Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: The Bible says in Proverbs 27, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." David had those kind of men, but not in this occasion because he was in Jerusalem and they were all out fighting the battle.

Greg: Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the senior pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and a professor in biblical studies at Biola University. Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled Heroes. Let’s listen as JP gives us part one of David.

JP Jones: The latest Batman movie is Dark Knight, and Batman is the Dark Knight because even though he's a hero, there's some darkness in his soul. That's true of every person. Every person has a dark side. The heroes that we've been looking at in the Bible, we've been saying they're not heroes because they were perfect people. They were heroes because God used them and revealed himself to them, and we can learn about God through their life experience.

That's definitely true of David because David was a dark knight. He definitely was a man after God's own heart. He was the giant killer. He defeated the Goliath of fear, but he lost to the Goliath of lust. Every person here is a person who struggles. You're not the only one. Every one of us struggles.

The Apostle Paul, the greatest Christian who ever lived, said this: "Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death? I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but with my flesh, the law of sin." Paul went on to write in the book of Galatians that the key to victory is this: "I say, walk by the spirit and you will not carry out the lusts of your flesh."

Walking by the spirit is the key. In 2 Samuel 11, we see the opposite of walking by the spirit. We see David walking in the flesh, and from his negative example, I want to talk about how we can walk by the spirit and have victory. Let me set the context a little bit for you. David was a hero in Israel. He defeated Goliath. He was a man of integrity. Even though he could have taken the throne from Saul, he said, "I won't touch the Lord's anointed."

He allowed a lot of difficult adverse circumstances to take place until God put him on the throne. While he was on the throne, he led the armies of Israel consistently to victory against their enemies, the Philistines and the Amalekites. In 2 Samuel 10, he has just come back from a mighty victory. He had sent Joab and the army out to fight the people of Ammon and Moab, and they were at a stalemate until David arrived to lead the troops. Under David's leadership, they defeated their enemies.

In 2 Samuel 11, the battle continues, only it says David sent Joab and all of his military leaders to fight, and he stayed in Jerusalem, even though kings are supposed to lead the army. In Jerusalem, he was bored. He was unaccountable. He had time on his hands. He became tempted. He lusted and he sinned. He had an adulterous affair with Bathsheba, and she conceived and became pregnant.

Then he tried to come up with a plan that would cover up his sin. He brought Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, back from the battle and tried to put him in a situation where Uriah would have sex with his wife. When the baby was born, Uriah would think he was the father. Only Uriah had more integrity than David. Uriah said, "How can I go sleep with my wife when all of my fellow soldiers are sleeping out in the field in the battle with the Ammonites?" He refused to go in and be with his wife.

No matter what David did, David tried to get him drunk and set him up with his wife, and he still refused to have relations with his wife. Then David said, "I have to go to Plan B." Now fully entangled in his own deceptive sin, David writes a letter to Joab, gives it to Uriah to take back to the army, and the letter said, "Put Uriah on the front lines of the battle and back away from him so that he will die." That is exactly what happened. David conspired to have Uriah murdered, and he was killed.

2 Samuel 11 ends with this statement: "What David did was displeasing to the Lord." In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan the prophet is raised up, who rebukes David over his sin. David finally sees what he's done. He confesses his sins. Psalm 51 records the prayer of confession that David prayed in response to his sin. What I want to look at this morning is this struggle with sin, and in particular, the struggle with lust and what we need to see in terms of what not to do. Otherwise, sin will overtake us the same way that it overtook David, the dark knight.

2 Samuel 11, verse 1 says this: "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." David should have been out fighting the battle. He should have been leading the armies. That's what he did in 2 Samuel 10. Instead, he decided to stay in Jerusalem.

We have to read between the lines here because we're not told why he did it. We don't know if he just had enough. He was tired. We don't know if it was because this was in David's middle career, middle life. Maybe he was going through some kind of midlife crisis. Maybe he was just like, "Been there, done that, don't want to do it again." Maybe he was already planning to sin. Maybe he knew Bathsheba was not far off. He'd seen her before.

He wanted to get a situation where all the guys who held him accountable were out of the picture, and he could just follow through on a plot that he was already percolating in his mind to sin. We don't know. What we do know is he was at the wrong place at the wrong time. That's my first observation. Don't be where you shouldn't be. Know yourself. Every one of us has weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Every one of us can sin.

The writer of the Hebrews says this in Hebrews chapter 3: "Be careful that you don't develop an unbelieving heart in falling away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day as long as it's still called today, lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." It's the "any of you" that includes me and you and everyone else. Every one of us here, regardless of whatever spiritual victories we've experienced, whatever vows we've made to the Lord, whatever love relationship we have with God, whatever track record we have, every one of us can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Don't be where you shouldn't be. Be brutal on yourself. Make some commitments that you just won't go to certain places, you just won't be with certain people, you just won't put yourself under certain situations. Don't be where you shouldn't be. Here's a second observation: Don't be unaccountable. David was on his own. David had a group of military advisors that were with him and he had his mighty men. These were hand-picked soldiers. They were like the Navy SEALs of the army and they were like the guys that David hung out with.

Proverbs 27 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." David had those kind of men, but not in this occasion because he was in Jerusalem and they were all out fighting the battle. There was no accountability on David's life. Don't be unaccountable. Don't have large sections of your week where nobody knows where you are or what you're doing or who you're doing it with. Don't try to create this "freedom" that really puts yourself in a vulnerable spiritual situation where temptation can overpower you and your weaknesses can come out in your life.

Instead, be strong. Put yourself in a place where you're more than likely going to be obedient rather than disobedient. When a person is unaccountable, temptation increases because the opportunity is there. That's why it says in Romans chapter 13 to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. When we put ourselves in unaccountable scenarios, we are making a provision for the flesh. We're making it possible for sin to be a very viable alternative for us.

2 Samuel 11, verse 2 says this: "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, and the woman was very beautiful." The picture, as we see it in the text, is that somehow David was walking out on the balcony of his palace and he saw on top of one of the roofs a young woman taking a bath. For many of us, that right away seems like a strange scenario. It wasn't that uncommon in the ancient world to have some type of water reserve on one's roof. It wasn't that uncommon that that be the place to take a bath.

When you go to the city of Jerusalem today, the way they've excavated the city of David, Mount Zion, where David had his palace, you can see how it's a place of elevation. Those homes that are built with very flat roofs all around it make it very easy to just stand there and see what's going on in somebody else's backyard, somebody else's roof. It's very easy to do. The picture of David being a voyeur behind curtains with a telescope, being a Peeping Tom, is not accurate.

David was up on his roof walking around on his balcony, and he observed Bathsheba, and she was beautiful. Do you think this was the first time he ever walked on his balcony? Do you think this was the first time that he ever observed, "Oh, there's a bathtub there and I could see right into it"? Do you think this was the first time he saw she's a hot-looking woman? No, I am convinced that David went up there frequently to just all of a sudden see that she was taking a bath.

Here's a third observation: Don't let boredom be an excuse for doing something stupid. It says one evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. It was in the evening. It was in the middle of the night. He should have been sleeping. He should have been out on the field fighting with his men, but he wasn't. So he's bored. When we're bored, or when we're hungry, or when we're stressed, we become vulnerable to temptation.

When we're bored, it's not the spiritual side of our nature that tends to occupy our thinking. When we're bored, we don't go, "I wonder if I could really learn God's Word in a more in-depth way." When we're bored, we don't think, "I wonder who I can go witness to." When we're bored, we don't think, "I wonder how I can memorize Scripture." When we're bored, we don't think, "I wonder how I can develop the fruit of the spirit in my life."

No, when we're bored, we start thinking and fantasizing and being vulnerable to the temptations and allurements of the world and of our flesh. When we're bored, what we want is something to occupy us and satisfy us. David was looking to be occupied and looking for his appetites to be satisfied. Don't let boredom be an excuse for doing something stupid. Right now, if you are bored in your life, if you're bored in your marriage, if you're bored in your spiritual experience, don't wait till you have a righteous feeling to take action.

If you're bored, make a choice to seek after God, to study His Word. If you're bored, make a choice to pursue your spouse to develop more intimacy, to pray together, to talk about your life, to set goals for your future. If you're bored, don't wait for that feeling of spiritual inclination. Make a choice right now because boredom creates a context for being vulnerable spiritually and giving into our lusts. Don't be where you shouldn't be. Don't be unaccountable. Don't let boredom be an excuse for doing something stupid. Don't be looking for some action.

I told you, I don't think David was up here for the first time. I'm convinced David knew exactly what he was doing. David knew that by walking up there at some point, he was going to see her and he was going to see her naked. Let's just settle this so that we don't have any misunderstandings about it. If anyone here is really looking for some action, you can find it. You don't have to think, "I wonder if I'm still attractive to somebody. I wonder if there's somebody out there who'd really respond if I initiated towards them. I wonder if I flirted if somebody really would."

The answer is yes. Does that make you feel better about your self-esteem? The answer is yes. There is somebody, if you look enough, who will respond. If you want to follow after Christ, you don't want that. So don't be looking. David was looking for some action. Think about it. This guy, he should have been out fighting the fight and he wasn't fighting a fight. He should have been accountable and he wasn't accountable. He should have been engaged in God's business and he was bored.

He's just looking. "I wonder what's out there. I wonder what's going to happen. I wonder if I keep going up here walking around if I'm going to find her." It's like the old joke about the police officer, the guy's on his way to work and sees the Winchell's Donut store and prays, "God, if You want me to get a donut, You'll have an empty parking place out in front of the donut shop." He had to drive around seven times before God answered his prayer.

If you're saying, "God, if You want me to develop this inappropriate relationship, You'll make it possible. Or You'll shut the door to make it clear that You don't want me to," that's a dangerous kind of prayer to pray. That's testing God because if you're looking for some action, you're going to find it. Don't flirt with sin. Don't love the world. That's really what the issue is. Don't love the world.

The Bible says, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever." When we put ourselves in that situation where we're just looking and we're entertaining and we're thinking and we're keeping our options open, we're loving the world. That leads to death.

Greg: What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we'd like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today's date. We'll send it your way for just $5. Or if you'd like to support this ministry, you can write us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That's 949-916-0250. For your gift of $25 or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP's new book, Facing Goliath.

Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or check us out on the web at crosslinechurch.com. We're going to get to the address and phone number again in a moment, but before we do that, Pastor JP, do you have any insight from today's message?

JP Jones: Thanks, Greg. We're in a series entitled Heroes, and today we're looking at David. When people think about David, they think about David and Goliath, that classic Sunday school story, and that's certainly a great story of faith that's illustrated in the life of David. In fact, David himself is an example to the fact that life is a series of spiritual battles. David had his battle with Goliath in 1 Samuel chapter 17.

He also had a battle with lust in 2 Samuel 11. In 1 Samuel 17, he defeated Goliath, but in 2 Samuel 11, he lost his battle to lust. We're looking at David as a real guy, a guy who exhibits the good, the bad, and the ugly of life. In fact, a guy who shows us that you can be a hero through both the ups and the downs of life. The Bible is very clear that we are in a spiritual battle. Our battle is against the world, the flesh, and the devil.

In 1 John chapter 2, the Word of God says, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away and also its lusts, but the one who does the will of God abides forever." We live in a world system that is antagonistic towards God. We live in a world system that is in opposition to God. We live in a world system that bombards us with messages that are completely contradictory to the message and truth of God's Word.

Not only is our spiritual battle against the world, it's also against the flesh. The Bible says that there is a flesh principle within every person. The Apostle Paul illustrates this in Romans chapter 7. As a follower of Christ, he said, "The good that I do, I do not do, but I do the very evil that I do not wish. But if I do the very evil that I do not wish, I agree that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death?"

Paul is describing that struggle that exists in every person where there are impulses and temptations and pulls upon our better nature as followers of Jesus Christ, pull upon our new nature in Jesus. There is a flesh principle. That's why we're told in Galatians chapter 5 that if we walk by the spirit, we will not carry out the desire of the flesh. The world and the flesh are the point of contact for the spiritual battle because our real enemy is the devil. It says in 1 Peter chapter 5 that our enemy the devil, our adversary, he prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 6, that great passage about spiritual warfare, says that our struggle isn't against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places. It's against the demonic forces of wickedness. That's why we're to be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might, to put on the full armor of God and to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. Every Christian does spiritual warfare with the world, the flesh, and the devil.

In 2 Samuel 11, there is a story of David, the giant killer, David, the man after God's own heart, David, the man who received the promise from God that there would be an heir that would come from him who would reign as king forever in Israel. This same David lost the spiritual battle when he was confronted with lust. 2 Samuel 11 tells us that every one of us is vulnerable to temptation. Every one of us could fall. It does not matter how long you've been a follower of Jesus Christ. It does not matter how many victories you've gained in your relationship with Jesus Christ.

You are vulnerable to temptation and to lust. In fact, the Bible says that in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, that there's no temptation that has overtaken you but such as is common to man. But with the temptation, God will provide the way of escape also so that we can endure it. There's always a way of escape, but we don't always choose it. In fact, we're told and warned in Hebrews chapter 3 that we're to encourage one another day after day as long as it's still called today, lest any of us be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. I could be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, and so could you.

There's a spiritual warning for us not to go down the path of temptation and desire and lust, but to stay on the path of righteousness and the path of truth. 2 Samuel 11 is an example of how David didn't choose that path. He put himself in a position where his lust overtook him. He gave into sin and he separated himself from what he knew to be true. David was vulnerable. Rather than being on the point of battle, rather than leading the troops, he stayed in Jerusalem.

He put himself in a position where temptation was available to him and his lusts were enticed within him. Rather than holding himself accountable, he gave into his lust and he sinned. In fact, James 1 tells us that let no one say when he's tempted, "I'm being tempted by God." But each one is tempted when he's carried away and enticed by his own lusts. When lusts are conceived, they give birth to sin, and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. David was in a position where he had no accountability.

David was in a place that he shouldn't have been. David had roving eyes, and when the temptation presented itself, he entertained that temptation, he followed through on that temptation, he became inflamed in his own lusts, and he sinned. Each one of us needs to take warning from the example of David and choose the path of holiness, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and to make no provision for the flesh, to surround ourselves with godly people who will hold us accountable and speak truth to us, and to make daily decisions to be morally pure so that when those temptations come our way, we're strong in the Lord and the strength of His might and we say no to sin. We can say no to sin when we surrender ourselves to the provision of the Holy Spirit. If that's your desire, would you acknowledge that with God right now? "God, I want to be a person who says no to sin. I want to walk by the spirit and not carry out the desire of my flesh. Help me do that in Jesus' name. Amen."

Greg: We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California, 92653. Or call us at 949-916-0250. That's 949-916-0250. On the internet, you'll find us at crosslinechurch.com. We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to crosslinechurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.