Nothing But A Promise - Week 2

Recap

In our moments of weakness & failure, our focus shouldn’t be on our inadequacies - but we should shift to a reliance on God’s grace because it fills in that space of inadequacy.

David’s numbering of the people instead of walking in faith.

From Numbers to Grace: David's Return to God’s Promise

Bible Passage: 1 Chronicles 21:9–17

Today, we’ll talk about God confronting King David through the prophet Gad after he waivers in his faith in God. David recognizes his sinfulness and seeks God’s mercy. When we recognize our sinfulness and seek God’s mercy, we gain a deeper understanding of that weight that sin has on us and the depth of God’s grace.

Today will help us to recognize our strength and direction don’t come from what we can see and understand here on this earth. It doesn’t come from the human wisdom that we receive, or the money we make - but by relying on God’s grace and mercy as we walk out our life - even when we fall into sin. When you feel guilt and shame, turn to God, trusting in His promises and grace.

Big Idea: We move from God’s judgment to His mercy when we truly repent and trust in His grace, reminding us that our failures can lead us back to His promises.

1. God’s Gracious Intervention

1 Chronicles 21:9–10

This passage speaks to a specific situation that we may all find ourselves in someday as Christians.

When we’re hearing from God, serving God, blessed by God then we enter a situation where we lack the faith to move forward.

God might not even seem to be in it. However, God fights for us back. He intervenes when we step away.

David is a man after God’s own heart. He’s repented from the wrong he’s done. His past is full of moments where God has met him and elevated him to a place that he couldn’t have gotten to on his own. HE KNOWS GOD EXISTS AND IS POWERFUL!

In moments of wrongdoings, we show our fleshly weakness. God will reach out to us with correction and remind us of His ability to put us back on the path of righteousness, restoring our faith and meeting us with promises and mercy.

When we’re walking with strong faith, its easy for us to talk to our spiritual leaders about allow their godly counsel to be part of your life.

A question I’ve been asked many times is “how do you know if what you’re hearing is really from the Lord?”

My answer is through confirmation and counsel.

David went rouge in the verses we read last week and made up his own mind. Against God’s direction and against counsel of trusted friends who were also trying to follow the Lord.

David aint listening to God! So God speaks through David’s friend, Gad.

He gives him three choices

2. David’s Dilemma of Choice

1 Chronicles 21:11–13

If we look closely at the scripture, we’ll see God’s test for David and its the same test he previously failed: The test of self-reliance or trusting in divine providence.

You could look at God’s options as a punishment - like a pick your fate kind of thing.

But this is just a perspective problem. God is giving David an opportunity to strengthen his faith.

David is not someone who is new to God, he’s just made a mistake.

In his experience he sees these options and knows that being delivered to anything outside of the hands of God is simply not right. He wants to be delivered into the hands of God.

Why? Because he knows that God is merciful and human judgment is not.

When we walk out consequences of our mistakes - we have to rely on God’s grace and seek God in that season.

If given the chance to have man or God determine my fate, I’d pick God. He will lead me back to Him always. The lesson or trial might not be something that is “fun or peaceful,” but its the direction God is leading you back to Him.

3. Restoration Through Repentance

1 Chronicles 21:14–17

When we rely on God’s promise of salvation through Jesus, grace always triumphs over judgement.

Christ’s resurrection was grace triumphing over judgement.

David new he was guilty. He knew he had not relied on God when it matter.

The implications of David’s decision was great because of his place as king.

The people who relied on him and were under him were impacted. His role and purpose determined the impact of his decisions.

The greater your purpose, the greater the impact. It might be easy to disagree with this when you’ve done something wrong, but you probably wouldn’t disagree if you did something great.

You see, our mistake might not impact an entire nation, but those who are speaking the loudest will impact many.

Ours might impact those around us and who lean into us.

David acknowledged this and stood for his people, asking God to show his mercy and grace for them too. He was the one who messed up right. His heart was moved by their pain and suffering and wanted to save them.

When David sees this angel, its a contrast his viewpoint we talked about last week - self reliance.

Previously, David looked to his numbers. This time, he looks not to the worldly, but the spiritual battles that are taking place. He raised his eyes and saw a spiritual being fighting a spiritual battle.

Then he humbled himself and fell on his face.

There is a beauty and a relief in the reliance that we need in God’s promise - that no matter what battles we try to fight on our own, we can’t win it. But when we look up to the Lord, He’s standing between here and heaven with a mighty force destroying the enemy’s attacks on our salvation.

David make a mistake and was moved by the implications of that to the other people around him.

Jesus made no mistake. He was sinless. He was punished for our mistakes and still was moved to stand between us and the wrath of God. and He was the only one who could do it.

Closing

Next week, we’ll end this series by talking about having what it takes to go through any situation and find restoration.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage reflects the overarching theme of redemption found throughout the Bible. David's repentance foreshadows Christ's ultimate sacrifice on the cross, which provides eternal grace and forgiveness for all who turn to Him.

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