A Shattered Heart

I revolves with you as I turn with me if you want to second Samuel chapter 18 and will be looking to begin with verses 19 through 23 that my as the son of Sadock, said let me run and carry news to the king of the Lord has delivered him from the handlebar of his enemies and Joab said to him you were not to carry news today. You may care and use another day. But today you shall carry no news because the king's son is dead and Joab said to the Cushite go tell the king what you have seen the Cushite bow before Joab and Ryan the how my as the son of Sadock said again to Joab, come what may, let me also run after the Cushite Joab said while we run. My son seen that you will have no reward for the news come what may say that I will run so he said to him, run, and how my hands ran by the way the plane and aunt ran the Cushite that with me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father. The passage that we have before us today is both heavy and helpful.

We see David the man after God's own heart.

Going to a debilitating loss. His rebellious son is been killed in battle.

This is a situation where David feels very little piece.

His son was a rebel against God.

David knows that Absalom is inhaled and there's no hope for him that if he cannot talk to his son try to persuade him to repent unit cannot pray for his son Saul for his son is dead is no time for repentance. So the question for us is this how do we get through those times of heart rending grief can we trust God to fill the empty void and restore the joy of our salvation. The answer is yes, it is not a flippant easy yes it's a dependent reliant obedient yes father David is a reminder to us that you are God. We are not you are holy and we are not you were sovereign and we are not Lord, teach us to trust you. Love you and obey you, and have mercy on us when we fail 40 is the precious holy name of Jesus that we pray. Amen. You may be seated.

He got what he deserved. Those words were certainly words that were spoken over Absalom's grave. Absalom was the rebellious son of David, he rebelled against David.

He had rebelled against God. The Scripture says that he stole the hearts of the people of Israel away from his father David P created Civil War in the land and because of that 20,000 of his own followers ended up dying. It was a terrible horrible situation in that last battle, Absalom is riding through the woods and as he's riding through the woods. He comes to path where there is a low hanging tree branch's hair is flowing in the wind and is he goes under it. His hair gets called up in the tree. William gets jerked right off his mule meal just keeps right on going and Barry is hanging between heaven and earth, and he's absolutely helpless. Some of David's me and see him by her and David's me and remember the command that David given them to treat the young man Absalom gently and so they don't do anything to them, but they run back to Joab the general and I tell Joab that he's back there that he's hanging from a trillion Joab says to himself this is war. He is a traitor. Tried to kill the King of Israel, and so he runs to where Absalom is hanging from the tree takes three spheres and he throws those fears right through his chest and then to another man come by surrounding they finish them off like kill him. They take his life. Then they take his body they throw it down into a pit. I take stones and they cover his body over just fill the pit up with stones that peanut is Absalom's grave, the trader is dead. He is completely gone and the battle is over.

I can imagine some of the stuff that went on after that.

Maybe some of the men of David spitting on Absalom's grave may be cursing Absalom's name all of them probably thanking God and praising God for the great victory that's taken place and maybe all of the same time saying all hail King David. Absalom got what he deserved at takes us to the passage that we are looking at today and I was to think about something for a minute as we take a look at David's shattered heart the prosperity name and claimant blabbing glad it preachers they have trouble with this particular passage for for they believe that if you just have enough faith, then you're going to be healthier to be wealthy. Everything is going to be good logic of the problem free so they counter with think well of David. He just had a positive attitude.

If David just had enough faith if he got his faith up then all of this would be fine would be no problem baloney several years ago Cindy and I went to Nairobi Kenya with Larry Warren. Larry warns the head of the president of a group call African leadership and this is group that trains national pastors and gives them theological education. We got there we noticed there was kind of uneasiness in the pastors that were there. Finally, laser gas, what's wrong and they said will Kenneth Copeland is been leading a crusade here in Nairobi for the last two weeks.

He just left.

Cindy got all the pastors together and he said that we just didn't have any faith and he said look at what you and what you're doing how your live and he said you're limited in mud huts in your rotten rent on bicycles instead of BMWs said he got out his pictures and showed us pictures of his mansion back in the states. He showed us pictures of his fleet of Mercedes. He showed us pictures of his own personal jet that flowing them over here and he said guys all this could be yours if you just had faith. Pastors were devastated.

I said to Larry what have we done wrong know Larry is usually a pretty friendly and congenial person I haven't seen a man often that that he was mad and he said guys you have been lied to, you have been lied to and you need to understand that what he's telling you is not true. He said did Jesus lacked faith. They said no sir. He said it was Jesus who said in Matthew 820 foxes have holes and birds of a or have nails with the Son of Man has no place to lay his descent material wealth and problem free living may not be the blessing of God. It all and fact, it may be the fruit of sin and selfishness.

Paul said the love of money is the root of all evil, all kinds of evil law. Larry said, don't put your eyes on stuff put your eyes on Christ.

He said what if you do live the rest of your life in a mud hut for this little study on earth peace in this life is short, James, that is like a vapor little puff of steam it's here and then before he realized that life is gone. Peter take your eyes off your temporary home. Put your eyes on your eternal home. Jesus said where your treasure is there with your heart be also. Larry said to these pastors.

Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world. Those pastors rejoiced. They repented of listening to Kenneth Copeland and they moved on as soldiers of the cross.

I want you to remember that as we take a look at this passage today three point someone to share with you number one of 3M's failure look of May versus 23 through 33, come what may. Said I will run so he said to him, run the how my as ran by the way of the plane that ran the Cushite know David was sitting between the two gates in the watchmen went up to the roof of the gate by the wall when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. Watchmen called out and told the king and the king said if he is alone. There is news in his mouth and he drew nearer and nearer the watchmen saw another man running of the watchmen call to the gate and said see another man running alone. King said he also brings news. The watchmen said I think the running of the first is like the running of how my as the sun is a dog. The king said he's a good man comes with good news, Hans cried out to the king. All is well and he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, Blessed be the Lord your God, who is delivered of the men who raise their hand against my lord the king.

The king said, is it well with the young man Absalom has answered. When Joe absent the king servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion.

I do not know what it was.

The king said turn aside and stand here so we turned aside and stood still hold the Cushite came the Cushite said good news for my lord the king, for the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all, he rose up against you.

King said to the Cushite. Is it well with the young man Absalom Cushite answered by the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man, and the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept and as he went. He said oh my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom would. I had died instead of you. Oh, Absalom, my son, my son, the soldiers finished Barry in the body of Absalom. Joab called one of his soldiers over was a Cushite schism that you take the news and run in and go and give the news to David was another young man they are. His name was how my as he was the son of Sadock, the high priest and he came to Joab he said I want to do it. Let me take the news to to David really have a desire to do it. Let me do it.

Joab was a very wise man and Joab knew and realize that the news of David's death was good at. It was good abs are Absalom's death was an absolutely devastate David.

He knew how tough it was gonna be so. I think he was saying to himself, it would better be there would be better for a Cushite to take the news to David than for an Israelite to take the news to David and have to deal with all the pain and the anguish that David is going to exude Bahama has his young.

He is not filled with God-given discernment. He has no qualms about taking the news to David.

He thinks the news is going to bring David great joy. So how Myers would not be discouraged.

He kept saying to Joab. Let me got a limit got one run I want to go and finally Joab gets just exasperated throws up his hands says go run, go ahead and do what you wanted to and he takes off running. Not only does he run but he out runs the Cushite and he gets to David first becomes of the David sweats pouring down off of his braille and he says to David, first of all, all is well and then he gives God the glory to the Lord has given us this great victory over our enemies, step back to wait for David to rejoice with him to wait for David to just exude all kinds of joy but that doesn't happen. He didn't get that joy from David. David asked nothing about the man who would risk their lives for him and thought forming.

He said David said nothing about the Lord and how gracious the Lord was to give them the victory. All he could talk about was his son and he said what about the young man Absalom.

What about the young man my son what happened to him. I want you to consider what the news would've been like if Absalom had defeated David's army. If that it happened. Then David would be getting would be killed. His wives would be killed and all of his other children would be killed as well. Not only that but the wicked, Absalom would rise to the throne of Israel and they would have a wicked king ruling over them. David didn't even think about that.

Not concerned about it. I can picture how my hands is he standing there. He turns white as a sheet and he thinks to himself, all of this is why Joab didn't want me to run. This is why Joab didn't want me to go. He knew exactly what David was going to be feeling. So he decides to back off and he decides not to tell David the whole truth. He said well it's all commotion at Tomball. They are, but I don't know that your son. I really don't know what happened now was that truth that was not true. These line these line because in second Kings chapter 18 verse 20 Joab said to him, the king's son is dead.

Bahama has lost his nerve.

He didn't want to break David's heart with the bad news. So he lowered his eyes a step back in the left the news to the Cushite detail, Cushite counsel for David and start sharing with David, the great victories that's taken place. David said what about the young man Absalom and he said would to God that all the enemies of the king would end up like that young man and David knew at that point in time what that meant that his son Absalom was dead, we share something interesting with you. This is the last time the Scripture we ever hear of a homogeneous only about him anymore.

I think he was a good man accused probably a godly man, but it when he did not totally be honest with the truth and tell David that David knew that he really couldn't trusting and we don't see him being used in the kingdom again but we have preachers all over this land who are backing off from the truth because they know the culture will reject them if they tell the truth. We have preachers telling us that when God speaks on homosexuality. Please fix enough whisper and other words there saying homosexuality last not that biggest lien is not that big a deal always at right is that right.

It was enough whisper when God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah. I don't think so, has should've taken the heat he should have told the truth to David and it didn't.

He didn't and it cost him dearly, but sin will take you further than you want to go will keep you longer than you want to stay and it will cost you more than you want to pay is not helpful to water down the gospel we are not called to make the gospel more palatable to the lost world when the gospel is watered-down, it loses its power, but we need to be careful and proclaim it loudly and clearly couple weeks ago Cindy and I went to the 50th wedding anniversary of Chip and Martha Sloan chips the got it led me to Christ while we were there I met a lady who used to be my next-door neighbor 35 years ago.

Her name is Chaya Chitty she's from India and her husband's name was Chet chips longingly at both Chaya and Chet Chitty to come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior. While I was there that day.

Chip told me the story about Chet. He said Chet called them up Sunday to talk to you. So come on over and came over to Chip's house sat down in the living room with him. He said Chip I think your mean chips and what you mean by that and he said my father is a Hindu, a dedicated Hindu and you think my father's going to hail.

He said, but my father know she was a Christian and he doesn't think that you're going to hail so check your mean and chipset understand what you're saying. They said let me clear this up. He said in John 14 verse six Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life no man comes to the father but by me.

What that means is that that that Jesus was our only hope that Jesus went to the cross.

Any pay RCN debt and then he rose from the dead to break the power of death over us and there is no hope. Outside of him.

He is the only way of salvation chipset would be kind and loving to tell you a lie and watch you reject Christ and go to hail.

He said that would not be kind. Three weeks later, Chet trusted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Let me ask you question what is Chip it said I don't want to Athenian chant and I don't want to hurt his feelings so let me just back off from the truth so that he won't be offended.

Then Chet Chitty might be inhaled today, but he's not because Chip shared the truth of God's word with team and he's in heaven today, when the church moves away from biblical truth and Satan wins churches all over America from one denomination to the other are becoming one churches that will muzzle the truth of God in order that they might appear to be kind and loving folks.

Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Critical race theory will not set you free.

Condoning abortion, and transgender is on homosexuality and pedophilia will not set you free, and will put you in bondage and eventually destroy your life. Roger Ellsworth said it beautifully. Listen carefully to this. All Christians have a message to carry and we would do well to let this passage speak to us about this task are messages directed to those who do not know our Lord and Savior is a message of glorious victory and eternal hope. It's also a message about God's unbending holiness, RCN, the need to repent of sin and trust solely in the atoning work of Jesus Christ and God's eternal judgment on all those refuse to refuse to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior.

This is the part of the message that are unsafe friends desperately need to hear because it is the only message that can save them from eternal ruin. This also message that they do not want to hear and many pastors and churches seem today to be very, much like a high Mya's. They are running very fast with their ministries and activities, but they are strangely silent when the time comes to announce those truths so many find to be distasteful and unpleasant.

Let us come away from the story of a high Mya's with the firm conviction that it does not matter how fast we run in our ministries if we do not have the courage to say those things that are most important in men point to a father's grief.

Look with me at versus insight second Samuel 18 start in verse 33 going to 19 verse four and the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber of the gate and wept. Nancy when he said oh my son Absalom, my son Absalom would.

I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son, my son was told Joab a whole.

The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom, so the victory that day was turned in the morning for all the people for the people heard that day the king is grieving for his son and the people stole into the city that day as people steal and who are ashamed and likely in battle the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice of my son Absalom, Absalom, my son, my son is very clear to me that the Bible wants us to reflect on David's grief that Scripture could have said here that Absalom died in and David grieved deeply, but it doesn't stop there gives us much more detail than that we see David bent over in sorrow, crying out to his dead son who he knows is inhale and sent Absalom, Absalom, my son Absalom would to God that I died in Your Pl. in Michael Milton's book all songs in the night is a book on the sorrow that we see in the Bible. He lists three features of David's grief and I want to share those with you. Number one, it was a cry of loss. David is crying from a broken heart. Now David looks at Absalom in ways that the rest of Israel does not. The rest of Israel looked at Absalom. I saw him as a traitor, traitor to Israel. A traitor to David. A traitor to God. I don't care betting there glad he's gone. David remembers Absalom is that fuzzy had a little kid who taught how to ride a horse told how to shoot an arrow is that little boy, he remembers. He climbed up on his lap when he was two years old and went to sleep, but we should never be ashamed to grieve over a loved one's death. Death hurts death separates when Lazarus died. The Scripture says Jesus wept with interest in me is that Jesus knew that just a couple minutes he was going raising back from the dead, and he wept anyway. God gave us tears so that we can release emotions and not just explode on the inside.

David was crying over his loss, he would never see his son again number two. It was a cry of regret, a cry of regret. David sorrow was multiplied because of his own guilt and when David confessed to Nathan the prophet that about about his sin with Bathsheba and he repented of that Nathan gave him a prophecy of what was going to happen to one and that prophecy is going around and around the rounded. David's mind and second Samuel chapter 12 verse 9 to 12 it says this. Why do you despise the word of God. This is Nathan speaking to what is evil in his sight you've struck down your the Hittite with the sword and if taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him of the sword of the ammonites.

Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despise they have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife thus says the Lord. Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house and I will take your wise before your eyes and give them to your neighbor shall lie with your wives and the side of the sun. You did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun. David failed as a daddy. He spent very little time training and nurturing and teaching his son Absalom now knows that the king of Israel I know is his time was precious and I know you didn't have much extra time but you know you had time to commit adultery, dinning he had time to conspire against Uriah to have him put to death any.

The truth of the matter is what we really want to do we find time to do a lot of people tell me I like to read the Bible.

I just don't have time. If you want to read the Bible you will make time to read the Bible books we pretty much do what we want to do and it was so would David because of David's guilt, he failed to be a disciplinarian to his children, and on right to sister Tae Mark David did nothing.

Absalom with go into these fits of anger and rage. David did pretty much nothing. Proverbs 1324 says it while he who spares the rod hates his son is proved true in David's life, Absalom, and not a believer who love God and love David then it would be much much easier for David to take but the regret fueled by that legitimate guilt is what devastated David October 1862 Robert E Lee was on the battlefield.

Somebody came up to him with the written message and handed it to wing in the message stated that his daughter Annie had died. It was a shock. It was absolutely unexpected. He finished the battle that day. Went back to his tent got down on his face before God and wept and wept over and mourned over his his daughter was a terrible horrible thing that he gone through and it was tough. We got through weeping, he sat down he wrote a letter to his wife, Mary Custis Lee and if the end of the letter, he made this statement God in the US is in all things has mingled mercy with the blown God selected the one best prepared to leave us and in you and love the Lord. May you be able to say with me, God's will be done. Her death hurt, but she knew the Lord and that made it so much easier. Number three. David's cry was a cry of longing, David long to be able to do something to fix this tragedy even said that he be willing to dine Absalom's place for that was an impossibility that could never happen. So what should happen when we long for a dead loved one.

We should let the grief lead us into a deeper and closer reliance on our God, we give you great verse to deal with when you're going through a time of of grief at time maybe when you're experienced death of somebody that you care for and love Psalm 3418 says the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit .3 is God's precious Providence second Samuel 19 versus five the way then Joab came into the house to the king, and said you have today covered with a shame the faces of all your servants to have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters in the lives of your wife and your concubines because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you for you made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you for today. I know that if Absalom were alive in all of us were dead today then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants process whereby the Lord. If you do not go.

Not a man will stay with you this night. This will be worse for you than all the evil is come upon you from your youth until Niall. Then the king arose. He took his seat in the gate and the people said were all told, behold, the king is sitting in the gate and all the people came before the king of Israel had fled every man to his own house. Joab returned to his headquarters. He came right to David and David spoke no positive word to him at all it in. Thank him for saving his life it in. Thank him for saving the throne it in. Thank him for being used of God, that he might continue to be the king. All he could do was mourn over his dead son and Joab essentially says David wake up, look at what the hand of God has accomplished. If not for the powerful sovereign hand of God that all of us would be dead right now and then he rebukes David says drop your tears. David quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit mourning over a wicked, rebellious, selfish, prideful son, and praise God for these men who just fall for you so valiantly praise God for their loyalty and praise God for giving us this victory.

I was like a bucket of cold ice water.

The stone in David's face. David woke up emotionally and he said you're exactly right.

His people came forward and he thanked them and he thanked God and he praise the Lord in front of them for the great victory that had been one Joe attribute forced him to file before God's providential care, Bruce Brown found this true story. In a recent article was written by the Sudan interior mission and it is without a doubt a true story was a couple who lived in a primarily Moslem country, the husband was a Moslem. The wife was a Christian wife is been invited to go to Christian women's meeting and she was getting ready to go. The husband found out about it and went into a rage. Hey got mad and he said is going to make my supper is going to clean the house up who's going to make the bed and he slapped her in the face any leader well that afternoon. The husband took off to work. She took off to the conference and in which he went to look before she went to the conference she wrote a letter and she put it right down the table for him to see expressing her love to him and she put her key. They only had to two keys. He is in hers and put it right beside the letter and she left. Later on that day after the man came home from work, he walked in and he saw that she was gone. He saw the letter and he went into another rage started cursing and swearing and just have enough yet.

He reached over and he grabbed that key her key and he walked out of the house and still screaming and yelling and cursing, he walked across the street to the seashore which is right across the street from where they live, and he was screamed at Billy as loud as he could. She will never come back to this house and he took that that Keeley threw it out into the ocean. Will went back home and a few days later, the wife came back home.

When she came back home he was at work. The door was locked. She couldn't get in and she said well I think probably the best thing I can do is move you make a good supper forming so she went to the market across the street and she went to the market. She bought a fish and she said I'll go buy it back and I'll cook it in my neighbors house so she went back and she started gutting the fish in her neighbors house and when she cut the fish open.

She looked down into the belly. There was some shiny they are in that spin that in that belly of that fish was a key and it was a very familiar looking key and she thought could that be mine.

She'd washed it off. She went back over to her how she put it in and it opened right up. It was her key will a little bit later the her husband came home from work and he walked in and open the saw that the door was open, walked and saw her there was furious, slapped her in the face and said you get in here and she told him the story of the fish and how that she found that key and that fish's belly.

The man got his one is a sheet, tears begin to roll down his cheeks. He looked in his wife's eyes and said, tell me about your Jesus. Tell me about your Jesus for believe now that he is Lord. He said this could not have just happened.

He said that that key should be lost forever.

I threw it out to the ocean and then somehow God ordained a fish to swallow the key and then there was the fisherman the cop that particular fish and then you went to the market. You pick out that particular fish. He said only God could do this. She share the gospel with thing. He came to know Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. True story, but it's our God is not only merciful, loving and kind.

He is also sovereignly powerful and what he wheels will be accomplished when Bruce told that story, I thought about the neighbors that must've been there who heard him cursing and yelling just few days before and now they see man, that's quite a different man, I hear about the miracle that took place. Wonder how many of those neighbors came to Christ as result of that testimony back to David.

David was a man of God who was broken by God in order that he might bring glory to God my God use brokenness in us to get that same result. Let's pray heavenly father, I thank you for Joab's courage in this passage he told David what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear what Joab did reminds us of Proverbs 27 verse five and six open rebuke is better than love carefully received faithful are the wounds of a friend. David had to be reviewed he was sliding down the ladder of despair in Israel needed to see his faith in God. We can relate to that. So often we don't trust you like, we should so often we despair get depressed and forget who we belong to.

We pray that you use people in our lives who love God and love us make those people comfort us when the comfort and rebuke us when we need a kick in the pants increase our vision of God.

May we be wild by your greatness in May that all drive us to obedience. We love you Lord, we thank you for loving us for us in Jesus name we pray. Amen