WEBVTT 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:01.600 Well, good morning. 00:00:01.679 --> 00:00:05.040 We are studying our way through the book of 2 Samuel. 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:13.599 Today we are in chapters 22 and 23, and these are David's last words as King. 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:18.399 It's his final chance to tell us what matters and what matters most. 00:00:18.719 --> 00:00:22.399 Now, back in 2008, there was a book written called The Last Lecture. 00:00:22.640 --> 00:00:23.359 Not sure if you read it. 00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:25.199 It was on the New York Times bestseller list. 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:26.320 There was a number one book. 00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:31.359 Randy Posh was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon. 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:37.600 And after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, he gave a last lecture. 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:39.200 It was his chance. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:41.439 And he didn't focus on his death. 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:45.600 He took his chance to tell and teach what matters most. 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:50.719 And then his book ended up being that lecture, what he thought matters most in life. 00:00:50.799 --> 00:00:55.359 And this is exactly what's going on here in 2 Samuel 22 and 23. 00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:59.119 It is David's chance to have a last lecture. 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:04.079 It's David's chance to tell us and convey to us what matters most. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:05.680 So let's jump in. 00:01:05.840 --> 00:01:08.159 We're going to work our way through these two chapters. 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:11.040 2 Samuel chapter 22, verses 1 through 4. 00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:19.439 And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. 00:01:19.680 --> 00:01:30.480 He said, The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior. 00:01:30.719 --> 00:01:32.560 You save me from violence. 00:01:32.719 --> 00:01:37.439 I call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:46.079 Now David goes on to describe himself as overwhelmed by death, and in his distress he cries out to the Lord for help. 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:49.680 In verse 7, there's a turning point in the passage. 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:51.040 Verses 7 and 8. 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:55.280 In my distress I called upon the Lord. 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:56.959 To my God I called. 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:01.439 From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. 00:02:01.599 --> 00:02:03.439 Then the earth reeled and rocked. 00:02:03.599 --> 00:02:08.639 The foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked because he was angry. 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:17.599 In verses 9 through 16, David goes on to use vivid poetry, that God responds to David's plea and his prayer. 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:21.840 God responds like a divine warrior in this poetry. 00:02:22.080 --> 00:02:27.599 That the earth shakes and the heavens bow and storm clouds gather, thunder roars. 00:02:27.759 --> 00:02:34.080 Verse 17, He sent from on high, he took me, He drew me out of many waters. 00:02:34.719 --> 00:02:41.759 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. 00:02:41.919 --> 00:02:47.360 They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was my support. 00:02:54.240 --> 00:03:03.599 And we're going to come back to that verse 20, but our point, point number one, is this our present faith rests on God's past faithfulness. 00:03:04.159 --> 00:03:08.080 Your present faith today rests on God's past faithfulness. 00:03:08.240 --> 00:03:13.599 David's praise is flowing from God's past faithfulness. 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:18.240 30 years ago, author, Pastor John Piper, he wrote a book called Future Grace. 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:19.520 Changed my life when I read it. 00:03:19.599 --> 00:03:20.639 We've talked about it before. 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:21.840 The premise is this. 00:03:22.080 --> 00:03:27.840 Piper said, we use God's past faithfulness to fuel our present faith. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:29.120 How do I have faith today? 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:33.280 Well, let's look back, let's remember at God's past faithfulness. 00:03:33.520 --> 00:03:38.639 Philippians 4, 19, and my God will supply every need of yours. 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:44.080 Great, according to his riches and the glory of Christ Jesus. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:44.879 Okay, great. 00:03:44.960 --> 00:03:47.439 So God provides for me, God's with me. 00:03:47.599 --> 00:03:48.400 Great, great, great. 00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:49.360 That's preacher stuff. 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:52.879 But how do how do I how do I live from that place? 00:03:53.520 --> 00:03:55.919 Like on Monday or Tuesday, how do I live from that place? 00:03:56.000 --> 00:04:00.240 And that's how 2 Samuel connects for us because we see David doing it. 00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:11.759 We see David looking back, contemplating, remembering God's past faithfulness, pulling it into the present to fuel a present-day experience. 00:04:12.000 --> 00:04:20.079 We could say it this way: Because God has been faithful, we can trust that God will continue to be faithful. 00:04:20.639 --> 00:04:24.000 Here are five ways, just possibilities that may play out in your life. 00:04:24.079 --> 00:04:28.639 We call them applications, I always like to call them implications of God's grace. 00:04:29.680 --> 00:04:32.959 Remember God's faithfulness more than your fears. 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:37.600 Because the God who was with you yesterday will not leave you today. 00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.720 Preach the gospel to your heart every day. 00:04:40.959 --> 00:04:46.959 Because the cross is God's unchanging declaration that He is for you and will never let you go. 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:50.879 Lean into God's promises, not your own strength. 00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:53.439 That's what we, I don't know if you notice it through the passage. 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:55.920 That's what we kept hearing David saying. 00:04:56.240 --> 00:05:00.959 Saying, My refuge, my shield, my strength, yet God, but God. 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:04.560 The grace that saved you is the grace that will sustain you. 00:05:04.639 --> 00:05:06.639 We're leaning into God's promises. 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:10.399 Number four, bring today's burdens to the Heavenly Father. 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:13.199 You don't have to carry tomorrow. 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:15.839 God has already gone there ahead of you. 00:05:16.000 --> 00:05:25.360 We can trust that because we can look back, remember God's faithfulness, let it fuel your trust for today, and therefore walk forward with hope. 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:34.800 The story of your life, the story of whatever is going on today and your relationships and your job and the difficulties and disappointment, that story is not over. 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:38.000 Jesus holds the future. 00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:39.439 Back to Samuel. 00:05:39.680 --> 00:05:41.920 Samuel 22, 21 through 28. 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:56.079 The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands, he rewarded me, for I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God, for all his rules were before me, and from his statues I did not turn aside. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:05:59.839 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:05.360 And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:09.680 With the merciful you show yourself merciful. 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:12.399 With the blameless man you show yourself blameless. 00:06:12.560 --> 00:06:14.800 With the purified you deal purely. 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:17.839 With the crooked, you make yourself seem torturous. 00:06:18.079 --> 00:06:23.279 You save a humble people, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down. 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:26.560 Now we could read that and become incredibly self-righteous. 00:06:26.800 --> 00:06:32.639 Let's remember who wrote it: King David, an adulterer and pretty much a murderer. 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:41.519 The context of this story, in the context of this chapter, is David highlighting God's grace, not self-righteousness. 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:51.279 David is speaking of a righteousness in terms, in the context of God's covenant with us, God's grace to us, not our perfection. 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:53.360 Jump back in, verse 29. 00:06:53.839 --> 00:07:04.079 For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness, for by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. 00:07:04.240 --> 00:07:06.720 This God, his way is perfect. 00:07:06.879 --> 00:07:09.439 The word the Lord proves true. 00:07:09.600 --> 00:07:12.480 He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:16.560 David goes on to describe that God strengthened him and equipped him. 00:07:16.800 --> 00:07:23.680 Verse 37, you gave me a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:27.439 And then David goes on to recount victories over his enemies. 00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:31.439 The point is this our victory is not self-generated. 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:34.240 It's God empowered. 00:07:38.160 --> 00:07:45.759 And what we just keep hearing is David is seeing all his successes through God's grace. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:53.680 That the good that's come out of his life, the triumphs, he's understanding the full context of how he got there. 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:55.759 How did he get this goodness? 00:07:55.920 --> 00:07:57.040 How did he get this victory? 00:07:57.199 --> 00:08:00.079 Well, that was through God's grace to him. 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:05.439 Verses 47 through 51, he begins to flesh this out more. 00:08:05.600 --> 00:08:16.000 The Lord lives, blessed be my rock and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation, the God who gave me vengeance and brought down people under me, who brought me out from my enemies. 00:08:16.240 --> 00:08:18.720 You exalted me above those who rose against me. 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:20.639 You delivered me from the men of violence. 00:08:20.800 --> 00:08:22.879 For this I will praise you, right? 00:08:23.120 --> 00:08:27.519 Past faithfulness, fueling present-day faith and praise. 00:08:27.839 --> 00:08:32.240 For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations and sing praises to your name. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:39.279 Great salvation he brings to his king and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever. 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:45.200 Point number three is this God's deliverance of us is connected to God's promises to us. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:54.799 The focus of the text widens from David into David's offspring, and that's pointing us to the greater king to come. 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:56.879 All right, so let's Bible study a little bit. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:01.360 Remember, 2 Samuel 7, 16 is the promise that God gave to David. 00:09:01.519 --> 00:09:07.919 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me, your throne shall be established forever. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.000 There's the promise to David. 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:12.799 Acts 13, 22 and 23. 00:09:12.960 --> 00:09:32.240 And when he had this in the New Testament, and when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, I have found in David, the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart who will do my will, and of this man's offspring, God has brought an Israel to Israel, a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 00:09:32.399 --> 00:09:43.679 See, the story of God's faithfulness and care to David and David's family is not a story of David's self-righteousness, perfection, or even David's faithfulness. 00:09:43.840 --> 00:09:52.320 It's the story of God's covenant promise to him, and God saying, I will uphold the promise I gave to him. 00:09:52.960 --> 00:09:57.039 What does any and all of that have to do with your life? 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:02.320 Well, what it means is when God promises something, he fulfills it. 00:10:02.480 --> 00:10:04.639 That means everything for your life. 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:12.559 Because what that means is when he says to you, beloved child, I'm with you. 00:10:13.679 --> 00:10:17.919 It means, beloved child, I'm with you. 00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:26.000 And it's not dependent on your record or your self-righteousness because it's dependent upon his covenant promised to you and his faithfulness. 00:10:26.399 --> 00:10:34.799 What it means is when God says, in Jesus you're fully forgiven, it means in Jesus you're fully forgiven. 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:38.000 Because it's not based on your record or your self-righteousness. 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:41.440 It's based on his covenant promise to you and his faithfulness. 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:52.080 What it means is when God says, in Jesus you're fully righteous, you're fully my beloved, pure, righteous son and daughter, I delight in you. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:59.679 It means you really are that because of God's covenant promise and his faithfulness. 00:11:00.639 --> 00:11:08.799 So all of that, 2 Samuel 22, where we see David looking at past faithfulness, living out of this promise, it's the same thing we do today. 00:11:09.440 --> 00:11:13.360 We live out of the covenant promise and God's faithfulness to us. 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:15.360 Let's jump into chapter 23. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:20.799 This is David speaking, the Spirit of the Lord speaks by me, his word is on my tongue. 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:39.039 The God of Israel has spoken, the rock of Israel has said to me, When one rules justly over men ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:46.399 David then confesses that he and his house and his family, they are far from the ideal. 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:50.799 Yet God promised him. 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:02.399 For he has made me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and secure. 00:12:03.039 --> 00:12:07.039 For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire? 00:12:08.799 --> 00:12:18.240 See, all of David's life and the goodness is coming from the root of God's pursuit of David. 00:12:19.360 --> 00:12:25.519 We have to remember in every word we read, this guy's an absolute mess when it comes to his record. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:31.600 Like if we're gonna put up the spiritual report card here, I mean, this guy's at the bottom of the list. 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:40.720 And yet he's the one saying, God's my refuge because he knows God's faithful. 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:44.960 Pointer four is this, all kings point us to the greater King Jesus. 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:57.440 Over and over again, David's hope rests not in himself, but in God's everlasting covenant, which means that all the spiritual anxiety that we feel, how righteous am I today? 00:12:57.600 --> 00:12:58.320 Am I love today? 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:00.080 It can just all go away. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:09.279 Because it's not based on your record or your righteousness, it's based in Jesus' record and righteousness, and God is faithful to uphold that for you. 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:16.320 David's last words, his last lecture are all about God being faithful. 00:13:17.279 --> 00:13:21.200 Even while we are not always faithful. 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:26.559 Point number five is this in Jesus, God does not put up with us. 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:28.879 God delights in us. 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:33.120 Remember, I said we're gonna come back to that 2 Samuel 22 verse 20. 00:13:34.720 --> 00:13:38.000 He, God brought me out into a broad place. 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:43.759 He rescued me because he delighted in me. 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.279 You ever been in that tight place, that confined place? 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:52.720 You feel enslaved, burdened, overwhelmed, and then you get a breakthrough. 00:13:53.039 --> 00:13:57.120 God gives you a breakthrough, God intervenes, a door opens. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:06.159 The image of being brought to a broad place that always reminds me of this hike that I love in Teton National Park is called Death Canyon. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:13.360 And this hike, it's a canyon on the other side of Phelps Lake, and you can see that's you hike up into that canyon, and there's a stream coming. 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:15.279 It's lovely, it is lovely. 00:14:15.440 --> 00:14:18.639 But the entire time you're in the canyon, it is tight. 00:14:18.879 --> 00:14:20.480 You're confined. 00:14:20.799 --> 00:14:24.080 You don't have broad, open views. 00:14:24.639 --> 00:14:32.879 But then you get to the top of the canyon, you get into this open, broad area called the Alaska Basin, and it opens up. 00:14:33.919 --> 00:14:37.519 It's spacious, it's open, it's it's freeing. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:39.759 Feels restful. 00:14:40.960 --> 00:14:42.639 See, God brings us there. 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:44.960 God wants to take you there. 00:14:45.919 --> 00:14:48.559 Open, spacious, freeing. 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:51.679 Why would he want to do that? 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:56.159 I mean, does he want to do that because of your record, your spiritual record? 00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:58.639 Does he want to do that because he's impressed with you? 00:14:58.879 --> 00:15:02.480 Does he want to do that because you've just been a really good Christian the past three weeks? 00:15:02.559 --> 00:15:03.279 It's been wonderful. 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:04.320 He's so amazed. 00:15:04.559 --> 00:15:05.919 He's amazed at you. 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:10.720 Verse 20, he brought me out into a broad place. 00:15:10.960 --> 00:15:14.320 He rescued me because he delighted in me. 00:15:14.639 --> 00:15:16.159 He delighted in me. 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:26.080 The Hebrew word delight means to take pleasure in, cherish, desire, or favor, to be pleased with. 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:31.440 And to this, God says that he delights in you. 00:15:32.639 --> 00:15:34.639 I think about who wrote this. 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:41.360 David was the king, but an adulterer, basically a murderer. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:46.720 And to that royal mess of a human being, he says, I delight in you. 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:50.320 I want to take you to freeing places, open places. 00:15:51.200 --> 00:15:53.200 This week I was thinking about that word delight. 00:15:53.279 --> 00:16:00.240 And when I was a little boy, um, grew up in plantation woods, and we had a plantation woods swimming racquet club in the summertime. 00:16:00.320 --> 00:16:02.480 We'd all be down at the pool swimming. 00:16:02.639 --> 00:16:10.879 And then the boys, me and my little gang of boys, we'd we would, every once in a while, we'd get on our bikes and we'd ride to the front of the neighborhood because there was a dairy delight at the front of the neighborhood. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:12.480 We weren't allowed to tell our parents we were going up there. 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:18.720 We had to do this kind of clean dust, and we'd ride up there, we'd each get a dollar bill, and we would ride through the drive-thru of the Dairy Delight. 00:16:18.799 --> 00:16:19.919 We thought it was so fun. 00:16:20.080 --> 00:16:26.320 And we would order the soft serve dipped in butterscotch, Dairy Delight cone. 00:16:26.480 --> 00:16:28.639 You remember our Dairy Delight's still even around? 00:16:28.720 --> 00:16:29.519 I don't know. 00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:36.960 We'd go sit on the curb at Eckert Drugstore, and we would eat this ice cream cone. 00:16:37.519 --> 00:16:43.679 This delight, and we just little boys on a summer day, I mean, just cherish it. 00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:46.639 That's the word delight. 00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:48.480 Like, I cherish this. 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:50.559 I long to be with this. 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:55.919 The greatest metaphor for God in the Bible is a heavenly father. 00:16:56.080 --> 00:17:01.759 I mean, even Jesus says, hey, when you call God, when you call on him, just go ahead and call him Abba. 00:17:03.039 --> 00:17:06.240 Just go ahead and call him loving Papa. 00:17:06.880 --> 00:17:11.039 It would be the best way for you to think about him. 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:19.839 Artist Charles Macassy, he's drawn three powerful image images of our relationship with God. 00:17:20.880 --> 00:17:24.079 He illustrates how God is a loving papa. 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:27.839 How God delights in you. 00:17:29.200 --> 00:17:30.960 Not because of anything you've done. 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:38.480 See, in the images, in every image, the child is the one in need, needing to be rescued. 00:17:38.799 --> 00:17:41.039 Love comes to the child. 00:17:42.640 --> 00:17:45.920 Beloved, in Jesus, God does not endure you. 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:48.720 He adores you. 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:51.039 He doesn't put up with you. 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:53.839 He delights in you. 00:17:54.319 --> 00:18:02.640 And he can do this fully because Jesus is that sufficient for all of our messes and brokenness and sin. 00:18:03.359 --> 00:18:10.960 And our record that's just never quite good enough, our record is fully righteous because of Jesus' righteousness. 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:16.720 So when he looks on you, he looks on you like he looks on his own son, Jesus. 00:18:17.599 --> 00:18:18.720 Fully righteous. 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:20.319 He delights in you. 00:18:20.480 --> 00:18:22.319 He can't love you anymore. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:25.359 So on Father's Day, we celebrate our fathers. 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:27.599 We're so thankful for our fathers. 00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:33.359 And as God's beloved, we know the Heavenly Father delights in us. 00:18:34.319 --> 00:18:37.519 If you have any questions about the sermon or need prayer, I'll be down front afterwards. 00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:38.799 Love to pray with you. 00:18:39.039 --> 00:18:40.559 Let's pray together. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:46.880 Heavenly Father, what an honor that we get to say Abba, loving Papa. 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:53.920 What an honor to be weak and weary in your arms. 00:18:54.400 --> 00:18:58.000 To say and to confess that it's not our record. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:00.000 We are not impressive. 00:19:00.400 --> 00:19:08.480 And yet you delight in us because you promise that you'll love us, because you are faithful to uphold the promise. 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:26.319 And we can see the promise in history in the cross of Jesus, where your love is displayed objectively, and we can always look to it to let it fuel our present faith today that you are with us, you are for us, we are forgiven, we are righteous, and we are loved. 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:28.400 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:19:28.640 --> 00:19:29.119 Amen.