So as I have seen thee in the sanctuary, because my lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. And we do that by singing our first hymn before Jehovah's awesome throne. Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Thou without target made us all fail, and for us fail, and when thy world-regime is failed, We are His people, we despair, Our souls and hope are more to fray. But thus we honor, shall we pray, Almighty God, with thankful songs, our hearts burn out, our voices raise. And earth, with her ten thousand tongues, shall feel thy voice, its sound To the first book of Samuel, one Samuel chapter. First book of Samuel, chapter 26, commencing at verse one. Let us hear the word of God together. Zephites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself in the hill of Hekelah, which is before Jesham? Then Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul pitched in the hill of Hekiah, which is before Jeshom, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul was come in very deed. And David arose and came to the place where Saul had pitched. And David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host. And Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. Then answered David, and said to him, Renek, the Hittite, and Abishai, the son of Zohar, the brother of Job, saying, who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster. and Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai unto David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day. Now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth at once. I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not. for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? David said, therefore, more, as the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall descend into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. But I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the crews of water, and let us go. So David took the spear and the crews of water from Saul's bolster, and they get them away. And no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked, for they were asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them. Then David went over to the other side and stood on the top of a hill, afar off, a great space being between them. And David cried to the people and to Abner the southerner, saying, answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, who art thou that criest to the king? And David said to Abner, art not thou a valiant man? And who is it like to thee in Israel? Therefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good thou hast done. As the lord liveth, ye are worthy to die, because you have not kept your master, the lord's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruise of water that was by his bolster. And Saul knew David's voice and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. And he said, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? For what have I done? Or what evil is in mine hand? Now therefore I pray thee, Let my Lord the King hear the words of his servant. If the Lord has stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering. But if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord. For they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord, saying, go, serve other gods. Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord, for the King of Israel has come out to seek a flee, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. Then said Saul, I have sinned. Return my son David, for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day. Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly. And David answered and said, behold the king's spear, let one of the young men come over and fetch it. The Lord render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord delivered thee into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. And behold, as my life was much set by me this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, blessed be thou, my son David, thou shalt both do great things, and so shalt thou still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his most precious word. A second hymn, at the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Every tongue confess Him in our glory now. Since the Father's pleasure we should call him Lord, Who from the beginning was the mighty Word. to receive her name. From the lips of sinners unto whom we came. Faithfully demoralized, softness to the last, He is God the Savior He is Christ the Lord Ever to be worshipped In your heart sent from him, there let him subdue all that is not holy, all that is not true. From him as your captain, In temptations on, Let His will enfold you In its light and power. Brothers, this Lord Jesus Shall return again, With his father's glory, with his angels' praise, For o'er the east of empire, he's upon his crown. O Lord our God, how majestic is your name. You are the great, the eternal God. You are the awesome God almighty, the Lord of hosts, the King of glory, King of the universe, King of this world, sovereign ruler over heaven and earth, and you are a God. We thank you again, our gracious God and Father, for your mercies toward us, very needy and bankrupt people. We thank you that your grace is infinite, your love is beyond measure. We thank you, Lord, for all your mercies and your loving kindness toward us, in and through our beloved Savior, your beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we come to you through him, through his merit, through his sacrifice, through that most precious blood, which has opened the throne room of heaven to his people. We don't come in our own merit for our righteousness is but filthy rags and our deeds are stained with sin and iniquity. But we come through the precious work and through the precious and holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And again, our gracious God and Father, we want to declare how great he is. We thank you that he is a great saviour. He saves great sinners. And Lord, there are those amongst us who can say, he has saved me. And so Father, we thank you for that great salvation. And we thank you Lord that you have given the means whereby we have this opportunity to bring the gospel to a fuller world. We pray Lord that you would bless the preaching of your word this Lord's Day. We pray, Lord, that you would give unction to those who've been called to preach and to teach your precious word. May it be indeed the word of God. We pray, Lord, that those who are speaking will be your instrument in your hands, that their words may indeed be the very words from the throne of grace, that the man will be lost sight of, and all glory and honor will go to the Savior. We thank you, Lord, that we have good news. that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We thank you again for that. It's still the day of grace when that message can go forth. And we pray, Lord, for ears to be opened, hearts to be softened. Lord, we're very conscious of many in our nation who attend chapels and churches and cathedrals, and yet, Lord, these things pass them by. So we pray, gracious Holy Spirit, to apply the word of God, whether preached or read, to the hearts of men and women and boys and girls. Lord, in these strange days, we pray for a blessing to those who are isolating due to current situation and circumstances, for those, Lord, who are shielding, those, Lord, who are sick and suffering, those, Lord, who are unable to meet with us in this way. Lord, we pray a blessing upon them. They may be greatly blessed in their hearts and souls as they partake of this service. Another service is streamed up and down this nation and around the world. We thank you, Lord, for these means. And again, Lord, we not despise them, but they're not ideal. We pray, Lord, that you would be kind to us as a nation and that this this current emergency may pass and that your people may be given that liberty once again to meet as the people of God in your appointed way. So Lord, we pray for those of our health service, those who are feeling the strain and pressure of the day. We pray, Lord, for much wisdom. We pray for strength, Lord. And we pray, Lord, for perseverance. For we understand, Lord, many are tired and weary. And we pray, Lord, for anointing upon such, particularly your people who work in the health service. May they speak well of a savior. May they speak well of their God and what God is doing in this day and generation. May they be a blessing to those who have no faith, no hope, And we pray, Lord, that you would indeed bless our health service and health workers. And we pray, Lord, a blessing upon those who are laid low at this present moment from this fellowship. And we thank you, Lord, that your hand has been upon them for good. You've kept them through difficult days and difficult circumstances. And you've been true to your promise. You never leave them nor forsake them. You are a great God. We worship you because of your greatness and your love and mercy toward us and your faithfulness. And we pray, Lord, we may be more faithful in our day. We pray again, Father, for your persecuted church around the world. We pray, Father, for pastors who've been imprisoned, those, Lord, who are facing difficult circumstances because they name the name of Christ Jesus. May they be strengthened. For pastors, Lord, imprisoned, for those under threat of life, we pray, Lord, that you will sustain them in these evil days. Lord, again we pray for mercy upon your church. She is your church, your bride. You have purchased her with your precious blood. Lord, will you not remember her in her days of persecution and days of conflict? Will you not remember us, Lord, as small as we are, in need, in great need? And we look to you because you are our great God. So Lord, bless your church. both locally and nationally and around the world. May there be much praise and worship raised this Lord's Day to your good and gracious name. Lord, as we come to your word presently, we pray for illumination of it. We pray that the Spirit may own it and that he would encourage us in our faith and in our walk. Build us up, we pray, O God, in our most precious and holy faith. Lord, we look to you for a blessing. Who else can we look to? Lord, we again acknowledge our poverty and our need for your grace, love, and mercy. So look upon us, with favor we pray, forgiving all our sin, in and through the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. For him is my soul, a new vision of Jesus. of Jesus. Have you I not seen here before? Beholding in glory so wondrous, with beauty I have to adore. ♪ Stood on the shores of my weakness ♪ ♪ And gazed at the brink of such fear ♪ ♪ T'was then that I saw him in newness ♪ ♪ Regarding him fair and so dear ♪ Our Savior will ever forsake thee, Our fading is the sinful face. His presence and promise almighty, Redeeming his love was my grace. In shades of the valleys of Texas, My Jesus will reach out in power and save me by His own. eternal, which spreads through the valley of blue. O Jesus, who is splendored and renowned, rise, dear Lord, away from the tomb. of the journey, his pleasant and glorious domain. Oh, there are the children of mercy, who praise him for power, Again, if you'd like to turn your Bibles, please, to 1 Samuel 26. 1 Samuel 26. I wasn't quite sure which to preach on this morning. I've been studying again the life of the prodigal son, and I was inclined to go down that road in the Gospel of Luke, and then I also thought maybe carry on the Book of Psalms, But then I've also been looking at 1 Samuel 26, and this particular chapter struck me. And as I was deliberating and tossing and turning my mind, which passage did I share with you this morning, the Lord confirmed 1 Samuel 26. How did he do that? I've been in my study, studying, and I went into the living room, and Jackie was listening to a podcast from America about John MacArthur, who's been, he's quite ill at the moment by all accounts, not quite sure what's wrong with him. But I came in, I didn't hear the beginning of it, but John MacArthur was talking about an event in his ministry, I'm not sure when, but it's a true story, it came from his own lips, he was telling this story of a man who came to his office in the church with a spear. Oh, that's very strange. This chapter here, 26, mentions a spear six times. And MacArthur was explaining this. Obviously, this man had mental health issues, got into the building, probably in the night time, and spent all night in the church. And MacArthur comes to his office, and he's confronted with this man with a spear. And he felt emboldened. Oh, good morning. What can I do to help you? He didn't show any fear. The man said, I need to speak to the church this morning. The Lord has told me I've got a message for the church. Oh, said Pastor MacArthur. That's interesting. Let's see what we can do. It turns out the man let him go into the corridor where the security was and MacArthur called security and the man was taken away. The man said that his message was simply this, that God had told him to kill John MacArthur with a spear so that he could be raised again from the dead to enforce his message to the church in America. Well, obviously the man was sick and in need of help. And this is what we see here, isn't it? David is emboldened. As John MacArthur was emboldened not to show any fear, David doesn't go on the offensive in this particular chapter, he goes on the offensive. He's gonna take control of the situation. So what is the situation? So, verse one, the Ziphites came unto Saul to give the essay, and doth not David hide himself? amongst us. So the Ziphites were part of the tribe of Judah, they were in the southern kingdom there, and they were of the tribe of David. They were his kinsmen. And for some reason, they've taken offense against David. And they inform Saul that David is hiding up in the hills in the wilderness. And with that information, verse 2, Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph. having 3,000 chosen men of Israel with him. It's not a small force. They're mighty men. They're crack troops. They're not some hoiks from the valleys or from the countryside with their pitchforks. These are trained men in war. They have the means and they've been trained to fight and survive in harsh and difficult situations. Maybe something like the SAS or the Special Air Force, one of these crack regiments. These 3,000 men go down with Saul into the wilderness with expressed desire to capture David. And David is aware of the situation. And in verse 3, you read that Saul pitched in the hill of Hekel, which is before Jeshom, by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. So David is obviously observing that. We see that in verse 4. David therefore sent out spies and understood that Saul was come in fairy deed. So David is not just going by hearsay. He's got his eyes on the situation. And the spies confirm that, yes, Saul has come indeed to take David. And that is the situation. This is the historical background to this event. Now, some commentators think that this event is the same event when David was in the cave of Adullam. I don't think that is true. So again, there's a principle here of repetition. When God repeats something, it's important for us to listen and to understand it. And again, there's a lot of repetition in this particular portion as well. We see a lot of repetition in the Psalms. There's parallelism in different words and different sentences. And the repetition we see here is the word spear six times. And we also see repetition of the Lord's anointed. So David acknowledging that Saul is the Lord's anointed. That can be found in verse 9, 11, 16, and 23. So David has respect for King Saul. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. They therefore sent out spies and understood that Saul was come in very deed. Then David takes the offensive. He's not going to retreat. He's going to take the battle to Saul. He's not going to harm him. He's not going to maim him. as we know from the reading of our scripture this morning. Verse five, and David arose and came to the place where Saul had pitched, and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and that there was near the captain of his host. And Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. And again, that is repeated a few verses on. So the situation is that Saul, it would appear, has dug himself up. His minions have dug themselves a trench. He lays in there, so he's below ground level. And all his hosts are around him. They've encamped around him, so he's right there in the center. He's got his shield around him. They're embracing him, as it were. And there he rests. When he does rest, he sleeps. Matter of fact, they all sleep. Even the guards are asleep. We read there in verse 12, neither awaked they, for they were all asleep. Why? Because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them. A deep sleep. So David and Abishai walk into a camp. Verse five, and David arose and came to the place where Saul pitched, and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Neod, the captain of his host, and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. This is the boldness of David, isn't it? Then answered David and said to Amalek the Hittite, and to Abshi the son of Zerub, brother of Joab, saying, who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? Who will go on this mission? Who's brave enough? And again, David has mighty men with him as well. And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. I like that. Do you not like that? That boldness, that faith, that dedication to David. And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night, and behold Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster. But Abner and the people lay round about him. So you're getting the picture, aren't you? There is Saul in this trench, his mighty men around him, and then David and Abishai go into the camp. They just walk through that. That's a miracle in itself, isn't it? That's God's grace and protection. It's God's favour, it's God's token upon dear David. Then Abishai, he reveals his theology. It's interesting, isn't it? You notice that? Then said Abishai to David, God, verse 8, hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day. Now therefore let us smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. They can imagine, can't you? They're whispering these words. Abishai says, David, God has delivered your enemy. This is surely the time. God has delivered him into your hands. We must avail ourselves of this opportunity. This is the right time. David whispers back and said to Abishai, destroy him not. For who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? You can imagine the scene, can't you? You can almost imagine the tension as these two Men-in-arms are discussing the situation that the Lord has led them to. This is the Lord's doing. Abishai has got a good heart, I think. He's got a good intention. In his mind, this is the opportunity they've been looking for. All David's troubles would surely end if King Saul is speared to the ground. I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth at once. I take one strike. I won't need a second opportunity. I can do it just once, and the job is done. And David said to Abishai, destroy him not. For who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless? You see, David is a man of principle. He has principles. And his principle is that the Lord God, maker of heaven and earth, has anointed Saul as king at the request of the people. As far as David is concerned, this man is untouchable. There are principles here. And David is adhering to those principles. No matter how far backslidden Saul has gone, no matter how far Saul's heart is against David, Nevertheless, he's still the Lord's anointed. And if he were to slay the Lord's anointed, David says, who would be guiltless? So David has principles. Again, he says in verse 11, the Lord forbid that I should strike forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is his bolster and the crews of water and let us go. You see the principle there. This godly man, David, is a man after God's own heart. As we've seen in previous Psalms, God has had his hand upon him. Even before he was born, the Lord's hand was upon David for good. So here are these principles, 9 and 11. But in verse 10, he's trusting providence. He's trusting providence. And David said furthermore, as the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him. That is possible. Or his day shall come and die. He may die of natural causes. He's seen the Lord smite before in the previous chapter, 1 Samuel 25, 38, that full navel. And it came to pass about 10 days after that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died. So David's just seen that. He's seen the Lord dealing with those who are foolish and unbelieving. Or, he says, verse 10 of our chapter, or he shall descend into battle and perish. Leave it to God, he says. Leave it to the providential workings and dealings of God. And there's two principles for us this morning. We have principles, don't we? We are instructed through the scriptures on how to behave, how we're to live our lives and our conduct, with work and with family and other situations we find ourselves in. Maybe in a situation at work, where you feel you've been overlooked with promotion and someone who's lesser and more unable than you gets that promotion, you feel unjust and you want to make a complaint to the management. Maybe the management is even worse than the person who's been promoted and you feel this is unjust. Leave it to God. You leave it to Providence. God is teaching you lessons through these situations. I think maybe some of you have been in that situation. You know these things. But we leave things to God, don't we? It's in His hands. We say God is sovereign. This is what David is saying here. God will deal with His enemies in His own time and in His own way. David said, "...furtherwise the Lord liveth, the Lord shall smite him." or his day shall come and die, or he shall descend into battle and perish. So these are basic principles. You can read those principles in Colossians and Ephesians, where we're instructed how a husband is to love his wife and to bring up his children. These are principles which we live by as Christians. And David, in a sense, is highlighting these principles in a very basic way. But we have the privilege of the full tenor of Scripture, and that is a great privilege and a great responsibility laid upon us. And so we find here that David says to his assistant here, let us take the spear and the cruise of water. Can you imagine, as they go back to camp, the other mighty men of David, they say to Abishai, how did it go? What happened? Tell us a story. You can imagine him saying, can you believe it? I can't believe it. I went down there, I risked my life for what? A spear and a bottle of water. It's madness, isn't it? Don't you think? Yeah, it is. Humanly speaking, it seems to be madness. But again, this is God's providence and God's tokens to David. We hear a lot about Saul's spear, sorry, Saul's spear. 1 Samuel 18, 10 and 11 speaks of Saul with that spear. It's a sign of his kingship, it's a sign of his authority, and he always seems to be playing with that spear, doesn't he? He always seems to be practicing with it and turning it around in his hand. You think of some mighty kings, they play with their swords. You see men in movies playing with machine guns and all these shenanigans. This thing is a token of his kingship and of his authority. This is how he rules. There's much made in the scripture about it. 1 Samuel 18 and 19 and 20. 1 Samuel 22, 26, it mentions a spear. As I said, 1 Samuel 26, it's six times the spear. of Saul is mentioned, verse 7, 8, 11, 12, 16, and 22. So this is Saul's mark of authority. I am the king. You can recognize me with the spear. And said, David, in his wisdom, he says to the man with him, But I pray thee, take thou now the spear, that is his bolster, his pillow, and the crews of oil, and let us go. So David took the spear and the crews of water from Saul's bolster, and they got away. No man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them. I'll head in for this section here. Faith that finds tokens of encouragement. Faith that finds tokens of encouragement. That spear wasn't a great symbol. It was a great symbol in one sense, but it wasn't a great event, was it, really? It was something quite small and insignificant in some ways. What God does, doesn't he? He gives us tokens of grace and of encouragement. This was a token of encouragement to David, that he's taken the spear and the cruise of water. And I think God gives us small tokens of encouragement. Not that we go looking for spears or other such things, but as a Christian, we should encourage one another. We need small tokens to encourage us. A phone call, just to see how you are, how you're doing, what's the current situation, how you're faring at the present time. It's quite simple, isn't it? It's a token of God's goodness. We should see it as that way. God is concerned, and as brothers and sisters, we show that concern to one another. Actually, you may be even going to talk to somebody at the end of a service. Well, we can't do that today, can we? But, you know, just something that's quite simple. An email, phone call, a letter, if you're into letter writing. These things are just small tokens of God's goodness, and it encourages us. It encourages us. Maybe you can send a small gift to somebody you know in need. and that does wonders to that person's heart. It really thrills them to know that the brother or sister is thinking of you and encouraging you and you see it as from the Lord and it's just small tokens of God's goodness and grace to his people. A simple word or touch. A touch is important, isn't it? A human contact, a touch, a word I remember taking my mother's funeral, and my wife at the end said to me, well done. Just two simple words, well done. That means a lot. Just to encourage you in difficult times. I can't remember who it was now, but one pastor was talking to a lady. She had great doubts of her faith. She had a lack of assurance, and this pastor went to visit her. and want to encourage her in the things of the Lord. And as they sat around the table there in conversation, this lady turned around and said to him, I am as sure as go to hell. And she reached out for a glass on the table, as this glass will be broken. And with that, she threw it on the floor with all her might. And lo and behold, it didn't break. And the pastor says to her, do you not think that is significant? Significant? Small tokens of grace. We're not looking for spears, we're not looking for broken glasses, but we're looking for those tokens of God's love and mercy toward us. Do we have eyes to see those tokens? And when we see them, do we respond with praise and thanksgiving? So small tokens of God's mercy, and these were tokens for David, And then we read there in verse 13, David went over the other side and stood on top of the hill far off, a great space. Again, it's repetition there. Far off, a great space. So you get the picture. And David cried to the people and to Abner, the son of Ner, saying, answerest thou not, Abner? Then Abner answered and said, who art thou that cries to the king? Now Abner is the leader of this 3,000 force of men. He has responsibility for the care and protection of the king. And David said to Abner, art not thou a valiant man? Can you not notice the sarcasm here? Who is like thee in Israel? Therefore then, hast thou not kept thy lord the king? For there come one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, you are worthy to die. Now in the Hebrew, that's in the plural. You're all worthy to die. You've negated your responsibility. You have not protected your king, because you have not kept your master, the Lord's anointed. Again, we have that expression of respect unto Saul, even though In our minds, he didn't deserve it, but in the mind of David, that's respect he gives to a king. See where the king's spear is and the crews of water that was at his bolster. Verse 17, and Saul knew David's voice and said, is this thy voice, my son David? And David said, it is my voice, my lord, O king. And he doesn't let Saul off the hook. He's gonna push the point. And he said, wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? For what have I done? For what evil is in mine hand? Now therefore I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the lord have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering. But if they be of the children of men, cursed be they before the lord. Why are you pursuing me? Is David's question. Why are you pursuing me? He says he describes himself as a flea or as a partridge upon the hillside. Why are you doing this? If it's to the Lord, I need to bring a sacrifice. But if it's of men, if it's of your own evil heart and intention, that's a different issue. And we've considered those issues in our studies of the Psalms. David's concern, David's grief, is in that expression, go serve other gods. David's heart is broken. David's heart is grieved because he's been driven out from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord. David was going to be driven out from Israel, the place of promise, the place of God's covenant to his people, the place where God dwelt, Jerusalem in the temple, A place where God's Shekinah glory dwelt. This is where David longed to be and this is what grieves his heart the most. For they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord." Saying, go serve other gods. Can not David serve God in the land of the Philistines? Can he not worship God in the land of the Philistines? Can he not pray to God in the land of the Hittites and the Ammonites? Yes, he can. But David's heart, he longed to be in the presence of God. This what drove him. We've seen that time and time again in the Psalms. And he longs to be in the place where God dwells. When they say to him, go serve other gods, they're banishing him from the ordinances and the public worship of a true and living God. He's banished He's forbidden to enter, and it grieves David's heart. Psalm 63, O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee, my soul thirsteth for thee. Notice the heading of Psalm 63, a Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. And this is David's longing, O God, that I thirst, I long, have as long a desire as a man thirsts for water to be in thy presence, to see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary." He wanted to be in the sanctuary. He wanted to be with the people of God. He wanted to be where the offerings and the festivals were maintained and upheld. He wanted to see God's glory. He wanted to be. the place of worship. It's good to see you here this morning. It's good to be in the house of God. It's good to be with the people of God. This is God's appointed means. And we live in days where these means are being eroded and undermined. I understand those who need to isolate and to keep themselves safe. I'm not criticizing them. I understand the fear and the worry and the concern. But if you're healthy, this is where we should be. We see around us churches closing voluntarily. Where's the Gospel going forth? We are living in perilous days. We have the privileges. We have more privileges than dear David. We have the full tenor of Scripture. We've been instructed not to forsake the meeting together, one with another, to stir one another up into good works. Dear friends, we can't do that online. We can't do that virtually. We do that by being in a place of worship. If you are healthy, you have no excuse not to be in the house of God. God, in His grace to us, has provided this provision for us today, to meet as the people of God. We will stand there while that provision is before us. David has a real heart. He has a real heart for worship. We have privileges, but do we have the hunger that David had for public worship? David just longed to be amongst God's people. Psalm 57. My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed." This man is immovable. Oh, by the way, you notice where he is in Psalm 57? When he fled from Saul in the cave. He's been isolated. He's been marginalized. He's been set aside. But he says, even in that cave, my heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed. I will sing and give praise. We are called to give praise to our God. Now, wake up, my glory. Awake, sorcery and harp. I, myself, will awake early. This man has a heart for God. I'm glad that you're here this morning with a heart for God. It's a testament. It's a token. It's an encouragement to me. And we should be encouraging one another as we meet together. Dear friends, Is your heart fixed? Oh God, my heart is fixed. Oh God, my heart is fixed. Repetition, line upon line. This is David's heart. This is the true Christian's heart. Again, I'm not getting at those who are isolating or shielding. I fully understand that. But as the people of God, this is why we are created, in the image of God. to bring him praise and to bring him glory. And they said to David, go serve other gods. And I say to them, you go serve your God. I will serve my God in his appointed fashion. But as we know in chapter 27, David did leave the land of Israel. He felt his life was in such jeopardy. probably a lack of trust and confidence in the Lord his God, for the Lord had said to him clearly that he would be king. Yet David has that fear. And again, we live in days of fear. I think that fear is now becoming more like terror. We're living in days of terror. And the media, I've said this before, but I'll say it again, the media is pushing an agenda against the church. of Jesus Christ and Satan is rejoicing as the churches are closing and people are neglecting God's ordained principles of worship in public. Go serve other gods. Do we have a hunger? Do you have that thirst? David has that hunger and thirst. We have our comforts, David had no comforts, yet he has a heart for God. And David, in these verses here, is an example to us, as we live in difficult days. David lived in difficult days. Difficult, probably harder days than we are, and yet, He still has that hunger and thirst for the living God. May we have that God-given hunger. May He give us that hunger. And may the Lord bless us as we continue to uphold the good news that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. May He have all the praise and the glory as we come to our final hymn. Him is final, him is I stand amazed. Thank you. I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene, and wonder how he could love A sinner condemned can be. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my song shall ever be. How marvelous! How wonderful! Is my Savior's love. in the garden. He prayed not my will, but mine. He had no tears for his own grief, but shed drops of blood for mine. How loveless, how wonderful that thy song shall ever be. is my Savior's love to me. When pity angels beheld him and came from the world of light to comfort him in the sorrows he bore for me, How marvelous, how wonderful is my Savior's love to me. He took my sins and my sorrows. He made them His very own. He bore the burden to carry, and suffered and died alone. How marvelous! How wonderful! And my soul shall ever be. How marvelous! is my Savior's love to me. And with her ransoming glory, his face I thus shall see. Tell me my joy through the ages, to sing of his love for me. Most gracious God and Father, we thank you for your providential dealings with us. We thank you, Lord, for the principles of Scripture, to instruct us in the ways of righteousness. We thank you, Lord, for your tokens of grace toward us, even through these past days. We pray, Lord, that you would give us that hunger and thirst to meet and to worship and to praise with the living God. Lord, we do not seek to condemn those who hold different views or positions, and we pray, Lord, that you would bless those churches who seek to preach Christ. We pray, Lord, Bless your ministers of the word of God. We pray, Lord, that the gospel may go forth soundly, and it may bring forth much fruit to your glory and to your honor. And so, our God and Father, we bless you for this opportunity to meet together this last day morning. We pray now for your blessing as we depart. Go before us and keep us in safety till we meet once more. In Jesus' name, amen.