Made For A Mission-Don’t Panic
2/10/08 2 Samuel 11:1-5 1 John 1:5-10 Text 2 Samuel 11:1-12:1
Have you ever been in a situation in which you had to make a decision and for some reason you just panicked. Instead of running you stood still. Instead of hitting the brakes you hit the gas pedal. Instead of acing the test, your mind just went blank. You opened your mouth and nothing came out.
Sometimes when we are scared or confused or surprised by something we panic. The best thing to do in a panic, is to turn toward God. But often times when we panic, we become, afraid and fear leads us to make some very bad choices.
To bring you up to date from last week’s message, we found two people who were in situations they ought not to have been in. Through a series of willful choices, they came together. David the king, had sent for Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, one of his most dedicated warriors to come to the palace so that they could have sex together. Although they both loved the Lord, they made the willful decision to please themselves rather than please God. They had a one night affair, and felt guilty about it. They repented before she left with the idea they would never see each other again. They thought they had put that night behind them, but things did not go along to their plan.
There is one thing about sin we should never forget. Although the choice to sin is ours, we never get to say what the final consequences are going to be no matter how well we try to plan things out in advance. When we choose to sin, we always give somebody else some control and influence over our lives that they did not have before. Sin is a kind of voluntary enslavement.
When we talk about Jesus setting us free, we’re talking about Jesus keeping us from making ourselves slaves to others. We saw that our mission in life is to do the will of God. The choice we have to make is between pleasing ourselves and pleasing Christ. That’s the issue we face everyday. Am I living for me or am I living for Christ? Living for Christ is going to mean a lot of tough decisions on our part.
Bathsheba comes to the realization, that even though she had repented and asked forgiveness, she is now pregnant, therefore what should she do. She is terrified at her future. Her husband was away at war, and he might not come back until she was well along in her pregnancy and starting to show. If that were the case, she could lose her life, because the penalty for adultery was death by stoning.
What would she say when her husband asked her who was the father? Would he believe her saying it was the king’s child? Would anyone believe her, after all at this point David is a very popular and beloved king in the heart of the people? Would people accuse her of making this story up just to try to save her skin?
Many women, Christian and not have found themselves and are finding themselves in the place of Bathsheba. They got involved with someone, allowed sin to become part of the relationship, and now they are pregnant. This is a major inconvenience and problem for their lives. If Bathsheba were alive today, if her first thought was not God, how are we going to make it through this, then very quickly the idea of an abortion would seem to be the solution to solve this problem.
The only problem is that it is not a problem, it is a human life that we are talking about. Let me ask you something, “When did God start loving you?” Was it when you got saved or before you were saved? God loved us all long before we were saved. How many of you believed God knew a 100 years ago that you were coming? How many of you knew that God loved you even then?
It does not matter how you try to define abortion or how you try to frame the debate on abortion, it still boils down to the killing of a life, and in this case the killing of human life. If we had to look at the aftermath of an abortion and saw a little hand cut off from a little arm which is cut off from a body we would turn away in sorrow and horror.
If we had to watch a late term abortion of a child that was ready to start crying and loving and opening his eyes, we would not claim that this is God’s will for us as a nation or a gift for us as believers to get ourselves out of problem that we willfully created. Again though, we did not create a problem, we created a child.
The unborn child is created in God’s image and is part of God’s magnificent handiwork. The unborn child is just as much a part God’s creative and redemptive love as we are. The Bible is very clear that even before birth everyone--everyone--is a separate individual, with a distinct personality known to God.
In Psalm 139, it says For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16
The psalmist speaks of how God was at work in him in a very personal way. He saw God at work in and through him personally, even before birth. And Jeremiah the prophet saw God’s hand in his life long before his birth, as well. Jeremiah 1:4ff--"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I set you apart. I appointed you a prophet to the nations."
So it is clear from Scripture that God does have a divine intention in the creation of everyone and children are no exception. He does know and love us before our birth, and every single human--created in his image--is very precious to him. Mother Teresa was quoted as saying -- "Every unborn child is precious to God"--EVERY ONE. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
Bathsheba, does not panic. She knows that she did not create this child by herself, and she looks to David for some help in this situation. She reminds him that he has a role to play in all of this. She does not know what he’s going to do, or how he’s going to do it, but she is not going to stand by herself in this situation.
That day before her messengers arrived, David thought all was well with the world. But you know something, David still has not gotten back on course. Remember from last week where he should have been? It was spring time when the kings led their troops into battle. It’s been at least month and maybe longer, and David is still in Jerusalem.
No doubt when Bathsheba’s messenger arrives, he can’t just announce his message to the king. Somehow there has to be a sealed envelope, with the words “confidential” on them along with “to be opened only by the king.”
Now that alone was enough to get the word out that something must be going on. What kind of message would be coming from Uriah’s house when he was out in battle fighting for the king? When David reads the message, “I am pregnant”, “I can just see his expression drop on his face. What am I going to do now? Many men, Christian and not, have received word from a woman they have no intention of continuing on with, the words “I am pregnant.”
If the first thing that comes to the mind is not, God what are we going to do to make this situation right, then they will try to pass the responsibility off to someone else. Do you know how many women have been shocked to hear “how do I know if its’ mine?” Then the next step for a lot of men is going to be then why don’t you just get an abortion. I ain’t planning on paying no child support. If you have that baby that’s on you.
The man who steers a woman to an abortion is just as guilty of taking the life of a child as the woman who has it. Men if we thought about pleasing Christ more and satisfying our lust less, there would be a lot fewer pregnancies to start with. Who in there right mind chooses 30 minutes of fun with somebody they do not want to be with in life, knowing it may cost them $180,000 in child support payments alone. I told you sin leads us to insanity.
David does not look first to the Lord as to what is the right thing to do. He tries to pass the child off as being another man’s child. He comes up with this great plan to fool Uriah into thinking the kid is actually his kid. He sends a servant to the place where the army is with a message to bring Uriah back to the palace on a weekend pass. Uriah comes to the palace to see the king.
David asks him how things were going in the battle. David says, “look you deserve a break. Why don’t you go home and enjoy your family before heading back to the battle.” When he leaves, David sends a gift to his house, something really nice. David thinks, thank God that’s over. That was easier than I thought it would be.
Next morning, the word gets back to David. Uriah never did go home last night. He slept at the entrance to the palace with the servants. David started to panic a little bit. He called in Uriah, and said “Man, didn’t you come from a long ways. I gave you the weekend pass. Why didn’t you go home last night.” Uriah said, “king the army is staying in tents, along with the ark of God. Some of the men don’t even have tents, they are laying in the open fields. When I think about what they’re going through, knowing I should be with them, how can I go get in a soft bed and have sex with my wife.”
David should have been so ashamed at this point, because without knowing it Uriah had really put him in his place. But David is determined to try to get out of this mess. So he tells Uriah to stay one more night. He has a party and invites Uriah. He figures if he can get Uriah drunk enough at the party, Uriah will forget all about the soldiers and go home to his wife. Well Uriah gets stone drunk. But he still does not go home to his wife. Even as a drunk, Uriah upholds the principles of honesty and integrity that David while sober has discarded.
When David finds out Uriah still did not go home again, he starts to panic. There are too many witnesses who saw that Uriah never went home. This was considerable news considering how beautiful Bathsheba was. David is now at the point of either confessing what he’s done, or doing something more drastic to cover up the sin.
Sin always brings us to either confessing or covering up. We usually try to weigh them in the balance. Here is a man, who loves the Lord, who chooses to take the path of panic, because he is afraid of what he might lose.
You see we as Christians are not perfect, but we do have a way of escape. Out New Testament reading said in 1 John 1:9-10 (NIV) 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. Jesus did not come to condemn us or the world. God sent Him to save us, but we have to be willing to be saved on God’s terms.
David was convinced he had too much to lose, and he still could control how far this thing would spread. In his panic, he decided the best thing to do would be to have Uriah killed in battle. His panic leads him to thoughts of murder.
The next day when Uriah’s furlough is over, he sends him back to the battle lines with a special letter to give to Joab the commander of the army. The letter says, “Put Uriah in the in front line of the battle. Then withdraw from him so that he will die.” David had so much trust in Uriah, he knew he would not even consider opening the envelope.
When Joab gets the message, this is Joab’s green light to do something he knew the king would not approve of especially if the king had of been there like he should have been with the troops. Joab launches an attack against the men coming out of the city to try to speed up the victory unnecessarily putting men’s lives at risk. They already had the city surrounded which meant they could have waited longer for the people to run out of food and supplies. But he decides to begin attacking the strongest part of the enemy forces. He puts Uriah in the front of the battle, and the men of the city fight valiantly killing several of David’s men including Uriah.
Joab knows the king is not going to be happy with this battle tactic. Only now Joab has some dirt on the king, which he knows the king will not want to get out. The king’s murder plot is known only to Joab and the king. Remember how I said sin, puts you at someone else’s mercy. The relationship between Joab and the King is now altered. Joab is suppose to be under the king, but from here on out, Joab pretty much does as he pleases regardless of what the king desires.
Joab sends a messenger back to the king to let him know about the battle. Joab says” now listen, when you tell the king we got really close to the city wall in the battle and a number of men were killed. The king might get real angry and start going off, but then tell him that his servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” The messenger goes and gives David the message and sure enough David starts to get upset until he hears that secret message “Mission accomplished—Uriah the Hitite is also dead.”
At this point, David sends back the message to Joab, “Don’t let the loss of the men upset you. You can’t control who dies and who does not. Keep up the good work and press against the city and destroy it.” David’s one night of pleasure has turned him into a murderer. It has cost him is integrity as a leader of the commander of his army.
He’s put himself in the position of being blackmailed for the rest of his life with Joab his commanding officer. He is way off his mission of living for the Lord. He hasn’t bothered even talking with the Lord for a good period of time.
There is a knock at Bathsheba’s door. She has no idea what has happened other than being told her husband is war hero who has lost his life in battle. She had no idea that saying yes to the one night would lead to the death of her husband who was a man of high moral standing. She was not guilty of his death and probably never knew the truth of what happened. But again when we choose to please ourselves we never know all the consequences of what will result. Bathsheba cried and cried over her husband’s death.
David gives a little time for things to die down. He then sends for Bathsheba to come to the palace, and he takes her as his wife. He is now thinking how he regrets all that has happened but now he’s doing the right thing, and this thing is over. He thinks that he has finally sealed the lid on his job of covering up the situation. He recognized that he panicked for a moment, but now he can get on with his life. Bathsheba gives birth to a son. Many people know doubt count up the months, and they think what a great man David is that he’s taking on Uriah’s son to raise as his own. A few people have their suspicions, but aren’t saying much openly.
However there has been a silent observer watching this whole scene unfold. That observer is God. We find his thoughts in the final verse of chapter 11 which says, “But the thing David had done, displeased the Lord.” God is going to move from being an observer to becoming a principle player in this scenario. To find out how God is going to move, you’ll have to wait until the next message.
The one part of sin that we can never control is the God factor. God lets us know what will happen when we voluntarily put ourselves under Satan’s influence. Jesus said, the enemy has come to kill, steal and destroy. I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. As long as we are convinced that we can handle situations contrary to God’s plan for us, we are going to kill something it could be a relationship, a job opportunity, a person, or a possible advancement.
We are going to have something stolen from us. Maybe a college scholarship, maybe money that belongs to our family but is now going outside of it, maybe our integrity or maybe our chance to be an effective leader. We are going to have something destroyed. Maybe our education, maybe our family, maybe our reputation, maybe our respect and maybe even our witness for Christ.
All of us have been made for the mission of saying no to ourselves, and yes to the will of Christ for our lives. You might be in a difficult place right now. Don’t Panic. God still has a plan for your life, and the door to repentance and forgiveness is still available. Best yet, is that God is willing to walk with you through this situation and help you to get back on track. Give Jesus the opportunity to make it happen.
Sermon Outline—Pastor Rick
Made For A Mission—Don’t Panic
2 Sam. 11:1-5 1 John 1:5-10 2 Sam.11:1-27
A. Have You Been In A Panic
1. Running, Hitting, Acing
2. David & Bathsheba Last Week
3. Loved The Lord But
4. Repented But Faced Consequences
5. Sin—Giving Someone Else Control
6. Jesus Setting Us Free
7. Choice—Who to Please
B. Bathsheba Makes A Move
1. Fear Of The Consequences
2. Death By Stoning
3. Who Would Believe Her
4. Many Women In This Spot
C. Is Abortion A Viable Option
1. Not A Problem But A Life
2. When Did God Start Loving You
3. A Picture Worth All The Discussion
4. All Of Us Are Absolutely Unique
Psalm 139, it says For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139:13-16
5. Jeremiah 1:4—Called Before Birth
6. God Has A Plan For Us All
D. Bathsheba Contacts The King
1. She Does Not Bear This Alone
2. David Is Surprised
3. Trying To Pass The Responsibility
4. How Do I Know If It’s Mine
5. Men’s Guilt In Abortion
E. David’s Plans To Do A Cover Up
1. David Sends For Uriah
2. A Weekend Pass-Enjoy Yourself
3. Uriah Does Not Cooperate
4. A Man Of Integrity & Respect
5. I Will Not Enjoy Myself
6. David Has A Party
7. Uriah Gets Drunk-
8. Uriah Does Not Go Home
9. The Choice To Confess Or Cover
1 John 1:9-10 (NIV)
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.
F. When A Man Of God Turns Bad
1. David’s Final Solution--Murder
2. The Hiring Of A Hit Man
3. A Note Of Death
G. David Loses His Authority
1. Commander Joab Takes Risks
2. Joab Silences The King’s Anger
3. A King Offers False Comfort
H. Bathsheba Gets A Knock On The Door
1. The News Of A Hero’s Death
2. She Had No Idea
3. A Woman In Mourning
4. David Sends For Her Again
5. A Marriage Takes Place
I. God Is Always Watching The Scenes
1. God’s Not Pleased In This
2. From Silent Observer To Mover
3. Voluntary Submission To The Enemy
4. Jesus Gives A 3 Fold Warning
5. To Kill, To Steal, To Destroy
J. Jesus Still Offers Life
1. Don’t Panic
2. God Is Still Willing To Walk
