Vengeance

If you would please take your seats, we will begin our worship service. Yeah. First, visitors or new time visitors amongst us this morning, if you would please raise your hand, one of the ushers would be happy to bring you a pamphlet of information about Grace Church. Seeing none, let's turn to announcements. First of all, please join us tonight at 6 p.m.

for our Sunday worship service. Chris Gregory will be preaching a sermon entitled Life from A to Z. From Psalm 119 verses 1 through 8. And on Wednesday night, if you can, please join us at 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall for prayer and Bible study.

Dr. Larry Oldham will continue to teach on the book of Romans. I believe, Larry, you see here, we're starting, I believe, this week on chapter 8. It's been an excellent study so far. There'll be a potluck lunch today.

In the fellowship hall immediately following the worship service, Please join us in a meal and fellowship as we take this opportunity to welcome our new members here that are joining Grace. As is our custom, the new members and their families would. Please be asked to go first. To uh To the line to partake of the food. And also, anyone who's needing assistance, please also go to the front of the line.

Now, you new members, you need to take advantage of this opportunity. This is a one-time thing. From now on, I guarantee you. You will be edging your way up and fighting for a position in line like everybody else.

So please take advantage of this today and go to the front of the line. Tomorrow at 10 a.m., the women's Monday Bible Study Group will meet and complete their study based on the book, A Time for Confidence. They will meet in the fellowship hall.

Next Sunday, we will be celebrating the Lord's Supper. That's July 4th, and we'll be celebrating it at the morning service. And please pray for the PCA General Assembly meeting this week. The General Assembly will be dealing with some very difficult issues. And we will have several elders from Grace Church attending that meeting.

I believe they're leaving early Tuesday morning and we'll be returning on Friday evening. And we ask that you pray. That they have safe travel and pray also that the meeting is glorified. to God. Is there any other matters or issues that need to be brought before the congregation this morning?

Seeing none, I would ask you to please join me now as we prepare our hearts and our minds for worship. Do we have anybody here this morning that's in favor of answered prayer? Mm-hmm. No, I want to show you one. We've been praying for a young lady for four years.

She's been sick for about four years. And she is here with us today. Linda McCaffrey. Thank you, Linda. It is so good to see and have you with us again.

Amen. Amen. Thank you, Linda. I would ask you to please now stand. Is and join me in our call to worship.

Our call to worship today comes from Psalm 46. Verse 10. Be still. And know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations.

I will be exalted in the earth. Let us pray. Gracious and most holy Father. Creator of all that gives life. We thank you for the many blessings and pleasures that you have bestowed upon us.

Through your unconditional love for us, you have given us all that is needed to sustain life. and you have shielded us from the consequences of our sin. By sending your son to die on the cross, and to impute his righteousness to us. Father, you have demanded our love, our praise. and our worship, and have commanded us to humbly Come before you.

That we may see the glories that you have given us, and that we may seek the aid and comfort. that we need in the fallen world in which we live. Father, we are living in a very difficult time in our country. A time of uncertainty. A time of confusion and division.

This morning, we pray for the government that you have given us. We pray for our President. for our members of Congress and for our Justices. We pray for our governor, our state representatives, and for all our local leaders, judges, and other officials. We pray for our police and civil servants.

and for our Armed First Forces and National Guard. We pray for these men and women because they serve by your authority. Not ours. Guide and direct them each and every day. That they may bring about the successful completion of their duties, duties which affect the peace.

the justice and the well-being of our nation. Use them to bring about your will for our country. and your blessing for our church. And father, We pray for the pastors, the elders, and the deacons here at Grace Church. Fill them with the Holy Spirit.

that they would always be true to your holy word. Father, we pray this morning for Denise White and her family. Her brother Don passed this past week. Please lift them up, Father. We know that they are dealing with a very difficult situation and are dealing with a very difficult time in their lives.

And, Father, we have a praise this morning. It was so nice to see Linda McCacron back here at church this morning. We've missed her, Father. She's been gone for such a long time. She has suffered so much over the past four years or so.

And, Father, we just thank you that you have brought her back in our midst. Father, we are your children, and we submit to you our needs and our desires as well as our thanksgiving and praises. It is through our trust and faith in you. that we know our prayers will be heard and answered. Guide and direct our lives in a way that all we say and do.

brings you praise, honor, and glory. And it is in the name and for the sake of our Lord and Jesus Christ. That we pray. Amen. We've gathered to do what our call to worship calls us to do: to be still.

and know that God is God. And notice there's two commands there, first of all, to be still. We've got to stop being distracted by all the things that Causes fear, that causes us worry. Consume our affections, and we've got to focus wholly and completely on our God, who is God, the sovereign, king, ruler. of the universe.

Let's do that as we sing to him. Hymns and psalms and spiritual songs this morning. Let's begin as we sing all praise to God who reigns above. All praise to God who arrange our love, the God of all creation, the God of wonders by love, the God of our salvation. With healing war, my soul he fills the God who every sorrow stills, to God all praise and glory.

What God's almighty power hath made his gracious mercy keep that by mourning. God o'er evening shade, his watchful eye never sleepeth. Within the kingdom of his might, Lord, all is just and all is right. To God all praise and glory. I cry to Him in time of need, for God oh, give my calling.

For death, He gave me life indeed, and kept my feet from falling. For this my thanks shall and bless me. Oh, thank him, thank our God with me. To God all praise and glory The Lord will save yet not His father's chosen generation He is their revenues and their rock, their peace and their salvation As with the mother's tender hand He leads His own His chosen pan to God all praise and glory Jesus is King, and I will extol him in the glory and honor his name. He reigns on high and thrown in the heavens.

Word of the Father exalted for us. We have a hope that is steadfast and certain, gone through the curtain and touching the throne. We have a priest. Whose merits He glory His praise on our lives daily by grace We come to Have our priest and our gospel glow in His glory and bearing His name our lives with gladness before Him filled with His Spirit We worship He oly one our hearts to adore you Thrilled with your goodness We give you our praise Angels in light with worships around him, Jesus, our Savior, foreverless. Amen.

You can be seated. Our New Testament reading this morning is from 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 7 through 15. This is a passage where Paul Is encouraging the Corinthian church to give, to give generously, to give sincerely. Even as the Thessalonican church has already set an example as they are gathering a collection for the saints. Let's read together: 2 Corinthians 8, beginning at verse 7.

But as you excel in everything, In faith, in speech, in knowledge. In all earnestness, And in our love for you. See that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, Yet for your sake he became poor.

so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter, I give my judgment. This benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work, but also to desire to do it.

So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened. but that as a matter of fairness, your abundance at the present time should supply their need.

so that their abundance may supply your need That there may be fairness. As it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over. And whoever gathered little Had no lack. This is the word of God. God.

Our God is a generous God, so we are to be generous people. God, of course, is generous with His mercy, He's generous with His Herself. With His grace, and thank God that He is because we need that mercy. We need that grace. We are sinners who stand condemned outside of the grace of God.

But in Christ, we have forgiveness, we have mercy.

So, church, it's good and right in our worship of this gracious God to run to Him and confess our sins. Let's do that together as we pray. Would you pray with me? Gracious God, our sins are too heavy to carry, too real to hide, and too deep to undo. Forgive what our lips tremble to name.

What our hearts can no longer bear. in what has become for us a consuming fire of judgment. Set us free from a past we cannot change. Open to us a future in which we can be changed. And grant us grace to grow more and more in your likeness and image through Jesus Christ, the light of the world.

Amen. Take a moment now to Silently confess your particular sins to the Lord. Listen now to these words from Second Chronicles seven: fourteen. If my people who are called by my name humble themselves and pray and seek my face. and turn from their wicked ways.

Then I will hear from heaven. and will forgive their sin. and heal their land. We did. desperately need forgiveness, Christ is a fountain of forgiveness.

That never runs dry. Let's sing about Christ, our living water. Would you stand with me as we sing? Are you thirsty? Yeah.

For humanity. God Come and drink these living waters Tired and broken, peace unspoken. Fruit. Ask his slide is living water. Yeah.

Christ is calling, find refreshing at the cross of living waters. Lay your eye down on the o'gone, rest beside these living waters. There's a river that flows with mercy and love, bringing joy to the city of our God. There, our hope is secure. Do not fear anymore.

Praise the Lord of living waters, spirit. Mercy washing healing in these living waters. Lead your children to the shoreline. Life is in these living waters. There's a river that flows with mercy and love.

Bringing joy to the city of our God there, our hope is secure. Do not fear anymore. Praise the Lord of living waters. Are you thirsty? Are you empty?

Come and drink these living waters. Love forgiveness vast abounds, right is our living water. There's a river that flows with mercy and love, bringing joy to the city of our God. There, our hope is secure, do not fear anymore. Praise the Lord of living waters.

There, our hope is secure, do not fear anymore. Praise the Lord of living waters. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Gracious Heavenly Father. This is your Lord today.

Day, we come to your house to worship you. Lord, thank you for everything you give us, our many blessings. Your abundance of grace, your mercies in you each day. Your Holy Spirit that dwells within us. In your holy word, that you give us to read.

Thank you, Lord. Lord, I pray for Pastor Doug this morning. As he delivers your message, keep his lips from error. And Lord, take these tithes and these offerings. that we're about to receive and put them to work to further your kingdom.

Again, thank you for this day. Sunshine you give us, and the rain that we're blessed with. Pray these things in your son's precious and holy name. Amen. Hallelujah, salvation and glory, honor and power unto the Lord our God Hallelujah, salvation and glory, honor and power unto the Lord our God for the Lord our God is mighty, and the Lord our God is omnipotent, the Lord our Our God, He is wonderful.

For the Lord our God is mighty, and the Lord our God is omnipotent. The Lord our God, He is wonderful. Hallelujah! Salvation and glory, honor and power unto the Lord our God. For the Lord our God is mighty, and the Lord our God is omnipotent, the Lord our God, He is wonderful.

All praise be to the King of people. And the Lord host is wonderful. And glorious is all the human face, and thy Lord is wonderful. Oh, great earth, human beings, and the Lord host is wonderful. Oh, great.

And the Lord is wonderful. Oh, great. Would you stand in honor of God's word as we read it together this morning? Thank you, choir, for lifting up Jesus like that this morning. If you have your Bibles with you, turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter 13.

We're going to start with verses 23 and 24. After two full years, Absalom had sheep shears at Belhazar. which is near Ephraim. And Absalom invited all the king's sons. And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold, your servant as sheep shearers.

Please let the king and his servants go. with your servant. Bow with me as we go to our Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we Come before your throne today and want to lift up Andrew Jackson to you as he. is here in our service today but getting ready in just a couple of hours.

to go to boot camp at Paris Island. to be a Marine. I thank you, Lord, for his willingness to serve. I thank you, Heavenly Father, for His witness here in the Harrisburg Concord area. Lord, that witness is getting ready to be.

furthered in areas, Lord, that that may not know anything about Christ. I pray, Lord, that you would just use him as a powerful witness with the new men that he meets as Marines. And Lord, as he goes into areas of the world, I pray, Father, that you would just be with him. Guide and direct him, Lord, that his life might really count for Christ's sake. I pray, Heavenly Father, today that you would just bless the family.

You created the family before you created social groups, nations, or governments. The testimony of Scripture repeatedly tells us that when families fail, then cultures, governments, and nations are quick to follow. We've been studying the life of David for over a year. And we have been wowed at his faith. We have been blessed by the inspired words of his Psalms.

We have been encouraged by his courage. and we have been challenged by his worship. As we look at his family life, there seems to be a disconnect. He's broken God's commands and taken on multiple wives. He's cheated on his wives with a married woman.

And he's been a horrible father. He has not planted the principles of God's word in the hearts of his kids. He refuses to discipline them consistently. and he lets them live like pagans. The life of David is a stark reminder to us that it's very possible to be a public success.

and a family failure. Today, we look at a piece of David's failed fatherhood that brought sorrow to his family, his nation, and the world. Lord, use David's sin to to awaken us to our own sin that we might repent. For it is in the holy and precious name of Jesus that we pray. Amen.

You may be seated. Last week, we looked at David as a king and then David as a father. And what we saw was a man who was experiencing public success. and family failure. What we come to find out is that a part of this, a great part of it, had to do with God's chastening David because of his sin.

David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. And then he had Taking her husband Uriah the Hittite. and conspired to have him killed in order to cover over his sin. When that happened, God sent Nathan, the prophet, to David to confront him. Nathan came, spoke to David, shared with him the story of the rich man who went to the poor man's house, stole his pet lamb.

brought his pet lamb back, slaughtered it, and ate it along with a friend. And when David heard this story, he was absolutely livid. I mean, the steam's coming off his head. He says, I can't believe that this man would do such a horrible thing. What an injustice has been done.

He said, You bring that man to me, and we will deal with him. I will deal with him right now. Right in the middle of David's ranting and raving. Nathan the prophet lifted up his finger, pointed it in David's face, and said, David, thou art the man. You were the rich man in the story, David.

David, you were the one who stole a man's wife and then had her husband killed to cover over your sin. And David just fell to pieces. Emotionally, spiritually, and mentally, he just fell to pieces. And he began to confess his sin, and he repented of his sin. He begged God for forgiveness.

And then Nathan told him, God has forgiven you. But there will still be consequences. of your sin. And in 2 Samuel 12, verses 10 through 11, we find out what those consequences are. Listen to this.

Nathan said, Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house. Because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in this sight.

of this sun. Men hear me out. If we as men neglect our family duties. In order to climb the ladder of success, We may obtain wealth and popularity and maybe even fame. but the result will be frustration and bitterness.

in our closest and most important relationships. And let me say this. I respect a man who works hard. I respect a man who puts out Effort to work and goes the second mile and seeks for excellence in his life as he works. I think that's a good thing, I think that's a godly thing.

I get sickened when I hear men talking about burnout. That doesn't do anything for me. But men, we cannot. And we must not neglect our families. For if we do, then what happened to David?

can happen to us.

So this week I want us to look at two things. First of all, personal vengeance and secondly fatherly apathy. I got four points I want to share with you. Number one is murder. Murder.

Look with me at verses 23 through 29. After two full years, Absalom had sheep shears at Belhazar, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold, your servant has sheep shears. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant. But the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.

He pressed him, but he would not go, but gave him his blessing. Then Absalom said, If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said to him, Why should he go with you? But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. Then Absalom commanded his servants, Mark when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, strike Amnon, then kill him.

Do not fear. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.

So the servant of Absalom did to Amnon as Amnon had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose. and each mounted his mule and fled. For two years, Absalom had stewed over the rape of his sister Tamar. Amnon had set up Tamar And he had set her up in a vulnerable situation.

He brought her into his own bedroom. He locked the bedroom up, and then he did with her what he wanted to do with her. And he did it against her will. And then, as soon as he got what he wanted, his lust turned to anger and hatred against her. And he kicked her out of his room and he kicked her out of his life.

Here was a man who had done horrible things to a young lady. He stole her virginity, he destroyed her reputation, and then he essentially just sat back and laughed about it as if it was no big deal. Big Brother Absalom comes home, he sees Tamar in a state of absolute depression. Tears are rolling down her cheeks. Her face is red with embarrassment and shame.

Her dress is torn. And it looks like somebody has put her through a hell on earth.

Now who did this to her? Was it an Amalekite or an Ammonite that wanted to get back at David? No. Was it one of Tamar's boyfriends? No.

Was it a servant who just thought he could get away with it? No. Who was it? It was David's son. Her half-brother, Amnon.

And verse 1 is chapter the twelfth. Chapter 13 tells us that the Amnon, or verse 12, chapter 12, says that Amnon loved Tamar. Love Tamar. Let me share with you what Roger Ellsworth said about this idea of Amnon loving Tamar. He says, love is, of course, the word that Amnon would have used to describe what he was feeling for Tamar.

But it was in reality far from love. Another word, also beginning with ale, jumps more readily to mind, and that word is lust. Gordon Kennedy says of Amnon's love. The ingredients of a genuine love are altogether lacking. There is no self-giving commitment, no seeking of the other's highest good.

No sensitive devotion, not even a hint of romance. There is only naked physical lust and an utterly self-centered disregard for Tamar's personal integrity, welfare, and blessedness. Amnon is consumed not by what he could do for her, but by the way. but by what he wanted desperately to do to her. He wanted sex.

It was as simple as that. There are plenty of Amnon types about today. Consumed by lust that masquerades as love. They pressurize young women to satisfy their lust by assuring them that they love them. To such men, I love you really means I love myself and I want you.

Young ladies listen to this word counsel. If a man truly loves you, He will be willing to commit himself to you in the bonds of marriage and will gladly wait for you. until that time comes. When Tamar told Absalom who did it, he was absolutely incredulous. He says, what?

Are you telling me that it was our brother, my brother, and your brother that did this to you? Are you sure that's right? And through sobs she said, yes, I'm sure that it's right. In verse 21, we are told that when King David heard about this terrible thing, that he was angry.

Now who told him about it? Was it Tamar? Was it Adsol. We don't know who told him. But all we know is this, David knew it.

He knew that his son Amnon had committed rape and incest, and the victim was his own daughter. Tamar.

Now did David go to Amnon at that point in time? and share with him the gravity of his sin. Did he go to Amnon and say to him, how could you do this? Do you not realize what you've done? You have committed rape and incest.

You have violated your own sister and broken her heart. Did David say, I'm your father? And I'm the king of Israel. Do you not have any more respect for me than that? Did David say you even used me to lure this young lady, my daughter, into your bedroom?

And then did he go further than that? Did he say, do you not realize, Amnon, this is a capital offense? Do you not realize that Leviticus 18, Leviticus 20, and Deuteronomy 27? Says that doing this is a crime that should be punishable by death. David knew all that.

But David said nothing. to A. M. Non.

Now, Tamar has moved into the home of Absalom. Absalom now is going to be his sister's protector, he's going to be her defender. while David has done absolutely nothing. David has not been the strong shoulder for his daughter to crown. He has not given her counsel.

He has not prayed with her. He has not put his arms around her and loved her. He has not helped her through this terribly, terribly difficult time. He's pretty much just left her on her own. Absalom waited and waited and waited till finally two years had passed.

After two years passed, he said, Well, if David was going to do something, he would have done it by now. I guess he's going to do nothing.

So if it's left up to me to seek justice, and then I guess it's left up to me. If David won't take the bull by the horns, I will take the bull by the horns and I will deal with this situation.

Something we also probably need to consider as well. is that Amnon was the oldest son of David. Amnon was the legal heir to the throne that when David died, he would be the next king of Israel.

Now Absalom was the second oldest. Was Absalom thinking here, if Amnon is out of the way, if he's out of the picture, if he's not around, then I will be the next king. The throne will come to me. We don't know if that's what was in his mind or not, but knowing the reputation that he had, the kind of character or lack of character that he had. Uh he very well may have been thinking those thoughts.

Well, why did Absalom wait so long before doing anything? I think he was giving his dad a chance. He was giving David the opportunity to do something. And David did nothing. I think he was also building a sense of false security into the heart of Amnon.

After two years, Amnon's probably thinking to himself, well, if nobody's done anything by now, then nobody's going to do anything, and I'm safe, and everything's fine with me.

So Absalom came up with a plan. It was a time for the annual feast that would take place after the shearing of the sheep. And Absalom went to his daddy, David, and he said, Dad, I want you to get your whole royal court and all of your friends and all of your sons and bring them to this party, this feast that I'm going to throw. Listen to what Richard Phillips said about this. He has great insight.

He said, This request gave the impression of Absalom showing respect to his father, his real intentions being cloaked by his deceit. David begged off the invitation, however, citing the expense that his son would incur by having the royal entourage at in. But the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you. Absalom pressed his father to attend, but David still refused. It seems likely that Absalom anticipated this answer, allowing him to draw closer to his real intent.

Then Absalom said, If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us. This requires trouble, David. who could not have been ignorant of the friction between the two sons.

So I asked. Why should He go with you? Perhaps fearing David's initiative, Absalom pressed forward for his own offensive. Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. In this way, Absalom succeeded in getting his father's blessing.

on the bloodshed he planned for David's house. We can only wonder whether Absalom intended a cruel parallel to the assault against his sister two years earlier. as David had sent Tamar to Amnon's supposed sick chamber. David now sent Amnon to Absalom's false feast. Here's the question I want to ask.

Should Absalom have just let this go? Should he have said to his sister Tamar, Well, sis, I'm sorry, but These kind of things happen in life. You should have been more careful.

Sorry that you got molested and taken advantage of.

Sorry that David did nothing about it. But hey. That's life.

So just kind of let it slide. Is that what he should have done? Absolutely not. If I had been Tamar's brother, I would have felt just as angry as Absalom did. I I tell you, guys, we need to realize that The Lord has called us to be protectors and defenders of our family.

Especially the the female portion of our family. We need to be their protectors. We need to be their defenders. We need to be watching over them and protecting them. Should he have gotten angry?

Absolutely, he should have gotten angry. But the problem was he used his anger in a very godless way. He should have confronted David to begin with and begged David to go and deal with his son Amnon and discipline him and do something about the terrible sin that he's committed. If David wouldn't have done that, he should have gone to Amnon himself and confronted him. Face to face, he should have stood before Amnon, and this would have given Amnon the opportunity to confess, to repent, and to apologize to Tamar for what he had done and to pay restitution to her.

It would have given him all that opportunity. And then if Amnon would have said no, he should have then Absalom should have just gone right to the priest. or he should have gone right to the prophet Nathan. And said, Look, this is what my brother has done. It is a sin against my sister, it is a sin against Israel, and he is unrepentant.

Something needs to be done about this. You, as the priest, you as a prophet, need to do something about this so that the people in Israel won't think that it's okay for him, that it's okay for us. He should have done that. He should have gone to Tamar. And he should have talked to Tamar about forgiveness.

He should have gone to her and he could have shared with her Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse 35. For the Lord said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. He should have told her that God that we serve, Yahweh, is the sovereign God of this universe. And if that issue is not settled in a human way by God's law, then God will deal with that issue Himself. That would have been a godly, righteous response.

Absalom did not do that. Instead, he deceives his daddy, uses his daddy to carry out his plan. And he gives Amnon in the process this false sense of security.

So Amnon will be caught off guard. And then he went out and he got him engaged in this party. Got him drinking. and he knew that the alcohol would kind of break down his defenses. And then Absalom says to his servants, Go take his life.

Kill him. in cold blood. Just like David ordered Uriah the Hittite to be killed. Absalom orders Amnon to be killed by the servants. In other words, let someone else do your dirty work for you.

Mm. Verse 28, listen to Absalom's command to the servants. He said, strike Amnon, then kill him. Wait till he gets drunk. Do not fear.

Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant. Make no mistake about it, folks. What he is doing here is very wicked. He is using biblical, God-inspired words.

to get the servants to do evil and to murder for him. Uh Joshua chapter 1 verse 9 is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I love that verse. And if you have gone through an operation, Chances are, I've been in the hospital with you and prayed with you, and oftentimes I will give you that verse right before you go through an operation because it's so helpful. What does that verse say?

God says, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage. Be not afraid or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Folks, Absalom is using, I think, that very verse. He's using God's covenant language to embolden his servants to murder.

So they obeyed Absalom. And they killed Amnon. When the other brothers saw it, they said, We better get out of here. And they jumped on their mules and they took off out of there. Psalm 133, verse 1, says this.

Behold, how pleasant it is. And how pleasant and good it is when brothers dwell together. In unity. What we see going on here is the exact opposite. The other brothers are scared to death that what happened to Amnon is going to happen to them.

Folks, what we have here. Is cold-blooded. murder. My point too is vengeance. Look at verse 28 and 29 again.

Then Absalom commanded his servants, Mark. When Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, strike Amnon, then kill him. Do not fear. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.

So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose and each mounted his mule and fled. Have you ever heard a professing Christian excuse wicked and sinful behavior by saying, My God is a God of love?

Well what does that mean? Does that mean if God is a God of perfect love, That he is not a God of perfect. Justice and perfect holiness. No, it doesn't mean that. The scripture says, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.

Well, what does that mean? It means that God hates sin, and He hates it so much that He's made a divine obligation on Himself. That all sin must be punished. All sin. Theologians call this the retributive justice of God.

Let me give you a few biblical examples. Genesis chapter 6, verse 5, God looked out over the world and saw the wickedness of the world and commanded that the world be destroyed by a flood. Then over in Exodus chapter 7, and going forward, we have the Lord. Casting the ten plagues on Egypt. Why?

Because of the wickedness of the Pharaoh and the wickedness of Egypt. And then in uh Joshua chapter 7. We have the little city of Ai defeating the great army of Israel. How in the world did they do that? They did it because the Lord allowed them to do it because of Achan's sin.

And then not only did that take place, but then Achan was stoned because of his sin. And what do people say about that? I say, oh, well, that's just the Old Testament. That's not the God we serve. It's not?

Folks, is the God that created the universe the God that has been here forever? Has he changed? No, he hasn't changed. I am the Lord, I change not, God says in the book of Malachi. Folks, God hasn't changed.

God is exactly the same as He always is. He's the same God in the Old Testament as He is in the New Testament. It was Jesus Christ himself who said, Fear not those who can destroy the body, but cannot destroy the soul, but fear that one who can destroy both body and soul in hell. And where was the greatest act of God's judgment? The greatest act of God pouring out his wrath was seen at Calvary's cross.

When Jesus is hanging from the cross, And what happened is Jesus is hanging there. God the Father took every sin that you and I will ever commit or have ever committed, and transferred them into the person of Jesus. The Scripture says that Jesus became sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. In other words, it was a substitutionary atonement.

Well, Jesus is hanging on that cross. He became our sin so that God could judge it. And the wrath of God is being poured out on Christ, and it's so great that his heart literally ruptured in his chest cavity. That's how he finally died. The wrath of God was so powerful on him.

You say, Doug, why did it have to be that way? Why did it matter that much? Here's the answer: Because our God is holy, holy, holy. And that sin had to be paid for. People in the woke churches think that condoning homosexuality.

and transgenderism and pedophy and pornography. Couples just living together outside of marriage. They think condoning that is being kind and being loving. I want you to know it is not being kind and loving. These things are not just differences in chosen lifestyles.

These things are sin. It was a new um Moderator of the Southern Baptist Convention that was elected this week. And he gave a statement. One of the first statements he made was this: He said, God is love. And when God speaks about homosexuality, He speaks in a whisper.

In other words, he was saying this homosexuality thing is not really that big a deal. When God speaks on it. He just kind of whispers. Let me tell you something. The scripture says that homosexuality is an abomination before God.

That's not a whisper, that's a shout. Folks, that we need to understand what's going on here. We need to realize that, like Paul said, that homosexuality is the very last stage of reprobation. And when he says that, that's not a whisper, that's a shout. And people need to know that if their sin is not repented of and forgiven and washed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, if that doesn't happen, they will spend forever in an eternal hell with no hope.

And I want you to know this: that's not just the opinion of a hard-headed preacher. That is biblical truth.

So how are Christians supposed to deal with this? Christians today are being called names. We're being canceled out. In some places of the world, Christians are being put in prison. For their talk, some people are being put to death because of standing for the truth.

So what are we to do? Are we to repay evil for evil? The answer to that is no. In Romans chapter 12, verse 19, The Lord said, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord. Excuse me for reading again, but Richard Phillips said this so well.

He said, Absalom. Should also have appealed to his half-brother to repent of his sin while doing his best to show kindness. If Amnon had confessed and repented, Absalom should have forgiven him and encouraged his sister to do the same. while urging Amnon to take concrete steps to remedy his sin. If Amnon refused to repent, Absalom should have contented himself in the knowledge of God's wrath and eternal punishment in the final judgment.

While doing his best to care for his sister, trusting his own and her needs to the Lord. The fact that Absalom took matters into his own hand. proves that his motives were self-serving. and that he failed to honor the sovereignty of God. Point three is tears.

Look with me at verses thirty through thirty-six. While they were on the way, news came to David: Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left. Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. That Jonadab, the son of Shemea, David's brother said, Let not my Lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for Abnon alone is dead.

For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar.

Now, therefore, let not my Lord the King so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead. But Absalom fled, and the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him. By the side of the mountain. And Jonadab said to the king, Behold, the king's sons have come, as your servant said, so it has come about. And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came, lifted up their voices, and wept.

And the king also and all of his servants wept very bitterly. David received news. It was false news. He was told that all of his sons had been killed. That would have included Absalom and Solomon.

And David believed that report. He tore his clothes. He fell down on the ground, weeping and wailing and crying like a baby. Where'd that news come from? I think the news probably came from Jonadab.

I think he wanted to get that message to David before he talked to him. And I think he thought that would kind of soften the blow a little bit. That would make things easier for him when he told David what the real truth was.

So finally, Jonadab gets there, and Jonadab says, No, David, all of your sons have not been killed, only one of them, and that is Amnon. You remember who this Jonadab was? He was the nephew of David. His brother Shemia's son was Jonadab. He's also the one who conspired along with Amnon.

to have Tamar violated. He took a big part in that, helped set everything up.

Now Amnon is dead, and now he's conspiring along with Absalom. And what does he do? He has conspired with Absalom to try to smooth things over with David. He says, David, just calm down. It's okay.

It's just your son Amnon that has been killed. All the rest of your sons are just fine. Folks, John and Deb is a reminder to us. Be careful who you choose to be your friends. Be careful who you choose to be your counselors.

Be careful. you choose uh to to um Be people who you consult with. People who have no use for God. will not really care. whether you get hurt or not.

By the time Jonadab quits talking, the other brothers come riding up and they give their report. Amnon has been murdered, and Absalom has fled, and he has gone to the area of Gesher, and that's where he's hiding now. Huh, he had there for three years. Verse 36 says that the king and all the servants wept bitterly. I want you to listen to what John Calvin said.

about this plethora of tears that were being shed. He said, when David mourned, it was not only for the wicked deed which Absalom had committed, it was not only that Amnon had died, but primarily he wept because it was his own sin. That was the root of the problem. Folks, sin will take you further than you want to go. It will keep you longer than you want to stay, and it will cost you more than you want to pay.

Point four is lessons. Let's look at verse 37 through 39. But Absalom fled, and he went to Talmae, the son of Amihud, king of Gesher. And David mourned for his son day after day.

So Absalom fled, and he went to Gesher, and was there three years. And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead. I think one of the greatest lessons to be learned in this passage is this message to parents. Your children need discipline. If your children don't get disciplined, it can lead them to sin, to rebellion, and to ultimate failure.

If David had dealt with Amnon's sin against Tamar, God might have brought Amnon to repentance and changed the course of his life. If David had gone to Tamar, And cared for her and loved on her. He could have helped her to be restored physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And David should have gone to Absalom. and helped him to diffuse his anger.

Let me share with you a few proverbs. These are for dads, I'll listen carefully. Proverbs 13:24: Whoever spares the rod hates his son. But he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. Proverbs 22, verse 15: Foolishness is bound up in the heart of the child, and the rod of discipline will remove it far from him.

Proverbs 22, verse 6: Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 29:15, the rod and the reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself brings shame. Yeah. Proverbs 29, 17, discipline your son, and he will give you rest. He will give delight.

to your heart. Roger Ellsworth said this, and I'll close. Undisciplined living, ungodly counsel. unacknowledged evil, unexercised authority. That is the devil's brood.

He has concocted it many times down through the centuries. And he has served up a big platter full for our own day and age. This is a day in which we refuse to discipline ourselves. It is a day in which we readily listen to ungodly counsel. It is a day in which we refuse to address the sins nesting in our hearts.

But nurture and nourish them. It is a day in which those in authority often refuse to exercise it, and when it is exercised, It is despised. The more we eat of this brew, the more pain we are going to feel. May God help us even now to turn from it. and embrace the wholesome Healthy food.

of the Word of God. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we just covered some important proverbs. It teaches how to be godly dads. These proverbs were written by Solomon, David's son.

I have to believe that Solomon had his own dad in mind when he wrote these challenging words. David's example of fatherhood was not the example that Solomon needed to follow.

So Solomon had first-hand experience of what dads are not to do. Lord, may we leave this place today with a resolute spirit. Give us the determination to be godly dads and granddads. If we leave the training of our children to the school system, to the social media, and to a government who is pushing us toward atheism and cultural suicide, We are doomed to failure. Give us the intestinal fortitude.

to teach our kids truth. And to discipline them. With seriousness. and love. For it is in the precious and holy name of Jesus that we pray.

Amen. Jane? I'm gonna call you up and believe we've got some presentation to take place right now. We do have several members, new members, to present to the congregation this morning. This is always an exciting time in the life of our body as we see the Lord adding to our number.

We see the fulfillment of God's promise that He will build His church. The gates of hell cannot. Stand against it. This has been an exceptional year in many ways of growth, numerical growth at Grace Church. We've had a quick turnaround between our last two new members' classes just out of necessity.

And so we welcome that. And you can just look around and see how few empty seats there are right now as a testimony to that. But the Lord has been good to Grace Church. And we're so grateful for these new lives that He's brought our way. And we look forward to seeing how they acclimate to Grace Church and begin to use the gifts that God has given them.

To bless all of us, to edify his. His people.

So I'm going to call your name. These people have. Gone through all the prerequisites for membership. They've attended the six-week new membership class. They've all sat down with a couple of elders for a time of examination of their profession of faith.

And so we welcome these new faces into our membership here at Grace Church. I'm going to call you up. If you'll just come and stand facing the congregation as I call your name, Gwen Carroll. Bill and Linda Fulton. Joe and Betsy Gale.

Jimmy and Tricia Hoffman. Christopher Nicholas. Ray K, I'm sorry, K. Rykoff. John and Cindy Shepard.

Mm-hmm. And Tom and Catherine Truden. And we have one more lady who's not here today. We'll present her at another time, but. Jan.

I was not able to be here, so we'll try to remember to do her next week. And I'm trying to think: is there anybody not here that I've called? Jim?

So we'll present them as well.

So there's three people missing from this group, but we'll get back with them at some point. Folks, we welcome you to Grace Church. It's so good to have all of you. I've enjoyed getting to know you these last several weeks. I'm going to ask you the five membership vows and just ask for you to affirm these by replying yes.

Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of sinners? And do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel? Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ? Do you promise to support the church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

And then, do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the church and promise to study its purity and peace?

Well, it is my delight to welcome you into membership at Grace Church. I'm going to have a word of prayer for you, and then you can go back to your seat. After our last song, we're going to dismiss from here. We're going to let these folks go through the line first. We have a lot of food up there in the fellowship hall.

Everyone's welcome to stay and enjoy this time of fellowship. But make sure to introduce yourself to these new faces, and we'll just make them feel special and feel a part of our body. You can go back to your seats. Thank you so much. As they go back, let me pray for each of these this morning.

Father, you are so good to grow our church. Lord, it's so encouraging to see how you use the means of grace, the preached word, the fellowship of your people, the sacraments, prayer. Lord, you use all these things to change lives and to draw people to Christ. And Lord, we've seen evidence of that this morning as you have drawn many. To Christ and then to Grace Church.

Lord, where they can be a part of this body as we fellowship together and serve and worship together. Lord, I pray for each of these new lives that have come into our body that you would use the various spiritual giftings that you have entrusted with each one. Lord, use those gifts for the edification of Grace Church. I pray that we would serve you well, that we would serve together in unity. That we would all be heading in the same direction together.

And Lord, that the world would look at our body here at grace and see a group of people very diverse and yet, Lord, the common denominator being. the Lord Jesus Christ, our King, our Head. Lord, may they see our love for one another and know by that love that we are your disciples. Lord, may they see our good works as your people, and may they glorify you, God, in heaven. Thank you again for this body.

For how you have protected us, for how you have preserved the gospel. In our midst, in the midst of a culture where, Lord, the emphasis on the gospel is waning. Lord, where truth is being relativized. Lord, we pray that you would continue generations into the future to preserve the gospel witness here at Grace Church. May we be faithful.

Lord, we know you'll be faithful. You have promised that. And we thank you for the church. The bride of Christ, of which we are a part. We thank you that you have made us a part of this wonderful bride of Christ.

May we bear his name well. And it is in that name that we pray. Amen. Ask you to stand with me as we conclude our service this morning. The church is one foundation.

Is Jesus Christ her Lord? He is our rock. He is the anchor for the soul that never changes. Let's look to him as we close our time of worship. The church is one foundation.

salvation is Jesus Christ the Lord. See Is this new creation? By water and the word from heaven, he came and sought her to be his holy bride with his own blood. He bought her, and for her life he died. He lagged from every nation, yet what o'er all he earth, the charter of salvation, one Lord, one faith, one word, one holy name she blesses, one cakes, one holy food, and to one hold she breaks with every grace and due.

Mid toil and tribulation and to the total war, she waits the consumation of peace forevermore. Till with the vision glorious, the longing eyes are blessed, and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest. Yet she on earth hath union with God, the three in one, and mystic sweet communion with the Those whose rest is one. Oh, happy ones and holy, Lord, give us grace that we like them the meek and holy on thy dwell with me. Thank you for coming and being here with us this morning.

The new members, I want you to go ahead right now. and get on over there before everybody else gets there. Great to have everybody here today, and let me encourage you to be back with us tonight. Um Chris Gregory is going to be preaching tonight out of Psalm 119. Longest chapter in the Bible, but he won't be preaching a part of it.

And it is, I'm looking forward to hearing what he's got to say. Want to bless the food now, so instead of a regular benediction, we're going to do a blessing.

So bow with me as we go to our Lord in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you today, praising you, thanking you for your goodness. Thank you, Lord, for these new members that we've received this morning and pray, Father, that they would fit very quickly and feel that camaraderie and that corninea, that fellowship, Lord, that we want them to experience. That Lord, you have for us at grace. Lord, we do have something special that, Grace, we're a family here.

And we praise you for that, Lord, for you have made us the family. What is important to us is Jesus. And Lord, may that always be the case here at Grace Church. Father, we thank you for Linda being here this morning with us. And thank you, Lord, for answered prayer for her and that she is doing so much better.

And pray for her continued strength. And Lord, that you would just be with her and make her completely well. Heavenly Father, we pray for our Our men that are headed out to the General Assembly on Tuesday, we pray, Father, for a safe trip for them, give them traveling mercies. We pray, Lord, that you give our denomination wisdom in some of the decisions that will be made this time. And Lord, may we stand for truth.

And may we be a denomination that always stands for truth. Heavenly Father, I pray for the food that's been so graciously prepared for us today and ask that you take it now and bless it in the nourishment in our bodies. It's in Jesus' holy and precious name that we pray. Amen.