← Back to sermon library

Well, you can turn in your Bibles 
to 2 Samuel 7. We'll look at verses 18 to 29. I'll read the passage, and then 
I want to remind us of David's prayer. It will not be exactly 
what we did on Wednesday evening. I want to remind us of David's 
prayer, and then I want to apply David's method, focusing primarily 
on verses 22 to 24. But as I said, I'll read it in 
its larger context, beginning in 2 Samuel 7 at verse 18. Then King David went in and sat 
before the Lord, and he said, Who am I, O Lord God? And what 
is my house that you have brought me this far? And yet this was 
a small thing in your sight, O Lord God. And you have also 
spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come. Is 
this the manner of man, O Lord God? Now what more can David 
say to you? For you, Lord God, know your 
servant. For your word's sake, and according 
to your own heart, you have done all these great things to make 
your servant know them. Therefore, you are great, O Lord 
God. For there is none like you, nor 
is there any god beside you, according to all that we have 
heard with our ears. And who is like your people, 
like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem 
for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name, and to do 
for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land, before Your 
people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations 
and their gods? For You have made Your people 
Israel, Your very own people forever, and You, Lord, have 
become their God. Now, O Lord God, the word which 
you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, 
establish it forever, and do as you have said. So let your 
name be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God 
over Israel. And let the house of your servant 
David be established before you. For you, O Lord of hosts, God 
of Israel, have revealed this to your servant, saying, I will 
build you a house. Therefore, your servant has found 
it in his heart to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord 
God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised 
this goodness to your servant. Now therefore, let it please 
you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue 
before you forever. For you, O Lord God, have spoken 
it, and with your blessing, let the house of your servant be 
blessed forever. Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for the written word and we pray now for the 
ministry of the Holy Spirit that he would guide us and lead us 
and help us as we consider the greatness of God, the greatness 
of God seen in his being and as well seen in his works. May 
we marvel and may we adore and may we worship and may these 
things produce in us what they produced in David. May there 
be worshipful prayer offered up by your people for Your praise 
and for Your glory. Again, forgive us now for any 
sin and wickedness and darkness that affects our minds, and help 
us to meditate upon Your truth in preparation to participate 
in the Lord's Supper. And we pray these things through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. As I said, it will not 
be a strict exposition of this passage as we saw on Wednesday 
night, but just a reminder of David's prayer and then an application 
of David's method. Remember, this is a response 
to the Davidic covenant. In 2 Samuel 7 and verses 1 to 
17, God the Lord makes a promise to David that He will build David 
a house. It will not be a physical dwelling, 
it will not be a physical structure, but it will be a dynasty. A dynasty 
of kings that ultimately will issue forth in the King of Kings 
and Lord of Lords, even the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. So David 
hears the promise of God, called the Davidic Covenant, and then 
David goes to pray. David goes to worship. David 
goes to adore. There's something very instructive 
here for us. As Dale Ralph Davis says, Yahweh's 
declarations stirred David's devotions. His promises ignited 
David's praises and prayers. That's how it should be. When 
we hear the promises of God, when we hear the good blessings 
of God, we ought to respond with praise and worship and adoration. And that is precisely what David 
does. If we were to break this prayer 
down, we'd see three major sections. In the first place, the confession 
of his own unworthiness in verses 18 to 21. David says, who am 
I, O Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me 
this far? As we mentioned on Wednesday night, David is from 
Bethlehem, he's now in Jerusalem. This is only about six miles 
away. David isn't extolling the greatness 
of God in bringing him those six miles. David is extolling 
the greatness of God in bringing him through many trials, and 
many tribulations, and many difficulties, and many hardships. David was 
hunted like a dog. David was threatened by Saul. 
David was persecuted by many, and yet the Lord God Most High 
preserved him, and David is able to muse and say, Who am I, O 
Lord God? What is my house that You have 
brought me this far? He rehearses God's previous grace. The Lord had blessed him, given 
him grace. He rehearses the fact that there 
will be future grace. There is no way we'll have this 
promise realized apart from the grace of God. He highlights that 
it's sovereign grace. He indicates that it's according 
to your own heart. Not David's plan, but God's own 
heart. It's sovereign grace. So David 
begins with a confession of unworthiness. He then goes on to an ascription 
of greatness to God in verses 22 to 24, and then he ends the 
prayer with petition, a petition for fulfillment. David doesn't 
run into the presence of God and say, give me, give me, give 
me. David runs into the presence of God, confesses his own unworthiness, 
and then extols the greatness of God, and then after doing 
that he says to the Lord, make good on your promises. The promises 
of God are the foundation for our petitions to God. It's because 
the Lord has promised that David then prays that God would bring 
this to pass, or bring this to fruition. So that's an overview 
of the prayer. Let's look at verses 22 to 24. David ascribes greatness to God. Notice in verse 22, Therefore 
you are great, O Lord God, a fitting response to the grace that he 
has rehearsed. It's because of God's grace that 
David has been brought to this point. A consideration of God's 
grace promotes David, or provokes David to confess and testify, 
therefore you are great, O Lord God. Does the grace of God conquer 
your heart in like manner? Do you muse on where you've been, 
and do you muse upon the fact that you are presently where 
you are, extol the goodness and grace of God, and then say, therefore, 
you are great, O Lord God? David praises God or ascribes 
greatness to God for God. In other words, he praises God 
for God. He praises God for who God is. Notice in verse 22, Therefore 
you are great, O Lord God. Now notice, For there is none 
like you, nor is there any God beside you, according to all 
that we have heard with our ears. Now David will go on to praise 
God for what he has done, but before he gets to praising God 
for what he has done, he praises God for who he is. I used the 
illustration on Wednesday night. It was always nice to have my 
children thank me for when I gave them something, or I provided 
something to them, or I helped them out of a particular problem, 
and they said, Thank you, Dad, for doing X, Y, or Z. It's always 
nice to hear your children say, Thank you, Dad, for being Dad. 
Thank you for being you. I just love you. Apart from your 
ad extra works, I love you for your ad intra being. I just love 
you. I love who you are, and I'm thankful 
that you are my dad. It never quite sort of fleshed 
itself out like that, but you see what David is doing here. 
He's praising God for God. Brethren, that's legit. And we're 
going to apply David's method in a few moments to show you 
that that's legit. We praise God certainly for creation 
and providence and redemption. We praise God for His mighty 
works involving His people. But we praise God for who God 
is. And that's precisely what David 
does. Therefore, you are great, O Lord 
God, for there is none like you, nor is there any God beside you, 
according to all that we have heard with our ears. Now he moves 
from a consideration of God as God, God intra, or ad intra, 
to God as He acts towards His people. Add extra, those works 
external to God. And he rehearses three things 
about God concerning Israel. He speaks of redemption, he speaks 
of preservation, and he speaks of position. Notice, in verses 
23 and 24. And who is like your people? 
Like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem 
for Himself as a people. Notice this. And we pointed this 
out on Wednesday night. Redemption involves two things. 
Redemption involves liberation from the problem or the bondage. 
But it also involves possession to the new owner. You see, God 
liberated Israel out of Egypt. He brought them out of bondage 
under His divine ownership. The same pattern is seen in the 
New Testament. We are not redeemed by the blood 
of Christ so that we can do whatever it is we want. We are redeemed 
by the blood of Christ so that we will submit to our new Master. There is both liberation and 
possession wrought by God in terms of redemption. He buys 
us out of the slave market of sin, not so that we can continue 
in sin, but that we will now submit to our new master. We 
will now do His bidding. We will be obedient to the One 
who owns us, who possesses us, whose slaves we now are by His 
grace. So this is seen several times 
in these two verses. And who is like your people, 
like Israel, the one nation on the earth, whom God went to redeem 
for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name, and to do 
for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land, before Your 
people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations 
and their gods? That's redemption. Notice preservation, 
verse 24a. For You have made Your people 
Israel, Your very own people forever. It's beautiful, isn't 
it? Forever. We have eternal security. We will persevere because God 
will preserve us. And then notice position at the 
end of verse 24. And you Lord have become their 
God. We saw something similar to this 
in Ephesians 3. You can turn there. Ephesians 
chapter 3. This whole idea of David extolling 
the goodness and power of God displayed through Israel was 
a means by which he can quantify the statement that God is great. God is great for who God is. 
God is great because He has redeemed Israel, because He will preserve 
Israel, and because positionally He is Israel's God. This is a 
display of the power and the majesty and the excellence and 
the greatness of God. Paul does the same thing in Ephesians 
3. Notice in verse 8. To me, who 
am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, 
that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches 
of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the 
mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in 
God, who created all things through Jesus Christ. Notice verse 10. to the intent that now the manifold 
wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities 
and powers in the heavenly places." Now, arguably, the principalities 
and the powers in the heavenly places were able to see the greatness 
of God as God. But in redemption, in the fact 
that the Lord saved the church, the church now becomes a display 
case, if you will, of God's greatness and power manifested. Such that 
when the principalities and the powers look down upon us on the 
Lord's day, they extol the greatness of God. The fact that we are 
no longer continuing in patterns of rebellion and sin, and that 
we have been conquered by amazing grace, and we are here worshipping 
the triune God, doesn't that scream concerning the greatness 
of our God? So that's David's method. Let's 
apply David's method. Notice, we have not just the 
Davidic covenant, but we have the New Covenant, don't we? I 
wonder if we are as responsive to the new covenant blessings 
that we have received as was David concerning the Davidic 
covenant in 2 Samuel 7, verse 117. I said on Wednesday night, 
in some senses, brethren, at the throne of grace, we ought 
to out David David. We ought to extol the greatness 
of God in a way that would not make David jealous, but it would 
hopefully cause David to say, behold, you know your God. Brethren, 
we have many, many things to thank and to praise our God for, 
least of which is the blessing of the New Covenant, the fact 
that our Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for the remission of 
sins for many, and that we are included among that many. That 
New Covenant deserves and demands a response. That New Covenant 
deserves and demands worship on the part of God's people. 
That New Covenant deserves and demands this sort of prayer life 
concerning what we see here in 2 Samuel 7. Notice, as we consider 
with David in his response to the Davidic covenant, as we respond 
to the New Covenant, we can break it down in the same way. Those 
two sections, the being of God, who God is, and as well, what 
God has done in our lives. Let's consider the being of God. 
Now perhaps one of the best ways would have just taken a summary 
statement and looked at the various attributes said or spoken of 
God. I just sort of compiled a brief 
list here. There's no particular rhyme or 
reason or order. It's not out of Bavink. It's 
not out of Birkhoff. But I have four things that I 
think we ought to consider. As a help, to promote in us this 
ascription of the greatness of God as we consider God, as we 
consider who He is. In the first place, He is the 
one true and living God. He is the one true and living 
God. Isn't this what Jesus says in 
John 17, verse 3? And this is eternal life, that 
they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you 
have sent. Do you understand, brethren, 
we have what? the Baal worshippers, and the 
Molech worshippers, and the Asherah worshippers, and the Mammon worshippers, 
and the sex worshippers, and the drug worshippers, and the 
comfortable, tidy life worshippers, we have what they don't. We have 
the true and the living God. It's not as if there's a pantheon 
out there. It's not as if there's an A to 
Z in terms of gods, and we just sort of pick and choose which 
ones we want. We serve the one true and living 
God, and as a result, we ought to respond to Him by ascribing 
greatness to Him. As well, He is the blessed triune 
God. It's interesting. Jesus says 
that they may know Thee, the only true God, and, coordinate 
to that, Jesus Christ whom you have sent. We serve one blessed 
God in Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 
28, verses 18 to 20. Go therefore, make disciples 
of all the nations, baptizing them in the name singular of 
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We see the triune 
God in places like Ephesians 1. We see the triune God in Ephesians 
4. Brethren, we see the triune God 
all over Scripture. We see Father, Son, and Spirit. Yet not three gods, one God. One essence, three persons, all 
blessed, all equal in power and in glory. Thirdly, we see God 
is unchangeable. You can turn specifically to 
James 1, 16-18. God is unchangeable. The precise theological term 
for this is immutability. Brethren, this is a reason for 
us to ascribe greatness to God. All of these things, the one 
true and living God, the blessed triune God, the fact that we 
serve an unchangeable God or an immutable God. Notice in verse 
16 of James 1, Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good 
gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from 
the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow 
of turning. That's a text you can rest your 
soul on. That's a text you can pillow 
your head with. That's a text that affords great 
comfort to the people of God. What are we saying in 335? It talks about change and decay, 
and yet God abides with me. 335 specifically. Where are we at here? I know it's in here. I just can't 
find it. All around I see. Oh yes. Swift to its close, ebbs out 
life's little day. Earth's joys grow dim, its glories 
pass away. Change and decay in all around 
I see. Isn't that experience? Isn't 
that life lived under heaven? Isn't that our lot? I mean, friends 
come, friends go, relationships grow, relationships break, political 
leaders are raised up, political leaders are put down, sins are 
committed, crimes are committed. All around, I see. O thou who changest not, abide 
with me. Brethren, there is a world of 
comfort in James 1, 16 and 17. Thomas Manton, the Puritan divine, 
It says, but God doth not change. There is no wrinkle upon the 
brow of eternity. The arm of mercy is not dried 
up, nor do his bowels of love waste and spend themselves. Therefore, 
as David would say, you are great, O Lord God. Let's consider, fourthly, a subset 
of immutability, a doctrine called impassibility. You can turn to 
Acts chapter 14. I've noticed since the release 
of the book, Confessing the Impassable God, it hasn't been a groundswell 
of change in terms of the evangelical landscape. On the one hand, I 
don't think a whole lot of people have read the book yet, but on 
the other hand, those who have read it continue to say things 
like, they're making a big deal out of something that's insignificant. 
They're making a big deal out of something that ought not to 
divide the people of God. They're making a big deal out 
of something that just doesn't really affect us one way or the 
other. Brethren, impassibility teaches 
us that God is not like us. Impassibility is the reason why 
our confession of faith can tell us that God is most loving, that 
God is most gracious, that God is most merciful, and that God 
is most long-suffering. You see, impassibility teaches 
that God is not affected by things outside of Himself, nor from 
things inside, which makes Him increase or diminish, both of 
which would imply that He was imperfect to begin with. Impassibility 
describes to us a blessed God, a God who relates to His creatures 
in the fullness of His being and in His totality. Notice specifically 
in Acts 14, at verse 14, the scene is simple. There is in 
Lystra a man who was crippled from his mother's womb. Paul 
observes him, sees that he has faith to be healed, says with 
a loud voice, stand up straight on your feet, and he leaped and 
he walked. Now the Lystrans respond by wanting 
to worship Paul. I mean, as far as they were concerned, 
the gods had come down in the likeness of men. As far as they 
were concerned, Paul and Barnabas were Hermes and Zeus, and these 
gods were worthy to be praised. Notice at the end of verse 13, 
Then the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of their 
city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, intending to sacrifice 
with the multitudes. But when the apostles Barnabas 
and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and ran in among 
the multitude, crying out and saying, Men, why are you doing 
these things? We also are men with the same 
nature." Same nature there literally means same passions, like passions, 
the same sort as you are. What's Paul's implication? God 
isn't. God's not of the same nature. God is not of like passions. God is not like creature. God, rather, is Creator. He goes 
on to say, we also are men with the same nature as you, and preach 
to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living 
God who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all things 
that are in them. For Paul, the doctrine of divine 
impassibility was something that applied to God. And as it was 
applicable to God, it meant that God alone ought to be worshipped. That God alone, if I can extend 
it just a bit to bring us back into 2 Samuel 7 territory, God 
alone is great. You don't worship men of like 
passions. You don't worship men of the 
same nature. You don't worship creature, but 
rather you worship the Creator, One who is not like us in passions. One who is not like our nature. Now, unfortunately, the Listerans 
miss this lesson because the section ends with them continuing 
trying to sacrifice unto them. The doctrine of divine impassibility, 
along with its larger doctrine, the doctrine of divine immutability, 
present to us a great God, an unchanging God, a God who has 
purposed all things according to His own plan and according 
to His own will. And He will most certainly accomplish 
it for the glory of His own name and for His own honor. And then 
the last thing, I would just say the incomparable God. As 
I said, there are many sort of attributes that we can look at. 
Let's just look at two specimen passages just to show us that 
the New Testament understands that we ought to stand back and 
extol the greatness of God for Him being God. 1 Timothy 1, verse 
17. 1 Timothy 1, verse 17. Paul breaks out in praise. Paul 
breaks out in doxology, a consideration of redemption, a consideration 
of the fact that he had been saved by grace, a consideration 
of the fact that he was the chief of sinners, but God saved him, 
leads the apostle to extol the Lord. Verse 17, now to the King 
eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be 
honor and glory forever. and ever. Amen. And then in 1 
Timothy chapter 6, notice in verses 15 and 16. which He will 
manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only potentate, 
the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, 
dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, 
to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen." Now brethren, it 
is perfectly acceptable, and I'm going to argue in just a 
moment, that we ought to praise God and extol the greatness of 
God. for His work of redemption, for the fact that He preserves 
us, for the fact that He has positioned us as His people and 
He is our God. But there is a sense where the 
church at times is lacking in just coming into the presence 
of God and worshiping Him for being God. Just acknowledging 
that He's God, acknowledging that He's excellent, acknowledging 
that He is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, 
wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. Brethren, 
God is ultimately the object of our worship. Yes, His works 
extol His greatness, to be sure, but God, just God, is worthy 
of praise and worship forever and ever and ever. He is, in 
the language of the bride in the Song of Solomon, chief among 
ten thousand. He is, in the language of the 
bride in the Song of Solomon, altogether lovely. He's just 
altogether lovely. We ought to bask in His presence. 
We ought to enjoy His being. We ought to extol His attributes. 
We ought to consider who He is, and then worship, adore, honor, 
and praise. But notice, we consider the works 
of God. Redemption. Certainly, as we 
come to the supper tonight, what do these elements preach to us? 
They preach to us a bloodied, bruised, battered Savior who 
shed His blood on our behalf in order that He might redeem 
us. Remember His statement in Matthew 
20, 28. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve 
and to give His life as a ransom for many. That ransom and redemption 
are from the same Greek word, the same root, the same idea. 
He didn't come to be served, but to serve and to give His 
life, His own lifeblood, as a ransom for many. He redeemed us. What 
is Paul the Apostle saying? Galatians chapter 3. You can 
turn there. Galatians chapter 3. Several 
texts extolling the goodness of God, or the greatness of God, 
rather, as seen in the work of redemption. Galatians 3.13, Christ 
has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse 
for us. For it is written, cursed is 
everyone who hangs on a tree, that the blessing of Abraham 
might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might 
receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Galatians 4.4, 
but when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth 
His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to do what? To 
redeem those who were under the law. And the same sorts of concepts 
that are present in that statement of David's in 2 Samuel 7 are 
true here. He redeems His Israel. through 
His own precious blood, not so they can continue in paganism, 
not so they can continue in heathenism, not so they can bow to Baal, 
not so they can engage in Moloch worship, but rather that they'll 
be submissive to their new Master, the Lord who has redeemed them. 
I love this statement in Ephesians 1. The Apostle uses a verb there 
that indicates that when He chose us, He chose us for Himself. And he not only highlights that 
with reference to the Father, but he indicates as well in Ephesians 
1.7 concerning redemption. In Him we have redemption through 
His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches 
of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom 
and prudence. You see, the same sort of pattern 
is evident in the New Testament as we find in David's prayer. 
We extol God for His Godhood. We extol God for His works. As we gather tonight, as we sing 
praises, as we pray in our closets, as we pray together as a church, 
may the greatness of God so infect our hearts that we would be full 
of adoration to this God. And then notice, He preserves 
us. Several passages that indicate 
this. John 6, 40. Several passages more that you 
will think of, no doubt, because these are not isolated teachings. 
Redemption, preservation, and position are taught throughout 
the New Testament Scripture. I just wanted to highlight a 
few specimen passages to encourage us to respond to God the way 
David responded when he considered God's redemption, preservation, 
and positioning of Israel. Notice in John 6, 40, and this 
is the will of Him who sent me. that everyone who sees the Son 
and believes in Him may have everlasting life, and I will 
raise Him up at the last day." If I said, I will go do such 
and such, there is a margin for error, there is a margin for 
compromise. If I say to my wife, I will go 
get you some lawn ornaments for the backyard, I could get hit 
by a car on the way and never be able to fulfill that particular 
responsibility. But when Christ the Lord, the 
One whom Hebrews 13.8 says is the same yesterday, today and 
forever, when that One says, and I will raise Him up at the 
last day, can there be any idea whatsoever that He will not make 
good on this promise? Or consider John 10, verses 25 
to 30, under the head of preservation. Not only does David extol God 
for redeeming Israel, but for preserving Israel. Not only ought 
we to praise God or honor the greatness of God for redeeming 
us, but for preserving us. Notice in John 10, 25, I told 
you and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's 
name, they bear witness of me. But you do not believe because 
you are not of my sheep. Note the conspicuous order. He 
doesn't say, you're not of my sheep because you don't believe. 
You don't believe because you're not of my sheep. You were not 
foreordained before the foundation of the world. There is conspicuous 
Reformed theology in Jesus' statement there. You do not believe because 
you are not of my sheep. The Arminian says, you are not 
his sheep because you don't believe. Now, Jesus says, you don't believe 
because you're not of My sheep. Anyways, He goes on, My sheep 
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me, and I give 
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone 
snatch them out of My hand. My Father who has given them 
to Me is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them 
out of My Father's hand. I and My Father are one. Do you 
ever just ponder such texts and say, wow, amazing. The fact that He's even saved 
me is amazing. The fact that He's not going to let me go, 
wow, this just gets more incredible as the days march on. And then, 
of course, Romans chapter 8, Romans chapter 8, verses 37 to 39, the whole section 
is just powerful and rich. 37, Yet in all these things we 
are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, 
nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to separate 
us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. He is great and greatly to be 
praised. I love what our confession says 
concerning the perseverance of the saints. This perseverance 
of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon 
the immutability of the decree of election. flowing from the 
free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the efficacy 
of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, and union with 
Him, the oath of God, the abiding of His Spirit, and the seed of 
God within them, and the nature of the covenant of grace, from 
all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof." You 
do not persevere because you have grit and determination. You do not persevere because 
you've got willpower. You do not persevere because 
you're a bit stronger than that poor slob sitting next to you. 
You persevere because of God. You persevere because of what 
is indicated here. You persevere because our God 
who has redeemed us will indeed preserve us. And then the last 
statement David says is concerning position. And you, Lord, have 
become their God. Pastor Porter read Matthew chapter 
6 this morning. How does Jesus teach us to pray? 
Our inert, distant, cold, calloused God, if we hold to this doctrine 
of impassibility. No. Our Father. There's intimacy. Communion. There's position. We call Him Father. He calls 
us children. Hebrews 2, we read that the Lord 
Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren. Imagine! Christ isn't ashamed to call 
us brethren. We know Him in a saving way. Again, John 17, verse 3, This 
is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, 
and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. We have been adopted, had 
we continued to read on in Galatians 4, a passage that has been dealt 
with several times over the last several months in our church. 
He goes on in Galatians 4, 5, to redeem those who are under 
the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because 
you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your 
hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. Therefore, you are no longer 
a slave, but a son. And if a son, then an heir of 
God through Christ. That's our lot. That's our position. That's our privilege. That's 
our blessing. And we receive the covenant privilege 
way back Way back in Leviticus, we see God's covenantal promise, 
I will be their God, they shall be my people. Turn to 2 Corinthians 
chapter 6, an argument as to why we ought not to be unequally 
yoked. Notice in 2 Corinthians 6.14, 
do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship 
is righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion is light with 
darkness? And what accord is Christ with Belial? Or what part 
has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple 
of God with idols? Now note, for you are the temple 
of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell 
in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they 
shall be my people. David sees this as a reason to 
extol the greatness of God in 2 Samuel 7. He says specifically 
in you, Yahweh, have become their God. Brethren, we ought to consider 
redemption, preservation, and our position as those things 
outside of God, those works that He accomplishes, as reasons why 
we praise Him, and adore Him, and honor Him, and celebrate 
the fact that He is indeed a great, God. And this passage is rehearsed 
afresh, or rehearsed again rather, in Revelation 21, where it comes 
to fruition. Revelation 21. Beginning in verse 1, Now I saw 
a new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the 
first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea than 
I, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of 
heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband. 
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle 
of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall 
be His people. God Himself will be with them 
and be their God, and God will wipe away every tear from their 
eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. 
There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed 
away." I was speaking to a brother this morning. speaking about 
those who have chronic pain, and perhaps one of the things 
that persons who have chronic pain like are passages like these. Because this passage affords 
to the people with chronic pain this promise that there's a day 
coming when there will be no more chronic pain. And I suggested 
to this particular brother that I think in the Sudan or in Ethiopia, 
believers there are probably able to appreciate the passages 
that speak of no more hunger and no more thirst. They probably 
appreciate those passages a bit more than we do, because you 
see, we have full refrigerators and full pantries. We really 
don't know what hunger is. I mean, we say we're starving 
if we missed a supper. We're not starving, brethren. 
We really are not. That is hyperbolic. That is wrong. We ought not to suggest that 
we missed our morning Wheaties and somehow we're going to pine 
away and starve to death. But imagine if you were in Ethiopia, 
you were in the Sudan, and you came to these passages that said, 
we get Jesus and no more hunger. We get Jesus and no more thirst. 
We get Jesus and no more chronic pain. We get Jesus and no more 
disease. We get Jesus and no more problems 
or issues and all of that. Brethren, that's a legitimate 
concern and that's something we ought to refresh and rehearse 
in our hearts and minds. But the ultimate thing is we 
get Jesus. We get Jesus. and He will dwell 
with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will 
be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every 
tear from their eyes." Can there be any more testimony concerning 
that intimate position I mean, isn't that the language of the 
parent whose child falls and whose child runs to him and who 
takes their cloth and wipes the tear from their eyes and bandages 
the boo-boo and gives it a kiss and hugs the child and embraces 
them? That's intimacy. That's position. That's privilege. That's blessing. That's held out to the people 
of God. That's in our future. That is 
our future possession. Because of what Christ has done 
through His blood, because of what God has done in preserving 
us, He is going to bring us into His heavenly kingdom, this new 
Jerusalem, and we will be in the presence of God and of the 
Lamb. Truly, brethren, we have a multitude 
of reasons to ascribe greatness to our God. I shouldn't say we 
ought to out-David David, because that sounds competitive in a 
way that ought not to be. But let's try to be Davids. Let's 
dare to be a David at the throne of grace by extolling the greatness 
and the mercy and the kindness of our God. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
the Holy Scriptures, and we thank you for the consistency that 
we find the God of redemption, the God of preservation, the 
God who brings his people into great position. It's the same 
God from Genesis to Revelation. We praise you, Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit, and we extol your greatness, first in who you are, 
the fact that you are the great and glorious and triune God. 
As well, we extol you for your works, and we have benefited 
richly from what you have done in and through your Son, the 
Lord Jesus Christ. As we eat this bread, as we drink 
this cup, may we respond with praise and worship and adoration 
given to you, our God. And we ask through Christ our 
Lord. Amen.