Turning to God's Word today, we come to the second half of 2 Samuel 3, verses 22 to 39, these verses we have just read together. In this portion of scripture, we read of the death of Abner. And so this is simply our subject today, the death of Abner. Last time, as we considered the first half of this chapter, we thought on the life of Abner. And we noted a number of things about this man He was a very important figure in Israel at the particular time in which he lived. We consider that Abner was a worldly man. He was an individual who lived for the things of time. And his whole ambition and goal in life was to possess more and more of this world. He was not concerned or focused upon spiritual matters. All that Abner was interested in was of an earthly and carnal nature. He was a worldly man. a man who lived for the things of time. But then, as well as being a worldly man, we also know that Abner was a wicked man. He was a wicked man. Despite knowing God's word, he rebelliously rejected that which God said, and he went his own way, and he lived as he pleased in life. This was Abner, a wicked man, who just ignored the word of God, rejected what God said, and lived as he pleased. And so as well as being a worldly man, Abner was also a wicked man. Furthermore, we noted, Abner was a weak man. He was an unprincipled individual who was always turning his sails to the prevailing wind. He was not concerned about that which was moral or that which was just or right, only that which would make him rich. And so he would bend and bow to anything and anyone if he thought it was for his own gain. He was a weak man like Pilate. in the judgment as he stood before Christ, or as Christ stood before him. Pilate knew that Christ was innocent. He knew he was a just man. But Pilate was weak. And to please the multitude, to please the crowd, to increase his own popularity, he bent to their wishes. And he did that which was wrong. Well, this was also true of Abner. A weak man who was always turning his seals to the prevailing wind. And then the final thing we considered about this man was Abner. was a wasteful man. He was a wasteful man. Abner was a highly fortunate and favoured individual. Blessed with many gifts and abilities, he would have been admired and even envied by many. Yet as we stand back and consider his life as it is brought before us in God's Word, the only conclusion we can come to is Abner wasted his life. He wasted his gifts and he wasted his abilities. And in the end, Abner's life is not an example to follow, but it is an example of failure. This was Abner, a worldly man, a wicked man, a weak man, and a wasteful man. And he is brought before us in God's word as a warning, warning us not to go in the same way, the same foolish way that Abner went. Not to live and behave in the same manner that he lived and behaved. Of course there's only one way to avoid going down the same meaningless and miserable path that Abner travelled in life. And that is to heed the words of the Saviour in Matthew 6 verse 33. But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. This is the way of true blessedness. This is the way to avoid living a worldly, wicked, weak and wasteful life. It is to put Christ first, and it is to put Christ first in all things and ever seek to please Him. This is how we can live a life of true meaning and a life of true purpose and blessedness. Seeking Christ first and honoring Him. Abner's life is then a warning to all men. A warning we would do well to give careful heed to for our own happiness and well-being. However, as we come to consider the death of Abner, We have to say this man again is set before us as a great warning. In death he is also a great warning. Abner in the end died in tragic circumstances. He died by the hand of Job, the man who was captain over David's soldiers. And what we learn here is Abner's death is a most solemn reminder to all men that the most horrific thing in this world is to die in their own way. The most horrific thing that is to be found in this world is to die in a state of sin. In Scripture, we have many examples of men dying well. And then we have also many examples of men dying badly. We could think of the penitent thief on the cross. He was a man that had lived a wicked and sinful life. A life of crime. A life where he afflicted much pain on others. But in the end, he died well. In the end, he died well. He died looking to Christ by faith, and he was gloriously saved. He died a blessed death, we could say. Because Christ told him today, she'll die be with me in paradise. Another example of someone dying well in scripture is the Apostle Paul. As he faced death, as he faced his martyrdom, this is what Paul said. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is lit up for me a crown of righteousness." What a way to die! Paul is saying, listen, I've finished my course, I've kept the faith, there's this reward now waiting for me in glory, this crown of righteousness. Of course, this is the glorious hope of every Christian. This is the glorious hope of everyone who has put their faith in Christ. and knows Christ personally as theirs, they have this wonderful and sure hope that it is well with their souls. And so there are many examples in scripture of people dying well. But then we have also examples of men dying badly. Men dying badly. And again, we could list many individuals. Think of Achan there in the Old Testament. Remember, he stole out of Jericho the Babylonian garments, the gold and the silver. And because of this, he was stoned to death because of his sin. Because he had troubled Israel, he died in his sin. Think of Herod, King Herod. The people worshipped him when they said he was as God. And Herod was filled with pride and the Bible tells us, worms eat him and he was struck down dead. But he died in his sin, exalting himself above God. Think of Ananias and Sapphira in the Book of Acts. They lied to the Holy Ghost. They thought that they could promote themselves and appear good and acceptable before the people, and they lied to the Holy Ghost. And again, they were struck down dead. What of Judas Iscariot? He went out and killed himself after he had betrayed the innocent and holy one. Think of the Savior's words to the Jews as well, the leaders of the Jews. And this is what he said to them. John 8 21 I Go my way Christ speaking to the Jews said I go my way and ye shall seek me and shall die in your sins Whether I go you cannot come You shall die in your sins for if you believe not that I am he that is the Savior You shall die in your sins This is what it is to die badly This is what it is to die badly It is to die in your sin. It is to die without Christ. And listen to what Christ says, where ever I go, you cannot come. Who that men could understand this. If you reject Christ, if you die in your sin, Christ makes it very clear where he goes, you cannot come. In other words, you'll never be in heaven. You'll never dwell with him. Christ made this clear to the leaders of the Jews and he makes it clear to all men. This is what it is to die badly, to die in sin. In Numbers 23, verse 10, the false prophet Balaam declared, let me die the death of the righteous and let my last end be like his. This really ought to be the desire of all men to die well, to die well, to die the death of the righteous. That our latter end, our eternal end will be that of the righteous. and we will be with Christ. As we then come to think about the death of Abner and how his death is a solemn warning to us. There are two main points that I want us to consider here in this passage before us today. Firstly, I want us to note the manner of Abner's death, the manner of Abner's death. We read of the manner of Abner's death in verses 22 to 27. Abner, as we noted last time, had traveled to the city of Hebron where David was. The purpose for Abner going to meet with David was to make arrangements so David might be crowned king over all Israel. This is why he went to Hebron, to make arrangements so David could be king over all Israel. Up until this point, Abner had been opposing David as king, and he had fought for Ish-bosheth, Saul's son. He had fought so that Ish-bosheth might be established as the next king in Israel. However, when Ish-bosheth confronts Abner about his sin of adultery, Abner is greatly annoyed by this. He's offended and grieved at the way Esh-bosheth speaks to him. And so smarting from the way Esh-bethes challenges him, Abner heads off to the city of Hebron. He heads off to the city of Hebron to make arrangements with David to establish David as king over all Israel. As Abner then meets with David, everything seems to be going very well. His plans seemed all falling into place. See what it says in verse 21 here in this chapter. And Abner said to David, I will arise and go and we'll gather all Israel onto my Lord, the King, that they may make a league with thee and that thou mayest reign over all thine heart deserth. David sent Abner away and he went in peace. And so everything appears to be going to plan at this stage. Abner has arranged with David that he will gather all Israel onto David, but they may acknowledge him as the rightful King over all the land. And David sends Abner away. He's going out to gather the nation together. They're going to assemble, and it's going to be a day when David is acknowledged eventually to be the rightful king over all the people. But then as we come to verses 22 to 27, we learn that things take a dramatic twist. At this time, when Abner was meeting with David in Hebron, Joab, the captain of David's men, was out fighting. As he then returns to Hebron and learns that Abner has been to visit David, and that David has sent him away in peace, Job is furious. He's enraged by this. And we read in verses 23 and 24, when Job and all the host that was with him were come, they told Job saying, Abner, the son of Near came to the king and he has sent him away and he has gone in peace. Then Job came to the king and said, what hast thou done? Behold, Abner came unto thee. Why is it that thou hast sent him away and he is quite gone? Job then is greatly displeased at the fact that Abner had been treated as a friend and not a fool by David. And he says to David, what has thy done? What has thy done? In other words, Job was saying to David, this is a mistake. You've made a mistake here. This is not how Abner should have been dealt with. This is not how Abner should have been treated, David. What has thy done? in behaving in this way. As we then come to verses 26 and 27, we're told of how Job took matters into his own hands. See what it says in verses 26 and 27. When Job was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Syrah. But David knew it not. And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Job took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly. smote him there under the fifth rib that he died for the blood of Azahel his brother. Job then calls Abner back and as Abner returns to Hebron Job takes him aside and kills him. This was the manner of Abner's death. He was slain in the most tragic of ways by Joab. Now we should note here that as Job killed Abner he behaved in a most wicked and evil way. In reality, Job committed murder as he slew Abner. Later on in 1 Kings 2 in the verse 5, David described Job's actions in this way. He shed the blood of war and peace. He shed the blood of war and peace. In other words, this was not an honorable fight between two men facing each other on the battlefield, but it was cold-blooded, premeditated murder. This is what it was. Job had no right to take matters into his own hand and to assassinate Abner. It was the breaking of the sixth commandment, thou shalt not kill. And so Job committed murder that day. Yet as we think of the tragic manner of Abner's death, we must consider why he died in the way he did. Why he died in the way he did. What led up to this point where Abner was slain by Job? You see, as we examine the way Abner died, there are a number of important spiritual lessons to note here about his tragic death. A number of important spiritual lessons to learn. Lessons we really need to learn so that we may not depart from this world in a tragic manner, just like Abner. So we will not go down the same tragic and horrific path. As we think of the manner of Abner's death, we can say, Abner died in this tragic way because of his deeds. He died in this tragic way because of his deeds. You see, despite the fact that Job murdered Abner, we also see in the death of this man the outworking of a very solemn biblical principle. We see in his death the outworking of a very solemn biblical principle. And that biblical principle is set forth in the words of Galatians 6 in the verse 7. This is what it says. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Do we not see this so clearly in the life of Abner? Is this not so apparent? Think of that which he had sown in life. Through his actions of wickedly opposing David as king, hundreds of men had died. Hundreds of men had died. He was a bloody man himself. Because as he led this opposition against David, it resulted in the death of multitudes of men. He had sown the evil seeds of division, destruction and death. And this even led to the death of Job's brother, Azahel. If Abner had not opposed David, Azahel would not have died. And so, in this sense, Abner was responsible for Azahel's death. Abner was a man who had lived in rebellion against God's word. He was a wicked man. And despite knowing that God had said, despite knowing that God had said David was to be king, Abner opposed this, violently and wickedly opposed this. But now the time of reaping comes for Abner and he falls by the sword. The day of reaping came. Hosea 8 verse 7 speaks of those who have sown the wind, they shall reap. the world wind. And that's what happened to Abner. He sowed to the wind and he reaped the world wind. Job 4 and 8 puts it like this. They that plough iniquity and sow wickedness reap the same. This man had sown iniquity, he had ploughed iniquity, he had sown wickedness and now the day of reaping had come for him. How true this was of Abner. Think of the words of verse 25 here also. And think of what Job says here. He says to David, Thou knowest Abner the son of Near, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest. And think of what Job is saying. He's speaking to David and he says, Thou knowest Abner the son of Near. Thou knowest this man. And what he's really saying is, You know what a crafty, wicked individual he is, David. Now Job was wrong in committing murder. There's no doubt about that. This was sin, and we'll come to see this in a moment. And yet the fact remains that Job was able to say to David, you know Abner. You know the type of man he is. You know he's a deceiver. You know he is crafty, and you know he is wicked. Abner then died in this tragic way because of his deeds. His sinful and selfish life eventually caught up with him. And so in the end he reaped what he had sown. Now what was true of Abner in death is true of all men. We will reap in death what we sow in life. We will reap in death what we sow in life. For those who live self-centered, carnal lives and ignore the need of their souls, they shall reap the fruit of this in death. Understand this. If you live a life for self, if you live a life for the things of this world, A worldly life. Then you will reap this in death. Do we not see this in Luke 16 as the Lord spoke about the rich man and Lazarus? There was a rich man and he lived for the things of this world. He had everything. He fared sumptuously every day. He had everything. But he reaped his Christless life and death as he was in hell. By contrast, those who live for Christ and seek to honor Him in all that they do, they will reap the sweetest of fruit in death. They will die well. They will die well. And again, we see this with the Apostle Paul. Turn with me for a moment to the New Testament, to Philippians chapter one and the verse 21. This is a verse of scripture that is well known. But it would do well just to look at these words here and see what Paul says as he thinks about his death and also about his life. Philippians chapter one in the verse 21. Paul says here, for to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Remarkable statement. For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. But what really need to note here is this, and this is often overlooked. The second half of this verse, cannot be separated from the first half. The second half of this verse cannot be separated from the first half. Paul could say to die as Gaean because he had first of all lived for Christ. That's the point. He was saying, I will reap Gaean because I have sown Christ. That's why death was Gaean to him. Now that's why it was a time of blessed reaping. Because in his life he had sown Christ. He knew Christ and he lived for Christ. How important it is that we understand the truth of this verse. We will reap what we sow. Have you sown Christ? Are you continually sowing Christ in your life? Because if this is not the case, then you will not reap gain in death. You will not reap gain in death. Abner died in this tragic way because of his deeds. He reaped in death what he sowed in life. And so will all men. So will all men. But then as we think of the manner of Abner's death, we can also say, Abner died in this tragic way because he was deceived. Because he was deceived. See again, the words of verses 26 and 27 here in 2 Samuel 3. And when Job was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, which brought him again from the well of Syrah, but David knew it not. And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Job took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly. After Job spoke with David, he sent messengers after Abner, asking him to return to Hebron. When Abner then returns, Verse 27 tells us, Job took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly. Now, what we see here is Abner believed. Abner believed he was in no danger. The very opposite was the case. As Job took him aside to speak with him quietly, it appeared Job was treating Abner as a friend. And he wanted to talk with him in a personal and intimate way. And we can imagine or envisage the scene here. Abner comes in and Job says, listen, come here a wee minute. Just come here a wee minute. I want a wee word with you. Come over to the side. Don't let anybody else hear. And so Abner believes he's been taken into the confidence of Joab. And he's going to hear something. He's going to receive some important information. Job is pretending to be a friend to him. Abner did not realize the danger he was in because he was deceived by Job. And then, before he knew it, before he even realized, Job plunged his dagger into him. The words of Psalm 55 verse 21 really describe Job's conduct towards Abner. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart. Therefore, Abner also died in this tragic way because he was deceived. Deceived into thinking there was no danger There was no danger here when all along he was facing death. Once again, this is why many in this world die in the most tragic and horrific of circumstances. They are deceived. Terribly deceived. Many are deceived about riches. They believe riches are their friend and they live for the riches of this world. This is what they're consumed with. This is what they're seeking to obtain and to accumulate and to gather the riches and possessions of this world. They think that these things will bring happiness and fulfillment to them. But in death they will come to realize they've been conned. For now they are utterly destitute and poor. And all along they've been living for that which is empty and that which they cannot keep hold of. Others are deceived by religion. They think that their religious deeds are their friend, and through their religious deeds they will gain heaven. And how many live in this way? But in death they will realize they have been deceived. The very thing that they have trusted in is completely worthless. And Christ will say to them, I never knew you. I never knew you. And again, many in our world today are deceived by their own reasonings. by their own reasons. They've come to trust in science. They've come to trust in education. And they believe their intelligence and wisdom is their friend. And this is increasingly the case. People live as if there was no God. And so they will never have to give an account. And they can just do as they please and they can live as they want. And there will never be any day of accountability. And they've come to trust in this. They've come to accept this. This is what they're believing in. But alas and death, alas and death. They will realize they have been deceived. And the words of Romans 1.22 will describe them, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. Thinking they were wise and intelligent beings all along, they were acting as fools. They've been deceived. Abner died a tragic death, not only because of his deeds, but also because he was deceived. Like many, as they face death, they do not grasp the danger they are in. This is a great tragedy. Many in our world today are living And they're going out into eternity and they don't grasp the danger they're in. Just like Abner here had no grasp of it. He was deceived. He thought all was well. Job was coming for him. Job was coming for him. This is why he died in this tragic way. Because he was deceived because of his deeds. And we also see here he died in this tragic way because he was defenseless. He was defenseless. In verse 27 we're told that Job smote Abner under the fifth rib. Now the word feth here literally means abdomen. Abdomen. And this is something that happens a number of times in scripture. The feth rib is used to describe the abdomen. Or the stomach. This is where Job plunged his knife into Abner. Into his abdomen. Or into his stomach. Therefore what we see here is that Abner was not wearing any protection. He did not have his armor on at this point. He didn't have his armor on that would have protected him from Job's sword. And Job, because he was defenseless, he died in this tragic way. He died in this tragic way. Once again, there's a very important spiritual lesson to note here. The only defense against the sword of God's judgment, which hangs over all men, is to have the protection of Jesus Christ. The only defense against the sword of God's judgment is to have the protection of Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can defend sinners. He is the one who can deliver sinners from the just wrath of God. And yet sadly the reality is there are multitudes and they've never claimed Christ as their Savior. They have never by faith put on the armor of His salvation. And so their death will be horrifically tragic. It will be horrifically tragic because as Hebrews 9.27 tells us It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment, after this the judgment, but in this judgment they will have no defense, none whatsoever. And so in this defenseless state, the sword of God's eternal wrath will be plunged into their soul. They will be eternally in the state of death. I want you to grasp this today. You who are sitting in this place still in your Senate of Christ, You're utterly defenseless. You have no protection against God's holy justice that will bear down upon the sinner. No protection whatsoever. This is why you need Christ. For only He can deliver you. The manner of Abner's death is the most solemn warning to us. Warning us that we need to be ready to die and be ready to stand before God on that day when He will judge all men. The only way we can be ready is to have Christ as our Savior, to have His protection, to have Him as our great defender. That's the only way we can be delivered from the sword of judgment, the sword of death that hangs over the sinner. And so we have here the manner of Abner's death. It was a tragic death because of his deeds. It was a tragic death because he was deceived. It was a tragic death because He was defenseless. He was defenseless. But then in the second place, I want us to note here, not only the manner of Abner's death, but the mourning over Abner's death. The mourning over it. And this is what you read about in verses 28 to 39. See what it says in verses 31 to 33. David said to Job and to all the people that were with him, rain your clothes and gird you with sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David himself followed the beer. They buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner. And all the people wept. And the king lamented over Abner and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth. From these words, we learn that David was filled with great sorrow. He was filled with great sorrow with the death of Abner. He lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner and lamented over Abner. The death then of Abner was something that filled David with the greatest sorrow. and deepest grief. It greatly troubled him. He was filled with sadness here. He was a man mourning, genuinely mourning and filled with grief. And yet we need to consider why this was the case. Remember, Abner had been David's enemy. He'd caused David a world of trouble up until this point. Why did David then say to his servants at the death of Abner, rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. Why did David himself weep and lament at the grave of Abner? Why this outpouring of sorrow? Why the sadness at Abner's death? Well, notice with me in this passage two reasons why David greatly mourned at the death of Abner. Two reasons. In the first place, we can say David mourned over the evil of Abner's death. He mourned over the evil of Abner's death. We have already noted that Abner was murdered. Murdered in a most callous and wicked way by Job. Now this evil deed which Job committed was something that greatly troubled David and it filled his heart with tremendous sadness and sorrow. This is especially brought before us in the words of verses 33 and 34. See what it says there. And the king lamented over Abner and said, died Abner as a full death. Thy hands were not bound. nor thy feet put into fetters, as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thy." In these words, David is asking the question. The latter part of verse 33 is a question. Died Abner as a fool doth? Notice the question mark there. This is not a statement. David's not saying this is Abner, he died as a fool. No, no, he's asking the question here. Really the sentence is, did Abner die as a fool? Did Abner die as a fool? And then David answers his own question by saying in verse 34, Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters. As a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thy. And the sense of what David is saying here is Abner did not die as a condemned criminal. He did not die with his hands bound and his feet in fetters. He did not suffer the sentence of death as a fool. No, he fell before wicked men. That is, he was wickedly murdered by evil men. And this is what David is saying here. This is what he's lamenting over here. The evil of Abner's death. David was mourning over the great sin and evil that was committed as Abner died. That he was murdered and murdered by one of his own men. David was broken here because of this evil and this sin that had been committed. Now this is something that we should note very carefully in this passage. Because David's behavior at this time is an example that every Christian would do well to follow. An example every Christian would do well to follow. As David was confronted with sin, when he learned of this wicked deed, he mourned over this evil. This was how he responded to it. And again remember Abner, had caused David a world of trouble. Abner had caused David's men to be put to death. But David doesn't hear about his murder and think well that's good for him. Slap it up him. Deserved him right. No he doesn't. This was murder. David mourns over it. He's broken over it. He's lamenting over it. We see there's other godly men in scripture. Think of the prophet Jeremiah. He's known as the weeping prophet. But what did Jeremiah weep over? He wept over sin. Listen to what Jeremiah says in Jeremiah 9 verse 1. And what is Jeremiah saying? because of the wickedness. These men wept over sin. And as we think of our nation, as we think of what is happening in our society, should we not be weeping and mourning and lamenting as God's people? In this past year, in Northern Ireland, 2,792 babies have been murdered in their mother's womb. Murder in our midst. Surely this should move us to weep and mourn. This is the very thing that will bring God's judgment upon us. And this is what is happening. And this is what we ought to be weeping over. We ought to be weeping over our young people and how they're being destroyed and defiled in a world of wickedness and sin. And led away from the truth and further and further into darkness. We ought to be weeping at the state of the church. She is found for the most part in a backslidden and cold state. These things should move us, should break us, should cause us to lament before God. Just like David did here. At the evil of Abner's death. It is a sad day. When there is no weeping and mourning over the great evil that has been perpetrated. sad day. And yet we have to be honest. Sin has become so normalized, so acceptable today. There's no weeping over it. There's no brokenness. We're not truly disturbed as we ought to be. Or that God would open our eyes to see Terrible evil that has taken place around us in the state in which we're found. That we might even be like David here in this passage. And lament and weep and mourn over the evil. And so David not only mourned here, or David mourned here because of the evil of Abner's death. But then he also mourned over the emptiness at Abner's death, over the emptiness. Notice in this passage how David speaks of Abner in death. See what he says in verse 38. And the king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? David tells his servants that Abner was a prince and a great man. This is referring to the fact that Abner was the most gifted and talented individual. He was a great leader in Israel. He was a prince. A man who was not only captain over the armies of Israel, But he also commanded a tremendous respect amongst the people of Israel. He was truly a great man in this sense. And so as Abner dies, David refers to him as a prince and a great man. And yet it's also important to note here that while David spoke of Abner's greatness, he did not speak of Abner's grace. He didn't speak of Abner's grace. This whole passage where we have Abner's death and funeral does not mention in any way the saving grace of God in Abner's life. This passage is silent on this. In fact, scripture is silent on this. This is especially why David mourned over the passing of Abner. Because there was a tremendous emptiness in his death. He left behind no testimony of grace. No evidence of God's salvation in his life. The opposite was the case. He had lived in rebellion against God. Now as we consider how Abner was mourned over, this must bring us to the point where we reflect how we will be mourned over in death. How others will consider us in death. Will those who knew us in life speak of the greatness of our life? Or will they speak of grace in our life when we have died? That's often what happens at funeral services. People will speak about the individual, speak about their greatness, what they worked at, what their interests were, their family and different things. And they'll speak about the greatness of their life. But what is most important? What is of real worth and value is being able to speak about the grace of a person's life, the grace that was found there, God's saving grace, God's salvation. Now what will be the testimony that you will leave behind? As we think about Abner, we must come to this point. We have here his death, we have his funeral service. But when it comes to God's salvation, when it comes to Christ, there's a silence of it. It's deafening. Now what about you? The death of Abner does bring us to this place where we must consider how we will die. Will you die well? Because you're in Christ. You know Him. He's your Saviour and that's evident in how you live. Others can see this. And will you die like Abner? Yes, others will speak about your life and will speak about many things, but when it comes to what is ultimately all important, grace and salvation, nothing will be able to be said. Because at this point in time, you're out of Christ. You will die. We all will die. Make sure you die well. You die in Christ. May God be pleased to bless his word to our hearts for his own name's sake. Amen. Let's just close in a word of prayer. Our Father in heaven, we thank you for the warnings of your word. You think of this man Abner, what a solemn warning he is to us. Lord, we recognize that as dying men and women, we must prepare for that day where we will leave this world behind. May we be like the apostle Paul. May we sow Christ. May we live for him. May we know him. May we serve him. So that in death we might be able to say it will begin. Remember us, Lord, as we would meet around your table. Continue to make known thy presence amongst us. We think of those that will leave us also. Be with them and just continue to bless us this day. These things we ask in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.