Archives for

Sermon Audio

Bright and shining lights in the Bible #9

“By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”
We have considered how that Abel’s sacrifice was deemed ‘more excellent’ than Cain’s and that because it was offered in OBEDIENCE to God and spoke of Christ the Lamb of God.
But learn also:
BY HIS SACRIFICE HE WAS TOLD HE WAS RIGHTEOUS
‘He obtained witness that he was righteous.’ How was that? It says that God testified of the fact that he was righteous. The word ‘testifying’ appears in Luke 4:22 and is translated as “and all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth.”
The people testified of the Saviour’s gracious words. In like manner God spoke of the fact that Abel was righteous as a result of the sacrifice he had offered. Just how God ‘spoke’ we are not sure but it is very possible He did with Abel’s sacrifice what He did with Elijah’s on Mt Carmel. “Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench,” 1 Kings 18:38. Most certainly Abel had the witness of God’s Spirit within him that he was accepted by God. Even so it is with every true Christian today. “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father,” Galatians 4:6. “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself,” 1 John 5:10.
ALSO NOTE THAT ABEL STILL SPEAKS TO US!
That is, what he did still testifies to us of how we too may be righteous before God. As it was with the words of Samuel the prophet – “And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground,” 1 Sam 3:19 – so it is with the testimony of Abel. His faith and obedience to God speaks to us today from all those years ago, about 6000 years ago. He says to each one of you: “The way to get to heaven is to obey the gospel and trust in the offering God tells us to trust in, the Lord Jesus. Christ.”
Abel’s sacrifice spoke peace to Abel. Christ’s sacrifice speaks to us peace to us ALL!
“And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel,”Hebs 12:24.
We have referred to three voices today.
1. God’s voice to Abel, 2. Abel’s voice to us and 3. Christ’s voice to us all. They are the 1. voice of personal assurance, 2. the voice of witness and 3. the voice of Calvary to those trusting in Christ’s sacrifice.

Bringing the King back, Pt3

Scripture: “Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?” 2 Sam 19:10.
THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE KING’S RESTORATION.
It is to be noted that it was the king who initiated contact with the people.  Like the Prodigal’s father, he was watching for signs of a return. Consider:
I. THE WORDS OF THE KING.
“And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel is come to the king, even to his house. Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king? And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab,” 19:11-13.
He will not force himself upon his people, Hosea 5:15.
  • His messengers. The priests, the teachers of the law. Task of preachers today!
  • Those spoken to. The elders. Here is divine order.
  • He reminds them of their close ties with him. Amasa was his nephew. I am sure these words would have resonated with more than just Amasa. We belong to the family of God, not this world.
  • He speaks of forgiveness and restoration. Despite Amasa’s siding with Absalom, David promised to advance him.
II. THE IMPACT OF THE KING’S WORDS
“And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants,” verse 14.
  • His words reached their hearts. Is this not missing today!
  • His words bend them down low. We need a touch of ‘judgment day’ humility. Romans 14:11-12. 2 Chron 7:14, Hosea 10:12, Lam 3:40-41.
  • There was unity amongst them. O happy day when the people of God are united in their submission before Christ. They were acting and speaking as one!
III. THE INVITATION TO RETURN.
“They sent this word unto the king, Return thou, and all thy servants,” v 14. A return to how things were! Jer 6:16, Joel 2:15-18.
  • ‘Return’ – Meaning of the word: Genesis 3:19, 8:3, 9. Here we see what a complete restoration to a former state is inferred by this word ‘return’. This is a restoration of our hearts and affections to our ‘first love’!
Before the Prodigal enjoyed the blessings of the father’s house, he restored the honour and obedience due to his father!
  • ‘Thou’. The invitation was directed to the king first of all. It was he who was chiefly rejected and offended and slighted.
  • ‘And all thy servants.’ When we reject the king, we reject His servants also but here we see restoration for them as well. I see in this a restoration of the writings of the prophets etc to the place of honour from which they had been cast down by our backsliding!
IV. THE MEETING OF THE KING AND HIS PEOPLE. 
“So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan,” v 15.
  • The place of death, ‘Jordon’, was the meeting place. We must die to self and sin. That is the birthplace of revival.
  • Note the mention of Gilgal. The place where the Covenant with God was renewed, Joshua 5:1-8. It was there that the Lord ‘rolled away the reproach of Egypt’ from off Israel, verse 9.
The Lord was ‘first’ in their lives again!
  • As Israel was conveyed over Jordon dry foot, so was David carried over. Joshua 3:17. See Isaiah 62:10 – the removal of obstacles to a returning!
It is possible that it was the place where John later baptised and introduced the ‘KING’ to Israel, John 1:28-29. ‘Bathabara’ = ‘House of the ford’. We need such a vision of Christ again.
Such is the return, the restoration we require today if we are to enjoy again the blessings of our sins taken away, that which was known in former times!

Bringing the King back, Pt1

Scripture: “Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?” 2 Sam 19:10.

Stream or download Bringing the King back, Pt 1

Watch a video of this message:

 

CONDITIONS RESULTING IN THE KING’S REMOVAL
The topics we hope to look at over the next three nights.
The Conditions resulting in the king’s removal.
The Concern for the king’s return.
The Circumstances of his restoration.
A very good definition of what true revival is ‘Doing things amongst God’s people as they were ordained to be done.’
Jeremiah declared God’s will to backslidden Judah: “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls,” Jeremiah 6:16.
How often the Lord’s people have had to ‘seek to return to the old paths’? Wandering is endemic amongst sheep and it is certainly so amongst the ‘sheep of the Lord’. Isaiah 53:6.
The division that had arisen between David and his people pictures for us just what ‘backsliding from the Lord’ entails and results in. There is also a picture of the procedures that need to be adopted if we are to see the King restored amongst us today.
We must begin by considering what it was caused King David’s removal. This is what overtakes a backsliding people, Hosea 5:5-6, 15.

I. REBELLION WITHIN THE KING’S FAMILY CAUSED HIS REMOVAL
Not an invasion from an enemy but a domestic dispute. What a day of shame and sorrow was the result! “And the king went forth, and all the people after him, and tarried in a place that was far off.  . . . . And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet, and wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot: and all the people that was with him covered every man his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up,” 2 Sam 19:17, 30. It is a day that pictures one so OFTEN repeated, Rev 3:20. Laodicea ceased to TRADE, v18, HEAR, v 20 or FELLOWSHIP, v 20, with the Lord.
Backsliding, which leads to the loss of the presence and power of King Jesus, is the result of OUR sins!

II. THE REBELLION HAD ITS ROOTS IN THE APPEASEMENT OF SIN
Ten years earlier – 2 Sam 12:11 – judgment against David. That judgment was wrought out through David’s folly.
David neglected his kingly duties. 11:1. Different spirit in 21:15-17. He had been given over to ease, 11:2.
David neglected his personal duties. He failed to maintain his walk with the Lord. Matt 26:41, Pro 4:23.
David neglected his parental duties. Amnon, 13:21.
No discipline of Amnon for what was a capital crime!! This neglect led to another, 2 Sam 13:39-14:1. It was this lack of justice that Absalom made the basis of his complaint, 15:1-6. Sin spreads into every corner of a person’s life – heart, family, acquaintances.

III. IT WAS A REBELLION THAT PROMISED A MORE PLEASING REGIME
“Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!” 15:4.
Such is the promise of the devil and sin, Genesis 3:5! Having been deceived, we don’t like acknowledging it!
1. The appeal of Absalom was his appearance. “But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him,” 14:25. The vileness of sin is always well camouflaged!
2. His appearance was accompanied by smooth words. “Absalom said moreover .  . ”, 15:4. Psa 55:21; Rom 16:17-18; 1 Tim 4:1-2; Eph 4:14. Absalom played-up on the peoples’ desires, 15:2-3. Promised them what they wanted!
Lying words are the devil’s chief weapon against God’s people, John 8:44.
3. He thus stole the hearts of the king’s people. 15:6. He took possession of that which was not his! The people transferred their loyalties, Gal 1:6, 3:1.
If you find a similarity in events of recent years in Ulster the reason is simple! This has ever been the way that God’s people have been deceived and robbed and led into error and rebellion against God!

IV. IN TRUTH THE REBELLION BROUGHT MUCH SUFFERING AND SORROW
We have but to consider the disgrace, disorder, distress and death which followed see this. 2 Samuel 16:5-13; 21-22; 18:6-8, 32-33. The spirit of rebellion and disorder continued even after Absalom’s death. 19:41-20:2, 9-10. When wickedness is unleashed it not easy to capture and subdue it again!
This all stemmed from one man’s folly and sin!