The Absolute Necessity of Perseverance

Stanford: worship: worship today comes from Psalm 55 verse 22.

Castor burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.

He will never permit the righteous to be moved. You may be seated. Please join with me in prayer our father in heaven we come before you this Lord's day to remember your great mercies for us the great wondrous deeds you've done in both creation and in our lives that you have redeemed us from darkness brought us into light your word here proclaimed. We pray would glorify you today that would pierce our hearts convict us and motivate us to godliness. We pray that this Lord's day that we come before you and celebrate your mercies that we lift up our songs of worship that you would be pleased with that that we would focus our minds and our hearts on how we might live a life that's pleasing to you not to earn your pleasure, but to give you pleasure in in our lives that we would live our lives as a thanks for what you've done for us.

We pray that you would work in the hearts or congregation to urges on the holiness. We pray that we would remember you not only just on the Lord's day, but every day that each and every moment are thought to be captive with how we can glorify you each day how our words and our actions could be a testimony to others of your work in our lives. We pray that you would forgive us for the time to redo. Forget you that sometimes we are tempted and we pray that you would give us your urging of your spirit to guide us on the right way. We pray that this worship service today would be pleasing to you that you would call us to remember that we are here to give you worship and that we would be able to focus our minds now free our minds from the cares of the world and bring us to a deep concentration on what you have to bring to a state through your word, we pray, your spirit would work in us and Christ that you will be pleased with our worship. We pray that you would be glorified above all things we do pray this in Jesus name meant this past Tuesday, the Catawba Valley Presbytery met for worship and during that service. In older, wiser, retired minister in our Presbytery. Banting preached a message and in that message he told the story of a pastor and this pastor's name was Martin Ricard.

He was a German Lutheran pastor.

During the 1600s and have just a very difficult ministry. He pastor during the 30 years war, he pastor during a pandemic and Dan shared with us that at one time in this man's ministry he was burying 40 to 50 people a day.

Because of this pandemic that was that was going through his area. One of those that he married was his own wife, and in time he had married all the other pastors in the area. He was the only minister the only clergy left to try to carry the weight of ministry to this this group and in that setting.

He writes these words that were about to sing a little read the second verse of the hymn. Now thank we all our God, written by Martin Riccardi said old Mavis bounty is God through all our lives near us with ever joyful hearts and blessed peace to cheer us and keep us in his grace, and guide us when perplexed and free us from all ills in this world and the next. I love the background of that story.

It it adds so much meaning to this hymn, and it puts our challenges that we are faced with today in perspective doesn't let's think about these things as we sing a hymn of thanks to our gracious God, would you stand with me as we worship the all all all all all I all all all all all these will all be all past where Paul warns us of pride, self-centeredness, selfish ambition, and he reminds us that our model is Christ we are to imitate him have his mind in us, particularly as it concerns his humility and his servant heartedness Philippians 2 verses 1 to 13. So if there is any encouragement in Christ any comfort from love any participation in the spirit any affection and sympathy complete my joy by being of the same mind having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grass, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him, and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the father.

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure. The word of think we all have to admit that we don't work out that salvation nearly hard enough, but thank the Lord we have a mediator have forgiveness in Christ, we have a high priest.

We can run to. Let's run to him now as we confess our sin together. Would you pray with me church holy God Lord, most gracious rebuke us not in your anger or chasing us in your wrath you have called us to come to you. We feel unworthy, for we have failed you again and again we feel like running away yet you keep calling us, have mercy on us, O God, have mercy. Holy God father, most gracious rebuke us not in your anger nor chasing us in your wrath he lost from our sin, for we are troubled deliver us for the sake of your steadfast love our sins trouble. Also, God we are troubled by how they have hurt others. We are troubled by how they have hurt us your ways our rights righteous God, and whenever we have refused to follow them. We have found out how right they are, have mercy on us all. God holy God God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us for the sake of your son who died to free us from our sin to you, be honor and glory.

Amen. Take just a moment to silently confess your particular sins to the Lord. So now to these wonderful words Romans chapter 8 who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness or danger or sword as it is written, for your sake we are being killed all the day long we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered know and all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, or things to come, powers, nor height or depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen. What a wonderful, wonderful gospel we have learned a new song at least new for us this morning that is a reflection on the beauty of that gospel. What a wondrous mystery. It is that God became flesh to save sinners like us was meditate on that gospel. As we stand together and sing come behold the wondrous mystery for all the fee the name all all my will and all will all be in all all all all all the will and will will will will all know all men remain standing in honor of God's word as we read your Bibles with you today truth. If you would first annual chapter 23 and where you start with verses 15 through 19. David solid solid come out to seek his life.

David was in the wilderness of CF at Horace and Jonathan Saul son rose and went to David at Horace and strengthened his hand in God and he said to him, do not fear for the handle. Saul, my father shall not bungee. You shall be king over Israel, and shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this and the two of them made a covenant before the Lord.

David remained at Horace and Jonathan went home. Pray heavenly father. This passage of Scripture is extremely relevant to the time in which we are living in this passage we see how you put steel in David's backbone through testing his faith. You talk David through numerous hardships to refuse to quit. Lord you talk. David had a trust you even would it look like his world was falling apart around them. You talk David. The compromise was his enemy and yielding to temptation would destroy you deepen David's joy when he stood on your promises. Father were entering into a new era in America is a nonsensical lawless line era is hard to know who to trust is difficult to see the right path. Open our eyes that we might see truth open our minds that we might not be deceived, open our hearts that we might love like Jesus did open our resolve that we might persevere for your glory. 40 is in the precious and holy name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

Several years ago a friend call me up in tears. A talk to me about his son. His son was 20 years old. He told me that when his son was 12 he had made a profession of faith and join the church.

He was involved heavily in the youth group he was there Sunday school. He took the Lord's supper and he said this, I never gave him a minute of trouble, but his son this year had gone off to college he come back at the time of a vacation and he said that he noticed in first talking to his son that his languages got vulgar and started experiencing when experimenting with alcohol and and started smoking pot and they invited him to come to church and he said no I don't want to do that. He said I renounced my faith and he said I'm not going to come to church and I wish I had wasted all that time in church. He went on to say that he now believed in abortion that it was a woman's right to choose that he now stood firmly on the. The idea of gay marriage and transgender is and he said that he no longer believed in the biblical account of creation that he was now Darwinian evolutionist. So my friend very upset. Went to his pastor and said he was just deeply burdened about this and as he walked into his pastor's office pastor was very lighthearted about it and the pastor said to him, look, you don't have to worry about this. Your son made a profession of faith when he was 12 years old and we believe once saved always saved, so he said your son can stay in rebellion all his life and when he dies, he's going to heaven we would call him an unbelieving believer and so he walked out and my friend walked out, shaking his head and he said to himself. I believe in once saved always saved, but he said there's something about that.

That just doesn't sound right. That gave me the opportunity to share with him and I was able to share with him how wrapped up in the doctrine of eternal security. We have the doctrine of perseverance that people's eye ointment doesn't wait a minute, were saved by grace through faith plus nothing and if you have perseverance to that, then that perseverance is a human work know it's not voted by the grace of God, you genuinely been saved then by that same grace of God, you will persevere to the end.

Usually, perseverance is not a human work is a spiritual gift. It is a spiritual fruit is a spiritual empowerment perseverance as part of the sanctification process that makes us like Jesus.

So do I believe in eternal security absolutely dry believed in.

Once saved always saved. Absolutely I do.

But I do not believe in. Once professed faith always say it was Jesus who said that not everyone to say a thing of the Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but if you are genuinely saved, then you will persevere to the end and your Christian life there to be ups and downs.

They're going to be times that are load times are to be times that are hot times you might get through a time of backsliding.

But if you truly belong to the Lord. Rest assured of this the Lord loves you so much that he is not going to allow you to go too far. He is going to chasten you and discipline you and do whatever he has to do to bring you back in the right fellowship with him and if that doesn't happen in your life and you die and just defiant rebellion against God and the problem is not that you lost your salvation. The problem is you never had it to begin with saying the right words going through the motions does not bring about conversion. If your heart is been regenerated by God, you become a new creation for all things are passed away and all things have become new boats shared with that man at that point in time that if I was in his shoes that I could not feel comfortable in feeling safe and secure for his son. I said I would pry my heart out for my boy. He said I said if I were you I would witness him every chance I got, and I will pray that God would bring Christian influences into his life to influence him for Christ's sake after the next thing I would do as I get them out of that college. I said your spending thousands and thousands of dollars and to do what maybe to get him a better job. What's happening is his faith is being destroyed the liberal professors, and that college have an agenda and bless God that agenda is not a godly one folks at tolling this don't give up on him. Don't bank on a profession of faith that is not producing spiritual fruit, perseverance is an absolute necessity. Today's message on David is a perfect example of this. If David had not belong to the Lord that he would not of been able to go through all the trials that he did. But God gave David the grace to persevere, but we are living in a time and have lived in a time where it's bit. It was relatively easy to be a Christian. We had government protected freedoms. We lived in a community where the community was friendly to the church.

Most of the people that we knew were church members. Things are changing quickly, and they are changing radically. There's a new anger at the Christian church in America today because the truth of God, the truth of God stands diametrically opposed to the cultural agenda that we seen this in communist countries. We seen this in Islamic states, but up to this point in time we not seen this in America. I will never forget the chill that went up and down my spine when I talked to Harry Reeder a few years ago after we come back from a mission trip to Uganda in 2003 Idi Amin who was the dictator of Uganda died, Harry went after that and while he was there. Some Christians took him to a place called the statehouse the statehouse in Uganda. What was a place where they executed over 10,000 Christians, they took there they could decapitated all of those Christians, they took their skulls and place them in rooms in this statehouse where they went from the floor all the way up to the ceiling with Scott human skulls. They took the bodies of these Christians and they use them for filler to fill in the potholes in the city and pave right over them. Now what if these Christians done why they didn't decapitated like that because they proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord and Idi Amin says no that title belongs to me, so they accepted decapitation rather than submission to Idi Amin. But those Christians are in heaven today. That kind of thing was off my radar.

I couldn't imagine that kind of Thing Ever Taking Pl. in America. I'm at the point now where I'm beginning to imagine it. Real persecution is coming and it's coming quickly. This passage teaches us how to be prepared for it. David has love the Lord, he is served King Saul. He has killed Goliath.

He is written Psalms.

He has been anointed by the prophet Samuel to be the next King of Israel, but now he's being chased by Saul who has the intention of killing him.

David is just taken his little army up to the little city of chela and they were being attacked by the Philistines and David is the one that went to fight against the Philistines that should've been Saul's responsibility. But God gave the responsibility to David and David ran the Philistines out of chela and set the people free and their hearts were absolutely filled with joy within. David found out that Saul was headed to chela and he was headed to the city of chela for a purpose and that was to kill David that was to take his life. When David found out that he also found out from the Lord that the people of chela were going to turn him in to Saul so that he would be killed, and with absolutely broken heart with a confused mind. David flew out of their and he went into the wilderness to place calls the there he has time to think.

Should he just give up. Should he leave the country that he loved to go off to some foreign country or should he stay there. He was wondering about that all the stuff was going on in his mind, God had promised him that he would be the next King of Israel, but it did not look like that promise was going to come to pass. So what should he do should he quit or should he persevere three points that I want to share with you as we look at the absolute necessity of perseverance.

Point number one is the power of godly friendship with me again verse 15 through 18, David, Saul, this all the come out to seek his life.

David was in the wilderness of CFN Horace and Jonathan, Saul's son rose and went to David and Horace and strengthened his hand in God and he said to him, do not fear for the handle. Saul, my father shall not find you, you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this and the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remade Horace and Jonathan went home quick story there. Two statues in Washington DC if they're still stand and I don't know this craziness it's gone on this summer. They may have torn them down. I'm not sure that one time they were standing and one of these statues was a statue of Ulysses S Grant. It was standing right beside the reflecting pool beside the capital building, Ulysses S Grant was the general union general that fought tooth and nail against the Confederacy. PO was a man who symbolized the strength of the human will. He was an icon of the strongman who would stand against the storm when others were shrinking back to 1/2 miles from there was little park in that park. There was another statute and that statue is a statue of Maj. John Rollins given a longer who lived in Galena, Illinois, Galena, Illinois, was the hometown of Ulysses S Grant, and Grant knew this man whale and trusted him thoroughly and he asked this man to become his Chief of Staff and he did and John Rollins knew the flaws in the character of Ulysses S Grant. He knew that he had a great weakness for alcohol at the beginning of the war, he extracted a pledge from general grant to abstain from drunkenness. He encouraged grant and pushed him toward sobriety anytime grant would drink he would not leave his side. He would follow him everywhere and sometimes he got so intoxicated that he have to pick him up and put them on his horse, most people have never even heard of John Rollins but John Rollins was a huge factor in the success of Ulysses S Grant. I want you to know that Jonathan was a huge factor in David success. Listen to Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verses nine through 10 I'm writing this from the Christian standard Bible, two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their efforts forth either falls.

His companion can lift them up, but pity the one who falls without another to lift them up.

Jonathan is one of the most amazing men of the Bible to me if anybody had a right, humanly speaking, to resent David it was Jonathan he was in line to be the next King of Israel. He had been a great commander in Saul's army had great leadership skills.

He was a godly man he would've probably made a good team but he was not God's choice. God's choice was David and God made that choice. Jonathan shows no jealousy, no animosity, no bitterness whatsoever. The Scripture says that Jonathan love David as he loved his own soul, but his dad's Saul hates David.

He resents David he wants David keeled. So Jonathan is worried about his covenant brother David and he realizes that he's going to do something so he leaves the camp of Saul and he goes all the way through a dangerous desert and he makes his way to go see his friend David when he gets there. David is still grieving over the deaths of all the people in Nob who Saul had keeled. He wiped out entire town and David is still filled with with absolute confusion and frustration over why the, the town of chela would be willing to turn him in. After he faltered them and won the victory and set them free. He just doesn't get it. David is emotionally spent.

He is mentally fatigued and he is spiritually exhausted and Psalm six verse three David said this, he said, when my soul is in anguish, how long, O Lord, how long now headed having Jonathan respond to the need of his friend.

Look at verse 16.

Again, this is Jonathan, Saul's son rose and went to David and Horace and strengthened his hand in God.

Jonathan took the initiative.

He's the one that went to David. He was in a safe place with the Army of Saul all around the he could've stayed there and everything would've been fine with him, but he felt the need to leave and go into danger.

He went into the desert by himself.

There are a lot of dangers they are, but he had to go see David and he went. Jonathan was doing what Paul commanded us to do and the New Testament reading that we read just a little bit ago from Philippians chapter 2 verses three and four. Paul said this and this was the command's is it well was to Jonathan do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than your sales.

Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others. Since I have as Jonathan encourages covenant brother David McKay.

He did walk all these miles through a dangerous desert to give him an atom boy even walk all those ways in place all those dangers we could pat David on the back. The Scripture says that he strengthened his hand in God, not what what does that mean will David's hands were trembling.

David gone through some unbelievably tough tough trials and David was a point where he felt betrayed by me and and he felt ignored by God's faith and gotten weak. His hope had deteriorated so what do Jonathan deforming he strengthened his hand in God, was that mean it means that he took David's hand and took God's hand and put them together. That's figurative language. But Hannity do that. Have any put their hands together. He did it this way.

He reminded David of the promises of God. He then taught David once again be willing to stand on those faithful promises of God, look what he said in verse 17 he said to David, do not fear, for the hand of Saul. My father shall not find you, you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you saw my father also knows this. I wonder if he said to him, no weapon formed against you, David shall prosper how wonderful he went back to first chapter of Joshua chapter 1 verse nine were God said to Joshua, be strong and of good courage, be not afraid or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

I love the story and second Kings chapter 6 where Elisha, the prophet is with his servant get hazy and all of a sudden they are surrounded by the Syrian army, hazy get so nervous and so upset that his knees began to knock together and looks like he's gonna fall down and so he reaches over the Hudson and then he says this towing listen carefully.

He said do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them. Then Elisha prayed and said, oh Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.

So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha when the servants all the reality of God's promise fear just flew out the window.

The one concerned about fear anymore. Why, because God opened his eyes and he looked at me didn't see just a Syrian army that he saw another Army surrounding them. An army of angelic warriors that were on chart chariots of fire and when he saw that fear flew out the window because he knew the Syrians could not win a level Richard Phillips that here listen to this carefully.

He said it was because Jonathan was strengthening David's grip on God's character and promises that he could say to David, do not fear. David was in danger of being undone by fear Psalm 54 reportedly written on this occasion gives honest reason for David's terrible fear strangers of ribbons against me ruthlessly and seek my life.

They do not set God before them. Sale since the slaughter of the priesthood Nob solid shown himself willing to employ desperados and thugs to work is violence, such me and were bearing down on David, if we have ever felt the looming threat of neighborhood bullies of a malicious appear your work or of corrupt and tyrannical government powers, we can put our sales and David she's if David was to continue. He must have the antidote for fear which Jonathan gave him in the promises of God. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German theologian who was executed just a couple of weeks before Germany surrendered in World War II.

Why was he in trouble.

Why was he in prison. Why was he going to get executed because he stood firm on the word of God against Hitler's horrible Nazi domination. This man, Dietrich Bonhoeffer review the importance of Christian friendship.

He knew the importance of Christian brother stand in with them and he was saying in his dying days. The same thing that David was experiencing with Jonathan he said this, the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's word towing brothers and sisters. That's why we have accountability groups here. We have accountability groups here because sometimes we get discouraged sometimes we need somebody to show us a promise from the word of God. This going to get us through that day. Sometimes we are in sin and we need somebody to chasten us with the word of God is what's going on here.

He says he needs him again and again. When he becomes uncertain and discouraged.

He needs his brother man is a bear and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation .2 is testing through ungodly trials. Look at verses 19 to 24 then the fights went to Saul and Gibby is saying is not David hiding among the strongholds in Horace on the heel of Hocker law, which is south of just him on now come down the king, according to all your hearts desire to come down in our part should be to surrender him into the king's hand. Saul said, may you be blessed by the Lord, man. It makes me sick. For you have compassion on me. Go make yet more sure know and see the place where his foot is and who is seen him there for just told me that he is very cunning. See, therefore, take note of all the lurking places where he hides come back to me with sure information that I will go with you these in the land. I will search them out that David and his men were in the wilderness. It may on the are about to the south of just him on among all the thousands of Judah as they arose and they went to see if ahead of Saul. After Jonathan strengthened David's hand in the Lord and help David to believe and and stand on the promises of God. They hugged each other and then Jonathan took off to go back to his father Saul. This would be the last time that Jonathan and David would ever see each other but God had brought Jonathan to David's aid. It was a God sent help. It was a brother who would strengthen his hand in God. What wasn't long before the zip fight Skype contact contacted Saul to say to Saul. David is here come in getting and you can killing here now. When the people of Kayla took that attitude were willing to rattle David they did it out of fear they did it because they look at what Saul had done to the people of Nob carried wiped out that whole city and they said we know that to happen to us.

They were willing to rattle David out of fear because the fights were different. They were just doing this as an as a opportunistic thing that they were saying we going to get on Saul's good side and then that's can help us out politically and monetarily, and this all begins to talk with them using the name of God to say, although this is what God wants from you lately. This is trying to motivate them to kill David in using God's name to do it. What a sorry thing and now David's faith is tested even further. He's going to have to leave ZF. He's going to have to head out to the wilderness again goes to a place called Mahon. But what is going to do is have to make the decision to persevere and trust God doesn't apply to us. I think it applies very strongly to us. God's promise never to leave or forsake the true church. Jesus said on this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. But I want you to know that that promises given to the true church. It's not given to America and I want you to know that America over the last several decades has been thumping their nose in the face of God, and the result of that has been that God has sovereignly progressively been taking his hand of sovereign grace off of us and letting America do with this wicked heart wanted to do. David R or Paul said that this was a problem. He explained this is the mystery of lawlessness. This is a situation where God gives the people over to a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie books anger and hostility that is being expressed on American streets today is demonic and it's it's it's nonsensical done makes sense you look at Saul's. His attitude toward David. His willingness to kill David. His desire to hate David is nonsensical. It doesn't make any sense. David loving David worked for him. David cared for him and he wanted to killing the same thing is going on in America today.

You asked these rioters why they're destroying property asked them why they are beating up old people and shooting innocent people and they'll spank you with anger, but they can give you good answer because they don't know it's a nonsensical demonic act, but we must not compromise with the world. We must hold up the banner of truth, and we must be light in a time of deep darkness. We must put on the whole armor of God, and we must stand for truth in the book of Revelation chapters 2 and three, we have Jesus speaking to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. The seven churches represent the church age in every generation from the time of Christ until the time that Jesus comes back.

Jesus gave some very important instructions to the church when he read some of these to you. Be faithful in the death and I will give you the crown of life to the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone with a new name written on the stone. The one who conquers, indicates my words into the EN to him I will give authority over the nations and I will give him the morning star, the one who conquers I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my father on his .3 is the power of God's providence. Look at verse 25 to 29 and solid as me and went to see Kim and David was told. So we went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of million, and was Saul heard that he pursued after David in the wilderness of million. Saul went on one side of the mountain. David is me on the other side of the mountain and David was hurrying to get away from Saul as solid as me and were closing in on David and his men to capture them. A messenger came to Saul saying her income for the Philistines is made arrayed against the land, so Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines, therefore, that place was called the rock of escape and David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of in getting David left ZF and he went through the wilderness and got to another place in the wilderness call million Saul was told where to find David and Saul marched his army all the way to million and he was right there at a point where it was just almost an impossibility that he wouldn't get David and putting to death and so he was on one side of the mountain with his soldiers. David is on the other side of the mountain with his soldiers and you can almost see the smile on Saul's face as he's just salivating, thinking it's not going be long before I'm able to take David and Ann take his life from him. He's all excited about that. David had nowhere to run, humanly speaking, he was at the end of his rope. There was nothing that he could do and then all of a sudden out of the blue, a messenger comes running up Saul and the messenger says Saul drop everything you're doing, you can't stay here any longer. The Philistines are attacking and you've got to go and fight against them. Take your army right now and go and Saul had no recourse. There was nothing else he could do so we took off and he took us took his army withing and what happened to David. David was left there safe and secure call that you call that the providence of God.

The providence of God. David had no more plans.

He had no more exits. No more hope. God said I got this David. I got this and David didn't have to run because God took care of Saul. I'm a Calvinist.

I believe that God is sovereign over all. That's the clear teaching of God's word and limitation. It's a calming thing in my soul I can be watching the news at night and see these rioters are burning Bibles that are tearing down churches that are knocking down statues of Christ and the people of God in dragging them through the streets, and I feel a little bit of panic panic and fear that will hit my flesh and then it's like God says to me I got it done. I got it folks.

If you go to the book of Revelation. You can us see what we would call some futuristic prophecy in the book of Revelation, but I want you know it's futuristic prophecy to us. It's not futuristic prophecy to God because God is above time and God is sovereign and God controls our future. So is let me tell you what it doesn't matter what the Democrats say and it doesn't matter what the Republicans say it doesn't matter what some liberal college professor might say this is what matters what the word of God says that's what matters and what is the word of God say it says this, Jesus wins praise God. Jesus wins David made mistakes after the miracle of Providence that took place at million, but this lesson he learned that he learned it whale God is calling his people to persevere and we are to put our eyes on him. We are to stand on his promises and say to our sales come hell or high water.

I'm gonna follow Jesus, for he will never leave us or forsake us, is pray. Heavenly father, you gave us the word of God that it might change us, sanctifies us and conform us into the image of Jesus. We asked Lord that you help us to study the life of David with the purpose not just to know the history of Israel, not just to know the personality of David, but that we would know our God in Isaiah 4310 through 11, you explain this to us.

You said you are my witnesses in my servant whom I've chosen that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.

Before me.

There was no God, for neither shall there be after me.

I even I am the Lord, and beside me there is no savior.

Lord you gave that verse to Elizabeth Elliott decades ago and she said that she gave it to her that she would not be shaken. Father do that same work within us, we need that hope. We need that truth. We need that promise.

Help us to be a persevering people who will not be shaken.

Forts in the precious and holy name of Jesus we pray. Amen. You stand with me as we respond to the truth with her this morning for my mind all and all company were with us today. I will encourage you to be back tonight. Eugene's preaching this evening and just excited about what he has to share with our hearts tonight.

6 o'clock tonight. Please be here if you can. In closing, let me courage you with these words that come right from the lips of Jesus my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

My father, who is given them to me, is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand. I and the father are one and all God's children said