Down, But Not Out Part 1

Morris must burned Bathsheba. Another man's wife baby was conceived and the king ended up sanctioning murder cover-up, a scandal, but David admitted his sin, sought forgiveness, and found restoration with God. So can any of us who has sinned sexually from church in Chicago. This is running to win with Dr. Sir clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line vasculature.

King David was one man who clearly needed to have his soul restored the remarkable thing is that some all David lived with a troubled conscience for quite a while. I can't help but think that today were talking to people out there whose consciences troubled them because of issues that have never been dealt with that have never been forgiven and David yes sought forgiveness and he received it. My wife Rebecca and I have written a book entitled life-changing Bible verses you should know this book deals with many different issues including issues such as guilt and forgiveness and sensuality so it even relates directly to what were talking about today.

Now for a gift of any amount.

This book can be yours.

Ask for the book, life-changing Bible verses you should know. And of course I have to give you info as to how you can connect with us, simply call 1-888-218-9337 or you can go to RTW offer.com running to win exists to help you to make it all the way to the finish line. Now let us listen carefully as we think of the story of a man who loved God, but sinned greatly but in the midst of it found forgiveness and grace. King David is the last man we would expect to see in such a mess. On the one hand, he lures a woman to bed becomes pregnant and then he becomes a murderer to cover his sin when as you know this is a series of messages and the last of the series entitled restoring the soul healing in an age of brokenness and today very briefly were going to look into the life of David and were going to see the state of his soul. How he got. He was also how God delivered him and lifted him at the end of his life were going to see David in the mud, but were also going to see David walk on marble because our emphasis is on the restoration of the soul. David discovered that it was much easier for him to fight Goliath than it was to fight his passions are passage of Scripture is second Samuel chapter 11 second Samuel chapter 11.

The details of the story are known to you. It says in verse two. Now when evening came, David arose from his bed and walked around the roof of the king's house and from the roof he saw a woman bathing and the woman was very beautiful in appearance it says David saw and he acted on what he saw as David saw this woman. His desires were awakened and it's interesting that there are things that he didn't see and we want to emphasize the as he gazed at her, contemplating in his heart what he would eventually do what he did not see is the loss of four son.

He did not see the guilty did not see the shame he did not see the remorse and he did not see the disintegration of his kingdom and how his wives would laugh at him, and mocked at him. He did not see that that was hidden from his site, nor at that moment did David to see God was in the David was angry with God is just that God was not a part of what was happening now.

God, he would deal with later.

This was an issue that needed some immediate attention want you to know that there on the rooftop that would've been the easiest opportunity for David to back out of what he was contemplating. Think of how different his life had been if he had prayed and said oh God, I thank you for this beautiful woman.

I thank you that you created her but she belongs to a man by the name of Uriah. I pray that you might mightily bless their marriage and then he should've turned around and gone back into the house, but David did not do that as he was looking at her he was in effect cutting an anchor that would lead him into a river whose side and speed was continually increasing and soon the consequences of what he had done would be totally out of his hand, but he didn't see that the only saw her so. The Bible says he sent messengers to call for her. I wonder what he told the messengers to say to her that he said well you know one of the things that we have as were also busy. We don't get time to know our neighbors so you know there certain community projects that we can work on here and what I want to do is to talk to Bathsheba about the possibility of heading up a committee in our neighborhood. Whatever it was.

The Bible says that he sent messengers and then he took her and he lay with her and lo and behold sometime later she sent him a note and said I'm pregnant, signed the and somehow this casual affair between two consenting adults was not quite as casual as David had thought it might be now what should David have done in a situation like that. Well, ideally what he should have done is to call Uriah from battle and say Uriah, I'm going to tell you the truth about what happened. The child that your wife is bearing is my child than they could've discussed some custody issues and worked out the best arrangement possible use of a pastor there's no way in the world. I mean who in the world. Whatever that but the choice that David now made would be far worse than the consequences. Literally on ending when I returned to the cover up the cover-up begins and the cover-up actually is in three stages and I'm going to assume that you know this story because I'm only giving you what the text says and what you need to do is to read it on your own, but David brings Uriah home from the battlefield and what he wants Uriah to do is to go home and to sleep with Bathsheba, his wife so that Uriah will think that the child is his. That's plan a and brings Uriah back home but Uriah will not go home to see his wife he's there at the door of the king's palace and he sank you know how can I possibly do this when there are so many men dying on the battlefield and his loyalty prevented him enjoying an evening with his wife. Even though David send some presence along so that it would be a very romantic app. Uriah doesn't do it. Plan the get them drunk so the text tells us in chapter 11 in verse 12 David said to Uriah stay here today and tomorrow I will let you go so Uriah remained in Jerusalem, and David called him and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk and in the evening he went to lie on his bed with his Lord's servants, Uriah would not go down into his house.

We can do with a guy like that he's a better man drunk than David is sober. Plan C David writes a note to Joab the military commanders is Joab want you to put Uriah in the hottest battle and when it's really fears withdraw from him so that he dies he takes this, and he puts it into an envelope of some type seals that gives it to Uriah and trust Uriah not to open it and that it is given to Joab and Joab does exactly as David requests is a good military man who takes orders and then he sends a messenger to David that says you know the battle was very hot and Uriah was fighting in Uriah's dad, David. Here's the messenger and basically says well you know that's the way war is when some you lose some. Life is tough. So then Bathsheba is brought into the palace. After that little bit of messiness has been taken care of.

Bathsheba is brought into the palace and she becomes another one of David's wives and everything from here on his sweetness and light because the cover-up was really really successful well know how successful was it well who will knows the truth. Bathsheba knows Joab knows the servants, no they can count to nine we know millions of people know David is famous for his cover-up. Even people who don't know anything else about the life of David know about his adultery and him and the murder that he got involved and I mean everybody knows millions no. David knows there's something else that is more important than all that God and that's why you have this chapter ending and I'm reading only the last phrase of Chapter 11. The thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord while God you the truth. Well, let's look at David now let's consider his restoration. Nathan the prophet comes to him because the prophet also knows prophets tend to know and and so he comes to David with the story.

Nieces David, you know, there was this rich man what all kinds of goats and sheep and when a traveler came you know what he did, he stole a little lamb from his neighbor, and it was the only land that the neighbor had what you think of that David David who struggled with his temper anyway said that man ought to die many changes mind a little bit and said that he ought to at least pay fourfold in a film looked into David's eyes and said in the Hebrew text. It's very brief at Taha each year. The man I sometimes teach preaching to young preachers is a good example of the sermon.

First of all, it's a story that would even appeal to the postmodern generation.

Secondly, it's brief y'all like that part don't you and then thirdly disappointed or what. Talk about a direct application.

You are the man we can't even pause to go into the beautiful illustration here of human nature that David would consider a little lamb to be of more value than a man's wife, but it shows that sin that blinds us in has that quality of can using us so that we aren't able to look at ourselves objectively and so David repents, but Nathan has a word for him from God they're going to be several judgments upon David's family. Yes, David will be forgiven, but he says in verse 10, the sword shall never depart from your house and it goes on to say that within your own family. God is going to raise up at Seri's and David is going to lose spore son and he'll lose those sons because he'll have no moral authority over them. Whatever David will never be able to tell them that they're misbehaving because they're going to say dad, who are you to talk with what you've done. So David is going to become a very passive father and just let the kids do what ever kids do, and they're going to turn against him and turn against one another. Furthermore, God's as you did this secretly.

The same thing is going to happen to your wives now publicly and you never that's what Absalom did on the rooftops of Israel humiliating David and trying to kill his own father and then furthermore, Nathan says the child that Bathsheba is going to bear will die and you may look at this and think will this was kind of harsh, but if you read the text.

You'll see that what God is saying is you did this, and in the presence of all these blessings that I gave you I bless you I gave you wives I gave you a kingdom I gave you victories.

In fact, if you wanted something more.

You could pray for it and I to given you that to now you've cause the enemies of the Lord, to blaspheme their people in the various nations of the world who are looking on in saying because the rumor has spread throughout the whole kingdom and beyond the kingdom and what they are saying is look at David, you know, he claims to belong to God, but look at what he does. He's living like the rest of us committing adultery and murder so gotta saying David want you to know that you're going to be forgiven, but the consequences are just going to boomerang well since this is a message on the restoration of the soul. How is David's soul.

At this point, how would we describe it we could say well it's defiled, guilt ridden, no doubt, angry. Angry at himself.

Maybe anger towards God anger towards others because guilt and anger are so often related deep remorse. Unbelievable regret that all this is going to have to follow up on his shoulders. If only he could turn the clock back but he can't turn the clock back and so he is cast down, he is in despair. How does God revive the soul that is in despair. Is there the possibility of being revived and strengthened and restored. Even though the circumstances around you remain the same and those can rollable circumstances. Just keep going. Is it possible that that it the soul can be restored in an inward way when the circumstances around you are such that there is no way for you to be able to be restored, even to the people whom you have heard when the circumstances are so pointedly and directly out of your control. All of us know that David repented and the Psalm that is most known to us, which I frequently have quoted from memory. Though I shall not do so today is Psalm 51 David's great prayer of repentance and what I want us to notice is that first of all, David is going to receive hope, because God is going to forgive him.

You say well yeah of course. Don't skip over that so lightly. Remember this, that all of the tears that David might ever cry and weep will never never change the circumstances they will never bring a dead man back to life, they will never restore the purity of Bathsheba, nothing will ever change that. Furthermore, God will forgive him.

Even though perhaps there is no forgiveness coming from anyone else be gracious to mail God. According to your lovingkindness. According to the greatness of your compassion blot out my transgressions watch me frugally from mine and Nick T and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against DMV only, I have sinned, I done what is evil in your sight so that you are justified when those still speak and blameless when notice judge of God, oh God my sins ever before me when the telephone rings. I think to myself I wonder who knows when somebody makes an appointment I'm saying to myself I wonder if they know I see in my minds eye. A dead man. I see the face of Uriah.

I wake up in the morning and I see his face and remember that I had him deliberately murdered old dog. My sin is ever before me. Uriah Forgive me these dead Bathsheba may or may not forgive me. Surely David's other wives did not forgive him because they were upset with the fact that he he. Not only did this but he happen to love Bathsheba more than all the rest.

As the story unfolds and you can imagine how unhappy they were and what they were saying behind his back, his family never forgave them Absalom turned against his dad, so you have David saying I don't know where to go because I can ask for forgiveness.

But but I don't know who give it to me and I know that some people most assuredly will withhold that there is nothing that I can do to rectify God. This sin was against you primarily and indirectly to others and therefore I appeal to you and to you alone for the forgiveness and the restoration that I sold desperately long and need to God's is David I'm gonna forgive you, in fact, how clean is David going to be.

He says in verse seven purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow often marveled at that phrase because those of us who live in Chicago and know what snow is like sometimes maybe 12 inches sometimes 18 inches overnight, and you wake up and you see this this snow glistening in the sunlight, and you think whiter than snow. While that's that's pure for a man who committed adultery and murder. Isn't it wonderful to know that in the midst of the depths of the sin David experience God's wondrous grace and he was forgiven he was made to clean. I can't help but think today that there those of you who are listening who need exactly that you have a very troubled conscience, but in the midst of it as you come to God to receive his cleansing and his forgiveness then you have to ask the question, what else may I have to do in order to be right with others, but a clean conscience is a powerful conscience. My wife and I have written a book entitled life-changing Bible verses you should know it's not just Bible verses. It is Bible verses that are explained as a matter fact in this book very briefly. We cover 40 different topics all about forgiveness, about grace, sensuality, what does it mean to say that God created the heavens and the earth. This is a great book for you to grow in the Christian life but also a wonderful opportunity to disciple others for gift of any amount. It can be yours. Ask for the book, life-changing Bible verses you should know. Here's what you can do. Go to RTW offeror.com that's RTW offeror.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. I hope you had an opportunity to write it down. RTW offeror.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor looks her a question about the Bible or the Christian life. John from Illinois wrote to us recently with a question on sexual purity. Here is his story.

I'm an average 22-year-old guy was still a virgin in our society.

That's often seen as pretty pathetic, but I know God wants a man to wait for marriage, and I know he has a reason for that, but it's not easy to hold off the criticism, advice, humiliation, and I daresay the questions about your sexuality and preferences. To me it's all very difficult and frustrating. Will Jon I was so happy to receive your question because I think it is wonderful that you are living a pure life and believe me you will never regret it. You talk to all those who are sexually active and then you think about what they take into their marriage and they've got a whole lot of baggage they need to take care of and God is going on or what he's doing in your life and your commitment to purity and to overcome temptation. You know the bottom line, John. Don't worry about what your friends are saying you know the Bible has a great deal to say in the book of Proverbs about those who are influenced by their peers. Influenced wrongly by their peers. At the end of the day. What really matters is that you are serving the Lord, that you are pleasing the Lord in all things and if you take some harassment, except that also as part of the courage that you have shown to be a follower of Christ.

Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, and keep doing what is right. Thank you Jean for the question. If you'd like to hear your question answered. Go to our website@rtwofferor.com that's RTW offeror.com and click on ask pastor looks her or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 running to win is all about helping you understand God's roadmap for your race of life. King David's tortured journey through moral failure shows us God's desire that we repent and his mercy in restoring our souls. Next time I'm running to win our series concludes, as we learn how we David can come back to God plan to join us for Dr. Erwin Blitzer this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher