WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.000 We are going to read the whole of 2 Samuel chapter 12, and Rebecca is going to come and lead us in our reading. 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:07.679 So Rebecca, over to you. 00:00:08.700 --> 00:00:10.480 The Lord sent Nathan to David. 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:15.620 When he came to him, he said, there were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 00:00:16.199 --> 00:00:23.800 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb that he had brought. 00:00:24.140 --> 00:00:26.679 He raised it and it grew up with him and his children. 00:00:26.679 --> 00:00:31.039 It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:33.140 It was like a daughter to him. 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:40.600 Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who'd come to him. 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:47.179 Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who'd come to him. 00:00:48.019 --> 00:00:53.240 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, as surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die. 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:58.320 He must pay for that lamb four times over because he did such a thing and had no pity. 00:00:59.200 --> 00:01:01.880 Then Nathan said to David, you are the man. 00:01:02.300 --> 00:01:04.359 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says. 00:01:04.939 --> 00:01:08.760 I anointed you king over Israel and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:12.820 I gave your master's house to you and your master's wives into your arms. 00:01:13.219 --> 00:01:15.180 I gave you all Israel and Judah. 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.579 And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 00:01:18.579 --> 00:01:23.099 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? 00:01:23.340 --> 00:01:27.500 You struck down Uriah the Hittite with a sword and took his wife to be your own. 00:01:28.019 --> 00:01:30.140 You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 00:01:30.939 --> 00:01:34.879 Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised me. 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:38.140 And you took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own. 00:01:39.140 --> 00:01:40.420 This is what the Lord says. 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:43.819 Out of your own household, I am going to bring calamity on you. 00:01:43.819 --> 00:01:47.759 Before your very eyes, I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you. 00:01:48.099 --> 00:01:49.919 And he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 00:01:50.639 --> 00:01:55.199 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel. 00:01:55.939 --> 00:01:59.459 Then David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. 00:02:00.459 --> 00:02:02.739 Nathan replied, the Lord has taken away your sin. 00:02:03.399 --> 00:02:04.719 You are not going to die. 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:11.280 But because by doing this, you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die. 00:02:11.280 --> 00:02:17.500 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had born to David and he became ill. 00:02:18.240 --> 00:02:19.900 David pleaded with God for the child. 00:02:20.039 --> 00:02:23.000 He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:27.340 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused. 00:02:27.699 --> 00:02:29.520 And he would not eat any food with them. 00:02:30.180 --> 00:02:32.159 On the seventh day, the child died. 00:02:33.020 --> 00:02:35.420 David's attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. 00:02:35.539 --> 00:02:40.000 They thought, while the child was still living, he wouldn't listen to us when we spoke to him. 00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:42.419 How can we now tell him the child is dead? 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:44.060 He may do something desperate. 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:49.860 David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves and he realized that the child was dead. 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:52.259 Is the child dead? he asked. 00:02:52.599 --> 00:02:54.099 Yes, they replied, he is dead. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:02:56.080 Then David got up from the ground. 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:01.400 After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshipped. 00:03:02.039 --> 00:03:03.439 Then he went to his own house. 00:03:03.979 --> 00:03:06.219 And at his request, they served him food and he ate. 00:03:06.219 --> 00:03:10.000 His attendants asked him, why are you acting in this way? 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:15.159 While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat. 00:03:15.719 --> 00:03:18.960 He answered, while the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:22.400 I thought, who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live. 00:03:22.919 --> 00:03:25.240 But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? 00:03:25.719 --> 00:03:26.840 Can I bring him back again? 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:30.199 I will go to him, but he will not return to me. 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:34.439 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba and went to her and made love to her. 00:03:34.819 --> 00:03:36.919 She gave birth to a son and they named him Solomon. 00:03:38.179 --> 00:03:43.439 The Lord loved him and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedediah. 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:47.599 Meanwhile, Joab fought against Rabba of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. 00:03:48.299 --> 00:03:52.879 Joab then sent messengers to David saying, I have fought against Rabba and taken his water supply. 00:03:53.060 --> 00:03:55.919 Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:58.579 Otherwise, I shall take the city and it will be named after me. 00:03:58.580 --> 00:04:02.920 So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabba and attacked and captured it. 00:04:03.320 --> 00:04:06.320 David took the crown from their king's head and it was placed on his own head. 00:04:06.640 --> 00:04:09.300 It weighed a talent of gold and it was set with precious stones. 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:13.640 David took a great quantity of plunder from the city and brought out the people who were there, 00:04:13.820 --> 00:04:18.740 consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brick making. 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:21.560 David did this to all the Ammonite towns. 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:24.560 Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem. 00:04:24.560 --> 00:04:24.660 Amen. 00:04:28.019 --> 00:04:28.459 Great. 00:04:28.740 --> 00:04:30.019 Thank you so much, Rebecca. 00:04:30.220 --> 00:04:32.780 Let's pray again and ask for the Lord's help. 00:04:33.879 --> 00:04:38.740 Heavenly Father, as we come just now to look at your word together, we know that we are so easily distracted. 00:04:38.740 --> 00:04:48.620 There's perhaps no point in our service at which all the other things in our lives feel so distracting and as important as now when we're trying to listen to your word. 00:04:48.740 --> 00:04:51.019 So please, by your spirit, help us, we ask. 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:57.360 Pray that the words that I say might be useful and true. 00:04:57.360 --> 00:05:06.980 And pray that you might be at work through this time now for the sake of your glory to change our hearts and lives, to trust you and live for you. 00:05:07.560 --> 00:05:08.780 In Jesus' name. 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:10.040 Amen. 00:05:10.600 --> 00:05:11.040 Amen. 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:16.740 This morning's passage is the follow on from last week. 00:05:16.819 --> 00:05:21.420 So if you weren't with us last week, let me give you a very brief overview of what you need to know. 00:05:21.420 --> 00:05:31.060 David, who is the king of Israel, last week in last week's passage, took the wife of another man called Uriah the Hittite. 00:05:31.460 --> 00:05:32.340 He took her. 00:05:32.540 --> 00:05:33.280 He slept with her. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:34.080 He got her pregnant. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:36.800 He had her husband killed. 00:05:37.259 --> 00:05:38.680 And then he married her. 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:44.060 And chapter 11 ends, if you look at the top of that page, with those ominous words. 00:05:44.900 --> 00:05:48.980 But the thing David had done displeased the Lord. 00:05:48.980 --> 00:05:52.620 And now chapter 12 starts with these words. 00:05:52.740 --> 00:05:56.920 The Lord sent Nathan, Nathan the prophet, to David. 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:01.020 Now, I don't know whether you can imagine what it might be like to be Nathan. 00:06:01.480 --> 00:06:05.379 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. 00:06:06.100 --> 00:06:11.680 This has to be, I think, probably up there with the worst jobs in all the world. 00:06:11.980 --> 00:06:13.240 I don't know, maybe you think your job is bad. 00:06:13.580 --> 00:06:16.580 This is a terrible, terrible calling. 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:25.859 God is sending Nathan to the most powerful man in the world at the time to tell him that what he has done is wrong. 00:06:26.219 --> 00:06:30.539 And God knows it and is going to punish him for it. 00:06:31.419 --> 00:06:35.360 That would be enough to make you nervous, I would imagine, as you walk up the palace steps. 00:06:35.360 --> 00:06:37.780 However, Nathan has a plan. 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:47.240 And he has very cleverly, instead of tackling the issue head on with David, disarms David with this story of a rich man, a poor man, and a treasured sheep. 00:06:47.740 --> 00:06:49.740 And the plan works amazingly well. 00:06:50.379 --> 00:06:53.460 In the end, David does all the hard work of condemning himself. 00:06:54.460 --> 00:06:58.100 Condemning the rich man and leaving Nathan just to say those words that we saw earlier. 00:06:58.280 --> 00:07:01.080 You are that man or you are the man. 00:07:01.079 --> 00:07:10.680 Now, despite David's tenderhearted response, so notice in verse 13 that he openly confesses, still David is not sheltered from the consequences of his sin. 00:07:11.479 --> 00:07:19.060 Instead, we're told that the sword will never depart from his house, which becomes a sort of ominous heading for the rest of the chapters of 2 Samuel. 00:07:19.799 --> 00:07:24.459 And the more immediate consequence is that the baby born to David and Bathsheba dies. 00:07:24.459 --> 00:07:32.680 Apparently, it seems in verse 18, within a week of him being born, Nathan turns up when the baby is born. 00:07:33.399 --> 00:07:36.099 Importantly, though, that means that the child never gets circumcised. 00:07:36.199 --> 00:07:37.680 It never even gets named. 00:07:37.779 --> 00:07:40.579 The child is always just called the child in the passage. 00:07:41.539 --> 00:07:45.019 You jump ahead in time in the story in verses 24 to 25. 00:07:45.139 --> 00:07:46.539 Bathsheba becomes pregnant again. 00:07:46.540 --> 00:07:51.319 And that child does live and is given a name or more accurately, two names. 00:07:51.480 --> 00:07:55.700 One, Solomon, meaning peace, and the other, Jedidiah, meaning beloved of the Lord. 00:07:56.520 --> 00:08:08.540 And then at the end of the story, you have this surprising kind of twist at the end as David defeats Rabbah and takes the crown on his head of their king and places it on his own head before defeating more of the Ammonite cities. 00:08:08.540 --> 00:08:12.840 Now, that's like a really super quick run through chapter 12 to get your bearings. 00:08:12.960 --> 00:08:17.620 Let me point out three themes in 2 Samuel chapter 12 for us this morning. 00:08:18.379 --> 00:08:24.100 The first one is this, the horrible selfishness of sin. 00:08:25.439 --> 00:08:28.439 I hope you saw when we did the family Bible slot as well. 00:08:28.520 --> 00:08:32.940 This is clearly the point of Nathan's story of the rich man and the poor man in the opening four verses. 00:08:33.680 --> 00:08:36.899 Let's just notice the detail together because it's really important. 00:08:36.899 --> 00:08:40.679 Notice that the rich man is dealt with very, very quickly in verse 2. 00:08:41.019 --> 00:08:42.439 He had many flocks and herds. 00:08:42.500 --> 00:08:43.199 That's all we find out. 00:08:43.500 --> 00:08:45.459 We just find out very briefly about him. 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:51.079 But then when we come to the poor man, the narrative slows right down just to kind of emphasize. 00:08:51.259 --> 00:08:53.019 This is like an ancient highlighter pen. 00:08:53.299 --> 00:08:55.139 Let me tell you how poor this man was. 00:08:55.220 --> 00:08:57.740 Let me tell you how attached he was. 00:08:58.980 --> 00:09:01.559 So notice that he had nothing but one. 00:09:02.059 --> 00:09:03.600 Just one, not many, just one. 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:06.899 One single, little, not big, not significant, not large. 00:09:07.460 --> 00:09:11.180 Ewe, not a stud ram, just a female lamb. 00:09:12.139 --> 00:09:13.200 Young, not old. 00:09:13.700 --> 00:09:17.860 And he bought it, presumably at significant personal cost, given the poverty of the man. 00:09:18.659 --> 00:09:22.379 And then in the rest of the story, you're told the preciousness of this little ewe lamb. 00:09:22.379 --> 00:09:29.019 And it's almost comical, isn't it, how this story ramps up the preciousness of this lamb. 00:09:29.740 --> 00:09:32.820 Notice the layers again in verse 3, the second half of it. 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:34.200 He raised it. 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:36.980 It grew up with him and with his children. 00:09:37.059 --> 00:09:37.960 This is a family project. 00:09:38.059 --> 00:09:38.899 They're all engaged in this. 00:09:38.980 --> 00:09:40.379 Oh, look at that lovely little ewe lamb. 00:09:41.299 --> 00:09:45.179 It ate food and even drank from its cup, his cup. 00:09:45.740 --> 00:09:46.200 I've got a dog. 00:09:46.220 --> 00:09:47.100 I really like my dog. 00:09:47.100 --> 00:09:49.320 I'll never let my dog drink from my cup, right? 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:51.820 This is a precious lamb. 00:09:52.779 --> 00:09:54.440 Like a daughter to him, we're told. 00:09:55.100 --> 00:09:56.320 It's laid on really thick. 00:09:57.159 --> 00:10:00.100 And David seemingly has no idea at this stage that the story is fictional. 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:06.040 So here is a man, a poor man with a single precious possession, a solitary treasure in the shape of a ewe lamb. 00:10:06.279 --> 00:10:12.540 And the rich man, with very many flocks and herds, he has a visitor, verse 4, a traveler who has come from him. 00:10:12.539 --> 00:10:17.699 And the rich man, we're told, refrained from taking one of his own sheep. 00:10:18.000 --> 00:10:20.459 Literally, the word there is to show compassion. 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:28.120 The literal sense of it here is that the rich man shows compassion to his own many sheep, 00:10:28.339 --> 00:10:35.480 whilst at the same time having no compassion either on the poor man or on his single solitary young ewe lamb. 00:10:35.480 --> 00:10:43.200 In other words, the point of the story is that the rich man is more concerned for his own sheep than he is even for his poor friend, 00:10:43.800 --> 00:10:48.060 taking this precious lamb and killing it to serve up as a meal for the visitor. 00:10:49.039 --> 00:10:50.960 Now, David is outraged, isn't he? 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:52.860 And he's really quick to pass judgment. 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:54.320 He's the king of Israel. 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:57.200 His job is to judge situations like that. 00:10:57.659 --> 00:11:03.480 He is the one who they bring in justices to when he declares what judgment will be given. 00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:08.080 And he is enraged by this story, enraged by the injustice of it. 00:11:08.139 --> 00:11:10.820 So he pronounces the full Old Testament judgment. 00:11:11.560 --> 00:11:14.100 A stolen lamb should be replaced fourfold. 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:20.200 And the rich man himself, we're told, deserves to die, presumably because in stealing the lamb, 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:23.800 he was guilty of, in effect, kind of kidnapping a child. 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:31.379 And then having let David speak himself into a corner, Nathan delivers the sucker punch in verse seven. 00:11:31.620 --> 00:11:34.500 You are the man. 00:11:34.859 --> 00:11:36.139 What a brilliant story. 00:11:37.179 --> 00:11:39.059 But I want you to see with me what's really going on here. 00:11:39.159 --> 00:11:40.279 You see, think about it. 00:11:40.339 --> 00:11:42.079 How can David be the rich man? 00:11:43.240 --> 00:11:48.179 You know, if anything, David's crimes, which remember, are taking another man's wife, 00:11:48.179 --> 00:11:53.099 murdering her husband, and then taking her to be his own wife. 00:11:53.219 --> 00:11:54.599 Okay, those were his crimes. 00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:58.759 If anything, they are a lot worse than the crimes in this story, aren't they? 00:11:59.319 --> 00:12:01.079 The rich man in the story doesn't murder. 00:12:01.259 --> 00:12:03.539 I mean, the rich man in the story is despicable, isn't he? 00:12:03.539 --> 00:12:04.500 He's a terrible guy. 00:12:05.019 --> 00:12:06.339 But he doesn't murder anybody. 00:12:06.620 --> 00:12:08.159 He doesn't take anybody else's wife. 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:09.719 He's inconsiderate. 00:12:09.799 --> 00:12:11.000 He's brutal and abusive. 00:12:11.000 --> 00:12:13.080 But he just takes a sheep. 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:20.799 And yet David, in chapter 11, kills, commits adultery, and steals another man's wife. 00:12:21.659 --> 00:12:24.519 So what's going on in the story that means David is the rich man? 00:12:25.220 --> 00:12:33.399 Well, notice that what follows from being told that he is the man is this underlining of David's richness and of his wealth. 00:12:34.320 --> 00:12:36.899 You know, think about all that's yours, David, we're told. 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:38.120 Think about where it comes from. 00:12:38.240 --> 00:12:40.759 You know, I anointed you as king, says God to David. 00:12:40.759 --> 00:12:42.179 I delivered you from Saul. 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.580 Verse 8, I gave you your master's house. 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:46.639 I even gave you his wives. 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:49.799 And I would have added much more had you asked. 00:12:50.639 --> 00:12:58.159 Yet David, you have despised the word of God by killing Uriah and by means of the Ammonites, and you took his wife to be your own. 00:12:58.340 --> 00:12:59.139 You see, here's the point. 00:12:59.259 --> 00:13:07.639 David is the rich man, not because his crime is identical, but because his reasoning is exactly the same. 00:13:07.639 --> 00:13:17.360 So despite David having all that he could wish for, despite him having everything that God had given to him, still it was not enough. 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:37.360 Now, when you understand that about this chapter, then what you see is a crucial fact about sin in the Bible, which is that whether it's stealing sheep or committing adultery or breaking and entering or disobedience to your parents or getting angry or lying or whatever else it is, behind those sins lies a heart of selfishness. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:37.879 Selfishness. 00:13:39.159 --> 00:13:39.600 Selfishness. 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:44.639 The heart of the rich man was a selfish heart, and that's the heart of David. 00:13:45.840 --> 00:13:47.720 I think that's the center of this story. 00:13:47.840 --> 00:13:53.000 The main actor in the world is the selfishness of the human heart. 00:13:53.720 --> 00:13:58.500 A heart that thinks it can take whatever it wants, even if that means abusing whatever power it has. 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:03.379 You know, to put it bluntly, David's sin is the action of a horrible selfish desire. 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:14.759 But here's the twist, and that is that David finds it pretty easy to see that selfish desire in other people and finds it impossible to see it in himself. 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:17.200 And that's what we're all like. 00:14:18.019 --> 00:14:23.860 You and I are really good at seeing other people's selfishness and really poor at seeing our own. 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:28.480 And this story is meant to expose our own selfish hearts. 00:14:29.940 --> 00:14:32.800 Now, in a really important sense, David is a unique person in the Bible. 00:14:33.180 --> 00:14:34.840 He's the king of God's covenant people. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:36.279 He's a precursor of Christ. 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:37.120 You are not him. 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:38.180 He is not me. 00:14:38.779 --> 00:14:43.519 Yet still the Bible is consistent that this selfish heart of David is something that we all have. 00:14:43.519 --> 00:14:49.899 And whilst all sinful actions are not the same, murdering is morally worse than taking a lamb and feeding your guests with it. 00:14:50.220 --> 00:14:57.579 Yet still the point is here that the same horror of selfishness, this me first at your cost, lies behind all sin. 00:14:58.240 --> 00:15:00.720 And so if we're absolutely honest, we are all like that. 00:15:00.819 --> 00:15:04.059 The heart of the rich man is the same as my heart. 00:15:05.360 --> 00:15:07.279 But there's one last detail to notice here. 00:15:07.279 --> 00:15:12.919 So look at verse 9 and verse 10 and notice that David despises God in both those verses. 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:18.159 So in verse 9, he despises the word of God, the word of the Lord. 00:15:18.439 --> 00:15:21.759 And in verse 10, he said to have despised the Lord himself. 00:15:23.199 --> 00:15:28.019 If you look over at verse 14, Nathan says that he has shown utter contempt for the Lord. 00:15:29.259 --> 00:15:32.259 Now, I want you to notice that that is a surprising thing as well. 00:15:33.360 --> 00:15:36.699 You know, David has despised Uriah by taking his wife. 00:15:36.699 --> 00:15:38.360 For sure, he had sex with his wife. 00:15:38.419 --> 00:15:39.179 He shouldn't have done that. 00:15:39.500 --> 00:15:40.500 He despised him. 00:15:40.579 --> 00:15:41.740 He showed him utter contempt. 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:46.659 But the Lord, I think all the way through the story, David would say he trusted the Lord. 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:47.399 He loved the Lord. 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:48.620 He wanted to live for the Lord. 00:15:49.060 --> 00:15:51.399 How has he shown utter contempt for the Lord? 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:53.299 Well, I think this is the key to it, isn't it? 00:15:54.120 --> 00:15:57.879 Selfishness, the selfish heart puts our self at the center. 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.960 That necessarily despises God. 00:16:01.299 --> 00:16:01.659 Why? 00:16:01.659 --> 00:16:05.360 Why does a selfish heart necessarily despise God? 00:16:05.860 --> 00:16:11.059 Well, because the human heart is made to have God at the center of it. 00:16:11.379 --> 00:16:13.319 Not you and not me. 00:16:14.899 --> 00:16:15.839 This is so important. 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:17.659 Let me try and illustrate it for you this morning. 00:16:17.819 --> 00:16:18.699 Imagine it like this. 00:16:19.699 --> 00:16:21.240 You might be going away on holiday, right? 00:16:21.319 --> 00:16:22.419 Some of us are going away on holiday. 00:16:22.419 --> 00:16:28.319 So imagine you're going away on holiday and you very kindly allow me to stay in your home while you're away. 00:16:29.319 --> 00:16:32.079 And what you do is you give me a list of instructions. 00:16:32.439 --> 00:16:32.620 Okay? 00:16:33.059 --> 00:16:34.539 Listen, Steve, you're going to stay in my home. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:41.019 Here's a list of instructions about what you are allowed to do and not allowed to do while you live in my home while I'm away on holiday. 00:16:41.019 --> 00:16:48.819 And when you come back from holiday, what you discover is that I have ripped your instructions up into small pieces and left them on the doormat. 00:16:48.919 --> 00:16:50.919 So they're the first thing you notice as you walk through the door. 00:16:51.240 --> 00:16:53.240 And then as you come in, I've emptied all your cupboards. 00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:54.919 I've spray painted your walls. 00:16:55.120 --> 00:16:59.059 I've lit in a small fire in the living room just to keep myself warm. 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.120 I've used the kitchen as a toilet. 00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:05.119 I've let the dog run wild all over your home. 00:17:06.299 --> 00:17:08.019 What do you think as you walk in? 00:17:08.019 --> 00:17:12.019 Well, you are upset and offended by the state of the house. 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:17.180 But let me say what you really think is you think Steve must despise me. 00:17:17.900 --> 00:17:20.460 He has shown me utter contempt. 00:17:21.259 --> 00:17:26.039 He's shown no care for what I have generously given to him. 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.539 I have not taken you seriously or your instructions seriously. 00:17:31.359 --> 00:17:33.259 And that is sin here. 00:17:34.099 --> 00:17:37.319 Our lives are given to us by the God who made us. 00:17:37.319 --> 00:17:40.480 For us to live for him and for his glory. 00:17:40.679 --> 00:17:44.200 With him at the centre because that's the very purpose for which we're made. 00:17:44.700 --> 00:17:52.139 And yet, just like me in that home, we have despised God by ripping up his instructions for our lives and living them for ourselves. 00:17:52.259 --> 00:17:54.039 Making a mess all over the place. 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:57.279 And so we show God utter contempt. 00:17:58.339 --> 00:18:02.279 Following our own desires and passions, we offend the God who made us. 00:18:02.279 --> 00:18:06.019 You know, whether it's the adultery of 2 Samuel chapter 11. 00:18:06.019 --> 00:18:09.440 Whether it's the rape and murder of 2 Samuel chapter 13. 00:18:09.639 --> 00:18:15.599 Or whether it's the respectable sins of being irritable or angry or frustrated or greedy. 00:18:15.920 --> 00:18:17.579 Or disobedient to your parents. 00:18:17.720 --> 00:18:19.920 Or lustful or proud or lazy. 00:18:20.639 --> 00:18:23.899 The truth is, when Nathan the prophet says, 00:18:23.900 --> 00:18:26.340 You are this man. 00:18:26.660 --> 00:18:28.060 I am this man. 00:18:28.180 --> 00:18:28.800 This woman. 00:18:29.460 --> 00:18:30.160 It's you. 00:18:30.280 --> 00:18:30.940 It's me. 00:18:31.640 --> 00:18:36.759 And the selfishness of sin despises God and shows him utter contempt. 00:18:39.340 --> 00:18:42.540 Secondly then, the consequences of selfish sin. 00:18:43.200 --> 00:18:47.740 If you glance back at the passage and look down at verse 10, you'll see that pretty much from there on in, 00:18:47.740 --> 00:18:50.500 And it is all about the consequences of David's sin. 00:18:51.240 --> 00:18:56.819 And as you read it, you can see it's effectively God sort of handing David over to his sin, 00:18:56.940 --> 00:18:58.480 to his choices that he has made. 00:18:58.620 --> 00:19:00.000 The consequences of his actions. 00:19:01.000 --> 00:19:05.539 Verse 11 is a prophecy which is going to get played out in chapter 16, verse 22. 00:19:05.740 --> 00:19:07.480 And we'll see that next term. 00:19:07.900 --> 00:19:13.099 And even though David gives an unqualified admission of guilt in verse 13, 00:19:13.180 --> 00:19:15.940 and even though God forgives him, and we'll think more about that in a moment, 00:19:15.940 --> 00:19:19.000 still he's told that his newborn son will die. 00:19:19.660 --> 00:19:23.380 Even seven days in fasting and prayer won't change that fact. 00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:27.779 Even praying to the point at which those around him worry about his sanity does not change it. 00:19:28.080 --> 00:19:29.600 The baby still dies. 00:19:31.059 --> 00:19:35.039 Now we just need to be careful here because it is unusual in the scriptures for this to be the case. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:39.500 Death in infancy is not normally related to the sins of the parents. 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:41.299 Not today and not in the Bible. 00:19:41.299 --> 00:19:48.659 In fact, in John chapter 9, Jesus breaks the connection between parental sin and infant suffering in the story of the blind man. 00:19:49.460 --> 00:19:51.279 But here a connection is made. 00:19:51.839 --> 00:19:53.460 David's son dies. 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:58.720 A fate which he knows he too one day will share when he goes to be with him in verse 23. 00:19:59.879 --> 00:20:02.839 Now this handing over judgment of David. 00:20:03.440 --> 00:20:06.940 That David experiences consequences from his sinful choices. 00:20:06.940 --> 00:20:13.720 You know, we might not be able to draw a straight line because David is told directly by God why all of this is happening. 00:20:14.059 --> 00:20:19.980 Still, the truth is that God today hands us over to our sinful, selfish choices, 00:20:20.640 --> 00:20:25.519 allowing us to experience the limits of his providence and common grace, 00:20:26.100 --> 00:20:31.360 to experience a world ravaged by selfishness rather than overseen by a loving creator. 00:20:32.299 --> 00:20:33.880 Just think about this with me for a moment. 00:20:33.880 --> 00:20:39.860 Back in Genesis 3, how does God judge Adam and Eve when they sin and rebel against God? 00:20:40.340 --> 00:20:42.480 When they despise God, what does he do? 00:20:43.420 --> 00:20:46.740 He throws them out of the garden and he hands them over to the weeds, 00:20:47.340 --> 00:20:51.660 to the consequences of their sinful selfishness. 00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:55.040 In Genesis 4, Cain, having murdered his brother, 00:20:55.120 --> 00:20:59.040 becomes a restless wanderer with no one to trust and no one trusting him. 00:20:59.039 --> 00:21:03.799 You show yourself to be that kind of brother, Cain, and you will face the consequences. 00:21:04.859 --> 00:21:08.059 Abraham has to send Hagar and Ishmael away because Sarah is jealous. 00:21:08.559 --> 00:21:11.240 Samson ends up being captured by the woman he shouldn't have been with. 00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:16.139 Hezekiah ends up losing the temple treasures to the Babylonian empire he showed off to. 00:21:17.359 --> 00:21:19.359 Romans 1 puts it like this. 00:21:20.220 --> 00:21:21.680 It will come up on the screen behind me. 00:21:21.779 --> 00:21:23.159 Romans 1, furthermore, 00:21:23.160 --> 00:21:26.920 Just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God. 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:28.140 That's sin. 00:21:29.100 --> 00:21:34.259 So God gave them over to a depraved mind so that they do what ought not to be done. 00:21:34.960 --> 00:21:38.920 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. 00:21:39.080 --> 00:21:42.840 They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. 00:21:42.940 --> 00:21:47.240 They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. 00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:49.039 They invent ways of doing evil. 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:50.299 They disobey their parents. 00:21:50.420 --> 00:21:53.200 They have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:57.220 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, 00:21:57.279 --> 00:22:01.799 they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them. 00:22:03.079 --> 00:22:05.620 Being handed over to our sinfulness. 00:22:07.120 --> 00:22:10.660 There's a bit more to say on this too, but we need to be careful as we say it. 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:13.920 Notice that David's repentance here is heartfelt and real. 00:22:13.920 --> 00:22:19.420 There's nothing to suggest in this story that he's anything other than genuinely moved 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:22.960 and heart-struck by his sinfulness and his need for mercy. 00:22:23.980 --> 00:22:28.140 In fact, it's around this time that he writes Psalm 51, which we read earlier in our service, 00:22:28.539 --> 00:22:30.539 which in many ways is a model for repentance. 00:22:31.180 --> 00:22:32.720 And God forgives him for his sin. 00:22:33.000 --> 00:22:34.320 He does not hold it against him. 00:22:34.380 --> 00:22:36.019 He is not going to face death for it. 00:22:36.080 --> 00:22:40.180 Yet still, listen, genuine repentance, 00:22:40.180 --> 00:22:43.680 although it removes the judgment, the final judgment of God, 00:22:43.759 --> 00:22:47.600 does not necessarily spare you from the consequences for your sin. 00:22:48.940 --> 00:22:52.360 David experiences the unraveling of his family and his life, 00:22:52.840 --> 00:22:55.340 the death of his sons, a consequence for what he's done. 00:22:56.539 --> 00:22:57.940 Now, like I said, we need to be careful 00:22:57.940 --> 00:23:00.600 because you can't always draw a neat line from the thing you've done wrong 00:23:00.600 --> 00:23:01.640 to the thing you're experiencing. 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:03.160 You can't always do that. 00:23:03.620 --> 00:23:06.080 In fact, we're encouraged at times not to even look for that. 00:23:06.519 --> 00:23:07.799 We don't have all the information. 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:10.339 And even if we had all the information, we wouldn't understand it. 00:23:10.659 --> 00:23:14.399 But what we do need to say, because it's here in 2 Samuel chapter 12, 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:16.940 it's here in Romans 1 as well that we've read together. 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:19.500 It's also there in Galatians 6, when God says, 00:23:19.579 --> 00:23:22.119 he's not mocked at whatever you sow that we will reap. 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:25.579 Our lives, even our lives as Christians, 00:23:25.779 --> 00:23:29.460 are marked by the consequences of our sinfulness. 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:33.839 In other words, if in our Christian lives, 00:23:33.839 --> 00:23:37.899 we can be sure that we will not face God's final judgment, 00:23:38.059 --> 00:23:41.740 but we will still face the consequences of the lives that we lived. 00:23:42.480 --> 00:23:43.899 Now, if as a Christian this morning, 00:23:44.319 --> 00:23:47.619 you selfishly pursue fame and fortune at work, 00:23:47.740 --> 00:23:50.459 if even as a Christian, even trusting the Lord 00:23:50.459 --> 00:23:53.539 and turning from your sin and wanting, you know, 00:23:53.599 --> 00:23:55.019 wanting in a sense to live for him, 00:23:55.139 --> 00:23:58.339 if doing that you still live for selfish desire 00:23:58.339 --> 00:24:02.559 and try and do everything that you can to get fortune at work, 00:24:02.759 --> 00:24:05.980 you will be sure that you'll face the consequences of that in your life, don't you? 00:24:06.019 --> 00:24:08.480 You know that in your home, in your relationships. 00:24:09.659 --> 00:24:12.299 If you lie and twist the truth to get your own way all the time, 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:14.339 you can expect to find it difficult to trust people 00:24:14.339 --> 00:24:15.480 or to make genuine friendships. 00:24:16.539 --> 00:24:18.339 If you're perpetually materially discontent 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:22.819 and you try and kind of inoculate yourself against that 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:24.459 by just buying stuff all the time, 00:24:24.460 --> 00:24:27.340 you can expect your relationships with others to be shallow, 00:24:28.120 --> 00:24:29.640 of little help when life is hard. 00:24:30.299 --> 00:24:33.200 If you don't fight the temptation to have a view of life 00:24:33.200 --> 00:24:34.880 that has you in control and you at the center, 00:24:35.259 --> 00:24:37.640 then you can be sure again that you'll face the consequences. 00:24:39.079 --> 00:24:42.340 Now, if you neglect the means of grace in the life of the church, 00:24:42.779 --> 00:24:43.700 because you know what, to be honest, 00:24:43.759 --> 00:24:45.559 my life is just too busy with other things, 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:47.579 then you will struggle as a Christian. 00:24:48.640 --> 00:24:50.660 It works for us corporately as well. 00:24:51.220 --> 00:24:54.000 If we are selfish and self-interested as a church, 00:24:54.000 --> 00:24:56.319 if we're more interested in the fame and fortune 00:24:56.319 --> 00:24:57.680 of West Kilburn Baptist Church 00:24:57.680 --> 00:24:59.519 than we are concerned about the kingdom of God, 00:24:59.700 --> 00:25:02.579 then we can expect to fight as a church with one another 00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:04.619 and slowly wither away. 00:25:07.319 --> 00:25:10.019 Perhaps the most obvious place that we see this link 00:25:10.019 --> 00:25:12.460 is in the topic at hand in chapter 12, 00:25:12.960 --> 00:25:14.519 which is this, and let's not duck it. 00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:16.000 It's difficult, but let's not duck it. 00:25:16.440 --> 00:25:20.500 We see the consequences of this in sexual sin 00:25:20.500 --> 00:25:21.940 more than anywhere else. 00:25:21.940 --> 00:25:25.779 You know, selfish sexual desire, 00:25:25.880 --> 00:25:28.460 a desire that's willing to sacrifice what it knows it's right 00:25:28.460 --> 00:25:31.180 for a moment of self-indulgent pleasure. 00:25:31.600 --> 00:25:34.380 That selfishness, which we know we all wrestle with, 00:25:34.860 --> 00:25:37.019 has a particularly destructive power 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:38.759 in our lives and our relationships. 00:25:40.039 --> 00:25:41.920 So much so that it can kill marriages, 00:25:42.140 --> 00:25:43.360 it can destroy childhoods, 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:45.080 it can ruin mental and physical health, 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:46.799 it can rip churches apart, 00:25:46.799 --> 00:25:48.879 it can ruin the witness of a lifetime, 00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:52.700 it can tarnish gospel ministry for years and years to come. 00:25:54.019 --> 00:25:56.460 That's not because sex itself is naughty or dirty 00:25:56.460 --> 00:25:58.460 or even because sexual sin is unforgivable. 00:25:58.919 --> 00:25:59.819 That's not true. 00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:02.460 God can and does forgive sexual sin, 00:26:02.619 --> 00:26:04.700 which is good because we're all sinners in that way. 00:26:05.879 --> 00:26:08.299 But despite living in a culture that doesn't think 00:26:08.299 --> 00:26:09.940 what we do with our bodies is very important, 00:26:09.940 --> 00:26:12.000 still the witness of the Bible in our own eyes 00:26:12.000 --> 00:26:13.220 is that sexual sin, 00:26:13.620 --> 00:26:15.980 even forgiven sexual sin, 00:26:16.460 --> 00:26:18.660 has consequences in our lives. 00:26:20.220 --> 00:26:23.200 If we don't fight this kind of selfishness, 00:26:23.460 --> 00:26:26.299 it carries a particular destructive force. 00:26:26.779 --> 00:26:28.220 So we must be careful. 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:29.900 We must be careful. 00:26:31.600 --> 00:26:33.299 David here is a warning, isn't he? 00:26:34.299 --> 00:26:36.779 He's a warning about what can happen 00:26:36.779 --> 00:26:40.500 if you give in to a moment of selfish pleasure 00:26:40.500 --> 00:26:43.579 and the consequences for those around you and for yourself. 00:26:44.619 --> 00:26:45.539 Let me say this morning, 00:26:45.599 --> 00:26:47.559 if this is an area in which you're particularly struggling, 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:48.740 we all are in a way, 00:26:49.440 --> 00:26:52.259 but if you this morning are particularly struggling in this area, 00:26:52.419 --> 00:26:55.579 please seek out the help of a trusted Christian friend. 00:26:56.099 --> 00:26:57.899 Speak to me or one of the other leaders of the church. 00:26:57.980 --> 00:27:00.139 We'd be only too happy to help you and pray with you. 00:27:01.960 --> 00:27:02.940 Finally, though, this morning, 00:27:02.940 --> 00:27:04.059 let's end with this. 00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:06.420 Surprising grace for selfish sinners. 00:27:07.940 --> 00:27:09.299 We've touched on these verses already, 00:27:09.420 --> 00:27:11.519 but I think verses 24 to 25 00:27:11.519 --> 00:27:13.320 are some of the most startling in the passage. 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:15.759 Nathan gets to go back to David. 00:27:15.880 --> 00:27:16.640 He's sent again, 00:27:17.340 --> 00:27:18.759 but this time not to deliver the news 00:27:18.759 --> 00:27:19.940 that his child would die, 00:27:20.059 --> 00:27:20.980 but to deliver the news 00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:23.380 that the Lord has set his love on Solomon. 00:27:24.700 --> 00:27:27.900 So much so that he was to be known for that love, 00:27:28.080 --> 00:27:29.860 named after that love even. 00:27:29.859 --> 00:27:33.339 So after all the chaos that marks the end of David's life, 00:27:33.539 --> 00:27:36.959 Solomon goes on to reign for a period of remarkable peace 00:27:36.959 --> 00:27:37.919 in the life of Solomon, 00:27:38.399 --> 00:27:41.159 when the nation of Israel enjoys the high point 00:27:41.159 --> 00:27:43.159 of their national life under Solomon's reign. 00:27:44.240 --> 00:27:45.019 Then after that, 00:27:45.079 --> 00:27:47.579 we're given the detail of this battle for Rabbah, 00:27:48.000 --> 00:27:49.299 the battle which, if you remember, 00:27:49.399 --> 00:27:50.919 Uriah was killed in. 00:27:52.059 --> 00:27:54.019 David goes and he takes the crown of the king 00:27:54.019 --> 00:27:55.319 and he puts it on his own head. 00:27:55.319 --> 00:27:57.419 So this is the image that you're left with 00:27:57.419 --> 00:27:58.599 at the end of the chapter, aren't you? 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:01.059 David and Bathsheba have a son 00:28:01.059 --> 00:28:03.159 who's going to be a king of peace 00:28:03.159 --> 00:28:06.460 and David is wearing a crown on his head. 00:28:07.819 --> 00:28:09.939 God, who would take a relationship 00:28:09.939 --> 00:28:11.799 started by selfish desire, 00:28:12.240 --> 00:28:14.819 uses it to bring peace and prosperity 00:28:14.819 --> 00:28:16.500 and joy to his people. 00:28:17.299 --> 00:28:18.980 And he takes the crown of a king 00:28:18.980 --> 00:28:21.139 who showed contempt for him 00:28:21.139 --> 00:28:23.319 and put a crown on his head. 00:28:23.319 --> 00:28:25.859 You know, you're supposed to read that 00:28:25.859 --> 00:28:28.279 and wonder of the grace of a God like that. 00:28:28.939 --> 00:28:31.799 Wow, you would do that for him, God? 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:35.039 You see, there's more to this, isn't there? 00:28:35.399 --> 00:28:38.859 You know, the antidote to human selfishness is what? 00:28:39.919 --> 00:28:40.879 You know, don't you, 00:28:41.500 --> 00:28:44.439 religion is never the antidote to human selfishness. 00:28:44.759 --> 00:28:47.319 Why is religion never the antidote to human selfishness? 00:28:48.659 --> 00:28:51.019 If selfishness is the heart of sin, 00:28:51.019 --> 00:28:54.960 why will religious obedience never be the answer to it? 00:28:55.139 --> 00:28:55.819 You know, if you say, 00:28:56.079 --> 00:28:57.700 I'm going to turn up at church, 00:28:58.559 --> 00:28:59.920 I'm going to pray every day, 00:29:00.379 --> 00:29:01.920 I'm going to read my Bible every day, 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:05.839 and then God must show me kindness and goodness 00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:08.960 and, you know, must give me a ticket to glory. 00:29:09.440 --> 00:29:11.099 Why is that never going to work? 00:29:11.779 --> 00:29:15.099 Because that kind of religion is selfish, isn't it? 00:29:15.500 --> 00:29:16.660 You're not thinking about God, 00:29:16.720 --> 00:29:17.700 you're thinking about yourself. 00:29:17.700 --> 00:29:20.960 How can I get God to do what I want him to do? 00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:23.140 Well, I'll get him to do it by my religious obedience. 00:29:23.860 --> 00:29:26.180 So of course, religion is never going to solve 00:29:26.180 --> 00:29:27.680 the problem of a selfish human heart. 00:29:28.100 --> 00:29:30.740 What will solve the problem of a selfish human heart? 00:29:32.279 --> 00:29:34.740 God's selflessness. 00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:37.799 And we know that even more than David, don't we? 00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:40.779 Who in an outpouring of grace and mercy 00:29:40.779 --> 00:29:42.840 would bring peace to an undeserving nation. 00:29:43.299 --> 00:29:44.799 And as New Testament Bible readers, 00:29:44.799 --> 00:29:46.919 we see that's not so much through Solomon, do we? 00:29:47.419 --> 00:29:48.759 It's through his beloved son, 00:29:49.740 --> 00:29:50.879 the eternal son of God, 00:29:50.960 --> 00:29:53.779 born into history through the line of David and Bathsheba, 00:29:54.240 --> 00:29:56.079 who lays down his life on a cross, 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:59.379 selflessly given into the hands of sinful men and women 00:29:59.379 --> 00:30:00.960 who called out for his death, 00:30:01.379 --> 00:30:05.019 that through him and his selfless sacrifice, 00:30:05.519 --> 00:30:07.419 we might receive eternal salvation 00:30:07.419 --> 00:30:09.819 and the final death of selfish desire. 00:30:10.740 --> 00:30:12.779 The parallels are all over this account, aren't they? 00:30:12.779 --> 00:30:14.839 You see, in 2 Samuel chapter 12, 00:30:15.039 --> 00:30:19.619 David's selfish sin leads to the death of his unnamed son, 00:30:19.839 --> 00:30:24.160 who is replaced by a son who becomes the great King Solomon. 00:30:25.119 --> 00:30:30.079 And in the gospel, it is the selfless love of God, 00:30:30.119 --> 00:30:33.639 which leads to the death of his only son named Jesus 00:30:33.639 --> 00:30:35.899 in the place of selfish sinners, 00:30:36.619 --> 00:30:38.299 who is then not replaced, 00:30:38.299 --> 00:30:40.319 but raised up to new life, 00:30:40.419 --> 00:30:41.980 to endless human life, 00:30:42.019 --> 00:30:43.279 as the King of God's people, 00:30:43.680 --> 00:30:46.680 the King of peace and prosperity forever and ever, 00:30:47.099 --> 00:30:49.359 wearing not the giant golden crown of Rabba, 00:30:49.419 --> 00:30:50.759 but the crown of God himself 00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:53.619 as King of kings and Lord of lords. 00:30:55.299 --> 00:30:56.759 Let me finish here this morning. 00:30:56.899 --> 00:30:59.079 The truth is that the story of David and Bathsheba 00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:01.700 is meant to be very, very convicting. 00:31:01.700 --> 00:31:05.080 You are meant to read 2 Samuel 11 and 12 00:31:05.080 --> 00:31:06.840 and say, as you leave here this morning, 00:31:06.920 --> 00:31:08.019 I'm no better than David. 00:31:08.200 --> 00:31:09.100 I'm no better than David. 00:31:09.759 --> 00:31:10.860 I'm just like that. 00:31:11.580 --> 00:31:13.539 But you're meant to leave also thinking, 00:31:13.819 --> 00:31:16.960 how wonderful that my God, 00:31:17.460 --> 00:31:20.140 the God of the Bible in selfless love, 00:31:20.319 --> 00:31:23.400 sent his own son to die for my sin, 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:25.920 that he might be raised up to new life 00:31:25.920 --> 00:31:28.140 and crowned with the crown of crowns 00:31:28.140 --> 00:31:31.080 as King of kings and Lord of lords 00:31:31.080 --> 00:31:33.240 to rule and reign for all eternity. 00:31:34.480 --> 00:31:36.060 And maybe you're not a Christian this morning. 00:31:36.300 --> 00:31:37.620 If you're not a Christian this morning, 00:31:37.700 --> 00:31:39.360 can I encourage you to come 00:31:39.360 --> 00:31:41.300 and call out to that King 00:31:41.300 --> 00:31:43.860 and say, please, King Jesus, 00:31:44.019 --> 00:31:47.240 will you save me by your act of selfless love? 00:31:48.100 --> 00:31:49.300 And some of you here this morning 00:31:49.300 --> 00:31:52.580 have been Christians for a very, very long time. 00:31:52.579 --> 00:31:56.960 Can I encourage you to call out to King Jesus 00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:59.559 and say again to him, King Jesus, 00:32:00.500 --> 00:32:03.899 please again, cleanse me of my selfish sin. 00:32:04.539 --> 00:32:05.519 I turn to you. 00:32:05.619 --> 00:32:06.439 I trust in you. 00:32:06.559 --> 00:32:07.220 I love you. 00:32:07.339 --> 00:32:08.799 Help me to live my life for you. 00:32:09.199 --> 00:32:10.379 Help me to fight sin 00:32:10.379 --> 00:32:12.000 because I know that just like David, 00:32:12.139 --> 00:32:14.500 in a moment of passion-fueled craziness, 00:32:14.559 --> 00:32:15.639 I could ruin my life. 00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:17.799 Please don't let me do that, Lord. 00:32:18.220 --> 00:32:19.279 Please be with me. 00:32:19.899 --> 00:32:21.919 Please help me to live my life for Christ. 00:32:22.579 --> 00:32:23.699 Let's close in prayer. 00:32:23.980 --> 00:32:24.359 Let's pray. 00:32:36.879 --> 00:32:38.279 Let's just have a moment of quiet. 00:32:38.379 --> 00:32:39.839 Maybe you can pray in your own heart 00:32:39.839 --> 00:32:42.460 and you can respond to what we've had. 00:32:42.460 --> 00:32:42.519 Let's. 00:32:52.579 --> 00:32:53.579 Let's pray. 00:33:04.439 --> 00:33:06.139 Heavenly Father, we turn to you 00:33:06.139 --> 00:33:12.240 and we say that we are that man, that woman 00:33:12.240 --> 00:33:16.099 that has lived for ourselves and despised your word, 00:33:17.119 --> 00:33:18.259 shown you utter contempt 00:33:18.259 --> 00:33:21.019 by putting ourselves on the throne of our own lives. 00:33:23.500 --> 00:33:24.980 And we turn from our sin 00:33:24.980 --> 00:33:28.000 and with David we say that we have sinned against you 00:33:28.000 --> 00:33:29.980 and we say that we're sorry. 00:33:31.579 --> 00:33:33.299 And Lord, we thank and praise you 00:33:33.299 --> 00:33:36.359 that in an act of great selfless love and kindness, 00:33:37.359 --> 00:33:38.599 you've sent the Lord Jesus 00:33:38.599 --> 00:33:42.039 that he might undo our selfishness. 00:33:42.039 --> 00:33:45.839 Please, we pray, forgive us and cleanse us. 00:33:46.759 --> 00:33:49.420 Come and live in our hearts and rule and reign, we pray. 00:33:50.460 --> 00:33:52.559 Help us to live lives to your praise and glory. 00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:54.740 And we ask as a church 00:33:54.740 --> 00:33:56.920 and as individual members of the church 00:33:56.920 --> 00:33:58.339 that you might help us to be people 00:33:58.339 --> 00:34:00.759 who take sin seriously. 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:03.399 Help us never to toy with it 00:34:03.399 --> 00:34:04.779 or pretend it doesn't matter. 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:08.300 And Lord, we confess we live with the consequences 00:34:08.300 --> 00:34:11.680 of the mistakes that we've made corporately and individually. 00:34:12.800 --> 00:34:14.539 And we say and ask, Lord, 00:34:14.560 --> 00:34:16.880 that each one of them might turn us back to you 00:34:16.880 --> 00:34:20.019 to again remember of our need of you 00:34:20.019 --> 00:34:22.360 and again long for a day 00:34:22.360 --> 00:34:23.720 when we'll be with you in a place 00:34:23.720 --> 00:34:26.780 with no more sin or sickness or suffering or death. 00:34:28.000 --> 00:34:29.800 Come, Lord Jesus, we pray. 00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:31.220 Amen. 00:34:31.880 --> 00:34:32.340 Amen.