A Fallen King
Thesis: David’s sin came because he stopped doing what he was supposed to be doing.
Texts: II Samuel 11,12
Introduction:
The last few weeks we have been studying the life of David. We discovered that a nobody became a somebody, a somebody became a fugitive, a fugitive became king and the king grew the kingdom and now the king falls into sin.
Swindoll states, The Bible never flatters its heroes. All the men and women of Scripture have feet made of clay, and when the Holy Spirit paints a portrait of their lives, He’s a very realistic artist. He doesn’t ignore, deny, or overlook the dark side. Personally, when I step into this chapter in David’s life, I am forever grateful that God has finished writing Scripture. There is not a person I know who would want to have his failures and vices recorded for all generations to read and discuss and make movies about and write books on and preach sermons on down through the centuries “(179).
MacDonald states, “We can be thankful that Scripture deals openly with failure. The defects of the saints are not edited out. The dark sides of people who made a difference in their generations are there for all to see: King David’s adultery and murderous scheming, Elijah’s loss of nerve, Jonah’s vindictive spirit.”
The Bible is about real life. It shows us the good with the bad. This is was God’s intention when He had it penned for us. We need to use it to grow in life. It will give us insight and direction in what to do and what not to do. If we learn it’s lessons well we will save ourselves a lot of heartache.
Lets now explore the life of David as he fell into sin and learn lessons from the king’s failure.
I. What causes kings or queens to fall? What causes leaders in the Kingdom of God to fall?
a. A lesson from a fallen king - David’s life is set in Scripture to teach us what to do and what not to do in life (II Samuel 11).
i. When you become a king or queen in the kingdom there are things we need to guard against the first one is to make sure you are where God wants you.
1. Illustration: Humpty Dumpty- see overhead
a. Have you ever asked yourself this question about Humpy Dumpty. Why was an egg sitting on the edge of the wall?
b. Eggs belong in a safe container so they will not get broke.
c. It sounds to me that this big egg was in the wrong place. He should have been where he was suppose to be.
d. Just a thought on the big egg!
e. But reality sets in II Samuel as we discover David is acting like Humpty Dumpty he sitting on the top of his palace leaning over peeping at a women taking a bath and he is about to fall over the edge and go splat and the result will be scrambled David on the verge of being fried.
2. II Samuel 11: 1 gives us our first flag of warning - 1. In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
a. There is a big - BUT- here that flags us as leaders in the kingdom.
b. David was not where he was supposed to be!
i. It would have been safer for him on the battlefield.
ii. BUT he is at home in idleness enjoying the good life of prosperity.
iii. He is 51 and taking in the pleasure of leisure.
iv. He tells himself” I have earned this!”
c. Instead of leading his men in battle he was at home being idle-doing nothing eating-enjoying his wives laying in the sun, soaking in his palace. But he is in the wrong place!
i. His being at the wrong place at the wrong time was about to cost him dearly.
ii. His idleness was going to extract a terrible price on his life and others.
iii. Scripture warns us against idleness.
1. Proverbs 31:27 “She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
2. I Thess. 5:14 “says warn those who are idol.”
3. I Thess. 3:6-15 -Talks about the danger of idleness – warns against it Paul states, “we hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy they are busybodies.”
d. Right here is where whistles start blowing, the word Danger starts flashing over, and over!
i. The Holy Spirit is yelling and David is yawning.
ii. Flesh is rising up above the Spirit it’s taking over-its going to go out of control.
iii. But David gets caught up in idleness and forgets about God.
1. He did not heed to the instructions of Deut. 17:14-20 which tells him to stay focused on the Lord not other things.
e. Something has begun to deteriorate in our hero- “Our man after God’s own heart!” has started to digress from being God centered to self-centered!
i. All the years of doing what is right is about to be tarnished by the failure of the up and coming moment.
ii. F.B.Meyer states, “One brief spell of passionate indulgence, and then-his character blasted irretrievably; his peace vanished; the foundation of his kingdom imperiled; the Lord displeased; and great occasion given to his enemies to blaspheme!”
f. Success has a way of doing this to people. If they do not guard their hearts after they have become successful pride, ego, self-centeredness starts to rise to the forefront.
i. David did so well under hardship that he never saw the subtle temptation of success as a means that could destroy him. It was the good life that led the king’s heart away from the Lord. A strong warning to America today!
ii. Swindoll states, “Our most difficult times are not when things are going hard. Hard times create dependent people. You don’t get proud when you’re dependent on God. Survival keeps you humble. Pride happens when everything is swinging in your direction” (183).
iii. David bit on the bit and it bit him back ferociously.
1. He bit on the philosophy of the “pursuit of happiness”.
iv. Some of the most successful leaders are not defeated from an outside force but from an inward force.
1. It’s an internal slow slide from His ways. This disease affects the roots and slowly rots away the roots and eventually the tree falls over.
ii. The Second thing to guard against is the attitude of not being willing to here the warnings of those who are around you. II Samuel 11:3, “and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
1. In other words “She’s Married!”
a. Watch it David she is already married –don’t be stupid –wake up and get your lust under control-quit drooling!
b. Swindoll states,’ I believe that the servant knew exactly what David was thinking. He could see her down there. He was a man as well. He knew his master. He’d seen the harem. He’d watched David operate with women, and so he warned him as he answered him” (187).
c. Indirectly he is saying how many wives do you have?
i. Once again this is contrary to what the Lord says to do in Deut. 17:17 a king was not to take many wives for they would lead him astray.
ii. Quick thought on lust- It does not matter how many women you have or men it will never be satisfied because it keeps wanting more and more. It’s never fulfilled.
1. It’s bondage not a blessing!
2. Genuine love is a blessing- not selfish lust!
iii. The third aspect to guard yourself against and watch out for is that when you open the door for sin to come in it will roar in like a flood.
1. David not only looked and lusted he invited it into his house with him.
a. This would have future impact upon his family, his nation, his position as king, and his position in the sight of the Lord.
i. At the time sin seems so insignificant -so what if I sleep with him or her- big deal!
ii. Some just fall into these situations and forget about God!
1. Because the flesh is in control!
iii. Others say, “It’s only one night- God will forgive me.” “He is a God of grace- no one will know!”
iv. Sin always has consequences that are far reaching. Take a look at society:
1. 50% Divorce rate.
2. Fatherless families
3. Motherless families
4. Drug addictions
5. Broken homes
6. Abortion-the killing of innocent unborn babies by the millions.
7. Lies and more lies everywhere.
a. Separation of church and state lie!
b. Many tell me it’s in the Constitution- No it’s not!
8. An anti-God attitude.
9. A society falling from within!
10. A nation not under God but under sin!
a. Their forgetting about God and letting the flesh lead and direct.
v. Swindoll notes, “It’s been my observation over the years that the devil never tips his hand in temptation. He shows you only the beauty, the ecstasy, the fun, the excitement, and the stimulating adventure of stolen desires. But he never tells the heavy drinker. ‘Tomorrow morning there’ll be a hangover. Ultimately your ruin your family.” He never tells the drug user early on, ‘This is the beginning of a long, sorrowful, dead-end road.’ He never tells the thief. ‘Your going to get caught, friend. You do this, and you’ll wind up behind bars.’ He certainly doesn’t warn the adulterer, ‘You know, pregnancy is a real possibility.’ Or, ‘You could get a life threatening disease.’ Are you kidding? Face it, when the sin is done and all the penalties of that sin come due, the devil is nowhere to be found. He smiles as you fall…but leaves you with no encouragement when the consequences kick in” (187,188).
b. This principle needs to be learned to keep from falling. We must realize that ONE SIN always leads to more sin and more destruction.
i. It has a domino effect. It affects more than just the sinner.
ii. Once sin is in-it multiplies itself.
c. The first step is always the hardest but the more you do it the easier it gets to keep on doing it.
i. It’s like the safety is removed from a gun and the gun- lock is unlocked so it’s easy to shoot, to shoot, to shoot. Without ever thinking about it or pondering before you do it.
1. Sin starts to be fired everywhere and at everyone and win it hits it hurts and it will cause destruction.!
ii. The problem is you quit asking God for direction and let the flesh start telling you what to do.
1. One lie always leads to more lies to cover up the first lie.
2. One affair leads to more affairs and deception comes in to cover up every encounter. Lies role off the tongue and out of the heart.
3. When they cannot cover it up anymore they go deeper into sin and use more and more drastic measures to hide the original sin.
iii. They take on a delusional mind-set.
1. They start calling evil good and good evil.
2. They start justifying sin after sin.
3. They sear the heart with the hot iron of sin and desensitize it to the Holy Spirit’s correction.
4. It’s going on all over the place today!
5. Sin abounds and people continue trying to hide sin with sin. Deception never leads to freedom and revival only bondage and destruction.
iv. The fourth lesson you need to learn about dropping you guard is that if you try to cover it up – God promises to expose you (Luke 12:1-3).
1. Luke 12:1-3 Jesus tells us, “1. Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
a. God sees every sin and every unrepentant sin and it will be exposed!
a. It will come out in the light!
b. Illustration from the movie we saw the other night. “Meet the Parents.”
c. Sin is always uncovered!
T.S.- David fell into sin because his heart strayed from the things of the Lord and it took a revival encounter to see him restored.
II. David’s life models for us how to receive revival through failure (II Samuel 12).
a. The proper understanding of the revival is:
i. In the New Testament, revival is a translation of the compound word anazao, which literally means, “again to live”. It is used in the spiritual sense of bringing life to a Christian who has fallen asleep, or rebelled against God.
ii. Wilkerson states, ‘ In this law (The law of revival), revival refers to the process of bringing back to full life a Christian who has fallen into sin and is living in known disobedience to the Lord.”
b. Nathan’s as a prophet of God models for us how to bring revival to a fallen king or queen. David models for us how to receive revival even after we have fallen. (The following information is taken and adapted from Dr. Wilkerson’s book The Seven Laws Of The Learner.)
i. Step one in revival starts when God decides to send someone to the fallen person to point out their predicament.
1. II Samuel 12:1a – “The Lord sent Nathan to David…”
a. Nathan was commissioned by God to go to David.
i. Commissioned means to be given authority to carry out the task at hand. He was granted certain power and position by God to deal with the king.
ii. When Nathan appeared before the king he knew he was doing God’s will.
iii. Our direct commission from God is what gives us the right to confront in love when someone is wrong.
2. The key to seeing people restored is found in the fact that God still does love fallen individuals.
a. That’s demonstrated in the cross!
3. The Lord will send people to confront them and ask for a change of heart so He can restore them. It’s actually an act of love and not hate! Here this –let it sink in NOW!
a. But if you confront – you make sure you have God’s permission and if it’s in the church the permission of the leadership!
ii. Step two of igniting revival in a persons heart is confrontation.
1. II Samuel 12:1b-9
2. A fallen person must come to the realization that they are wrong.
a. It’s the idea of pointing out a boundary that has been illegally crossed and violated.
b. Confrontation brings the individual face to face with the truth of their boundary violation.
c. Nathan in our passage did this with David. His confrontation helped David see himself in God’s true spotlight. And conviction flooded down upon David.
d. The Prophet lead David to discover his error by doing three things:
i. He confronted with a parable to drive home how unjust this person was (II Samuel 12:1b-6)
ii. He confronted through describing the nature of God (II Samuel 12:7-8).
iii. He confronted by listing specific sins (12:9-10)
e. Nathan knew that to be effective in confronting sin you had to be direct, specific and true. He did not beat around the bush he shared the truth in love right there and then!
f. Confrontation is not easy for anyone, but the Lord admonishes us to do it.
i. Just remember these valuable lessons:
1. Make sure God has commissioned you to be the confronter.
2. Always use the Biblical word for the sin they have committed.
3. Do not move beyond this step of revival unless the person admits their sin.
iii. The third step in revival caused by confrontation is it must be Biblical.
1. We should confront fallen individuals when we are sure they have broken clear Biblical mandates.
a. The Bible is God’s word. There are no absolutes without the Bible. But, with the Bible, we can all know whether an act is a sin or not.
b. The Word of God establishes those boundaries not man.
i. This is not about what you or I think!
ii. We see what happens when there are no absolutes in a society.
1. Look at this election.
2. Look at the court cases.
3. Men and women are deciding what they think is right and wrong.
c. The point here is to get the individual to admit they have broken God’s law to give them it’s Biblical name.
iv. The fourth step in revival is to restore but let the individual know that there are consequences for their sin (II Samuel 12:10-14).
1. When a person disobeys God’s Word, they underestimate two things.
a. The seriousness of their sinful behavior
b. The negative consequences of that behavior to themselves, their family, their friends, their relationships, their church, and their community.
2. Confrontation that leads to revival helps the person see the past and it’s sinful acts, consequences help the person see the present and future harm of the sin’s results.
a. Nathan noted five categories of consequences.
i. Consequence to the individual.
ii. Consequence to the immediate family.
iii. Consequence to the Community- Israelite or Christian
iv. Consequence to the Community- non-Israelite or Christian
v. Consequences to the Lord God- His pain as a result of our sin. He experiences it too!
v. The fifth step to revival is when the fallen one confesses ( II Samuel 12:13) and experiences God’s grace.
1. Confession means to undeniably make known to others, one’s error or wrongdoing. David states in verse 13 “I have sinned against the Lord!’
a. Confession is the first step on the positive side of revival, and represents the hinge swinging between revival and rebellion.
b. David’s full confession is found in Psalm 51
i. Note especially verse 17a, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart…”
c. Many want to put the pressure on God for Revival when in essence revival has to do with our actions or lack of action when it comes to sin.
d. II Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”
1. In this passage of Scripture God makes it clear that there are 4 conditions to revival.
a. Will you humble yourself?
b. Will you pray?
c. Will you seek God’s direction?
d. Will you turn from your wicked ways?
ii. Dr. Wilkinson states, “ But how could turning from my wicked ways be a condition of revival? I had always thought acts of repentance and obedience were the results of revival, not the conditions for it. I had incorrectly thought that when God finally decided, in his sovereignty, to send revival, then I’d finally have the power to overcome my sins. So ultimately, then, who was I blaming for my wicked ways? In my confusion, who did I feel was responsible for not sending revival and solving all my problems? God! I sought for away to escape full responsibility for my action-and found none. If I wanted God to hear, forgive and heal, then I must first turn from my wicked ways. Could revival be that clear? Could revival be within the grasp of any of us who choose to obey God’s conditions? Yes, II Chronicles 7:14 forever answers the question of who is responsible to act so that revival can and will occur” (353).
Conclusion: What have we learned today?
What have we learned to guard against so that we don’t fall into sin?
1. We are to be where we are supposed to be, not where we are not suppose to be!
2. We need to be receptive and listen to the warnings from those around us!
3. We need to learn that if we allow sin in the door it usually rolls in like a flood! And when sin is in the house it breeds more and more sin that affects everyone!
4. When you sin understand, it will be exposed!
What are the five steps to seeing revival in a fallen individual’s heart?
1. The first step to revival happens when God sends someone to deal with sin.
2. The second step to revival is when that someone confronts and individual who sinned and they admit it.
3. The third step to revival is that when the sent one confronts sin it’s done through Biblical standards not their own standards and there is true repentance.
4.The fourth step to revival is to restore but then be honest and share the consequences of their sin.
5.The fifth step to revival is where the individual confesses his/her sin and asks for forgiveness and they experience the grace of God.
What are four conditions necessary to have revival in you heart?
1. A humble heart!
2.A heart of prayer!
3.A heart seeking after God’s direction and plan!
4.A heart that turns from wicked ways!
Once we learn these principles then we will experience revival!
