David and the God of a Second Chance Psalm 51:10-13
I don’t know about you but I am ready for some football. This summer I was reading an article about the 5 greatest personal comebacks in NFL history. Guess who is on that list. DREW BREES. I don’t know if you’re familiar with Drew’s story. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2001. In 2004 he led the Chargers to a 12 and 4 season record, posting one of the highest quarterback ratings in the league.
In 2005 he again posted great numbers. But in the last game of the season, Drew suffered what was thought to be a career-ending shoulder injury. When the Chargers learned of the severity of the injury they really didn’t want Drew.
Miami needed a quarterback and Nick Saban wanted to sign Drew, but the team doctors advised against it. The only team left was the up and down New Orleans Saints. The Saints took a chance and the rest is history. One of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history, breaking records every season. Headed to the Hall of Fame.
Dr. James Andrews was the doctor who performed Drew’s surgery. When Drew healed and began playing again, Dr. Andrews said, “It is the greatest comeback I have ever seen.”
Today we’re going to talk about one of the great comebacks in the Bible. We’re going to look at David and the God of a second chance. When you take a panoramic view of David’s life, you can see 3 distinct chapters. It begins with…
I. THE MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
David was born in Bethlehem. He was the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. He was small compared to his brothers just like Drew Brees the undersized quarterback. David’s job was to take care of the sheep. No one wanted that job. The sheep were always getting lost. They couldn’t protect themselves. While taking care of the sheep, David had to defend them against predators.
But it was in those days that David drew close to God. He had a gift of writing down his thoughts and making them into songs. Most of the book of Psalms was written by David. Samuel said of David that he was A Man After God’s Own Heart.
One day David’s father asked him to bring some supplies to his brothers. They were fighting a war with the Philistines. David went out to where the men were in battle and saw a strange sight. It was a giant named Goliath. David’s brothers were afraid of the giant. But David felt that if God would help him that the giant would fall. And that’s exactly what happened.
And on that day, the shepherd boy became a national hero. There was, however, one problem. Saul was the king at this time and Saul became jealous of David and tried to have him killed. But God protected David because earlier, secretly, David had been anointed king by Samuel. Eventually, David did become king. The little shepherd boy became the ruler of the land. But that brings us to the second chapter of David’s life.
II. THE MAN WHO FELL AWAY FROM GOD
One day when David was supposed to be out in battle with his men, he saw a beautiful young lady named Bathsheba and he became obsessed with her. He seduced her and eventually Bathsheba became pregnant with David’s child. David tried to hide his sin by having Bathsheba’s husband come in from the battlefield but David’s plan failed and in desperation, David had Bathsheba’s husband killed.
The man after God’s own heart became an adulterer and a murderer. How could that happen? Well, we are all sinners, aren’t we? We have not all sinned alike but we all alike have sinned. And sin is something that always has a cost. The cost or the punishment for David’s sin was supposed to have been DEATH. The law said that he was to pay with his life. But David’s sin was, so far, a SECRET SIN.
David’s sin didn’t cost him his life. We’ll talk about that in a minute. But David’s sin did result in a death. The child that Bathsheba had, David’s son, died. David’s family turned against him. Enemies sought to kill him. David’s life was like Drew Brees’ shoulder. It was one big mess. But God wasn’t finished with David yet. David became the Man Who Got a Second Chance.
III. THE MAN WHO GOT A SECOND CHANCE
David’s life was falling apart. He was living with not only the consequences of his sin but also the GUILT of his sin. David would say, “Do you know what it’s like to go to church and hear everyone singing a song that you wrote about praising God when your life is everything but a praise to God?
But one day, the preacher came to David. He told him about a man who had great wealth stealing from a man who had little. David spoke up and said, “That man deserves to die! Nathan looked and David and said, “David, you are that man. David broke down and said, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Can you imagine what was going through his mind? The sin that was hidden is now out in the open. And David doesn’t know what to do. He’s wondering if he is doing to die.
And in that moment of the greatest struggle of his life, Nathan speaks and says, “David, the Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” You see, God knew David’s heart. Earlier when Samuel was choosing the new king, as he anointed David, he said, “God does not look on the outward appearance. God looks on the heart. And God knew that David was sorry for his sin. How do we know that? The words of PSALM 51:10-13......
God gave David a SECOND CHANCE. David was restored and did great things again for God. That is David’s Story. What about our stories?
IV. MY STORY AND YOUR STORY
We all have Failures, Fumbles, and Flops. The Bible calls it SIN. The BIBLE SAYS in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
And sin has a cost. There is a price to pay. The Bible says in Romans 6:23 that the Wages of sin is death. We deserve to die for your sins.
But Romans 5:8 tells us that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Then Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
WOW! Isn’t that incredible! God gives us a second chance! OUR FAILURES don’t have to be final! They don’t have to be the end of our stories!
I was preaching in a church not far from here a few years ago. A man approached me at the end of the service. He was weeping uncontrollably. I had preached a similar message about getting a second chance with God. The man said, “I don’t want my story to end with my children remembering me as their alcoholic father.” He accepted Christ that day and got a second chance.
DO YOU need a second chance? Even as Christians, sometimes, we need a second chance to get back in the center of God’s will. We still sin and need God’s forgiveness.
I was speaking to a group of PASTORS not long ago and asked, “When was the last time you sinned and asked for God’s forgiveness?” Sometimes we think that we no longer sin. But we do and we need a second chance to get back on track with God.
CONCLUSION
Do you need a second chance as a Christian today to get back in God’s will for your life? Take it and we will watch God do something incredible with your life.
