Cleansing With Chastisement | Part 2

When God forgives our sins, does he cancel the consequences?

Listen to Adrian Rogers. Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring the dynamic teaching of Adrian Rogers. In part one of today's message, we began the study of the heartbreaking story of how God dealt with David's sins. David had committed adultery and then murder. When David finally asked God for forgiveness, he was forgiven, and yet he still faced some brutal consequences for what he had done. In order to understand why David suffered as he did, we must know the law of the harvest, that we reap what we sow.

If you have your Bible, turn to 2 Samuel chapter 12, as Adrian Rogers concludes this convicting message, cleansing with chastisement. 2 Samuel chapter 12, let's begin in verse 1. And the Lord sent Nathan unto David, and he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing save or except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children. It did eat of his own meat and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a traveler unto the rich man, and he spared to take his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the wayfaring man that was coming to him. But he took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I appointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and I gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah.

And if that had been too little, I moreover would have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife. Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor. And he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this son, for thou didst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the son. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die.

Howbeit because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die. Now David had learned what Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 tells us in the New Testament, Be not deceived, for God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. David had planted a crop, and now David had reaped a harvest. I want you to notice that there are five unbreakable laws in the law of the harvest, or five unbreakable principles. The first principle is the principle of implantation. The implantation, that is whatever you plant, you reap.

Again, Galatians chapter 6 verse 7, Be not deceived, for God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. You see, what God is saying is that if you are going to reap, you must plant. Whatever we sow, we reap.

There can be no reaping without planting. There's no such thing as spontaneous generation. There is the principle of implantation. There's another principle. There is the principle of identification. Now what is the principle of identification? The principle of implantation means if you want a crop, you have to plant. The principle of identification is this, that you're going to reap what you sow. We reap the same as we sow.

The Bible says in Genesis 1 that the plants and the animals bring forth after their kind. There is a locked in likeness, and you cannot sow one thing and reap another thing. For example, you don't reap figs from an olive tree. You don't plant corn and reap wheat.

And you cannot plant discord and reap unity. You cannot plant hypocrisy and reap holiness. You cannot sow to the flesh and reap to the spirit. Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.

He that sows to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. There is the principle of implantation. There's the principle of identification. You reap as you sow. Now there's a third principle.

We're going to get back to David in just a moment. There's the principle of incubation. You don't reap immediately. Whatever you plant has to incubate.

It has to wait. You see, not only do you reap what you sow, the same as you sow, but you reap later than you sow. You see, God has a season for every crop. Now some seeds sprout very quickly. David's crop started coming up in a matter of days after God pronounced judgment on him.

But some seeds sprout after a long time. And the reason that many people don't understand the law of the harvest is they don't have enough patience. Now again, Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 says, Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. If we sow to the flesh of the flesh, we'll reap corruption. If we sow to the spirit of the spirit, we'll reap life everlasting. But he says, And be not weary in well doing, we will reap in due season.

Now too many of you are just going around pulling up your radishes by the roots trying to see how they grow and then jam them back in the ground again. And you don't give God enough time to bring the crop in. And it's going to come in.

It's going to come in. Now Solomon wrote this in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 11 and verse 1, Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days. Now I've tried to figure out what Solomon meant by that and I found out in 1 Kings chapter 10 verses 20 and 23 that Solomon had a navy and he had great ships and he would send these ships as far away I believe as England. It was Tarshish is what the scripture says there.

And they would come back and the Bible said they came back with ivory and apes and cedar and all kinds of spices and everything. And Solomon was a wise man. He sent, he paid for these sailors, he built these ships and he sent them out. It's as though he said goodbye to them. It's as though he were just casting his bread out upon the water. But he said, You'll find them again after many days. He was a very wise man. He didn't invest in the maritime trade and he cast his bread upon the waters and then he waited. And after a while his ships came sailing back.

You see, dear friend, there is a principle of incubation. That's the reason that some people sin as they sin because they don't see immediate judgment. They think that somehow they've gotten away with their sin. Solomon also wrote in Ecclesiastes chapter 8 and verse 11, it's good that every judge in America had this verse put on his desk. It says this, Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

Now let me read that again. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. If we had quick, sure, and just punishment for crime, the crime rate would go immediately down. But there is this postponement, there is this appeal, there is this bonding, there is this thing and that thing, and I believe in the judicial system. But I believe that some today have made a mockery of the judicial system and they do not understand the principle. And so people have the idea because they do not immediately see the harvest that somehow they have gotten away with their sin. God, my friend, is keeping the record.

You're not going out smart God. There is the principle of implantation. There is the principle of identification. There is the principle of incubation. Sooner or later your harvest will come. Now there's another principle.

There's the principle of intensification. That is, not only do you reap what you sow, not only do you reap later than you sow, but you always reap more than you sow. That's what David did.

And it's what everyone does. You reap more than you sow. The Bible says in Hosea chapter 8 and verse 7, they have sown the wind and they will reap the whirlwind. That is, they have sinned like a breeze.

But they have retribution like a cyclone. You reap more than you sow. Now that's true in the spiritual realm. If you do a little good, God rewards you a whole lot. If you do a little evil, then that little evil is intensified and you reap far more than you sow.

Now let's go back to this matter of giving again. Suppose a farmer is married to a woman and he goes out to put his seed in the ground and she says to him, what are you going to do? He says, well, I'm going to take this corn and I'm going to take this wheat and I'm going to bury it. She says, you're what? Yeah, I'm going to take this corn, this wheat, I'm going to take it out here and I'm going to bury it.

No, you can't do that. We've got to feed the chickens and we've got to feed the cows and we've got to feed the children. Well, part of that we're going to feed the chickens and part of it we're going to feed the cows and we can't afford just to go out and put that in the ground. I'm not going to let you bury that. But he says, now wait a minute. Wait a minute. I don't intend to lose it when I put it in the ground.

I intend to get back more than I ever put in the ground. I want you to look in 2 Corinthians 9 for just a moment. Let me show you something here. Those of you who are afraid to give, those of you who are afraid to trust God with your finances, I want you to look in verses 6 and following. 2 Corinthians 9 and verse 6, But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Now listen. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, that is according to the kind of crop he wants, so let him give. Not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver. Now notice verse 8, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye always, having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. And so that farmer says to his wife, Look, I'm not throwing this seed away. I am not scattering it.

I am investing it. And dear friend, when you bring your money and give your money to the work of God, I want to remind you that you're just planting a crop. And really Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 which says, Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever man soweth actually also reap is talking about the matter of your giving. And God is just simply saying that you can't outgive me. You shovel it out and I shovel it in and I've got a bigger shovel than you have. There is a law of intensification. You sow to the wind, you reap the whirlwind. You plant a handful of grain, you reap a crop. You always get back more than you sow. It is the law of the harvest.

And it's going to intensify. Whether it intensifies for good or whether it intensifies for evil, it just depends upon what you plant. But now I want you to notice the fifth of these principles and then we're going to be back to David in just a moment. Not only is there the principle of implantation and not only the principle of identification and incubation and intensification, but there is the principle of implementation. That is, you're going to have to put the plan into action. God's not going to put it into action for you. If you want to reap a crop, then you're going to have to implement it.

I mean, you're going to have to get busy. You see, God gives the opportunity, but you must implement the plan. Now, let's go back to that farmer. We say, farmer, are you going to plant a crop?

No. Well, why not? Well, you see, I want a harvest first and as soon as I have a harvest, then I'm going to plant. No, God says, if you want a harvest, you must plant. Now, the devil would try to keep some of you from making a spiritual investment. The devil would try to keep some of you from planting, from implementing God's plan. He wants you sitting around.

Do you know the reason that some folks don't give money? You've got money laid up in your bank. You say, much good for many years, and God's going to say, thou fool, this night, thy soul shall be required of thee. But you say, well, now, look, I don't know what might happen.

I might need this for my old age. It might be like the man, the guy put a pistol in his ribs and said, your money or your life? He said, take my life, I want my money from the old age.

Well, you might be like that guy, just wondering what's going to happen to you in your old age. Sure, indeed, you need to lay up some things for the future. But don't be afraid to invest.

Don't be afraid to invest. Do you know what the Bible says? The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11 and verse 4, he that considerth the wind will not sow.

Do you know what that means? Here's a farmer out here, and he's getting ready to plant a crop, and he says, well, now, wait a minute. If I put this seed in the ground, we might have a drought this year, or we might have a flood this year, or we might have a freeze, or we might have a heat wave. And so he sits around considering what might happen, and he never plants. Friend, if you want a crop, you're going to have to plant, and don't you let the devil make you a wind watcher and a cloud examiner when you ought to be out here planting, planting.

Now come back to David. David experienced the law of the harvest. David found out that he reaped because he planted. He found out that he reaped the same thing that he planted. He found out that he reaped more than he planted. He found out that he reaped later than he planted, and he found out that he reaped it all because he was the guy that put it into motion.

He was the guy that implemented the plan. Now, God had said to David, David, I forgive you. Your sin is forgiven. Well, then that brings up a real question. Why didn't God just cancel out the law of the harvest?

Friend, he doesn't do it. When God forgives, the law of the harvest goes right on. Now, that's what you need to understand. That's what you need to understand. There are a lot of folks who think they can sow their wild oats and then pray for crop failure.

No. The law of the harvest goes right on. Now, here's a man who gets drunk, and he goes out and he wrecks his automobile, and he cuts off his arm, and he says, God, forgive me. God does forgive him, but he goes through life with one arm, doesn't he?

Doesn't mean he's not forgiven, but whatever he sowed, he reaped, and he goes through life with one arm. I want to show you a very interesting verse in Psalm 99 and verse 8. Just turn to it. Thou answerest them, O Lord our God. Now, watch this.

Put a star by it. Thou wast a God that forgaveth them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions. You know what that means? God forgave them and then carried them to the woodshed. Thou wast a God that forgaveth them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions. Now, God said to David, David, I'm going to forgive you, but David, there's some things going to happen in your life.

You're going to know sorrow. Your children are going to disgrace you. You're going to reap what you've sown, and God said, David, one of the reasons I'm doing this is the heathen are watching. And even though, David, I've forgiven you, if you did not reap certain consequences, what a lesson it would be to the world.

The world would think that you could sin and just simply get away with that sin. Now, dear friend, you cannot, and remember this, that when God chastises you and when God punishes you, God is not trying to get even with you. The same love that pardons is the love that punishes. And God may forgive you, and you can be perfectly forgiven. David was perfectly forgiven, but the law of the harvest was still operating in David's life. And see, to be forgiven just means that there's unbroken communion with God. It doesn't mean that you're not going to suffer because of what you've done. When you ask God to forgive you and you have the sense of his presence in your life, you're just as forgiven as you will ever be. But I still want to tell you that in this life there's certain consequences of your sin that are going to come, and it does not mean that you're not forgiven. God forgave Moses, but Moses did not enter into the Promised Land because of his disbelief.

And God judged Moses, and he died on Mount Nebo. Galatians chapter 6 verse 7 is written to Christians not to unsave people when it says, Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. He that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption. There's pardon with punishment. There is cleansing with chastisement. David was forgiven. But oh, somehow we've gotten the idea to these young people that they can just go out and just sin any way they like and then just come running to God and get saved, and it cancels everything out.

Friend, it cancels the sin debt out as far as your eternal relationship and destiny is concerned. But I want to tell you there's a law of the harvest. And Nathan the prophet said to David, David, God's forgiven you. But now I want to tell you what's going to happen.

And it happened. But David was a man after God's own heart. And David had learned the truth of the Bible, no chastening for the present time seemeth to be joyous but grievous. But afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to them that are exercised thereby. Do you know what David named one of his sons?

Nathan, Nathan. Oh, he loved his pastor. He loved the man of God enough that would come to him and say, You're the man! And challenge him with his sin. He was a man after God's own heart. He was a great sinner, but he was a great repenter. And I want to tell you, my dear friend, you can drive a nail in a board and pull the nail out.

The nail hole is still there. And that sin may be removed, but the scar will go with you to your grave. It's better not to sin and get forgiven.

There is a law of the harvest. Let's pray. Father, we just pray tonight that You'd help us to have a holy horror of sin. And Lord, that we'll not be able to think that somehow that we're going to outsmart You or mock You, for You've said that You're not mocked, for whatever man sows, that should also reap. And Father, we just pray tonight now that You'll help our men and women and young people that they will have a fear of this thing called sin. Dear Lord, that if we'll plant the right harvest, if we'll sow to the Spirit, we will of the Spirit reap life everlasting. For we pray in Jesus' name, Amen. And what an insightful message for each of us today.

We reap what we sow, don't we? If we sow to the Spirit, we will reap life everlasting. Maybe today you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus. We'd love to offer an insightful resource on our website. It's the Discover Jesus page. You'll find answers there you may need about your faith. We have a response section where you can share how this message or others have made a difference in your life. Just go to lwf.org slash radio and click the tab at the top that says Discover Jesus.

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Call that number 1-877-LOVEGOD, or you can order online at lwf.org slash radio, or write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Understanding the law of the harvest, will you reap blessings or consequences? Choose to plant what is good and pure. We're so glad you joined us for today's study in God's Word. Tune in next time for more profound truth simply stated by Adrian Rogers, right here on Love Worth Finding. Here's an encouraging note from a husband who shared how he and his wife have been using these lessons to grow as a couple.

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