Last Words

Have your Bibles with you. Don't you turn with me if you would to first Kings chapter 2 and we can start off this morning just with the first verse when David's time to die, drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying I'm about to go the way of all the earth be strong. Show yourself a man pray heavenly father we been studying the life of David for almost 2 years nail when we were children, we looked at.

David is our hero. We marveled at his faith, and we brushed over his sins and failures at Sunday school teachers and preachers parents said David is your example Debbie and David works well when David is standing against Goliath nothing but faith in the slingshot works well when we are touched by his inspired Psalms. It works well when we listen to the godly counsel of Abigail and and he refuses to take vengeance on her foolish husband eyeball, but there are other times when David gives himself completely over to the will of the flesh, he commits adultery.

He conspired to murder to cover his sin. This makes us realize that David is not our hero, but he's a signpost to point us to our true hero, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ today as we look at David's death. May we focus on the death of David's Messiah.

So as we close out this study may we look past David and see Jesus, may we trust his gospel, and may we honor his name for it is in the precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen may be seated. A few weeks ago I preached a sermon from second Samuel chapter 23 in verse one of that chapter says, and these were the last words of David we saw in that message that David these were not actually his last words for David lives several months after that, several months after that and we read about many conversations that David had.

After that, so how could these be the last words of David. Well, they were the last public words of David to his nation. They were not the last words of David.

What we are looking at today are David's literal last words David is on his deathbed and is is lying there on his deathbed he shivering with the cold and so they bring in this beautiful young girl, probably 19 or 20 years old.

Her name is Abishag and she gets in the bed with David.

She's trying to to cuddle up with him to getting warm and David is so close to death. He didn't even respond to her. David is fading fast and then all of a sudden a problem pops up Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba. David's wife walk into David's bed chambers and they walking on, and there they are filled with panic, and they say David we got a problem and you cannot die until you deal with this problem and take care of it and so very groggily. David lifts himself up on the bed and he says what's the matter, and Nathan says to him your oldest living son Adonijah has declared himself to be the king of Israel PS to run a coronation party is kill the fatted calf, he is killed.

Although the sheep he is proclaiming himself to be the king and he will not talk to me will not talk about Shiva, it will not talk to Solomon he will not talk to but not PE will not talk to Sadock.

He will not talk to any of the men of valor, the mighty men of valor, and he has convinced Israel that you will him to be the king and all of Israel has agreed with that and they are shouting out.

Long live Adonijah well it was like what God shot her a dose of Holy Ghost adrenaline into David's heart and David sits up in bed and he says no.

He said it is not the will of God for Adonijah to be the king of Israel. God is not declared that to be so. God has declared that Solomon be the king and be the my successor, David says I remember back months when years before Solomon was even born with the Lord told me that this would be the King Solomon would be the king even gave me his name and the name Solomon comes from the Hebrew word shalom which means peace David was saying. I am a man of war. Solomon will be a man of peace and not only will he be the king. He will be more than that he will be the man who will be old the temple to God and the temples of Jehovah, he will build that temple and I will not get to build it so should you go get my Royal mule and you tell Israel that King David has declared under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God that that Solomon is going to be the king and said then you get your mighty men of valor and get all the godly me under this kingdom and bring them out, and I want you to escort David into the city as he is rotting.

The Royal mule and is that's taking place in the people of Israel will cry out long lives. Solomon the real king of Israel, and he will be anointed with all and he will be the king first Kings chapter 1 verse 38 to 40 describes it so Sadock, the priest Nathan the prophet, but not in the son of Jehoiada and the carrot fights and the pillow fights went down and had Solomon ride on King David's mule and brought him to Guyon. There Sadock, the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon and they blew the trumpet and all the people said Longley of King Solomon in all the people went up after him playing on pipes and rejoicing with great joy so that the earth was split by their noise.

So in a very short period of time.

Adonijah was rebuked and essentially just put to the side and Solomon was anointed as the new king of Israel that Texas the first Kings chapter 2 where we see the literal last words of David we share with you two examples of last words. The first 1 Took Pl. 35 years ago I was pastoring Southside church at that point in time and I will. It was a Sunday night. I was get ready to preach was at the church and there was a telephone call came to the church and the man came to me and said that there's a lady on the telephone. She's panicky she wants to talk to you since he's got to talk to you immediately and so I went night I got the phone and the lady said Doug you don't know me, I live in the community said I'm a Christian and my father is an atheist, said my father is is in the process of dying. The doctors are only given him hours to live and she said I wonder could you possibly come and witness to my father, I would just get ready to preach.

I said no I can't come right at this minute, but I'll tell you what I can do I send my associate pastor is here Jim Kelly and Jim will come as I went to GM I shared the situation with Amy said yes. I will gladly go. I gave in the address. He went to the house as a service was ending and are at at our church look to the back of the church and and Jim was coming back in his face was just as white as a sheet I said Jim what happened. He said that the young lady met me at the door. She told me the situation that her dad was an atheist and then she took me upstairs to his bedroom.

So we walked into his bedroom and said I had my Bible in my hand and said the man looked over and he saw my Bible and said he cursed me out and he started screaming and yelling get that Bible out of my house. He said I shared with the man that that who was assumed Jim Kelly and and I've come here to to share the gospel with you and I know that your dying and your only hope is Christ, and he said that man sat up in bed and his face turned as red as a sheet and he said he screamed out one word GG as loud as he could.

He said he fell back in bed and before his head hit that pillow he was dead and Jim looked at me, his hands were trembling.

He said Doug Batman entered into eternity.

Cursing God's name and Jim burst out in tears folks that man's last words were scary. They were blasphemous and they were damning. We share with you much much better example Kim Beauchamp last January gave me a telephone call from Northeast Hospital and she told me that her dad Bob was there at the hospital the doctors were not given him long to live.

She said he's off the BiPAP machine. He won't go back on it and she said, is there any way that you could come. She also called Eugene at that point in time, they weren't letting anybody up in ICU because the Cove Emmaus and so I did know if we could get get up. They are not, but we went and there was a wonderful male nurse. There was a Christian and he let us send me and Eugene and their family. It was a miracle of God that we we got to do that but we went into the ICU room and Bob was lying there in the bay and we all gathered around his bed. We tried to encourage him to took to get back on that BiPAP machine so that he could to extend his life and Bob looked at us and smiled, and he said no. He said I'm tired. He said I don't want to do this anymore. He said I'm ready to see Jesus and there was no panic. There was no fear. There was just godly peace boxers. I want to speak to you all the settlement awake till Robbie gets here.

Rob is his son. So we waited for a little bit and Robbie showed up. We all gathered around his bed and then he went from one person to the next and spoke to all of us personally. He started with Jan and he looked at each one of us and he told each one of us how much he loved us. He said I love you and and a said I want you to know how much I appreciate the ways that you benefited my life and then he encourage every single one of us to love Jesus with all of our hearts and then he said to us, don't worry about me. Jesus is going to take care of me shut his eyes at that point in time and we stayed for a little bit longer than final. Eugene and I left is about 2 o'clock in the morning. A couple of hours later Bob Beauchamp was in heaven. Bob is been my friend and a wonderful encourager to me for 32 years I've missed him and so has Grace Church.

He taught me a lot to his kindness, and to his simple faith, but most of all he taught me how to die I will never forget Bob Beauchamp's last words for points that I want to share with you today. As we look at the last words of David number one is death awareness.

Look at me through wooded verses one through to a when David sounded God drew near the Commandant Solomon his son saying I'm about to go the way of all the earth, the emergency or the crisis is now over.

David stepped up and he said no to Adonijah he would not allow this over ambitious son of he is to steal away the throne of God's chosen heir to the throne. Adonijah has conceded he's not happy about it is nothing new about and so he concedes David move quickly. He moved decisively and now King Solomon is the new king. He has been anointed by all adorning by God and he is seated upon the throne at this point in time it's all that adrenaline begins to flow away from David and all of a sudden his heart begins to slow down his breathing begins to get a little more shallow but he knows that things are coming to an end very quickly now.

I have never been at that at death's door like that. I don't know exactly what that feels like.

But I have been with many people who were at death's door and he looked me right in the eyes and said, this is it. I know that I'm getting ready to go home. I know that I'm getting ready to go see Jesus and they knew it done in their heart that they were dying and everything was getting ready to shut down. So what does David say Kay said I'm going the way of all the earth. Some translations like I'm going the way of all the flesh, so if if if David had been live in maybe a thousand years down the road. They might've had the, the book of Hebrews if he had he could've quoted Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27 that that says for theirs appointed him to me and wants to die and after that the judgment I've had people tell me to stop witnessing to them because that they didn't like talking or thinking about death.

I said to meet death. It makes me feel geeky. I don't like to talk about death death makes me feel uncomfortable and so I've replied to them I said do you think that avoiding the subject will change the situation. I said listen, I said man had been living on this earth for over 6000 years and you need to understand that no man has ever cheated death. The death right every generation is always a sign it's 100% everyone dies. David and face the possibility of dying many times when he stood on the Valley with with Goliath and Goliath looked over at David said I'm in a kill you on the rip you apart. David said no I'm gonna kill you because this battle is the Lord's David was surely standing in faith.

At that point in time, but he would not of been human. If he didn't think about the possibility of death. I'll guarantee you he did and then there was a time when David is being chased around by King Saul and Jonathan King Saul son takes David and Hodson Johnson does not believe that Saul was actually going to kill David. David definitely believes that he's going to killing.

And so David says this to Jonathan truly is the Lord lives and as you're solely as there is but a step between me and death. David knew that his death could easily happen and quickly went on Absalom wage war against Israel. David knew that his life could be taken just like that.

My dad fought in World War II.

He was flying in a plane they were flying over Italy and they were headed toward a Germany and as though the plane was flying the German fighter plane came up behind him and started shooting at them as a piece of shrapnel that went to the side of the plane where my dad was in it went right by his ear and stuck in the other wall of the plane, and dance. It was about 2 inches from his ear. He said he could hear it just quiz right by his ear. He said if that it is that piece of shrapnel had been 2 inches closer. It would hit him right in the head and it would've killed him instantly. He said when he realized that death was that close.

He broke out in a cold sweat so many of us have had close calls and we know what that feels feels like this is different. David said it's here I am fading fast and very soon it will be all over.

David was fortunate in that his death was not sudden, it was not surprising. It was not unexpected of what was taking place. He had several days or maybe even weeks to prepare for what he was going to say he needed to talk to Solomon he need to share some things with Solomon that were doubly very very important. So David was thinking out these things ahead of time that he was going to say to his son. Let me ask you something. Have you ever thought about what your last words might be ever thought about what kind of witness you want to leave to your family when you die, what kind of witness you want to leave to your friends into your church, what are you going to say I shared with you a few weeks ago that I will never forget Martin E birds last words to me, Martin was in the hospital. He was suffering with coded very very sick could hardly talk and he call me up and and we were talking, they put them on a ventilator. Not long after that when able to talk at all.

After that, but he talked to me and he said Doug I want you know that I belong to the Lord and God is sovereign and he said I know that the situation of my eye I am in is not in my hands is not in the doctor's hands is not in the devil's hands is in God's hands, and I know that if this is his time for me to go then praise God so be it.

I'm ready to see Jesus I thought myself to me for an auto praise God every single day for her husband's testimony. I can't tell you how many people since that's since that funeral service have come up to me and said me Doug, I want to die with the testimony like Martin's, so do so. You are ever thought about what your last words might be. I thought about it I think I might like my last words to be this Jesus wins Jesus wins that I close my eyes I breeze my last breath and there's no way in. To be absent from the bodies to be present with the Lord.

Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse eight so split-second later I open my eyes and glory, and there is King Jesus and all of his glory, and all of his Majesty and all of his holiness, shining, radiating like a million suns and I hope to God that my last words on earth will be my first words in heaven. Jesus wins praise God. Jesus wins me throw this in. Also, if you are in the hospital on your deathbed or if you have loved ones in the hospital on their deathbed leaves the television off.

Don't turn the TV on, spend that time reading Scripture to them. Praying with EM ministering to them. Loving on them leave the TV off. They don't need to die here in a Budweiser commercial they don't need to die here and have a pet had a kill Texan and fleas from your dog. They don't need to die here in about the. The virtue of marital infidelity from some stupid us some pop folks clear the air turn the TV off. Let your loved ones died in fellowship with you and with the Lord. Those times are too precious to play with some of the times when I have been with the dying believer have been some of the closest times I've ever had with God. Folks don't waste that time. Don't waste your dine hours with the dine hours of your loved ones high point to is the father's godly counsel to his son and I got two subpoints here. My first sub point is be a man look with me at verse two. I'm about to go the way of all the earth be strong and show yourself a man that goes without saying that David needs to give Solomon some instruction he's going to be the new King David's the king, he knows how to love all the ins and outs of what a king since supposed to do and say need to share with him those things but this is more than that the Psalm is not just a king.

He's also David son and David loving with all his heart and what is David want for him.

He won't seem to be a man of God's reminds me of the encouragement that Paul gives to the church at Corinth in first Corinthians chapter 16 verse 13 workwear square Paul said to the church. He said this, the watchful stand firm in the faith, act like men. So what were David and and Paul, what were they saying to Solomon into the church incarnate. What were they saying were they saying go to the GM white room. Work on your biceps. Every Christian manner look like Arnold Schwarzenegger, i.e. you need to really get working now guys yo-yo to be able to dunk a basketball. You want to be able to run over a defensive back. You'll be able to knock out Mike Tyson. The first round of a boxing match. Is that what he saying no, that's not what he sings not talking about just physical strength here talking about spiritual strength.

He talked about godly character personal holiness and spiritual guts.

David was saying Solomon follow the Lord refused to be a compromise or love the Lord for all your heart mind soul and strength stand against the enemy. Solomon be a man of God or is Paul said it the watchful stand firm in the faith and act like men my sub point to is this obedience to God's word. Look at verses three and four and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keep in his statutes, his commandments, his rules and his testimonies as is written in the law of Moses, you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning the same. If your sons pay close attention to their way to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul. You shall not lack man on the throne of Israel in these famous last words of David. He tells Solomon to be a man. Then he tells them how to accomplish that is that you accomplish me in a man, Bob Bay and the word of God and say you do it and then is very interesting uses seven different terms to describe what awarded the word of God is he calls it a charge, a law, God's ways statutes commandments rules and testimonies folks when the church gets in trouble when the church starts backsliding. It is always the result of compromising with the word of God always the problem in America today is not just a woke liberal Marxist leaning culture. The problem in America today is a spineless church that will not be faithful to the word of God. But if we loved the the abortionist and the transgender people in the LGB QT group. If we love them, then we would love them enough to share the gospel with them. We would love them enough to tell them the truth about the agendas that they have that it is damning their very soul. The most loving thing a church conduce to say the word of God is true.

All the word of God has all her answers the word of God is more loving than you and I could ever be in the word of God tells us that Jesus Christ is our only hope is a church in America had a spiritual backbone that Americans think it would not be turned upside down is America's thinking turned upside down today you better believe it is a situation were in a culture that calls good evil and evil good who puts light for darkness and darkness for light, we put sweet for bitter and bitter for sweet, and the church is not shine the light of God's word on that, thinking, and let them just die in that kind of delusion brothers and sisters that needs to change Philip or I can say this so well just got share it with you. He said it is not just this part of or that part of the Bible that we should obey.

But every last word. There is not one situation, Solomon would face in his life as a man, or the rule of his kingdom. The Bible does not address even when Solomon rewarded his friends and punished his enemies as David told him to do in the second part of his farewell discourse. This needed to be done according to biblical principles and one scholar puts it, the exercise of Royal powers not to be arbitrary for the king is not a law unto himself. It is rather to be in accordance with the law of Moses. What was true for Solomon is also true for us there is not one situation we face in life that the Bible does not address in some Practical Way, God's Word teaches us how to think how to speak and how to live. It tells us what to love and what to hate it shows us how to glorify God forever. This is why the ministry of the church must be built squarely and unashamedly on the word of God as Jane Boyce once said, we believe the Bible to be the word of God.

The only infallible rule of faith and practice, and it is practical because we believe the Bible must be the treasure most valued in attended to in the church's life. We read the word pray the word sing the word preach the word so that we can believe that saving promises and obey its righteous commands. When David told Solomon to walk in God's ways, he was telling him to live a biblical lifestyle. The Bible should have a predominate of influence upon our thinking and our manner of life. This is what will make us real men or real women as the case may be based in our lives on the word of God when it comes to godly manliness.

God's word puts everything to proper perspective.

The Bible teaches a man to join his physical strength, the patience and gentleness so that rather than striking out in selfish anger. He uses his power to protect the weak. The Bible teaches Amanda bring his sexual desire under the control of the Holy Spirit, rather than satisfying his own lust. He gives his whole body and his whole heart to one woman for a lifetime so that God can make a family. In short, the Bible teaches Amanda serve God's daily calling so that his work brings honor to Jesus Christ instead of to himself and so that his wealth can advance the kingdom of God rather than being used for his own foolish pleasures. The best in the only way to avoid wasting your life is to base everything you do on the word of God. My .3 is practical counsel look with me at verses 5 to 9. Moreover, you also know what Joab the son is through I did to me how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel after the son of Nora Demoss of the son of Jennifer Penny killed avenging in time of peace for blood. He had been that have been shed in war putting the blood warm the belt around his waist and on the sandals of his feet act. Therefore, according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to shoaling peace but deal loyally with the sons of Barzilai on the Gilliard died and let him be among those who eat at your table for such loyalty.

They met me when I fled from Absalom, your brother and there's also with you. Shimmy out the son of Garo the Benjamite from the Harlem who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to vanadium and when he came down to meet me at the Jordan I swore to him by the Lord, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword. Now, therefore, do not holding guiltless you are a wise man, you will know which ought to do. You shall bring his gray head down with blood to shield ricin commentators who felt that David was being hateful and vindictive here and he was trying to get Solomon to do his dirty work forming that he wanted these men to suffer and experience paying for what they did to him and he wanted it to be taken care of he wanted Solomon to take care of it, then he could just smile in heaven. I don't think that's what happened at all. I think David was a man who knew Israel better than any anybody else knew Israel and David was a man who knew there was some wicked. Powerful men in Israel who could do great damage to Solomon and also to Israel itself. So he tells tall Solomon about two of these wicked men that needed to be dealt with many tells him about one very godly man.

The first wicked man.

He told them about was Joab and and David did not trust Joab at all.

David told Joab do not kill my son Absalom Joab killed him anyway. Do not kill my that I do not kill Abner and Joab killed him anyway.

Do not tell my son Joab killed him anyway. Joab was a hardheaded belligerent military man and he was power-hungry and so David tell Solomon. This man deserves to die. He deserves to die because if you allow him to live is going to do much damage to you.

Solomon as the king and he will also do much damage to the entire nation of Israel. His life needs to be taken secondly brings up shimmy. I remember him shimmy as they Ernest T. Bass of the Old Testament is a guy that was throwing rocks at David he's the guy that was cursing David.

He's the guy that was falsely accusing David of stealing the throne away from Solomon, and David says he's a thorn in Israel's flesh. Solomon you need to stop this foolishness by taking his life was David being vindictive and hateful.

I don't think so at all. I think David was protecting his son. And I think he was protecting Israel. Then he turns to a godly man is man's name was Barzilai. I was the Gilliard died is a man who had been extremely loyal to David is a man who was very loyal to God. David used him as a prayer warrior used him as a counselor and he would go to Barzilai on Barzilai on you was going on in Israel and he would share things with David the David had no idea were going on and David knew that he could trust him implicitly and this man Barzilai. I never did it to get something from it. He never wanted reward. He never expected rewards. He just did it because he loved David he love God and he loved Israel. So what did David say David said, be sure this man's taken care of these and be sure that his sons and his family are taken care of shows them godly kindness.

My dad was a godly man.

My dad love my mother. My mother can be extremely difficult.

My dad knew her personality and he knew her ways and he was able just to put up with her and he took care of her. He treated her like a queen until the day that he died in his last days on earth.

He asked me for a favor.

He said I know that your mother can be difficult cases. I'm gonna be gone. He said it would be very easy to just walk away. He said I'm asking you to do me a favor, he said, for my sake and for Christ sake.

Honor your mother 10 years. Mom lived from the time dad died till 2016 and during those times. My mother did some things that were extremely difficult for her three kids to have to deal with and I there were times that we want to just throw up our hands and walk away from that situation, and we didn't, and one of the reasons we didn't is because we remembered my dad's words honor your mother, honor your mother folks dying words are not dead words, dying words are words that stick my last point ends our study of David in the last point is David's death look with me at first Kings chapter 2 verses 10 through 11 then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David, and the time that David reigned over Israel's 40 years he reigned seven years in Hebron and 33 years in Jerusalem Davidson have a nail he knows Jesus on a first name basis and if David could speak words to us today. What would be his words to Grace Church.

I think they would be this look to Jesus love Jesus. Worship Jesus serve Jesus follow Jesus.

I think David would say to us, it has never been about David. It is always been about Jesus. Amen, amen.

Let's pray heavenly father.

This passage today, forces us to deal with that which is important, were forced to acknowledge that life is short. Death is certain in eternity is forever father I've challenged our congregation the day to prepare for their last words not so that we could be showy and self-righteous. Not that we should point the world to our goodness in our wisdom so we could finish whale and Gore glorify Christ even in her last moments father our prayers.

This help us to die whale. We asked this prayer in the precious and holy name of Jesus. Amen