Faith

Receiving Your Restoration 

Psalm 51:16-17 (NIV)

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
    you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart
    you, God, will not despise.

Receiving your restoration 

Psalm 51:10 (ESV)

“Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

The result of our honest and specific confession before God.

1.      God re-creates our heart.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

“…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2.      God reestablishes our joy.

Psalm 51:12 (ESV)

“Restore to me the joy of your salvation…”

3.      Re-experience communion with God. 

Psalm 51:12 (NIV)

“grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”

4.     Re-ignition of our calling. 

Psalm 51:13 (NIV)

“Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.”

5.      Releasing of our worship. 

Psalm 51:14-15 (NIV)

“Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Savior,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.”

6.     Restoration of your confidence.

Psalm 51:18 (NIV)

“May it please you to prosper Zion,

 to build up the walls of Jerusalem.”

Jesus Our King and Priest

Romans 5:12 (ESV)
“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men…” (Anthropos - man kind, male and female)

Romans 5:15 (ESV)
“…many died through one man's trespass…”

Romans 5:16 (ESV)
"…judgment following one trespass brought condemnation…”

Romans 5:17 (ESV)
“…because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man…”

Romans 5:18 (ESV)
“…as one trespass led to condemnation for all men…”

Romans 5:19 (ESV)
“…by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners…”

Luke 24:44 (ESV)
“…everything written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Psalm 110 (ESV)

“The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

The Lord sends forth from Zion
    your mighty scepter.
    Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Your people will offer themselves freely
    on the day of your power,
    in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
    after the order of Melchizedek.”

The Lord is at your right hand;
    He will shatter kings on the day of His wrath.

He will execute judgment among the nations,
    filling them with corpses;
He will shatter chiefs
    over the wide earth.

He will drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore He will lift up His head.”

Jesus our Messiah is our great King and our high priest. 

Psalm 110:1 (ESV)

“The LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Matthew 22:41-46 (ESV)
“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls Him Lord, saying, if then David calls Him Lord, how is He his son?” And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask Him any more questions.”

Psalm 110:2 (ESV)

“The Lord sends forth from Zion
    your mighty scepter.
    Rule in the midst of your enemies!”

Psalm 110:3 (ESV)

“Your people will offer themselves freely
    on the day of your power,
    in holy garments;
from the womb of the morning,
    the dew of your youth will be yours.”

Psalm 110:4 (ESV)

“The Lord has sworn
    and will not change His mind,
“You are a priest forever
    after the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110:5-7 (ESV)

“The Lord is at your right hand;
    He will shatter kings on the day of His wrath.

He will execute judgment among the nations,
    filling them with corpses;
He will shatter chiefs
    over the wide earth. 

He will drink from the brook by the way;
    therefore He will lift up His head.”

The Life God Blesses

Psalm 1:1-6 (ESV)

“Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;”

“his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on His law he meditates day and night.”

“He is like a tree
    planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
    and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.”

“The wicked are not so,
    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.”

“Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;”

“for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,
    but the way of the wicked will perish.”

Three Reasons Why We Worship

1.      Thankfulness 

Psalms 100:4 (ESV)

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
    and His courts with praise!
    Give thanks to Him; bless His name!”

Psalms 118:19,20 (ESV)

“Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.” … “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.”

1.      Perspective 

Psalms 46:10 (ESV)

“Be still, and know that I am God.
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”

2.     Warfare

Psalms 68:1 (ESV) 

“God shall arise, His enemies shall be scattered;
    and those who hate Him shall flee before Him!”

Acts 13:36 (ESV)

“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption…”

1 Chronicles 29:26-30 (ESV)

“Thus, David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. The time that he reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place. Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the circumstances that came upon him and upon Israel and upon all the kingdoms of the countries.”

Four Tests We Must Pass To Fulfill The Purposes of God for Our Lives. 

1.      The Arrogance Test

1 Samuel 17:32–36 (ESV)  

“And David said to Saul, “Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.” But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him. Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”

2.      The Abuse Test

1 Samuel 19:9-11 (ESV)

“Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

1 Samuel 19:9-12 (ESV)

"Saul sent messengers to David's house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.” So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped."

3.      The Advantage Test

1 Samuel 24:16-20 (ESV)

“Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.”

4.     The Association Test

2 Samuel 1:13-16 (NLT)

“Where are you from?” And he replied, “I am a foreigner, an Amalekite, who lives in your land.” “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s anointed one?” David asked. Then David said to one of his men, “Kill him!” So the man thrust his sword into the Amalekite and killed him. “You have condemned yourself,” David said, “for you yourself confessed that you killed the Lord’s anointed one.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 (ESV)

“Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

If You Want God’s Favor, Then Do This

Romans 15:4 (ESV)

“For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction…”

2 Kings 21:1-6 (NIV)
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. His mother’s name was Hephzibah. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. He rebuilt the high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he also erected altars to Baal and made an Asherah pole, as Ahab king of Israel had done. He bowed down to all the starry hosts and worshiped them. He built altars in the temple of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, “In Jerusalem I will put my Name.” In the two courts of the temple of the Lord, he built altars to all the starry hosts. He sacrificed his own son in the fire, practiced divination, sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.”

“An idol is anything more important to you than God. Anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God. Anything you seek to give you what only God can give. Anything that is so central and essential to your life, that should lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living.”
- Timothy Keller (Counterfeit Gods)

“An idol is something we cannot live without. We must have it. Therefore, it drives us to break rules we once honored to harm others, even ourselves, in order to get it.”

- Timothy Keller (Counterfeit Gods)

2 Kings 21:20-21 (NIV)
“He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. He followed completely the ways of his father, worshiping the idols his father had worshiped, and bowing down to them. He forsook the Lord, the God of his ancestors, and did not walk in obedience to him.”

2 Kings 22:2 (NIV)
“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”

2 Chronicles 34:3a (NIV)
“In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David.”

2 Chronicles 34:3b (NIV)
“In his twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and idols”

2 Kings 22:11 (ESV)
“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes.”

2 Kings 22:19 (NLT)
“You were sorry and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I said against this city and its people—that this land would be cursed and become desolate. You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord.”

1 Peter 5:5-6 (NKJV)

“be clothed with humility, for

God resists the proud,

But gives grace to the humble.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time”

1 Corinthians 8:1 (NKJV)
“Knowledge puffs up”

Psalm 138:6 (NLT)

“Though the LORD is great, he cares for the humble, but he keeps his distance from the proud.”

Isaiah 57:15 (NLT)

“I live in the high and holy place

    with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.”

Philippians 2:5-9 (NLT)

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.
Though he was God, 
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.
Instead, he gave up his divine privileges 
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
 he humbled himself in obedience to God
    and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor…”

Recognizing the Demonic Spirit of Jezebel in Your Life

1 Kings 18:16-19 (NLT)
“…Ahab went out to meet Elijah. When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?”

“I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.”

1 Kings 18:27 (NLT)

“…Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself…”

1 Kings 19:1(NLT)
“When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal.”

1 Kings 19:2 (NLT)
“So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.”

1 Kings 19:3-4 (NLT)
“Elijah was afraid and fled for his life…he went on alone into the wilderness…He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”

Revelation 2:20 (ESV)
“…I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess…”

How does the spirit of Jezebel influence Christians today?

• It replaces the authority of scripture with the authority of culture. 
• It tries to manipulate, intimidate, and control spiritual authority.

Loyalty

Loyalty defined: Merriam Webster: 

·       Unswerving in allegiance, faithful, steadfast, true, obedient 

David’s life may be reviewed in two seasons, Pre Bathsheba and Post Bathsheba.

2 Samuel 11:1-2 (NKJV)  

“It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.” 

Free Will

·       The gift of Free Will is a frightening gift from God.  

Consequences of Free Will Choice 

·       The consequences of David’s free will choice were devastating.

Adultery possibly Rape 

·       2 Samuel 11:3-4 (NKJV) 

“So, David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.”

Out of Wedlock Child 

·       2 Samuel 11:5 (NKJV) 

“And the woman conceived; so, she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child.”

Deceit 

·       2 Samuel 11:6-13 (NKJV) 

“Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered. And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So, Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift of food from the king followed him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house. So, when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing." Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So, Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.”

Conspiracy 

·       2 Samuel 11:14-15 (NKJV) 

“In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die." 

Murder 

·       2 Samuel 11:16-18, 22- (NKJV) 

“So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men. Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war…" So, the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him. And the messenger said to David, "Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate.The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also." Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.' So encourage him."  

Cover up 

·       2 Samuel 11:26-27 (NKJV) 7 

“When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.”

The greater the influence we have in people’s lives the higher the standards of right actions are required of us.  

2 Samuel 12:1-6 (ESV)  
“And the LORD sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds,but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him. Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”  

2 Samuel 12:7-12 (ESV) 

“Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. Why have you despised the word of the LORD, to do what is evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”  

The Character of David is Revealed.

2 Samuel 12:13-14 (ESV) 

“David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die.”  

The Psalms and the Life of David Are Like a Window

If we don't see the sheer depravity and destructive, hopeless nature of man, this covenant won't seem as sweet and “world-altering” as it really is.

What is a covenant?

·       A binding relationship that God establishes with us and guarantees by His word.

2 Samuel 7:1-7 (ESV)

“Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.” And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build Me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling. In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”

2 Samuel 7:11-17 (ESV)

“From the time that I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but My steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.”

2 Samuel 2:28 (ESV)

“So, Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.”

2 Samuel 7:16 (ESV)

“And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”

Matthew 1:1 (ESV)

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

David’s Response

2 Samuel 7:18 (ESV)

 “Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”

Are you living in that hope?