Sermon #15221 Miscellaneous Sermons
Title: A
Fallen Saint And His Faithful God
Text: 2 Samuel 11:26-27
Reading: 2 Samuel 11:26-27 and Psalm 51
Subject: David’s Sin and God’s Grace
Date: Sunday Morning – November 24, 2002
Tape
# X-33a
Introduction:
God’s servant David
was a man of remarkable character. Grace had made him a man of integrity,
principle, and courage in the cause of God’s honor. He was a humble man, a
believing man, a faithful man, and a holy and righteousness man. He stood head
and shoulders above his peers. The Lord God himself tells us that David was
such a man as I have described. He was no better than any other man by nature.
But grace made him a new creature. God himself declares, “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart,
which shall fulfill all my will” (Acts 13:22).
David was a man chosen
of God, redeemed by Christ, born again and called by the Holy Spirit. He was a
righteous man, greatly and mightily used of God as no other man in his generation.
He was the man through whom Christ came into this world. Our Savior, who is the
Son of God, came into the world as the Son of man through David. Jesus Christ,
the Son of man, is the Son of David. Truly, David was a remarkable, remarkable
man.
But how is David
remembered? What do you think of when you hear David’s name? For most people, I
suspect the first thought, that comes to mind when David’s name is mentioned,
is adultery and murder. David took another man’s wife, committed adultery, and
had the man whose wife he had taken killed. What a horrible blight upon the
name of such a remarkable man! But it is written in the Scriptures for our
learning and admonition. So, today, I want to talk to you very plainly about
David’s sin. If you are taking notes, the title of my message is, A
Fallen Saint and His Faithful God. Lets read 2 Samuel 11:26-27.
(2 Samuel 11:26-27) "And when the wife of Uriah heard that
Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. (27) And when
the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became
his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the
LORD."
Now,
keep your Bibles open at 2 Samuel 12.
Proposition: This chapter is not written to sully the
name of God’s servant David, but to teach us both to be aware of our own
sinfulness and to adore the marvelous grace of our God.
Once David had
committed his horrible crimes, God left him alone for several months. The guilt
of sin lay upon his heart for nine long months (at least), unrepented of. I am
sure that during those long months of darkness his soul was heavy, his heart
smote him, and he lamented the evil he had done. I have no doubt that he went
to bed many nights with the face of his faithful friend, Uriah, before his eyes.
How many sleepless nights he must have spent, trying to silence the tormenting
accusations of his conscience. God left David alone for nine months to
seethe in his sin.
During those nine
months he found no comfort for his soul; he penned no psalms; his harp was out
of tune; his soul was like a tree in winter, the sap of life was still there in
the root, but he appeared to be dead. Indeed, David himself said, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old
through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon
me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer” (Psa. 32:3-4).
Then after nine long
months of barrenness, desolation and isolation from the Lord his God, after
nine months without hearing from God or being heard of God, God intervened in
mercy – “And the Lord sent Nathan unto
David” (12:1).
As we look together at
David, A Fallen Saint And His Faithful God, I want us to
learn these seven things. May God the Holy Spirit be our Teacher.
I.
This Book, The Bible, Is The Word Of God.
If this Book were only
a book of religious morals, compiled by men, it certainly would not record the
most wicked deeds of its most eminent examples of grace and faith. One of the
greatest evidences of inspiration is the fact that the Bible makes no attempt
to conceal the sins of God’s most eminent servants. Rather, it plainly exposes
them and makes no excuse for them.
·
Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord; but one day, while he lay in a drunken
stupor, one of his own sons defiled him.
·
Abraham
was the friend of God; but he lied to Abimelech, subjected his wife to
adultery, and took Hagar.
·
Moses
was the meekest man who ever lived; but the once smote the Rock, the token of
God’s presence, which typified Christ, in a fit of anger.
·
Aaron
was God’s high priest; but he once led Israel in idolatry.
·
Peter
was a chosen apostle of Christ; but he denied his Savior three times in one
dark, dark night.
·
Paul
was, it appears, the most widely used, most influential of all the apostles.
Yet, even Paul fell into the snare of legalism briefly at Jerusalem.
Why has the Holy
Spirit so plainly recorded the sins of God’s saints upon the pages of Holy
Scripture? Why is there no attempt made to cover, minimize, or in some way
excuse their sins? I can give you three reasons.
A. First, these things
are written to teach us that God’s
saints in this world are sinners still.
Illustration: Paul in Romans 7 – “I am the chief of sinners!”
William
Huntington, S.S.
John
Newton
“I
am a poor sinner and nothing at all;
But
Jesus Christ is my all in all!”
B. Second, these things
are written to teach us that salvation
is by the grace of God alone (Eph. 2:8-9).
(Ephesians 2:8-9) "For by grace are ye saved through
faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not
of works, lest any man should boast."
We all stand before
God as guilty sinners upon the footing of free grace alone!
·
Grace chose us!
·
Grace called us!
·
Grace keeps us!
·
And when we fall, grace restores us (Psa.
37:23-24; Pro. 24:16).
(Psalms 37:23-24) "The steps of a good man are
ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. (24) Though he fall,
he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his
hand."
(Proverbs 24:16) "For a just man falleth seven
times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief."
C. These things are written to teach us that
the whole of our acceptance with God
is the Person and work of Christ – “Accepted
in the Beloved!”
·
Christ is our Atonement!
·
Christ is our Righteousness!
·
Christ is our Sanctification!
II.
The second thing we must learn
from David’ sin is this – You and I must never cease to be aware of our
personal weaknesses arising from the depravity of our own hearts.
How often have you
thought to yourself, or said to others, “I do not understand how a true
believer could do such a thing?” What you are really saying is, “I would never
do that!”
I know that
doctrinally we all believe in total depravity; but by some proud, foolish
imagination we all think we are the exception. We would never say so, but we
all naturally think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
A. The great cause of Peter’s fall was
his pride (Lk. 22:31-33).
(Luke 22:31-33) "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired
to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: (32) But I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren. (33) And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to
go with thee, both into prison, and to death."
He had to learn that
he did not love Christ more than the rest of his brethren. There was no
difference between him and James, John, and Thomas; and he had to learn it.
B. The secret of steadfast commitment and consecration to
Christ is a genuine awareness of personal depravity (Rom.
12:1-3).
(Romans 12:1-3) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which
is your reasonable service. (2) And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (3) For I say,
through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of
himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according
as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith."
That person is in
grave danger who imagines that he or she is above committing some sin that
would bring reproach upon the gospel of the grace of God, the name of Christ,
and the church of God.
Illustration: Peter walking on the
water – As we walk across these troubled waters we must never cease to look to
Christ! As soon as we take our eyes off him we begin to sink.
III.
Thirdly, learn from
David that – We are all naturally blind to our own faults, but quick to see the
faults of others.
(2 Samuel 12:1-4) "And the LORD sent Nathan unto David.
And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the
one rich, and the other poor. (2) The rich man had exceeding many
flocks and herds: (3) But the poor man had nothing, save one
little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together
with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his
own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. (4) And
there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own
flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto
him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to
him."
When Nathan
illustrated David’s sin by telling him the parable of the rich man who had many
lambs, but stole the only lamb his poor neighbor had (vv. 1-4), David was
enraged and quickly judged that man to be worthy of death, never imagining that
he was the man! (See Matt. 7:1-5.)
(2 Samuel 12:5-7) "And David's anger was greatly kindled
against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that
hath done this thing shall surely die: (6) And he shall restore
the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
(7) And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD
God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of
the hand of Saul;"
(Matthew 7:1-5) "Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what
judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall
be measured to you again. (3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in
thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
(4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of
thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? (5) Thou
hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou
see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
·
Indian saying—“Don’t
judge another man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins!”
·
This is my prayer—“Lord,
teach me to be lenient, merciful and forbearing toward my brethren. If I have
any severity, let it be directed against myself. Teach me to forgive, overlook,
and excuse the weaknesses and failings of my brethren.”
IV.
Fourthly,
this sad event in David’s life teaches us that we are all need a faithful
preacher (12:1).
“And the Lord sent Nathan unto David!” What
a blessing! Blessed is that man to whom God sends his Nathans!
·
David was a prophet; but he needed a prophet.
·
David was a king; but he needed a prophet.
·
David was a a writer of Inspiration; but he
needed a prophet.
When God has grace to
convey to his elect he sends a messenger to speak for him. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” God always sends a
preacher to…
·
The lost one he will save.
·
The languishing one he will revive.
·
The fallen one he will restore.
For wise and holy
reasons known only to himself, God allows his saints to fall into sin.
Sometimes he leaves them to themselves for a long time; but he will not leave
them forever! (Isa. 57:17-18).
(Isaiah 57:17-18) "For the iniquity of his covetousness
was I wroth, and smote him: I hid me, and was wroth, and he went on frowardly
in the way of his heart. (18) I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I
will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners."
“He sends after us
before we seek after him, else we would certainly be lost.” (Matthew Henry)
Nathan was the prophet
by whom God had promised many good things to David (2 Sam. 7:13-17); but now he
must speak to David a word of stern reproof.
A. Nathan was a faithful prophet.
Having received the
word at God’s mouth, he spoke it faithfully. He was David’s truest friend, for
he spoke to David the Word of God. Joab was only a pretended friend.
1. Nathan did not say,
“I will not go to David, for he has sinned.” He counted him not as an enemy,
but admonished him as a friend (2 Thess. 3:15).
2. He did not say,
“David is the king. I dare not reprove him and expose his sin!” He was faithful
to God and faithful to David. He told him the truth. He was true to his soul.
a. He
reminded David of all the great things God had done for him and was willing to
do for him (12:7-8).
(2 Samuel 12:7-8) "And Nathan said to David, Thou art the
man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I
delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; (8) And I gave thee thy master's
house, and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel
and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have
given unto thee such and such things."
b. He
plainly exposed David’s sin for what it was –
Contempt for God’s authority (12:9).
(2 Samuel 12:9) "Wherefore hast thou despised the
commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the
Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast
slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon."
c. He
frankly told David what the consequences of his sin would be
(12:10-12).
(2 Samuel 12:10-12) "Now therefore the sword shall never
depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife
of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. (11) Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I
will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy
wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall
lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. (12) For thou didst it secretly:
but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun."
B. And David bowed to and received the
Word of God (12:13).
(2 Samuel 12:13) "And David said unto Nathan, I have
sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put
away thy sin; thou shalt not die."
Here is a mark of
grace, a mark of a true believer. When David was confronted with his sin, he
confessed it and repented of it. He bowed to the Word of God.
1. He
was not angry with Nathan for delivering God’s Word.
·
“I’ll get another prophet!”
·
“I’ll just change churches!”
2. He
was not angry with God for judging his sin.
3. He
frankly confessed his sin. This is the essence of repentance (1 John 1:9; Psa.
51:1-17; 32:1-5).
(Psalms 32:1-5) "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered. (2) Blessed is the man unto
whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no
guile. (3) When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring
all the day long. (4) For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture
is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. (5) I acknowledged my sin
unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my
transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
Selah."
(Psalms 51:1-4) "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the
prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O
God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy
tender mercies blot out my transgressions. (2) Wash me thoroughly from
mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. (3) For I acknowledge my
transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. (4) Against thee,
thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou
mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou
judgest."
V.
The fifth lesson to be learned
from David’s fall is the fact that our lives affect a lot of people and a lot of
things.
None of us lives unto
himself. Everything we say and everything we do affects other people. Our
companions, our children, our brethren, our neighbors, our friends, and our
enemies are watching us. What we say and do does affect them!
The scandalous lives
of people who profess faith in Christ and the scandalous actions of people who
possess faith in Christ are matters of grave concern, because they give men
occasion to blaspheme the name of our God. The more prominent and influential a
person is the more severe the consequences of his sin are (Rom. 2:23-24).—Lot
led his family to destruction!
·
Pastors
·
Parents
·
Employees
Though God did not
punish David for his sin personally (His sin was punished in Christ!), he did
chasten him publicly. He had to vindicate his honor and show his displeasure
with David’s sin. Notice the consequences of David’s sin.
A.
The
name of the Lord was blasphemed (12:14).
(2 Samuel 12:14) "Howbeit, because by this deed thou
hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child
also that is born unto thee shall surely die."
B.
The
child of David’s lust was killed (12:18).
(2 Samuel 12:18) "And it came to pass on the seventh
day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the
child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake
unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex
himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?"
C.
The
sword would never depart from his house (12:10).
(2 Samuel 12:10) "Now therefore the sword shall never
depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife
of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife."
D.
David
reaped the consequences of his sin in his children (12:11-12; 16:22).
(2 Samuel 12:11-12) "Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will
raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives
before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie
with thy wives in the sight of this sun. (12) For thou didst it secretly:
but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun."
(2 Samuel 16:22) "So they spread Absalom a tent upon the
top of the house; and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight
of all Israel."
·
Amnon learned to live by his lusts by watching
his father gratify his own lusts.
·
Absalom learned to despise his father by his
father’s deeds.
·
Ahithophel learned to betray his trusted friend
by David’s deeds.
Beware, my friend,
your sin will find you out. You cannot take fire to your bosom and not get
burned. You cannot sin against God and get by. Your sin and mine has its consequences…
·
Upon the name of God.
·
Upon the family of God.
·
Upon all who are under our influence.
VI.
The sixth lesson to be learned from this
sad story is the fact that the Lord our God is merciful and gracious to
forgive sin (12:13). (See Psalm 103:8-14).
(2 Samuel 12:13) "And David said unto Nathan, I have
sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put
away thy sin; thou shalt not die."
(Psalms 103:8-14) "The LORD is merciful and
gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. (9) He will not always
chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. (10) He hath not
dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
(11) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his
mercy toward them that fear him. (12) As far as the east is from the
west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. (13) Like
as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that
fear him. (14) For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
David was so
overwhelmed by the goodness and grace of God in forgiving his sin that when he
wrote about it he could not extol the grace of God enough (Psa. 32; 51).
It is still true, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1
John 1:9). “Who is a God like unto thee,
that pardoneth iniquity?” (Mic. 7:18). Our God is a God “who delighteth in mercy!”
What a picture we have
here of God’s mercy in forgiving sin. This is what God does for sinners. He
forgives them!
A. The Lord God forgave David of his
sin (12:13).
1. It
was an immediate forgiveness.
As soon as confession was made pardon was declared. God never upbraids where
sin is honestly confessed; but by the power of his omnipotent grace, through
the merits of Christ’s shed blood, he casts the hell-born thing behind his back
(John 1:29).
2. It
was a complete forgiveness
(Psa. 32:5). The Lord God forgave David’s iniquity, his transgression, his sin,
and the iniquity of his sin! David was not charged with sin. God would not
impute sin to him, ever! (Rom. 4:8).
(Psalms 32:5) "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I
not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."
(Romans 4:8) "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute
sin."
NOTE:
This is the strongest argument under heaven to promote
holiness (1 John 2:1-2).
3. It
was forgiveness accompanied by a
promise – “Thou shalt not
die!” Wherever God grants pardon he promises life, eternal life (Acts
13:37-38; John 5:24).
(John 5:24) "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
(Acts 13:37-38) "But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. (38) Be
it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:"
B. God forgave David freely, but an
innocent victim must die in his place (12:14, 18).
(2
Samuel 12:14) "Howbeit, because by
this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to
blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die."
(2
Samuel 12:18) "And it came to pass
on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to
tell him that the child was dead: for they said, Behold, while the child was
yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will
he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead?"
Grace is free, but it
is not cheap. Forgiveness comes to us freely, but someone had to pay for our
sin! Look at the illustration before us…
God’s justice must be
vindicated, and must appear to be vindicated. Therefore, seven days after it
was born that baby, who was altogether innocent of David’s crime, died, as it
were, in his stead, because of his sin. God killed it.
Even so, the Lord
Jesus Christ, who was altogether holy and innocent, died as our Substitute, the
Just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. There is no other way for
God to be just and yet justify the ungodly. God killed his Son for us!
C. David and the innocent one who died
in his place, who died for his sin, will someday be reunited (12:23).
(2 Samuel 12:23) "But now he is dead, wherefore should I
fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to
me."
David found great
comfort and satisfaction for his heart in the hope that one day he would go to
be with his son in heaven. Is this not the joy of your heart? When our
pilgrimage here is over we shall go to be with Christ in heaven! We shall see
him who loved us and gave himself for us! (Isa. 33:17).
(Isaiah 33:17) "Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall
behold the land that is very far off."
“What
a day that will be
When
my Jesus I shall see!
When
I look upon His face,
The
One who saved me by His grace!”
VII.
The seventh lesson to be learned from
this fallen saint is the blessed fact that the Lord our God is faithful, even to, no,
especially to his fallen saints (12:24-25; 2 Tim. 2:13; Mk.
16:7).
(2 Samuel 12:24-25) "And David comforted Bathsheba his
wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called
his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him. (25) And he sent by the hand
of Nathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah (BELOVED OF THE LORD),
because of the LORD."
The faithfulness of
our God is nowhere more evident than in the way he overrules the sins of his
people to do them good (Psa. 76:10; Rom. 8:28). Though David’s act of taking
Bathsheba greatly displeased the Lord, God gave him a son by her through whom
his covenant promise and gracious purpose was fulfilled.
No doubt, Bathsheba
was greatly distressed with the sense of her sin and the tokens of God’s
displeasure. So, when God restored to David the joy of his salvation, he
comforted her with the comforts God had given him.
A.
They
called their son Solomon, which means “Peace” (2 Sam. 23:5).
B.
But
Nathan called him Jedidiah, which mean “Beloved of the Lord.”
C.
This
man, Solomon, was a type of Christ, through whom we have peace, in whom we are
beloved of the Lord!
But more, Solomon is the man, through whom Christ came into
the world! No mistake was made!
Application:
1. Let us ever beware
of and confess our sin.
2. Adore God’s grace.
3. Trust God’s Son.
4. How great, how
gracious, how faithful, how forgiving God our Savior is!
(Mark 16:7) "But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth
before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you."
·
Come now to your God, my fallen brother.
·
Come now to God, through Christ, lost sinner.
(1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
(1 John 2:1-2) "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye
sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous: (2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for
ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."
1 Danville (AM 09/27/92)—Todds Road Grace
Church, Lexington, KY—Sovereign Grace Church, New Castle, IN—Bethel Baptist
Church, Spring Lake, NC—Millsite Baptist Church, Cottageville, WV (All in
1992)—Lealman Church, St. Petersburg, FL (03/19/95)—Hampton, VA
(10/25/95)—Victory Chapel Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC (12/01/95)—Kitchens
Creek Baptist Church, Ball, LA (01/07/96)—Wichita Falls, TX (01/10/96)—Rescue
Baptist Church, Rescue, CA (01/27/96)—Danville (AM 11/24/02)