Successes and Failures F.R.O.G

Intro:

This was a time in history where people did what was right in their own eyes and they rejected God as their King because they wanted a physical leader like the other nations, but God was still faithful to provide leaders for them. We will see when the leaders focused on living for God, the people flourished, but when they focused on themselves, they failed. In all of this the Lord used leaders’ successes and failures to ultimately point people back to Him as the perfect, faithful, selfless King that does not fail or give up on His people.

The bible though different books written in various times, by over 40 authors, is one grand story a metanarrative that all points to Jesus.

Background:

David has become King, we see that God is with Him and God makes a covenant promise with David that one is coming, on of his descendants would build a house for God and whose Kingdom would last forever. This speaks immediately about his son Solomon, but will ultimately be fulfilled in Jesus. We see that David is just victorious. Battle after battle it says that “the Lord made David victorious wherever he went”. Then we see David showing grace and compassion, winning more battles it says that he was reigning over all Israel and many other people groups were subject to his rule and he administered justice and righteousness for all his people. Things are looking really good for David! We get here to this passage that says,

2 Samuel 11:1–5 ESV

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

Question/Story:

Have you ever been in a place in your life where you feel like everything is going great and then it feels like things change and all of a sudden you are not doing so well anymore?

I don’t know about you but this is hard for me to read, and its easy to point out what David should have done, or even like to get upset and feel like David should know better that to do this. David commits adultery, and it doesn’t get better right away because it leads him to murder the husband of the woman he slept with to try and cover up the whole thing. It’s hard because as you read these books, you see David as a young boy who is anointed to be King, but we have to read more stuff going on and wait for him to be King, there is an anticipation that he is going to be the greatest king, He will rule with justice and righteousness, and show grace and compassion, and be victorious over enemies like we mentioned, and so if you are like me you are rooting for David, your excited that he is doing so well, and then to see him slip up and fail is hard to swallow and take in because in some ways we expect our leaders, the people we follow, to be perfect. Especially David, he is known as a man after God’s own heart, how could he do this. Here are some things I believe the text helps us to understand.

Body:

No one is above temptation.

Even King David. A man after God’s own heart had temptations. Every person in the bible and in all of history from the beginning until know has been tempted by the enemy. David here not only is tempted to take another man’s wife and sleep with her, he is tempted to do things his way rather than to pursue the Lord.

Temptation - “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.” James 1:14

Temptation in itself is not sin, but when you act on the desire that lures you from God and honoring him it gives birth to sin.

Temptation - is a trap created by our desires or by the enemy to make us sin.

“Temptation in scripture is a busy word, because in scripture it is both used as testing and temptation and those two concepts are very different. The only way you can tell if it is a test or temptation is the context and the source from which it comes.” - Village Church

God tests us to bring out the best in us and to see where we are so that we can know where to grow.

A lot of times because of school we view tests as bad, but think of a drivers test, most of you if not all of you want to take that test so that you can have the liberty or the freedom to drive. And for you to drive that test has to be passed in order drive. It’s a good test because it brings out growth and opportunity in you. Even if you don’t pass it, at least you know where you are so you can know where to learn and grow. Now everyone think of the person in your life that is a terrible driver and ask the question how in the world they passed the test.

Our fleshy desires and the temptation from the enemy try to bring out the worst in us. In this sense it is a trap that keeps us from experiencing the freedom and liberty that Christ has given us.

Here is the point though, no one is above temptation. NO matter how far along you are in your faith. Whether you don’t have faith, whether you have been following Jesus for a couple months or over 50 years. Everyone encounters temptation. What we see from David that is true as well is...

Everyone has failed, but Jesus. SO Let Him help you.

Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Jesus encountered temptation and he defeated it by God’s Word, through Prayer, and he has given us His Spirit to help warn us, and also others around us that can help. Because Jesus encountered it yet did it with ought sin, we can run to him with confidence that He is able to help us.

ALL OF US need Jesus not only to save us from our sins, but to help us in this life that is full of successes and failures. Which leads to another thing we learn is that

No one is above discipleship.

Justin, what does that mean. Well Disciple literally means student. And it takes on this idea that it is not just a student, but a student who is learning and growing.

Jesus called his followers disciples, not only that he charged his disciples to go make disciples. We over complicate this. That intimidates us. The lie of the enemy is to believe that we don’t know enough, we don’t have what it takes.

Discipleship (The Process on making disciples) - Investing relationships that that help us learn about God and follow Him.

This doesn’t mean that every day you have to be meeting at 6am for a bible study, and maybe that is a part of it, but it also doesn’t mean you know all there is to know about God and living out faith. A lot of times it is being present with people, in the successes, the storms, and the failures, letting them watch you trusting God in difficult situations, loving and serving other people, honoring God with actions and attitudes in the wins and the losses of sports or life, and then pointing them to do the same. It is caring for them, asking how they are doing in life and in faith, helping them and listening to them and then taking action to help.

If we look at this story, even the king of the people, the leader, the one who had followed God for such a long time, chooses sin and his fleshy desires rather than honoring and following God. No matter where you are in your faith

Everyone needs help pursuing Jesus.

because everyone battles temptation. We battle and war with our desires that have been broken by sin, and we need God’s Word, we need other people in our lives that can help us to see clearly. All of David’s men, the people he was closest to were gone, and he fell for a trap.

If you don’t have people around who are teaching you, helping you, modeling for you how to follow the Lord and what it looks like to live for God. It will be easier for you to believe the lie or fall into the trap/temptation of sin.

Application:

Confess. IF you have been giving into temptation or maybe something has been tempting you tell it to God and someone that can help.

Be alert. The enemy is looking for someone to devour.

Know God’s Heart. The Lord will always provides a way to escape temptation.

Be a Humble Student. Be intentional to learn from people who are further along in the faith than you. IF you have question about faith. Ask someone questions about faith.

Invest in others. Share Truth. Spent Time. Hang Out. Encourage. Care.