?
Are we delivered from it and from its desires through acknowledging His death for us the corrupt will that we have associated with pride the corrupt lusts I've in fact it says in Galatians we have crucified.
The affections and lusts that is associated with his crucifixion.
It'll get us all in trouble, no matter how young you are or how old we are. Our will, our pride and the lusts of our hearts. We heard about that the other night. Lusts of our hearts. Very dangerous things. Oh, here is a man who took quick and short care of those problems. 2 lion like men. And then he also slew a lion in the midst of a pit.
In the time of snow.
Have you gone back to the world in your life, to the pit from which you have been digged? He brought us up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, it says in Psalm chapter 40. Have you gone back to that pit of the world, and the devil himself, as a roaring lion, is devouring your life so that that success, the Lord Jesus Christ wants to give you, and bless you with from His word and the strength and courage and the blessing of being gathered to His preciousness.
And holding on to the word and giving him that drink.
Of refreshment by remembering him. Have you let it all go?
Your life is being devoured by the enemy of your soul.
Demas, Paul said, hath forsaken me. It's true he wasn't given over to a lustful life, perhaps, but he went back to the world. He hath forsaken me, having loved this present world.
Is there something that is devouring your testimony? One more thing I'm going to mention.
And we will close.
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There was one person.
I think of who was not mentioned here.
And I'm sure that most of you know who it was.
And it seems as though he should have been mentioned in the honor roll of David at the end of David's life.
But his name is left out. He had come to David after David had slain the giant, and he loved David as his own soul. And who was that?
Jonathan.
And he stripped himself of his garments, of his robe, and the girdle of his sword and his ball. He gave all his personal glory, and laid it at Davidde feet, and walked with David for some time.
But in Chapter 20, it says he departed and went back to his family in the city.
And he was slain with his brothers and his father Saul on the battlefield.
In two Samuel, chapter one, David recites his lamentation.
He said. How are the mighty fallen?
I am distressed for me, my brother Jonathan.
My love was wonderful to me, passing the love of women.
David did not find Jonathan at The Cave of Adalam. I don't believe. At least he didn't remain there. He left if he was.
Is your life going to end like that?
Is my life going to end like that? He's strong in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, be filled with His grace that we might be kept in that path of faithfulness and obedience being strengthened by Him. I can do all things the apostle said by him who strengtheneth me.
Our strength is in Him. Our strength is in fellowship with him. Be strong in the Lord that's strong in our affection, In his affection, enjoying that reciprocal communion put on the whole armor of God so you might be able to stand against the Wiles of the devil we wrestle, not against flesh and blood.
But against principalities, against powers, against wicked spirits, in heavenly places?
This is the kind of battle that Satan is warring against you and Jonathan is simply a picture.
A lost dynamic, so to speak, in the Kingdom of David, and he departed.
And David laments.
Now there will be no lamentation in the glory, but when he reviews our lives.
Will he be able to reward you?
For being faithful as Timothy was, when Timothy was discouraged, when Paul had to come to him and say, Keep that good thing which God hath committed to thee, keep it, you can let it go.
We have to pay the more earnest heed it says, lest at anytime we let these things slip, and they slip away so easily, a little at a time, and we lose the significant significance and importance of of these precious things.
But we've been given by his grace.
Thy love was wonderful to me. How much does your love mean to him Who died for you? Who gave himself that sacrifice for you? Sacrifice of love on the cross, should there not be a response?
That is the life that he considers of good success. Shall we close in prayer?