[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia. It is our prayer that you will be blessed by the preaching of God's Word.
[0:14] If you've got your Bibles, I'd like to ask you to turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 12. 2 Samuel chapter 12. Thank you ladies, that was an excellent song. I hope he does lead us. And tonight, he's led the congregation to a difficult passage, but if you guys remember from, was it last Sunday night, Brother Gardner preached, was it 2 Samuel chapter 11, and it was over the story of David and how he fell with Bathsheba.
[0:41] And you remember, this started out in the chapter, that it was time for kings to go forth to battle. Kings were supposed to go to battle, but David decided to stay home. And while David was staying home, he was out on his porch or his whatever, ceiling, a roof.
[0:56] Not ceiling, he was on his roof. And he was out there looking around his kingdom, and he noticed a young woman, or a woman bathing on the other roof. And he sat there, and he allowed his thoughts to ponder.
[1:07] He allowed his thoughts to go wild. And he thought, and you guys remember what happened after that. He sinned, and he committed adultery with Bathsheba. And he realized that he messed up after she told him that she was pregnant.
[1:20] And so he tried to cover up his sin, right? And so he had Uriah come off the battlefield. He tried to have him stay with his wife, but he wouldn't do it because he was a man of character. He had integrity. And so he got him drunk another time, see if he could just check to trick him up a little bit.
[1:39] And Uriah was still a man of character. He didn't go and stay with his wife. So David had to figure out a way to cover up his sin. And so he had one of his best men, his mighty men, killed. This was like premeditated murder.
[1:51] You know what I'm talking about? And not only did David kill him, but he got other people involved in this crime. And it was after that, that the mourning period happened, that Bathsheba, what is it?
[2:04] She mourned. David took her to wife. And that's where the story picks up. In 2 Samuel chapter 12, the Bible says this. The Lord, he watched all this. At the end of it, he said the Lord was displeased.
[2:16] The Lord was displeased with what David did. And at the beginning of 2 Samuel chapter 12, the Lord tells Nathan, he says, I want you to go to David and I want you to tell him this story. And so Nathan goes to David and he said, You know, there were two men in one city one time, David.
[2:34] And there was a rich guy out there and the other guy was really poor. And the rich man, he had a whole bunch of herds. He had a whole bunch of flock. He had a whole bunch of sheep. He had all this wealth, all these herds.
[2:45] But the poor man, he didn't have anything. He didn't have anything. He had one little ewe lamb. And this guy loved that ewe lamb. It grew up with his family. He nourished it. It ate from his table.
[2:56] He ate his own meat. He drank out of his own cup. And at the end of the day, the sheep would come there and they lay on his bosom, lay on his stomach and lay on his chest. And this thing, this lamb was like what the Bible says, as a daughter to him.
[3:11] And verse 4 he says, but there a traveler came. And he went to the rich man. He didn't go to the poor man. He went to the rich man. And the rich man spared to take anything from his own flock to dress it for the traveler.
[3:25] But the poor man, his little ewe lamb was taken by the rich man. And he killed that ewe lamb and he gave it to that traveler. And as soon as David heard of that man, David blew his lid.
[3:38] He said, who is that man? He will die. He will die. David knew that this was wrong. David knew that there should be punishment, should be set out before this guy.
[3:49] David knew that there was something wrong with this guy. He says, who is this guy? He's going to die and he's going to pay that guy four times over for those lambs. He's going to give him four more lambs. And he's going to die. Remember those infamous words in verse 7.
[4:02] Nathan looks at David and he says, thou art the man. It's you, David. It's you. You're the one. You're the rich man. You're the oppressor. You're the one that caused the poor man to lose stuff that he had.
[4:16] You're the one that took Uriah's life. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. I hope whenever you read the story in 2 Samuel chapter 11, I hope you sit in disgust. I hope that you're like overwhelmed like, how can it be that somebody that was so great could do something like that?
[4:34] Why would he do something like that? But I also hope that you would take heed to yourself and realize that David was a man after God's own heart. I've got to take care of myself too.
[4:47] And so what causes a man to fall in such terrible sin? Horrible sin. Can we all admit that adultery is wrong? It's a horrible sin. Can we all admit that murder is wrong?
[5:00] Can we all admit that? Can we all admit that? Can we all be on the same page right now? Because that's what the scripture says. I hope you hate sin as much as God does. I hope you hate sin as much as God does.
[5:11] It cost him his own son. He hates it a whole bunch. He hates it a whole bunch. And so when you look at the scripture and you hear adultery and you hear about a guy that killed a man, I hope you sit and say, this is disgusting.
[5:22] This is just downright wicked. And then I hope you look at yourself and say, wait a second, I could fall in the same thing too. I'm not better than David. And so tonight we're going to figure out what caused David's fall.
[5:38] If we could start in verse 7, the Bible says this, and Nathan said unto David, he says, thou art the man. You are the guy. You are the rich man that oppressed the poor man.
[5:48] Verse 7, and he says, thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. This is what God says to you, David. I anointed thee king over Israel.
[6:01] And I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul. And I gathered thee thy master's house. And thy master's wives into thy bosom. And I gave thee the house of Israel.
[6:14] And of Judah. And if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Verse 9, listen to what he says.
[6:27] Wherefore, this is what God says to David. Wherefore, hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with a sword.
[6:40] And hast taken his wife to be thy wife. And hast slain him with a sword of the children of Amnon. Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house. Because thou, get this, hast despised me.
[6:55] Who's the me referring to? It's referring to the Lord. This is what he's talking to David. And hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. And the Lord said, Behold, I will raise evil against thee out of thine own house.
[7:07] And I will take thine wives before thine eyes. And I will give them unto thy neighbor. And he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of his son. For thou didst secretly. But I will do this thing before all Israel.
[7:19] And before the son. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said, The Lord, he's put away thy sin. You won't die.
[7:30] Verse 14. And very, very harsh words. How be it because of this deed. Because of what you've done, David. Thou hast given great occasion.
[7:41] You've given a great opportunity to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. And the child that is born unto thee shall surely die. So how does a guy fall into sin like that?
[7:54] How do we fall into sin like that? Well, I see several things that David does in this portion of scripture. The first thing is found in verse 9. Wherefore thou hast despised the commandment of the Lord.
[8:05] David despised the word of God. David despised God's word. David hated God's word.
[8:16] David took God's word lightly. It was David. It was David's duty as a king to read this word every day.
[8:27] If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Deuteronomy chapter 17 and verse 14. And we'll read down to verse 20. This is what God is telling Moses. He says, When thou art coming to the land. What land? The promised land.
[8:37] Which the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shall possess it, and shall dwell therein. And thou shalt say, You guys will say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me.
[8:51] Thou shalt in any wise set him a king over thee, whom the Lord thy God shall choose. God's going to choose the king. From among thy brothers shalt thou set a king over thee.
[9:02] Thou mayest not set a stranger over thee. You can't set a stranger. You've got to set an Israelite over you, which is not thy brother. But he shall not, he won't multiply his horses unto themselves. He won't cause his people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses.
[9:17] For as much as the Lord has said unto you, ye shall henceforth return no more that way. You don't go back to Egypt. Verse 17. Neither shall this man, neither shall this king multiply wives to himself.
[9:29] Why not? Well, that his heart is not turned away. So that his heart turn not away. Neither shall he greatly multiply himself gold, or silver and gold. It shall be that when he sitteth upon the throne of the kingdom, that they shall write him a copy of this law and a book.
[9:47] Out of that which is before the priest and the Levite. Verse 19. And it shall be with him. This law is going to be with the king. And he shall read it therein all the days of his life.
[9:59] Every day he's supposed to be in this book. Every day he's supposed to be reading these commandments. Every day the king is commanded by God, out of this passage of scripture, to be in this book.
[10:09] But when David fell, God speaks to David and he says, you have despised my commandments. You have despised my laws. You have taken lightly what I have said, David.
[10:20] You want to know why you fell? It's because you've taken my words and you think that they're common. You don't think that God in heaven said these words. You have taken lightly. You have despised my words.
[10:32] It was David's thinking that the Bible had little value at that time. You know, it starts with your personal walk with the Lord. He misses his personal Bible reading.
[10:43] And that's where it all starts. That's where it all begins. You want to know how David could get to the point of adultery and premeditated murder? It starts with him not taking time out of his daily schedule to get alone with God and say, God, speak to me.
[10:57] I want to hear from your word. It comes when you say, oh, this is just the book. This isn't God's book. I don't have to listen to this book. It's you taking this thing, this book. I hope you realize this is the only thing that we have.
[11:10] This is the only thing that we have that connects us to God. Him and His Holy Spirit and this word. The word, the Holy Spirit uses this word. And when you take lightly this book, you are putting yourself in danger.
[11:23] Don't you understand that? Don't you see that? When you don't wake up in the morning and you get in this book and you get in this word, when you don't take time out for your family and read devotions, when you don't get your family inside the church and to hear preaching, when you don't read the Bible, you are setting yourself up for a fall.
[11:39] I hope you realize that. Don't despise this word. Don't despise this word. David's pride to do what he wanted to do.
[11:50] In Numbers chapter 15, verses 30-31, he says this, But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, the soul that's defiant, whether he be born in this land or a stranger, the same reproach the Lord, and that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
[12:07] Why? Why is he going to be cut off? Because he hath despised the word of the Lord. Have you ever been around people that they really don't care about what God's word says?
[12:19] And they go out and they do whatever in their life, whatever they want to? You know, sometimes Christians, we have that same attitude. We can be defiant. We don't take this scripture to heart.
[12:36] You know, David was defiant. He was unjust. He knew it was wrong. And that's why he acted the way he did. In 2 Samuel chapter 12, verses 5-6, when Nathan presented that story, remember when David heard about that guy that killed the little poor innocent ewe lamb by the poor guy?
[12:57] And David got angry and he says, he's going to surely die. David knew that it was wrong. He knew that it was wrong, but it started when he said, okay, I don't have to take God's word lightly. I don't have to take God's word at what it says.
[13:10] I can take it lightly. You know, ignoring God's word, it brings consequences. It brings consequences. Proverbs shows us this about those who despise the word.
[13:22] In Proverbs 13, 13, it says this, Whoso despises the word shall be destroyed. Whoso despises the word shall be destroyed.
[13:38] You come at this Bible and you take it lightly and you don't follow it through and you don't have a heart to fulfill it and to do it and obey it and have it change you.
[13:50] You come at this Bible and say, okay, this is just another book. I don't really need it. I don't need it in my life. I've got plenty of good models in my life. I've got plenty of good examples in my life. If you despise this book, if you take this book lightly, you know what you're setting yourself up for?
[14:07] Destruction and failure. You're setting yourself up for failure. Discarding the word is rebellion against God. You know, it was a sin that Saul fell into too.
[14:19] In 1 Samuel 15, verse 22, the Bible says this, And Samuel said this to Saul. He says, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
[14:35] Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. And to hearken than that of the fat of the rams. I don't care how much you sacrifice in your life.
[14:47] I don't care how much you give to Vision Baptist Church. David, I don't care how great a king you were. I don't care how many Goliaths you kill in your life. If you step away from this word and you say, I don't need it.
[14:59] I don't need to obey it. I don't need to follow it. I don't need him. If you do that in your life, if you do that in life, that is the same as rebelling against God. God, you understand that?
[15:09] That is saying, God, I take lightly. I don't care what you say. That is like a teenager talking back to their parents. I don't know if anybody's done that. I've done that several times in my life and I regretted it immediately right after that.
[15:20] But you know what I'm talking about? If you're ever like, this is like mom, dad, you don't know what you're talking about. You're old and you're stupid. I hate you or something like that. You say something like that. You get like rebuked really quick. I don't know if you did, but I did. I mean, especially by my dad.
[15:32] You get rebuked really quick and you get hurt. And in David's life, after he just sinned with Bathsheba, Nathan looks at him and he says, man, you've taken lightly what God said.
[15:45] You didn't listen to what God said. You despised the words of the Lord. You despised the commandments of the Lord. And now, guess what's going to happen? The sword's not going to depart from your family.
[15:59] Someone's going to take your wives, just like you took someone else's wife, and like you did it privately, they're going to do it in front of the entire nation. Oh yeah, and the child that you have, it's going to die. I don't want God to chastise me like that.
[16:17] I don't want to fall into sin where God's enemies are blaspheming God. How do I avoid that? How do I stay away from that? How do I leave that?
[16:29] Well, it starts with this. How do you view this book? How do you view this book? Is it an integral part of your life?
[16:43] Do you seek to know the God, the Creator God every day? Do you ask Him to speak to you? Do you set your heart, do you desire this word like a deer pants after the water?
[16:59] What is your heart towards this book? And that moment when David fell into terrible sin, it was like him sitting there, like some people come to church and like, I don't care what you say, I'm just taking my time.
[17:15] I'm just, as soon as it's done, then I can go home. How do you come at this book? Are you a hearer? Are you a doer?
[17:25] David's failure with Bathsheba, his premeditated murder, his causing others like Joab to be part of a murderous plot, how did it all come to be?
[17:37] It started with him despising God's word. There were other things that were taking priority over what God had to say in David's life.
[17:49] And the same can be true in our lives. What steps do we take in order to fall into sin? How is it, get this, how is it that a pastor of a megachurch, whose daddy is known, or his granddaddy is known around the world, how is it that that pastor of a megachurch with a wife and kids, how is it that he can fall into multiple affairs?
[18:15] He didn't take God's word like he should have. He didn't hold it in respect. He didn't revere God's word. It started by him taking it lightly.
[18:34] It is what we do when we are hearers and not doers of God's word. I hear the scripture, but I don't think I need to submit to its authority. And that's called despising God's word.
[18:49] That's called despising God's word. James chapter 4 verse 17, he says this, for him to knoweth good and doeth it not to him is sin. You know what you need to do. Don't be a despiser of God's word.
[19:03] Cherish it. Love it. Hide it in your heart. Wake up early and seek your creator and his word. Be committed that whatever he says do, that you will do.
[19:15] I hear stories from like people in the ministry and I know that sometimes people look at him and are like, I don't know if the Bible is really saying that.
[19:27] I mean, we've got people that, I mean, they can exegete a passage and they know everything and they can read the Greek and the Hebrew and they know all the tenses and all that other stuff.
[19:38] But I've met a lot of, a lot of, I don't say a lot, I've met quite a few people in the ministry and man, they just had a desire to do whatever God told them to do, they just wanted to do it.
[19:51] And I look at their life and it just seems like, Brother Tai, it's just so blessing. It's like, it's like they're like a tree planted next to the water and like their fruit just doesn't, just doesn't stop coming forth and it might look to them, I'm like, I don't think, I've heard other people preach that message and it didn't, that's not exactly what it says but they're just, they're just so sincere.
[20:09] Does that make sense? They're just so sincere about this word and they just try to obey it the best way they can, you know what I mean? They act like it's really God's word and they take it for what it means and so how do you fall into crazy sin like that?
[20:22] What causes a person to fall into adultery? What causes a person to fall into premeditated murder when he was set up to supposed to protect the people?
[20:34] He was set up to protect, he was supposed to protect Israel and here he was killing Israel. What causes it? Well it starts out when you take God's word lightly and the second thing is this, not only do you take God's word lightly, not only do you despise the word, but David despised God.
[20:53] He took God lightly, he held him in contempt. Look in verse 10, 2 Samuel chapter 12, verse 10, he says, Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house. Why?
[21:05] 2 Samuel 12, 10. The sword will never depart from thine house because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of Uriah to be thy wife.
[21:20] It's only logical that if someone, that if someone, that if you take the word lightly, the next step is that you take that person, that speaker, lightly.
[21:31] I know in previous chapters of this story it doesn't make mention that David was despising God, but when the prophet comes to David and God gives the declaration to David of what David did in order to commit this crime, what David was doing was taking God lightly.
[21:59] He despised God and he went on to sin with the wife of Uriah. You know the Old Testament that gives us stories of those that are found throughout all the Old Testament and especially in Numbers chapter 11, verse 20.
[22:12] In this story, the children of Israel, they began to lust and they began to want to eat meat and they remembered in Numbers chapter 11, verse 20 how good they had it back in Egypt and they remembered the melons and they remembered the leeks and they remembered the cucumbers and the onions and the garlics and the fish they ate and they and now even though that they were free, even though they were no longer slaves, even though they were no longer making, being forced to be built an empire in Egypt, now that they were free, they were not being satisfied with what God did in their lives.
[22:46] In Numbers chapter 11, verse 20, this is what the Bible says, they were rich, until it comes out at your nostrils and it's loathsome unto you because ye have despised the Lord which is among you and have wept before Him and saying, why came we forth out of Egypt?
[23:04] You know, the children of Israel being dissatisfied where they were at caused them to despise the Lord. It was because they weren't content where they were at that that brought about them being despised, them despising the Lord.
[23:22] Now in David's life, can I remind you what God did for him? In 2 Samuel 12, verse 7, the Bible says, And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man, thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over Israel, I have delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, I have gave thee thy master's house, and thy master's wives, and to thy bosoms, and I have gave thee the house of Israel and Judah.
[23:44] And if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. You see, David fell in the same trap that the children of Israel fell into.
[23:54] He was happy, or better said, he was content. He wasn't content. He wasn't happy with what God had for him. And that caused him to despise. Him desiring Bathsheba caused him to despise his God.
[24:09] Him wanting something else, some place better, some one better, some, does that make sense? Him wanting something else, what God had already given him, caused him to take his Lord lightly.
[24:23] And there are consequences to our actions and our decisions that we make in our life. And look what God told Samuel in 1 Samuel 2, verses 30.
[24:34] When you fail to honor God, and you despise Him, look at the consequences. In 1 Samuel 2, verses 30, he says, Wherefore, the Lord God of Israel hath said, I said indeed, that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever.
[24:53] But now, saith the Lord, be it far from me. For them that honor me, I will honor. And they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
[25:04] Do you realize who God is? Because, any place outside of first place in your life, you are despising your creator. Now, I know this might sound maybe a little trite, maybe even juvenile.
[25:18] This is like something you preach at a teen group setting. But I don't care how much education you have. I don't care how big your bank account is. I don't care how much, or how long you've been a Christian.
[25:30] I don't care how many things you've done for God. and I don't care what your position is. You don't play with God. You honor Him. This is a story.
[25:41] This story. Here is a man. In 2 Samuel chapter 12, do you know what's happening? It's a prophet. And he's standing before the most powerful man in the country.
[25:55] And guess what this most powerful man in the country just did? He just had somebody executed. And here stands God's man in front of the most powerful man in the country.
[26:06] Possibly even the world at that time. And he says, you, you are the man, you have lightly esteemed God's word. You have, you have despised God's word.
[26:17] You have despised your Lord. And it's, that's what caused you to fall. And that's why you're going to have all this stuff happen to you. You have despised your God.
[26:34] Man, I wish Brother Gardner wouldn't preach Jonah chapter 4. But this is where the passage is and I know I'm the, the mean preacher, I'm the football coach guy. But when, when, when, when Nathan was telling this truth to David, this was very serious.
[26:51] And as I was reading this passage, passage, all I could think about is this. Because Brother Gardner told me I was supposed to read 2 Samuel chapter 13.
[27:02] And so, all last week I was preparing for 2 Samuel 13. And then Saturday he's like, I told you 2 Samuel 12, right? And I'm like, sure, I'll do 12. I'll do 12. And so I had, I had all Absalom story ready and I had all Amnon story ready.
[27:16] And you know what happens there? You know what happens there? We're going to find out on Saturday, or maybe not on Thursday, next Sunday, but what happens there? David has sons there. And David's son rapes his daughter.
[27:30] Sounds bad. I'm sorry, but that's what the Bible says. He rapes his daughter. And David's other son gets so angry. And David's son gets so mad that he takes him two years until he finally comes around to it and he kills his brother.
[27:46] He kills his brother. It's like he had this thing planned out to a T. And that whole time, David doesn't say a word. He doesn't say a word to Amnon when he takes advantage of his sister.
[27:58] He doesn't say a word to Absalom. The only thing he says about Absalom, he says, get him out of the country. And I was thinking the whole time, David, why'd you do this? Why'd you do this? Why didn't you say something? Why didn't you step up?
[28:09] I wonder if David would just show a shame that if he goes to his son and says, why did you do that to your sister? He said, why did you do that to Bathsheba? And I wonder if he would have went to Absalom and he said, why did you do that to Amnon?
[28:22] Why'd you kill Amnon? I wonder what Absalom would say if he said, why'd you do that to Uriah? Because we don't take sin lightly. Do you understand what it does? It destroys people.
[28:33] It destroys people. We have been delivered from sin. Have we not? Did sin not cost our Savior his life? So why would we ever want to play with sin?
[28:43] Why would we ever want to fall into that trap? Why would we ever, ever, ever, ever take lightly God's word? Why would we ever take lightly who God is? Let's avoid those things.
[28:55] When you take lightly God's word and when you take lightly God's, take lightly God, the end is always bad. if you're here today and you have taken lightly God, you need to stop.
[29:18] And I know some people might think, oh, that's Old Testament stuff and that's not, do you remember what happened at the beginning of the church in Acts chapter 5? Do you remember when a couple and they were worried more about what everyone else was saying?
[29:34] So they got their money together and they went before the apostles and like, hey, we, the husband came to, hey, we sold our stuff for this amount. And Peter looks at him and says, why have you lied to the Lord?
[29:48] Why has Satan filled your heart to lie? And what happened there? Instantly that man fell down and died. And his wife came in afterwards and she said the same thing.
[30:02] And what happened to her? Bam! She died. And the church, they feared God and it grew because they knew that you just don't take God lightly. Does that make sense? You just don't take God lightly.
[30:16] You just don't take God lightly. You don't take His Word lightly and you don't take Him lightly. It seems like only in this generation that we like, oh, it's just God, man. He's all about grace.
[30:27] He's all about love. He is. He's all grace. He's all love. But He is a God of just. He is a just God. And He does, He does, He does take out sin. I mean, He does, I mean, when He comes down to the mountain, when He comes down to the mountain to the children of Israel, they have to set up markers because they weren't allowed to go up on top because God was a consuming fire.
[30:50] And when He comes back, do you know what happens when He comes back? It only gets worse. We don't take sin lightly. That's the whole point of this. We don't take sin lightly.
[31:03] I can show you in Hebrews chapter 12 where the writer tells the story of Esau, how he despised his God-given birthright and the consequences were brutal. And I think the message is clear.
[31:16] Don't take God lightly. Don't take God lightly. Don't take His Word lightly.
[31:26] Don't take Him lightly. This isn't a joke. His Word isn't a joke. Stop doing what you want and find out what He wants.
[31:39] Stop thinking that God must treat us better and give us something better. Stop feeling more concerned about what others think and start thinking about what God thinks. We should be happy in any condition because our happiness is not based on things.
[31:54] Philippians 4.11 says, Not that I speak in respect of want, for I have learned that whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. Hebrews chapter 13 verse 5, He says, Let your conversation be without covetousness.
[32:06] I'm pretty sure David should have heard this before he fell into sin with Bathsheba. Before he started lusting and desiring after her and wanting something more. And be content with the things that you have, for he has said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.
[32:19] Luke chapter 12 verse 15, He says, Take heed and be aware of covetousness. Don't be desiring other things. In other words, don't despise God.
[32:33] Don't take Him lightly. You know, David took for himself rather than waiting on God to give it to him. He took for himself.
[32:46] One of the Ten Commandments was, You're not supposed to covet after your wife, after your neighbor's wife. Exodus chapter 20 verse 17, David allowed his covetousness, his lust, his desire to turn something into greater.
[32:57] Turn that little lust and that little desire, that little, just, you know, earning or yearning for something. He turned into something greater. And he went out and he killed a man to get what he wanted. There was no asking God for this.
[33:11] There was no seeking God on this. It was all David's will and his wants. This was all what David desired and all what David wanted. It was sin. David sought after the opposite of what Jesus told us to seek after.
[33:29] In Matthew chapter 6 verse 33, the Bible says, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things should be added unto you. David sought after his kingdom. He sought after his desires rather than seeking first the kingdom.
[33:41] The way David got Bathsheba was the way the world gets their stuff, not the way God gets His stuff. In Luke chapter 6 verse 38, is a biblical principle. It tells us, Give and it shall be given unto you.
[33:53] Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall men given to your bosom. 1 Timothy chapter 6 verse 18, he says this, And having food and raiment, let us therewith be content.
[34:05] But they that will be rich, they that will be having another wife, have fallen to a different temptation, a different snare, just like David did, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
[34:21] This is truth. And everything happens after David's life goes downhill. I know God doesn't leave His seed, and His seed still sits on the throne, but it's not like David recovers after this.
[34:37] He loses the kingdom to His Son. His Son turns on Him. Sin costs. Be aware. Application for our life is this.
[34:51] How many times do we make decisions without asking God and seeing His will for our life? How many times do we break down the door to get whatever we want when we know it's not pleasing to God?
[35:02] Let me ask you, what controls your life? What compass do you use to direct what you should do or what you should get in life? And finally, all what David did, him taking lightly the Word of God, him taking lightly God, him seeking to get stuff rather than waiting on God, this all results in God being blasphemed by His enemies.
[35:34] 2 Samuel 12, verse 14, how be it because of this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord, to blaspheme. I hope that weighs heavy on you.
[35:53] I hope that breaks your heart. I hope you think about that next time you make a decision in life. I hope you think about that next time you decide you're going to play with sin.
[36:08] By this deed, thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Can I tell you, if you're born again today, you want to glorify God.
[36:20] And in your body and your spirit, with everything you have, whether you drink, whatever it is you do in your life, if you are a true born again Christian, you just want God to be glorified. You want Him to be lifted up.
[36:31] You want when people look at God, you want them to say, man, that is a great and wonderful God. The God that we learned about, you guys learned about in Jonah chapter 4, you want people to say, man, look at that great God. But you know what we do oftentimes by our own deeds?
[36:45] We cause others to say, no, not say, hey, that's a great God. They're like, oh, that's your God? You live like that? And that's your God? You're no different than us? Guys, this reminds me of the story of Samson.
[36:58] And it was at the end of his life that he was messing around with the people that he had no right to be around. And after he went after women of the Philistines, something that God directly told him not to do, something that his parents told him not to do, and it was at the end of his life in Judges chapter 16, verse 23.
[37:14] This is what the lords of the Philistines were saying. They were offering great sacrifices unto Dagon, their God, to rejoice. And they said, our God, our God hath delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hand.
[37:29] That's what they were saying after Samson messed up. Don't mess with sin. It causes God's enemies to blaspheme him.
[37:42] It was the enemies of Israel that were praising their God, or God's, all because of Samson's fallen. I talked about in the beginning how David started off in his ministry or started off with his kingdom, and David was on fire.
[38:00] He saw Samson, and Samson was making fun of God, and he says, who is this God that thinks he's going to make fun of our God? We've got to do something. We've got to stop it, man. He's making fun of our God. Give me something. Let me go up against him.
[38:11] I'll kill him. I'll take him out. Let me do something. That was David, man of passion, man of fury, and he goes up there and he kills Goliath, and by the end of it, the end of the story, right now where we're at, he's causing those enemies to blaspheme, to go back right where he started.
[38:30] Don't give the enemy an opportunity to think ill of God and the doctrine of God and to speak against it and tease it and criticize it.
[38:42] In 1 Timothy 6, verses 1, this is what God says to his servants, the people that work underneath a boss, the people that have a boss. He says, let as many servants as are under the yoke count their masters worthy of all honor.
[38:59] The boss that you have, you treat him honorably. That the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.
[39:12] blasphemed. In Titus 2, verses 5, he talks to women like this. He says, the women should be discreet and chaste keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands.
[39:24] Why? Why? Titus 2, verse 5, that the word of God be not blasphemed. God, your actions can bring slander to God and his word.
[39:40] And can I tell you, if you're a Christian, you want to bring glory to his name. We should want others to be in awe when they see God's word. But sadly, it seems today so prevalent that the world has so much blasphemed our God and his word because so many so-called Christians have fallen into sin.
[40:07] They don't want to send their kids to our churches because we have so many pastors that abuse young kids when they should be hearing the truth here.
[40:22] And it doesn't bother us. don't take lightly his word. Don't take lightly this God of this word. Don't go out and do whatever you want.
[40:37] Don't make fun of him. Don't give him reasons to blaspheme our God. Sin is a destroyer.
[40:49] And you'll see the consequences in David's life because of this sin. So don't fall into the same trap. Let me ask you a couple questions and we'll close with this. How do you view this word?
[41:03] How do you view this word? Are you a hearer or are you a doer? Do you stand in obedience to God's word or do you stand in obedience to your desires?
[41:21] Today, I'm going to ask you a question. Today, will you obey God's word? And not despise it? Today, how's your view on God?
[41:33] Is he Lord of your life? Or are you taking this whole thing lightly? Is this a country club? Is this some place where you have some buddies that have the same like values and same like mind?
[41:45] That way your kids don't go off and get too crazy? Or is he the God of the Bible, the creator of God, the one that we look and say, man, you are incredible. Are you taking him lightly today?
[42:01] Today, if you are, please tell him that he is to be in his rightful place in your life and he should be Lord of your life. are you selfish?
[42:13] Are you coveting? Are you wanting extra stuff? Are you not happy where you're at with the people that you're at and the job that you're at, the place that you're at? Or are you just wanting more?
[42:24] Are you giving? Are you waiting on God's gift? Tonight, don't let the world blaspheme our God.
[42:36] Let's get him glory. Let's be a little different than everyone else. This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfred, Georgia.
[42:50] For more information, log on to www.visionbaptist.com where you can find our service times, location, contact information, and more audio and video recordings.