Ep. 17: The Covenant III

Good morning.

Today we are moving into episode 17 of the plan. If you haven't been with us in this series. So far. What we're doing is we're going through the story of the Bible. From beginning to end, we started in September. And our goal is to meet up with the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. And we've been trying to focus on the story that the single story that's being told throughout the whole Bible. The one story that all the little stories are about the reason we've been focusing on that is because as Christians, we are part of that story. This is the Bible is telling us what story we are living in and who we are meant to be what God wants for us. And it's also the story that we're inviting others into when we share the gospel. And what we've been saying throughout the series is that the Bible is the story of God's plan, to establish a Place. Full of people who live out their purpose in his presence. So God made the world and he put people in it and gave him a job to rule on his behalf. And then he came down to live with them and a human beings. Messed it up. And so, ever since, then God has been working to re-establish, that plan at design for Humanity. At this point in the story week. God is working through one group of people, the Israelites and he has put them in a particular place and he's giving them a particular set of laws. And he's come down to live with them in that specific place so that everybody can look there and see these people and the way they're living with God and understand who God is, The last couple of weeks we've been talking about this transition that Israel's been going through into becoming a monarchy. They asked for a king and they asked for a king because they really just didn't want to follow God themselves. They wanted someone to follow God for them and they could just follow that person. And so God gave them a king. Like what they were looking like they were asking for, they gave him saw turns out that the kind of thing. They wanted wasn't really the kind of thing they needed. They wanted a king who would be assertive in and when battles for them and and and be a strong leader who are they? Got was a king who took shortcuts and and took action but often and rash foolish ways that were not particularly obedient to God. And so last week, we talked about the fact that God anointed another King David to take his place. And as we've been comparing, the two lies solid steel King, but we know that David is the king that God actually want comparing their their personalities and our actions, and we found that they were very differently. Cuz David obeyed God Saul took shortcuts saw disobey God when it made, life easier for him, David obeyed, even when it made life harder for it. And that's where we left off. The story was when David was refusing to kill saw when you had the opportunity because you trusted the God would take care of things in his own good time in between last week's, and this week's story. God does take care of the situation. Saw this in the battle against the Philistines and he, and most of his sons died in battle and It's actually a little more complicated than this with basically, eventually Israel comes to ask David to be their King and that's where we're going to pick up in the story and 2nd Samuel chapter 5. And so as a reading, remember that, this is how we keep our our coordinates keep Barbarians. In. The story is focus on, who is the story about What is, where is their home? How can they meet with God and what did God tell them to do?

All the tribes of Israel, came to David at Hebron and said, who we are your own flesh and blood in the past. While saw was King over us. You were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns and the Lord said to you you will Shepherd My People Israel and you will become their ruler. When all the elders had come with all the Elders of Israel had come to King, David have Ron the king, made a covenant with them and hedron before the Lord and the anointed David King over Israel. I tell, who is the story about the last week. We had two annoying to people at the same time, Saul and David, but now this all has died and Israel has called David to be king. It's just David and the Israelites. I ain't the situation is much simpler. Now, there's no tension about who's supposed to be king. It's David, their home. Now, we're calling it. The Kingdom of Israel, there in this process where you don't just put a guy in charge of a loose group of tribes and keep doing things. The way you've always done, it becoming a monarchy and involves a lot of changes in rushing to see David. Make those changes this week. So they're, they're transitioning to be the kingdom. How can they meet with God? What this point in the story that we know where the Tabernacle is. The Tabernacle is in the city called gibeon, but the ark is in a city called curious jarom. It's still in the place where we left it in the care of Canaanites. And so, the ark is not in the Tabernacle. The ark is basically, is still in Exile. And so what that means is it is the Israelites are still worshipping at the Tabernacle, but there's some sense in which there's a disconnect between them and God because God isn't home. God is not in the tent where they're supposed to meet with him. And so they can continue worshiping with him and he continues to be active, but there's still some sense. Distance between God in Israel that needs to be resolved. Finally, what did God tell them to do? Well, the point that has been made very clearly so far in the story of Saul and David is that the king is supposed to obey. God, that is the main difference between Saul and David and that's what we learned last week. Obey, God, right now. We can also, if you memorized the Bible, if you've memorized Deuteronomy, apparently it if I was much easier, understand if you just memorize Deuteronomy, so I should just sit down and do that. But there is a passage in Deuteronomy that gives a few rules for the king. We've already looked at part of it, where it's Gabriel's for choosing a king this week. We're going to look at another section in the next week. We'll look at the last section. So here's another thing that says in Deuteronomy. It takes the Throne of his kingdom. He is to write for himself on a scroll, a copy of this lot taken from that of the levitical priests. It is to be with him and he is to read it all the days of his life. So that he may learn to Revere the Lord, his God and follow carefully. All the words of this law and these decrees, and not consider him. Stuff better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or the left. Then his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel. The king is supposed to obey God but a key part of that obeying God, in this Covenant relationship that they have with him, is that the king is supposed to know in force and keep the law. He supposed to make his own copy of the law, which means every King, when they become king is supposed to have a fresh copy of the law made so that he will know it. He's supposed to enforce it, to make sure that the people of Israel follow the law. But perhaps most importantly, he is supposed to keep the law himself because the king stays in the special relationship to God. This is true in every culture. The King was was often called the son of the Gods because the king had to have been chosen by the gods. And so the king if you wanted understand what the gods were like, you looked at the king and so the king takes on special responsibility and showing the world what God is like. So it's really important that the king keep the law alongside all the Israelites to show that they all answer to the same God. So that's the mission that David has as we go into his career as king. We're going to see some great successes in that area and significant failure. So, the story of his reign as little bit out of order, so, you'll see, we're jumping back and forth at the. Here's the first thing that happens after David becomes king. When the Philistines, her the David anointed king over Israel. They went up in full force and search, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. Now, the Philistines should come and spread out in the valley of rephaim. So, David inquired of the Lord. Shall I go and attack the Philistines. Will you deliver them into my hands? The Lord answered him. Go for, I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.

So the Philistines come to attack and David responds by asking God what he should do. And if you've been reading all the stories we skipped over a lot of these stories about salt with salt, has not been doing that. When he goes in, the battle is not been Consulting with God. He tends to follow. Chase, rumors. He the last battle he went into, he went and asked which to Reza to bring up Samuel ghost to try and find out what was going to happen. Like she saw was not doing a good job of following God, but David, when he goes in the battle, he asked God what he should do. So God gives him his victory. And then the next and he he, he destroys Philistine power for years. And at that point, then he goes on campaigns. And the most important battle in that campaign is in a city called Jerusalem. The king and his men, that means the group of soldiers that have been following him by through out when he was being chased around by us. All he had his own private Army that he could assemble kind of like Robin Hood and his merry. And these Misfits that collected around him. They were his army. So he took his own Army and he wouldn't attack Jerusalem, which was the city of the jebusites. Jerusalem was a Canaanite City, one of the Cities they were supposed to do, you're supposed to conquer back in judges, David captured, the Fortress of Zion, which is the city of David. So, we capture the city, but actually this battle stands for a much larger campaign because what happens is David actually fights? The takes on the campaign that God told the Israelites to take on during Joshua's time. The one that they gave up during judges, David takes it back up so that when he hands over the kingdom to his son who never had to fight Wars, he never had a conquering territory selling it and it says that Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms, Westview fradys River from Tisha to Gaza and headpiece on all sides. What that means. Is that all the Canaanites were conquered. He actually David actually, finally fulfilled. The mission that God had given the Israelites to do. And as a result of that, he conquered Jerusalem, which is a fortress, right? Smack dab in the middle of Israel and right on the border of the of two different tribe. None of the tribes actually owned it, and he conquered it using his own Army, which means that this city belongs to him. Personally. That's why they call it. The city of David. It's kind of like Washington, d.c. Not being part of any, of the, any of the states. And so David then took up residence in the Fortress and called it. The city of David. He built up the area around it, in front of The Terraces, in word, and he became more and more powerful because the Lord God Almighty with him. Is powerful because God was with him. So David obeyed God's Will and God gave him success. So that what we're seeing is that this is the way the kingship was supposed to work. The king would do the things. Told him to do. You would fulfill the missions. God gave him. And it would work and you would you would find success because he was doing God's will. So, David ends up with this. Perfect Apple. It's a fortress, it's easy to defend its independent of all the tribes and nobody else is going to try and can take control of it from him. He's got his own Army. It's a perfect solid foundation to build a kingdom from but it's David's opinion. It's missing one important thing. David again, brought together all the able young men of Israel. 3000 he and all his men went to bail out, which is another name for curious. Jairam. In Judah to bring up from there, the Ark of God, which is called by the name, the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark before. David. The thing that was missing in this capital city was the presence of God. Who's important to him. That God be present in the center of his kingdom. Which highlight something interesting. That the only thing keeping God the ark from being reunited with the Israelites was their desire to bring him to like to, to incorporate him into their Kingdom. All David had to do was go and get it to, where they, they don't do it the right way, the way the law tells him to transport the ark and bad things happen. So they have to wait and then they try again and they have a parade and its parade is very important that tells you a lot about what's really going on. It says wearing a linen ephod, which is a very small thin outfit. David was dancing before the Lord of all his mind. While he and all Israel were bringing up the Ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. The reason why this is important as you picture it is because the most important person in the parade is the one who is this supposed to be the most dignified? Write the person the parade is for they, This thing right, elbow elbow wrist wrist like their solemn their dignified. That's the person who's important, the people who are dancing around in linen, ephod. Those are the people making a big deal about the person who's at the center of the parade, right? The person who is at the center of the parade is not out with the dancers, wearing the dancing outfit, making them kind of a fool themselves, right? So when David dances, this way in front of the Arts to show me that the artist, a big deal that God is the big deal when God's in the room Davis, just another servant. That's the signal. He sending to his people. So they brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent of David, a pitch for it and David sacrifice burn offerings and fellowship offerings before. The Lord is not the Tabernacle Tabernacle is still at gibeon, but the ark is now an Israelite and David did this because out of, as a way to honor God, he makes that very clear in the way. He participates in the parade. So David honored God by bringing the ark to the new capital.

Now, David has bigger plans. In this in mind. He actually wants to build a house. Build a temple for God. Wish they would call the dots house. So he calls a prophet named Nathan. He says, Nathan. I want to build a house and Nathan says, actually, God doesn't want you to build in the house. God is going to build you a house. The Lord declares to you that the the Lord himself will establish a house for you when your days are over in your rest of your ancestors. I will raise up your Offspring to succeed, you your own flesh and blood and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my name and I will stablish the Throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father and he will be my son. When he does wrong. I will punish him with a rod wielded by men with floggings inflicted by human hands, but my love will never be taken away from him. As I took it away from Saw, whom I removed from before you your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me, your throne will be established forever. This statement is a really big deal and it's a turning point in the story of the Bible because it makes a significant change to the Covenant to the design of God's plan. We had the abrahamic Covenant with Abraham where God said, I'm going to work through your people to bless the world. We are the Covenant of Moses where God said. All right, here's the laws that I want you to follow so I can live with you. The Covenant of David is that God is with making the monarchy and specifically David's family, a permanent part of his plan that for the rest of the time. I'm going to be working through my people who will rule on my behalf, but there's the person who's going to rule over them on my behalf. And that person is going to come from the family of David. To the monarchy is now an integral part of God's design for the world. So God honor David's obedience by making his family part of the Covenant forever. You remember that? Samuel told Saul. If you'd obeyed me. I would have done this for you, but you didn't David did obey him and so his family becomes a permanent part of the Covenant. Now, this is a huge deal and it makes David's name. One of the most famous in all of history.

And when we realize that David is part of the central, is eternal part of the Covenant. That means this guy is really important, right? He is, he is the guy that we should emulate, that means he must be like Practically Perfect, Right. Is what we tend to think of our of our leaders as we when we see them doing really important things. David must be absolutely amazing and perfect in his Reign is going to be the golden age is going to be incredible. Everything's going to be smooth sailing from here because God chose him to be part of the Covenant. And actually, in in Islam, David is considered a prophet and to them profits. For many of them, profits are in our perfect. They don't send. And so for them. It would be highly offensive to say that David did something wrong. Which means that the rest of the story of David is highly offensive to them because David is not perfect. David is very imperfect and but it's in his imperfection that we see the second really important way in which David is different from Saul. And we see the second important trait that God wants for the people who rule on his behalf. Let's get into the, the next stage of the story for David. One evening, David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace from the roof. Esau woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said she is Bathsheba the daughter of helium and the wife of Uriah the hittite pause there. So, interesting thing about the story, they don't normally, refer to a woman by two family members. Normally identify a person by two family members here. They tell us who her father is. And who her brother or her? Who her husband is why it was. Because if you have the Old Testament memorized, which is apparently a very helpful thing you would recognize those names. LEM and Uriah are part of David's personal Army. They have been fighting with him for years. They were hiding in caves with him. They are on the run from this all with him. They went on all kinds of adventures together. They they would save their families from Bandits together. They did it all kinds of things. They probably may have saved each other's lives multiple times and David known them for years. David probably knew Bathsheba for years. In fact, it's entirely possible that David was at the wedding of Uriah and Bathsheba. David knew very well, all the people involved and Uriah and a lion were both very loyal supporters of David's. Is it all the more shocking? What he does, the David sent Messengers to get her? She came to him and he slept with her, then she went back home. This style of writing, where the, in the Old Testament, where they do a chain of herbs together, without much in between, is what shows, it's what happens when a person gives into their appetites and just single-mindedly, just they make the decision and I'm just going to do what I want. The same way that it describes Eve taking the fruit. That's a very common thing that happens. When a person that's what Abraham Abraham and Sarah take Hagar this common pattern. So what it tells us is that David made up his mind to give in to that desire. Any just you just did it. He just didn't think twice and just happened. And it doesn't really tell us much about what that Sheila was thinking or wanting because frankly at that time. It didn't matter. He was the king, he got what he wanted. And so he sent someone to get her and he took her and then she went home and David probably thought that he got away with it except that the woman conceived and sent word to David saying, I am pregnant. Now David is in trouble because it is sin is going to be exposed. And so he decides to cover it up. So he invites Uriah home tells him to go home and and spend the night with his wife and Uriah refuses. Because he feels like that would be unfair to all of his companions were still fighting in the war. He has a lot of Integrity here until when David can't find a way to cover up his sin. He sends Uriah back with a message with a message for a joab. The Commanding General that says, put your eye out of the front where the fighting is fiercest, then withdraw from him, so he will be struck down and die. It works, Uriah dies in battle and David marry Bathsheba and their son is born. So David abused his power that God had given him by taking Bathsheba and murdering her husband. Which I would argue is worse than anything salted.

Frankly, it's it's in very important ways. It's worse than anything we have from saw in terms of breaking God's law, abusing people, the train people. It's it's a horrible thing that he's done. Now. What makes it even more problematic is the fact that this is The King, The King has been invested with all of this power and authority. What do you do when the guy with all the power is is wrong and is sitting in his abusing that power. Well, what you need is a Really Brave profit. Nathan is apparently a Really Brave profit because God send Nathan to confront David. He said the David, this is what the Lord. The god of Israel says. I anointed you King over Israel. And I deliver you from the hand of Saul. I gave your Master's house to you and your Masters. Why isn't your arms? I gave you all Israel and Judah and if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. Why did you why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing? What is evil in his eyes? You struck down your eye. The hittite with a sword and took his wife, to be your own. You killed him with a sword of the ammonites. Prophet just accuse the king of murder to his face, but he's not done. Now there for the sword will never depart from your house because you despise me and took the wife of Uriah the hittite to be your own. So the prophet just accusing him of murder to his face and threatened him with a curse on his family. What would happen to that profit in any of the non-israelite kingdoms?

Prophet shows up as sets on the king, doesn't like you kill him. That's standard operating procedure. Now, it is, because there is a sense that the king answers to God until the Providence police for God, has a bit more Authority and can't be just disregarded. That's why I saw them. Kill Samuel. Samuel definitely avoided him when they went into when they started fighting. But but instead, what we saw is all do with solid. Go on these long diatribes. When he was confronted, trying to avoid responsibility. He would deny that he broke that he broke the command, he would blame others, and he would try, and bribe, his way out of it, like, just long explanations, where he'd use a lot of words to try and get out of what he had done. So now we have a situation where David has been confronted with a pretty egregious in important for us to notice how he responds. David said, to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord, the very short, simple statement, and its really powerful by how short and simple it is. Because it doesn't make any excuses. It doesn't make any evasions. It doesn't do any of the stuff. That's all tries to do. It is a direct submissive. Admission of sin.

What's actually taking what's actually happening here? Is David is taking responsibility for his sin. When God confronted them, David took responsibility for his sin Bike by not trying to talk his way out of it. By not trying to pontificate About It by simply saying you're right, it was wrong. I send I have done. What was wrong? It. It confesses that God is in charge that he brought God's Commandments. And what he did was wrong, that he that he needs to behave in different ways, that simple statement. Contains a lot.

I think sometimes I have a tendency to try and over toxins and it's sometimes a simple statements are the best to. How does God respond to this confession? That David the simple statement from David? Beef and replied, the Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this, you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die. And then this will seem strange to us because it seems like God punishing the innocent child instead of David. But it isn't a punishment so much as it is, the unfortunate consequence of what David has done. Because in that culture childbirth was a gift, a healthy child was a gift. And if you're carrying a healthy, son is especially a gift and it would show it would be taken as a sign of God's blessing. I like victory in battle. And so if David's in had resulted in a sign that would have sent the signal that it was a blessed Union. And so, unfortunately, because of because of David's sin, and has to be made clear, that God is not okay with us. And God is did not want David to do what he had done. But he has forgiven David. He's not going to kill him. And furthermore later on. It says, then David comforted his wife that Sheila and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him. And because the lord loves him, he sent word through Nathan, the prophet to name him. Jedidiah important statement, the Lord loved him. Why is that important because you remember that language was used in the Covenant? They said that God was going to build David's house by giving him a sign that he would that God would love. This is God's signaling to David. This is the sign I was talking about which is also signaling to David that the Covenant is still in effect. To God. Forgave David, any honor the Covenant?

Now, what we may struggle with here, is the fact that it seems like David got away with it. BC, it seems like Beauty can get right back to his business and it doesn't cost him anything which doesn't seem very just But that's not actually the way the story goes. And from this point on, in the life of David begins to fall apart because remember those consequences that that Nathan talked about how the sword will never depart David's family. The fact that David was forgiven did not remove any of those consequences because those were not extra punishment. God, was he being on top of what they would have done. Those are the natural outcomes of David Behavior because what ends up happening, as you read through, the rest of the story is that one of David's Sons takes his sister. The way David took that, Sheila? And then another purposeful brother murders. The first brother the way, David murdered Uriah a bit more directly, but it's the same principle. They're learning this behavior from their father and then that son leaves a civil war that that dries. David out of the capital E. Goes On The Run, and has to go back hiding in caves again, just like when he was a before, he was King. And from this point, in the story on David is never really in control of events. Again. Is World falls apart around him because of what he has done? Now, God is with him through this because David never loses control of the Kingdom, never loses his throne, because God had promised that the throne would remain in David's family. But God does not remove the consequences of his sin. David still has to live through them. What God does, is he sticks with David through those sins, but he doesn't through those consequences, but he doesn't remove them. Guess what David did was wrong and it has those wrong consequences that have to be dealt with the god, forgave David and honor the Covenant, but David still face the consequences of his sin.

And that is the life of the man after God's Own Heart.

The man that God chose see when we talked about the man after God's Own Heart. We like to imagine that, this is the guy who did everything right and that we can follow his example and everything will go great. But the truth is that even for David, he did some pretty terrible things and he bore the consequences of it and there's a huge portion of his life, that none of us would want to have to live through.

But David also, he went through some of the lowest lows in the king in the monarchy, but he also achieved some of the highest Heights. Because we look at this story. We can learn a lot about what it means for us as people who have been entrusted to rule on God's behalf and whatever he's given us, what God is looking for from us. The first thing that we learn is a God. I can do great things through obedient people. That's the difference between David and Saul. David was obedient saw was taller, probably stronger, maybe a better Warrior. I don't know. But those things are not, what was important for David Rose important with David. Was that Heath was obedient to God. God can do great things for people who are obedient now, that doesn't mean

cuz, God hasn't put us all in places to do big things. But wherever he's put you whatever, he's put in front of you, when your obedient to God, he can do great things in in your area in your what he's entrusted to you.

Not the same thing at the same time. We need to remember that. Even obedient people can still do terrible things.

Is really important for us to remember because unfortunately, we are just as prone to Hero. Worship is any other people and so we will see a person doing great things will say, will that person they, you know, they must just be so close to God. I bet they do everything, right? And we will will start to be tempted to worship the person. The church leader the pastor, the the musicians, the Evangelist to ever. And then it turns out that they're not actually perfect. They're not actually, you know, they may do a terrible thing. And we tend to respond in two ways. One way that we respond as we say, whether doing so many good things that neither they they couldn't have done that bad thing or it's the good things, outweigh the bad and so it must be worth it. It's only cover up the bad things. Might we cover them up. We deny them, we ignore them. Usually that doesn't work, that only works for so long because then those things come out. And when those things come out the other way we react as it shatters our face because the person that we put so much respect in turned out to be going to do terrible things. And it causes us to doubt the very effectiveness of the Gospel. There's a lot of stories that there's probably names popping up in your head that have happened. Like, that's the most recent one that comes to mind for me. Is Ravi Zacharias. Or we have a tremendous respect for a person who does nail Ministry. And then find out bad things about them later that were covered up and and then it can cause us to the Toulouse to struggle with our faith, but it's important for us to remember that that sin is a part of the message of the Gospel to the reality of sin. When we cover ups, in we're denying part of the Gospel. When we pretend that we're perfect, we create the illusion of perfection or the illusion that were not that we that we aren't broken people being healed by God. We're Ashley. Didn't, I am part of the Gospel?

It's important for us not to cover these things up now, doesn't broadcast and everybody saying that, but we can't pretend that these things don't happen.

And also, we need to remember when they do happen that that's partly confirming. What were what the gospel says about? Who people are inordinately, who we need. Now, the flip side of this to remember also is if you're a person who's got sending your past and you feel like well that means I can't be a person. I can't be used by God like you use David that laundry doesn't work either because of God didn't use broken people. He would have no one to use but Jesus.

But is it really important for us? We have to stop at the church has to stop covering things up and pretending that these things don't happen. In building people up into Heroes that that can't be sustained because of human broken. And the other thing that we need to do, you need to remember that when we fail, God wants us to take responsibility for our sins and face the consequences. Because another thing that will do either through the the covering up of sand or through the reconciliation process. When it comes out is we will say, okay, the first has been forgiven. So now we all need to pretend that it didn't happen anymore.

And just go back as if nothing ever happened and we will often try to avoid facing the consequences of our sins. That might be the wait what? We expect to happen when we repent is like, okay. No, I type I repented for that. So that's gone. God forgave me of that. It's been washed away. So there's no consequences anymore. But that's not how soon works. It's still has consequences and forgiveness doesn't mean that we don't still have to face up to what we've done and deal with the consequences of what we've done to what God asks of us. Is it when we fail? We take responsibility, we confess that's why we confess every week. We do the work of reconciliation. We do the work of repairing relationships. We do the work of serving others to make up for the damage that's been done. We ask God to work through us to repair the damage that's been done. But we don't get to say, hey, I'm forgiven. So we can't talk about that anymore. Remember, it's wiped away. My record has been expunged. It never happened. It's not the message that were called to. Call the face, arson. To deal with the consequences. but,

We do all of this with hope. we do all of this with hope and

in a son of David.

Easy. See about it, a thousand years. After David one of his descendants was born. And the angel said about him. She'll give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. Jesus means he says, God Saves. And that's Jesus's name because God sent him to save us from the power of sin. Through Jesus, we can be saved from the power of sin and its consequences. Whether that's your sin, and the consequences, or the consequences of other people's sin on you. There is hope for us for sin to be undone.

For relationships to be repaired.

Do you want to be restored? For families to be put back together for a nation to be put back together. There is hope for more than just what we can accomplish by repenting and confessing and facing up to the consequences if your the power of Jesus. This world can actually be changed and we can be pulled out of the cycles of sin and consequence and generational things like what happened to David and and and I mean the consequences of that sin continue to reverberate.

But through God, we have hope through Jesus. We have hope that we can be saved. And all that sin and destruction can be undone. It was because I'm going to ask you to consider what God may be calling you to take as your next step. If you're at a place. We need to give your life to Jesus, to find that restoration, to find that transformation to be saved from your sins. I encourage you to make that decision today. Today is the best day to do and you can come forward during our final song If you're here, or if you're online, you can talk to a Christian that, you know, and trust or you can get in touch with the church. We love to talk to you. Do you want to get more connected with this congregation? You can sign up for a Connex class. And we do those on Sunday. Afternoons. We schedule on when we, when you have people sign up and we spent about an hour-and-a-half talking about who this church is and what we do, and how you can be a part of it. You want to get more connected with what's happening at Turner, Christian Church. Then you can also sign up for a small group, where you spend time with the same group, on a weekly basis, and, and help each other walk through this life and, and figure out what it means to follow God and two, and two, and just live life together. And if you want to find an opportunity to serve others, this church has opportunities to do that. Either in the congregation or out in the communities. We encourage you to sign up for one of those to your connect card as well. So I see you consider with regards putting on your heart as we stand and sing our final song.