1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:24,800 There is any chapter in the Bible which illustrates the truth of 1 Corinthians 10-12. 2 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:32,160 That verse says, Let him who thinks he stands take heed, lest he fall. 3 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:38,720 Second Samuel 11 is not a pretty chapter of the Word of God. 4 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:46,360 It is evidence that God does not gloss over the sins of His children in this infallible 5 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:50,080 record of their lives. 6 00:00:50,080 --> 00:00:59,020 We learn from David what Charles Ryrie calls the inevitable and devastating consequences 7 00:00:59,020 --> 00:01:01,360 of sin. 8 00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:07,360 Up to this point, David's record has been fairly clean. 9 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:11,600 From here on in, David has some problems. 10 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:16,120 They begin here in chapter 11. 11 00:01:16,120 --> 00:01:22,800 It reminds us of Abraham, who though he was a man of faith, was a man who also acted deceitfully 12 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:23,800 on occasion. 13 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,840 At least two times he lied about his wife Sarah. 14 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:34,880 Noah was called a preacher of righteousness, and yet the last word said about him in the 15 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:43,080 historical part of the Old Testament records his drunkenness and shame. 16 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:48,520 Moses was a mighty Savior or deliverer of the people of Israel, and yet he was forbidden 17 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:55,680 to enter the promised land due to anger and self-glorification. 18 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:59,240 David was a man after God's own heart. 19 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,560 David was more a man of God than I'll ever be. 20 00:02:03,560 --> 00:02:08,600 If there are places assigned in heaven for people who walk with God, David will be close 21 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:10,840 to the throne. 22 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:17,960 But David was a man who tragically sinned. 23 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:25,800 As we come to this chapter, we must do so with humility and fear. 24 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:32,600 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle. 25 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:39,040 David sent Joab and his servants with him at all Israel, and they destroyed the sons 26 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:42,080 of Ammon and besieged Reba. 27 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,320 But David stayed at Jerusalem. 28 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:51,560 Now when evening came, David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's 29 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,040 house. 30 00:02:53,040 --> 00:03:00,180 And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 31 00:03:00,180 --> 00:03:04,120 So David sent and inquired about the woman. 32 00:03:04,120 --> 00:03:13,720 And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 33 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,280 And David sent messengers and took her. 34 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:20,000 And when she came to him, he lay with her. 35 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:25,680 When she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 36 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:33,060 And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, and said, I am pregnant. 37 00:03:33,060 --> 00:03:36,900 Then David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. 38 00:03:36,900 --> 00:03:39,400 So Joab sent Uriah to David. 39 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:44,240 When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the 40 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:50,380 state of the war, as though he were really interested. 41 00:03:50,380 --> 00:03:55,760 Then David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and wash your feet. 42 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:59,640 He says, Uriah, you worked hard. 43 00:03:59,640 --> 00:04:02,880 Go home, relax. 44 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:08,800 Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. 45 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:15,600 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and 46 00:04:15,600 --> 00:04:18,940 did not go down to his house. 47 00:04:18,940 --> 00:04:24,040 When they told David, saying Uriah did not go down to his house, David said to Uriah, 48 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,080 Have you not come from a journey? 49 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,640 Why did you not go down to your house? 50 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:35,920 Uriah said to David, The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and 51 00:04:35,920 --> 00:04:40,800 my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. 52 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:45,960 Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? 53 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,320 By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing. 54 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:55,320 Then David said to Uriah, Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go. 55 00:04:55,320 --> 00:04:59,280 So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 56 00:04:59,280 --> 00:05:04,560 David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk. 57 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:08,640 And in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did 58 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:10,960 not go down to his house. 59 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:16,640 It came about in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of 60 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:17,640 Uriah. 61 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:23,400 And he had written in the letter, saying, Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest 62 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:29,480 battle, and withdraw from him so that he may be struck down and die. 63 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:35,600 So it was as Joab kept watch on the city that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there 64 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:37,680 were valiant men. 65 00:05:37,680 --> 00:05:41,360 And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among 66 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:46,640 David's servants fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died. 67 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:51,080 Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war, and he charged the messenger, 68 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:55,920 saying, When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, and if 69 00:05:55,920 --> 00:06:00,160 it happens that the king's wrath rises, and he says to you, Why did you go so near to 70 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:01,400 the city to fight? 71 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:05,480 Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 72 00:06:05,480 --> 00:06:09,200 Who struck down Abimelek, the son of Jerubisheth? 73 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:15,140 Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebes? 74 00:06:15,140 --> 00:06:16,880 Why did you go so near the wall? 75 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:21,720 In other words, he is anticipating that David will say, Why in the world did you put the 76 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,800 army in that kind of a strategic position? 77 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:32,080 Don't you remember back yonder in our history when but a millstone was thrown over the wall 78 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,080 by a woman? 79 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:35,440 She just shoved it over and it killed a man. 80 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:40,720 Why did you go so near the wall that the army could be attacked so easily? 81 00:06:40,720 --> 00:06:47,680 He says, When David asks that, then you shall say, Your servant, Uriah the Hittite, is dead 82 00:06:47,680 --> 00:06:50,000 also. 83 00:06:50,000 --> 00:06:54,840 So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Jerubisheth sent him to 84 00:06:54,840 --> 00:06:55,840 tell. 85 00:06:55,840 --> 00:07:00,720 And the messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the 86 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:03,680 field, but we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. 87 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,980 Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the wall, so some of the king's servants 88 00:07:07,980 --> 00:07:14,600 are dead, and your servant, Uriah the Hittite, is also dead. 89 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:19,920 Then David said to the messenger, Thus you shall say to Joab, Do not let this thing displease 90 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:26,640 you, for as the sword devours one as well as another, make your battle against the city 91 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:31,480 stronger and overthrow it, and so encourage him. 92 00:07:31,480 --> 00:07:34,520 And so David essentially sends the message back to Joab. 93 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,840 Well, that's the way it goes. 94 00:07:37,840 --> 00:07:39,440 Some people are going to get killed in war. 95 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:41,480 Don't be displeased about that. 96 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:47,520 And of course, that was his scheme the whole time. 97 00:07:47,520 --> 00:07:50,680 Hypocritical words. 98 00:07:50,680 --> 00:07:56,080 Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 99 00:07:56,080 --> 00:08:01,760 When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she 100 00:08:01,760 --> 00:08:03,600 became his wife. 101 00:08:03,600 --> 00:08:06,000 Then she bore him a son. 102 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:13,160 But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord. 103 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:17,000 I say that we must approach this chapter with humility and fear, because there is not a 104 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:24,600 one of us who is worthy to sit as a judge over David. 105 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:32,200 As we come to this chapter, we must do so with the awareness that David is but acting 106 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:47,000 out the sinful nature, the same kind of a sin principle that indwells all of us. 107 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:51,920 Therefore we must not be quick to judge David, though indeed we observe what he did, and 108 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:58,440 I trust learn from that. 109 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:03,800 I think the lesson that we see in 1 Samuel or 2 Samuel chapter 11 is simply put this 110 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:05,320 way. 111 00:09:05,320 --> 00:09:11,520 One cannot play with sin and get away with it. 112 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:17,120 Notice with me the outline of the steps of David's sin. 113 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:21,720 The first step was that he was not fighting God's battles. 114 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:25,220 He was not in the place of duty. 115 00:09:25,220 --> 00:09:29,320 As the king, he should have been out there in the battle. 116 00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:34,840 He was the leader of the army, and this was the season of the year, springtime, when the 117 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:37,040 armies would fight. 118 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:41,680 They would call it off for the winter months when it was difficult to fight. 119 00:09:41,680 --> 00:09:47,320 Something similar to what happens in a jungle area, for example, when a monsoon season hits 120 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:48,560 and the fighting lulls. 121 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:53,880 Well, that's the way it was at that time, in the winter of the year. 122 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:59,720 Time had come David should have been out there in the place of duty, but he was not. 123 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:04,680 He was behind on Mount Zion where his house was. 124 00:10:04,680 --> 00:10:09,980 He had built the house and was enjoying its luxuries. 125 00:10:09,980 --> 00:10:15,260 He was at the place of prosperity, not at the place of battle. 126 00:10:15,260 --> 00:10:21,160 I believe that we learn a lesson from this, that it is at the point when we are prosperous 127 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:28,400 and we are victorious that we are sometimes the most vulnerable to the enemy. 128 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:33,920 For it is often at that point that we let down the guard and the enemy strikes before 129 00:10:33,920 --> 00:10:36,880 we realize it. 130 00:10:36,880 --> 00:10:40,360 You and I are also in a battle. 131 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:41,760 We are in a spiritual battle. 132 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:45,040 Ephesians chapter 6 tells us about it. 133 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:54,040 The unfortunate thing is that many Christians do not realize that we are in a battle. 134 00:10:54,040 --> 00:10:57,880 There are some who realize that we are in a battle, but who nonetheless take the route 135 00:10:57,880 --> 00:11:02,480 that David did and are at ease in Zion. 136 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:07,200 We must realize, dear people, that the world is not a vacation paradise for the children 137 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:09,920 of God. 138 00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:14,920 The world is an arena in which to fight. 139 00:11:14,920 --> 00:11:20,800 It is a jungle in which we are to carry out guerrilla warfare against the enemy of souls, 140 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:21,800 Satan. 141 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:27,560 And we must be alert and on guard against this enemy of souls. 142 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:32,080 We must not give him a foothold. 143 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,760 We must be careful to be on the front line of the battle. 144 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:39,600 Indeed, it is safer to be on the front line of the battle than it is in one spiritual 145 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:42,040 bed. 146 00:11:42,040 --> 00:11:45,880 He took off his armor, and that is when he was vulnerable, and that is when you and I 147 00:11:45,880 --> 00:11:48,880 are vulnerable too. 148 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:57,840 There is a second step that I see, and it is that he was given to uncharacteristic idleness. 149 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:03,080 David was resting at a time of day when that would not be normally thought of. 150 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:08,840 It says, when evening came, David arose from his bed. 151 00:12:08,840 --> 00:12:12,360 And when evening would come, one would go to bed. 152 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:18,000 David apparently had been resting through the heat of the afternoon. 153 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:21,440 That was not uncommon, of course, for them to be on the top of their homes. 154 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:23,240 That was the place where they did relax. 155 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:26,760 That was sort of the family room, so to speak. 156 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:30,680 And particularly in the evening time, most of the residents of the city, to get away 157 00:12:30,680 --> 00:12:37,080 from the heat of the streets and the dust there and the crowds, would go to their roofs. 158 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:41,840 There would be at least one story up above all of that fray and fracas. 159 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:47,880 And there they would try to enjoy the evening coolness as much as possible. 160 00:12:47,880 --> 00:12:50,480 David was there resting. 161 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:57,520 He was given here to an uncharacteristic idleness on his part, for this is not typically David. 162 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:04,840 Spurgeon says, some temptations come to the industrious, but all temptations attack the 163 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:08,760 idle. 164 00:13:08,760 --> 00:13:13,800 Someone has said long ago that idle hands are the devil's workshop. 165 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:20,440 And here we see David in his idleness falling prey to Satan. 166 00:13:20,440 --> 00:13:24,200 God made us so that we need periods of rest. 167 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,520 There is nothing wrong with that. 168 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:28,940 All of us need times of vacation. 169 00:13:28,940 --> 00:13:30,940 We need breaks. 170 00:13:30,940 --> 00:13:36,240 But God did not make us to be idle. 171 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:39,560 God made us to be industrious. 172 00:13:39,560 --> 00:13:46,800 And it is when we give ourselves to laziness, to slothfulness, that we put ourselves right 173 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:50,800 into the place of temptation. 174 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:56,280 For it is when we are being lazy and not doing what we're called to do that Satan will often 175 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,200 attack us as he attacked David. 176 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:04,800 The third step is that David failed to discipline his eyes. 177 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:10,360 What power there is in the eyes of a person. 178 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:14,600 And the eyes are always hungry, aren't they, to see more. 179 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:21,080 That is why in 1 John 2.16 John talks about the lust of the eyes. 180 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:30,800 That is why the psalmist says, turn away my eyes from looking at vanity. 181 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:35,680 There are some of us who can testify to the power of the eyes. 182 00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:41,040 We had a very honest testimony last Sunday evening in the baptistry of a young man who 183 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:43,200 had given himself to pornography. 184 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:49,280 And he testified that that was such a battle in his life and how God had given him strength 185 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:50,720 over that. 186 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:52,240 He failed to discipline his eyes. 187 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:57,480 And there are probably not many of us here who have not been some distance down that 188 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:00,080 road. 189 00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,520 David is on the housetop and he looks next door. 190 00:15:03,520 --> 00:15:08,800 And there he sees a woman who is very beautiful bathing. 191 00:15:08,800 --> 00:15:13,440 Now it would seem that Bathsheba may have been partly to blame here. 192 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:21,040 So once again it was not uncommon for this kind of activity to take place on the roof. 193 00:15:21,040 --> 00:15:31,480 But there is at least a hint that she was there to actually entice David and to seek 194 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,200 to allure him. 195 00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:39,400 And if in fact that is what she did, her scheme worked. 196 00:15:39,400 --> 00:15:46,720 David glanced and then he looked again because the woman was very beautiful. 197 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:53,400 There are many sins that begin with just a glance and then another. 198 00:15:53,400 --> 00:16:00,960 You know there are some things we can't avoid seeing once, but we can avoid seeing them 199 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:01,960 twice. 200 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:12,520 Especially in this day with the billboards, television, driving by a lake beach. 201 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:16,620 There are many things we can't avoid seeing in that first glance, but we can discipline 202 00:16:16,620 --> 00:16:20,480 our eyes so that there is not a second glance. 203 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:25,500 David got into trouble when he looked again. 204 00:16:25,500 --> 00:16:30,480 Is that not perhaps what happened to Eve when she looked at that fruit and looked again 205 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:37,000 and looked again and she saw it and she began to be drawn away after it? 206 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:43,800 Is this not the confession of Achan, the troublemaker of Israel? 207 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:50,680 When he was discovered as the sinful party there in Joshua chapter 7, he comes to the 208 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:55,200 point finally of confessing his sin and he says, here is what has happened. 209 00:16:55,200 --> 00:17:01,960 He said, I looked and I saw these items, I saw them and then I coveted them. 210 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:05,960 It began with a glance. 211 00:17:05,960 --> 00:17:11,160 The third step in David's sin is that he failed to discipline his eyes. 212 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:16,920 That led to the fourth and final step, he failed to control his desires. 213 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:21,480 His eyes created desires in his heart. 214 00:17:21,480 --> 00:17:27,320 He still at that point could have handled those desires if he had acknowledged them 215 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:32,760 to the Lord and asked for the Lord's help. 216 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:38,080 He could have conquered those desires and not have carried out his lusts, but instead 217 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,520 he schemed to get that for which he lusted. 218 00:17:41,520 --> 00:17:46,040 He inquired after the woman wanting to know who she was. 219 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:50,800 It does seem a little strange that she lived that close to him and he was unaware of her 220 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:58,080 identity, but perhaps she was far enough away that he was unable to see her face. 221 00:17:58,080 --> 00:18:04,680 He received word that it was in fact Bathsheba and notice that God records in his word that 222 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:12,560 he was told clearly that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. 223 00:18:12,560 --> 00:18:21,120 Nonetheless, David sent for her and he lay with her. 224 00:18:21,120 --> 00:18:29,080 She cleansed herself from her uncleanness according to the law and returned to her house. 225 00:18:29,080 --> 00:18:34,800 What we see here is the illustration of what James says in James 1. 226 00:18:34,800 --> 00:18:40,360 Do you remember those striking words? 227 00:18:40,360 --> 00:18:48,040 Let no one say, when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God. 228 00:18:48,040 --> 00:18:51,480 The idea here in the word tempted is I am being solicited to evil. 229 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,840 You see, God does not solicit us to do evil. 230 00:18:54,840 --> 00:19:02,440 It goes on to say, God cannot be tempted by evil and he himself does not tempt anyone. 231 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:08,240 But in verse 14 of James 1 it says, But each one is tempted when he is carried away and 232 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,880 enticed by his own lust. 233 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:13,960 The word enticed is an interesting word. 234 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,000 It is the word of a fisherman. 235 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:21,560 It is like the lure or the bait that you put on a hook. 236 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:25,840 Mr. Benham and I went out fishing this week. 237 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:30,480 We picked Tuesday because the weather that day was supposed to be 65 and sunny with storms 238 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:32,980 coming in later in the day. 239 00:19:32,980 --> 00:19:40,400 As it turned out, you may recall that it was 44 as a high that day and cloudy. 240 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,840 We had to chip the minnows out of the bucket in order to put them on the hooks. 241 00:19:43,840 --> 00:19:47,280 It was that cold, I think. 242 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:52,640 What we were trying to do was to entice some fish our direction. 243 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:58,240 Basically what we did was to kill minnows. 244 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:05,000 We were not very successful in what we were supposed to be doing, unless you call a bullhead 245 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:08,520 success. 246 00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:12,960 Well the picture is here in James 1 of enticing. 247 00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:16,720 Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 248 00:20:16,720 --> 00:20:22,480 In other words, the lust that comes from the sin principle in us. 249 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:30,120 That lust puts out the bait and temptation comes from that. 250 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:32,760 Now it is not a sin to be tempted. 251 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:34,760 The Lord Jesus Christ was tempted. 252 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:40,360 Indeed, in all points like as we are, there is not sin in temptation alone. 253 00:20:40,360 --> 00:20:42,320 That's something we need to remember. 254 00:20:42,320 --> 00:20:48,200 But it is when we begin to play with temptation that we get into trouble. 255 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:56,800 James says it this way, then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin. 256 00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:01,320 So he takes the enticement to that next point when there is something that develops on the 257 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:03,360 inside. 258 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:10,160 Beyond the point of just temptation, there is actually a desire rot that brings forth 259 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:15,360 a scheme as to how that can be carried out. 260 00:21:15,360 --> 00:21:18,760 Then he says it gives birth to sin. 261 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:20,920 It results in sin. 262 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:24,840 And then when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 263 00:21:24,840 --> 00:21:32,320 The death they are referring to, the separation of the believer's fellowship from God. 264 00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:36,240 That is the LSD of sin. 265 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:40,240 Lust, sin, death. 266 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:45,200 And we see that in David's very sad illustration. 267 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:49,880 The lust came from the enticement of his eyes. 268 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:55,920 It conceived in him a scheme as to how he might carry out what his heart lusted for. 269 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:02,120 He did that and it brought forth death in him. 270 00:22:02,120 --> 00:22:09,080 Now we might think that David's experience here was the sin of a moment, but it was not, 271 00:22:09,080 --> 00:22:12,040 I am sad to say. 272 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:20,040 What happened here was really the culmination of twenty years of sensual indulging on the 273 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:21,440 part of David. 274 00:22:21,440 --> 00:22:24,860 You say, how is that? 275 00:22:24,860 --> 00:22:32,800 Because we see that over those years David accumulated many wives. 276 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:43,160 Because David did not limit his sensuality, it continued to build up in him and it predisposed 277 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:45,960 him to this kind of temptation. 278 00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:52,680 Now let me just give a word of warning to someone who may be here tonight who has been 279 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:56,640 playing with the lust of the eyes. 280 00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:03,000 And thus far it's all been on the inside and you think you're getting away with it. 281 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,560 Let me tell you something, you aren't. 282 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:12,880 Because you are predisposing yourself to yield easily to temptation when it comes. 283 00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,480 And let me tell you, Satan knows when to bring it. 284 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,280 He studies you and he knows you well. 285 00:23:19,280 --> 00:23:26,880 And at the right moment he will bring that specific temptation and you will be predisposed 286 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:37,200 to it because of your months or perhaps even years of mental preparation. 287 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,000 David failed to control his desires. 288 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,520 What an example David is here to his sons. 289 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:44,240 What an example to the nation. 290 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:49,200 He is the king and this is not going to be secret. 291 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:54,360 What shame he brings to the testimony of God. 292 00:23:54,360 --> 00:24:00,120 Well notice with me the sequel to his sin. 293 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:03,160 David desired in some way to cover this sin up. 294 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,840 Well the fact that first of all he thought it was not known. 295 00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:13,520 He thought he had gotten away with it because Bathsheba had gone back to her house. 296 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:19,800 But he got the message one day and the message was that she was with child. 297 00:24:19,800 --> 00:24:27,120 But David at that point could have acknowledged what had taken place and have spared himself 298 00:24:27,120 --> 00:24:29,480 from a lot of heartache. 299 00:24:29,480 --> 00:24:31,720 But he did what some of us so often do. 300 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:34,800 We try to cover up our sin rather than acknowledging it. 301 00:24:34,800 --> 00:24:41,200 And so he brought Uriah back from the front lines of the battle to try to get him to go 302 00:24:41,200 --> 00:24:44,680 in to be with his wife and thus in that way perhaps to cover it up. 303 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:50,160 For no one would know, he thought, whose child this really was. 304 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:56,920 But Uriah was a faithful man and a courageous man. 305 00:24:56,920 --> 00:25:01,840 And he was a soldier though he was a Hittite, though he was not even an Israelite. 306 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:06,060 He was a man who was a warrior. 307 00:25:06,060 --> 00:25:11,080 And he refused to go home and enjoy the comforts of home and his wife when the rest of the 308 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,800 soldiers were out there in the battlefield. 309 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:21,720 And so David finally had to plan for Uriah's death in order to cover this up. 310 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:23,520 And we've read about that. 311 00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,400 Well I see several lessons here. 312 00:25:26,400 --> 00:25:32,120 Lesson number one is this, that sin will eventually be revealed unless it's dealt with properly. 313 00:25:32,120 --> 00:25:38,640 That's what numbers 23, excuse me, 32, 23 means when it says be sure your sin will find 314 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,200 you out. 315 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:45,120 Sin will ultimately be revealed unless it is dealt with properly. 316 00:25:45,120 --> 00:25:47,600 You say how can it be dealt with properly? 317 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,400 By confession and repentance. 318 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,840 That is the only way. 319 00:25:52,840 --> 00:26:02,440 A second lesson I see here is that sin accompanies sin unless it is dealt with properly. 320 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:05,800 One sin leads to another. 321 00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:11,880 He committed adultery and then he lied about it. 322 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,400 He schemed to cover up the act. 323 00:26:14,400 --> 00:26:16,740 He got a man drunk. 324 00:26:16,740 --> 00:26:23,880 He ultimately murdered the man by his plans. 325 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:29,640 Sin accompanies sin unless it is properly dealt with. 326 00:26:29,640 --> 00:26:33,880 My friend, if there is some sin in your life that you're refusing to deal with, let me 327 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:41,440 warn you, but that is but the first step toward a staircase downward in your life. 328 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:48,720 There will be step after step after step until you deal with sin properly. 329 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:57,160 The third lesson is this, that guilt overwhelms a person unless sin is dealt with properly. 330 00:26:57,160 --> 00:27:00,320 Go with me to the book of Psalms. 331 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:06,720 Notice these words of David as he later reflected on what he went through during this period 332 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:08,440 of time. 333 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:11,440 Psalm 32. 334 00:27:11,440 --> 00:27:18,960 Let's look at verses 3 and 4 for time's sake. 335 00:27:18,960 --> 00:27:25,400 He says, When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all 336 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,920 day long. 337 00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:31,600 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me. 338 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:37,360 My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. 339 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:38,360 Selah. 340 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:41,120 He says, think about that. 341 00:27:41,120 --> 00:27:42,480 Ponder it. 342 00:27:42,480 --> 00:27:49,040 What he wants us to ponder is this, that when we refuse to acknowledge our sin and guilt 343 00:27:49,040 --> 00:27:57,660 accumulates in our lives, it will destroy us. 344 00:27:57,660 --> 00:28:02,440 There are people tonight who are in mental hospitals who basically have one problem. 345 00:28:02,440 --> 00:28:07,880 I'm not saying everybody is there, but there are some people in mental hospitals tonight 346 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:16,520 whose basic problem is unresolved guilt. 347 00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:25,480 Guilt will destroy a person mentally, physically, and spiritually. 348 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:30,280 Guilt that is not dealt with can eventually burn out one's conscience. 349 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:35,240 It is a horrible thing. 350 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:46,120 For a whole year, David dealt with guilt in his life. 351 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:53,120 Just finally, I want us to notice as we go back to 2 Samuel 11, the seer of sin. 352 00:28:53,120 --> 00:29:00,360 We've looked at the steps of David's sin, the sequel to it, now finally the seer of 353 00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:05,040 David's sin. 354 00:29:05,040 --> 00:29:10,760 David thought everything had been cared for, but it says at the end of verse 27, the thing 355 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:16,680 that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord. 356 00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:26,000 The story of David would make a marvelous movie in our world today, wouldn't it? 357 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,280 But it would end in the middle of verse 27. 358 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:34,480 In fact, isn't there a movie on David that's out now? 359 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:37,880 Do they dwell on this or talk about this? 360 00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:41,120 Someone who saw it told me that you would never know it was David unless it was named 361 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:42,120 David. 362 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,240 I don't know if that's true. 363 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:54,400 But you see, up to the middle of verse 27, the world rather enjoys this chapter. 364 00:29:54,400 --> 00:30:01,440 The world does not like the last part of verse 27, that what David did was sin, and it displeases 365 00:30:01,440 --> 00:30:03,880 the Lord. 366 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:09,840 Because as far as the world is concerned, if it's between consenting adults, so what? 367 00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:11,720 Right? 368 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:18,320 But God was displeased, and God took steps to deal with David, which we'll look at at 369 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:20,520 a different time. 370 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:23,760 God saw the sin of David. 371 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:28,640 Up to this point, only David and Bathsheba and a few people in his household knew about 372 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:29,880 it. 373 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:37,800 It was a well-guarded secret, but nothing is hidden from God's sight. 374 00:30:37,800 --> 00:30:44,280 About the woman who came to Jesus in Luke 7, 47, it says about her, her sins, which 375 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:48,880 are many, are forgiven, says the Lord Jesus. 376 00:30:48,880 --> 00:30:55,080 Now in that context, it says nothing about her sins, but Jesus knew them. 377 00:30:55,080 --> 00:31:00,460 Her sins, which are many, are forgiven. 378 00:31:00,460 --> 00:31:05,560 Her sins were secret, too, but the Lord Jesus knew them. 379 00:31:05,560 --> 00:31:12,040 Her sins on earth are open scandals in heaven, said someone. 380 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:17,600 Our sins may escape the knowledge of people around us, but they never escape the knowledge 381 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:18,600 of God. 382 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:19,600 God sees them. 383 00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:28,640 But it's a blessed thing here, and that is that God did not forsake David. 384 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,880 God did not write off this man. 385 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:33,900 Why is that? 386 00:31:33,900 --> 00:31:40,840 Because what takes place here is the exception to the rule in David's life. 387 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:49,200 What we see here as tragic as it is was an incident in a life that was largely characterized 388 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,800 the other way. 389 00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:59,800 God did not forsake his servant, nor did David escape God's chastisement, on the other hand. 390 00:31:59,800 --> 00:32:07,640 That leads me to say that a child of God may sin and still be a child of God, but he can't 391 00:32:07,640 --> 00:32:11,000 get away with his sin. 392 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:20,080 Indeed, David from this point on in his life has trouble personally, trouble in his family, 393 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:24,320 trouble in the nation politically. 394 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:28,280 God is the seer of sin. 395 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:33,040 When you and I sin, those of us who are children of God, while that does not change our basic 396 00:32:33,040 --> 00:32:40,560 relationship with God, who are still his children, God will deal with us. 397 00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:47,440 And if he has to, he will deal sternly and firmly because he loves us. 398 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:52,440 What we see illustrated in David's experience here is 1 John 2, 16, which talks about the 399 00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:55,600 lust of the flesh. 400 00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:59,680 We see David's indulgence. 401 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:05,000 We see his idleness when he should have been there in the front lines of the battle. 402 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:11,860 We see his desires sexually. 403 00:33:11,860 --> 00:33:21,960 The lust of the eyes, which we've talked about, and the pride of life, David refused 404 00:33:21,960 --> 00:33:27,120 to acknowledge his sin, rather he lied to cover it up. 405 00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:30,200 We learn from David here that sin is like dynamite. 406 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:33,880 It once has exploded. 407 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:41,720 It cannot be regathered again as it was before. 408 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:46,880 From this time on, David's reputation has this mar on it. 409 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:52,320 God forgave him, but there were consequences to his sin. 410 00:33:52,320 --> 00:33:58,400 My friend, God forgives us for our sins when we confess and repent of them, but it can 411 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,280 leave its consequences. 412 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:04,040 That's why we should hate sin. 413 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:07,960 That's why we should deal with temptation. 414 00:34:07,960 --> 00:34:14,360 You say, Pastor, I am dealing with temptation in my life. 415 00:34:14,360 --> 00:34:16,160 Temptation is coming at me from all sides. 416 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:18,920 I don't know what to do. 417 00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:23,000 Let me just suggest three things on how to handle temptation. 418 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,680 Number one, be alert to it. 419 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:28,760 Solomon wrote this. 420 00:34:28,760 --> 00:34:32,720 Too bad he didn't practice it. 421 00:34:32,720 --> 00:34:33,720 Proverbs 4.23. 422 00:34:33,720 --> 00:34:37,440 It could have applied to his father's life. 423 00:34:37,440 --> 00:34:46,200 It says, watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. 424 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:52,840 The first way to deal with temptation is to be alert to it. 425 00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:56,280 Watch over your heart. 426 00:34:56,280 --> 00:35:00,760 Don't allow things to fester inside of you. 427 00:35:00,760 --> 00:35:05,120 Don't play with temptation. 428 00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:07,000 Be alert to it. 429 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:09,440 Be on guard against it. 430 00:35:09,440 --> 00:35:16,840 Watch over your heart, your inner person, your mind, because out of it flow the issues, 431 00:35:16,840 --> 00:35:21,360 the outcomes, the actions of life. 432 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:27,960 Secondly, we handle temptation through the Word of God and prayer. 433 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:34,320 Ephesians 6, 17, and 18 tell us that the Word of God is our sword. 434 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:42,400 When you and I are confronted by temptation, we need to allow the Word of God to meet that 435 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,440 point of temptation. 436 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:50,960 If the point of temptation in your life is anger, then have a verse from the Word of 437 00:35:50,960 --> 00:35:57,640 God that deals with anger or the importance of endurance or patience. 438 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:07,600 And allow that verse to fill your mind, to ward off the temptation to anger. 439 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:13,120 If the point of temptation is covetousness, then have verses in your mind dealing with 440 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:15,280 contentment. 441 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:19,880 Is it worry, then faith? 442 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:25,480 Is it lust, then holiness and God's will for sanctification? 443 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:29,520 It is through the Word of God that you and I can deal with temptation, the Word of God 444 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:30,520 coupled with prayer. 445 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:37,920 It goes on to say in verse 18, then, of Ephesians chapter 6, that we ought always to pray, praying 446 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:38,920 always. 447 00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:46,440 When we are tempted, we can come to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is tempted like as we are 448 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:47,440 in every way. 449 00:36:47,440 --> 00:36:55,080 He is our great high priest, and He is able to identify with us in those points of stress 450 00:36:55,080 --> 00:37:03,440 and temptation, and is able to give us grace at that very moment of need. 451 00:37:03,440 --> 00:37:07,920 To handle temptation, be on the alert against it. 452 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:09,920 Watch out for it. 453 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:12,840 Don't be sucked into it naively. 454 00:37:12,840 --> 00:37:18,080 Secondly, handle it with the Word of God and with prayer. 455 00:37:18,080 --> 00:37:23,080 And thirdly, depend on the Holy Spirit to make Christ's power real in your life. 456 00:37:23,080 --> 00:37:26,400 What is it saying in Galatians 5, 16? 457 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:33,880 Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 458 00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:36,000 That simple. 459 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:42,440 We depend upon the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver us from the enticements of the 460 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:48,360 flesh, the lust of the flesh, lust that every one of us deal with. 461 00:37:48,360 --> 00:37:56,680 The Holy Spirit is able to activate in us higher laws so that we rise above that pull 462 00:37:56,680 --> 00:37:57,680 of temptation. 463 00:37:57,680 --> 00:38:00,920 So, to deal with temptation, be on the alert. 464 00:38:00,920 --> 00:38:03,480 Deal with it with the Word of God and with prayer. 465 00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:06,600 And learn what it means to walk in the Spirit. 466 00:38:06,600 --> 00:38:10,600 Depend upon the Holy Spirit to make Christ's power real in your life. 467 00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:12,400 Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. 468 00:38:12,400 --> 00:38:18,040 Make not provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, says Romans. 469 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:25,000 You and I are not beyond the reach of temptation as long as we are in this world. 470 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:29,120 And because of our experience with it, that's why all of us must come to this chapter with 471 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:39,960 humility and identify with David and recognize in him the lessons that we need to learn as 472 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:44,560 we deal with temptation in our own lives. 473 00:38:44,560 --> 00:38:53,400 God help us to deal with it tonight so that we do not experience a dark hour as did David. 474 00:38:53,400 --> 00:38:54,400 Let's bow together. 475 00:38:54,400 --> 00:39:10,640 You know, as I'm talking tonight, I sense in my heart that there are some of us who 476 00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:15,600 are dealing with some very strong temptations. 477 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:28,560 And it may be that there are some of us who have even yielded to temptation. 478 00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:34,640 And up to this point, we have sought to excuse ourselves or to deny it or to call it some 479 00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:36,520 other name than sin. 480 00:39:36,520 --> 00:39:45,360 But God hasn't let us get away with that because he loves us. 481 00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:52,760 My friend, if that applies to you tonight, right there where you're seated, will you 482 00:39:52,760 --> 00:40:00,000 be honest with the Lord? 483 00:40:00,000 --> 00:40:09,640 Will you properly deal with that sin in your life, if that's the case, by confession, 484 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:11,360 repentance? 485 00:40:11,360 --> 00:40:23,120 Will you call it what God calls it instead of trying to ignore or repress it? 486 00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:26,040 First John 1, 9 is a wonderful promise for you and me. 487 00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:35,920 He says, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse 488 00:40:35,920 --> 00:40:39,520 us from all unrighteousness. 489 00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:44,040 You say, but I have confessed this sin again and again. 490 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:50,720 Well, if you have confessed that one sin, then claim your cleanness from it. 491 00:40:50,720 --> 00:40:54,040 Claim what that verse says. 492 00:40:54,040 --> 00:40:59,760 If you are feeling guilty over sins that you have previously confessed, thank God that 493 00:40:59,760 --> 00:41:02,760 those sins are gone. 494 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:06,160 You don't need to feel guilty over those sins. 495 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:11,320 Once confessed, God forgives. 496 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:15,040 Or there may be someone here who says, Pastor, I have this sin in my life. 497 00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:16,040 I confess it. 498 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:17,040 I go back to the sin. 499 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:18,040 I confess it. 500 00:41:18,040 --> 00:41:20,320 Then I go back to the sin. 501 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:24,000 I'm struggling with it. 502 00:41:24,000 --> 00:41:30,160 So there's the possibility you may need to talk to someone to get some real help, some 503 00:41:30,160 --> 00:41:31,160 counseling. 504 00:41:31,160 --> 00:41:40,560 But this I want you to know on the authority of the word of God. 505 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:46,880 If you are a Christian, sin cannot have dominion over you except that dominion you give to 506 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:48,620 it. 507 00:41:48,620 --> 00:41:53,720 You can have victory. 508 00:41:53,720 --> 00:41:56,760 Say how many times will God forgive me? 509 00:41:56,760 --> 00:42:00,680 As many times as He told us to forgive. 510 00:42:00,680 --> 00:42:04,960 Seventy times seven, which in essence means there is no limitation. 511 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:09,600 God forgives and God restores. 512 00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:12,640 You can confess that tonight. 513 00:42:12,640 --> 00:42:19,400 But if you're struggling with some habitual thing in your life, some pattern that's developed, 514 00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:30,840 then see someone who can help you break that chain in your life. 515 00:42:30,840 --> 00:42:37,920 Heavenly Father, we've talked about some weighty things this evening. 516 00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:42,920 I confess to you, Lord, that as I look at this chapter, I don't enjoy studying about 517 00:42:42,920 --> 00:42:47,800 David's failure. 518 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:53,360 I don't enjoy seeing his defeat here. 519 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:58,840 It reminds me of my own defeats. 520 00:42:58,840 --> 00:43:04,320 But I thank you for the lessons that we can learn. 521 00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:11,960 And I pray this evening for my brothers and sisters as well as myself that having looked 522 00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:17,960 at David's dark hour, you would deliver us from similar dark hours. 523 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:25,240 And Lord, if there are some who are here tonight dealing in some very heavy temptation, I pray 524 00:43:25,240 --> 00:43:29,800 that they will take the steps we've talked about to deal with it so that they might escape 525 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:34,680 from it and no victory. 526 00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:40,960 And I pray for those children of yours who are hurting over some areas of their lives 527 00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:50,120 where they've had defeats and some may be loaded tonight with guilt, I pray in Jesus' 528 00:43:50,120 --> 00:44:01,320 name that they might understand your constant love and might see you with your arms outstretched 529 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:04,880 asking them to come home. 530 00:44:04,880 --> 00:44:17,320 And I pray they will, in repentance and confession, get right with you. 531 00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:25,360 And these things I pray in the name of the one who is the victor and in whom we have 532 00:44:25,360 --> 00:44:28,160 victory, the Lord Jesus Christ. 533 00:44:28,160 --> 00:44:41,760 Amen.