Riding Out the Storm, Part 2

On Insight for living. Chuck Swindoll describes how to deal with the consequences of poor choices you have to guard when you face the consequences of the program Regard bitterness guard against blaming God the Lord.

I do these many years. Look at what you taken from me. None of that in David's life.

We cope with the consequences that follow, including the heavy guilt and shame today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll continues the message introduced on Fridays program were looking at second Samuel chapter 12 in this passage. King David was dealing with the realities of his rebellion.

Here's the lesson.

Even though God forgives our sin.

We can't escape the terrible consequences it causes Chuck Swindoll titled today's message writing out this kinds of suffering in the midst of the whirlwind. The kind of suffering that we deserve because we were the ones that disobeyed and second the kind of suffering we don't deserve what we get in the backwash of someone else's transgression.

Hosea said they sold when they reap the whirlwind.

Paul writes they sought to the flesh, they reap the harvest of corruption the same truth is found in Proverbs chapter 6 verse 27. This is a extremely direct section of Scripture Proverbs 6 pictures the scene of the man in the street who is met by the harlot and she makes her move toward him and she entices him through fleshly temptations, and the man is drawn onto her, or at least he would be in Solomon's counsel is be careful because in the pleasure of the moment. There is a painful price you have to pay in the lesson comes in verse 27 of Proverbs 6 can a man take fire in his bosom and his close not be burned, the implied answer of course is no command walk on hot coals at his feet not be scorched implied.

No, so is the one who goes into his neighbor's wife. Whoever touches her will not go unpunished. If he sows the seed of carnality and lust. He will reap the harvest of a whirlwind, which is called in verse 29 not going unpunished. If you go in to one who is not your mate. You will not go unpunished of the best illustration in all Scripture is David before we turn to it to give you the principal again.

Obama stated in words that I wanted demonstrated in the life of David. We reap what we sow forgiveness notwithstanding, when you saw it to the flash and you confess that to the Lord God, you let your life before him, he in grace forgives you, but in the forgiveness there is not the immediate erasing of the consequences to the other side of the principal is this the pain of the harvest eclipses the pleasure of the sewing or the planting, the pain that comes in the whirlwind is so much greater than the pleasure time of planting, you will wish to goodness you had never done. I want to show you how he acknowledge the sewing and versus 13 and 14. David said to Nathan second Samuel 1213. I have sinned against the Lord, I have sinned, he acknowledges the sewing and he declared it before God and Nathan hurting.

Nathan said to David, the Lord has taken away your sin, you shall not die, there is the promise of grace. Why does he mention that because under the law.

When you committed adultery. You were to be stoned when you murdered someone you were to be killed, and I've heard tooth for a tooth alive for a life in grace came to David's rescue and Nathan said David you won't die. Verse 14 begins. However, there's a whirlwind because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord, to blaspheme the child. Also that is born to you shall surely die.

Now I find in David's response for helpful guidelines for us to follow today when we go through the whirlwind, either because we have caused it or we are in the backwash of someone else who caused it. For all I know someone hearing my words at this very moment is in the midst of the whirlwind and you wonder how can I make it. What should I do, what is the best response will I offer you for guidelines number one. Pray verse 15 Nathan went to his house.

Then the Lord struck the child that Uriah's widow board to David so that he was very sick. David therefore inquired of God, or the child, and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground that we don't know much about that kind of protracted occasion for prayer and fasting. We don't handle the sin as they once did. It's almost with a sort of a glib responses we say well Lord I done this and I've done that, and I agree with you that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin. That said, thank you for right on will find David doing when the whirlwind against the start when he feels the metal hot breath of judgment coming upon them. He fell before God and he he lay on the ground all night and he fasted and he waited on the Lord, he saw his mind as a matter of fact, this is the Scripture says he inquired for the child. Does that mean drop down to verse 22. He explains himself to his to the friends later will take a look at it right now. He said while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept for. I said, who knows who knows the Lord may be gracious to me that the child may live. What is it mean when he inquired of God. It means that he said Lord I call upon you and upon your grace, I ask you if it be possible for you to alter your plan. I plead with you, give me my child, I beg of you I ask that of you because that is the desire of my heart. I've heard what you have said I will accept what you send. But I ask I inquire of you. Would it be possible that you could give me this child.

He prayed.

I will point out one more thing that happened during the time of prayer. David did not leave his house.

He didn't go to the place of worship.

We know that because down in verse 20 when he washes and and changes his close and he comes to the house of the Lord and worships, but he hasn't been there and what I learned from that. This I learned that when I go through the whirlwind.

I should be rather quiet. I should not dangle and display and announce everything I'm going through at no other time in my life. Do I need a very close personal friend than in the whirlwind. We Christians tend to say every tell everything just dump it all out rather indiscreetly when really it isn't everyone's business. When the elders came in verse 17 and found David in this condition. They stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. They stood there.

Come on David, get on your feet.

Let's know I don't want to do that leave me alone when they go through these periods of deep distress. It is wise.

In fact, it is biblical to stay virtually alone to surround ourselves not in the public eye, but with the Lord's presence and seeking his mind during this repose, please hear that principal please remember that there is nothing wrong with being alone for soul-searching times proverb says, out of the heart proceed all the things of a man. In fact, it describes the condition of the heart in saying that we are to keep it with all diligence for out of it are the are the issues of life.

Some things are too precious to share their too deep there to profound God gave them to us and in the soul-searching of our lives. We are to stay fairly quiet and let them say all that he wants to say so. First, he prayed second notice that David face the consequences realistically. He is an amazing and amazingly mature person but his response. Verse 18.

He faces the consequences realistically. Then it happened on the seventh day.

By the way, don't let that go by unnoticed seven days.

He was in prayer, fasting, and virtually alone on the seventh day, that it would happen that the child died and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, behold, while the child was still alive. We spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell them that the child is dead since he might do himself harm.

They were afraid of a suicide. Frankly, they looked upon his soul-searching. Time is a deep depression. They said when we lay this final weight on it harm himself.

How can we tell it a look at this realistic response on David's part. When David saw that his sermons were whispering together. David perceive the child was dead.

I marked this. David said to his servants is the child dead and they said he is dead, so David arose from the ground washed anointed himself and changed his clothes and he came in to the house of the Lord and worship. Look at that David is been seven days on the ground waiting on God inquiring of God placing himself in God's disposal abandoning himself throwing down the rod letting God do with it as he pleased. Now heard the words, the child is dead. He got up, took a shower, changes close to the house of God.

And that's when he worship what I think of when I read that I think Job the Lord is given, the Lord is taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord, and he worship the Lord. There you know what you have to guard when you face the consequences of the world when you have to guard bitterness you have to guard against blaming God.

How could you do that to me Lord I serve do these many years, and this this thing that's happened you look at what you taken from me. None of that in David's life very realistically.

He turned and he worship the Lord. There, now let me quickly add something here. Not everybody is a David.

I wish I had the maturity of that man.

I don't some of you may but very few of us when we read the full consequences of sin can take it on the chin quite that strongly. We sometime need someone near us and that's when a good understanding mate or intimate friend can minister to us. Got a lot of held recently in reading the work entitled how to help a friend, Dr. Paul Welter. Dr. Welter is professor of counseling and educational psychology at a college in Nebraska and I'm especially pleased to uncover what well what I'm what I would call the various levels of difficulty we go through it and if Welter is right, we go through times that are somewhere between the two extremes of mild and severe difficulties. He describes the levels in five different terms from the mild to the severe. First, there is a problem and then there is a predicament.

And third, there is a crisis and forth. There was panic, and fifth.

There is shock the problem, predicament, a crisis panic and shock. Think of it as a spectrum and what is interesting to me in uncovering this is that when an individual is in shock. It could look as though everything is mild and fine when really he is in deep trauma in the chapter entitled shock.

The dazed walk. He tells the story of two brothers Arnold and Yuji Arnold is emotionally very close to his older brother Yuji one morning to get up early to pick peas and Arnold takes an old wife along in case they see the ducks as they go through a fence. The rifle catches on the fence discharges and Yuji is shot and killed instead of running home Arnold goes ahead and picks the peas and then returns home after an hour or two when all the details are known. The one incomprehensible fact that confronts the parents and the neighbors is the lapse of time that occurred between the time of Yuji's death and Arnold's reporting the accident Arnold is taken to the Sheriff's office and interrogated with the implication being that he shot Yuji on purpose.

Arnold is unable to answer the question because he cannot understand why he didn't run home. The moment the accident occurred.

Of all the persons who gather around Arnold in the hours after the accident, not one realizes that he is in a state of shock. Many persons go into a state of shock for a while after an accident under accident or the death of a loved one, a two car accident occurred last week in my own state says this author to survivors of the accident were found 1/2 hour later wondering along the road in a dazed condition and disasters. Many people will act for a time, as though they were numbed they may stand or sit in the midst of utter chaos as though they are completely alone in the world, not trying to be a poor man psychiatrist this evening. I don't qualify, but I'll I do want to say that it is extremely important for you as a friend to be near to help a friend who is in crisis.

Whether it is of his own making. Or someone else's. We need one another in the body of Christ, and please do not miss read this dazed condition as though an individual is strong and stable in the Lord sometime you really need to step in and of your own initiative and help that person. See how important your friendship is at this time that David faced it realistic realistically on his own and we stand in amazement. I do child is dead. He heard the news.

He got up, clean himself, what are the place to worship. It was as if God did this, God did that I accepted realistically and I will go on from here that friends is an incredibly mature response where we been first of all, David. Secondly, he face the consequences realistically. Third, we are to claim the truths of Scripture. If ever you want to get into the word of God.

You want to do it when crisis happens.

You cannot let your emotions be your guide or you will do something rash or foolish. David settle his case with God and he rested in the truth of God's word. Let me show you. See verse 21. His servants couldn't understand it. So they said, what is this thing that you've done while the child was alive he fasted and wept. But when the child died you arose in a food's response while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept for us and who knows the Lord may be gracious to me that the child may live by the way, that's what you do during the first period of the consequence. You don't deny you keep thinking maybe there's hope. Maybe it won't happen.

Maybe the loyalists would give me great grace and will not bring this disaster as I. As I see it appearing maybe he will let me have the child or let me have the situation. Verse 23 but now look at the truth.

He claims he has died. He faces it he accepted.

He does not deny it. He says this has happened? Why should I fast.

How many people continue to fast after death, thinking maybe somehow I can get them back on the begin to make plans to contact the medium so they could somehow communicate with the dead on biblical route to take, how many take it. The child of God when he faces the fact concerning death says it's permanent. I cannot bring the person back. I will not deny it, and in the in the comfort and counsel of God's word. I will rely on him to get me through this crisis. Look at how David puts it to great verse by the way, it's one of the few passages that help us know about the destiny of children that die 23 cannot bring him back again implied.

No, I can't bring the dead child back. I shall go to him, but he will not return to me. I cannot bring him back but I can go to him of the fourth principle is refused to give up go on David comforted his wife Bathsheba. So they went through a period of grief and then it says he went on living. He would enter her delay with her.

She gave birth to a son called at son's name Solomon of the Lord loved him and sent word through Nathan the prophet, and he named Jedediah for the Lord's sake, David, and riding out the storm gives us dutiful guideline parade face the consequences realistically turn it all over to the Lord completely as he claimed scriptural truth concerning death and then he refused to give up on. It's possible that like David, you're in the middle of the storm right now and you're doing your best to write it out. If so, while strongly recommend you join us next time when we conclude this study and second Samuel 12 Chuck Swindoll will offer four practical points of application to guide you. This is insight for living in the title of Chuck's messages riding out the storm to learn more about this ministry, we invite you to visit us online at insight world.Ford truck sends a letter every month to his listening family and perhaps you received the one he wrote for July I'm reading now from a paragraph that addresses today's subject. Chuck said when riding out the storm of sins consequences.

It's tempting to give up to try to handle it in our own strength or to let ourselves wallow in the dumps and then check out of these encouraging words.

God is a Redeemer he renews, but in his own way and according to his own timing.

Well, if you're riding out the storm. Our prayer at insight for living is that you learn to embrace God's plan for recovery. And it's an honor to provide a variety of resources to help you take your next steps. Please take advantage of tools like a free mobile so you can listen to insight for living whenever and wherever it and you can easily access the free study notice for each of Chuck's sermons as well.

It's called searching the Scriptures.

If you're ready for a deep dive on David story Chuck wrote a full-length biography on David called David a man of passion and destiny. You'll find all these resources at insight.board or if you're listening in the United States, call 800-772-8880 a reminder that your generosity and prayers and our us to help others connect with Jesus and stay connected and that's especially needed when riding out the storm. You can give a donation today online@insight.org/travelers who want to take a tour to Israel have lots of choices, but you measure up to the thoughtful journey prepared by insight for living ministries with the proper mix of historical information and biblical context. We provide ample opportunities to pause and let the wonder in our goal is to create special moments when you deepen your love for the Bible and draw closer to your Lord experience an unforgettable 12 day tour to Israel with Chuck Swindoll and insight for living ministries March 5 through the 16th 2023. To help you grasp the significance of each slight you will be accompanied by handpicked Israeli guidance and we choose the best, along with seminary trained pastors and professors to enhance your spiritual journey, no organization I know of offers this level of exceptional in depth instruction and personal care for holy land travel to learn more: 1-888-447-0444.

Just imagine walking along sacred sites and watching the Bible: life make your reservation by calling 1-888-447-0444 or go to insight.org/events insight for living ministries toward Israel is paid for and made possible by only those who choose to attend Bill Meyer join us again when Chuck Swindoll continues his message titled riding out the storm Tuesday on insight for living in the preceding message riding out the storm was copyrighted in 1978, 1988, 1997 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R. Swindoll. All rights are reserved.

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