Passions In Conflict Part 1

Reese Flores looking to Jesus, founder and perfecter.

We've all been created with strong desires for sexual intimacy expressed in the will of God.

Those desires lead to our good. But when uncontrolled, our passions can destroy us today we relive the famous story of David and Bathsheba, and learn the high price morality from the Moody Church in Chicago. This is running to with Dr. Erwin Luzerne was clear. Teaching helps us make it across the finish line. When you combine strong desires with the power of the throne. There is a high likelihood that outcome three famous words lived over and over again in the lives of so many. He saw he coveted and he took David had seen more than Bathsheba. If you have seen the destruction of his kingdom. Ultimately, if he had seen the destruction of his family.

He would've known that this was a bad decision, but in that moment, he could not see any of that. He could only see this woman in here you have the story of a man after God's own heart breaking his own rules and doing his own thing and ending up with tremendous repercussions. A lesson for us all. We hear it running to win exist to warn people to help people. We exist to encourage, but also to admonish and to know that all of us are subject to failure. Let me ask you a question. Would you consider becoming an endurance partner so that we can get these messages to even more people. Here's what you can do. Go to RTW offer.com. Of course, disable pastor Luther, I need information. Yes, go to RTW offer.com and when you're there, click on the endurance partner button and that will give you all the info you need or if you prefer you can call us at 1-888-218-9337.

Running to when it is our desire to speak to the issues of the day to speak to our hearts to speak to our culture to help all of us make it successfully to the finish line. I think that David is the last command that we expect to see in this mass areas seducing another man's wife taking her to bed with them and then killing her husband to cover the whole thing up. David, a man after God's own heart. You and I are sexual creatures. We know the power of fantasies of desires of loss.

Those of us who have never been on drink or drugs. We know the power of sexual temptation. It was Mark Twain who railed against God for giving him such passionate desires and then limiting their fulfillment and prescribing the exact rules by which the sexual relationship will be late. Why is it that we have these desires that sometimes go on. Well, of course, the biblical answer would be that we might be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. James says that's why we have trials. That's why we have temptation so that we can declare our loyalty to God because sexual purity is not easy but it is right and it is good and it is also best for us. David learned as many people have learned that it's one thing to be able to conquer Goliaths. Another thing to subdue passions. David, as we have learned in this series of messages that he discovered that he was able to dodge some of the spheres that were thrown at him by all.

But there was one spear that lodged in his heart and he had to regret it until his death bed.

The story is recorded for us in second Samuel chapter 11 and chapter 12 second Samuel 11 and 12.

David was 47 years old, so far as we know when this incident with Bathsheba happened. Would to God. He had died at the age of 46.

First of all I want us to look at this passage and to see the steps that led down into this pit of sin. The steps that led down, we could call it the mess up the mess up. Don't notice it says in chapter 11 verse one.

It happened in the spring at the time when kings go out to battle that David sent Joab his servants with them and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rolla. David stayed in Jerusalem. These were trivial battles. He didn't need to be there and it came to pass that 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 to catalog the steps that led down to David's defeat and humiliation and shame. The first word to underline in the text as the word saw he saw a woman we don't know whether Bathsheba was deliberately being in modest whether she was making yourself available or whether that was the custom and whether the king's house just happened to be taller than all the other houses in the city of Jerusalem. But David's eyes were riveted upon her.

His blood ran hot as he saw her beautiful body and it's interesting that the text does not tell us what David did not see when he looked at that shape. For example, one of the things he did not see is the chasm into which he was about to fall. He did not see the destruction of his family. He did not see the disintegration of his kingdom. He did not see the fact that he would become a murderer. In short, David did not see God. He did not see God.

All he could do is think about what it would be like to be with her and thinking that if he doesn't, he will always wonder what that relationship and experience would've been like and so what he does is he gazes upon her and at that moment he was making an incredibly important and disastrous decision now. The longer he looked the less likely it would be for him to say no. It's a matter fact that this would be the easiest time for him to say no but elect that time passed. Now David had other wives get a number of them was Michael's souls daughter.

He was not having a relationship with her. As we learned previously and that he had married a beautiful intelligent woman by the name of Abigail, that was a couple of years ago and that things kind of settled into the routine and Abigail to David now was just dear Abby and so what he was doing is set. He didn't realize it but he was cutting an anchor that would lead him onto a river whose size and whose speed was well beyond him, but he wasn't thinking about that he was thinking about her. I'm not sure that David hated God at this particular moment.

I just think he forgot God like what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote. You remember he was the victim of a Nazi concentration camp, and died at the age of 39 but he said in our members. There is a slumbering inclination towards desire, which is both fierce and sudden with irresistible power desire seizes mastery over the flesh all at once a secret smoldering fire is kindled in the flesh burns and it is in flames joy in God is extinguished in us and we seek all of our joy in the creature.

At this moment God is quite unreal to us, he loses all reality and only desire for the creature Israel. Satan does not now fill us with hatred of God, but only forgetfulness of God. David saw he saw but he didn't see enough. He didn't see enough. He should've also seen God. Second step, he sent verse three. So David sent, and inquired about the woman, and he sends a servant in that I can imagine the conversation I've been living in this neighborhood for for so long, you know, I've been so busy on the king got administrative duties. I'm out fighting things I've never been able to do is to really get to know my name like to get to know them better. What if you checked out.

For example, Justin house at random, the one second from the end. On Ben Yehuda Street over there find out who was at the lives there anyway so the messenger comes back and he says well you know it's Bathsheba you know Uriah is one of your mighty men and David knew Uriah very well and that happens to be Bathsheba, and of course Uriah is in battle were most of the men are so David, first of all he asks about her and then the next step is he actually took her first of all he sent to ask and then he sent to take to steal. If you will, and it says in verse four David sent messengers and took her when what he told them to tell her you know I just really feel badly that we been living just a couple houses apart. I don't even know the names of your kids like to get to know this family better. You know Uriah is one of my fighting men to have her come over here we can get a little better acquainted and then the Scripture says, of course, he saw he sent. He took and you'll notice that the text says he lay with her and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness.

She returned to her house right. It's a casual affair.

So one night stand.

It's over was perhaps a beautiful experience, but there are other experiences that need to be taken of the press of business and kingly duties require a lot of haste and a lot of attention and that's it.

But a couple of weeks later and messenger comes with the notes and it is addressed to the most honorable king, and it says simply, I'm pregnant and it's signed wasn't so casual after all. Come to think of it now, a human life is been created that is going to live somewhere forever, so it's not quite that simple. And so David begins to think to himself that this casual relationship is not quite so casual, but if I can keep it secret. It won't be too bad it won't damage my reputation and it won't damage the king and so what David decided to do is to say this, you know, I've lost the first round.

I've lost a game but one thing is sure I will not lose the tournament. One thing to lose a game, but he didn't want to lose the whole thing.

So those are the steps that David took and if that is the mess up. Let us now look at the cover up the cover up and I might say that the cover up as we shall see, was also a gigantic mess up so I David says that you know what I'm going to do Uriah back from battle… Plan a business plan a this will work. I would invite Uriah Holm and I'm going to give them some gifts and I'm gonna say you know you've been fighting an awful lot.

I think it's time that you took some time off.

Uriah must've wondered why he had the attention of the king. But the king said, look what you go home to you to Bathsheba and they made love together. Uriah would think that the child was his. The neighbors would think that the child was is and that David would be free of the rings Uriah back in. Lo and behold, what are you doing this guy go home. That's what the text says verse 10, Uriah would not go down to his house. David said Uriah had you not come from a journey, why don't you go down to your house you got this lovely woman there. That's the footnote. Uriah said to David, the ark in Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters in my Lord show up in the servants of my Lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house and eat and drink and lie with my wife by your life. I will not do this thing is think how in the world can I enjoy myself and my colleagues are dying in battle what you do now sky won't even visit his wife is home stays there.

Lying on the porch of the palace like to kick him, but you can't do that so there's plan B.

David said son on the net trophies that I'm gonna get this guy drunk what he won't do when he's sober he will do when he is quote under the influence of David throws a feast and he gets Uriah drunk. It says in verse 13 he drank before him, and he made him drunk and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his Lord servant body would not bow down to his house.

Uriah was a better man drunk than David was sober and Uriah simply drunk or not, will not go home now. What are you going to do. David decides on the plane. My trump card. Only one thing to do and that is to rub him out to have him dive course, I won't do it directly. You know I wouldn't take a sword cut off his head. That would make bad headlines in the Jerusalem Post, but I could arrange it.

You know Joab is the leader of my armies and he's a very loyal man. You know, people die in battle all the time when I could do is I could arrange it so that he would just die.

So he sends a note to which he writes he seals it, and he gives it to Uriah any trust Uriah so much that he knows that Uriah will not open it and Uriah gives it to Joab and the note says put Uriah in the hottest battle and then withdraw from him so that he dies.

Joe must've wondered what in the world is this about, but Joab wasn't naïve. He been around a while, but you know he was obedient. It came with David's signature so they are fighting. And lo and behold there close where the battle is hot and he tells all of his other men treat and out. Lo and behold, Uriah is dead and then he sends a messenger just to show how obedient that he is in pieces. When you tell David how the battles going this little word and by the way, Uriah the Hittite is dead to so that's what the messenger dons in verse 21 he comes in he reports to David all that he had done and that he explains it, and it verse 25. David said to the messengers, thus you shall say to Joab do not let this thing displease you for the sword devours one as well as another make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it and so encouragement David is saying we know it is in life, you win some you lose some. Some soldiers make it through battle and others don't. Okay. All right.

Well David then is able to legitimately legitimately" take Bathsheba as his wife and that the cover-up is over. Well David, have you done how's it work, how many people know all secret is this anyway well David you know you know and you know what that's like David every time a servant comes into the palace, you begin to wonder.

I wonder if he knows every time the telephone rings you wonder. I wonder if so-and-so knows and I wonder if Bathsheba has been telling her friends because David knows and Bathsheba knows Joab knows the servants are going to know because they can count to nine. They're going to know. And there's something else that David forgot this is the clincher God no God knows God. So it and so this chapter ends in verse 27, when the time of her morning was over, and I'm sure it was very short. David sent, and brought her to his house and she became his wife and then she bore him a son.

But the thing that David done was evil in the sight of the Lord and that's the one little phrase the ruins the whole thing ruins because all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do now there's a prophet in the land, who also found amazing how these stories run a last man, the David would like to have known who knew this story was Nathan.

This pesky guy is always trying to preach righteousness and get under people's skin. Anyway, Nathan knows what he's up against the king that you know you don't just confront the king directly and say you know you of sin, because even David had a hot temper, his head could've rolled so Nathan says to himself you not go to preach a sermon, but I gotta figure out how to do this now.

David didn't know that a sermon was being preached to him because Nathan wasn't behind it opened and David wasn't sitting in a pew.

I figure this is in the sermon. This is a star I Nathan also in good homiletical style decides I'm go to spend most of my time on my introduction and then when I get to the application.

It is going to be very, very brief. So he tells the stories is David you know what happened in your kingdom. One day he said there was this man who had many lamb than many sheep and goats and very wealthy and was this poor man let this little lamb who grew up with the family and they love this little pep lamb and a traveler comes to the rich man and instead of taking one of his own animals. He actually has the nerve if you can believe it, to go and to steal this poor man's lamb and use it for a meal.

David is is livid with anger. Remember he struggled with the temp. He says in verse five. His anger burned against the man and he said to Nathan as the Lord lives.

Surely the man was done to while stiff penalty for stealing the lamplight site pretty tough, and he says he must minimally make restitution for the land fourfold because he did this thing and had no compassion size is I want you to really socket to this guy because that's the kind of thing up with which I will not put David would've said it that way because he didn't know that you shouldn't end a sentence in a preposition and so David says do it and Nathan says two words to David. In Hebrew, each you know the man application application and the David saw the point. What a dramatic story when Nathan confronts David and what a lesson about human nature.

David is more concerned about someone who stole a lamb than he is about someone, namely himself who stole a man's wife human nature on display. We hear it running to win exists to help people to admonish them to make sure that they understand the good news of the gospel and the forgiveness of God but also the consequences of people sin. Would you consider helping us. I have in my hands a very encouraging letter it says I am a Vietnam veteran who works with other veterans with brain injuries. I'm using Pastor Luther's teaching with Iraq veterans who are processing whether or not God still loves them and then the letter goes on and I'm glancing out the very end.

The thoughtful, dignified and pastoral messages have held both me and others understand God's forgiveness. You my friend have a part in this ministry. All those who support this ministry are really a part of testimonies just like that, would you consider becoming an endurance partner endurance partners are those who give regularly with their prayers and of course with their gifts.

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Thanks in advance for helping us that information again RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and through your gifts and through your prayers. We continue to help people make it all the way to the finish line. You can write to us running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 one, Sir has brought part one of passions and conflict message in his series growing through conflict study in the life of King David. Next time more of the famous story of David and Bathsheba and getting your passions under control. This is Dave McAllister running to win is uncertain by the teacher