Sound Doctrine

Announcer (Male): All sin and we all need forgiveness. God will provide. Here's Pastor Jeff.

Jeff Johnson: God wants to restore the years that the cankerworm has tried to destroy. The devil's tried to destroy our homes, parents. He's trying even today, and he's not going to give up. But God says, "I want to bring it back together. I want to restore your home, your heart."

We've got to come before the Lord. We've got to humble ourselves before Him. As guilty sinners, we've got to repent and He will forgive us. So we can walk in this newness of life with our family.

Announcer (Male): Hello friend, and welcome to Sound Doctrine. We see rebellion all around us, from the child who puts their foot down in disobedience to their parents, to the adult in prison who refuses to comply with the laws of the land. We even see rebellion applauded on TV and in the music we buy.

But unrighteous rebellion is far from being encouraged in the Scriptures. In fact, as we'll soon see, there are destructive consequences that come to those who would go down that road. Pastor Jeff Johnson takes us now to 2nd Samuel Chapter 19 on today's edition of Sound Doctrine.

Jeff Johnson: Let's look at a few more verses. Proverbs 22, verse 6. What a promise to parents. "Train up a child in the way he should go," in the way of the Lord, "and when he is old, he will not depart from it." What a promise to parents. Do your best, commit the rest, and God will take them and He will do His work in their lives. Verse 15 of that same chapter: "Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." I think God knows what He's talking about. He knows kids and He knows what they need.

Look at over in Chapter 29, verse 15. Proverbs 29:15: "The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings his mother shame." Verse 17: "Correct thy son and he shall give thee rest. Yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul." I think this is very clear. This is God's counsel. And kids need to be held responsible for their rebellion and their disobedience. Something is wrong, and what is wrong is in the home.

Over in 2nd Timothy Chapter 3, talking about the last days, it says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers," and then it says, "disobedient to parents." I thought that was interesting. One of the last day prophecies of the coming of the Lord, of living in the last days, would be a generation of kids that will be disobedient to their parents.

Kids today are out of control. They're totally neurotic, seeking punishment, and that's why they do some of the bizarre things that they do, and look the way they do sometimes, and go off and do some of things that they're doing today. They're looking to be punished. The reason why they're there is because of the sins of the parents. David was realizing his fault in what he had done with his child. He failed as a father and he was seeing it.

He wasn't the good godly example to his children as he wished he would have been. I think that if he was probably thinking, "If I would have only committed myself more to the Lord and more to my children, if I would have been more of a good godly father, things would have been different." I have to say amen to that. Things could have been different, and they can be different if you'll just go His way.

But here, his grief is consuming him, and the guilt. Notice the people are now around him and are being affected from it. Joab says to him, "It looks to me you would have been happier if Absalom would have killed you and all of us." With David's guilt at this time, I think he was probably right. David didn't care what happened to him or anybody else because he felt so guilty.

Parents, we can thank the Lord today because Jesus came and He died for our sins of rebellion. He died for that disobedience. He died for the neglect that we have done. In fact, the Scripture says to those that are in Christ, they become new creations. Old things have passed away, behold, all things become new. You get a brand new lease on life. What does that mean? That means that His death is the payment, is the punishment for our sin.

Remember when Jesus hung on the cross, He cried out and He said, "It is finished," and He died. The words there in the Greek mean, "it's paid in full." So our sin, so our guilt and our shame, would be taken care of, that it would be removed from us, that we would be His children, His disciples, His witnesses to our families. Parents, listen. It is never, never too late. Start now in the name of the Lord.

Once God forgives, He forgets, doesn't He? And He never will hold it against you as long as you live. That's why David said, "Oh, how happy is the man who comes to this understanding, that his sins have been forgiven, that the shame and the guilt has been removed. How blessed is that man, happy is that man, that knows that his God has paid the price to wash him from all sin and that he's free from that. He can go on now and live unto the Lord. He's forgiven in grace and mercy."

God wants to restore the years that the cankerworm has tried to destroy. The devil's tried to destroy our homes, parents. He's trying even today, and he's not going to give up. But God says, "I want to bring it back together. I want to restore your home, your heart." We've got to come before the Lord. We've got to humble ourselves before Him. As guilty sinners, we've got to repent and He will forgive us, so we can walk in this newness of life with our family.

Be the best parents we can be with a biblical balance, with discipline and training, raising up our children in the nurture and admonition, in the counsel of the Lord. God wants to give us that balance. Remember, discipline is with love. Discipline without love is not right. It's not God's biblical discipline. You always love. Lord, make us examples, godly examples. Your kids are going to mimic you.

In fact, let me tell you something, this could horrify some of you. Your kids are going to turn out just like you. And you say, "No, no, no. I've trained my kid not to do what I do, but do what I say." Have you been snowed? Because they're looking at you, man. You're an example to them. Whatever you do with your life, so will they seek after to do. They figure that's right. That's the way it is. That's the example.

We need to pray. We need to be that godly example of love and of discipline in training our kids in the ways of the Lord. God will strengthen us to do the work. Joab's counsel to David, I think, was right on because David needed to get a grip on what was coming down. He was losing the kingdom. He was losing it all. Everybody looked to David.

This was David's crossroads, as some of you this morning, you're at a crossroads. You're right there, and God's brought you here this morning to make a decision. One way or another, it's going to be either your way, you're going to continue to go your way and mess things up, or you're going to say, "Okay, I'm going to go God's way. I want to do it the Lord's way. I want to give my life to Him, and He'll take up the reins from here."

Look at verse 7, going on with our story. 2nd Samuel 19, verse 7: "Now therefore," Joab goes on with his exhortation. He says, "David, arise, go forth, speak comfortably unto thy servants. For I swear by the Lord, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night. And that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now."

David, if you don't snap out of this, you're going to have nobody following you. You're depressing everybody. You're losing everything. And your troubles, they're just beginning. You haven't seen nothing yet, David. You think you had troubles from your youth until now? Wait until you see what's coming if you keep going on the line you're going. You see, David's depression and his despair was affecting a whole lot of people.

In fact, Joab said, "David, you love your enemies and you hate your friends? I don't understand you, David." There are two lessons here that I think we can learn from what David was going through. Number one, the first thing is that our outlook affects others. How we look at things affects those around us. No man is an island.

And I'll tell you something, if we're committed to the Lord, you can't allow your flesh to be overwhelmed with despair and discouragement because you're going to bum a whole lot of people out. If you're not a servant of the Lord, if you're not a minister of the Lord, I guess you can allow yourself to be bummed out as all you want. Go ahead, kick cans, eat worms, and carry around that dark cloud, but I'm telling you, you're doing yourself no good and those around you no good by continuing on with that attitude.

If you are a disciple of the Lord's, a warrior of the Lord's, your outlook affects others. And if you're up-tight and if you're bummed out, others are going to be up-tight and bummed out. Can't you see it with your kids? You get up, you know, swinging and yelling, your kids are going to be that way all day long. Because how you are affects others. That's just how it is.

We need to ask God for strength and know that our emotional state affects others. Do you remember that story in Leviticus 10 where Nadab and Abihu were two priests who, when Aaron and Moses were sacrificing to the Lord, the Lord was pleased with it and consumed the sacrifices. Then Nadab and Abihu got drunk and they went in with strange fire and started to sacrifice to the Lord.

Well, the Lord didn't just consume the sacrifice, He killed both of them with fire and they were both lying there dead. Then God spoke to Aaron and said, "Listen, Aaron, I don't want you to mourn for these guys. My anointing is upon you. You need to steady on and be a good representative of Me before the people. Others will mourn for them, you just continue on." I thought that was very interesting.

If you're His disciple, you don't have the right to walk around all bummed out. Think about it, in discouragement and defeat. Why? Because it affects others. You're a disciple of the Lord, the King. What are you doing? "Well, I'm just going to kick a few more cans and woe is me." But listen, a mature believer, and as being a mature believer, we've got to allow these personal problems that come upon us not to get us so affected it affects others around us.

We've got to fight it. We need to snap out of it, as Joab was telling David. David, you need to come out of this disparity. You need to wake up to what's going on. Rise above your emotions, face the responsibility instead of spreading grief. Now, listen, I know that David had every right to grieve because, hey, listen, number one, he lost a son. Number two, he didn't even know where his son was spending eternity. There's a double grief. And number three, he failed as a father.

So he's grieving for a lot of reasons, and yes, he had every right to grieve. And he did grieve. And there is a process that we do go through when you grieve, and we need to work through that process. But we should do it privately and personally and not publicly, as David was doing here, because everybody was getting affected. Those, and I've learned this, those who don't allow personal problems to overwhelm them, those are the ones that God brings into the ministry. Why? Because there are personal problems and heartaches and griefs are going to hit us all.

But it's those that are in the ministry that God chooses to put in the ministry that overcome those things where they can deal with it and continue on to encourage others and bless them and not get so inward and on their problems and their situations. Number two, that's the first lesson. The second lesson I see here is that happiness is not an attainment, it's an attitude. It's a choice. A daily choice that I have to wake up and I can choose to be happy or I can choose to be heavy. And it's a choice that we all make every day.

Happiness, it's not only when everything's going all right and then I'm happy. Everything's going my way, so I'm happy. When anything goes off, hey, you're not happy. Happiness is a decision that we make. Remember what Paul said? Paul said, "I have learned that whatsoever state I am in, whether I'm abased or abound, whether I'm poor or rich or whatever, in prison or not in prison, I've learned to be content."

Then happiness is not a feeling, it's a state of mind. And it's a learned thing. You learn to be happy. You can either look at bummers or blessings, and you've got your choice. David says, "I like bummers. Oh, Absalom, Absalom!" And he just was consumed. He went on and on and on with it. I don't know how long, it looks like a pretty good time has gone on here, way longer than he should have, kept going on with it.

But wait a minute. Wasn't a rebellion put down here? Wasn't a kingdom saved here? I mean, let's start looking at the blessings here. I mean, God gave you the victory and He provided when you were in the wilderness, all your provisions. Look at how God's hand was in this and look what God did. David, he didn't want to look at that. You know what? I believe sometimes we need to get two sheets of paper, write down all of your blessings on one and then all that's bumming you out on the other.

Then do it. I mean, really diligently put it... and then you're going to find out that all your blessings way outnumber the bummers. So look at it. "Yeah, what am I doing letting these few little bummers wipe me out for everything? God has blessed me. God has forgiven me. God has done so much for me." And as you look at that, it just begins to lift you up.

Joab said to David, "Hey, listen, David, snap out of it. Stop acting like a baby. You're just carrying on." And I love it when I go to a hospital call and there's the individual that's there, maybe they're on their deathbed. I mean, they're going through some heavy things and maybe they won't make it through the night. I walked in there and that individual... and I've remembered quite a few that I've walked in there to minister to them and they ended up ministering to me.

I'd walk in there and they'd say, "How you doing, Jess? Pastor Jeff, how you doing? How's it going with you? Everything okay with you? Would you like me to pray for you?" Me? I'm here to help pray for you. They'd say, "No, hey," they've already chosen the blessing, see? They've already looked into the blessings. They're already looking to the Lord. The Lord's lifting them up to where they're blessing everybody that comes into that room.

Now they could pull everybody down or they could raise everybody up, and they've chosen to raise everybody up. And that's a choice. And what a choice. Do we have the right to choose to be a bummer as Christians? Do we have that right? Or should we just go along with what 1st Thessalonians Chapter 5 says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus." In everything give thanks.

I think the saying is so true. Listen, I complained I had no shoes till I saw someone with no feet. We are blessed, folks, more than many pages on this side of blessings. We have been forgiven, we have been blessed by God, we have been brought into His kingdom, and yet we allow so many small things... but they look big, don't they? Because the enemy likes to take a molehill, make it into a mountain. And if you continue to listen to him about that situation, he will make it Everest for you to carry.

And he'll build that thing up until it'll just wipe you out and then you're not going to be good for anybody. I think it's true when they say, "Count your blessings ton by ton and it will surprise you what the Lord has done." Ton by ton in what God has done. And then it goes on to say, "Rejoice evermore. Rejoice evermore." It is a decision, and I'll tell you something, David snapped out of his grief.

Notice verse 8, and we'll finish here. "Then," it says, "the king arose, sat in the gate, and they told unto all the people saying, 'Behold, the king does sit in the gate.' And all the people came before the king, for Israel had fled every man to his tent." The people needed to see David. They needed to see David not bummed out, going, "Absalom, Absalom," because that just made them more angry and in grief and feeling guilty and driven.

They needed to see David up. They needed to see David come out and really break down and show his affection to them and his appreciation. And he did. He had the victory. He chose the right road and he says, "You're right, Joab." And he snapped out of it and he went out there to the people and he revealed himself to the people.

Let me end by just sharing two more scriptures with you in 2nd Corinthians. There's something about godly sorrow that I think is very, very powerful. In 2nd Corinthians 7 and verse 9 it says, "Now I rejoice, not in that ye were made sorry," because a lot of people are sorry for what they've done. But he goes on and says, "but that you sorrowed to repentance." You were so sorry that you turned the way things were going and you turned it around. This is powerful.

"For you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation." There is true victory in godly sorrow. I believe that David was sorry, but he was repenting with a godly sorrow and he turned his life around because of that. And finally, in Matthew's Gospel Chapter 11, Jesus said this, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden," you've got all this guilt and shame upon you, "and I will give you rest. I want to give you rest," Jesus says. And then he goes on, "Take my yoke upon you, learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest unto your souls."

Announcer (Male): Looking for some rest today? Yeah, it's pretty stressful out there. Jesus is the answer. Pastor Jeff Johnson will be back in a moment with a closing thought.

We house all of our 2nd Samuel studies at SoundDoctrineRadio.org. This comes in handy should you miss a study or two on the radio, or just want to hear something again, or even share it with someone you know. This study and more are available now at SoundDoctrineRadio.org under messages. You can also listen at OnePlace.com and through the Sound Doctrine Radio podcast app.

And of course, speaking of podcasts, Sound Doctrine can be heard wherever you enjoy podcasts, and that includes Spotify and Apple Podcasts. This program is made possible through the support of our listeners. To make a contribution to the ministry, just visit SoundDoctrineRadio.org and click on giving. Okay, you blew it. You sinned. You're feeling guilty. Where should you turn for rest? Here's Pastor Jeff once again.

Jeff Johnson: When you're dealing with guilt and failure, you have no rest. You're in turmoil. You're looking for punishment because you've been guilty. You blew it. But He's saying, "No, no. I died for that 'blow it.' I died for what you're going through. Come to Me, learn of Me, and I'll give you rest for your soul, man. You'll have peace in your heart." Man, that's where people need it today more than ever. They need to get right with the Lord. They need to invite Jesus in because He brings us rest for our souls, and then it brings peace in the home. And then things are turned. Godly sorrow turns everything around and there's repentance and good things start to happen.

May God give each of us this morning a breakthrough that we would realize, as David started out in Psalm 144, "Happy are the people whose God is their Lord." Make Him Lord of your heart, so He can be Lord of your home and Lord of your kids. It's great. It works.

Announcer (Male): Next time on Sound Doctrine, we're introduced to Mephibosheth. Now, this man with the long name showed a very great amount of wisdom and godliness when he met up with King David. We'll hear his story next time as our study of 2nd Samuel develops. Sound Doctrine with Pastor Jeff is brought to you by Calvary Chapel Downey.