Discipline

You have your Bibles with you this morning.

Turn with if you would to second Samuel chapter 12 can be looking at verses 14 and 15 to begin with.

Nevertheless, because by this deed, you have utterly scorned the Lord the child who was born to you shall die. Then Nathan went to his house and the Lord afflicted the child that you rise wife bore to David and he became sick that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father we deal with a gut wrenching subject today the death of a loved one, we find out that the Lord took the life of David and Bathsheba's child in order to chasten them. This seems to us to harsh we think you should have been more lenient. This is not fair to the poor child. Lord help us to remember that you do all things well. This is not punishment for the child. The child went immediately into your presence. He wouldn't come back to this life or anything that you use this in David's like to drive sin out of his heart and making hunger for holiness is not a callused act as a loving act of a heavenly father who loves his children knows exactly what we need. David realized it that he bow to your Welland grew in his faith and grew his love for you, Lord, may your discipline do that very thing in our hearts is whale 14 Jesus holy wonderful and precious thing that we pray.

Amen may be seated. I think one of the most important verses in the Bible for the professing Christian community in 2021 might be Hebrews chapter 12 verse eight it says this. If you are left without discipline in which all are have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

I preached on that verse. When I was pastoring south on Baptist Church 35 years ago, 10 years after that I had a lady to come to this church and she asked me if I remember preaching that sermon. I said yes I did and then she went on to tell me that that particular verse. Hebrews chapter 12 verse eight drove her to Christ and she was saved on that morning to what God did in her heart through that verse.

She said I came to realize that although I was a church member and a professing Christian that that she had gone through her life living in all kinds of just rebellion against God's principles and she had felt no concern about it whatsoever. She said I felt no discipline from God. I felt no conviction from the Holy Spirit at all about how I was living even when I committed deliberate sin and she said I was happy to call myself a Christian and just to live like a pagan. She said God dealt with my heart that morning and said I repented of my sins and I surrendered my life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

She said Doug I still sin. I still falter. She said I still come short of the glory of God.

But she said now when I do it hurts and she said now when I do the Lord spikes me and I run to him in repentance and I I commend his loving arms and he does a mighty work.

She said I praise God for Hebrews chapter 12 verse eight she said I praise God for it. Britt is a reminder to me that I am his child for whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. Over the last few weeks we've been studying Psalm 51 David's great prayer of repentance today were moving back to second Samuel chapter 12 and at hearing this chapter Nathan has been called by God to confront David Nathan is going to David he is told David the story of the rich man who had stolen the next door neighbor got the poor man's lamb and eaten him for his dinner, and when David heard that he was absolutely livid. I mean the steam is coming off David's head and he says to Nathan, you go get that man and I'll show him justice. I will put that man to death does not deserve to live in.

At that point in time Nathan lifted up his finger reported it into into David's face and said David thou art the man, David. You are the. The rich man in this story. You stole someone's wife. And then you did some horrible things you had her husband put to death in order to cover over your sin, and David absolutely fell apart. He was crying and weeping. He began to confess his sanity repented of his sin feedback God for forgiveness. Nathan saw the reality of God's breaking this in David's heart. And maybe that and and Nathan said to David, you are forgiven by God, but he said you still need to understand this.

There some consequences earthly consequences to your sin. I want to share with you five points today that I believe are very important in this passage. Number one is prophetic chastisement, look at me in verse 14. Nevertheless, because by this deed, you have utterly scorned the Lord the child who is born to you shall die. Nathan tells David that one of the consequences of the sea and that he had committed would be that the child that they were about to have would die. Let me give you a true modern-day example of this.

And this is a true example there was a serial killer who'd murdered several people finally got caught. He was arrested they took him to court and he was sentenced to die in the electric chair. During that time, these waiting for his time to be alone electrocuted.

During that time they called a pastor and the pastor came to talk with the pastor sat down with him share the gospel with Inc. and the Lord just deal with this man's heart. The absolutely broking to repented of his sins.

Trusting Christ as his Lord and Savior and the Lord just filled his heart with the deep joy he knew that he was going to heaven when he died he knew that Christ had saved him for all of eternity that Jesus had taken his CNA given him as righteousness video taken his tail and given him his heaven he knew that he was going to heaven. He was absolutely overjoyed but that execution time came.

There was an appointed day for him to be executed and he did not get out of that. It happened and he was put to death in the electric chair folks that shocks people who don't really understand biblical faith, I saw a man when Tommy was an alcoholic had been an alcoholic for over 40 years life fallen apart, got share the gospel with Inc. came to know Christ as his Lord and Savior God broke the addiction of that alcohol God turned his life around. Haggai was in church every time the doors were open, but it wasn't long, just a few months after his conversion that he died of cirrhosis of the liver, the earthly consequences continued. I know a man was a homosexual. And he had the gospel shared to him and the Lord broke the bondage of homosexuality in his life.

I mean even broke the power of same-sex attraction in his life. He came to know the Lord, but he had contracted AIDS during that time and it wasn't long after that that he died folks when I was a young Christian, a pastor said to me God may forgive you for all of your sins. And yet they are still earthly consequences. They said is like a man can take a nail and he can hammer that nail into the wall they could pull that nail out he can throw the nail away sea never sees it again with the whole is still in the wall. This passage is bothered. Some people because the baby died as a result of David's sin. They said that's not fair, but that's not fair. The baby was innocent. The baby should not have died for something David did, but we must remember this, God is sovereign is perfectly holy is perfectly righteous.

He is perfect in his love. Every decision that God makes is absolutely perfect. The baby was taken into heaven. The baby was taken into heaven. Believe me, that's not punishment brothers and sisters. It was punishment for David discipline for David but not for the baby heart .2 hope and godly grief. Look at verses 15 to 19 then David went to his house and the Lord afflicted the child at Uriah's wife boarded David and he became sick.

David therefore sought God on behalf of the child and David fasted and when the end and lay all night on the ground and the elders of his house stood deciding to raise him up from the ground, but he would not nor did he eat with them. On the seventh day the child died in the service of David were afraid to telling that the child was dead, for they said, behold, while the child was yet a link alive. We spoke to him and he did not listen to us, how then can we say to him, the child is dead he may do hunt himself some harm. But when David saw that his servants were whispering together. David understood that the child was dead. David said to his servants is the child dead. They said he is dead as life and prophesied the baby got sick and was dying. This was like it just set up little fire under David and David got serious and he began to pray, they begin to beg God and he begin the fast and he begin to cry out to the Lord to do something to minister to this child to healing. I here's my question was David wrong to pray for the child's life when the prophet had declared that the child was going to die.

And my answer to that is no. David was not wrong to pray that way sometimes God uses the warning of judgment to bring people to the desired repentance that God wants to give a few examples overtake Ahab. For example, first Kings chapter 21 verse 25 to 29 says this there was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the side of the Lord. Like I think Jezebel his wife incited he acted very abominably and going after idols as Amorites had done.

The Lord cast out before the people of Israel. And when I have heard these words, he tore his clothes and he put sackcloth cough on his flashing fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly in the word of the Lord came to the lodge of the Tisch fight saying if you see now Ahab is humble himself before me because he is humble himself before me. I will not ring the disaster in his days. But in his son's days. I will bring the disaster plan is house to see if this is Ahab sinful, wicked, hardheaded, hardheaded, hardhearted Ahab and yet when the Lord broking and there was genuine repentance. What did the Lord do the Lord saw fit. At that time to not bring the judgment amazing thing I think of Hezekiah in Isaiah chapter 38 and verse one. First of all, says this in those days. Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. In Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amos came to him and said to him, thus saith the Lord set your house in order for you shall die. You shall not recover in verse five. After Hezekiah prayed bag just go insane.

Hezekiah thus saith the Lord God of David your father. I have heard your prayer. I've seen your tears. Behold, I will add 15 years to your life. I want you to think of Jonah for just a moment. Jonah was told by God to go to the Ninevites and to preach to the Ninevites a message of repentance and to go and tell them within 40 days that they are going to be overturned. And Jonah did and he when he preached the necessity for them to repent and what did they do they didn't repent, and when they repented God held off the judgment and did not overturn them in that 40 day period, as he said only ask you something.

What did God did God change his mind. Here is that's what's is that what's going on.

No, God doesn't change his mind. Malachi chapter 3 verse six, God said I am the Lord, I change not. God does not change his mind, but God will often threaten judgment, knowing that just the morning will work in a person's heart or people's heart to bring them the desired repentance that he wants folks.

That's what David is praying for here. David gets on his face down in the floor and he begins to pray, and he begins to I asked and he begins to bag and he begins to just cry out to God with all of his heart is land on the floor. They try to get them up. He will get up a NTE steeds on his face before God is doing and just everything that he can in order to try to to get God's heart and to deal with God in such a way that God would spare the life of his son Scripture says in verse 18 that on the seventh day the baby died, the servants of the house are deeply concerned about about this that they say oh no, if David hears that the baby has died. What the world's gonna happen to them because he was so terribly upset over the baby's sickness. If David finds out that did that he has died.

He may very will do harm to himself.

David sees the servants whispering to each other about this and he puts two and two together and so he goes to the servants, and some guys what's up did the baby die.

I'm sure they didn't want to telling I probably looked down at their feet and cannot looked around and finally they said yes sir, we have no recourse but to be honest with you, the baby is dead. That takes us to .3 and that is trusting the sovereignty of God.

Look at verse 20 then David arose from the earth, and he washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. Anyone in the house of the Lord, and worshiped and then went to his own house and when he asked a set food before eating any eight David clean himself up. He immediately went to the house of God to worship. David was not angry with God. David did not fuss with God. David not pay out because God said no. David said, Lord, this is your sovereign will and I will acknowledge it and I will accept it because I know you always do best and he went any worshiped the God who gave him an answer of no but a month ago I preached a funeral service for Stephanie Yarborough for several months, I had watched her husband Scott minister to her, and he ministered her in ways that I don't see a whole lot of husbands ministering to wives. He took care of her physically, spiritually and emotionally. He took her where she wanted to go. He held her in his his arms when she was hurting he made her laugh. He prayed with her and he prayed for her in the last few weeks of her life when he knew that death was imminent was coming soon. He just completely got off work so that he could spend every waking moment with her and he was with her day in day out ministering to her every need.

When she began to be attacked by Satan with doubts that he was right there to encourage her say look, quit looking at the size of a quick look at the size of your faith and start looking at the size of your Savior. She was a sweet wonderful sweet girl. She had suffered with this debilitating cancer for a number of years and finally God's perfect timing. She died and she went to be with the Lord at the funeral service Scott to the eulogy he made us laugh. They made us cry. He got through it amazingly well couple of weeks ago I called them to see how he is get along. He said that sometimes it's very tough and I have my moments when I just have to weep, but he said I know that she died on God's appointed day for her to go and be with him and she is now with Jesus face-to-face and I praise him for that. He said I watched her suffer for three years and he said I did a lot of my breathing before she actually passed away. Stephanie died whale and she died whale. I believe it will quit with her husband helping her to die. Whale Scott prayed long and he prayed often for her healing and when that didn't happen. He trusted that God knew best. That's exactly what's going on with David. Here date. David had had had prayed he had hope. He fasted and he cried out to the Lord. He played with God and then when his son died. He knew that God's answer was no. Servants were shocked that his attitude just completely change like that. I didn't think leaving was that I had that energy.

I thought he was destined for a deep, dark, ugly, depression but no, he got up he washed himself off clinched himself. He went immediately over to the tabernacle of David. He went immediately to the house of God and what did he do they worship is Lord. He came back home is servants made a big meal forming any eight heartily interesting thing what God did in the life of this child, Roger Ellsworth had some helpful comments here on how God's chest chasing David through this and what the chastisement did for David's heart. Listen to this carefully. Chastisement is not God. Getting even with his children because of sin in their lives on everybody in here to really get that listener that carefully chastisement is not God. Getting even with his children because of sin in their lives. Its purpose is to correct the child of God, so he will follow the right path in the future. RT Kendall observes chastening is not God. Getting even God got even at the cross came in God's chastening is not meted out in proportion to our sins, but in proportion to the lesson that we have to learn when the Lord did not spare his son David quietly accepted. They did not allow anger and resentment against God to take over his heart, but rather went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped there was no point in David's being angry with God. He knew full well that God had dealt fairly with him. God had very click clearly forbidden in the law of Moses the sins. David committed and yet he forge madly ahead and violated at least six of the 10 Commandments he had put himself and his desires above God did committed murder he committed adultery. Stolen.

He had lied. He had deceived and need coveted David actually received from the Lord, much less than he deserved.

I want you to notice the role of worship in David's grief process.

He immediately got up and went to the house of God to worship folks death drives the believer to get serious about worship Mr. stop here and say something I've been deeply concerned as of late about some of the funerals that I've been to in the direction in which funerals are taking sometimes you go to a funeral.

It's almost like a party.

I affect I actually had one person to tell me said I got out I want you just to take it light.

Just don't get into it took too much detail. I want you just to take it light because we just mean the kind of celebrate the life and then go home and everything will be fine. I said oh you just don't want a preacher right so the funeral should be sobering, not fun.

It says life is short.

Death is certain, in heaven and hell are real.

I had a lady in my church at Southside's husband died, her husband was a prizefighter. He was a professional boxer they thought many times in Madison Square Garden.

He was a big, tough, strong guy. He ended up killing a man in the rain hitting and knocking out and the man died when that happened. He quit. He said he never box ever again. But this was a man who loved his wife. His wife loved him, but he had absolutely no use for the gospel he would come every once in a while to church services, but he just did it for his wife.

He didn't really want to be there. I remember the first time that I met him I just finished the sermon he was there church came to the back door shaken hands before going out the door and he came he came walking out and I was 30 years old at that time he was a little over 80.

He reached every grab my hand just, jerked me and I went up about 6 inches in the higher I could not believe that guy was so strong that I went by his house many times hoping to get a chance to witness towing and soon as I begin to start sharing the gospel with them.

He would cut me off and he said I don't worry about it had a said I got nothing against you I like you is just like the gospel.

The man died. His wife said Doug I want you to preach his funeral service.

She said, but don't you dare give anyone any kind of indication that he's in heaven.

She said he thumped his nose in the face of Christ until the very day that he died.

She said you tell the congregation that he loved me that he loved his kids that he loved his job and then just rare back and preach the gospel.

That's what she told me she said I don't want a party at this funeral. She said I want people to hear the truth. She said because of the funeral people are are forced to face death face-to-face and she said that's the best time to present the gospel in this true, but Texas support for the fruit of chastisement.

Verses 21 through 23, then a servant said to him, what is this thing that you've done. You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive when the child died. You rose in a food he said while the child was still alive, fasted and wept for. I said knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me that the child may live, but now he is dead. Why should I fast can I bring them back again. I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. The servants were shocked. David's change of heart. David quit Cryan to quit fasting. He quit praying for his son and he ate a meal and started just to move on with his life and what is that mean does that mean David didn't care anymore. No, did you mean David was not going to grieve anymore.

Note did not mean that but David had received his answer from God.

The baby died. God said no to David. The baby will not live. I want you to know that God use that situation. Chastening David to do so many wonderful things in his life we share a few with you number one, it proved to David that God loved it proved God's love to David for so for Hebrews chapter 12 verse six says, whom the Lord loves he chastens and scourges every son whom he received number two God's chastening.

I deepened David's holiness. Hebrews chapter 12 verse 10 says for our parents disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we might share his holiness. Number three God's chastening bore great fruit in David's life. Hebrews 1211 for the moment, all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Then another result of the chastening was comfort God brought comfort to David's heart. David said to his servants. Can I bring the child back. No, the child cannot come to me, but I will go to him folks when a loved one dies. We need to grieve.

That's the right thing to do is an important thing to do, but we do not need to excessively grave. If we belong to the Lord Jesus wept at the death of his loved ones when Lazarus died. We got the shortest verse in the Bible Jesus wept and that was the right thing for Jesus to do it was an emotional necessity.

It helped Jesus to move all it helps us to move on. We need to do that but extreme extended grief just shows a lack of faith that you listen carefully to the words from Richard Phillips David's comment grounds are hope for the salvation of covenant children who die while the Bible contains no straightforward declarations regarding children who died in infancy. All the biblical evidence urges us to have confidence in God's eternal care of covenant children who die.

God told Abraham I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you hear David constantly states I shall go to him, but he will not return to me with these words David expresses confidence that his son will be waiting in heaven when the time comes for David to arrive there after his own death when I was 10 years old.

My dad taught Sunday school for the 10-year-old kids in our in our church and so I was in his class on this one particular Sunday.

He taught on the subject of heaven on the way home I asked him a very pointed question.

I said that I had a sister and you had a daughter who died when she was just two days old acid. She did not have time to express faith and trust in Christ. She did not have time to repent of her sin.

I said dad.

Queers care and nail. Where did she go when she died. Will we ever see her again and my dad looked over at me and said yes we will see her again. She is in heaven right now. I said that. How do you know she's in heaven. He said because King David told me NSF.

What were you talking about and he took me back to this passage and he said David and Bathsheba's baby had died and David was able to say after that my son will not return back to me but I will go to him. In other words, that baby boy was in heaven and one day David knew that he would see him again. I've been pastoring for 42 years and during that time I have had the responsibility of preaching funeral services for children who died in infancy. I praise God for this passage tried going back to it time and time and time again as David said, my son cannot come back to me. I will go to him several years ago Eugene preached a funeral service for a little boy who was killed in an automobile accident. We had the funeral service at funeral home. I had the responsibility that morning of doing opening prayer and then after the opening prayer. The reading of Scripture not set down the platform and and got ready for Eugene to come and preach the sermon from where I was on the platform. I could look at in the congregation and I could see the parents and just a perfect view of them. I noticed they had been crying from the time that they came into that building and it is not stopped.

They just continued to cry. Eugene preached on the very passage that we are looking at today and when he got to this point, there was a difference in their countenance. He said David said, my son cannot come back to me but I will go to him and you can see it in their face. All of a sudden there was a it was a joy. There was a hope. This was not the end they would see their child again as Presbyterians we take the concept of covenant children very, very seriously and if you as a Christian experience. The death of an infant, is it not enjoy the know that that child is with Christ. Is it not a joy to know that that child will never struggle with sin and the filth of this world, that he is not going to be taken into the shock of corrupt politicians and and worldly businessman that that his sin nature is now eradicated as he is in heaven, and he will be with the King of Kings and Lord of lords, forever and ever and ever. We taste something, folks. That's why David quit praying and quit begging and quit grieving even quit grieving to some point why because he knew where his son was and he knew that his son was better off than him .5 restored blessing.

Look at verse 24 through 25 then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, he went into her and he lay with her and she bore a son. He called his name Solomon and the Lord love Dean and sent a message by Nathan the prophet, so he called his name Jedediah because of the Lord. David lost a son. It was tough.

It grieved him, but it also helped him is spiritually woke them up, but sin is deadly disobedience to God, is extremely dangerous and God loves his children too much to just let it slide.

So the death of the child, drove David back into a right sweet fellowship with his God and drove David to take holiness seriously and drove David to begin really bearing good spiritual fruit. Once again, the Lord not only discipline David, but he blessed David and gave him a new son that son's name was Solomon right in the middle of that word. Solomon there is a root word and that is shalom and that word means peace, David named team Solomon that mean God gave me peace, a glorious wonderful piece and then God sent Nathan back to David and said I will give him a second name and that name is Jedediah. You know what that means means beloved of the Lord, folks, this son Solomon would have bountiful wisdom, he would be the one that would be the successor to the throne he would take over from David why God do that. Here's the answer.

This newborn son was an assurance to David that his sins had been forgiven and brothers and sisters.

That's God's promise to us, and it's a true glorious promise that he will never leave us nor forsake us. A man came in a spray heavenly father and Hebrews 1211. You inspire the writer of Hebrews to pin down these words, the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who been trained by it while how gloriously truthful is that statement. Your discipline stings. It cuts it does surgery on our souls help us to trust you through it. May we always view your discipline is coming through the loving hand of our heavenly father, may we always remember that whom the Lord loves he chastens scourges every son whom he receives. Father, help us to grow into our lives.

The peaceable fruit of righteousness by your loving discipline make us more like our Lord Jesus. We love you Lord and we believe Romans 828 that you work all things together for good to those who love you.

The called according to your purpose. We assess prayer now. The precious and holy name of Jesus a man