Sermon Central
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The Giant That Brought Down David Series
Contributed by Johnny Creasong on May 3, 2010 (message contributor)
Summary: David brought down Goliath, but a bigger giant brought David down. How can we deal with temptation?
THE GIANT THAT BROUGHT DOWN DAVID
“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
(NIV)
I watched Michael’s ministry for several years. He was a caring young man with a calling to youth ministry. He loved kids and they loved him. He worked in our youth camps and every boy wanted in his cabin.
I saw him at camp the day before he left for Bible College. He told me how excited he was to pursue ministerial training. We hugged and I prayed as he headed down the sandy road out of camp and into a promising future.
The next time I saw Michael was in my office. To my surprise, he was home from Bible College, a broken young man. A moment of indiscretion, an inappropriate touch on a child, had caught up with Michael, now awaiting trial. After telling me the shocking, unbelievable story, Michael asked me, “Can I come to church here?”
What would you say? This is what I said: “If you can’t worship God here, then we’d better take Father’s Name off the door! However, , YOUR ONE-TIME ACT, NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS FROM THIS POINT, NO MATTER THE RESULTS OF YOUR TRIAL, THAT ACT HAS TAKEN YOUR ABILITY TO WORK WITH YOUTHAWAY. You will never be able to serve in that capacity again. “
Simple failures, while forgivable, have long-range consequences.
A simple definition of Holiness: Holiness is perfect love for God and perfect love for man. Sin is less than perfect love for God and man. You may be saying, “I can’t be perfect”! Jesus told us to be as perfect as God! (Matthew 5:48) Why would Jesus have told us that if it were impossible. When a daddy looks at a newborn baby, he counts the fingers and toes and proclaims, “My baby is perfect!” Does that mean that baby will never make messes, never cry, never need a whipping? No, but in that daddy’s eyes, that baby is perfect! Shouldn’t we give God as much credit as we give ourselves?
David was a “man after God’s own heart”. Yet he failed.
David brought down Goliath but a BIGGER GIANT brought David down! A night of indiscretion, a bad decision, with tragic results!
It was about this time of year. Winter’s blast has been replaced by warm breezes. The roads had dried out from the muck and mire of winter snow. After Passover, the people returned from the feast to plant crops. In Israel, the wheat and barley were ready for harvesting.
It was also the time for conquest, for war. General Joab and the Israeli Army had already destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. All the King’s horses and all the King’s men were out on the battlefield. Everyone but the King.
Why David was not leading the charge is not known. For some reason He stayed home from the war games. The story of the Giant that brought down David is summed up in four verses:
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then [a] she went back home.
How We Are Tempted:
Satan has a PURPOSE,
he makes PREPARATION,
and he has a PLAN to bring us down to the pit with Him. Remember,
Hell was prepared “for the devil and his angels.” (Matt 25:41) (NIV) Satan does not want to suffer alone!
SATAN’S PURPOSE:
The Three-fold PURPOSE of Temptation
1) STEAL
2) KILL
3) DESTROY
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
(NIV)
Satan’s Preparation
The THREE Passages of temptation:
1) FEELINGS GATE
2) EYE GATE
3) PRIDE GATE
“For everything in the world—
the cravings of sinful man,
the lust of his eyes,
and the boasting of what he has and does—
comes not from the Father but from the world.” (NIV)
