They gave all but themself

I'd like to read with you, please, first of all, in 1 Samuel 18. 1 Samuel 18, please, and verse number 1, 1 Samuel 18, verse number 1. And it came to pass when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house.

Then Jonathan and David made a covenant between, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle. And David went out with his sword, and behaved himself wisely.

And Saul sent him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. And just over a little further, please, in chapter 20, chapter 20, chapter 20 and verse number 40. This is the field scene, as I have called it.

Chapter 20, verse number 40. And Jonathan gave his artillery unto his lad, and said unto him, Go, and carry them to the city. And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of the place toward the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times.

And they kissed one another, and wept one with another, until David acceded. Jonathan said to David, Go in peace. And now at that moment, he's releasing him to make your move.

In other words, he is not trying to convince him that he had to stay with David, although David expected that, and I'll prove that to you. But he says, Go in peace. For as much as we have sworn, both of us, in the name of the Lord, saying, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed, and thy seed forever.

And he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. Now chapter 21, then came David to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid of meeting of David, and said unto him, Notice what he says, Why art thou alone, no man with thee? I would take it, that he expected to see Jonathan with him.

Now over please to 2 Samuel. 2 Samuel please, in chapter 1, and verse number 23. Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death.

This is the words of David of course. They were not divided. They were swifter than eagles.

They were stronger than lions. Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul. Hard to believe that David is saying such words, and he's saying them honestly.

This is not hypocritical. David wasn't that kind of an individual, but he's saying to him, Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with other delights, who put on ornaments of gold upon your apparel. How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle, O Jonathan? Thou wast slain in thine high places.

I am distressed. I am distressed for thee, my brother. Jonathan, very pleasant hast thou been unto me.

Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen? And the weapons of their warfare perished. Now, same book, just over please, just a little further to chapter 17.

Chapter 17, and verse number 27. And it came to pass, when David was come to Manahem of Shebe, the son of Nehash, a rabboth of the children of Ammon, and Maker, the son of Amiel of Lodibar. Now, that's significant that the Spirit of God gives us that information there, because that links back with chapter 3, or rather chapter 9, chapter 9 it is, where Mephiboshan is brought in.

And Berzilliai, the Gileadite of Rogallam, brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, and barley, and flour, and parched corn, and beans, and lentils, and parched poults, and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheese of kind for David, and for the people that were with him to eat. For they said, the people is hungry, and weary, and thirsty in the wilderness. Now, over please to chapter 19.

Now, we're coming to the end of this good man Berzilliai's days. And we'll just come down please to verse number 31, for the sake of time, verse 31. And Berzilliai the Gileadite came down from Rogallam, and went over Jordan with the king to conduct him over Jordan.

And Berzilliai was a very aged man, even four score years old. And he had provided the king his sustenance while he lay in Manaham, for he was a very great man. That's the only man in your Bible called a very great man, was this man Berzilliai.

So it's worth considering this great man. Verse 33. The king said unto Berzilliai, Come thou over with me, with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.

Berzilliai said unto the king, How long have I to live? I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem. I am this day four score years old. And can I discern between good and evil? Can thy servant taste what I eat, or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men, and singing women? Wherefore, should thy servant be yet a burden unto the Lord the king? And thy servant will go a little way, thy servant rather, will go a little way over Jordan with the king.

And why should the king recompense me with such a reward? Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back. Sad words, aren't they? Turn back, that I may die in mine own city. Here's another man wants to go to a different city, and be buried by the grave of my father, and of my mother.

Behold thy servant, Chimam. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do to him what shall seem good unto thee. And the king answered Chimam, shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which has seemed good unto thee, and whatsoever thou shalt require me, I will do for thee.

Now, very interesting. I'd like to speak on two men. There are a lot of men in David's experience, and commendable men, other men that fell much short of David's expectations.

But we can learn from two men particularly, of these men that we've read about today, Jonathan and Berzilliai. There was no two men, there was no two men in your Bible that gave David more than these two men did. Okay? You'll, you can search and read, and you will not find any that gave David more than Jonathan or Berzilliai.

Yet, unfortunately, as good as these men were, there was one thing that they withheld from David, that was themselves. Unlike the Apostle, remember he writes concerning those in Macedonia, he said, they, they did not as we'd hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God. First gave their own selves unto the Lord.

Whatever we're going to give in our Christian experience, brethren and sisters, let us understand and, and learn the lesson again. He does not want necessarily what is yours. He wants you.

See, that's something that unfortunately the elder son just never grasped. The father was not interested, not interested even. And what the elder son had, he said, or what I have, he says, it's yours.

But what that elder son would not do, he would not give himself to the father. The prodigal had all kinds of plans. He was going to make up his story, how he got saved, you know.

Like a lot of us did before we got saved. We had a plan how it was going to happen, you know. It would be my favorite preacher, and it would be in a particular setting, and this and so on, and so on, and so on.

Never happened that way. I'm only smiling because it went on record of a man that was giving his testimony up in London, Ontario. He told me there publicly.

I knew it. I've heard of, heard that he had said it before. Never said it with me in the audience.

I had made up my mind. There was one man, and I would never be saved while he was preaching. I would make sure of that.

Interesting. You'd have no clue who that would be. I wouldn't know why he wouldn't like me.

His wife was my wife's best friend if I could speak of that. But God had different plans for Lloyd Parley, and Lloyd happened to get saved in a gospel meeting. I was closing at a Fredericton conference, so it just shows you.

But well, coming back to these two men, here's how I want you to think of them. A man before David's reign, before David's reign, that would give everything but himself. And a man during David's reign, okay, conducts him over the Jordan, but will give to him everything but himself.

Now let's just stop here. Come on, brother and sister. Are you really giving to the things of God, to testimony, to the assembly? What you can? Could you not just give a little more? Are you telling me today that you're giving your full potential and what you could be of the testimony of which you form a part? Not before God.

Need some time on that? If I was to go to your overseers of the assembly and just inquire something along that line and say, oh no, they say, well, yeah, he has his limits, okay? And you just go there, you don't go, you don't push him. You just don't go out of his comfort zone. You just, you know, don't push him out of the box.

Those are the kind that will kind of throw, see, there's two kinds of people. There's those that will say whatever, whatever. Others will say whatever it takes, whatever it takes.

Whether I'm tired or I'm not tired. Whether it's in my shift or not in my shift. If it be for the honor of the King, I'm prepared to do it.

And these were commendable men. When I think of men like Jonathan, I think of him in contrast to Joab. I owe this to Mr. Albert McShane.

He made a statement writing about David and about Joab. He said, Joab loved the kingdom. He said, there's no question about that.

When it comes to defending the kingdom, Joab loved the kingdom, but he didn't love its king. There's reason for that. Can I only suggest to you, I'm not sure how much I can support it from scripture, but you know how things go in families.

If you don't talk to me later, I can tell you a little bit about big families, okay? I'm just wondering if Uncle David wasn't a little too much for even Joab's mother. And Joab, he's Uncle David. Well, he's the king, you know, so we got to do this.

We got to do that. We had to do the other thing. I think we're dealing with a man that likely was jealous of David.

Joab was a man that loved the kingdom, didn't love the king. Now in Jonathan, you got the reverse. Jonathan loved the king.

No doubt about it. No doubt about it. Thy love unto me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women.

There's no question in anybody's mind, in this large company today, of Jonathan's undevoted love to David, but he didn't love the kingdom. That's why at the end of the chapter, David just releases him in peace, steps back, and he can hardly believe it to look over his shoulder and, no, he's going in the wrong direction. He's going in the wrong direction.

He should have changed directions. How about you today? What direction are you going? Remember the man bearing the pitcher of water? Just let me give it to you briefly. Those that would go meeting the man bearing the pitcher of water, they meet him.

To go where he was going to go required a 180 and go that way. Every person that is enjoying the assembly fellowship today is someone in their experience that has done the 180. They have changed the direction in which they would go naturally and go with the spiritual.

Those that haven't aren't with us. It's hard. Whether those that you see saved, you picture them.

I know I'm speaking for my fellow brethren here. I've been challenged on this. I didn't change my mind.

I look at every potential. Every person I see, and so do you, and picture him, right? You've got a spot for him right there in the assembly, okay? He'd sit right there. There's that young couple.

You'd long for them to be part of the testimony. You'll wait for that day when you'll pass the bread from your hand to his hand or her hand to his hand, whatever it might be, and they get saved. And then the family comes.

Different things come. And that place that you thought for sure they're going to fill in that testimony, they never filled it. Now there's no doubt about their salvation.

There's no doubt that they love the Lord Jesus. They loved the king, but they didn't love the kingdom. And that's why Jonathan will go back to the wrong kingdom.

Of all things, go back to the kingdom of Saul. What an opportunity to be with David. I was only thinking, come along traveling to the conference yesterday, that at the end of the day, if you don't mind the expression, do you know what the house of Saul had to give? A man that was lame.

They didn't mind Mephibosheth going. What could he do for them? Ah, David said. David said, you bring him up.

I can do something for him. You know what I can do? I can take care of him. And it's because of David's love for a son that had died.

Go to the chapter, read it. Because of his love for Jonathan, he reaches out. He reaches out.

He's able to bring that man into his kingdom. The house of Saul, nothing they could do for him. House of David, I know David, there's a lot of things David couldn't do for him, but there's one thing that he could do for him.

He could make him welcome. And so here's a man that you fully would have intended and expected to see with David, and he's not. Even the priest, he says, art thou alone expected to see Jonathan with him? Let me ask you today.

Now, I'm not sure if everybody in the audience, I do know this, that when somebody has come into the assembly fellowship, somebody at some time, somewhere poured, poured time, energy, effort, whatever it took, in hopes you would be part assembly testimony. Are you there today? Never mind your child of God. Breaks my heart too.

When there are those that you labor and labor and labor to see, and then they go the other way. They don't do the 180. They don't follow the man bearing the pitcher of water.

They go to what is commonly known as the church of their choice, or whatever it might be, in a wrong direction. Let me say to parents here, to fathers today, don't you do what Noah did. Noah, at one of his lower points in life, left his sons walking backward in a wrong direction.

Don't you live your life, so your children watch it, and end up going in a wrong direction. Nobody watches you closer. They'll notice that you're responsible for bringing into the world.

My, we can be thankful today for godly parents, can't you? Absolutely. We're you be today if it wasn't for them? Where would I be? We owe so much to them. Let's come back, and let's look just for a minute at this man, Jonathan.

D.L. Moody used to say that David came, it's often quoted, David came back to the from the battle with the head of the giant in his hand, and Jonathan in his heart. Something happened that day, whereby he won the affection, and everything of a Jonathan. He did.

They were knit together. And, and even with Saul in life, like David says, they were, they were not divided. Okay.

But unfortunately, Jonathan loses. Why does Jonathan, in his days like he did, come on, you know. You join with the flesh in a battle, dear.

You'll lose it. You'll lose the battle. It's interesting.

He's fighting. I thought he gave his sword to David. He did, but he got another one.

Not much of a sacrifice. You usually pick up another one. You know, so I give something to somebody, so I get another one at the dollar store.

Big sacrifice, wasn't it? But let's just go over what he did give. Not taking that from him. In other words, let me just say this.

Could I suggest to you that what changed, what changed Jonathan's mind was the time with whom he spent the most. Chapter 18, earlier chapters, is with David. In other words, David's in his focus.

But a couple later, he's spending time with his father. And the family ties, it seemed, were just too strong. I salute, I salute believers.

We have them in our assembly at home. First generation Christians, they were saved. I think of a girl, one of the first saved, 40 years ago, we first started in where I live now.

Boy, and she got saved. Folks are very prominent in the area, well-off people. They stroked her off the will, the list, everything.

They made it known publicly to whoever, you're done. We're finished with you. I didn't change Heather's mind, did it? No, sir.

Heard her husband, Sterling, in the same assembly fellowship that Brother Scott said. Her sister, Beth, same thing. They lost a boy under a farm tractor.

Broke their heart. Everybody that goes to that house to speak about the gospel, you don't know what she says. So I'm going to tell you now, our daughters leaving our church was harder on us than losing Bobby under a tractor.

You don't think that hurts those daughters? Come on, come on. They're human like you and I. But they understood there's someone to whom I owe a greater allegiance to my parents on earth. And as a result of that, the assemblies of which those girls form a part are a huge blessing.

You know why? Because they gave themselves. Mom made it very clear, offered the one girl $5,000 if she'd cut her hair. What would you do? You'd say, well, I've done it for nothing.

Really? No, I'm not going to cut it, Mom. I don't need to. I don't want to.

I don't know if she ever gave up on that. She's never given up on the fact that they got saved, that they left the family church. Now here's, come to this man, Jonathan, just for a minute.

He would give his robe. That's what was dearest to him. His robe, it spoke of his future, spoke of the throne.

It spoke of something he could share. He says, David, it's yours. Something got through to Jonathan that the throne was David's no matter what.

That never got through to Absalom. Why didn't somebody tap Absalom on the shoulder or Abner and say, listen, forget it. God has secured this throne to David, and you're not going to disturb it.

Let us be reminded, dear child of God, that God has secured the throne of the universe ultimately to our heavenly David. Nobody's going to disturb that. No president will rule in this country or in our country or in any country abroad that's going to disturb the purposes of God in Christ Jesus.

He ultimately will reign. So will David. The question is, will you reign with him? In other words, if Jonathan couldn't share in his rejection, however will he share what he is reigning? Because it would have been really unrejected.

So he would give that which is dearest to him, okay? The question is, have we given him the throne of our hearts? You know, it's almost tongue-in-cheek, the throne of our hearts. How can you tell what a person gives himself to? Just talk to him a little bit. Just talk to her a little bit.

What they talk most about is what they love. And you will give yourself to what you love. Not to be hard on my neighbors, but you would have to go far down the street where I live and see at different times of the season their boats and their fishing boats and then their snowmobiles and their hunting and that sort of thing.

And they'll talk endlessly because they've given themselves to it. And they would look at anybody that goes to weeknight prayer meeting as being fanatics. Not too bad going to church once on Sunday.

What do you have to go to the middle of the week for? You don't have to go. You don't have to go. You want to go.

You want to go. Is that how you feel, brother? Really? How little will it take for you to skip weeknight meeting? Let somebody else do it. Those that give themselves to the heavenly David have no difficulty with any responsibility assembly, whatever it might be.

So he'll give his robe, that which is nearest to him. He'll give his garments, that which is closest to him. He gave David that which was closest to him.

Isn't that like the blind man, as I like to think? He's casting away his garment. The Lord did not say to him, get rid of that garment. You know what he knew? I've become a Christian.

I've never thought of this. I'm just going to throw it in now. My dress is going to change.

Okay? If you're recording it, don't send it back east. Might as well tell you. I said to my grandson, he was going into meeting the other night.

He said, are you going to work or going to meeting? You heard it? Are you going to work or going to meeting? So you say to your grandson, you're okay, long as you're coming, boy. Come on, wake up. Stand up.

Hardest to speak to are those closest to you. And of course, I get it back like everybody else. Oh, grandpa.

Born in 1919. No, no. That's my father, not me.

Even though they might think that's when I was born. Give his robe, give his garment. Nobody said to the blind man, he knew it had to go.

Nobody said to the woman of John chapter four, that water pot, you're done with that. You remember when you got saved? Nobody told you. Dad didn't tell you the water pot had to go.

You knew. So did she. Think she had any regrets? Do you think that blind man someday went, now with his sight, would say, boy, where's that garment I had? That was a lovely piece of... When he saw the thing, he was likely so glad it was gone.

Right? Are you looking for another one? Well, when some of these boys get dressed today, I think they found what the blind man threw away. Only it's not as good. Really? You don't have to pay about 10 times the price of what the rag's worth.

As long as it's in, that's all right. Don't get me on that. He'd give the sword.

That which was costliest, okay? You're with me. That which was nearest. That which was nearest.

That which was costliest. The sword. See, we wouldn't think of it today, but then a man was marked by his standing in society by the sword that he carried.

Remember David will say that sword, that he took the head of the giant. He says, give it to me. He says, there's none like it.

And really, David should never have had it. I mean, to go to Gath and start flashing that thing around? They say, hey, this is this is our giant killer boy. What's he doing here with that? Grab him.

Sometimes we can be very foolish, but we're flashing in the locality where we live or we travel. So the sword goes. But like I said, I mentioned earlier that he would get another.

He would give his bow. That which was keenest to him. The bow.

The archer. Remember that could shoot with the, he would just take that and he would give it to him. He would give the girdle.

That which was obscurest to him. Speaks of restraint. But David had nothing to hold back.

And Ananias and Sapphira did that. He would give his girdle. Now that's, um, was a garment.

That was a piece of garment that was worn beneath the vesture usually. That controlled the thighs. It spoke of restraint.

I think I told him in Heightsville out here. I told him other places. An overseer wrote me a letter.

I used to think he was a good friend, but now I think maybe reduced down to just a friend. Okay. Wrote me this letter and he said, uh, you know, he said, that's, uh, you're sounding, he said, more like Elijah all the time.

Capitalize the letters. If you would write this email, you are sounding more like Elijah all the time, Murray. Hey, what are you laughing for? Anybody compared you to Elijah? You wish, sure he was a good man.

You get compared to Elijah? Who they compare you to? Elijah. So I wrote him back and I said, my, thank you brother so much. I've never had a couple that's made my day.

I'm not going to do Elijah. But I said, I want to tell you one thing about Elijah. Only one thing about Elijah.

What kind of girdle did he have brethren? Only of Elijah, as this said. Other men had girdles. It said he had a leather girdle.

There's no elasticity there. Okay. We have boys today.

You know what they've got instead of a leather girdle? They got something that's made with huge bungee cords. And there's all kinds of elasticity. They can go this way and they can go that way.

Just whatever way the wind's blowing. It's Mr. Facing Both Ways. Not Elijah.

Thank God we've got that. Listen, if men didn't stand in the state of Wisconsin, you wouldn't, like Elijah did, you wouldn't be here today and I wouldn't be here. Okay.

Is that clearly understood? If men did not stand at the cost of family, at the cost of friends, at the cost of the rebuke of others, if somebody somewhere didn't stand. What's the apostle mean when he says, having done all to stand? Will we be here? No. Something might be here, but not what we would appreciate as a New Testament church of his people gathered together as we were reminded this morning.

However, didn't give. Did not give himself. That which was hardest, he did not give.

Love was confessed in Jonathan. Love was compensated. It was never crowned because he would never share in that reign.

And he dies fighting a needless battle. Never align yourself with the flesh. Saul spoke of the flesh and he aligned himself with that.

And as a result, the battle is lost. He goes down and dies with his father. Okay.

One man, a young man, this is. Let me speak young men, young sisters here today. What a conference this would be if you left it.

See, right. I am going to give from this day henceforth, God help me. I want to give everything for him.

Now we sing about it, brother, but it's usually a fib. That we're going to give all. We're going to give all.

You sung too, haven't you? You've a fib? Me too. Now come this man, Barzillai. Oh, he's a good man.

A very great man. As far as I know, now you can help me maybe a little on it. As far as I know, Barzillai had never met David.

Imagine loving a man like that whom having not seen, we loved. How did he hear about David? I think he heard about it through the Mephibosheth connection with Lordy Bar. Read the names that are given.

Read where he comes from, Rojaleb. And I think I see a man by the name of Barzillai saying, a man that will do that, that's my man. A man that will give everything.

Do you know anybody that give everything for you? I do. You come here tomorrow morning, you're going to remember him, aren't we? But then we forget about that. So when David is rejected, just what he needed the most.

Notice what it says. As you go back there in the earlier chapter, I know I went over it maybe kind of quickly, but it's this. He brought to him beds.

That speaks of rest. Nice to be able to give people rest. And my hostess will know what I'm talking about because it was a long day yesterday for an old man.

That's another overseer. He wrote me and he said, you know, you're sounding like a cranky old man. I said, just a minute, you might want to take that back.

An old man, I confess to being an old man, but I've never known to be cranky in my life. And he put his big boy pants on and he wrote back and said, I do confess that. I've never known you to be cranky.

But you got to watch it this age, brother. You watch that? You're a little cranky, you know. No, no, no, no, no.

I'll talk to your wife. She'll tell me. Yeah, yeah.

He has those times. Get a little cranky. Not Barzillai.

So what I'm telling you about after a long day, I snapped a picture of it and sent home. I said to my wife, Shirley, did this bed ever look good here in Ontario last night? Oh man. I said, there seems like there's two arms reaching out for me.

Well, at this age, you start at five o'clock in the morning. That's three o'clock your time and climbed into bed at 1130 last night. That's 130 back home.

So what's that? Give me three and a half hours sleep. That was okay when I was 25, but not 25 anymore. I'm not 54 either.

See, how did you get 54? I was at a conference in Terryville. I had to get a picture of this boy. He leaned over and he said to his mother, he said, I really like Mr. McCandless' speaking.

He must be about your age, isn't he, Mom? She said, Andrew, I'm 54. He says, well, him? She says, he's got to be crowding 70. Well, let's just leave it there.

Crowding 70. Okay. Crowding 70.

So I looked the boy out. I said, come here, my son. Come here.

I got a picture. I'll show it right on the phone. I put my arm around, put his arm around me.

I says, get a picture of this. I sent it home to the boys. I said, listen, somebody got the dates wrong.

54. How do you like that? Well, I'll tell you, I just feel like 104 by the time I hit that bed last night. David must've been, he just didn't send him a bed.

He had rest for him and whoever was with him. Whoever was with him. Isn't that contrast to the Lord Jesus? When they went to the end, there was no room for them.

Them. Anybody with him? Nice. He sent him bed, speaks of rest very quickly.

Not only that, he sent him basins, speaks of refreshment. It's a long day where there's no water in the house and there's no shower basins. That was refreshment.

The man needed rest and he needed refreshment. Here's a man that could supply it. Then of course you can go down and I'm not going to go over all the food, all the items, except that mentioned this.

Okay. Normally you would mention those. You would list them.

You catalyze them, categorize them as just comma. Okay. Gave this up.

But the spirit of God inserts and beds and this, and that, and what's the point of it? Because every singular thing he received had a significance to it. Do you understand that about what you've received brother in salvation? Everything that you and I've received has a significance to it. I did go to school, even though some of my boys wonder how long I stayed, but I did.

Okay. I was taught only one conjunction per sentence. Otherwise you had to have a new sentence, right? Isn't that what taught you in Wisconsin? And you used it once, new sentence.

How come you got and, and, and? Well, picture a grandson, okay, or your son on his birthday. And I say to him, when did you get your birthday? Oh, this is my grandchild. First thing on the birthday I tell you, got a gun.

Oh great, got a gun. Now we're all safe. I got a gun.

And, and why? Because everything he reached, he received had a significance to him. Okay. In other words, David doesn't say, ah, the beans and the, you know, there's, the beds are okay and that sort of thing, but, but really the wheat and the barley, I'm not fussing.

No, no, no, no, no. Everything had a significance to it. Let me ask you, you happy in the assembly today, brother? Could you be happier? Could you be happier in the assembly than you are today? Well, you say, if it wasn't for this and, oh, really? Then you're not, you're not David when he received from Barzillia.

After, I don't want to say this, the thing I want to tell you is well over 50 years of assembly life, and I'm thrilled about it. Love God's assembly. I hope I die in God's assembly.

Don't die outside of it. End up with a Philistine grave, brother. Lots have.

So he gives them these things, but it's interesting. He will give them all that. And yet when it is gone, he will not give himself.

You know what? You learn something from Brazillia is this. You don't learn how to live till you learn how to give. That clear? You do not learn how to live till you learn how to give.

Having said that, the United States of America, saved or unsaved, is the most giving country in the world, and that is no one. Isn't it sad they're so despised? You know, you know, most of those countries, it's just plain jealousy. Now coming down to the spiritual level, I have worked long enough in this work, 40 years.

Other men here work longer than I have. I have learned and been rebuked and humbled by the generosity of God's people. You know what they've done? They've learned how to give, and when you learn how to give, you learn how to live.

So now you got this man, Brazillia, let's go to hear from him. David says, listen, come over. Notice where he says, just be with me.

Be with me. I mean, think of that thief suspended to the cross. Those must have been sweet words.

Sweet words when the Lord said, today shalt thou be. All he needed to hear was, with me. Didn't need nothing else.

That was good enough for him. With me. Listen brother, he's not found any other place.

Let's get it straight. I'm not saying you can't enjoy fellowship in other places. You know as well as I do.

That's why it's so attacked. That's why it's so riddled. That's why it's so under siege.

Never was there a day when those gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus Christ were so assaulted as they are today by the great enemy. Do anything you can to divide us and get those amongst us to depart. And now David says, listen, come on over.

Let me just give you the overall of this. Okay. The very, I was going to say reasons, but let's call them excuses.

Okay. But give him credit. The very reasons which, with which Barzillai said he couldn't go, was the reason David needed him.

You know what he needed? He needed an old man on the scene. Yeah. That's why brethren, I have no time for youth conferences.

No time. Sorry. Chat to me after if you like.

No time. I love to see the older, the younger together, feeding together, enjoying one another together. Lovely to see the care of younger Christians for older Christians.

Lovely to see that. At the end of the day, last night, my garment bag never felt heavier than it did. And a computer case.

It's not that big. And a flight case. I carried none of them to my room.

No, Mrs. Henderson didn't get out of her bed and come and get them either. She provided the bed, but she wasn't going to do that. I didn't expect her.

But my good friend sitting over here, Scott, does what he has done so many times. I don't want to embarrass him. I didn't say to him, Scott, I'm kind of tired.

Could you just haul those up the stairs down that room? You know where they're there before I got there. Didn't I used to have people like that? You do that? That's why we used to like Archie Stewart coming to our house. I had an aunt used to come.

She was a pain in the neck. All she did was complain. Yang, yang, yang.

And tell us boys all it was wrong. And we come home from school. Mom would say, so-and-so wants to come.

We say, no. I don't want to give you her name. Oh no.

But we come from school. She said, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart are coming. We said, yes.

Because before that car was stopped, we were out there grabbing the luggage, you know, going up and upstairs. Boy, she said, you're nice mechanical boys. Yeah, we were waiting.

That's where you learn business. Yes, sir. So Mr. Stewart didn't get really free luggage to his room.

Well, Scott, don't you be asking for anything, okay? That was on the house last night. I'll send you the kit. You get acted up on me.

But here's a man and he would, he said this very quickly. He said, the day is, the day is gone and I'm done. Can I enjoy David's teaching? That's what he was really saying.

David understood just the value of the presence of an older man. He says, can I discern between good and evil? That's why he wanted them. Because experience gave him discernment.

Boy, I wish I had some of that discernment I thought I had when I was in my 20s. That was tremendous stuff. I was so stupid when I think of it now.

Didn't know. I was going to say diddly scoff. You can't use a word like that up here, can you? Just didn't know nothing.

But you thought you'd do it all. So he says, no, for that reason I can't come. The day is gone.

But he said discernment is gone. But that's really what he, he says, can I enjoy David's teaching? Sure he could. Sure he could.

He said, can I enjoy David's table? Can I serve and taste what I eat or drink? Boy, it's nice to have a right taste. Subject of taste is a very interesting subject in the Psalms as you read about it. Nice to have a good taste.

Imagine if you lost your taste. If you lost your taste, you'd lose your appetite. It's nice to have an appetite.

When I look over a conference in a company like this, you know what I realize? We got believers here that still have got some taste. Isn't that good? Might you go to the old people's home. They're hauling out as fast as they hauled in.

They're sitting there shaking their head. Unless you had a brother back our way. They live in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick.

I can tell the story. I was running. They said, you know that boy over there? I said, yeah.

Wow, he's quite a boy. He said, you know, we don't want our meal. But he ate them all, all five of them.

Boy, he had a big appetite. But he said, listen, I can't taste. So for that reason, please, David, have me excused.

So he said, the day is gone, discernment is gone, desire is gone. But he said, can I hear the singing? So not only was the day gone, discernment gone, desire gone, the light is gone. Know what he wanted? He wanted to be able to sing in tune with his brother.

Can you do that, brother? Or are you one of those ones that's always off on your own little note? Okay, I'm not talking about people that just have a hard time singing, okay? I'm not talking about that. But we do have those. You know as well as I do, no matter what it is, they're off on another tune.

Here is a man that wanted to be in fellowship and in tune with his brother. He said, I don't think so. Ah, David said, David would really say, listen, at that age, there's certain things that we give consideration to.

Just come over and be with me. But more than that, determination was gone. Determination was gone.

Mr. E. Stanley Jones made a statement, and he said this. Listen, I know that people have had to return from the mission field for health reasons, for family, for whatever reasons, okay? I'm not here to judge any of that, okay? E. Stanley Jones said 20 years ago that in his experience, and he served the Lord for years as such, those that return, return for one reason. Now here's what he said.

I'm just quoting the man. They had never given themselves, okay? Look at men that have given themselves to the work of the Lord. No matter where it is, they gave themselves to it.

That's it. Conference weekend, start to finish. Prayer Elbert Ramsey would sit the third day.

None of this taking off early business either. Elbert Ramsey would sit there, the oldest man amongst us. And he wasn't preaching on Monday night of the third day at a Pugwash conference.

It used to be a three-day conference. He didn't go till it was over. And he was there when it commenced too.

Is that how you operate? Best people to preach to are the preachers, you know. Give them a good spank when you're up here. Right? But here's this man, Berzilliai.

But to his credit, you know what he does? I think it's commendable. He says, here's Chimham. Chimham, never heard of him.

What do you hear about him? When the king's coming back. You know, there's brethren that we likely won't hear much about till the king comes back. Brethren, I mean, you may not like the expression, but he's coming back.

Let me speak to some of the older brethren. You got somebody that you can bring online? Bring online? I want to be careful what I say. Okay.

But if it got out, let it get out. I am uncomfortable. I am uncomfortable receiving fellowship with an assembly from an assembly with one signature on it.

I like two signatures. Now, it could be just a personal thing. Not that long ago, the man that made the announcements started the hymns.

Said, if you need a place to stay, see me. Passed out the fellowship. He did everything.

And we both would know a place where you could go. There's two brethren breaking bread there right now. There's likely over 30 or 40 in fellowship at one time.

But one man decided he could do it all. So he's left to do it all. But he brings forth somebody else.

Do it, brethren. Bring on good. They've done it in many, many parts.

You've done it here. Bring on younger men. And share the work among them.

Okay? Share the work among them. You know, whatever you might want to say, and I would not be hard on Stark Road. I have gospel readings in Stark Road, something I never remember.

I never forgot. Okay? Now, you may do it differently. That's okay.

We were given, John Procopio and I were given fellowship each week. The same brother never gave us the check. It was a different one each week.

Now, you're somebody that might not be big enough for that. Theirs was. I think that's commendable.

So we put all this together. I'm going to ask myself what I want you to ask yourself. Am I going to go from this lacrosse conference and give what I like or give what I can? Remember what it said concerning that woman? She had done what she could.

Truth is, truth is, and it has to start right here. I haven't. God help us.