Maturity

Kevin revolves with you as I turn with if you want to second Samuel chapter 16 and will be looking at five 314 King David came to the whole room. There came out, a male of the family, the house of Saul, whose name was Jimmy, the son of Gerard and as he came.

He cursed continually and he threw stones at David and all the servants of King David and all the people all the mighty men were on his right hand on his left. Jimmy said as he cursed, get out, get out, Humana blood, you worthless man Lord is avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, and whose place you have rained in the Lord is given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. So your evil is on you.

You are a man of blood in the Vichy. The sun is Ross said to the king watching this dead dog cursed my lord the king, let me go over and take off his head.

The king said what if I do do with you, you sons as a rule I if he is cursing because the Lord is said to him, cursed David Prudential say why view done so David said to Vichy to all the servants, hold my own son seeks my life.

How much more now made this Benjamite leave them alone and let them curse the Lord is tolling to it may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to million that the Lord will repay me with good or is cursing today so David and his men went on the road or chimney. I went along on the opposite hillside opposite him and cursed as he went through stones at him and flung dust the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary after Jordan and there he refreshed himself ballast me as we got our Lord in prayer. Heavenly father. Today's messages about your call on our lives to grow up spiritually. We've been taught through Scripture and experience that we grow much quicker and stronger in times of tribulation and chastisement rather than times of luxury and ease today were of you and David being treated harshly and wrongly. He's been accused of things that he's not guilty of this, things frustrate us. They rub are further wrong way, but if we respond in a godly way we will mature quickly. What we discover in this chapter is that David is learn some important truth unjust punishment is receiving is making them dependent on God is breaking pride in his life and David is been wild by this truth. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble father teach us through the word today that things don't happen to us by accident and you can even use things that we consider bad to grow us up in the Lord, Lord, help me to exalt Jesus today for it is in your holy wonderful and precious thing that I pray, amen. You may be seated in first John chapter 2 John space to three different groups or classes of Christians. He speaks to the little children to the young men and to the father's what we are seeing here is a classification of different levels of spiritual maturity. First, there was a little children who relay little children of the new converts.

They are they who had just experienced the forgiveness of sins, they are they who had just been filled with the spirit of God in their experiencing the joy of the Lord like they never knew could happen. And then there is the young men the young men are those who have come to realize that we as Christians are not living all night playground were living on the battleground. They are learning how to do spiritual warfare they are learning how to put on the whole armor of God and how to take the word of God and use the word of God utilize it to defeat the enemy within.

The third stage is the father stage and in first grade, first John chapter 2 verse 14 John says this I have written unto you, father's because you have known him. That is, from the beginning. The Christian who is reached, the father stage of spiritual maturity is a Christian who is gotten to the point where he sees and perceives who God really is. In Hebrews chapter 11 verse 27. The Scripture says that Moses faith was so great that it was as if he could see the invisible God were not talking here about physical site but is spiritual perception and Psalm hundred and three verse seven.

The Scripture says God made known his ways under Moses. But his acts under the children of Israel. In other words, the children of Israel saw what God was doing but Moses saw God the children of Israel saw the miracles that God accomplished, but Moses understood what those miracles were all about. Today we are looking at a man who is reaching that father stage of spiritual maturity. His name is David not David had his ups and downs for sure a committed some horrible crimes and he made some terrible mistakes and they committed some terrible sins. And yet David is the apple of God's eye. He is a man after God's own heart.

I have spiritual goals in my life. I want to be the best preacher I can be. I want to be a light bearer. I want to be a godly dad. I want to be a godly husband. I want to be a godly grandfather. I want to get as much of the word of God in my life as I possibly can get into my heart and let it saturate my mind, but over and above all of this.

I will reach that father stage of spiritual maturity. I want to know God, like David you God.

I want to know Jesus like Paul knew Jesus I want to be a man after God's own heart. I want to reach the father stage of spiritual maturity.

The what I understand is this.

I've got a long long way to go is already 31st and second Samuel of come to realize that those who obtain this level of spiritual maturity. The father stage going to pay a very very high price second Samuel 16. We are watching David as he is approaching the father stage of spiritual maturity only share a little background with you just to help you understand how David got to that point God called David to be the king of Israel. When David was just a young boy probably ran 16 years old. He sent Samuel the, the priest of the house of Jesse David's dad and Jesse brought out all of his sons and hopefully that that that one of those sons would be chosen and and he brought the first seven and and brought them one by one, from oldest to the youngest and each one.

God said no, no, he's not the one I finally went out and they got David they brought them back.

And God said to Samuel, that's the one he's a man after God's own heart and Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him to become the next king of Israel and God strengthened David and when Goliath does a great job stood against Israel.

Nobody in Israel would fight Goliath until David came up probably 17 years old and nothing but a slingshot in the little stone and he went out and fought the giant Goliath and killed in with one little stone amazing thing and then David filed against the, the Philistines and defeated them time and time again they fought against the Amalekites of the ammonites and defeated them time and time again, he became known as the greatest military strategist on the face of the earth and King Saul became jealous became deeply envious of David, and he decided to put him to death to try to killing David would not retaliate.

He said I will not lift my hand against God's anointed and then Saul was killed in battle and David rose to power, he ascended to the throne of Israel. He became the new king, and he was the greatest king that Israel had until thousand years later when Jesus Christ was born during those first few years of his kingship. Things were going great everything was running smooth until one day temptation struck. David walked out onto his balcony, looked over the balcony and there was this beautiful woman bathing herself. He told his me and get her and bring her back to me and they did. She came back and he committed adultery with her and then in order to cover over his sin. He had her husband Uriah the Hittite keeled. He was one of his great loyal men and having put to death in order to cover over his sin.

The next year of his life. He was absolutely miserable. He was running from God. He was hiding his sin. He was trying everything he could to one run away from the presence of God, and he was absolutely miserable and he wrote Psalm 32. During this time, Annis. This is what he said in Psalm 32 my bones wax stole my mouth dried up God's hand was heavy upon me, and lost the joy of the salvation he lost the peace of God in his life. He couldn't even he couldn't sleep.

He was as miserable as he possibly could be. But don't think that the lost people in this world are the most miserable people on earth are not the most miserable people on earth are those who belong to the Lord and yet are running from him and disobeying him.

They are the most miserable God sent Nathan the prophet to confront David Nathan came and told a great story of the rich man who went to the poor man's house and stole his pet lamb brought them back and slaughtered that pet lamb and ate the Lamb.

And he along with his friend Nathan pointed in David's face and said David you're that man. David you are the one you he stole a man's wife and then you killed her husband in order to cover over your sin and God broke David, he fell on the floor. He we cried in any way out and he confessed his sin and he humbled himself before God, and he repented of his sin, and the Lord restored fellowship to David, but Nathan told David that the consequences of his sin would be dire consequences and that his family would be terribly hurt.

Not long after this David son Amnon raped David's daughter, his half-sister Amnon's half-sister, AAA eight raped her.

He deceived her. He seduced her he raped her. He rejected her and then laughed at her at tekmar was absolutely devastated. She had another brother's name was Absalom. When Absalom found out about this. He was absolutely livid and he just sat back for a moment. He says well this is dad's to deal with. I will let dad handle it when David didn't handle it.

David did not discipline. Amnon like he should. Why didn't he think David probably felt guilty over his own sin with Bathsheba, probably so guilty that he didn't want to have to deal with anybody else's sin, and so he didn't, but the lack of discipline that David did not do on his son Amnon was one of the, the, the, the most harmful things that ever took place in David's life for Absalom said to himself of my dad's not gonna take care of it. I guess that is left up to me I will have to avenge my sister's honor and David watched his Absalom got mad and tried to take over his kingdom.

This event drove a wedge between David and Ann, Absalom was absolutely horrible. Absalom became so rebellious that he said I know what I'm going to do. I'm gonna steal the throne away from my dad. I'm gonna take his kingdom. The Scripture says that Absalom began to steal the hearts of the people of Israel away from his dad and begin to talk to people and pretty much convinced them that he was the one that should be sitting on the throne of Israel. Many of the enemies of David immediately fled over to Absalom's side, and they decided to follow him and pretty soon it was a huge following that takes us to today's passage, Absalom is out gathering his troops together. He is planning a strategy to defeat his dad and with a broken heart. David leaves Jerusalem and begins retrieving away from Absalom and want to fight Absalom want to fight anybody don't hurt anybody this David and his men go through the little town of vacuum which is a little place. It's not far from what we know is the amount of violence. A very strange thing happens on the hill that overlooks the road which David and his men are traveling. There is a a man his name is shimmy is a relative of King Saul. He's up on the top of that heel and he waits until David is me and get right down blowing and he jumped out from behind that heel and he begins to scream obscenities at David. His face is red. He's mad, he's just as angry as they can be any begins a begins blaspheming and screaming against David and accusing them of all kinds of things pays gains mocking his family. He's demeaning his character and is always obscenities are just flying out of his mouth existed. David trauma here you bloodied man you sorry rascal is. Come on up here now. I'll put you to death is about tell you what's happening. David you getting what you deserve for just like you took offense, the, the throne away from King Saul, your son Absalom is taken the throne away from you.

A strange call.

Appear David, come on up here lately and your life. And David just stands there even say a word.

He doesn't respond back. He just stands there and make shimmy. I even matter and shimmy outreaches down.

He starts picking up rocks in his hand. He starts on those rocks that David is hard as he can.

And David is down there. He's ducking he's jumping he's trying to get out of the way and those rocks just keep coming. You talk to you.

Imagine that you talk about stupid me. That's stupid.

If any of you ever watched Andy Griffith show and Andy Griffith show that he's to be a character there. Come on, every once in a while Earnestine Bass. He was a rock thrower. It was crazy to say this guy would make Earnestine Bass look like an intellectual giant. I'm his cousin Edie.

It in a Vichy I wanted David's officers. One of his generals is standing right beside him. His mouth is just hanging open in astonishment reaches over and he grabs David shoulder start shaking Davidson's David you see this essay was going on here that man is cursing my cane is cussing out a man of God. These throwing rocks at you, David.

He will teach you and I and he wants to kill you, David. He is threatening your life, and he says David let me in. Let me go getting let let let me go and I looked out chop his head off by this time next week you'll be a week old ghost face is he not notifying anybody else he's gonna throw any rocks and anybody else I'll getting David Davises come down Vichy don't do a thing I want you just to let this happen and they walk on down the road. Shimmy didn't give up. He continues right down the road, cursing David yelling and screaming, adding and steel throwing rocks adding and not one hand is lifted to do anything about it to an interesting story and that. But why did God see fit to put a story like this in his holy word.

Like I said before, David is getting ready to enter into the father stage of spiritual maturity. God is doing something for him and in him is going make him more like Jesus than he's ever been before God is getting ready to do some mighty works in his life were David is can understand what it takes to bring glory to God and what it takes to enter into the intimacy with the God in the, the Almighty being that created this earth. Three lessons that David learned here that I will share with you. Number one, David was presented with an opportunity to glorify God through humility look with me at verse eight. The Lord is being shown you all the blood of the house of Saul in his place and you have rained and the Lord is given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom see your evil is all new for you are a man of blood shimmy I was accusing David the things that David had not done he said you killed King Saul. You killed his family, your bloodied man. David looked up the hill. He saw this man is all the redness of his face. He saw the anger he saw all the obscenities coming out of his mouth so all the venom so all that that just poisonous bitterness that was just losing out of this man.

He looked up at him and he wanted to say no I didn't kill King Saul by George, I could have the Lord provided the opportunity after opportunity to take him out to take his life and I would not do it and David could have said, you know his son King Saul's son Jonathan was my best friend in the world. He was my covenant brother I was not the enemy to Saul's family.

I was a friend of Saul's family. That's what he could've said David had been misunderstood. He had been falsely accused David could have argued for could've justified himself. He could have said shimmy your stupid ignorant man. You got all your facts wrong. All these charges that you brought against me are absolutely wrong I'm not guilty of any of them mail Smith yesterday this Sunday school teacher in my former church. ET taught the senior citizens class, but every day you get out and exercise a walk around the block where we live and out.

One day he was out and a young Saul little boy that was the only ladies front porch and little boy was jumping up trying to ring the doorbell little boy was too short and couldn't reach it. And so he tried and tried and tried, he couldn't do it. Only Mel saw his dilemma and walked over to he picked up the little boy and he held them up to to the doorbell and the little boy took his finger in me is about 10 times and then mail sitting down and that little boy took off running. I may just as fast as he could gun and spell me one long for. He was on the site. Finally, the woman came to the door. She's got this agitated look on her face.

She looks into what you want a says nevermind you wouldn't believe it if I told you. Sometimes we get wrongfully accused only David had been wrongfully accused and he could have argued for could've said man you know that all this is a lie, but he stood there he took the abuse he took the humiliation and he did not open his mouth that sound like anybody you know about Jesus.

Isaiah chapter 53 says that Jesus was led as a lamb to the slaughter, yet he opened not his mouth. They brought him into this kangaroo court and all these false witnesses came in they lie, the batting patient.

Jesus is committed blasphemy's done this. He's done that Jesus didn't open his mouth. The soldiers, Roman soldiers came to getting that bleeding till his face was beyond recognition. They took a crown of thorns. I crushed it down into his brow until the blood was flowing down his face. They mocked him, they spit on him and then they took him and they nailed him to a crawl's they nailed him to a cross and what it Jesus do. He didn't speak a word. He just stood there and love them. But God commended his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

This may have been one of most Christlike things that David ever did. David could have said somebody hand me a bow and arrow and he could've taken that bug we could've waited till shimmy.

I moved out from behind that tree. They could've taken that but whenever push just send it right to his heart and killed them on the spot that would been over with.

But then he would've been on the bloodied man, but when David stood there and he took the abuse and refused to let anybody hurt shimmy and did not utter a word to him.

All of David's men look back and said while God has done something supernatural in our King. This this is not normal.

No normal human being, just lets this happen.

This must've been an active God same thing happened in the book of acts remember the deacon Stephen great man of God. This was the deacon who preached and is preaching the gospel.

The authorities took in. They dragged them out to the outskirts of town. They threw them down to a pit they started pelting them with stones to put his life to an end. As I stones were hit a name. He looked up and he said to and into heaven.

Said father lay not this the end of their charge, what you think David is Sandy. I think he saying something like this. Father God, I give up all my rights, I humble myself under your mighty hand so that you will receive glory. The second lesson that David learned was the as he saw God's sovereignty and over Satan's power at look at verses 9 to 10 then Vichy the sun is through. I said to the king why should this dead dog curse, my lord the king, let me go over and take off his head. But the king said what about to do with you, you sons as a rule I if he is cursing because the Lord is said to him curse David who then shall say wife you done son. And this brings up a problem.

Done it if it was God who made shimmy. I cursed and that means that God is the author of sin. We know that's not true for God is holy and he cannot sin our God is so powerful and he is so sovereign that he controls even the devil and and in this situation. What he did was he lifted his restraining grace off of shimmy as heart and office in the as life and let this man do what his wicked heart wanted to do. And David was saying to himself God sovereignly allowed this to happen in God sovereignly allowed this to happen.

There must be something that God wants me to learn out of this and he listened to shimmy his words and he knew that shimmy. I was wrong. Not kill Saul did not kill Saul's family. He had not done that but he had killed Uriah the Hittite listen carefully, here David so shimmy is God's tool or God's instrument that God would use to discipline him to humbling and to breaking Hebrews 1211 says now no chastening for the present seems joyous, but grievous.

But nevertheless, afterwards it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness. AW Pink said the following. All of this. He said there are perhaps few things in which we so much fail as in apprehending the presence of God and his dealings with our souls in every circumstance of daily life. We are constantly ensnared by looking at secondary causes. We don't see God in everything it Satan gets the victory over us. But when a Christian begins to enter into the father level of spiritual maturity.

He starts, he and the sovereign hand of God in everything that happens Vichy. I was only looking at the man shimmy was all he was thinking about but David looked past the man and he saw God's purposes like Peter when Jesus was being arrested. Peter whipped out the sword started swinging that sword because all Peter could see was just the situation that was taken place right there in the garden. That's all he could see what he didn't say was what God's purpose was. He didn't see that God was even using these evil wicked men to put Jesus on the cross in order that he might pay our sin debt and save us from an eternal hail when David allowed shimmy out a cursing and throw rocks at him. He said the AA had the same attitude that Jesus had went when Jesus said this the cup that my father has given me. Shall I not drink of it looks. Jesus look beyond the cup to the one who feel the cup up with his wrath. It didn't matter who it was that killed Jesus with his Judas conference or pilot. It didn't matter who did kill Jesus.

It wasn't us think we did for Jesus died that we might have life, so we had a part in it. What about the Jewish religious leaders were they responsible absolutely.

What about the Roman soldiers that nailed him to the cross were they responsible absolutely what about the trail that screamed out in Jesus crucified Chris of five were they responsible absolutely what what about Judas what what about Pilate.

What about Caiaphas. Absolutely, they responsible absolutely. But what we need to remember is who was it that primarily crucified Christ invokes the answer to that is God. Isaiah chapter 53 verse four says he was smitten by God, and afflicted.

David saw God's hand in shimmy hey said I can't resist Leah's because this is my father's cup for me. Praise God when we can do that were starting to grow as Christians we share with you two quick descriptions of shimmy the first from from Richard Phillips, the second from Roger Ellsworth, Richard Phillips at shimmy is identified as a relative of King Saul, who had evidently lost out on life. As a result of David's elevation to the throne.

Roger Ellsworth said the following shimmy I had long nursed hatred against David regarding the kingdom is properly belonging to Saul and he regarded David as being responsible for Saul's downfall is far shimmy.

I was concerned, Absalom's rebellion was nothing less, than David getting back exactly what he himself had done shimmy. I was sadly mistaken. David did not lifted a finger to take Saul's kingdom from me when given the opportunity to kill Saul.

He refused to do so because Saul was the Lord's anointed.

Saul's downfall was due to his own refusal to obey God and David ascending to the throne was the Lord's doing, and not his own, as was so well-established it was beyond dispute shimmy. I refuse to believe the truth we can say therefore that he refused to believe the evidence in order to believe what he wanted to believe a couple willful ignorance with deep malice and hostility. The third lesson the David learned was a David exercise faith that God would bring good out of a bad situation will commit verse 12, it may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for is cursing today. David understood the principle of Romans 828 now we know that God works all things together for good to those who love him and are the called according to his purpose and the fall of 1987, 11 o'clock on Friday night I got a telephone call from a lady in my church church. The pastor did that time and the lady told me that it been a terrible accident and the girl name Laura Myers who was in our youth group 17 years old and been killed in a car accident on the way home from a from a football high school football game, I jumped in my car headed over to the house.

Her mom were George and Betty Myers. I got into the house and now I've seldom seen that, Greven Betty came over to me. She put her head down on my shoulder and she wept and she wept and she wept. We stayed there with that family until the early hours in the morning.

Just pray and spend the time with them and talking with them.

The funeral service was held on the next Monday, there were over 500 people at the funeral service.

Most of them were teenagers. Teenagers who were there with a whole lot of questions teenagers who were they are who had faced death for the first time face-to-face if they had ever had to face it before, and the next day after that service was over I went back to see George and Betty and Betty begin to share with me about all the teenagers that had come to her and talk with her and is said to her. Can you tell us about this Jesus who saved your daughter and gave your daughter eternal life.

George told me that he had gone over to the grace that morning when he got there there was a young man that was a friend of Lawrence and he was there at the right side. He before George got there he was staying there looking at the grave, tears rolling down his cheeks. George walked over to he put his arm around his shoulder. The man looked at Georgie said said said Mr. Myers.

He said I can't put Jesus off any longer. He said three weeks ago I tried cocaine I took an overdose and it just about kill me and he said now this is happened to Laura he said Mr. Myers.

Please tell me how I can come to know Jesus like Laura Jesus on their forget George. Looking back in the tears rolling down his cheeks.

He said Doug my daughter did not die in vain. Her death is bringing people to Christ.

George looked up at me and said that I will never forget it. Praise God for his sovereign hand. Praise God, he is not just the God of the good times but he is Lord of all. Praise God for Jesus is bigger than any problem that with God and this might sound crazy, but praise God for our shimmy eyes. You know we've all got him knowing you know what they in the I column column, heavenly Sandpiper for Fred. This is God. God uses sometimes it's people sometimes it's a circumstance to sand off all the rough edges in our lives stuff that didn't look like Jesus yet. I praise God for our shimmy's as you can do that is you can and really begin to see God's hand his sovereign hand in everything that takes place in your life, not just the good things, but in everything God can use that to make you more like him. Praise God for that Lissa. Let's pray heavenly father we live in a fallen world, bad things happen because of our depravity in the world's deep love for sin is hard for us to experience difficult situations like the illustration I use this morning of Laura Myers death while that situation, but our whole church to its knees brought her parents to deep grief.

Her pastor was brokenhearted. Her friends were in shock that she took that situation used it to save the souls of many young people and grow the faith of many hurting Christians trials and tragedies hurt our heart, yet you sovereignly use them to make us more like Christ. Help us to realize that the she meows in our life are not there to destroy us to mold us into Christ image. Forgive us for our little faith help us each day to love you more ports in Jesus precious, holy name we pray. Amen