"Surely a God given opportunity! Maybe not."

This has been automatically generated, and therefore may contain some unintended inaccuracies.

One Samuel 26 begins on page 298. The Sapphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, is not David hiding on a Hill Of Hakila, which faces Jericho? So Saul went down to the Desert Of Zephyr Zephyr with his 3,000 select Israelite troops to search there for David. Saul made his camp beside a road on the Hill Of Hakila facing Jasmon, but David stayed in the wilderness. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.

Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner, son of Nir, the commander of the army, had laid down. Saul was lying inside the camp with the army camped around him. David then asked Ahimelech, the Hittite, and Abashai, son of Zeruha, Joab's brother, who will go down into the camp with me to Saul? I'll go with you, said Abishai.

So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. Epheshi said to David, today, God has given your army into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear. I will strike him I won't try strike him twice.

But David said to Abashai, don't destroy him. Who can lay a hand on the lord's anointed and be guiltless? As surely as the lord lives, he said, the lord himself will strike him, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head and let go.

So David took the spear and water jug near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping because the Lord had put them into a deep sleep. Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away. There was a wide space between them.

He called out to the army and to Abner, son of Ner. Aren't you going to answer me, Abner? Abner replied, who are you who calls to the king? David said, you are a man, aren't you? And who is like you in Israel?

Why didn't you guard your lord the lord your lord, the king? Someone came to destroy your lord, the king. What you have done is not good. As surely as the lord lives, you and your men must die because you did not guard your master, the Lord's anointed. Look around you.

Where are the king's spear and water jug that went near his head? So recognize David's voice and said, is that your voice, David, my son? David replied, yes. It is. My lord, the king.

And he added, why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant's words. If the lord has incited you against me, then may he accept an offering. If however people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord.

They have driven me today from my share in the Lord's inheritance and have said, go serve other gods. Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the Lord. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea as one hunts a patriot in the mountains. Then Saul said, I have sinned. Come back, David, my son, because you considered my life precious today.

I will not try to harm you again. Surely, I have acted like a fool and have been terribly wrong. Here is the king's spear, David answered. Let one of your young men come over and get it. The Lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness.

The Lord gave you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may the Lord value my life and deliver me from all trouble. Then Saul said to David, may you be blessed, David my son. You do great things and truly triumph. So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

We're gonna look together at one Samuel 26. Now boys and girls, you should have a sheet. If you've not got a sheet, wave a hand, but you need that sheet now. Alright? So that it's in front of you.

Okay? So if you've got the sheet, have it in front of you. You need God's word as well open. Just to say so we're not kinda doing this all age style with sort of actions and drama and that kind of thing, partly because we didn't know how many kids were gonna be here, but I wanted to do this in a way that you can engage with them. Boys and girls, I think you can engage with this.

You're used to sitting through assemblies. This is more important than an assembly. Alright? What we're doing in God's word. So pay attention.

Listen. See what you can get out of this to say, okay. This is what it said in God's word, and you can follow through the story. I'm gonna take you through the story of one Samuel 26. It was hard to follow as it was read through.

It just eased, but I can take you through it, and I'll show you what the story is. Alright? And grown ups, feel free to help your children to concentrate. If you need to talk to them, if you need to say to them, you know, come on, let let's focus on this. If you need to talk to them, that's fine.

So if there's a bit of noise, we're good with that. That's okay. Alright? But let me pray for us because we need God's help as we come to his word. Heavenly father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you for this chapter in one Samuel 26, and we need your help to understand it. Not just to understand what it says, but then to know how we should be different as a result of it. So, father, please, would you teach us this morning? Amen. Okay.

I'm gonna give you the big point so that you hadn't got it right from the start, and so that if you drift a little bit, you've still got it. And boys and girls, I think you should be able there's a sheet on the sheet, there are bits for you to fill in, which will be this. God's king must be righteous and faithful. Is there one a spare one of those sheets, a spare sheet. Can I can I have one?

I forgot to pick one up myself, and I might wanna do the coloring in as I'm going along. Thank you, Ella. Thank you. Great. Yes.

Okay. So top of the sheet there, if you've got the sheet. God's king must be righteous and faithful, and boys and girls, you might be thinking, I'm not sure what either of those words mean. Well, hopefully, by the end, you might get a bit more of a grasp of of what they are, and adults, you might too. God's king must be righteous and faithful, and I'll show you a little bit later on why those two particular words, because they come up later in the passage.

Now in the book of one Samuel, one of the big themes that we've been seeing as we've gone through one Samuel, the adults have been going through one Samuel, is what kind of king should God's people have? What kind of king should be the king of God's people? And we've seen the first king of Israel was a man called Saul, and he was not a good king. He disobeyed God, and therefore, was neither righteous nor faithful. He was not a good king.

But then in one Samuel, we've seen a guy called David, and he was chosen to be the successor of Saul, to come after Saul as king. And we've seen over the last few chapters that God has been training David to be a better king, to be a different kind of king, not like Saul who'd become self centered and selfish, but to be a different kind of king. And over the recent chapters, very recent chapters in one Samuel, we've seen David being trained by the Lord to be this different kind of king, the right kind of king. He's not king yet. Saul is still king, and actually, Saul knows that David is gonna follow him as king.

He's gonna be the next king, and Saul hates David and wants to kill David. So what kind of king should God's people have? He's got to be one who's righteous and faithful, and we're gonna see what that looks like in this chapter. We're gonna see three things that that means about God's king. Now adults, you might have spotted that this chapter as it was read is very like two chapters ago.

If you were here a few weeks ago and you were had your ears alert this morning, you might have gone, hang on. There's a lot here that's very similar to two chapters ago, and you're right. And when in God's word you have repetition like that, that's not an excuse to go, oh, yeah. I've heard this before. At that point, you need to sit up even more and to go, God is underlining something here.

He's he's trying to get something across to us. When the Bible wants to underline something to say, spot this, often it does it by repeating. So we're getting similar things in this chapter, which means we've got to be on the alert for it. We've to go, what's God teaching us? By repetition.

Okay. First thing we're gonna spot about what it looks like for God's king to be righteous and faithful. First one. By the way, this is only sheet number one for part one. Oh.

Oh. Yeah. Yeah. There's more. There's a second sheet for part two.

Okay. So first part, first thing that we're gonna see about what it means for God's king to be righteous and faithful is God's king must not cheat. Okay? Put that in on your sheet, boys and girls. God's king must not cheat.

Okay, let's get into the story. Let's get into the story. King Saul is chasing David, he wants David dead, so he hears that David is hiding on a hill, and you might think bad place to hide, hill would be a bad place, but he's that's where he hears that David is hiding, and so Saul goes to that hill with 3,000 men, an army of 3,000. He goes to the hill, but David is not on the hill. David is actually in the wilderness, so Saul and his army set up camp.

They set up camp beside the road, that's what he says in verse three. Saul made his camp beside the road on the Hill Of Hakila facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the wilderness. So Saul by the road on the hill, David in the wilderness. David then decides to come from the wilderness and have a look at Saul and his camp. So he comes to the camp in verse five, David, it says, set out went to the place where Saul had camped, and he saw where Saul and a new guy, Abna, son of Ner, good name, the commander of the army had lain down.

Saul was lying inside the camp with the army camped around him. So David comes along, sees the camp of Saul and all his men, and sees that they are all actually, we'll see, asleep, all 3,000 of them, but they're all asleep around Saul, Saul in the middle, king Saul in the middle, you think, he is well protected. He has got an army of three have you ever had an army of 3,000 people sleeping around you? No. Neither have I, but he does, and you would think he is very safe, Saul, right in the middle of that camp.

David then asks for a volunteer. He asks Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, which of them wants to come with him? Verse six, he says, David then asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, in case you were confused, who will go down into the camp with me to Saul? And Abishai says, I'll do it. Now this is a bit of a crazy mission.

Saul's saying, let's go. Date sorry. David is saying, let's go to Saul in the middle of the camp. You think, how are you gonna get there? You they're surrounded by 3,000 men.

How are gonna get there and be safe? How are gonna do that? And, anyway, when you get there, what are you gonna do? He's not said what he's gonna do. He says, let's go let's go to Saul.

Alright. Abishai says, yeah. I'll go with you. Verse seven. So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head.

Abner and the soldiers were lying around him. So there they are. Somehow, they creep into the middle of the camp. All those soldiers lying on the ground, they creep to the middle, and that's the picture you've got on your sheet. And if you want to color in while you're listening, you can, but concentrate.

Yeah? So that's the picture on your sheet. You've got David there going to the middle of the camp, and there's the spear stuck in the ground right by Saul's head, and Abishai says, verse eight, today, God has given your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of the spear. I won't strike twice.

In other words, now's the moment. This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and kill Saul. He says, I I won't need to strike him twice. I'll just take the stat spear by his head.

It's just there. It's such a God given opportunity, and if we kill him, David I mean, he doesn't say this, but but the point is if you if we kill him, David, all your problems are over. You won't have Saul chasing after you anymore. You won't be running for your life anymore. You can become king in an instant.

I kill him. You're king. This is the easy way, and it's the God given way. Look, God's given us this opportunity. And David says, verse nine, But David said to Abishai, don't destroy him.

Who can lay a hand on the lord's anointed and be guiltless? Now that is really important. David refuses to kill Saul for the same reason that he refused to kill Saul two chapters ago. He says, Saul is the lord's anointed. God chose him to be king, anointed him as king, and therefore, no one will be guiltless who lays a hand on him.

You kill him, and you're guilty. I'm not gonna lay my hand on him, David's saying. I'm not gonna do that. I'm not gonna cheat, even though it would be far easier just to kill him and get it done with. It would be so much easier.

It looks like God has provided this as an opportunity. I'm not gonna do it. This is not the way. God's king, we see, must not cheat. It's part of being righteous and faithful.

Now for all our points, we're gonna go, okay, what do we see in David? What's the king gotta be like? We're then gonna look at Jesus, and then we're gonna come to us, and we're gonna do it fairly quickly each time. David was king of God's people, but he really shows us what Jesus is like. Yeah?

David mustn't cheat in getting the kingdom. He said, I'm not gonna take it this way. I'm not gonna have Saul killed. I'm not gonna do that. That's not the way.

Jesus didn't cheat when it came to having the kingdom. Early in Jesus' ministry, the devil tempted Jesus and said to Jesus, he showed him somehow all the kingdoms of the world and said to Jesus, all these I will give you if you bow down to me and worship me. Now it was always God's plan, God the father's plan that Jesus would have all the kingdoms of the world, but God's plan was that Jesus would get them by going through the cross, by suffering and dying. And yet the devil was saying to Jesus, if you just bow down to me, you can have all the kingdoms of the world, and you don't have to go through the cross, you don't have to do all that suffering, this will be the easy way. Just do it this way, and all you've got to do is bow down and worship me.

But, of course, that would be disobeying God, wouldn't it? Because you should only worship God. That would be the easy way, and Jesus said, no. I'm not gonna go that way. I'm not gonna go that easy way, though it looks easy, though it looks so simple, but it's disobeying God.

It's cheating, and I'm not gonna do it. Jesus is the greater king, and his kingdom is the greater kingdom than David's, and Jesus did not cheat. Now what about for us? What difference does it make to us? Well, we know that the Bible warns us that being a follower of Jesus sometimes is hard.

Sometimes being a disciple of Jesus, one who follows Jesus is difficult. Acts fourteen twenty two says, we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God. Sometimes it's hard following Jesus. Doing what God tells us to do can feel harder than not. I wonder if you know that, boys and girls, adults, you certainly know that if you've been following Jesus for any length of time.

You know, sometimes it's hard following Jesus, and there can be an easier route. You can think, you know what? It would be easier in life if I just cheated. Maybe cheated at school or cheated at work or did something in a way where you go, actually, that is not honest. It's not the way you should do it, but it would be so much easier, but to follow Jesus means sometimes doing the harder thing, going the more difficult route.

God's king mustn't cheat, and actually his people mustn't cheat either. God's king must not cheat. Second thing. Okay. Boys and girls, you back with me?

Second thing, on your sheets, fill in the blank. God's king must trust God's plan. God's king must trust God's plan. Now this is a bit like very similar to, actually, the previous points, kind of the flip side of it. God's king mustn't cheat, but God's king must trust God's plan.

Okay. David and Abishai are standing over Saul, and the spear is just there. Verse 10. David says, as surely as the lord lives, he said, the lord himself will strike him, that's Saul, or his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish, but the Lord forbid that I should lay a hand on the Lord's anointed. What's David saying?

David is saying he's actually saying, I don't know how God's gonna do this. He could strike down Saul, and then I'll become king. He could be that Saul will just come to his end, or it could be he'll be struck down in battle. David's saying, I don't really know how God's gonna do this, but I do know me killing him is not the way we're gonna do this. Now that's interesting.

The Lord hadn't revealed to David a whole load about his plan. He hadn't revealed to him exactly how it was gonna work, and David is saying, look, I don't know. I have the promise I'll be king, and I know what obedience looks like, and to be obedient will be hard, but I need to trust the Lord for exactly how it's gonna work. Now there's a difference here with Jesus. So David is saying, I don't know how this is gonna all work out, but I need to trust the Lord.

Jesus, as we come to him, the greater king, we see Jesus did know how things were gonna work out. He knew exactly what was gonna happen. As you read through the gospels, you see Jesus knew exactly what was gonna happen, that he was gonna have to go to Jerusalem. He was gonna suffer. He was gonna die.

He was gonna rise. He was gonna be exalted. He knew it all, and that's where our confidence actually increases because Jesus is our king, and he knows exactly what's gonna happen, and he hasn't told you and me exactly what's gonna happen. He said the big picture, he said one day, the world will be such that Jesus will be king of it all, and everyone will submit to him, and he'll be ruler over all things, and everyone will see it. One day, we'll get to that point, but Jesus hasn't told you and me the exact route of how exactly how it's gonna happen.

He hasn't told you exactly what's gonna happen in your life today or this week. He hasn't done that, and therefore, we, in a sense, like David, need to trust Jesus that he will get us there, but we don't know how. And sometimes, we need a little bit of godly imagination for going, actually, God could do it this way, he could take me forward that way, he could take me forward the other way, and he could be faithful in a whole load of different ways, and I don't know how he's gonna do it. Sometimes as Christians, we can get caught up in just thinking God always works in one way, So we maybe we've seen we're struggling in some way, and we've seen someone else who struggled in a similar way, and the Lord provided for them in one way, and we think, well, that's the way God will do it. But God doesn't always do that.

He sometimes answers us and helps us in different ways, and we need a bit of godly imagination sometimes individually and as a church to go, actually, God doesn't always do things exactly the same way, and like David saying, well, maybe God will do it this way, maybe God will do it that way, maybe God will do it the other way, but I know what obedience looks like, and it's not me taking it into my own hand. So, God's king must not cheat. God's king must trust God's plan, and we're gonna have a little pause. But before we do, just a little bit more of the story. So David and Abishai standing over Saul, the spear is just there, and David says, okay, we're not gonna kill him, but we will take the spear and we will take the water jug and we'll take them with us.

So they take the spear, and I think David takes the spear. Maybe he doesn't trust Abishai. I'll take the spear. They take the water jug, and they leave the camp, and they go a little way away, and then they call out to Saul. And we'll find out what happens in a moment.

Okay. Part two, the final part. We have another sheet. So boys and girls, you need the next sheet, which Ella is bringing around. Great.

Okay. So thank you. We've seen God's king must be righteous and faithful. Actually, Ella, can I have another another one? Sorry.

I should have grabbed them again. Thank you. God's king must be righteous and faithful. That's the big point again. Sorry.

That's not quite in order on your sheet, is it? God's king must be righteous and faithful. What does that look like? We've seen. That means God's king must not cheat.

God's king must trust God's plan. And then thirdly, here's our third big thing, you can fill in the blanks on the sheet. God's king must love God. God's king must love God. Thank you.

Now how do we see that in the story? Okay. Where did we get to? We got to David and Abishai have grabbed. What did they grab from beside Saul?

Can you remember? What were the things that they grabbed? Boys and girls. I wasn't gonna do cool and honest, but responses, but here we go. Let's do one.

What can can you remember? What did they grab from beside Saul? They grabbed the oh, there's some older voices there. I like it. You're the adults are awake too.

Boys and girls, any one of the children that wanna respond? What what did they what did they pick up from next to Saul? Was it a ray gun, pistol, or was it a spear? Thank you. Well done.

There was a spear, and there was also, we said they picked up the water jug. Thank you very much. Picked up the water jug as well and took that away, and so they went a bit away from the camp, and then they called out to those in the camp, to Saul. They called out, verse 14, why am I in Hosea? Have you been moving where I am in my bible?

Back to one Samuel 26, like I say, verse 14. He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, aren't you going to answer me, Abner? Abner, remember, is the commander of Saul's army. Abner replies, who are you who calls to the king? And then to summarize what David says in this next paragraph, David says, Abner, you've done a terrible job.

You were all asleep. You should all be killed because you didn't protect the Lord's anointed, and you must, above all things, protect the lord's anointed. You didn't do it. You all deserve to die. And then he says, in a kind of cheeky kind of way, by the way, where's the king's spear and water jug?

At which point, presumably, they're all looking around going, where is it? Right? And presumably, he produces it. We're not told that, but presumably goes, kind of, here they are. You didn't look after him, he's saying.

And then Saul speaks and he says what he said two chapters ago. He says it again. He says, is that your voice, David my son? And David says, yes, it is. And David again pleads his innocence.

He says, why are you chasing after me? I have done nothing against you. And then David says something a bit more than he said two chapters ago, and this is where we get this point from. David says, verse 19, now let my lord listen to his servant's words. If the lord has incited you against me, may he accept an offering.

In other words, if you're coming after me try and get your heads around this, boys and girls. If you are coming after me, Saul, because God has kind of told you to do it because I've done something wrong, If it's punishment from God for me, then I'll present a sacrifice because that's what that's the right thing to do. But he says, if that's not what it is, if it's not because God's got you doing that, But if, still verse 19, if, however, people have done it, may they be cursed before the Lord. They've driven me today from my share in the Lord's inheritance and have said, go serve other gods. Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the lord.

See, David is saying, if other people are telling you, Saul, to come and chase after me, may they be cursed because effectively they are chasing me away from the lord. Now we know, and David knew as well, that you can worship the lord anywhere. You don't have to be in Israel. You can be in Tolworth even and worship the lord, of course, but back then, it was very significant to be in the land of Israel because the land of Israel was a gift from God to his people, and in the land of Israel, there was also the tabernacle, and there was the place of sacrifice. And so for the for David to be chased away from that, it's kind of like he's saying, it's like I'm being chased away from God's presence, and I'm being chased away from what God has given us.

And it's like people are saying, go worship another God. And David's saying, that's the big thing that hurts me. Not that you're after my life. The big thing is, you're chasing me away from God, and that's the big thing that matters to me. God's king, you see, must love God above all else.

Now, again, we see, actually, yeah, this points us to Jesus. David was a good king. Jesus is the great king, and Jesus loved God. It says in John 14 verse 31, Jesus says, he loves the father and does what he commands him to do. Jesus loves his father.

Above all else, he loved his father. And as his people, he calls us to that too, to love the Lord your God. He says do you remember he said he was asked, what's the greatest commandment? He said, the first and greatest commandment is this, love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength. We are to do it too.

That is what we are to do, to love God. That's what a Christian is, someone who, above all, loves Jesus, loves God. George Muller, was a Christian evangelist, set up an orphanage as well, he did this about two hundred years ago. He said he realized this, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. That is the most important thing to do every day, to be happy in the Lord, love the Lord.

God's king must, above all things, love God. Those are our three things that we've seen. We've got a bit more to talk about. Alright? But we've seen God's king must be righteous and faithful.

What does that mean? Three things. God's king must not cheat, God's king must trust God's plan, and lastly, saw God's king must love God above all else. Well, just to go on a bit more in the story, Saul having heard David is cut to the heart. He says, verse 21, I've sinned.

He says to David, come back. I'm not gonna try and kill you anymore. I'm not gonna harm you. I acted like a fool, he says. If you remember the previous chapter, there was a guy who was a fool.

His name was Fool, and now we've got Saul saying, I was a fool. He says, come back. I've acted badly. And David doesn't fall for this. He doesn't go back to Saul.

He knows that Saul doesn't mean it, and he says, send someone. Come and get your spear. And then he says, verse 23, the lord rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness. That's where I got it from. At the beginning, when I was saying, god's king must be righteous and faithful.

That's what David's saying at the end. He said, that's what God rewards. He rewards righteousness and faithfulness. It's what God's looking for, and that's what David's saying he's done. He's been righteous in relation to Saul.

He's not killed him, and he's been faithful to God, and we've seen that in the chapter. He's been obedient to God. That's what God rewards. Now why is it that as I've been going through all this, I've been saying God's king must be like this? Now I know I'm asking you to explain to me my own talk, but why have I been saying God's king must be like why don't we just say, we've gotta be like this?

We've gotta be those who don't cheat, who trust God's plan, and who love God. Why don't I just why don't we just teach that? Go be like David. Well, because this passage isn't primarily about you and me. In fact, none of the bible really is primarily about you and me.

Oh, it's important for us, and we've got to learn from it, but it's not primarily about you and me. It's actually mostly about Jesus, isn't it? It's about him before it's about me. Why is that important? Well, we have a problem.

You can see on your sheet. We have a problem. Yes. We are called to be righteous and faithful. We've gotta be righteous and faithful.

To be God's people, you've gotta be righteous and faithful. You've got to be righteous and faithful to be God's people, but we've got a problem. We're not righteous. You and I are not righteous, and we're not faithful. So how can we be in God's kingdom if we can't do it?

And the reality is we can't. Thank you. We can't do it. After all, do you always not cheat? Do you always trust God's plan?

Do you always love God above all else? Even just this last week, you didn't do it. I know because I didn't do it, and I think we're probably quite similar on this. We don't do it. We don't manage to be righteous, but there is really, really good news.

Let me take you to a verse in Romans. Romans three verse 21, and we'll just look at this very quickly. Thank you. It's on the screen. But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify.

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Okay. So that is saying do you see, it's saying that the law and the prophets, that's another way of talking about the Old Testament, throughout the whole Old Testament, it's pointing you to a way of being righteous because you can't do it yourself. You see, there are two ways of thinking about righteousness, and you've got on your sheet, you can fill this in. We can either try to achieve righteousness.

There you go. For the spelling, it's there. It's a tricky word, isn't it? We can either try to achieve righteousness. Now if we try to achieve righteousness, we read one Samuel 26.

We see why we've got to do those three things to be righteous, and we go away from here and we go, right. I've got to go and do all those three things. I've got to not cheat. I've got to try and trust God's plan. I've got to love God.

I've got I've got to do all those things. Yeah? And then I will achieve it. The problem is next week, you'll come away with three more things, and then the following week, three more things, and you'll it'll just add up, and you'll go, I could there's no way I can do this, and that's right. We're guilty.

We can't do it. The Bible tells us no one's righteous. So you can either try and achieve righteousness or receive righteousness. You can receive it, again, on your sheet, you can fill that in, or we can receive it. That's what the verse is saying.

But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. How do we receive it? By trusting Jesus Christ, Jesus the king. See, the important thing actually is that Jesus the king is righteous, and because he's righteous, he can give righteousness to you and me because Jesus never cheated, because Jesus always trusted God the father's plan, because he loved God above all things and did all those things perfectly, he is perfectly righteous, and therefore, if we trust him, he can give us righteousness.

He can wipe out all our wrongs. He can wipe the slate completely clean such that we can be righteous. You can try and achieve it, but you'll never manage it. Or you can come to Jesus and say, please, will you make me righteous? Give me your righteousness.

And if we put our trust in him, he does. He gives it to us. That's why it's so important that we see from one Samuel 26 what the righteous king must look like, and then you go through the rest of the bible, you go work your way through, you see, well, David wasn't really like this all the time. He wasn't didn't trust God always perfectly. He wasn't really the great king until you come to Jesus and you go, ah, here's the king who did it all perfectly, and because of him, we can be made righteous, and more than that, he then helps us to change.

He works in us so that we can not cheat, and so that we can trust God's plan, and we can love God. He works that in us, not so that we can try and get in to be right with God, but because we already are through trusting Jesus. Boys and girls, you have done really well. This is the end of the talk. There's no third part.

You've not got a third sheet. You've done brilliantly. I hope you take away from this. God's king must be righteous and faithful, and that points us to Jesus who was righteous and faithful and who can make you righteous too. Let me pray for us.

Heavenly father, we thank you for Jesus. Thank you. This passage really is all about him, and we pray, please, that you would help us to love Jesus, that he was righteous, perfectly righteous and faithful, that he never cheated in getting to the kingdom but went through the cross, that he trusted your plan, and that he loved you above all else. Thank you Jesus was perfectly righteous, and therefore we can be made righteous. And thank you that then he works in our hearts to change us, to be more like him.

And so, father, please help us not to cheat. Help us to trust your plan, and help us to love you above all else. Amen.