Sexual Sin, Broken Trust, and Disappointed Hopes, Part 2

Today on Summit Life with J.D. Greer.

As always, I'm your host, Molly Vitovich. We've been learning for a while now that David was Israel's long-awaited and hoped-for king, and he'd started out so well by defeating Goliath and writing beautiful Psalms about God and restoring order to the land. But then we get to 2 Samuel 11, and his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah ultimately made Israel ask, if King David, the man after God's own heart, failed them, what hope was really left for them?

Pastor J.D. shares why we, like Israel, need a king far greater than David and how that king thankfully helps us overcome sin. Just as a reminder for those of you who have little ears around you who might be listening, this sermon does contain discussion about David's sin with Bathsheba.

Now let's rejoin Pastor J.D. in 2 Samuel chapter 11. Two things we're gonna see today. Number one, we're gonna see the nature of David's sin.

Number two, we're gonna see our longing for a righteous king and how God fulfills that. Number one, the nature of David's sin. How did David get into this situation? How did he get into this situation?

Let me make several observations, okay? The first observation is that David was disengaged from the battle. Did you see that in verse one? Verse one says, For maybe the first time in his adult life, David is not leading God's people into battle.

He sends out a proxy and he stays at home. David, the mighty warrior, the one who rushed out into battle against Goliath all by himself. You see, friend, when you are disengaged from the battle that God has for you, that is when you are most susceptible to the temptations of the flesh. I can tell you from personal experience that the attractions of illicit sex lose a lot of their power.

Not all of their power, but a lot of it when you are actively engaged as the spiritual leader in your family or in whatever form God has given you to lead in. You are to be actively engaged in the battle, and when you are, you won't be as susceptible to these cravings. Second thing for you to notice is that David put himself into a place where he could be tempted. He put himself in a place where he could be tempted.

He's not walking on the roof. Late at night, this is like the Old Testament version of browsing the internet alone late at night. He points, he clicks, and he clicks again, and then he dwells, and then the feelings start to overpower him. Sexual sins usually don't overtake you all at once. Long before you commit the sin, you know that it's coming. You just won't be honest with yourself about what is happening because you enjoy the temptation.

A lot of times we use passive tense verbs to explain our active sinful choices. I was tempted. I got carried away. I got caught in a bad place at the wrong time.

But here's the thing. You put yourself in those positions. You wanted to be tempted. So don't use passive tense verbs to excuse your active tense choices. It's not usually I was tempted, but I chose to be tempted, and I liked it.

Write this down. It's easier to avoid temptation than it is to resist it. David put himself in a place to be tempted. The third thing to notice is that David objectified this woman. He didn't think of her as a person. He thought of her as an object for his pleasure. Many of our worst sins begin with dehumanizing somebody. One of the books that we use here in our G4 groups at the Summit, those are groups that help people who struggle to overcome temptation, gives this really practical counsel to men.

Listen to this. It says, Men, when you're at the mall and you notice an attractive woman, look at her face and notice if she looks tired. If she's carrying packages, consider who she might be carrying them for and think, I bet she's a great mom. Make her a person and give her a life and ask yourself, I wonder if she knows Jesus, then pray for her. You see, giving her a spirit will often dispel the temptation.

Do you get what I'm saying there? Well, I'd say one of the things that has always kept me away from pornography is realizing that the person on the other side of that camera is a real person. She was once a little girl with all kinds of dreams that did not include being looked at like this. She's probably sex trafficked.

Statistically, we know that's probably true. Somewhere attached to that girl is a brokenhearted father and a brokenhearted mother. Friend, don't miss this. This sin began with a version of pornography. David is gazing at her, and that led to objectification of her, which led to the destruction of her. You see, psychologists tell us that pornography trains your heart and mind to objectify the opposite sex. It literally rewires your brain so that you see someone from the opposite sex as an object. One author says, and I quote, he says, The individual who views image after image causes his or her brain to remold in such a way that eventually establishes that sexual pattern as normal. Pornography damages your ability to even bond in a committed marriage one day.

Listen, men especially. If you've got pornography in your life and you are not willing to deal with it for the sake of your relationship with your wife or your future wife or pretty much all women, you need to get rid of it today. And if you are dating somebody seriously or you're engaged and you are not willing to address this radically, dramatically, and immediately, then you at least owe it to her to tell her you are bringing this into your relationship. She deserves to know. Give her the option to opt out now before it comes out later and you devastate her heart.

Now, I say men on this, but we know pornography is increasingly a problem for both sexes. David was disengaged from the battle. He put himself in a place to be tempted.

He objectified her. Next, David abused his power. David was able to make all this happen because David was the king. Again, verse four says he took her. Now, some have raised the question of whether that means David raped her and that he gave her no choice in the matter. That is a valid question. How consensual was Bathsheba in all of this?

It doesn't say. On the one hand, there are Hebrew words for rape and they are not used in this passage. Nor is this story presented like the rape that takes place in chapter 13 where Amnon, David's son, forces himself on Tamar, his half-sister.

But it is true. David was the king and he had the power. And if the king demanded something, she probably felt powerless to resist him. I can only imagine what she was feeling when those messengers of David suddenly showed up at her door. In fact, the parable that Nathan, the prophet Nathan uses in the next chapter to confront David about this sin presents David as a greedy thief who steals a helpless lamb from his neighbor's flock. What we can say for certain is that David's sin here involves an egregious abuse of power because regardless of whether or not she was complicit at all, David used his position to take what did not belong to him from those who were essentially powerless to resist him. Now, y'all, I don't have to tell you that we live in a society where we constantly hear stories of people who leverage their positions of power to exploit others. God's people were supposed to be different.

We were supposed to use our power to protect and to serve, never to exploit and abuse. By the way, some of you have been on the other side of this. Somebody objectified you and didn't take into account what their sin was going to do to you or your family. Some woman or some man selfishly used your spouse or your child with no thought of the destructive tsunami waves it would send to your family. Or maybe it was you yourself that got used. Maybe it even happened against your will. Somebody exploited their power over you to abuse you. This chapter shows you there is a God who sees, and the thing displeased him, and he will execute justice on your behalf.

One more thing to notice here before I go on to that second question. I want you to notice that sexual sin destroys lives, absolutely destroys lives. David's sin destroyed Uriah and Bathsheba's home. We're never told about the personal trauma that it caused to Bathsheba. It says that when Uriah died, she mourned, and I wonder how much is hidden in that one word.

But we do know for sure that it led to the murder of several innocent men and the death of a child. Chapter 11 marks a turning point in David's own life, you see. From this point on, David's family, his life, and his kingdom start to unravel. In the next chapter, the prophet Nathan is gonna prophesy that because of this, the sword will never depart from David's house. In the chapter after that one, 2 Samuel 13, one of David's sons is gonna rape his half-sister, and then he's gonna be murdered by her older brother. And then a couple of chapters after that, Absalom, who is David's oldest son, is gonna lead a rebellion against him, and he's gonna take half the kingdom, and he's gonna sleep with a lot of his dad's wives, and then is himself murdered. This is an important lesson even for those whose sexual sin may not be in the same category as David's.

Our sin affects everybody around us. I read a book one time where a guy listed out all the things that would happen if he committed adultery. And it made me make my own list. It was so impacting to me.

I just pulled out a notebook and I jotted my own list. I wrote down, if I had an affair, if I had an affair, I would cause untold hurt to Veronica, my wife, and I would have to endure the loss of her respect and trust, and might forever forfeit my relationship to her. I would cause deep hurt and confusion in Charis, Ali, Riah, and Adam, who may never understand why I traded a close relationship with them for a cheap thrill. Yeah, I would likely stay involved in their lives, but my relationship with them would never quite be the same. I would bring shame on my mother and father. I would bring endless judgment on the woman I committed adultery with.

Her life would be forever labeled by this encounter. If she had kids, I would be the biggest stumbling block for them ever learning to trust in Jesus. I would confuse and discourage many in their walk of faith. I would cause shame to you, my church family. I would give easy fodder to all those who were searching for reasons to mock Christianity and say that it is phony and untrue. I would follow in the footsteps of men I know whose immorality forfeited their ministries and stained the name of their churches, men that you have heard of. Most importantly, I would grieve my Lord and Savior, and one day I would have to look Him in the face and explain to Him why, after all that He had given to me, after all the blessing and all the beauty that He had put into my life, why I had to have something else. Listen, I'm not trying to drive some of you who have committed sexual sin into despair, but I want to be clear.

Okay, listen. There is forgiveness for sexual sin. We're going to see this next week. David is not only going to be forgiven, God is going to create beauty even from these tragic ashes. Jesus is still going to choose to go by the name Son of David. David's Psalms are not taken out of the Bible.

We still use them as the basis for our worship songs today. Most of Jesus's quotations in the New Testament come from the Psalms, the Psalms that David wrote. In other words, despite this heinous sin, God did not cancel David. God still had plans to bless David and to use him for good after this sin.

That's just the kind of God we serve, y'all. I know so many stories, beautiful stories right here in our own church, beautiful stories of grace and redemption after sexual sin. But see, I also need you to see that even with forgiveness, this kind of sin is devastating. Both for the person you sin with or against and all of his or her relationships. It's like we often say here at the Summit Church, you can always get forgiveness from sin, but you can't unsin. Meaning your sin, even after forgiveness, leaves waves of destruction that can take a lifetime or even several generations to deal with.

So I'm just saying if you're on the brink of sin, flee. If you're in the middle of sexual sin, confess it now. One of David's problems is that each cover-up attempt makes it harder and more impossible to confess. It's like he became trapped in this web of lies he had spun. Confession is always painful and humiliating, always.

But the longer you wait, the more trapped you feel and the more devastating the consequences become. Stop trying to lie your way out of this. Confess right now and put your hope in Christ right now and let him start the healing process today. You're listening to Summit Life with J.D.

Greer. We hope today's teaching has been both sobering and encouraging as you look at your own life and walk with God. Before we continue, I wanted to remind you about a resource that can also help you stay connected to God's word throughout the week. Our daily email devotionals written by Pastor J.D. offer insightful reflections on the Bible and practical applications for your life. Each day's devotional corresponds to our current teaching series here on the program, so you can stay plugged into the themes and ideas we explore here even if you miss a day. It's something you could send to a friend who needs a little boost of encouragement. And best of all, it's completely free.

To sign up, simply visit jdgreer.com slash resources and enter your email address. Thank you for your financial support that makes this resource and the rest of Summit Life possible. It's because of friends like you that we are able to proclaim the gospel each day to a dying world. Now, let's get back to today's teaching with Pastor J.D.

Greer here on Summit Life. Listen, I know this has been difficult, especially for some of you, but let's turn now to the most important part of this message. Number two, our longing for a righteous king.

Put yourself for a moment, would you? Put yourself in the shoes of Israel. David was their long anticipated and hoped for king, and it started out so well, hadn't he? Defeating Goliath, those bold demonstrations of selflessness and faith, and those beautiful psalms he wrote about God. And now, at the end of this chapter, Israel asks through broken hearts and through tears, if even King David, the man after God's own heart, if even he felt us, what hope is there? And when you ask that question, you are finally reading the Bible the right way. See, this story makes clear what we've seen hinted at in David's life all along. You need a king far greater than David.

You need a king more faithful, a king who will always act with integrity and will not abuse or exploit you. Listen, every earthly thing you put your hope in is gonna disappoint. Every human institution, every leader, every person. Maybe the one bright spot right now in our dismal political dumpster fire that is CNN and Fox News is that some of us are finally realizing that salvation is not gonna be found on the other side of the political aisle. It's not on our side or that side. The problem's not the Republicans.

The problem is not the Democrats. And I'm not saying that there are no good leaders out there or that they are all equally bad. I'm just saying that maybe some of us are finally learning that our salvation doesn't come from a donkey or an elephant.

It comes from a lamb. We long for a different king. A king greater than David.

And this is the beautiful part of this story. That other king that we long for is strangely prefigured in this story not by David but by Uriah. Think about Uriah for a minute. Uriah was innocent and selfless. Uriah was loyal to David to the very end.

Uriah could not even bring himself to enjoy a night of legitimate pleasure when his countrymen were in harm's way. And when Uriah was placed on the front lines of the fiercest part of the battle and told to charge into the face of death, Uriah did so without hesitating or complaining. In the end, Uriah died, but not because of his sin. He died because of David's.

Now who does that all remind you of? Jesus was the true mighty man, loyal to the end, who refused to partake of pleasure when we were in harm's way. And then he rushed into battle on our behalf even when it was certain that he would die. In the end, Jesus died like Uriah, not for his sins, but for ours. Uriah beautifully gives us a picture of the steadfast love of God that God had promised to David just a few chapters before this.

A love that would never depart from him. Yes, David sinned grievously. And yes, there would be devastating consequences from it, but the steadfast love of God would never depart from the house of David. And God would ultimately die for David's sin just like Uriah did. And yet, there is one crucial difference between Uriah and Jesus.

Uriah went to his death unaware of how David had betrayed him. Jesus approached death fully aware of our betrayal, and yet he went to the cross eagerly anyway. Jesus died willingly to pay for all the sins you had committed against him and all the ways you had betrayed him. Jesus is the righteous king that you are looking for. Which leads me to the last thing that ties all of this together.

The way we overcome sin is by being captivated by the beauty of the true king. I said at the beginning, but all of us to different degrees find ourselves in positions where we got the power to exploit somebody else. Maybe not like this, maybe not even sexually, but in some way we're in a position of power. And many of us, even those of us who have experienced injustice at the hands of others, will turn around and do that to somebody else when we're given the chance. It's like the great irony of human history. Hurt people hurt people.

Y'all think about it. Early in David's life, he'd been the victim. Now he's the victimizer. How can we escape this incredible propensity toward exploitation?

The answer? By seeing Jesus as the king who laid down his power and privilege for us. You see, David felt driven to possess Bathsheba because his soul was bored and hungry. It's when your soul and your heart is empty that you crave sinful pleasures and you become willing to do whatever it takes to get them. The only way to escape those temptations is to fill up your soul with the love of the king. You see, a lot of people are going about trying to conquer their lust the wrong way. They try to strengthen their own self-control or they try to eliminate the temptations altogether.

I'm just going to tell you, that ain't never going to work. The Puritan Thomas Chalmers explained that you can only bring certain desires in your heart under control by replacing them with a stronger desire. Think of an athlete who brings incredible discipline to his or her body because of their desire to win. It's not even that they're spiritual or they're Christians, but they can push their body to the limits.

They can say no to all kinds of pleasures because they've got a stronger desire inside them to win. Those lesser desires, the desires to eat bad for your foods or sleep late or watch TV all the time, those are all brought under discipline by a stronger desire. Chalmers said your passion for God has got to become like that. Where you desire God and his will so much that it brings all lesser desires under control. Thomas Chalmers called this the expulsive power of a new affection. Our problem, he said, is not that our cravings for sex are too strong.

He said, no, no, no. Your problem is that your passion for God is so weak. What you need is not diminished attractions to sin. What you need are stronger affections for God. How do you develop those, you ask?

How do you develop those? How do you develop those stronger passions for God? Is it by memorizing the right verses?

Is that it? Singing songs, being in church all the time. Is it through your resolution, your will? Is it praying the right prayers, into magic prayers? Is it getting touched on the head at the front of the church? Is that it? No.

None of those things. You cannot just tell yourself, develop a consuming passion for God. Those passions come only from beholding Christ. Christ, the truer and better David. Christ, the true king who served on himself.

But you, Christ, who sacrificed himself for you instead of sacrificing you for him. See, when you see through the eyes of the spirit that he is the king you've always yearned for, then his beauty captivates your heart to the point that you gain the power to say no to sin. That's why the apostle John says, behold, look. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us.

Look at it, then look at it again, and then look at it till you can't look away. That you ought to be called the children of God. That's the kind of love God gave for you. And so we are. And we know that when he appears we're gonna be like him because we will see him as he is and see everybody who thus hopes in him, everybody who has this hope, purifies himself. Just like he's pure.

Question, are you paying attention? What motivates us to purify ourselves? What motivates you to purify yourself? What's John say? A desire to see him and be like him.

Friend, you get it? That's the gospel invitation. Come behold, come behold, the gospel is not go and become. The gospel is come and behold. While this message serves as a powerful warning for all of us, it also serves as a reminder of the hope that we have in King Jesus who never falters. I want to remind you that if you missed any part of this teaching, you can always re-listen at jdgrier.com. Now, Pastor JD, I've walked into your personal study at church and I have admired your book collection. The book started the floor and go up two stories.

I mean, you have a ladder in your library that may or may not have been inspired by the beauty and the beast. Yes. One of my favorite things. But yes, I love, love, love. I love how Paul, when he's in prison, you know, he tells whoever he sent the message to, like, hey, bring a coke because it's cold in this prison and also bring the books. That's what I would want is to make sure I'm warm and fed and have lots to read.

Yeah, I love it. And I know not everybody is a bookworm. Maybe your audible is your thing or or whatever, but we want to be able to help you grow your library. And sometimes having the right books to help guide you through parts of the Bible is so helpful. I keep a special section of books. We're here in my study right now, but special section at home because I want my kids to know what's important to me. And so this is the kind of book, this little thing that I've written on first and second Samuel that it just goes up there. It's a good reference when you have questions about it.

If you're teaching, it's also just good to say this is what's important to me. We'd love to give you one. Take a look at JD Greer dot com. We are sending a copy to all of our gospel partners, as well as anyone who gives thirty five dollars or more to support this ministry to give. Call us now at 866-335-5220. That's 866-335-5220. Or you can visit us online at JD Greer dot com. I'm Molly Vidovich and I hope you'll join us tomorrow as we look at David's path towards restoration. Don't miss it Thursday on Summit Life with JD Greer. Today's program was produced and sponsored by JD Greer Ministries.