Let's look together in 2 Samuel
chapter 11. 2 Samuel chapter 11. I'm gonna read just about this whole chapter. And it came to pass, after the
year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle,
that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel,
and they destroyed the children of Ammon and beseeched Rabah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. And it came to pass in an evening
tide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof
of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman
washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
And David sent and inquired after the woman, and one said, is not
this Bathsheba, the daughter of Elim, the wife of Uriah the
Hittite? David sent messengers and took
her, and she came in unto him, and he lay with her, for she
was purified from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her own
house. And the woman conceived, and sent, and told David, and
said, I am with child. David sent to Joab saying, send
me Uriah the Hittite, and Joab sent Uriah to David. And when
Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him how Joab did,
and how the people did, and how the war prospered. And David
said to Uriah, go down to thy house, wash thy feet, and Uriah
departed out of the king's house, and there followed him a mess
of meat from the king. But Uriah slept at the door of
the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and went
down not to his house. And when they had told David,
saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah,
Camest thou not from thy journey? Why then didst thou not go down
unto thine own house? And Uriah said unto David, the
ark and Israel and Judah abide in tents, and my Lord Joab and
the service of my Lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then
go into mine house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife?
As thou livest and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.
Then David said to Uriah, tarry here today also, and tomorrow
I'll let thee depart. So Uriah bode in Jerusalem that
day and tomorrow. And when David had called him,
he did eat and drank before him, and he made him drunk. And at
evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of
his Lord, but went not down to his house. And it came to pass
in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it
by the hand of Uriah. Now he's sending this by the
hand to the fella he's fixed to do something awful to. Set
Uriah, and he wrote in the letter saying, set Uriah in the forefront
of the hottest battle and retire from him that he may be smitten
and die. And it came to pass when Joab
observed the city that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew
that valiant men were. And the men of the city went
out and fought with Joab, and there fell some of the people
of that day, and Uriah the Hittite died. And so the messenger, the messenger
went down, verse 22, So the messenger went and came, and showed David
all that Joab had sent him. And the messenger said unto David,
Surely the men prevailed against us, and came unto us into the
field. And we were upon them even unto
the entering of the gate. And the shooter shot from off
the wall upon thy servants, and some of the king's servants be
dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. Then David
said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let
not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as
well as another. Make thy battle more strong against
the city, overthrow it, and encourage thou him. And when the wife of
Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her
husband. And when the morning was past, David sent and fetched
her to his house, and she became his wife and bear him a son.
But the thing that David had done, displeased the Lord. Our Father, our great and glorious
and blessed God of all grace, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
our Father, and our Lord Jesus, our Savior, the very, very lover
of our souls who left eternity willingly, joyfully, to do the
will of Him that sent you. And Lord, you accomplished that
will. And we are living proofs of your will being done, of what
you accomplished in your life, in your death, in your burial,
in your resurrection, in your ascension. We are living proofs
of what your life and blood and death did for sinners. And oh
Lord, we bless you. And Father, I ask that you would
come down in power. Oh, Lord, come in power. Only
you can touch a man's heart. Only you can quicken a man. Only
you can give sight. Only you can give hearing. Only
you can give life from the dead. Only you, Lord Jesus Christ,
can make the gospel effectual. And so, Lord, we trust you. I'm
just dust and ashes. old clay pot. So Lord, enable
me to speak and God bless the dear saints here tonight, those
that are not with us through sickness, through weakness, through
inabilities. God bless them, God strengthen
them, God encourage them. Lord, continue to bless Peggy,
strengthen her. Jim, oh Lord, strengthen him
and help him in his body. Bless the husband and wives as
they labor to Watch out for the ones they love. And Lord, have
mercy upon Herschel's family. Lord, we ask these things in
Christ's name. Amen. Amen. Now I want you to turn back over
here with me. I want to talk about some lessons.
Five lessons from David's fall. Now, when you think of David,
what's the first thing you think of when you think of David? First
thing I think of is he's a man after God's own heart. That's
the first thought that goes through my mind when I think of David.
He's a man after God's own heart. God said, I found a man after
my own heart. That's the first thing. The second
thing I think about when I think about him is that God hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, ensured.
I think of that. But the third thing I think about
of David is, you see, love covers a multitude of sins, you know.
And the third thing I think about of David is his sin. David did
some grievous, grievous sins. Sin is awful. Sin is evil. Sin is dark. Sin is damning. Sin is awful. And there's two
chapters, chapter 11 and chapter 12 here in 2 Samuel dedicated,
dedicated to David's fall and David God dealing with him over
it. He took Uriah's wife. She got pregnant by him in an
adulterous affair. In an adulterous affair. How would you refuse the king?
He's the king. And then he had her husband murdered. Said put him in the hottest part
of the battle. That he died. Ain't that what
he said to Joab? Put him in the hottest part of
the battle that he die. Then when he got word that he
died, he said, well, a sword happens to one just like it does
another. So no big deal. His wife mourned a while and
then he went and got her. Went and got her. And David's
sin is condemned and righteously so. But have you ever, ever pondered
the reasons why God permitted David to fall? Why God allowed
David to fall, permitted him to fall? God could have as easily
prevented him from falling as he did calling him when he was
a young man in his father's house. He could have kept him from doing
that. And I'll show you what I mean. Look over in Genesis
chapter 20 with me for just a minute and I'll show you exactly what
I mean. This verse of scripture years ago gave me lots and lots
of problems, you know, when I began to think about Adam's sin. But here, God could have kept
David from falling. God could have preserved David.
He could have kept Uriah alive. None of this could have happened
without the will of God. Though David's the one that's
going to be blamed for his sin. But nothing happens. And look
what it said here in chapter 20. And Abram journeyed from
this toward the south country and dwelt between Kodesh and
Shur and journeyed in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his
wife, she is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gerar sent
and took Sarah, thought he's taken a man's sister. But God
came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, Behold
thou art but a dead man for the woman which thou hast taken for
she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near
and he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation?
said he not unto me she is my sister and she even she herself
said he is my brother in the integrity of my heart innocence
to me of my hands I have not done this have I done this and
God said unto him in a dream yea I know that thou didst this
in the integrity of thy heart now listen to this for I also
withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee
not to touch her The only reason you didn't, I kept you from it. That's what he's saying. So why
didn't God do David that way? Why didn't God do David that
way? And I tell you, I acknowledge, I believe every one of us would
acknowledge that God has hedged us in and kept us up to this
point in time from Satan, from ourselves, and from falling into
great God dishonoring sin publicly like David did. Thank God that
he's kept us from that to this point, to this point. But I tell
you, I got five little old things I want to talk about this evening.
The first thing to acknowledge in David's rise and fall, he
rose from a shepherd boy to the king, and then his fall. We have to acknowledge David
in his victories and in his defeats, in his spiritual successes and
his spiritual failures. What we have to acknowledge,
the first thing, is the sovereign hand of God. We have to acknowledge
God's sovereign hand. God's hand, our father, our sovereign
Lord, is never removed from his child, never removed from him.
When Paul said it this way, wouldn't it please God who separated me
from my mother's womb and called me by his grace? In fact, he's
been upon us from our mother's womb. He told Jeremiah before
you was formed in the belly, I knew thee and ordained thee
to be a prophet. And his hand is never, ever removed
from his child. And I say this, that God is the
first cause of all things, whether he directs it or else he permits
it. It's his will that's being done.
He works all things after the counsel of His own will. Look
in Isaiah 14 with me for just a moment and look what He says
over here in Isaiah 14 in verse 24. You know that's what He meant
when He said all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose.
For whom he did foreknow, them he also did predestinate. Them
he did predestinate, them he also called. Them he called,
he also justified. Them he justified, he also glorified. What shall we say then to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? So we have to acknowledge God's hand in everything. And
oh, listen to what he said here in Isaiah 14, verse 24. The Lord
of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely, as
I have thought, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed,
so shall it stand. What I think that comes to pass,
what I purpose, that's the way it's going to be. In fact, when
Satan went to and fro on the earth, seeking whom he could
devour, God confronted him and said, What are you doing? He
said, I'm going to and fro. He said, have you ever considered
my righteous servant Job, a perfect and an upright man? Oh, I have,
I have, I considered him. He said, but oh, listen, you
got a hedge around him, you take that hedge down and I'll get
at him. And see, Satan couldn't even get to Job unless God allowed
him to, permitted him to, and told him he could just go so
far. And even Joseph, When Joseph was, he had ten brethren that
hated him, ten brethren that hated him, despised him. And they got him out one day
and they decided, you know, we'll kill this boy, we'll kill him.
And then one of them says, no, no, no, let's don't kill him,
let's don't kill him, let's sell him as a slave and send him down
into Egypt. All that happened, God had him
go, sold, had his father think he was dead, sold into Egypt,
put in prison, brought up out of prison, ascended the throne,
all of it by the will and purpose of God by the hands of wicked
men. And Joseph says, listen, I know
that you done some evil things, but he
says, but God sent me before you to save you. to save you. And Paul's thorn in the flesh.
You know what he said about it? He says, God sent me a messenger
of Satan to buffet me. A messenger of Satan. And I asked
the Lord three times to take it away. He was ordained of God. So we see, first of all, God's
sovereign hand and think God could have stopped him. But God
said, I'll lift my hand. I'll let him, I'll let him go.
And the second thing is, not only we have to acknowledge God's
sovereign hand, and you know, if he goes up and he falls, who's,
you know, David sinned. There's no doubt about that.
But I tell you what, just as sure as a man gets high, he gonna
be brought down. And he had a lot of successes,
and he had a lot of, he got presumptions. But all, and I'll tell you the
second thing. All the experiences of God's people in the scriptures,
Both good and bad are for the destruction and example of you
and I. Is that not right? Look in Romans. I believe it's Romans chapter
14. I believe that's where I want to look at. And then we're going
to look at something else. Romans chapter 14. No, Romans
15 verse 4. Romans 15 verse 4. All the experiences of God's
people, whether they're good or bad, are for our instruction
and our example. Whatever happens to somebody
in the scriptures, it's for us to learn. It's for us to learn. David did that, not that you
and I might do it, but that God would warn us, that's what you
don't do. That's what you don't do. Look
what he said here in verse 4. Romans 15, 4. For whatsoever
things were written aforetime were written for our learning
that we through patience and comforts of the scripture might
have hope. The scriptures are to teach us.
Now look over in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 with me. 1 Corinthians
10. God's word is not like the biographies
of men and I'm very grateful for that. I've only read one
biography where they dealt with a man honest, and that was Arthur
Pinks. And they had to deal with him honest. He was so ornery
and so self-righteous in so many ways that, you know, they couldn't
help but to show his blemishes. But God's Word, I'm glad it's
not like the biographies of men. God's Word doesn't conceal the
bad. of the sinful or the weakness
or the discouragements or the depressions or the despairs and
the struggles and the fights and the flesh that people fall
into. God's words doesn't conceal the
bad and only reveal the good of the saints. In the Bible,
the men are portrayed exactly as they are. sinners saved by
the grace of God and kept only by the grace of God. All of them
need salvation. All of them have to have be saved
by grace or they'll not be saved at all. And oh, in God's Word,
you know, we take we are taken into the most intimate and personal
lives of men like Noah. He got a, you know, If you're
going to put in God's Word, you have somebody like Noah that
God said he found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And only eight
people were saved. You would make sure you guarded
his character extremely. But what did God say about him?
He got off that boat, grown him a vineyard, and as quick as the
grapes got ripe, he made him some wine. He's pretty strong.
Next thing, he's drunk, and he is naked in his tent. But he found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And his very name means comfort. And oh, what about
Abraham? Found him lying twice. He got tired of waiting on God,
went into his handmaid and had a child, Ishmael, who always,
Ishmael, even the world is suffering from Ishmael today. Ishmaelites, Muslims, Arabs,
Ishmaelites. And oh, Lot, who in the world
would have ever thunk Lot was a saved man unless God went down
there, had to drag him out of Sodom. And Aaron, his brother as long
as Moses was around, Aaron stayed in pretty good shape. Moses went
off to get the Ten Commandments, went off up on the mountain.
God said, get down right quick. He said, I hear a sound in the
camp. He said, what is it? The sound of war? He said, no,
it's not the sound of war. Get down there quick. And they
went down there and they was Partying and had this wonderful
party just having the biggest time in the world Dancing and
carrying on and they had a golden calf and holding it up fellas
running around there holding up a golden calf Said this is
the God that brought us up out of Egypt You think God's people ain't
done some foolish things I And then Simon Peter, oh, Lord, there
ain't nobody in the world that won't stand with you. If they
all deny you, I ain't. He said, Simon, before the rooster
crows in the morning, you'll deny me three times. But oh,
let me look here in 1 Corinthians 10 with me. All the experience
of God's people in the scriptures, whether they're good or bad,
are for our instruction, for our example. Moreover, brethren,
I would not that you should be ignorant. That's the first thing.
I don't want you to be ignorant. Don't want you to be ignorant
about this, how that all of our fathers were under the cloud.
Talking about that cloud that was over Israel when it's coming
up out of Egypt. And all passed through the sea,
all went through the Red Sea. And all were baptized under Moses
in that cloud in that sea. They followed Moses and they
believed Moses and they stayed close to Moses and they were
baptized in that cloud and in that sea. And did all eat the
same spiritual meat that heavenly bread was sent down from heaven.
And did all drink the same spiritual drink. Now they're not saying
water, not saying manna, they're saying spiritual food. And they
drank of that spiritual rock that followed them and that rock
was Christ. But With many of them, God was
not well pleased for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
You know how many people came up out of Egypt, went into the
promised land? Over 20 years old, two men. Caleb and Joshua. Everybody else,
God's killed them. He killed 23,000 in one day.
But listen to this now. Now these things were our examples. to the intent, and this is what
he means. I want you to have this intent.
Don't be ignorant of these things. We should not lust after evil
things as they also lust. Don't do that. Neither be ye
idolaters, as were some of them. As it is written, the people
sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And oh my, so
they lusted after evil things, idolaters, and then neither let
us commit fornication as some of them committed, and fell in
one day three and twenty thousand." And this is what else he says,
neither let us tempt Christ. as some of them also tempted
and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye as some of
them also murmured and were destroyed of the destroyer. You see how
many things he warns us about right there? Now listen to this. Now all these things happened
unto them for an ensemble, for types to teach us And they're
written to admonish us upon whom the ends of the world come. And He says, Now let him that
thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. Because if you
look at all these things right here and say, That ain't going
to happen to me. I ain't going to do that. I ain't going to do that. By
the time you think yet, that's what you'll do. And listen to
what He says, There hath no temptation taken you. All those things that
happen to those people in the wilderness. God warned them,
God told them, God used Moses, God done so many things to warn
them. And there hath no temptation
taken you, but that such as is common to man. But God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you're able.
Those folks, but will with the temptation also make a way of
escape that you may be able to bear. So the second thing is
we've got to acknowledge God's sovereign hand, and all the experience
of God's people in the scriptures, whether they're good or bad,
are for our learning. And I tell you, some of God's
blessed people are seen in very, very poor, poor character. Some
are permitted to sin greatly before meeting Christ. Saul of
Tarsus, oh, he sinned greatly before Christ apprehended him
on the Damascus road. Some are permitted to sin greatly
after meeting Christ. David is an illustration. Simon
Peter is an illustration. But I'll tell you something about
it. Now listen to this. Not one of them, not one of them
is allowed to continue in sin. God will not let them continue
in sin. He won't do it. And I tell you,
and that's what he meant, you know, he said, the blood of Christ
cleanses us from all things. And if a man say he has not sinned,
he makes God a liar. If he say he has no sin, the
truth's not in him. Now, back over here, look in
our text. I want you to see something here. Now, in chapter 12, look
what happens here. Now, you know, I didn't read
this about Nathan being coming and telling him about the poor
man's lamb and that. But look what God said to David
down here. In verse 9 of chapter 12, this is
the rebuke that God sent to David. 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. NOW LISTEN TO THIS, NOW THEREFORE
THE SWORD SHALL NEVER DEPART FROM THINE OWN HOUSE, BECAUSE
THOU HAST DESPISED ME AND HAST TAKEN THE WIFE OF URIAH THE HITTITE
TO BE THY WIFE. THUS SAITH THE LORD, BEHOLD,
I WILL RAISE UP EVIL AGAINST THEE OUT OF THINE OWN HOUSE,
OUT OF YOUR CHILDREN, OUT OF YOUR WIVES, OUT OF YOUR OWN FAMILY.
I WILL TAKE YOUR WIVES BEFORE YOUR EYES AND GIVE THEM UNTO
YOUR NEIGHBOR, AND HE WILL LIE WITH YOUR WIVES IN THE SIGHT
OF THE SUN. You did it secretly. You thought
you had this hid, but I'm going to do this thing before all Israel
and before the Son. Oh, David, boy, he's down. He has been exposed. Now listen
to what he does now. He didn't say, well, preacher,
you wasn't there. You never walked in my shoes.
He never made no excuses. He didn't say, wait a minute.
You just don't know what it was like. You don't know how bad,
you know. No, he didn't make no excuses.
No, no. David said, I have sinned against
the Lord. I've sinned against the Lord.
And that's the first thing that a man will do when he finds out.
And I'll tell you, I don't know about you all. Sin don't bother
me like it used to. I seem like I've got case hardened.
Have you all ever feel that way? Do you feel like you've got so
hard-hearted and so dead and so lifeless in you that sin does
not bother you and is tender toward it as you once were? I hope none of you as bad as
I am. But look what he said, I've sinned against the Lord.
And Nathan said unto David, and listen to this, David would have
despaired had not God said this to him. Nathan said unto David,
the Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die, howbeit
because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies
of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born to thee
shall die. God warns us, and that's what
I say. Experiences, good or bad, God puts them there to teach
us, to show us. And then the third thing, the
sin of David clearly sets before us the deceitfulness of the human
heart. that what David did puts before
us clearly and plainly and just without any doubt the deceitfulness
of the human heart and teaches us to put no confidence in this
flesh whatsoever. Huh? The heart is deceitful above
all things and desperately, desperately wicked. You know, I've quoted
this many times but I want you to see this. Proverbs 28. Proverbs
28, I could quote this to you, but I want you to see this. I
want you to see it with your own eyes. I want you to get it. I want you to understand it. And oh, listen. Oh, this shows
us clearly the deceitfulness of the human heart and teaches
us to put no confidence in the flesh. Oh, this heart is deceitful. A lot of people say, I know my
heart. If I know my heart, well, I know mine enough to know that
I ain't fixin' to trust it. And I'm not gonna let it go by
feelings either. Well, I don't feel like that's
bad, or I don't feel like that's the right thing to, I don't let,
I'm not gonna let my conscience be my guide either. If you let your heart be your
guide, Your heart will always deceive you and make you do something
you shouldn't do. It'll talk you into doing something
you shouldn't do, and then when you do it, you'll come along
and the devil come along and say, well, I know it's bad, but
wasn't that bad? Until somebody sends Nathan along,
and Nathan, from the pulpit, starts preaching, and then all
of a sudden, your sin's exposed, and then you say, I've sinned
against the Lord. And see, that's why David done
this secretly. And if he hadn't been the king,
nobody would have never noted, but he was the king of Israel.
He was the man God put on the throne. He was the man that God
chose out of the sheep coat. He is the man that God raised
up. How many other people you think was committing adultery?
You know, in Israel that day out our Lord Jesus was in the
Gentiles court and they were sitting there preaching and teaching
and they brought in a woman taken in adultery. You think men and
women committing adultery just started in the last few years? If there's been two men, two
women, something's going to happen. That's just the way it is. This
flesh is so rotten, so corruptible, and this heart is so deceitful.
And look what he said here. This is what I'm trying to get
to. Look what he said in verse 26 of Proverbs 28. He that trusteth in his own heart
is a fool. You know, don't say, I know my
heart. If you trust in your own heart,
you're a fool. Who are you going to trust? Christ. That's who you're going to trust.
Because he really knows us. He really knows us. And David's
fall came after he was called the father in Israel. And let
me tell you something, beloved. He walked with God many, many
years. He endured lots and lots and
lots of trials. Won many, many battles and great,
great victories. They danced before David and
said, David has slain 10,000. And by this time, he had written
many of the Psalms. He was man after God's own heart
and yet he fell into a great, great sin. You know why? Because the heart is deceitful
and you don't put any confidence in the flesh. And I know this,
that which is born of the flesh will remain flesh until they
throw, until our breath leaves this body. We're going to have
to contend with it. I remember asking a man, he lived just a
few days from being 100 years old, and he was way up late 70s,
early 80s, and I asked him this question years and years and
years ago. I said, does it get easier as you get older? He says,
no, no. He said, you know, there are
certain things that won't bother you dead when you're young, but
you still got this flesh to consent with. You still have pride. You still have self-righteousness.
And I asked old Scott Rich, I said, Scott, you've been on the way
a long time. It seems like your trials would
get a little easier. It seems like your troubles would
get a little easier. He said, oh no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no. If anything else, they just last
longer and they go deeper and the darker lasts the longer.
But he said, I know this, that God won't let us fail us, but
I know this, that what? Which is born of the flesh will
remain flesh until we leave this world. And we'll deal with it
in a thousand ways. You think of the ways we deal
with this flesh. We deal with it with another
person. And every relationship we're in, I deal with it when
I'm preaching. You deal with it when you're
listening. You deal with it on the job. You deal with it when
you sleep. You deal with it when you're watching television. You
deal with it when you get on Facebook. You deal with it every
time, every day you get up, you're dealing with this flesh. And
this flesh wants to go one way, and the Spirit of God wants to
go another. And the flesh will always, always make you go just
an extra inch before you back back out. Would you all agree with that? And old Paul, Paul mourned over
his fleshly nature and over his inability to walk perfectly before
God. He said, oh, that that I wouldn't
do, I do. That that I hate, I do. That
that I hate, I don't do. And he said, oh, wretched man
that I am. He mourned and groaned over his
flesh. And we're foolish, foolish. We'd
absolutely be a fool to put any confidence in the flesh. Philippians
3, 3 says this. It said, we rejoice in Christ
Jesus and worship God in the spirit and put no confidence
in the flesh. Psalm 119, 18. Let's look at
this. Psalm 118, verse 8 and 9. Psalm
118, verse 8 and 9. Oh, listen. One thing, and how
many times have you prayed? How many times have you prayed,
Lord, don't leave me to myself? You know why we pray that? Because
you're afraid of yourself. David got to where he wasn't
afraid of himself. He was the king. He could do
what he wanted to do. Be no consequence. Who's going
to say anything? Joab didn't say anything to him when he said
put him in the heat, hot of the battle. He didn't say, now, David,
Oh, King, oh, King, don't do that to this man. Don't do that
to this man. Oh, no, he's got a wife. Don't do him that way. Joab didn't
say anything. He said, okay, King, I'll put
him out in the heat of the battle. He said, somebody, he didn't
even go himself, he said, somebody go down there and bring that
woman to me. Somebody went down there and
brought it to his house. Oh, listen, this flesh is an
awful, awful thing. And look what it says here in
Psalm 118 verses 9 and 8 and 9. It is better to trust in the
Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to put trust
in the Lord than to put confidence even in princes or kings, or
anybody that's in power. And oh, beloved, I know that
we are, I should say I, quick to find a flaw in the character
of somebody else, and so slow to recognize the potential of
sin in myself. And God says, judge not. lest
you be judged. And with what judgment you meet
out, you should be judged with the same measure. You start judging
people, and God said, you know what? Whatever how you judge,
that's exactly the way you're going to be judged. That's what
he says. And you that are spiritual, if
you see a brother overtaken in a fall, restore such a one. And
you know what he says? Consider thyself also. Oh my, God help us to recognize
and acknowledge that all we partake, that all we partake, stand and
continue is the grace of God by His power and not our own.
If we stand at all, it's by the grace of God. If we continue,
it'll be by the grace of God. If we don't fall grievously,
it'll be by the grace of God. Is that not right? We don't never,
we can't stand in our own power, can't do it, can't do it. And
the fourth thing I want you to see is David's sin reveals the
grace of God, shows us that God gives His grace even to the chief
of sinners. He gives the grace of God even
to the chief of sinners. David judged himself when Dathan
told him about the poor man's lamb. He said, I've sinned against
the Lord. Sinned against the Lord. And
at that time he wrote Psalm 51 after this happened. And you
know what the first thing he said to God in Psalm 51? He said,
oh, Lord, have mercy. Be merciful unto me. Be who you
are. Don't treat me like I am. You
treat me like you are. And start with mercy. Start with
mercy. And, oh, beloved, and that's
why Nathan told him, said, the Lord put you sin away. Can you imagine what David felt
like when he heard Nathan say that? Your sin's put away. Blessed
is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity. And yet sin's not
put away, sin's not forgiven. Now listen to me right here now. Sin's not put away or forgiven
because we confess it, because we acknowledge it, or even because
we grieve over it. Sin has put away by a perfect
sacrifice the Lord Jesus Christ in him alone. He by himself put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself once in the end of the world. In whom
we have redemption through his blood, redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. You know, before David sinned
here, and I'm not, I don't want you to misunderstand me. Before
David sinned here, Christ had already, as far as God was concerned,
taken care of that sin. And David was as loved and as
saved as he was when he was in the arms of Bathsheba as when
he was standing in the forefront of the battle. But he tells us, don't do that. Don't fall like that. Don't sin
like that. Don't do that just so, like Paul
says, should we continue in sin that grace may abound? God forbid. And what David did, he judged
himself and he confessed his sin and he justified God. God
can't overlook David's sin, my sin, your sin, or anybody's sin. God can't pass over sin or forgive
sin apart from the atonement and the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ. He can't do it. When he said,
I put away thy sin, that sin was put away by an atonement,
by a sacrifice, by blood. God has to be just before he
can justify old David or anybody else. And God saves and God forgives
by Christ our High Priest, our Sacrifice and Mediator. Look
with me in Hebrews 10. Hebrews 10. Let's look at this
together. Hebrews 10. I'm talking about,
you know, that the grace of God. This shows us, David Paul shows
us that grace is given in Christ Jesus even to the chief of sinners.
Even to the chief of sinners. If you haven't done what David's
done, Actually done it. There's not a sin hardly that
anybody hasn't committed in their mind or in their heart or in
their imagination. But look what he said here at
verse 12. But this man, after he'd offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. Oh, those priests, they couldn't
sit down. They just stood every day offering the same sacrifice,
never could take away sin. And he sat there expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool. Listen to this, for by one offering
he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified. God don't
take his hand off of us. Wherefore the Holy Ghost is witness
to us, for after that he said before, this is the covenant
I'll make with them after those days, saith the Lord. I'll put
my laws in their hearts. not those commandments on stone
and i'll write them in their minds and their sins and iniquities
will i remember no more now where these sins are paid for remitted
is don't need another offering for sin they're paid for they're
put away they're gone what are we going to do then having therefore
brethren bonus liberty, confidence to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, how by a new and living way which he hath
consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say his flesh,
and having a high priest over the house of God. Let's draw
near. Let's draw near. Come on, draw
near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed
with pure water. Oh listen, David's fall shows
us that God gives grace through Christ Jesus even to the chief
of sinners. And my last point is this, David's
fall and David's sins teaches us that salvation is by grace
and covenant and none for whom Christ dies shall ever perish.
You know what David said on his dying bed? These be the last
words. You can read it yourself when you get home. You've read
it before. 2 Samuel 23 verses 1 through 5. Read it yourself. Salvation is by grace and covenant. None for whom Christ died shall
ever perish. God hath made with me. and everlasting
covenant and ordered in all things ensure. This is all my salvation. That's his last words. That's
his last words. Oh, the old hymn writer or the
old scriptures tells us in Psalm 23, 130 that there's plenteous
mercy with thee. And God will give us grace and
God will give us glory. Oh, my. Man may sin, but I tell
you, God's grace. Where sin abounded, grace does
much more abound. Much more abound. Our Father, in the blessed name
of our Lord Jesus, meet the needs of your people
here tonight. Lord, these things are necessary
to put fear in us, and awe in us, and mourn us, and teach us,
and instruct us, and admonish us, and exhort us, and keep us
from despair. Keep us from being in despair
over sin and all this old rotten, corruptible flesh we carry around
with us, this old horrible, horrible nature we've got. It seems to
be so powerful sometimes. Oh God, forgive us. Uphold us
and meet our needs. Save you people in this place.
Have mercy, oh God, upon the sick and the weak and the afflicted.
We ask these things in Christ's name, amen.