Fred R. Coulter—October 31, 2015
Transcript Second Half
• How do our minds work?
• If God forgives sin and forgets it, why do we remember it on different occasions?
• Does that mean that God has not forgiven that sin?
• What does it actually mean? Let’s look at the human mind.
(First Half of Video)
(Second Half of Video)
Transcript Second Half
• How do our minds work?
• If God forgives sin and forgets it, why do we remember it on different occasions?
• Does that mean that God has not forgiven that sin?
• What does it actually mean? Let’s look at the human mind.
(First Half of Video)
(Second Half of Video)
End Greetings, everyone! Welcome to Sabbath services!
We’re all born with human nature, and our human nature is not the same as it was when God originally created Adam and Eve. After Adam and Eve sinned, their nature was changed so that they were subject to death and they had a hostile nature to God that is called the law of sin. Paul writes of ‘the law of sin and death.’ You can see this in little infants. They want their own way. They’ll fight and squabble and war. The biggest problem is separating them. Notice what we are by nature.
Mark 7:21: “For from within, out of the hearts of men, go forth evil thoughts…” This is by nature. Even some thoughts that we think of as ‘good,’ are evil. Without God’s Spirit to guide us, you’re st uck in this conundrum.
“…adulteries, fornications, murders… [everything that human nature does] …thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, guile, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evils go forth from within, and these defile a man” (vs 21-23).
Let’s see how Jeremiah describes it. We will see that no man has the power by his own works to save himself. We also can see that no person is able to extend their life very far. Every once in a while, if you watch Fox News and watch Bill O’Reilly, they give a salute to someone whose 95, 102, and so forth, but they still die. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that if a man live 1000 years twice-fold and dies, that’s vanity. None of us are going to reach that in the flesh; we’re all going to wear out and collapse before that. We’re talking about the nature,
the heart and the mind.
Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things…” That’s the first thing to remember, you’re going to deceive yourself. It’s easy to do. Do people live by lies? Yes, they do! Everything that we read in Mark 7:21 that’s the way people behave and we’re going to see that even though there are heinous crimes committed, there are those who have absolutely no remorse in doing them. They think they’re right!
“…and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (v 9). A person does not even know his or her own mind without the Word of God to tell them what it really is. You’re not aware of the sins. You may think that you’ve done some wrong. You may have a little guilty conscience, but you justify that and move on.
Verse 10: “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” God says He’s going to judge.
Let’s see where God is going to take us. Here the problem: How do you get from Mark 7:21 and Jer. 17:9 to this:
Colossians 1:26: “Even the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints.”
The Bible is the most published book in the whole
world, and yet, it is the most ignored.
Verse 27: “To whom God did will…” Understand this: What we know and what we understand comes from the will of God!
“…to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v 27).
Here we’re describing the beginning, when we start to understand about God, to the ending of it at the resurrection. First, we have to have something in between, which is:
Philippians. 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”—to have the very mind of Christ. You have to let this happen, and it cannot happen without the Spirit of God. This is
what we are going to cover today.
Matthew 19:16—this is a very revealing statement: “Now at that time, one came to Him and
said, ‘Good Master…’”
“…No one is good except one—God” (v 17). Let’s ask another question that is hard for
people to grasp. Jesus came to the earth:
Paul describes this as ‘the law of sin and death.’ Did Jesus die? Yes! He had to have the ‘law of death’
within Him.
Romans 5:12: “Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and by means of sin came death…” So, in this way death passed into all mankind. They know there is a death gene. The scientists have been trying to figure out where it is so they can modify it.
It is for this reason that all have sinned. If you have a nature that is carnal, physical and subject to death, it is also subject to sin. That’s why all sin regardless of their age. Isn’t that what the Scriptures say? ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God!’ All you have to do is just watch the news. Sin is going on:
Romans 8:1: “Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who ar e in Christ Jesus…”
“…who are not walking according to the flesh… [living your life just any way you want to live it] …but according to the Spirit” (v 1). You can’t live “…according to the Spirit” without the Spirit of
God.
What did God say to the Israelites when they said to Moses, ‘Everything that God said we’ll do’? What did God say? ‘Oh, if there were such a heart in them that they would,’ because it takes the Spirit of God and God didn’t give them the Holy Spirit of God. That’s why they were to keep the laws and commandments of God in the letter of the Law.
That’s what I also explained on how do you understand/study the Bible. You begin with the simple things, obey His voice! You start in the letter of the Law, but unless you come to repentance so you can receive the Spirit of God, you cannot walk in the Spirit the way God wants you to.
Verse 2: “Because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus…” —includes: That’s what the New Testament is all about.
“…has delivered me from the law of sin and death” (v 2). What do you mean delivered? Did God, when we’re converted, remove the ‘law of sin and death’? No, He did not! It even says of the saints that die that it’s a delight, it’s a blessing from God,
that you die in the faith.
Here’s why Jesus did not say He was good, did not even allow someone to come and say, ‘Good Master.’ He said that there’s only One Who is good and that is God. With Jesus as God manifested in the flesh, how many Gods were there in heaven? One,
the Father!
Sidebar: All you Sacred Namers don’t get mad, but the only revealed name in the New Testament of God is the Father and of Christ: Jesus and the Christ . That’s it!
Verse 3: “For what was impossible for the law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh…” How many people know right from wrong but still continue to do wrong? They’re carnal and fleshly! Maybe if you’ve been taught while you’re growing up, right and wrong, good and evil, you’re not going to be so inclined to go out and do things that are sin:
What we’re doing today in this society, we’re not teaching them right from wrong. Look at what’s happening: everything is right in their own eyes, all the lawlessness everywhere; all through the weakness of the flesh, all through the carnal mind. Here’s the solution:
“…God, having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh… [exactly as our sinful flesh is sinful flesh] …and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (v 3). Whose flesh was it condemned in? Jesus’ flesh! Why?
You may have heard some people say, ‘For God to judge Adam and Eve that way and give them the law of sin and death within their very beings, that’s not fair. For every human being to be born with the law of sin and death within them, that’s not fair.’ God works on justice, not fairness!
In order to be a Savior of all of mankind, He took upon Him, through His mother Mary—there was never an immaculate conception with Mary, she had human nature—He received human nature and carried within Him, in His fleshly being, ‘the law of
sin and death.’ Yet, never sinned!
Hebrews 5:5 talks about the priesthood and Christ’s priesthood: “In this same manner also, Christ did not glorify Himself to become a High Priest… [on the earth] …but He Who said to Him, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’ Even as He also says in another place, ‘You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec’” (vs
5-6).
He could not become that High Priest in heaven until He brought the perfect sacrifice condemning sin in the flesh. It was difficult for Jesus. Yes, He had the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Father taught Him. That’s why He was never taught by the rabbis. God the Father taught Him, woke Him up every morning and taught Him (Isa. 50).
Verse 7: “Who, in the days of His flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death…” What does that mean? The wages of sin is death!
God risked everything coming in the flesh and taking upon Himself human nature and also to fight against Satan the devil. Think of that!
that’ll say, ‘You’re way off base here.’
“…and was heard because He feared God. Although He was a Son, yet, He learned obedience from the things that He suffered” (vs 7-8). We don’t know all the things that Jesus suffered. We don’t have anything recorded about that. We have some things, but not all.
Verse 9: “And having been perfected…” Is God perfect? Yes! Why did Jesus come and take on human flesh? To be perfected as the sacrifice for all human beings and to be able to bring eternal life to
them!
“…He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him” (v 9). Obey My voice! Simple as can be! Some of the things are hard to understand. As I brought out at Church at Home {churchathome.org}, it’s easy to understand the Ten Commandments. There’s nothing difficult about them. Obey Him! How does this apply to us? First of all, it is God Who leads us to repentance.
Romans 2:4: “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the graciousness of God leads you to repentance?” You see your sins in the light that you see them and in the light that God sees them.
Let’s talk about the sin between David and Bathsheba and the killing of her husband Uriah: Here’s the king:
So much so, that God gave him the plans for his son Solomon—who by the way, his mother was
Bathsheba—to build the temple. Think of that!
Think of all that went in with it. David did have the Spirit of God, just like us! We have the Spirit of God! Do we sin? Yes! David really sinned; so did Bathsheba. She knew her husband was gone to battle, and apparently their house was right next to the house of King David. She bathed on the rooftop knowing that the king would walk by and see her. So, she had her part. David made a lot of mistakes. He could have said, ‘Uh, oh! No way!’ We say today, ‘No way, José.’ He didn’t! Lust got enticed!
Let’s see how sin works even if you have
the Spirit of God, if you do not resist it!
James 1:13: “Do not let anyone who is tempted say, ‘I am being tempted by God…’” Did God tempt David to lust after Bathsheba? Of course not! Notice the process. This happened to David. He saw her and thought, ‘Woo, woo!
“…because God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself tempts no one with evil” (v 13). What does God set before us? Choices! Life and death,
blessing and cursing!
Here’s David: What’s he going to do? What’s he going to choose? He had a chance to not get involved. He could have thought, ‘Oh, I’ll never do that to one of my generals, one of my captains, or maybe a major,’ because Joab was over Uriah. He didn’t put it down.
Verse 14: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away…” With his own human nature. Of course, when Satan tempts you he gives you a benefit. The benefit was, ‘This would be spectacular with this woman!’ She was there bathing letting the king know, ‘I’m all ready!’ So, when the king’s messenger came, she didn’t send a note back saying, ‘Tell the king I cannot come.’ She could have, but she didn’t. David sent the messenger. Now somebody else is involved and knows what’s going
on. Think of that! So, she came.
Can you imagine all the servants in the household of David, after she came? They knew what was going on! She even stayed there until she was clean then went back home. David should not have done that.
That’s how human nature works. He justified it all the way along. He probably said, ‘I’m king. I can do whatever I want.’ It seems to me we heard that of some narcissists in America. After all, ‘I have great desire for her.’ Satan will give you a
benefit; so, she came.
The Proverb says that what is ‘spoken in secret a little bird is going to fly away with it.’ Can you imagine the waggling tongues that went with that? Can you imagine the next morning when the servants looked around and said, ‘Oh, she’s still here?’ Of course, they knew what went on. The reason I’m bringing this out is because that’s how
sin entices!
Verse 15: “And after lust has conceived… [it did] …it gives birth to sin… [he committed adultery and she committed adultery] …and sin, when it is completely finished, brings forth death.” That’s exactly what happened!
So, he thought, ‘She left, she went home.’ It must have been about six weeks later, she sent a message to the king, ‘David, I’m pregnant.’ What did he do? He said, ‘I’ve got to get rid of the evidence.’ He worked it out with Joab, the commander. He wrote a special note to Joab and had a messenger take it to him to put her husband Uriah the Hittite right up in the thick of the battle and when he’s there, back away and let him die. So, he did. Can you imagine what Joab thought? Joab had to do a lot of dirty work for David! I don’t think he
had too good of an opinion of David.
Why am I bringing this out? To show you the process of sin with even those who are converted, that unless you overcome it every day, it will take you down! We know what happened, he didn’t repent of it. Finally, God had to send Nathan the prophet, and he told David about the rich man who took the poor man’s little ewe to make a feast for his friends. David got all angry and Nathan looked him right in the eye and said, ‘You are the one.’
What happened? Everything was in rebellion from that day on. The sin of one man affected the whole kingdom. It affected his family and the child died. God took the life of the child. Can you imagine if that child would have lived with all the hypocrisy of everything that went on? Just think what his name would have been called with the wagging tongues of all the people talking about it! If he would have inherited the throne, there would have been absolutely no respect at all. David did repent. This is how it comes about. It brings forth death.
Verse 16 “Do not deceive yourselves…”
That’s what he says here.
Psa. 51 is David’s repentance. This helps us to answer the question as to why God does not take away the law of sin and death from us immediately. That cannot happen as long as we’re in the flesh.
Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy upon me, O God… [He forgave David; Nathan said, ‘Your sin has been forgiven.] …according to Your loving kindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions”—all the series of those things leading to that affair and afterwards.
Verse 2: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity…” We’re going to talk about the ‘washing of the water by the Word’ a little later. You have to have your sins washed away. We will see that that is
a process. It doesn’t happen all at once.
“…and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (vs 2-3). He could see the greatness of his sin. That’s why it talks about that sin may
become exceedingly sinful.
Someone who commits a murder or somebody he doesn’t like, that’s nothing to him. He doesn’t understand about murder. Someone who steals from someone because ‘they have more than I do and I’m going to take it.’ They don’t view that as sin. Look at it on the lawless riots that they’ve had in various cities. They smash in the windows, burn cars, loot the stores, take everything and they’re innocent because someone has something that they want and they take. There’s no remorse.
David understood what it was after Nathan came and really let him have it. He fasted for how many days hoping that the child would live, but it didn’t.
Verse 4: “Against You, You only, have I sinned…” When you sin it’s against God first and then the other people. Everybody suffered from that.
A good example is what we’ve experienced with the Church. Remember what happened? It’s all scattered. Here we are in small groups, getting older and all of that thing, that’s all part of it! It affected every one of us. How was your attitude when you were living through those things and finding out what was going on? Miserable! That’s how all of Israel was because of the sin of David, and it took them some time to get over it. David realized that he sinned against God directly! This was after God promised that he would never lack for a descendent to sit on his throne. After that fantastic promise, God did not take away that promise, because God’s Word stands.
“…and done evil in Your sight, that You might be justified when You speak and be in the right when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity…” (vs 4-5). That means with the law of sin and death, not that his mother committed adultery to have him as a child. No!
“…and in sin did my mother conceive me” (v 5)—because the law of sin and death comes right with conception. It’s right there.
Verse 6: “Behold, You desire Truth in the inward parts…” That is the goal of repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit! What’s in the inward parts before that? Deceit, lying, all the works of the flesh (Mark 7:21)! Isn’t it true that ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?’ Even King David fell to that.
Psalm 51:6: “…and in the hidden part You shall make me to know wisdom”. That’s why you’re going to learn from the things that you did.
If you think of that again after you’ve repented of it, does that mean that God has not forgiven you? No! That doesn’t mean that God has not forgiven you but it means that is a memory of history for you to learn not to do that. How about here with David. It’s written for all of us! Won’t David be surprised when he’s resurrected and finds out?
Verse 7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me… [David says it in v 2, ‘wash me.’] …and I shall be whiter than snow.”
End of the first half of this transcript.
- How do our minds work?
- If God forgives sin and forgets it, why do we remember it on different occasions?
- Does that mean that God has not forgiven that sin?
- What does it actually mean?
We’re all born with human nature, and our human nature is not the same as it was when God originally created Adam and Eve. After Adam and Eve sinned, their nature was changed so that they were subject to death and they had a hostile nature to God that is called the law of sin. Paul writes of ‘the law of sin and death.’ You can see this in little infants. They want their own way. They’ll fight and squabble and war. The biggest problem is separating them. Notice what we are by nature.
Mark 7:21: “For from within, out of the hearts of men, go forth evil thoughts…” This is by nature. Even some thoughts that we think of as ‘good,’ are evil. Without God’s Spirit to guide us, you’re st uck in this conundrum.
“…adulteries, fornications, murders… [everything that human nature does] …thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, guile, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evils go forth from within, and these defile a man” (vs 21-23).
Let’s see how Jeremiah describes it. We will see that no man has the power by his own works to save himself. We also can see that no person is able to extend their life very far. Every once in a while, if you watch Fox News and watch Bill O’Reilly, they give a salute to someone whose 95, 102, and so forth, but they still die. Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes that if a man live 1000 years twice-fold and dies, that’s vanity. None of us are going to reach that in the flesh; we’re all going to wear out and collapse before that. We’re talking about the nature,
the heart and the mind.
Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things…” That’s the first thing to remember, you’re going to deceive yourself. It’s easy to do. Do people live by lies? Yes, they do! Everything that we read in Mark 7:21 that’s the way people behave and we’re going to see that even though there are heinous crimes committed, there are those who have absolutely no remorse in doing them. They think they’re right!
“…and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (v 9). A person does not even know his or her own mind without the Word of God to tell them what it really is. You’re not aware of the sins. You may think that you’ve done some wrong. You may have a little guilty conscience, but you justify that and move on.
Verse 10: “I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.” God says He’s going to judge.
Let’s see where God is going to take us. Here the problem: How do you get from Mark 7:21 and Jer. 17:9 to this:
Colossians 1:26: “Even the mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been revealed to His saints.”
- Isn’t it a mystery that no one understands human nature?
- Isn’t it a mystery that no one knows what God is doing, yet, it’s revealed in the Bible?
The Bible is the most published book in the whole
world, and yet, it is the most ignored.
Verse 27: “To whom God did will…” Understand this: What we know and what we understand comes from the will of God!
“…to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v 27).
- How is God going to come from total dedication to evil—the carnal mind, hostile against God—to Christ in you?
- What is that to do?
- How is that going to be done?
Here we’re describing the beginning, when we start to understand about God, to the ending of it at the resurrection. First, we have to have something in between, which is:
Philippians. 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”—to have the very mind of Christ. You have to let this happen, and it cannot happen without the Spirit of God. This is
what we are going to cover today.
Matthew 19:16—this is a very revealing statement: “Now at that time, one came to Him and
said, ‘Good Master…’”
- Was Christ ‘good’? Have to say so!
- Was He perfect? Yes, He was!
- Why does He say this?
“…No one is good except one—God” (v 17). Let’s ask another question that is hard for
people to grasp. Jesus came to the earth:
- divested Himself of all of His glory as God
- was impregnated into the womb of the virgin Mary
- was born as any ordinary human being
- lived His life
- they were cut off from God
- they were sentenced to death to have the law of death within them
- their human nature was changed to be hostile against God, which is called the
Paul describes this as ‘the law of sin and death.’ Did Jesus die? Yes! He had to have the ‘law of death’
within Him.
Romans 5:12: “Therefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and by means of sin came death…” So, in this way death passed into all mankind. They know there is a death gene. The scientists have been trying to figure out where it is so they can modify it.
It is for this reason that all have sinned. If you have a nature that is carnal, physical and subject to death, it is also subject to sin. That’s why all sin regardless of their age. Isn’t that what the Scriptures say? ‘All have sinned and come short of the glory of God!’ All you have to do is just watch the news. Sin is going on:
- everywhere
- every place
- every country
- every city
- every town
- every village
- every human being
Romans 8:1: “Consequently, there is now no condemnation to those who ar e in Christ Jesus…”
- What does it mean to be in Christ Jesus? It means you have to have the Spirit of God!
- How do you get the Spirit of God? Through repentance and baptism!
“…who are not walking according to the flesh… [living your life just any way you want to live it] …but according to the Spirit” (v 1). You can’t live “…according to the Spirit” without the Spirit of
God.
What did God say to the Israelites when they said to Moses, ‘Everything that God said we’ll do’? What did God say? ‘Oh, if there were such a heart in them that they would,’ because it takes the Spirit of God and God didn’t give them the Holy Spirit of God. That’s why they were to keep the laws and commandments of God in the letter of the Law.
That’s what I also explained on how do you understand/study the Bible. You begin with the simple things, obey His voice! You start in the letter of the Law, but unless you come to repentance so you can receive the Spirit of God, you cannot walk in the Spirit the way God wants you to.
Verse 2: “Because the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus…” —includes: That’s what the New Testament is all about.
“…has delivered me from the law of sin and death” (v 2). What do you mean delivered? Did God, when we’re converted, remove the ‘law of sin and death’? No, He did not! It even says of the saints that die that it’s a delight, it’s a blessing from God,
that you die in the faith.
- Were we delivered completely from the law of sin?
- Did God remove sinful inclinations from out of our being? No!
- Why did He say “…delivered me…”?
- Why do you still have sin within?
- What are you going to do about it?
- How do you overcome it?
- How do you change?
- How are we delivered from death?
- When does that come?
- The resurrection!
Here’s why Jesus did not say He was good, did not even allow someone to come and say, ‘Good Master.’ He said that there’s only One Who is good and that is God. With Jesus as God manifested in the flesh, how many Gods were there in heaven? One,
the Father!
Sidebar: All you Sacred Namers don’t get mad, but the only revealed name in the New Testament of God is the Father and of Christ: Jesus and the Christ . That’s it!
Verse 3: “For what was impossible for the law to do, in that it was weak through the flesh…” How many people know right from wrong but still continue to do wrong? They’re carnal and fleshly! Maybe if you’ve been taught while you’re growing up, right and wrong, good and evil, you’re not going to be so inclined to go out and do things that are sin:
- you know that you shouldn’t kill
- you know that you shouldn’t commit adultery
- you know that you shouldn’t steal
- you know that you shouldn’t lie
What we’re doing today in this society, we’re not teaching them right from wrong. Look at what’s happening: everything is right in their own eyes, all the lawlessness everywhere; all through the weakness of the flesh, all through the carnal mind. Here’s the solution:
“…God, having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh… [exactly as our sinful flesh is sinful flesh] …and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (v 3). Whose flesh was it condemned in? Jesus’ flesh! Why?
You may have heard some people say, ‘For God to judge Adam and Eve that way and give them the law of sin and death within their very beings, that’s not fair. For every human being to be born with the law of sin and death within them, that’s not fair.’ God works on justice, not fairness!
- What did God do?
- Who was the Creator of mankind?
In order to be a Savior of all of mankind, He took upon Him, through His mother Mary—there was never an immaculate conception with Mary, she had human nature—He received human nature and carried within Him, in His fleshly being, ‘the law of
sin and death.’ Yet, never sinned!
- You think you have a hard time overcoming sin?
- Was Jesus tempted? Yes, indeed!
- Was it difficult? Yes, indeed!
Hebrews 5:5 talks about the priesthood and Christ’s priesthood: “In this same manner also, Christ did not glorify Himself to become a High Priest… [on the earth] …but He Who said to Him, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’ Even as He also says in another place, ‘You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec’” (vs
5-6).
He could not become that High Priest in heaven until He brought the perfect sacrifice condemning sin in the flesh. It was difficult for Jesus. Yes, He had the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Father taught Him. That’s why He was never taught by the rabbis. God the Father taught Him, woke Him up every morning and taught Him (Isa. 50).
Verse 7: “Who, in the days of His flesh, offered up both prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was able to save Him from death…” What does that mean? The wages of sin is death!
God risked everything coming in the flesh and taking upon Himself human nature and also to fight against Satan the devil. Think of that!
- Is God just? Yes, indeed!
- Is God fair? Yes, indeed!
that’ll say, ‘You’re way off base here.’
“…and was heard because He feared God. Although He was a Son, yet, He learned obedience from the things that He suffered” (vs 7-8). We don’t know all the things that Jesus suffered. We don’t have anything recorded about that. We have some things, but not all.
Verse 9: “And having been perfected…” Is God perfect? Yes! Why did Jesus come and take on human flesh? To be perfected as the sacrifice for all human beings and to be able to bring eternal life to
them!
“…He became the Author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him” (v 9). Obey My voice! Simple as can be! Some of the things are hard to understand. As I brought out at Church at Home {churchathome.org}, it’s easy to understand the Ten Commandments. There’s nothing difficult about them. Obey Him! How does this apply to us? First of all, it is God Who leads us to repentance.
Romans 2:4: “Or do you despise the riches of His kindness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the graciousness of God leads you to repentance?” You see your sins in the light that you see them and in the light that God sees them.
Let’s talk about the sin between David and Bathsheba and the killing of her husband Uriah: Here’s the king:
- all power
- loved God
- wrote hundreds of Psalms
- was a real battler and a warrior fighting the
So much so, that God gave him the plans for his son Solomon—who by the way, his mother was
Bathsheba—to build the temple. Think of that!
Think of all that went in with it. David did have the Spirit of God, just like us! We have the Spirit of God! Do we sin? Yes! David really sinned; so did Bathsheba. She knew her husband was gone to battle, and apparently their house was right next to the house of King David. She bathed on the rooftop knowing that the king would walk by and see her. So, she had her part. David made a lot of mistakes. He could have said, ‘Uh, oh! No way!’ We say today, ‘No way, José.’ He didn’t! Lust got enticed!
Let’s see how sin works even if you have
the Spirit of God, if you do not resist it!
James 1:13: “Do not let anyone who is tempted say, ‘I am being tempted by God…’” Did God tempt David to lust after Bathsheba? Of course not! Notice the process. This happened to David. He saw her and thought, ‘Woo, woo!
“…because God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself tempts no one with evil” (v 13). What does God set before us? Choices! Life and death,
blessing and cursing!
Here’s David: What’s he going to do? What’s he going to choose? He had a chance to not get involved. He could have thought, ‘Oh, I’ll never do that to one of my generals, one of my captains, or maybe a major,’ because Joab was over Uriah. He didn’t put it down.
Verse 14: “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away…” With his own human nature. Of course, when Satan tempts you he gives you a benefit. The benefit was, ‘This would be spectacular with this woman!’ She was there bathing letting the king know, ‘I’m all ready!’ So, when the king’s messenger came, she didn’t send a note back saying, ‘Tell the king I cannot come.’ She could have, but she didn’t. David sent the messenger. Now somebody else is involved and knows what’s going
on. Think of that! So, she came.
Can you imagine all the servants in the household of David, after she came? They knew what was going on! She even stayed there until she was clean then went back home. David should not have done that.
That’s how human nature works. He justified it all the way along. He probably said, ‘I’m king. I can do whatever I want.’ It seems to me we heard that of some narcissists in America. After all, ‘I have great desire for her.’ Satan will give you a
benefit; so, she came.
The Proverb says that what is ‘spoken in secret a little bird is going to fly away with it.’ Can you imagine the waggling tongues that went with that? Can you imagine the next morning when the servants looked around and said, ‘Oh, she’s still here?’ Of course, they knew what went on. The reason I’m bringing this out is because that’s how
sin entices!
Verse 15: “And after lust has conceived… [it did] …it gives birth to sin… [he committed adultery and she committed adultery] …and sin, when it is completely finished, brings forth death.” That’s exactly what happened!
So, he thought, ‘She left, she went home.’ It must have been about six weeks later, she sent a message to the king, ‘David, I’m pregnant.’ What did he do? He said, ‘I’ve got to get rid of the evidence.’ He worked it out with Joab, the commander. He wrote a special note to Joab and had a messenger take it to him to put her husband Uriah the Hittite right up in the thick of the battle and when he’s there, back away and let him die. So, he did. Can you imagine what Joab thought? Joab had to do a lot of dirty work for David! I don’t think he
had too good of an opinion of David.
Why am I bringing this out? To show you the process of sin with even those who are converted, that unless you overcome it every day, it will take you down! We know what happened, he didn’t repent of it. Finally, God had to send Nathan the prophet, and he told David about the rich man who took the poor man’s little ewe to make a feast for his friends. David got all angry and Nathan looked him right in the eye and said, ‘You are the one.’
What happened? Everything was in rebellion from that day on. The sin of one man affected the whole kingdom. It affected his family and the child died. God took the life of the child. Can you imagine if that child would have lived with all the hypocrisy of everything that went on? Just think what his name would have been called with the wagging tongues of all the people talking about it! If he would have inherited the throne, there would have been absolutely no respect at all. David did repent. This is how it comes about. It brings forth death.
Verse 16 “Do not deceive yourselves…”
That’s what he says here.
Psa. 51 is David’s repentance. This helps us to answer the question as to why God does not take away the law of sin and death from us immediately. That cannot happen as long as we’re in the flesh.
Psalm 51:1: “Have mercy upon me, O God… [He forgave David; Nathan said, ‘Your sin has been forgiven.] …according to Your loving kindness; according to the greatness of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions”—all the series of those things leading to that affair and afterwards.
Verse 2: “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity…” We’re going to talk about the ‘washing of the water by the Word’ a little later. You have to have your sins washed away. We will see that that is
a process. It doesn’t happen all at once.
“…and cleanse me from my sin, for I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me” (vs 2-3). He could see the greatness of his sin. That’s why it talks about that sin may
become exceedingly sinful.
Someone who commits a murder or somebody he doesn’t like, that’s nothing to him. He doesn’t understand about murder. Someone who steals from someone because ‘they have more than I do and I’m going to take it.’ They don’t view that as sin. Look at it on the lawless riots that they’ve had in various cities. They smash in the windows, burn cars, loot the stores, take everything and they’re innocent because someone has something that they want and they take. There’s no remorse.
David understood what it was after Nathan came and really let him have it. He fasted for how many days hoping that the child would live, but it didn’t.
Verse 4: “Against You, You only, have I sinned…” When you sin it’s against God first and then the other people. Everybody suffered from that.
A good example is what we’ve experienced with the Church. Remember what happened? It’s all scattered. Here we are in small groups, getting older and all of that thing, that’s all part of it! It affected every one of us. How was your attitude when you were living through those things and finding out what was going on? Miserable! That’s how all of Israel was because of the sin of David, and it took them some time to get over it. David realized that he sinned against God directly! This was after God promised that he would never lack for a descendent to sit on his throne. After that fantastic promise, God did not take away that promise, because God’s Word stands.
“…and done evil in Your sight, that You might be justified when You speak and be in the right when You judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity…” (vs 4-5). That means with the law of sin and death, not that his mother committed adultery to have him as a child. No!
“…and in sin did my mother conceive me” (v 5)—because the law of sin and death comes right with conception. It’s right there.
Verse 6: “Behold, You desire Truth in the inward parts…” That is the goal of repentance, baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit! What’s in the inward parts before that? Deceit, lying, all the works of the flesh (Mark 7:21)! Isn’t it true that ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?’ Even King David fell to that.
Psalm 51:6: “…and in the hidden part You shall make me to know wisdom”. That’s why you’re going to learn from the things that you did.
If you think of that again after you’ve repented of it, does that mean that God has not forgiven you? No! That doesn’t mean that God has not forgiven you but it means that is a memory of history for you to learn not to do that. How about here with David. It’s written for all of us! Won’t David be surprised when he’s resurrected and finds out?
Verse 7: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me… [David says it in v 2, ‘wash me.’] …and I shall be whiter than snow.”
End of the first half of this transcript.
RSS Feed