Stop Throwing Your Talents Away
5/18/08 Proverbs 1:8-19 Philippians 3:12-16 2 Samueal 13:20-18:33
Is there anybody here, who has ever looked at someone who was wasting some talent he or she had, and you said, “if I had the talent they had, then I know I would be doing such and such.” It could be any kind of a talent from athletic ability to academic genius, from great looks to a super voice, from wonderful personality to an ability to fix things, from an abundance wealth, to a an ability to make things happen.
Why is it that God has blessed some people with special talents, and they’re not being used. They are simply throwing them away. Well one of the reasons is supernatural.
It was Jesus himself who provided us with this answer when Jesuse said, “the enemy comes to kill, to steal, and to destroy.” There is an enemy hovering around our lives with the purpose of killing what God has placed in us, of stealing the benefits we could receive from it, and destroying God’s plans and purposes for our lives.
If we do not open our eyes to the tricks of the enemy we will fall. Satan never appears as this big bad ugly dude, saying “I am Satan, here’s what I want you to do, now go and do it.” No, when Satan comes, you rarely recognize it as him. He usually appears as a desire to please you or to help you get something you want that will please you.
We are going to finish our series today on King David and his family and how David began throwing away his talents, all because of a decision to have a one night stand. Your plans for a one time event, is all that Satan needs to turn you talents into a lifetime of disaster. To bring you up to date, King David was walking on his roof one night when he spotted a naked woman bathing. Even though he knew Bathsheba was married, he sent servants after her to have sex with her for a one night stand. Neither expected to get caught. But she got pregnant. David then tried to frame the pregnancy on her husband, but when that fell through, David had her husband murdered through Joab the commanding officer of the army, so that David could marry Bathsheba. David took her into the palace and was going to raise the child as his own, which the child really was, but others did not know it.
God sent a messenger to David to let him know he was not pleased with what David had done, and as a result the child would not live, trouble would arise in David’s own family, and David’s wives would be sexually assaulted in public by someone close to him, and being at war would be a continuing part of his life.
The first thing that happened after the prophecy was that despite David’s fasting and praying for seven days, the child died. The next thing involved David’s children Amnon, Absalom and Tamar. Amnon had a different mother than Absalom and Tamar. Tamar was an extremely beautiful young virgin.
Amnon, was the oldest of King David’s sons, and he was a player, but he couldn’t get Tamar’s attention. He about drove himself crazy over her. He got some advice from a cousin name Jonadab, on a plan of how Amnon could get Tamar alone. Amnon pretended to be sick and asked his father King David if Tamar could come and bake him some bread in his sight at his house. David sent Tamar to Amnon.
When she came, Amnon tricked her and the servants and got her alone with him in his bedroom. She refused to have sex with him, so he raped her. He then had her thrown out of his bedroom, and tried to make it appear she was the one who had tried to sexually assault him. Tamar was courageous enough to let the world know what Amnon had done to her. When King David found out, he was furious, but he did nothing to Amnon. When Absalom found out what Amnon had done, he hated Amnon, but didn’t say anything to him at all, neither good nor bad.
We now pick up the story and my last message, which is about 4 years later than the original one night stand with David and Bathsheba, and it is two years after Amnon had raped Tamar. The central figure now is Absalom.
Absalom is one of the most naturally talented and gifted individuals we find in the bible. For you ladies, he was your dream looking kind of a guy. The bible says, there was not a made so highly praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the top of his head to the sole of his feet there was no blemish in him. His hair was thick and rich, they even took the time to measure how much it weighed when he got it cut.
Absalom had a smooth and charming personality. He knew how to plan things strategically. He knew which people to put around him to help make things happen. This guy had fortune and fame written all over him. The one thing he does not have is a reverence and fear for God.
One of the things that may have kept God out of his life, was his spirit of hatred and his desire for revenge. Let me ask us, is there anybody in our past or our present that has hurt us so badly that we’ve developed a hatred for them in our hearts. Nobody knows its there but us and God. Is there anybody here who really wants to get even with somebody?
You know the person did you wrong, or did somebody wrong, and no matter what, you know when you the chance you intend to strike back. That’s how Absalom felt. He was going to get even with Amnon for raping his sister. He let that spirit grow inside of him for two years. Then he decided to spring his trap.
Abasalom was throwing a big party and he invited all the king’s sons. He invited his father King David to the party, but the King said “no, you young people you all go and have a good time.” Then Absalom, said to the king, “well if you can’t come, then please send my brother Amnon.”
Now the last time, one of his kids asked David to send another one of his kids over, the situation turned ugly into incest and rape, and David had been used as a part of the plot. So David may have become a little suspicious and he asked, “Why should Amnon go to the party?’ But I told you, Absalom was talented, charming, and could talk people into just about anything. So the king agreed to send Amnon and all the other sons to the party. Since Absalom had not done anything to his brother for two years, maybe he had gotten over it.
Amnon must have thought his brother Absalom had finally put the past behind him and was trying to be buddy buddy again. For two years his brother had not spoken to him and now he invites him to his party. My friends if somebody has not spoken to you for two years, and they invite you to a party, you better make sure they have really gotten saved before you show up. You see just because we think they ought to be over it by now, does not mean they are over it.
Amnon goes to the party, is having a good time and is starting to get high and drunk. Absalom on the other hand has told his servants,” when you see Amnon get good and drunk and is in high spirits, and I give you the signal, take out your swords and strike him dead.”
The servants struck Amnon dead, and the party came to an abrupt halt. All the king’s sons, got on their donkeys, and high tailed it out of there. Absalom and his servants immediately flee out of the country. Word got back to the palace; Absalom has killed all the king’s sons at the party.
David thinks about the prophecy that said the sword would not leave his house because of his killing Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband with the sword of the Ammonites. He starts crying out in pain thinking all of his sons are dead. He tears his clothes and lays down on the ground.
If only he had never put all this stuff into motion, by going after that one night stand that he was so sure he could control, so sure he could keep secret, so sure it was not going to be that big of a deal. We all convince ourselves of thinking that this really is not going to matter that much, and in so doing we throw our talents away.
Of all the people to show up to comfort David, we find Jonadab. Jonadab tells the King, “My lord the king, should not think all the king’s sons are dead. Probably only Amnon is dead. For Absalom has expressed the desire to kill his brother Amnon every since the day Amnon raped his sister Tamar. Yeah, only Amnon is dead.”
Now this Jonadab is the same Jonadab who gave Amnon the plan on how he could rape his sister in the first place. Why didn’t he tell Amnon, “brother if I was you I would not go to that party.” Why didn’t he tell the King, “King don’t let Amnon go to the party because I know Absalom is still planning on killing him.”
There are some people you simply don’t need to have in your life, because they are not looking out for your best interest. They use you for what they can get, and once they got it, they go looking for something better. Is there a Jonadab still by your side. Stop throwing your talents away by hanging around with those group of people.
King David mourned for his son Amnon, but he mourned even more for Absalom. After three years was over, the king sent for Absalom to come back home and live in his house. But David didn’t know how to really forgive his son, after having been used and tricked a second time by his children.
So when Absalom came back, he lived in his house another two years before his father David would finally allow him to come to the main palace and speak to him. Well during those two years, Absalom’s spirit of revenge was starting to grow again, only this time it’s against his father. He had said, it would have been better for me if my father had left me where I was than sending to bring me back to the palace.
Absalom brought himself a chariot and got about 50 men to run in front of him. He looked like somebody really important especially to those who were visiting Jerusalem. People would come from all over the country seeking justice wanting to file a lawsuit. Absalom would sit by the roadside as they came in, and ask them, friend what’s your problem and where are you from.
The person would tell their story. Absalom, would say, you got a very good case and you ought to win it, but there is no representative from the king to hear your case. If only somebody would appoint me judge in the land, you would get your justice.
When the person realized this was the king’s son talking to them, they would try to bow before Absalom, Absalom would reach out his hand, embrace the person and give them a kiss. Can you imagine what a thrill that was for a common person. Think about some celebrity or athlete or politician you admire the most. Suppose you went to see the person, and the person asked your name, and the next thing the person said was, “you know I really see some good in you, give me a hug, and before you could do anything, the person reached out and hugged you.” How many of you couldn’t wait to get home and tell what happened to you?
I told you Absalom was bright and intelligent. People were going back all through the kingdom saying how humble and wonderful Absalom was, and how he was just the kind of leader you wanted to have. After doing this with the people for four years, Absalom stole the hearts of the people away from his father King David. Then Absalom told the King, he wanted to go to Hebron, to worship the Lord there because of a vow he made. The king gave him his blessings to go.
Absalom invited 200 important people to go with him to celebrate his vow to the Lord. He invited the wisest man in the nation to come to Hebron for the celebration. None of these people knew his real plans were to overthrow King David and make himself king. Absalom had sent spies through out the country to announce “Absalom is king in Hebron.” There was no other radio at the time, and when the people heard all about the 200, plus the wisest man in the country, Ahithophel being with him in Hebron, they accepted Absalom as the new king.
King Absalom begins marching back to Jerusalem with an army. King David hears what is going on, and knows that he has to get out of Jerusalem immediately before Absalom arrives or his son will have him killed. So he flees with his family, but he leaves behind 10 of his concubines, who were women who did not have the status of wives, but were used by him for sex. They were to take care of the palace.
King David leaves the palace in terror, fearing the sword of Absalom. Again, King David had no idea he was throwing away a kingdom when he acted on the perfect one night stand.
Absalom marches triumphantly into Jerusalem. The first thing he does to let people know he has completely broken with his father, is to set up tents on the top of the palace for everyone to see, that he is going in to have sex with each of the women who were for his father. Then is fulfilled the prophecy of judgment when God told David, you took a man’s wife in secret to have sex with her, but one close to you will do it to your wives in broad daylight for everyone to see.
You see God is God. When God says something is going to happen, it is going to happen. God tells us, we will reap what we sow and what we do in secret, He will bring out into the open. It took 11 years to reach this part of the prophecy. Sometimes we may think we have gotten away with something. It’s not because of our great wisdom, but only because God was merciful and chose not to reveal it.
Civil war breaks out between the armies of King David and the armies of King Absalom. Absalom’s army is defeated, and Absalom is killed in the battle, actually murdered in the battle by Joab, the guy David trusted to kill Uriah. Over twenty thousand men are killed in the battle and the country is left in ruins.
David has lost three sons and a daughter, the respect of his nation, over twenty thousand soldiers, and the favor and blessings of God. All because he thought, just one time won’t really matter. Tell your neighbor, yes even one time matters.
Just think what a difference Absalom could have made if he had used his talents in a positive way. He was a great communicator, a great strategic planner, a great politician, and great administrator but he wasn’t great in his relationship to God. He threw his talents away, and died very young in life.
We have a lot of our young guys with talents like Absalom, throwing away their talents by selling drugs on the corners, dying ahead of their times. We have a lot of our young women with talents like Absalom, throwing out their talents, by hooking up with some guy just so they can show they can hook with a man.
Even we older folks are like Absalom, we have allowed things into our hearts that blot out God having a free hand in our lives and we’re throw away our talents. Remember you and I are not into throwing our talents away on our own. Have you recognized the Devil for who he really is? He’s messing up your life because it is his intent to kill, steal, and destroy you.
You have to make the decision, “today I am going to live for Jesus Christ. Today I’m going to let go of the poison inside of me. Today I’m going to choose to make that hard decision to change and let go of some people and influences in my life.”
You could be making a world of difference for Christ, but you’re pouring your time and your money into things, that are keeping your from growing as a believer. Stop throwing your talents away, and allow Jesus to change you. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.
Sermon Outline Pastor Rick
5/18/08 Proverbs 1:8-19 Philippians 3:12-16
A. Wow, If Only I Had That Talent
1. Academic, Athletic Business, Charm
2. Jesus Issues A Warning Of The Enemy
3. Kill Steal Destroy
4. The Attractive Appearance
B. The Events Leading To Today
1. David’s Tragic Look & Choice
2. One Night Stand—11 Year Event
3. David & Bathsheba
4. Death Of A Child
5. Amnon, Absalom, Tamar, Jonadab
6. Rape, Denial, Consequences
C. Four Years Later
1. Absalom-Full Of Gifts & Talents
2. Most Handsome In The Kingdom
3. No Defects—Great Hair
4. Missing One Factor-Walk With God
D. The Place Of Hatred & Revenge
1. The Struggle With Hurt 7 Desire
2. Two Years Of Planning & Waiting
3. Request To The King
4. Please Let Amnon Come
E. When A Party Is Not A Party
1. Amnon Miscalculates
2. Think Before You Go To The Party
3. When He Gets High & Drunk
4. The Assassination Of A King’s Son
F. King David Is Back In Pain
1. Rumor Of A Massacre
2. King Remembers The Prophecy
3. If I Could Only Change The Past
4. Jonadab Reappears
5. The Need To Let Go Of Jonadab
6. Jonadab Thinks Only Of Jonadab
G. A King Suffering Loss
1. Amnon Is Dead
2. Absalom Out The Country 3 Years
3. David Has Mixed Feelings
4. Two Years & No Show
H. The Seeds Of Rebellion Are Planted
1. Absalom Two Years Of Planning
2. Absalom- Trying To Be Important
3. Absalom- The Just-The Humble
4. Stealing Hearts One At A Time
I. A Pretend Dedication To The Lord
1. Absalom Lies To His Father
2. A Naïve Group Of 200 Go To The
Celebration
3. The Wisest Man—Ahithopel
4. Spies Proclaim The King
J. King David On The Run
1. In Fear For His Life
2. Leaves Behind 10 Women In The
Palace
K. King Absalom Marches Into Jerusalem
1. Absalom Breaks With His Father
2. Commits Adultery With Father’s
Women
L. The Judgment Prophecy Is Fulfilled
1. God Is In Control
2. We Reap What We Sow
3. 11 Years In The Making
4. God Can Be Merciful
M. The Civil War—Father Vs Son
1. 20,000 Men Are Killed
2. Absalom’s Forces Defeated
3. Absalom Loses His Life
N. It Did Not Have To Be Like This
1. What Absalom Could Have Been
2. What Our Youth Could Be
3. What We Could Be
4. Choosing To Keep Our Talents
5. Choosing To Make A Difference
