Alright, it's just about time to begin. Let's take our hymn books and sing together hymn number 488. 488, My Redeemer. I will sing of my Redeemer and His wondrous love to me. On the cruel cross He suffered, from the curse to set me free. O sing of my Redeemer, with His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt. ♪ And made me free ♪ I will tell the wonder story ♪ How my lost has stayed to stay ♪ In his boundless love and mercy ♪ He the ransom freely gave ♪ Sing, oh, sing of my redeeming grace With His blood He purchased me, on the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free. I will praise my dear Redeemer, His triumphant power I'll tell, How the victory He giveth over sin and death and hell. Sing, oh sing, of my Redeemer, with His blood He purchased me. On the cross He sealed my pardon, paid the debt, and made me free. I will sing of my Redeemer and His heavenly love to me. He from death to life hath brought me, Son of God, with Him to be. Great hymn. Let's take our Bibles and look together in the book of Jude for our scripture reading. This is a very somber book of warning against all that stand outside of Christ and the doom of false teachers and preachers. So who's a false preacher? Anything contrary to what God has revealed here in his word concerning his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the record that he's given of his son. So his person, his work, why he came, what he accomplished, it's all clearly revealed here in the word. And yet men deviate, they take this word and pervert it. is a bloody book, either in condemnation or salvation. God required a blood sacrifice in order to save sinners, but the condemnation of sinners is on their own head with their own blood. So here in verse one of Jude, there's only one chapter. It begins, Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ. No fancy titles. to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called. If you look back at the original, that verb are sanctified means a once for all sanctification. I know that there is being preached by many today that salvation is an ongoing work, progress, whereby more and more sinners are sanctified under the Lord. But the word declares here that those for whom Christ died are, were, would be the way to translate it, sanctified by God the Father. The word means to be set apart unto holiness. So in election, those that God has saved by his Son were set apart, sanctified in election. In his blood, it was for these that the father gave him that he paid the debt. And then in regeneration, the calling that's described here. See, preserved by Jesus Christ, we got the work of the father, the son, and called. The spirit of grace sets apart, sanctifies unto Christ those that he has redeemed by his blood. Unto you can peace and love be multiplied. People like to take the word and generalize it and apply it to themselves, but it's very specific. You can't understand verse two apart from verse one, mercy unto you. When the Father is chosen, Christ is redeemed and the Spirit is called. And peace, because it's the peace that Christ has established by his death and love. Love was the beginning of it from eternity. Love is the continuing of it. Love is the end of it. It's unconditional because Christ has paid the debt. Now, beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, common doesn't mean everyday ordinary, but it means that salvation which all of God's elect share in Christ. And that elect in grace. salvation but then it says it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Now when it says the faith it's not talking about personal belief as some would interpret it because then it wouldn't be once delivered unto the saints. There's a one-time delivering unto the saints which is faith is none other than this finished word, that all those that are saints, end of verse three, it means justified ones, sanctified and justified by the blood of Christ, to earnestly contend for the faith. It's the substance of the gospel in connection with Christ and his about out there in the world, but he's saying they've crept in unawares in your midst, in the very congregations where the gospel is preached. And notice, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation. In fact, that's the title of the message we're gonna consider in 1 Samuel, before ordained to condemnation. And it says here, ungodly men, ungodly in the sense of against God. They have their view of God. They have their notions of God. These obviously were religious people else they would not have appeared among the saints and yet ungodly men. It says turning and transforming it into something. Could be just adding a work to it, or adding man's will to it. Say, well, God's gracious, but anytime you have but to grace, then you've got a problem. And it says, and denying the only Lord God, and in the original where he says, He is the Lord God who came in the flesh, lived, died, and rose again to redeem that people that the Father gave. He says, I will therefore put you in remembrance. This is why we gather to read the Word and hear it read and hear it preached. It's because we have in our flesh and in our nature the very tendency to go away. The grace of God keeps us. And to me, that's the proof that one is the Lord. It's not that we're better than any out in the world, but when it says up there in verse one, preserved in Jesus Christ, that means we're kept. But we're a sheep prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the one I love. So we need these times in the reading of the word and the hearing of it preached, of remembering, he says, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believe not. So now we come into the goodness of God in the deliverance, but severity of God in destroying them that believe not. When I read verse five, it's a reminder that wherever God has his people, that he has saved by the blood of Christ, there are those that do not believe. I remember at one point, praying for the lost among us. And there was somebody that came up afterward, concerned and says, who were you thinking of when you said the lost among us? Well, the fact that somebody would be concerned about somebody else and not their own estate is troubling enough because the lost among us, wherever there's wheat, there's stairs. And unless Our eyes are on the Lord Jesus Christ alone. It doesn't matter how long we've sat under this gospel. It could be the true gospel. Those of Israel that were destroyed saw with their eyes all of the types and images that represented the Lord Jesus Christ, and yet it was not mixed with faith. So that's the warning, that these were delivered as a nation out of the land of Egypt, and yet after we're destroyed in unbelief. I can't think of any place where sinners might be more hardened than in a place where the gospel is preached. Because they hear it week in and week out, they give assent to it. And yet, like Judas Iscariot, three years with the Lord. have left their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness under the judgment of the great day. This is showing God's prerogative to save whom he will but also to condemn whom he will. There's no redeemer that was ever appointed for his fallen angels. It just simply says they fell and he has reserved them in everlasting chains under the darkness of the judgment of the great day. You know Sodom and Gomorrah. The city's about that, in a light manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. So that fire and brimstone that was poured out on that city, some look at it and say, what kind of God would do that? Well, it's the kind of God that will send souls to hell because he loves his righteousness. And he loves his son, and he'll be honored into hell. Likewise also these filthy dreamers. I remember verse 8 he's talking about religious leaders. He's talking about people that were in their midst that when men looked on them they appeared to be servants of God. Yet he calls them filthy dreamers that defile the flesh and despise dominion and speak evil of dignities. We see it happening all the time. Preachers stand up and act as if They will not have Christ to reign over them. They will not have men to reign over them. They're their own little gods. Yet, Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses. Spirits not bringing against him were railing accusations that said the Lord rebuked them. But these speak evil of those things which they know not. We run into it all the time. You hear people talking about man's free will as if it's the key to salvation. What are they doing? They're speaking against Christ and his authority in saving whom he will. They don't think themselves as rebels and yet just that. When they say to you, but I still believe that man has a free will. Choose or not. I often liken free will, if you want God to let you go, like a tennis ball, take your hand away, what happens to it? It only goes down. That's the way it is with man. If God ever leaves sinners to themselves, they have one direction down. They'll never come to God. These speak evil of those things which they know not, that word know means They don't know it, never experienced it, because it hadn't ever been. And therein is the grace of God, because we could be just like them, but for God's grace. And he says, but what they know naturally, as brute beasts in those things, they corrupt themselves. There are many people that read even this inspired word with natural eyes. things, meditations to help you feel better, be more positive about life, all of these things, and yet all they're doing is corrupting themselves as brute beasts. Brute beasts is the idea there if you leave some trash out. And overnight, pretty soon, if you're in a certain area, these wild beasts start showing up and digging through. All they can do is devour. And that's what people do with the Word. Woe unto them, verse 11, for they have gone in the way of Cain. How did Cain come? With the works of his own hands. And ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward. Balaam sought to curse the people of Israel for personal gain, and then you read there, and perish in the gain saying of Cori, the sons of Cori, that stood up against Moses, and yet in an instant, God opened the earth and devoured them. In every one of those cases were men going their own way, and God destroyed them. It says these are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you. So again, they're amongst them. And that's one of the most difficult things, I think, for people to get a hold of, when they have people come visit, they seem so nice, and they like to stay for a while. We had a lady that visited not too long ago, and she told another one of our congregation, she said, I enjoyed the visit, it was so much fun. And I'm thinking, what was fun about it, other than the preaching of the gospel? Everybody was friendly, and we are. We welcome people. We're not growling. A lot of people think we worship a monster god. If you preach a god that sends sinners to hell, then he must be a monster god. But we come and worship God as sinners saved by grace. And we understand what it is to be lost. And therefore, when people come that are lost, We're understanding compassion, but never to the compromise of Christ and His glory. We're not going to cater to them or socialize with them and think somehow by socializing we're going to win them to Christ, as the world says. No. It's going to be this word or not. Not at all. These are spots in your feasts of charity, though. People like to come together and eat. When they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Could be a message just like we're going to see tonight. God's judgment upon sinners, being ordained, and yet they'll sit through it and act like nothing was, water off a duck's back, without fear. Because they just like being with, you know, the Lord's people are friendly people. Where you find them, they're gracious. And I don't blame them for wanting to be around us, but that doesn't make them the Lord's. feeding themselves without fear. Clouds, they are without water, carried about of winds. That describes their habits. They can sit here today and listen to a message and the wind carry them on down the road and something going on, program somewhere and they're thinking, well, I'm going to go on down there. Trees whose fruit withereth without fruit. Whatever appears to be fruit isn't fruit unless it's the work of Christ. Twice dead, plucked up by the roots, raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame, wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. We've all seen those shooting stars, bright for a moment, then just gone. There are many that come and sit perhaps in our midst and give profession to knowing They'll be gone. And here's the important thing. When they leave, don't chase them. A lot of people are going, well, maybe you ought to go after them and try that. Nope. There's a reason that the Lord has caused them to leave. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. And here it is, to execute judgment upon all. and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. That's a verse right there. It's just simply saying that anything outside of Christ and His precious blood and what God has revealed here in this world, word is ungodly. It's like Christ would say in that day, many shall say to me, Lord, Lord. And He'll say, depart from me, ye workers of nickel, ye I never need. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouths speak of great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. Beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. There are some that think that things are gonna get better and better until finally Christ comes back. Well, they haven't read the scriptures. It's not gonna get better. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians and said that Christ would not come except there be a falling away first. There are going to be some hard times. Here it says that in the last time mockers who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. It's talking about religious folk that have a profession and yet the foundation is not in Christ and his person. It's the lusts of their own flesh. come to worship for many reasons. Some out of guilt. They think, well, I haven't been to church in a while, I better get to church. Some out of reward. They think, well, if I go, somehow God's going to reward me. Those are all lusts. And many out of desire to be seen. I'm going down there, show so and so what kind of spiritual person I am. I want to get to work for the Lord. I hear people talking like that all the time. Those are lusts, their own lusts. It's self-motivated is what that is. And it's out of depravity. Not out of the knowledge of Christ. These, it says in verse 19, be they who separate themselves, sensual, that word sensual means fleshly, and it says, having not the spirit. It's just plain, you either have the spirit or you don't. You're either in Christ or you're not. All of the religious, or the beloved, same as the verse 17, same as the ones mentioned up there in verses one and two. Chosen of God, beloved in Christ, redeemed by him. Building up yourselves on your most holy faith. There is again, wherever you see faith as a noun, it's substance. It's the content of Christ, it's the doctrine of Christ. Building yourselves up, framed in the Holy Ghost, Where does the Spirit direct prayers but to the Lord Jesus Christ? Keep yourselves in the love of God. Again, it's Him keeping us in that love. Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. The mercy as opposed to what we just saw, a condemnation at His appearing. And here it is. And though some have compassion, making a difference. We have to be careful when People come in our midst who are not, don't appear to be the Lord's just because they're ignorant of the gospel of Christ. They may be the Lord's. It just may be that he's just not wrong. So have compassion in that sense, being understanding that this may be one of the Lord's sheep. I always think that whenever we have a visitor. It may be now or may be down the road. Who knows? It seems so. But if they're the Lord's, he'll get them. Have compassion. making a difference, and others saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire. There's times where some come in here thinking they know someone, and they may talk the talk or walk the walk, as people say, and yet you understand underlying it is a self-motivating, self-righteous obedience that they feel like they have to do in order to find acceptance with God. Those are the ones that pull out of the fire, speak to, exhort. Hating even the garment spotted by the flag. That's talking about self-righteousness. Now unto Him that is able to keep you from faulting and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy. How is it that we're kept from going the way of these others? Well, all the glory belongs unto the Lord before Him. The presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. How do you know the right interpretation of scripture? Well, it's what gives Christ all the glory. It's like that. All right, let's look to the Lord. Precious Father, thank you for your word. What a precious reading to consider that you've made a difference. that if we today can enter in and rejoice in who you are, your great mercies to us in Christ Jesus, that it's all of grace, and certainly not of us. And I pray that you make us mindful that as we pass so many people every day in our work and our going and coming, that we're still in darkness, I pray that we would never become calloused and hardened even in our own thinking as to the glory of who Christ is and what he accomplished. I pray each time that we open this word that our hearts and minds will be by your grace drawn to him, that we would indeed rejoice in the glory. Thank you for this opportunity to meet tonight. I'm going to give you all the praise, honor, and glory. In our dear Savior's name, amen. Let's sing hymn number 309. Take a look at it. We're singing. 309, Beneath the Cross of Jesus. Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand. A shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land. A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way. from the burning of the new-day heat and the burden of the day. Upon that cross of Jesus my eye at times can see the very dying form of one who suffered there for me. And from my smitten heart with tears to wonders I confess the wonders of His glorious love and my own worthlessness. I take a cross by shadow for my abiding place. I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face. content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss. My sinful self, my only shame, my glory on the cross. Let's take our Bibles and find the remains. Let's look at 1 Samuel. chapter 27, I'm going to read from verse 8 down to verse 12 and speak with you from this title, Before Ordained to Condemnation. I know that it's not a popular subject to talk about God's judgments, God's condemning of sinners, but it is what we read in the no smorgasbord, no picking and choosing, and decide, well, this looks like a good message, I think I'll preach this. This is a book that God has given to show us how it is he saves sinners, but also how it is he condemns sinners. As we've been studying here in Samuel, David is a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. And how God purposed that he should ascend to the throne and gave him authority over these that were to be part of his kingdom. And that authority is like Christ prayed in the garden in John 17 verse 2. He thanked the Father that the Father had given him authority over all flesh to give eternal life And here, as we saw last time, the Lord purposed that David should seek refuge or escape in the land of the Philistines and gave him favor with the king at that time, whose name was Achish. And this is the same family where before the last time when he fled, They brought him before this king, and David feigned being a madman. He started drooling, and it was what God purposed that by that, the king would let him go, and he escaped there. But now he comes back. Some say this was a different king. Some say it was his family, but all I know is that God gave this king a natural favor toward David, as we saw last time, God has the power and authority to restrain men, even the worst of them, from doing what they would do otherwise. And we see that case here with David. And even to the point of where the king gave David an entire city of Ziklag, we saw that in verse six. Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day, wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. Again, a picture of God's distinctive grace in that Ziklag now benefited from David's presence being there, whereas the rest of the land was still under that ungodly king. But while David was there, it says in verse seven that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines a full year and four months. This is again a sign of God's sovereign and he was the one to deliver Israel. And it wasn't until it was manifest that all of a sudden now it became a problem. But he grew up right there under Pharaoh's nose for 40 years and no one touched him. The Lord knows how to preserve and deliver those that are his. And we have an example here with David as well. Full year and four months. right in the mouth of the lie under the scrutiny of this very barbaric and devious king and kingdom and yet had favor. And now verse eight, David and his men went up and invaded the Gesherites under the land of Egypt. If you have a map, you can see this distance. These were nomads. They wandered, they devastated, they were enemies of Israel. And so David, the Lord spurred him up to go and invade them and smite them. Says verse nine, David smoked the land. and left neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel, and returned and came to Achish. And Achish said, whither have you made a road today? It's an interesting way to put it. In other words, where did you go raid today? And David set against the south of Judah and against the south of the German Melites and against the south of the Canaanites. Some say that he was deceptive with Achish, but he did go into the south, it's just that he didn't destroy those specific ones. In other words, he didn't owe Achish and Agamemnon a woman alive to bring tidings to Gath saying lest they should tell on us saying so did David and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. And Aphish believed David saying he hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him. Therefore he shall be my servant forever. So what do we learn from this? Well, the first thing is and goodness of God. That it is the Lord that determines those that he will save and also those that he will condemn. Blessed be the name of the Lord. When you look in Romans chapter 11 and verse 22, see we don't know who they are, but the Lord does. The Lord knows those that are his. And even David going forth here to smite these enemies. Made a distinction between those that God had condemned and the rest. He made a distinction. All those that were appointed to this condemnation were slain, were killed. And the rest spared a lot. Romans chapter 11 verse 22. Paul says, behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell, severity. It's talking about those of even the Jewish nation, that even though they had the oracles of God and they had all of the types and pictures and promises before them that spoke of Christ, yet they perished. That was the severity of God. But toward thee, it's talking here about even Gentiles that God had purposed to bring into his covenant grace for the goodness. When it says if thou continue in his goodness, that if is not a condition, but it's a characterization. How do you know the difference between those who are under God's condemnation and those who are beneficiaries of his goodness? They continue in that goodness. The if is They continue in that goodness. Otherwise, thou also shalt be cut off. In other words, if God ever cuts anybody off, no matter how outwardly right their doctrine seemed or profession, whatever, if God ever cuts them off, the reality is they never were the Lord's. So that's how we see these things over time. I've had people ask me before and say, well, do you think so-and-so was saved? And I would say, well, seeming about 25, 30 years. Now there's a keeping in this gospel, preserved in Christ as we read there in Jude, that is the evidence of God's grace. Thus we would be right now, like we read in Jude, the wind carrying us here, entering yonder, following after every wind of doctrine. But to be anchored in Christ and in this grace, Last time, I don't know why the Lord has impressed me so much with these 600 men that gathered around David from the beginning and all the way through. We're going to see it in 2 Samuel. Every time he goes out to fight, it's these 600 men. Never loses one. And they're fighting. They're in a battle. Not one lost. To me, that's a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ as well. He keeps them. Yeah, he keeps them. So therein is the severity of God that we read here in 1 Samuel 27 and verse eight where David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites and the Gesurites and the Amalekites. And yet we see his goodness in verse six in that this city, Ziklag, benefited from Not only David's presence, but it says, pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. In some fashion, regardless of the passage of time, that city was kept for the kings of Judah that would follow David. And of course, we know that Christ came from the tribe of Judah. And so you could say, therefore, Christ's saved. They may not have realized it at the time, the only reason God ever shows any sin of mercy, it's for Christ's sake. So we see his goodness and his severity. Now, here's where we see the title of this message, the subject, Before Ordained to Condemnation, because it says there that David went out and smoked these three particular tribes, nomadic tribes. It says, for those nations were of old, the inhabitants of the land as thou goest to Shur, even under the land of Egypt. And if you go back into the book of Joshua, you'll see that these were some of the Canaanite dwellers there that God did not completely chase out at the hand of the children of Israel. But put them there that they might continue to be a thorn in their side, to spur them. See, the Lord is sovereign even in that. I think about, and I'm sure you do too, if you're the Lord, why it is he just doesn't deliver us from this flesh. And yet the Lord prayed in his high priestly prayer in John 17. He prayed not that we'd be taken from the world, but that we'd be kept from the evil. One is an italic. The evil could be Satan, could be the world, could be this flesh. And I think what greater manifestation of the power of Christ and the grace of God in Christ than him to keep us in spite of what this flesh represents. But there's something more, I believe, here as to why the Lord did not completely chase these out, the Geshurites and the Jesurites, is that when David should come and be exalted and enthroned as the king, that it be to his glory, that he's the one that did it. As you read this, and David went and conquered these, and the Lord gave him his throne, that's how peace was established. It was through this one David. Can you see then how it's a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ? When he came into this world, the law, the sin, the world, the devil, all of these things stood against those that Christ came to save but he conquered. It says I will build my church in the gates of hell shall not prevail against me. So for me these were left for one reason that David might be glorified and exalted in the eyes of the people for his great work that he did going forth and conquering them. The Amalekites So they were before of old ordained on the condemnation. Now God had his remnant among some. We read that in scripture. Rahab was spared. It wasn't all of them. And we see that in God's mercy. He condemns an entire nation of Moab. And yet was he do send a famine in the land of Israel, sends Naomi and her family down there. The sons died, the husband dies. condemned of God to be destroyed. And the Amalekites, who continue to be the implacable enemies of Israel, if you remember some of their beginning, in Genesis, they appear in Esau's genealogy. So now you got Jacob, you got Esau. Jacob who I love, Esau I hate. Here's an example then of God's righteous judgment upon a people that he himself ordained for condemnation. I remember growing up, everybody tried to balance the scriptures. I was taught growing up, well, God would never actually ordain anybody to hell. That's the way I was taught. He has to if he has to, but don't want to. And so you've got God pleading and waiting and hoping. That's not the God of scripture. God's scripture is clearly laid out. Jacob and Malachi saw that hand. We read about it over here in Jude chapter one and verse four, if you come back there. That's how these were described by Jews that were actually in their midst, just like these enemies that David went and defeated were in the midst of this kingdom that God had purposed for David to rise up and rule and reign. crept in unawares. These were nomadic tribes. They moved around. And they were hard at times to nail down, if you will. And yet God knew them. And at the appointed time, put in David's heart to rise up and go and destroy and to kill them. It says here, who were before of old ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Had they been permitted to live, they would have continued to have been enemies of David, just like men are left themselves to continue to be enemies of Christ. They will not bow, such is their nature. The only way that any sinner is brought to bow But coming back here again, looking at this condemnation, it was before ordained, but also completely vital. When you read here in verse nine, it says, David smote the land. These were enemies that not even Achish, the Philistine king could conquer. This was just a wild land. But David now, rising up, goes forth, and it says there in verse nine, and neither man nor woman alive. Here's a picture of representation, because if we read this today, people say, well, there were a lot of innocent people that died then. There's not an innocent person that has ever died. I don't care how nice they've been. We're all born in this world rebels and sinners, and unless the Lord Jesus Christ has paid our sin debt, we die, we will die as guilty, hell bound, condemned sinners, because there's no other way of salvation. It's either in Christ or it's not. In this case, the line is clearly divided. You were either with David or you weren't. And these would never have been with David, even if they had feigned to, And David didn't go to negotiate with them either. Well, I'm going to give you a chance to repent and maybe you can be part of my kingdom. Negotiate? No. There's no negotiation. David smoked the lamb and took away the sheep. That's one with authority. Men assume that what they have is theirs. It's not. It's the Lord's. The proof is that when men die, they don't take anything with them. I know traditions. To accompany him on the way, I've seen some really weird things go on at funerals. Teddy bears and just all kinds of stuff. No. He took it away, the sheep, the oxen, the asses, the camels, the apparel, and returned and came to Acreage. Now when it says he came to Acreage, he didn't give Acreage these things. these others should now become the spoil of the victor. And that's a picture of Christ too. When he entered in and brought captivity captive, he brought out from hell those that belong unto him. When I say that's not that Christ went to hell, but he delivered from the grasp of Satan and sin and hell and condemnation, those that were his. And none could stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? So we see that here, not only that condemnation is sovereign of the Lord, it's complete and final, it's by His determining, and it's at a time, here's the thing, of the Lord's determining. There's a verse over in First Thessalonians chapter five and verse three that pertains to our present world. And you know, I have people ask me, From time to time, do you think we're in the last times? We've been in the last times ever since Christ came the first time. The scriptures say it was at the end of the world that he came. Well, do you think he's coming in our lifetime? Well, yes, he's coming one way or another. He's either gonna come in clouds of glory to receive unto himself those that he redeemed or he's coming to There's nobody getting out of here alive. And that's what we see here in First Thessalonians chapter five, where Paul says in verse one, but of the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night. You know of any thief that ever sent your word I was wandering the neighborhood, and my son was out playing. And all of a sudden, he come running in the house, and he said, Dad, there's a man out there. He said he's going to come rob us tonight when we go to church. And I said, really? Well, let me see who this guy is. So I went out there, and he was nowhere to be seen. We drove around, couldn't find him. So I went that night, especially got a guard. And he was nuts, this guy. It was true, he showed up. But the guard kind of laid there in the dark and waited from our time of worship, the guard was sitting on him. He wasn't going to move. I mean, so I called the police station to come pick him up, and the police said, well, the one vehicle they had was broken down, so I'd have to bring him in. I'm thinking, you know, haul this guy down to the police station. And so I had to get two guys, and they sat either side of him in the back seat, and I told them if he moved, knock him out. took him on down there and I thought that's about the only time I ever know of a thief telling somebody they're coming ahead of time so he must have been on something but a thief in the night the lord people are always talking about signs and wonders and what's going to be the lord lord says no man knows the time of the season so if you if you run into people naming times and dates and seasons you know automatically it's wrong don't even don't even listen but here in uh verse Three, it says, here's the part I want to see, for when they shall say peace and safety. See, everybody talks about how everything's going to be troublesome and all of a sudden then the Lord's going to come. No, it's going to be peace and safety. There's going to be all this talk about peace and safety. Isn't that the number one talk in politics today? We're going to secure this world. We're going to secure this state. We're going to, we're going to, we're going to. That's the part that I see here with regard to these that David went after. That's travail. That's a common oriental simile that expresses sadness and horror that a woman with child knows that she has the child to bear, but doesn't know the exact time until suddenly now the pains, the travail, and then the delivery. That's how it's described, the coming of the Lord. So here with David coming back to 1 Samuel 27, we see that it's the Lord that purposed this condemnation and none can resist. There's not anyone here that you read was able to resist. It says simply that David smoked the land and left neither man or woman alive. to the point that, when you read on over here in verse 11, David saved neither man nor woman alive. I think, again, we tend to think, well, the women, are they really that responsible? Yes, we all live under representation. We all fell on Adam, man and woman. It doesn't matter. But sometimes we tend to think that Maybe God will be softer on the women than the men. No, men and women, neither was spared alive to bring tidings to Gath, saying, lest they should tell on us, saying, so did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelt in the country of the Philistine. God was working through David during this time that he would spend there. And it's the Lord who determines who lives and who dies. One other point that I would bring out here is that in verse 12, where it says, Akish believed David, saying he had made his people Israel ugly before him. See, David made it seem to Akish that he went down there to kill some of his own folk. When it says that he went, when Akish asked him, where did you make your road today? Where did you go out on your bivouac? David set against the south of Judah. That's exactly where he went. And against the south of Jeremiah. These were places where these people lived. And against the south of the Ammonites. He keeps talking about the area that he went into, but not necessarily the people. But the understanding that Achish had was he was actually going down there to kill some of his own. And so, verse 12 says that Achish Really, he was caused to believe, Achish was caused to believe a lie, to his own destruction. And because of that, had a false sense of peace. Because it said, so did David, and so will be his manner all the while he dwelleth in the country of the Philistines. In other words, David came there because these allies of Saul were chasing him. So Achish is thinking, as long as he's out there killing these people, I'm gonna be all right, I got a good guy here. And such was his deception. but God purposed it and caused him to believe a lie to spare David a life. But when he says there, therefore he shall be my servant forever. You know, I thought about the Lord Jesus Christ and his humiliation when he walked on this earth. He had not where to lay his head. He was literally like David, living in a wilderness of wicked men that but for God's hand but not one person could lay their hand on our Lord Jesus Christ until in that garden when Christ, and they came with staves and spears, and he said, I was every day in the temple with you, not one of you laid your hand on me, but now is your hour. There was an appointed hour for our Lord Jesus Christ to die, but just like David, he lived among wicked men that sought to kill him. And yet the whole time he was there, our Lord knew those that he came to save. And he knew those that he would condemn. And that's the picture we have. But men look at him in that humility. That's the part here in verse 12. Therefore he shall be my servant forever. Egestavach, this guy's a good servant. It's like men think of Christ. They think that he's in their hands to do with what they, as if he's a rabbit's foot. Whenever they need something, he's there for them. Listen to him talk. And when Christ is on this earth, that's how men perceived him. They didn't seek God in the flesh, yet that's who it was. But I'll tell you who did seek If He saves us, we give Him the glory. It's all by His grace alone. All right, let's take our handbooks. Let's sing hymn number 16, and then we'll be dismissed. Hymn number 16. The Lord is King. The Lord is King. Lift up, lift up thy voice. Sing his praise, sing his praise. All heaven and earth before him now rejoice. Sing his praise, sing his praise. From world to world the joy shall ring, for He alone is God and King. From sky to sky His banners fling, sing His praise, sing His praise. The Lord is King, let all His work declare, Great is He, great is He. Bow to His will and trust His tender care. Great is He, great is He. Nor murmur at His wise decrees, nor doubt His steadfast promises. In humble faith, fall on thy knees. Great is He, great is He. The Lord is King, and bowed to Him ye must. God is great, God is good. The judge of all, to all is ever just. God is great, God is good. Holy and true are all His ways. Let every creature shout His praise. The Lord of hosts, ancient of days, God is great, God is good. The Lord is King, throughout His vast domain. He is all, all in all. The Lord's will hold, but evermore shall reign. He is all, all in all. Through earth and heaven, one song shall ring. From grateful hearts, this anthem spring. We should be privileged to hear such a message. David, the glory of your son, that used him to raise him up and cause him to sit on that throne to deliver people alive. And at the same time to conquer and destroy the enemies. We live in a day where there's no fear of God in men's eyes. Only in those that you've been pleased to reveal your son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are undeserving of your grace and mercy. We thank you for your purpose to save such sinners as we are, and sending your son, Lord Jesus Christ, into this world, and causing him to pay that sin debt, that you might be a just God and Savior. And if we've been able to hear this word and rejoice, then certainly the glory belongs unto you. I do pray for any that are lost among us, that you are yet to call and to draw. I pray that, Lord, that we would simply wait upon you and rest in your sovereign mercies to do your work as you will. And we know that you will if there are any that you have paid their All the glory, in whose name I pray, amen.