Down, But Not Out Part 2

Looking to Jesus and the founder and King David's torture journey through moral failure shows us God's desire that we repent and his mercy in restoring our souls today how we like David can come back to God.

Stay with us from the church in Chicago. This is running to win with Dr. Sir, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line after Luther wrapping up your series on restoring the soul give us a preview of your bottom line. For all who need restoration you know the bottom line is simply this, that God's grace is greater than our sin and today in our brokenness in our sexual brokenness in our society that has embraced a form of sexuality which produces so much guilt because it is so un-biblical. There has to be a message of hope and that's found in Jesus Christ. You know, there are many of you who are listening who have been blessed as a result of this series.

Perhaps you have missed some of the messages in the series.

That's why today we are making available to you. The series of messages in a permanent form entitled restoring the soul.

Here's what you can do. Go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 Don going to be giving you this contact info again because I believe that there are so many of you will find this resource to be a great blessing and encouragement and help in the midst of our broken world. Well, since this is a message on the restoration of the soul. How is David's soul this point. How would we describe it we could say well it's the file guilt ridden, no doubt, angry.

Angry at himself. Maybe anger towards God anger towards others because guilt and anger are so often related deeply. Morris 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 uncontrollable circumstances. Just keep going. Is it possible that that 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, repent, and what I want us to notice is that first of all, David is going to receive hope, because God is going to forgive them. 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, but I know my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against the and the only I have send I done what is evil in your sight so that you are justified when malice does speak and blameless when notice judge of God, oh God my sins ever before. 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 all God. My sin is ever before me. Uriah Forgive me these dead Bathsheba may or may not forget Shirley David's other wives did not forgive him because they were upset with the fact that he he. Not only did this but he happened 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 will give it to me and I know that some people most assuredly will withhold that there is nothing 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 goddesses.

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 God says David I'm going to forgive you goddesses, David. I am also going to renew you, renew you. You'll notice it says in verse 10 create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence and do not take your Holy Spirit from an old God.

Verse 12 restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. I don't just forgive me, don't just cleanse me. But God let the sun shine in my soul again God lacked me saying again with joy. David, how can you expect that the Mrs. coming down upon your head is nothing that you can do to alleviate the consequences. The stone is been thrown into the pond and the ripples are going all the way to the adage, God, you do in me informing what no human being can do restore me, give me back my joy. Furthermore, goddesses not only I forgive you and I restore you but I'll use you.

David is confident that if he is forgiven. In verse 13 he will teach transgressors God's ways, and sinners will be converted onto him. He'll be able to join evangelism explosion and people are going to come to know Christ the Savior as he witnesses after all that, after a mass that cannot be undone.

David, you're expecting all that from God is able pastor Luther David was restored, his soul was restored, but what about the mass all of its ugliness course.

The family turns against them. Absalom tries to overthrow his dad tries to kill him. Ms. all within the family. It's ugly it's it's messy terrible but was there any was there any indication of grace in the midst of this mass. But let's fast-forward the story. Let's fast-forward it thousand years and Jesus is born in Bethlehem and one of the reasons that Jesus was born in Bethlehem is so that he could die on a cross and so that David's sin which was temporarily set aside. In the Old Testament could now finally and permanently be put away as the Old Testament saints also were saved because of Jesus, and we read in the book of Matthew that when Jesus was born, the genealogy of Jesus is important and who's there in the genealogy except Solomon who is the son of Bathsheba born to David at a later date while Solomon Solomon.

Strictly speaking, is not supposed to have been born because Shiva should've never been David's wife.

I mean what's going on here in the text, and we read a little more carefully, that says in the Old Testament that God said David, I want you to know today that I love Solomon and I'm going to bless Solomon because of you because of David and Solomon is going to build the temple and Solomon is going to have a kingdom David that you can only imagine I have them and I'm going to bless him and furthermore he is going to be in the genealogy of Jesus on a human level through Mary through Mary.

She would have a little bit of the blood as it were, of Solomon and Bathsheba.

And furthermore, Solomon ends up giving us some of the majority of the book of Proverbs. He actually is in the Scripture giving us his wisdom, because the Bible says that there was no man who live was as wise as Solomon. Despite all of his double mindedness. The man did have a lot of wisdom itself, as God was God saying God saying, yes, even in the midst of this mass that that happened.

There is also redemption and there is also grace and there is also the possibility of restoration as God takes what strictly speaking, should never have been does something very special with it. The soul is restored and the circumstances are reading. Many people think that Psalm 23 was written when David was a shepherd boy. Maybe it was. I have some friends who think that Psalm 23 was maybe written late in David's life as he was contemplating his past and reminiscing a little bit than one author that I read imagines that we dialogue with David something along these lines. David begins to write Psalm 23.

Let us imagine him as an aged man. He writes the words the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures he lead me beside the still waters. So David, David, you know, that is fine. That's wonderful to say when the sun is shining and when your bills are paid and when your families all going to church and all the kids are turning out nice and the people in town talk about what a wonderful father you are, that's fine. David but what do you do when soul pursues you for 10 years and you're running from cave to cave until you become so disoriented that you actually become insane, as it were, and you join the Philistine army and fight with the Philistines against Israel. David realize how stupid that was careless how you failed God and failed your own people. When you did that. Now what you got to say David, we can almost imagine him saying he restore if my soul he leads me in paths of righteousness for his namesake old David David David, what do you do when a prophet comes and points his finger in your face and says you are the man.

And you know that you've committed murder and adult. What do you do when your son Absalom rebels against you commits immorality in the sight of all Israel, and then you have to leave and go over the Mount of olives and run on the other side like a like an animal, though, you've been a king and and you have to run and you have to hide in dens and caves.

Once again, because there's a civil war in your kingdom. And it is your family that has brought it about David. What do you do when Absalom is about to kill you. David continues to write and says yay though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me by rod and thy staff they comfort me all day, David. But now, now you do get the kingdom back, but it's in disarray you have you have mutiny among your own advisors you have things that are out of control. You number the nation Israel and God smites the nation because of what you've done and because of your pride and now the whole nation is being judged because of you, David, and thousands of people died because of what you you you you did. David says stop prepares to table before me in the presence of mine enemies my cup runs over. But David now your die.

Two of your sons are going to fight over the kingdom there's going to be Civil War. There's going to be destruction things are falling apart. Your wives are laughing behind their backs because of what you did history is going to record your adultery in your cover up preachers are going to preach about David and when they see you in heaven.

The first thing they say old David was Bathsheba. That's what they're going to be thinking David don't you see what you've done. David continues to write and so Shirley goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. And so the curtain closes on David's life just as it opened. All you have left is David and his God, and the man who fell so far, would later write how blessed is he was transgression is forgiven into sin is covered. How blessed is the man onto whom the Lord imputed to not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go, I shall guide the with my nine upon the restoration of restoration of the wounded sinful defiled soul.

Let's break in our father we ask in the name of Jesus that you might do work in the hearts of all who have listened, whether it is the restoration because of immorality or restoration because of broken relationships or restoration because of the fragmentation of alcoholism, despair, betrayal, whatever it is father come to restore your people. We asked that there are those here today with heavy hearts who may someday be able to sing again. We pray father that there are those who someday shall yet teach transgressors thy ways that sinners shall be converted on, restore your people today of God is spoken to you as I conclude this prayer say pastor Luther God is talk to me. I want to be restored. Would you raise your hand just for a second, please route the auditorium up in the balcony. Those of you whom God is spoken and you know who you are. Thank you for the hands that have gone up, but father, I want to thank you today for the many hands that were not raised but are also within their hearts, saying, Lord, that is me today.

I want to be restored, and cleanse us. Forgive us, make us new and gratis hope we pray in Jesus blessed name on my friend today. This is pastoralists are. I can't help but think that there are many who are listening today needed this message more than that you may know others who need these messages. That's why we are making available to you the entire series so that you can have them in permanent form. Ask for the series restoring the soul and I hope that you have a pen or pencil next to you so that you can write this info down here is how you can get this series go to RTW offeror.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 nine going to be giving you that contact info again because within my heart. There is a great desire that these messages be yours to listen again and again and share them with others. Restoring the soul go to RTW offeror.com or call right now: 1-888-218-9337. Remember that we hear it running to win exist to help you make it all the way to the finish line. We want to see God's grace in all of our lives and we pray that also for you call right now 1-888-218-9337 and thanks in advance for helping us because together we are making a difference around the world. It's time now for you to ask pastor Luther a question about the Bible or the Christian life. The Bible teaches that every Christian will stand before the judgment seat of Christ in ancient Greece, judges sat on a raised platform called agreement and so that word is applied to this future judgment experience for believers. One of our listeners has this question after we go through the bema seat with Christ, we will see things as God does and will know why things happened. What about all of our missed opportunities will they be wiped away. I sure hope so. You know the Bible says that at the bema I want you to visualize this for a moment that everything that we have done will either be gold or silver, or precious stones or wood hay and stubble and then there's going to be a great fire and only that which is precious. Only those precious metals are going to survive going to be a moment of great revelation. It's going to be a moment.

I think when we regret the way in which we lived is at that moment, we will see more clearly than ever how our faithfulness or lack of faithfulness had important eternal repercussions.

But once that is over all of our missed opportunities. All of the wood that he the stubble. I believe will be brushed away and throughout all of eternity were going to give praise and honor to Jesus Christ and our tears will be wiped away our missed opportunities forgotten and will be in the presence of God forever.

Thank you Dr. Luther for telling us a little bit about what we can expect at the bema seat if you'd like to hear your question answered.

Go to our website@rtwofferor.com and click on ask pastor Luther or 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. America has been called a melting pot. Trouble is marrying religions don't melt together very well. Despite our Judeo-Christian roots. The 10 Commandments are now censored, even when they hang over courtroom benches.

Massive immigration has brought to our shores. People will never adopt our way of life and to want to fundamentally change what America is all about. Next time I'm running to win a story of ever-growing conflict and how to handle it for pastor Erwin Luzerne this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church