ear to bless, and that you'll help, help in the pulpit, help in the pew tonight. May there be that listening of faith, and may the Spirit of God take the Word and bless it abundantly, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Our Bible reading this evening was 2 Samuel chapter 5. And we're continuing on in this life of David. It's hard to believe that we began this in August as we saw David taking on Goliath and becoming the champion in Israel. And then we followed David's life while he grew stronger and Saul grew weaker. And we followed him as Saul hunted him in the hills of Judea, in the caves, threw a javelin at him in the palace. And that hatred from Saul's heart against David grew more and more. We watch David handle himself, sometimes by fear, sometimes by faith. And yet God preserved him until the day that Saul died and David became king. Now in this chapter 5, as I named the battle for Jerusalem, This is when all the forces of Israel and Judah are united together under David. And David leads the battle to take this city, what was formerly known as Jebus, but also as Jerusalem. Now, who doubts that Jerusalem is the queen city of all the world? It is alluded to and held sacred by Jews. by Christians and by Muslims. And there is no real estate in all of the earth that is more contested than the city of Jerusalem. It has, of course, a very long history. And the first reference to Jerusalem we may find is in the book of Genesis, chapter 14, when we read about a king called Melchizedek. He was king of Salem. And it is believed by many linguists, not by all, mind you, but by many, that King of Salem, Melchizedek, was the king of Jerusalem. And if you look at the ending of Jerusalem, S-A-L-E-M, Salem means peace, and Melchizedek was the king of peace. Now Jerusalem was also, or this area of Jebus, was also promised by God to His people Israel when they entered into that promised land. And God listed the nations that they would drive out, and Jebus, or the Jebusites, was included as those people whom Israel would drive out. Let me read to you Exodus 23 on this. For mine angel shall go before thee, and bring thee into the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites will I cut off. But as you read through the book of Joshua and Judges, you will find that Israel had never been able to drive the Jebusites out. It wasn't for the want of trying. And every time that they sought to take that fort, the stronghold of Jerusalem or Zion, as it was often called, and I'll give you the meaning of that in a while, they failed. And it seemed that this was the hardest area of all to conquer for the people of God. And for that reason, the Jebusites remained very smug. I like that word, smug. There they were up on the heights of Zion, grinning down at anyone that would try to invade and take their city. Now if you read with me, chapter five, verse six, you'll notice exactly what these Jebusites were saying out of their smugness, out of their haughty pride, They said, and the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither, thinking David cannot come in hither. And so there they were up on their high ground, in a fortress, Zion, on the very upper point of the hill of Jerusalem, and they were boasting, you will never be able to take this city. But, and I like this word, look at verse 7. Look at the outcome, verse 7. Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion. And we can say that at that point and through that battle, David under God changed the course of history. Jerusalem, a city where the heathen dwelt, a city that was impregnable before, was there conquered and would become the centerpiece of God's plan and purpose for the future work of redemption. Now, remember, Jerusalem is not just a city. It's the place where the temple would be built under Solomon, the place where the kings of Israel would reign, and of course, the place where our Lord Jesus would be arrested, tried, taken out, and crucified just outside the city. And David is the one who conquered the city. Now, to accomplish that, David had to have the united forces of Israel and Judah. And if you look at chapter 4, You will see a bit of a history here that was very important. A man called Ish-bosheth, now he was the son of Saul. And for two years, he had been setting himself up as the leader. And this caused a civil war between Judah and Israel. If you go back to chapter three, verse one, you will read about that long war. between the house of Saul and the house of David. David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. And it was because of Ish-bosheth, who had been set up by Saul's former captain, Abner. But Ish-bosheth was murdered in his bed by two men from David's camp. And when they returned to David and they boasted to David We killed Ishbosheth. David did something that made him a leader. He did not reward those murderers because Ishbosheth was murdered in his bed in cold blood. And so David had these men executed to appease the wrath of the people of Saul's house or Israel. That's why chapter 5 verse 1 begins with the word then. Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron and began to speak to him about becoming under his leadership. This is the unity that was forming that would make David to be king over the Israelites and those of Judah. You'll see also in verse 3 that David very wisely made a league with the people of Saul or Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to King to Hebron and King David made a league with them. Now a league would be nothing less than a political contract. And they would say, well, we'll give you our loyalty. We will come under your leadership if you give us certain guarantees, if you undertake to protect us and help us and lead us wisely. And so there was this league between David and the people of Israel. And so he had their united forces. In verse six, you'll notice that David gave true leadership, that he himself went to battle. and the king and his men went to Jerusalem." Now, if you read 1 Chronicles 11 and the account that's given there, it tells you that David went with the men of all Israel. The united forces of the men of Israel and Judah went up to take the city of Jerusalem. And what we see David here His aim, of course, is to do God's will, taking the city for the extension of God's kingdom. And we learn from the best. We as Christians tonight, we're gonna take this Old Testament history and we're gonna bring it into the New Testament church and say, what would God have me to do? to extend the kingdom of the Lord Jesus. We need to take heed to David's goal to make the Lord's church the place of triumph. And I think you'll agree with me tonight that the church of the Lord Jesus is a very needy organization. The church of the Lord Jesus today is battered and tattered and weakened by many forces. And we need that united effort of God's people that we may take again the land for the Lord Jesus. Now, I know this is Sunday evening, and I know that you maybe had a long day, and I could preach on this till midnight, but there are five short things I want to point out here tonight that we should adopt from David's book Let me list them to you. We need to cast out our idols. We need to overcome the impossibilities. We need to make improvements. We need to pray for the increase. And we need to prepare for invasions. Now the only thing that's common there is the letter I. in those words that I have chosen as our outline. The first eye, so we've got five eyes, the first one is to cast out the idols. In chapter five, verse six, you have a very strange statement. And these are the Jebusites saying this, except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither." And then David's response, of course, is in verse 8. It says that the lame and the blind that are hated of David's soul, and those that cut off the lame and the blind, David will reward by making him chief. Very strange statement. Why would David have some kind of an objection to blind people and lame people? Now, the common understanding of this, that this was the Jebusites statement, and the Jebusites were idolaters, and they had on their walls of their fortress These images are idols. And of course, as was it Elisha or Elijah that taunted, they have eyes, but they cannot see. They have feet, but they cannot walk. And so these idols were referred to as the blind and lame. And that makes sense with David's statement, because he said these were hated of his soul. David was a righteous man. He was a godly man. He had a zeal for the Lord's glory. He was jealous for God's glory. And when he heard these Jebusites boasting in their false gods, their images, David said to his captains, get up there. And the first man that routes those lame and blind, those idols in other words, I will make you chief captain. And that is the getting rid of the idols. And so let's learn from David. If we are to make the Lord's church advance, we must get rid of idolatry. And let's realize it. The modern church, or I will put it this way, the church in this modern age is closer to idolatry than ever we think. There's idolatry in modern contemporary worship of the charismatic kind, where it is showmanship, where it is the exalting of men and their entertainment talents. That becomes idolatry. There is bringing into the church traditions that are not biblical. And they may be very nice little routines, but they're not biblical. And there is the danger of the ecumenical spirit of uniting with any group that calls themselves Christian, even Roman Catholic, with all the idolatry attached to that. And there is a danger that the modern church or the church in this modern age goes soft, compromises, surrenders to the spirit of idolatry that is in our land today. Now as you drove to church tonight, How many places of worship did you pass where inside idolatry is practiced? Here in Canada, here in a land that has had a history of Christianity, there is now abounding, either in houses of worship or in homes, the spirit of idolatry. And David hated it. And I believe the church would be stronger and wiser and godlier if there was more hatred against idols and a greater love for the truth. So that's the first thing we need here. We also need to overcome the impossibilities. And I come back to this point in verse 6 where the Jebusites said, you'll never do it. You cannot come. into this fortress of Jerusalem. It's too steep. It's too strong for you. And yet David did it. And you can say here that David did what men thought were impossible. And that's really what we're about in church work. We might think that things are impossible. But with faith and God on our side, there is possibility of doing what otherwise would be termed impossible. Now let's look at some of the reasons why these Jebusites thought that it's impossible for David to come in here. Well, there's firstly the Turian. The city of Jerusalem is on the very peak of that range of mountains, the central range of mountains that runs north to south in the land of Israel. It sits on a hilltop 2,500 feet high. From all directions, it is highly visible. And the ground around it slopes away very, very quickly. If you go a mile from the peak of Jerusalem southward, eastward, or westward, the ground falls away by 600 feet in one mile. Now, I had to get my head around this. What does that mean? How steep is that? Well, think of a 60-story building, a tower building 60 floors high. 10 feet per floor, 60 feet, 600 feet. Go out a mile and build a ramp to the top. You can understand that that is a climb and gives a strong advantage to those at the top to withstand an invader from any direction that they may try to approach. Not only that, But if you look at the terrain around the city of Jerusalem, you've got a gully. And I like that word too. You've got this gorge that goes right around the foot of the city. And if you went to the Mount of Olives, you'd have to go down into this gorge and go up again the other side to the Mount of Olives. And that gully gave a natural, it's almost like a moat. It's a place that set the city apart. It's so difficult to attack. And the Jebusites, of course, they took comfort in that they had a city so well situated that it could not be overcome. Now, I know sinners tonight, and they think that they could never be Christians. And I know Christians who think of certain people, and they say, that person will never be born again. And that person will never be in the church. They may come once, but that'll be it. You will never expect that person to be born of the spirit. But let's realize that as Christians tonight, we are in the gospel work that believes that all things are possible. And the person you think is the least likely to be converted, the Lord may be pleased to work by his spirit. take the gospel message and bring them to personal faith in the Lord Jesus. Now, there's another reason why these Jebusites thought that they were unable to be conquered, because they had an inner water supply. There was the Wellgion, G-I-H-O-N, and They thought that we are well supplied. We'll not be driven out of here. And because of that inner supply, they thought that they could endure any invasion. You know, the people of the world today think that they have some kind of a good inner supply. The proud carnal man thinks that he can do anything. endure anything, withstand anything. It really is the spirit of humanism. Humanism says that I can do it myself, alone. But that independent spirit is what the gospel breaks down. I think of Paul the Apostle, the enemy of Christ and Christians. Yet see him on that road to Damascus, bowed, humbled, saying, Lord, what will you have me to do? So take heart tonight that in the work of the gospel, the impossible can be done. I move to a third reason why these Jebusites thought that David will never conquer them, because many attempts had been made before. You read in one place in the book of Judges that this city had been set on fire. And the Israelites had attacked it numerous times but failed. And you know, that makes men so proud. We look around the world tonight and it's advancing in its ungodly ways. The church has cried out against sin. The church has protested against evil and the works of darkness. But it seems that the church has failed. And we would have to confess that. That in many ways, in standing against the crimes, the sins, the wickedness of this generation, the church has miserably failed. And that only makes men more proud. And they say, well, the church has no voice anymore, has no word for me, no message from God for me. And so they become very proud and very heedless. But David took the city and conquered it. Then, of course, there was that natural hostility against the God of Israel. These Jebusites, they were very bitter and very hostile to the glory of Jehovah. And that's just like people living in sin. People that are living for sin and they hear about the Lord Jesus coming from glory. And we're going to rehearse all of that over the Christmas season and tell of Jesus, the Son of God, God manifest in the flesh. And while Jesus was in human form, real man, behind the flesh was the glory of the Father. And you know the story of the transfiguration. When on that mount with Peter, James, and John, the Lord Jesus, His glory shone through His flesh, through His very frame. And the brightness was as the brightness of the sun. And we preach a gospel that our Jesus is the Lord of glory. He's the Son of God. He's not just man. No, he became man, real man. He lived as a perfect man, but he's God in the flesh. And these Jebusites, every time they heard of Jehovah, they mocked. Maybe tonight you mock, or maybe you just don't understand who Jesus is. Maybe you've never really recognized that truly He was supernaturally conceived in Mary's womb, and He lived a supernatural life. And when you hear the name Jesus, especially when it's used reverently. It's almost like a shiver down your back. It makes you tremble. That makes you realize that you need to bow the knee to Him to accept Him as your Savior. And so we learn here that David did the impossible. And I believe tonight, as a gospel minister, that God does the impossible in saving and turning hardened hearts. And you can be saved tonight. You may think, I'll never be a Christian. Let me tell you, when I was 18 years old, before I was saved and someone told me, Ian, you're going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. You're going to give up normal life and become a student to study the Bible and become a preacher, and you're going to go out to the far end of Canada, and you're going to preach in a church for years the gospel of the Lord Jesus. I would have said, that's impossible. Absolutely madness. And you might be here tonight, and you may have come to this meeting to hear the gospel, and you said, I'm interested, but it'll never happen to me. Let me tell you, when the Lord calls you, you can't resist. I believe in the irresistible call of grace, and the will and the stubbornness of man can never say no when Jesus says, yes, come unto me. all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Now, my third I is that we need to pray for the increase. And in chapter five of this 2 Samuel, look at the verse, no, improvements. Let me not go too fast here. The third one is improvements, verse nine. And David dwelt in the fort, so he conquered it. He drove out the Jebusites and called it, oh, of all names, he called it the City of David. And that has been Jerusalem's name to this day. If you go on Google Maps and look at the maps of Jerusalem, you'll see David everywhere, Hotel David. Roads are called David. Special buildings and government buildings are called David. And even the military, there are names, David. David, David is the man of Jerusalem. And then it says in verse 9, And David built round about from Milo and inward. And David went on and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. Now that's a very interesting point that he built round about from Milo and inward. I hadn't a clue what that meant. But I have discovered and archeologists have discovered that because of the steep terrain around Jerusalem that the Jebusites had started a campaign of building staircases and verandas that would expand the plateau of the upper level and make it for some accessible and more user friendly. And when David took over and became king in the city, he continued that building program. And so that's why it says in that, that he built roundabout from Milo and inward. extending those staircases and verandas that would make this a more commodious place to live. And so he was in for improvements. And obviously he had the favor of God. Something else that David built and that was a house to live in. If you look at verse 11, Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters and masons, and they built David an house. And David perceived that the Lord had established him. And so he got into the building. Improvements. Let's take that leaf out of David's book as well. The work of the gospel is never to stand still. were to be builders. There are improvements to be made to the work and the cause of the Lord Jesus. That doesn't mean we're always going to have some Christian cathedral church, but it means that we are going to utilize those ways and means of advancing the work of God and solidifying the work of God. Let me ask you tonight, are you a builder? in the kingdom of God. Are you a worker to advance the church of the Lord Jesus? Or do you want to just sit back and say, it's good enough. That's enough. We have arrived. Do you know in the history of the Lord's church, there's never been a time when God's people can say that's enough. There's always more to do. a gospel to preach, and laborers are always in demand. Then there's the increase, verse 13 to 16. In this period, and I have counted them here, David had 11 children born. Back in Hebron, when he reigned there for seven years, he had had six children born. So according to this count now, he had 17 children. It was a period of increase, and that's just David. And all the Israelites and all the people at that time, they were growing in number and increasing within the city. The church of the Lord Jesus needs to increase. We know that numbers is not everything. But we have been praying for months and years that the Lord will fill up the empty seats in our church. That is our prayer every week, that God will fill the empty seats in this church. We're thankful for all who come. We're thankful for every soul that gather in morning, evening, midweek, whenever, to hear the precious gospel of the Lord Jesus. And we're praying for the increase numerically and spiritually. that souls be converted. We just don't want bodies warming seats. That's not the goal, to see warm seats. The goal is to see active worshipers. God's people in praise, God's people in prayer, rejoicing in the Lord, living for Him. That's the goal. That's the increase that we look for. Now the last I, number five, is the invasion against the city. Go down to chapter five, verse 17, and we read here, but when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David. Now let me tell you, they weren't coming to shake hands with him. And they weren't coming bearing gifts. They weren't coming and saying, David, we need a contract, a league with you. They were seeking Dave to cut his head off. This was a war declaration. And you'll notice what David did. And David heard of it and went down to the hole. So David was preparing himself very quickly. Now you'll notice where these Philistines came to, verse 18. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. Now, I was very interested in where that valley is, and I got the Google map going and typed in Rephiam, Jerusalem, Israel, and there's the marker, came right to the spot on the map of Israel, Rephiam. But today, it is a suburb of Jerusalem. And while I was on that Google map, I went for a Google drive. And because you can go with those little arrows right down the streets and go this way and that way and observe anything you wish, as if you were driving along on a car on the highway. What did I observe? Well, it was exceedingly well built up, narrowish roads. with apartment buildings on both sides, many of them five stories high, air conditioners attached to the side of the buildings and drooping cords from those air conditioners. There was green grass. I was surprised how green it was. Green shrubs, honeysuckle bushes, yellow color and there was some red color. And cars, many European cars, Mercedes, Volkswagen. What else? There was various makes and sizes of cars, mostly on the smaller side. Parking seemed to be very tight with meters. Didn't really like that part of it, having to see those meters. Then there were restaurants, patios, coffee shops. One had a motif of a coffee cup held up in the air as their advertisement. And then down the street just a little bit, McDonald's. My, those golden arches are just everywhere. The signs were in English, Hebrew, and Aramaic. And I looked over and saw this wall in one area, and I got intrigued. What's that wall? And I can't see any building behind it. And so I zoomed in and took a little bit of maneuvering just to get to the right spot. And there I read the sign, English, Hebrew, Aramaic. Of course, I read the English. And it said, Alliance Church International Cemetery. I had arrived at a cemetery. And it reminds us wherever you go in this world, there are cemeteries. Rephaeum. And I want you to imagine the Philistines spreading themselves out in war with an eyeshot of that hilltop Zion seeking David. and seeking to destroy him. What did David do when he went down to the hold? Well, look at verse 19. David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? The Lord said unto David, Go up. And there was David's cue from the Lord. to go out against these Philistines in battle. And with God's help that day at a place called Baal-Pirazim, verse 20, David smoked them there, and God gave to David a great victory. But that wasn't the end of it. Those Philistines came back. And David, what did he do? Well, they were back in verse 22, and the Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephium. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, thou shalt not go up. So there's a different plan this time. Don't go directly against the Philistines. And the Lord says, fetch a compass behind them. And by some means maneuver your army all the way around in a big circle and come from the rear and wait. Wait until there is a movement in the mulberry bushes. That's the English word. If you read the original Hebrew, it's a totally different word, but that's the English word, mulberry bushes. And we are told here that you've got to wait until there's a sound. And it says, the sound of a going. And so I got my concordance, and I looked up that word going, and it means marching, marching feet. And when you're in that right spot, and you see the movement in the trees, and you hear the sound of marching feet, then go, attack the Philistines. And that's what David did. And God went before him. And what a victory God gave to his enemies. Now there's a couple of things we need to say here in wrapping up. Number one when you're in God's will you're going to have enemies. When you're doing God's work the enemy will attack. When you are seeking to be strong for the Lord, ridding out the idols and establishing the glory of Christ, you're going to have the enemy attacking you. They won't give up. Satan is set against the church of Jesus Christ. He hates the image of God's Son. He hates people that worship the Lord Jesus. He attacks them. And we need to be much in prayer that the Lord will give us the victory. The second thing in wrapping up here tonight, we need to realize that it's the Lord going before us that will make the difference. Now I want you to read that in verse 24, about two thirds way down that verse, for then shall the Lord go out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines." There's the answer. There's the answer. That's why Christians pray. That's why a Christian church has prayer meetings. That's why God's people don't presume that they can do things in their own strength. They wait on the Lord and they plead with the Lord to go before us. And when He does, there is victory for the church, for the people of God. Now, we are Sunday evening now. Tomorrow you're going out into the world. Let me ask you, will the Lord be going before you tomorrow? One of the promises the Lord gives to Christians is, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. I will guide thee with mine eye. Those are precious promises. They are with us in every situation. But if you're not a Christian, if you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus, that promise does not apply to you because you have not bowed the knee. to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior. Because what you're saying is you don't need a Savior. You don't want a Savior. And therefore tomorrow you are going out alone in your own resources, your own strength. And let me tell you, you're going to fall. Sin will catch up. Satan will pull you down. He that thinketh, he standeth. Take heed lest he fall. That's why you need the Lord as your Savior. That's why you need David's God to go before you and to keep you in all your ways. That is the confidence that a Christian has And the Lord goes before us to fight those battles. So the battle for Jerusalem was a tremendous victory in the life of David. The next thing we're going to see, what David does in Jerusalem, he brings back the ark. And we're going to preach that on the first Sunday of 2015. Will you come back? The first Sunday evening of 2015, I plan to preach on David bringing back the ark, setting up that ark in Jerusalem, the city that was once given over to idolatry, the place for the worship of Jehovah, where the pillar of cloud came in and the pillar of fire by night came down, and that city was the center of worship for the glory of the Lord. What a great, great picture of the Lord's church in the earth. Indeed, every church should be a little Jerusalem, a place where the Lord's glory is abounding. Shall we close our meeting tonight with a final hymn? It is number 561, Living for Jesus, a life that is true. striving to please Him in all that I do. Just verses 1 and 2, 1 and 2 tonight. ♪ The life that is good ♪ ♪ So I need to praise Him in all that I do ♪ ♪ Yielding the nations that are near and free ♪ ♪ This is the pathway, a blessing for me ♪ I need myself to flee. For how did I atone? It did thyself for me. I will go unquestioned. My heart shall flee. ♪ There's more to live ♪ ♪ O Christ, for me alone ♪ ♪ Living for Jesus ♪ ♪ Will I be one with his ♪ ♪ Mary of Galilee ♪ ♪ Christ in endless grace ♪ ♪ To answer His call ♪ ♪ The hope is breathing ♪ ♪ And giving my all ♪ ♪ O Jesus, Lord and Savior ♪ ♪ I give myself to Thee ♪ ♪ I bow in Thy holy name ♪ Our Father, we thank Thee for the light of Your Word to our hearts this evening. We pray Thee to go before us in this week to come, guide our footsteps, direct us into that way which is right, good, and for Your glory. We pray that You save the lost, those that are idolaters and worshipers of wicked things. Make them to be worshipers of Jehovah Jesus, the Son of God, the Lamb of God. And now may your Spirit speak on, and may your grace be with us till we meet again. We ask this through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Yeah.