[0:00] We will be reading from 1 Samuel 30. And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
[0:41] Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep. David's two wives also had been taken captive.
[0:54] And David was greatly distressed. But the people spoke of stoning him because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters.
[1:12] But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, bring me the ephod.
[1:22] So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. And David inquired of the Lord, shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?
[1:34] He answered him, pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue. So David set out and the 600 men who were with him.
[1:46] And they came to the brook Besor where those who were left behind stayed. But David pursued. He and 400 men. 200 stayed behind who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
[2:02] They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins.
[2:17] And when he had eaten, his spirit revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. And David said to him, to whom do you belong?
[2:31] And where are you from? He said, I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amicalite. And my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.
[2:42] We had made a raid against the Negev of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negev of Caleb.
[2:54] And we burned Ziklag with fire. David said to him, will you take me down to this band? And he said, swear to me by God that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master.
[3:08] And I will take you down to this band. And when he had taken him down, behold, there were spread abroad all over the land, eating and drinking and dancing because all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
[3:27] And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. And not a man of them escaped except 400 young men who mounted camels and fled.
[3:42] David recovered all that the Amicalites had taken. And David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken.
[3:56] David brought back all. David also captured all the flocks and herds. The people drove the livestock before them and said, this is David's spoil.
[4:10] Then David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to follow David and who had been left at the Brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and he to meet the people who were with him.
[4:28] And when David came near to the people, he greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, Because they did not go out with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children and depart.
[4:50] But David said, you shall not do so, my brothers. With what the Lord has given us, he has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.
[5:02] Who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage.
[5:12] They shall share alike. And he made it a statute and a rule for Israel from that day forward to this day. When David came to Ziklag, he sent the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.
[5:32] It was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth, from the Negev, in Jetur, in Uror, in Sifmoth, in Eshtimoya, in Rechel, in the cities of the Jesmuelites, in the cities of the Canaanites, in Hormah, in Bor-Ashan, in Athak, in Hebron, for all the places where David and his men had roamed.
[6:02] This is God's Word. What a rollercoaster that the series has been lately.
[6:16] Hasn't it been? Chapter 27, David does the unthinkable. So weary from being chased by Saul that he opens the door for the 600 men.
[6:33] And we can only imagine with the women and children, probably hundreds if not thousands, walking into the Philistines' camp. He served King Achish, King of Gath, the enemy.
[6:49] But David was so weary to do that. He lied, was deceitful. That was not David's finest hour at all.
[7:02] Things got worse for him because David was nearly facing the people of Israel to attack them with the Philistines.
[7:14] In which we were on the edge of our seats last week, wondering if David's going to get caught in a lie or what's going to happen. But it turned out that the commanders of the Philistines rejected David.
[7:24] They didn't trust David with a hill of beans, per se. They didn't want David fighting behind him, unless their throat get cut from behind.
[7:38] Well, today's passage examines the providential hand of God working in the midst of our poor decisions. But it also examines God's grace to restore based upon those decisions and His act of restoring based on just one act of disobedience, or act of obedience.
[8:08] That not only are we looking at God's providential hand, working in the midst of our poor decisions that we make in life, we also examine God's grace to restore based upon just one act of obedience.
[8:21] This is good news. This echoes the unchanging promise of God from chapter 12 in Samuel's farewell address. Do you remember when they were teetering, the nation of Israel was teetering on the brink of destruction, complete despair?
[8:39] Remember the abyss, falling into the abyss, or obedience? I'm going to read it for you to remind you for the sake of context. 1 Samuel 12 verse 14 starts out saying, If you will fear the Lord, Samuel says, and serve Him and obey His voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the King who reigns over you follow the Lord your God, it will be well.
[9:07] Verse 15, but if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your King.
[9:20] And it continues in 22, For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for Himself.
[9:33] Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, Samuel says. And I will instruct you in the good and the right way.
[9:46] Verse 24, only fear the Lord and serve Him faithfully with all your heart, for consider what great things He has done for you.
[9:58] Verse 25, but if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your King. It's pretty simple, isn't it?
[10:13] Isn't God just looking for obedience? Obedience? Then, maybe obedience is the only way to restoration.
[10:28] And so we see that in today's passage. Today's passage encourages us, people who may have felt that their decisions have created this issue in their lives that is beyond the point of repair.
[10:42] This is for husbands who may have said or have done things that were wrong, that just haunt them as they try to parent their children. Mothers who maybe feel unloved by their husbands or neglected or maybe just completely disregarded as a mother by their children.
[11:03] Or maybe for children who feel forgotten in their families and nobody cares about what they say, what they do. They're just disciplined with a heavy hand over them.
[11:15] Or maybe for all others who feel that their lives are past and beyond the point of repair. The passage will encourage us all in that manner.
[11:27] So as we saw last week, God will keep us. This week, we will see that God will restore us. But are we willing to take those steps that are necessary for restoration?
[11:44] So for that, we have a sermon titled, The Road to Restoration. I have three sections for us and I'd like to pray before we enter in and to examine God's word with you and till that soil.
[11:57] So let's pray. Lord, humble us by the authority of your mighty word. Give us hope when all things seem hopeless.
[12:14] When we turn to your word, we don't look at how things seem to be. We turn to your word and see how things are. If only we could see the things in our lives according to the lens of your word, we might be able to be more encouraged and less defeated.
[12:36] And so help us today to see that very aspect playing out in our lives and in our families today. And we pray this. Give this time to you. We pray this in Jesus' name.
[12:46] Amen. Amen. So the first section is discovering the fruit of our failure. That's a good Father's Day message, isn't it?
[12:58] Welcome, fathers. Let's discover the fruit of our failure. Good pick-me-up. Well, we're turning to God's word and exposing the meaning of this passage, and we turn to David's situation in verse 1.
[13:13] As which was just read, Now when David and his men came to Ziklag, and on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid against the Negev and against Ziklag.
[13:24] They had overcome Ziklag and burned it with fire and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.
[13:39] And when David and his men came to the city, they found it burned with fire, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
[13:54] Don't you see the mistake? David, regardless of all his scheming to get out of the situation he created, he was more focused on his plan than doing it God's way.
[14:18] He left people in Ziklag completely vulnerable to attack. He left his people without protection.
[14:31] And it's always hard to be reckoned with the reality that it was our fault. But this situation that David faced was his fault completely.
[14:45] Can you imagine and relate to the moment that you discover the negative effect of your bad decisions? Have we ever been in a place like that?
[14:56] Of we find out the effect of our procrastination, college students, or the negative effect of our impulsiveness, the negative effect of our decisions, or maybe our overspending, or maybe our overcommitting, or our ignoring the advice and wise counsel of another who we should have listened to?
[15:22] The list can go on and on. Have we ever had a moment where we face the negative effect of our bad decisions? I think we could all say we've been there. David was witnessing firsthand a very real, a very traumatic and distressful situation, which was directly caused by his decision to take refuge on the dark side, to join the Philistines.
[15:52] You see, the entire city of Ziklag that he acquired by the king of Gath was completely destroyed.
[16:05] Completely destroyed. Maybe thousands of women and children were gone. They knew that they were gone because they found no bodies.
[16:18] And can you just hear that silence in Ziklag where all you can hear is the crackling of wood burning and seeing the rise of smoke.
[16:30] Do you see that? He was facing the effect of his bad decision. And I think the people's response in verse 4 and 5 is pretty similar to ours.
[16:42] They raised their voice. They wept until they had no strength to weep anymore. And as context reveals, this is Saul's disposition after he received the bad news from Samuel just last week.
[17:00] He was without strength. He had to be lifted up and carried away. He was that distressed. And the people were reaping the same fruit that Saul reaped as he similarly was weak in realization of his situation.
[17:19] This is serious, church. And the response of those who were closest to him, consider the sadness of this scene. Remember back in Adullam, the cave of Adullam, back in chapter 22?
[17:34] All these people who were with David came to him because they were bitter in Saul. Now David is the object of their bitterness.
[17:46] Like this is massive sadness, church. David and Saul are both greatly distressed. There are more reasons why we should see Saul in David than any time in this book.
[18:00] But it's important to know he was guilty. And that's what makes his next move absolutely remarkable. Are you with me, church?
[18:13] Verse 6, look. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. We've got to ask, though, is it too late?
[18:30] For David, considering the situation that he's facing, is it too late? I've asked myself that question when I'm facing the effect of my poor decisions.
[18:43] Is it too late to rectify anything? Is it past beyond the point of repair? Do you ever feel like it's too late for you? As those around were beginning to pick up their stones in retaliation, to stone the guy who is guilty of leading them into this horrible situation, as they are picking their stones up?
[19:10] David doesn't reach for stones. He doesn't reach for a sword. He reaches for the Lord. He grabs the ephod in verse 7.
[19:23] And now we can debate the mechanics of what's the special power in the ephod. What's with this? Or we can rather understand the meaning of what's going on in the narrative.
[19:36] That David was desperate to know what God would have him to do. This was missing from Saul. And any time Saul sought the Lord was already too late, because the Lord had already judged him, and it was over.
[19:54] David picked up the ephod as people were picking up their stones, and he inquired of the Lord, Shall I pursue after this band?
[20:06] Shall I overtake them? And the Lord answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake, and you shall surely rescue.
[20:23] You see, David grieved. David sought. David heard. And David promptly obeyed.
[20:34] And in connection with chapter 12, of which we just spoke about, that I read in length, this is good news. While Saul suffered the consequence of his disobedience against God's Word, David benefits of his obedience to God's Word.
[20:54] What Saul abandoned, David apprehended. You see, the strength that evaded Saul was due to God's promise to destroy him, left him utterly weak.
[21:08] But the strength invading David's life is due to God's promise, promising him to restore him. This is good news, and where he got his strength.
[21:20] And you see, it is never too late, church, to turn back to the Lord. Do you really believe it? We see that in Saul's life.
[21:33] Yeah, he tried a couple times. It was not very genuine. Plus, judgment has already happened. There will be a time where it is too late for people who are lost in this life.
[21:46] Not believers. It will be too late to turn to the Lord. There will come a time. There's not going to be this kind of like after part of like God saying, okay, you have one last chance.
[22:01] No. At the cry of his command, judgment will come. And that is so important for us to remember. So important. It is never too late to turn back to the Lord as long as we have breath in our lungs.
[22:18] And that's hope. In fact, at the discovery of the fruit produced from our failures, our response will often be grief.
[22:28] And for that is good. The people were grieving over what they lost here. However, I believe that David was grieving over the God he abandoned.
[22:40] The moment that David, the little shepherd boy who was summoned by Samuel, the smallest of them all, the one who slung the stone and laid out Goliath, I believe David was grieving not for what he lost, but of who he lost.
[23:06] He lost the Lord. He abandoned God. And it is never too late to turn back to the Lord. Church, what is our natural instinct when we face the penalty for our decisions?
[23:21] What's our natural instinct for the penalty that we face based on our bad decisions? We try to fix it.
[23:33] We try to fix it ourselves. Well, David provides the framework of fixing it. Grieve over our rebellion.
[23:45] We don't operate by cheap grace. Now, we can just do whatever we want in this life. Sometimes we can choose obedience, sometimes disobedience. We don't operate by cheap grace.
[23:58] We operate by secure grace, sufficient grace that holds us even in the midst of our disobedience. And no means. It was not cheap by any means.
[24:11] And guess what we reach for? We reach for God's holy book. Just as David reached for the ephod, we reach for our holy book.
[24:22] And there, God's revelation testifies to that grace and reassures us in our doubts. And maybe you're not a Christian. Join with us here today on the live stream, wherever you may be.
[24:34] This is good news. And actually, the structure and framework of repenting from sin. To grieve over your rebellion. Because there's opportunity for you to turn as there's breath in your lungs.
[24:50] And God is calling you to turn, to grieve. This is a prayer of contrition. Of your offense against the holy God. And reach for that holy book.
[25:04] That details and describes Jesus Christ. Who was sent as the Messiah. Who hung on that tree. Who bled.
[25:16] And who will cover the payments and redeem you from your sin. David set out at this moment in obedience.
[25:28] 200 men were left who were tired in verse 9 and 10. They stayed back. And they still did something. They watched the baggage. At least he's looking out for an angle that he neglected before.
[25:43] And they make the 60 mile trek. Or well, 13 mile trek. David takes the other two thirds of his men.
[25:56] And we get to the second section. Not only realizing the effect of our bad decisions.
[26:06] But we see the journey of following God's word. A third of his men and David, they embark on this journey.
[26:18] And I believe just as Bill read today. There's like so much left out of the details regarding this journey.
[26:29] But there's one. This strange man that they meet in the wilderness. Egyptian. Stumble across this man. He was pretty weary. And in a glimpse of the nurturing shepherd that David is.
[26:47] They stop. They stop and pursue this weary man. Rather than pursuing those things that are most vulnerable.
[27:00] Most valuable to them. Imagine having to press pause on your anger. Like, it's possible here. We get a little indication that it is possible.
[27:11] But imagine having to hit pause on this anger. What seemed to be a test of David's mercy towards him.
[27:23] Had not just come by what was provided to this man. That will he pause and take care of somebody along the road. And die to his anger. But I think the test upon this road.
[27:36] Actually came from what was provided to David from this man. After this man was fed and taken care of.
[27:47] They ID'd him. In verse 13 and 14. And what would you do. If you found a man responsible.
[27:59] For holding the very torch that burnt your home. What would you do. With a man that you discover. Held the very chains that.
[28:10] Bind. Your wife and your kids. A test. This was. For David. Along the journey of following God's word.
[28:24] A journey of restoration. You see don't be surprised. If on the journey of following God's word. After a bad season of wandering. That he will place tests along the way.
[28:36] For you church. In other words. Restoration is not an easy path. We want to just go to church. Sing a hallelujah. And you know.
[28:46] A couple. Hail Marys. And we're good to go. We're forgiven and free. No. We don't become a Christian for an easy path.
[28:57] We become Christians. Because we want to be faithful to God. And this comes all but easy. Especially the path of restoration. After a season of bad decisions.
[29:08] Very few make it. Because they're consumed in a desire for retribution. Not a desire for restoration. And in verse 15. Looks like he receives a reward.
[29:21] A reward for passing the test. This Egyptian. Still had breath in his lungs. And they received literally a human garment. Isn't that interesting?
[29:33] They received this human garment to navigate the road. Straight to the enemy's camp. The ones who are responsible for it. David responds in grace.
[29:43] And I can't help but think that David saw himself in this weak and weary man. Hiding in the woods just as David was. And what will develop is that this grace and mercy will only increase in David's kingship.
[30:01] On the road of following God's word and seeking restoration. And so these men in verse 15. They make a pact to protect each other. You hold your end of the bargain. And I'll hold up to my end of the bargain.
[30:13] And so they make a pact and set out according to God's word. To conquer the enemy as the Lord directed. And look with me in verse 16. The image I have in my head.
[30:27] I wish I could just paste it onto the projector. But try to imagine with me. And when they had taken him down. And behold.
[30:38] They were spread abroad. Over all the land. Eating and drinking and dancing.
[30:50] Because of all the great spoil. They had taken from the land of the Philistines. And from the land of Judah.
[31:01] Verse 16 indicates that there is a common enemy. Between David and the Philistines. The very raiders of the Philistines camp is the very raiders of God's camp.
[31:13] These Amalekites were completely ruthless. Enemies of God. Can you see it? Coming down to the camp of the Amalekites.
[31:25] The scene that these 401. Now with the Egyptian. 401 men. Was staggering. To discover. Hundreds. If not thousands.
[31:36] Of Amalekites. Scattered around the land. Like little ants. You could hear music. Singing. They're eating.
[31:47] They're drinking. Literally. They're living their best life. Here. And among them.
[31:59] Was loot that was from the Philistines. But also from Judah. Considering the context.
[32:14] What they faced more so. Was the unfortunate effect of Saul's disobedience. Remember. Who was supposed to take care of the Amalekites.
[32:27] In chapter 15. To say the least. By following God's word. David and his men. Were able to strike them all down.
[32:37] All through the night. And all through the next day. Until evening. And this day. I believe marked. A turnaround in David's life. Of not only escaping.
[32:48] A self-inflicted situation. But fulfilling Saul's task. And reaping the reward. Of recovering. Everything that was taken. Look at the verse. In verse 18.
[32:59] Nothing was missing. Families were reunited. This was a wonderful time. Of restoration. You see.
[33:11] By the words. Of those previously. Willing to stone David. Would usher him. In. Livestock. We see that David had the cattle.
[33:21] He had the sheep and everything. But they brought him. The bulls. They brought him. The fattened calves. They brought him. The livestock.
[33:32] Let's talk here. In other words. Israel's sustenance. And strength. Is. David's. And they affirm that. Here at this time.
[33:43] What a moment. Of restoration. For David. But. The road of obedience. To God's word. Is not done yet. Right.
[33:55] As it seems. All has been restored. We're reminded. That even milestones. That we reach. In our lives. The. The great achievements. In our sanctification. Being obedient. We know that.
[34:06] There's never going to be. A moment in this life. Where we have arrived. And we're done. Making strides. Right. The journey continues. And sure enough.
[34:16] God has a couple more tests. Along. Along. The way. And so we see the fruit. Of restoration. In verse 21. Then David. Came to the 200 men.
[34:30] Imagine all these. Thousand people. Coming back. Six hundred left. Thousands. Came back. David came to the 200 men. Who had been too exhausted. To follow David.
[34:41] And who had been. Left. At the brook of Basar. And they went out. To meet David. And to meet the people. Who were with them.
[34:52] You see the. This is like a. Family gathering. Once again. And when David. Came near to the people. He greeted them. David realizes.
[35:05] The journey is. Far. From over. As he returns. With reunited families. Recovered possessions. To find the 200 men. Who were too tired. To make the trip. And could only.
[35:16] Stand watching the baggage. But. David greeted them. Literally meaning that. David. Asked them. For peace. David was a. Peacemaker.
[35:27] And in verse 22. Then all the. Wicked. And worthless fellows. Uh oh. This might be another test. All these wicked.
[35:38] And worthless fellows. Among the men. Who had gone. With David. David said. Because they did not. Go with us. We will not. Give them. Any of the.
[35:49] Spoil. That. We have recovered. Except that. Each man. May lead. Away. His wife. And children. And depart. In other words.
[36:01] Who do they. Think they are. Get their. Little. Filthy. Paws. Off of the stuff. That we. Earned. If they wanted.
[36:12] Their stuff. Back so bad. They should have. Came with us. Forget them. Give them their wives. And kids. And get them out of here. This was the attitude.
[36:25] Of some. Wicked. And. Worthless. Fellows. These are. Versions. Of Nabal. In chapter 25.
[36:35] These are. Versions. Of those. Men. At Saul's. Crowning. When Samuel. All of a sudden. Put these. Regulations. Of kingship.
[36:46] In chapter 10. These are those. That. Those versions. Of the. Worthless. And reckless. Fellows. Who hated Samuel. For what he was doing. These are. Versions. Of Eli's.
[36:57] Sons. In chapter 2. Look with me. Read in chapter. In verse. 23. But David. Said. You shall not.
[37:09] Do so. My brothers. With what the Lord. Has given. Us. He has. Preserved.
[37:20] Us. And given. Into. Our hand. The band. That came. Against. Us. Who's. Responsible. For it all. Whose stuff. Does it belong.
[37:30] To. Whose lives. Are owed. All allegiance. And adoration. The Lord. Worked. All things. On behalf.
[37:41] Of his people. And David. Makes that clear. To them. And he says. Goes on to say. A little sarcasm. I'd say. Who would listen to you. In this matter.
[37:51] In verse 24. For as his share. Is who goes down. Into the battle. So shall his share be. Who stays. By the baggage. They shall share.
[38:02] Alike. It's everything. In fairness. These men. Were working. They were doing. A diligent task. And what David.
[38:12] Offered. To his people. Wasn't a version. Of Nabal. Wasn't a version. Of the reckless. Fellows. In chapter 10. It wasn't a version. Of the Eli's.
[38:24] Reckless. And worthless. Sons. No. What David. Offers here. To us. Is a glorious. Version. Of Jesus. Christ. By his response.
[38:35] This is. Fruit. Of restoration. The version. Of Christ. The peacemaker. As David. Was a peacemaker. Among his people. So too. We're reminded.
[38:46] Of Hebrews. Chapter 11. Saying. Those God set apart. Jesus Christ. Is not ashamed. To call. Them. Brothers. David says here. You shall not. Do so.
[38:56] My brothers. Friends. Friends. Family. David is a version of Christ. The redeemer. As David attributed. The glory to God.
[39:07] So too. We are reminded. Of the danger. Of forgetting. That the Lord. Forgetting the Lord. By this thinking. This is written. Even in. Deuteronomy 8.
[39:17] 7. Where it says. My power. And the might. Of my hand. Have gotten me. This wealth. No. That's wrong. One. David is a version of Christ.
[39:29] The merciful. As David did not. Require. A certain work. In order to receive. A certain gift. Of restoration. So too. We are reminded. Of the fullest extent.
[39:40] And expression. Of God's grace. By grace. You have been saved. Through faith. It's not. Of your own doing. This is a version of Christ. Probably the biggest one.
[39:52] In this passage. Is Christ. The equitable. As David faced. The situation. That Jesus Christ. Was alluding to. In the parable. Of the laborers.
[40:02] In Matthew 20. Verse 12. Where David said. Or where Jesus says. About the issue. Of people saying. These last worked. Only one hour.
[40:13] And you have made them. Equal to us. Who have borne. The burden of the day. And in the scorching heat. We too. Are reminded. Of the fullest extent. Of God's equitable.
[40:24] Nature. That grace. Is not about. Fairness. Nor is a gift of God. Designated. To those who are worthy. Of receiving it. Remember.
[40:36] The last. Are first. In God's kingdom. And finally. We see the version of David. Who is Christ.
[40:50] One who is a generous. King. Who reinforced. This charitable attitude. Into a statute. And a rule. For Israel. From that day forward.
[41:01] In verse 26. In 26 and on. Not only those. Who were in close proximity. Of David. Received the benefit. Of this generosity.
[41:12] But it actually spread. Regionally. By all the hands. Of the elders of Judah. And it's important to note. David did not steal. Anything that belonged.
[41:22] To other people. This is in some. Form of religious communism. Or anything like that. David. Took. And designated. A portion. Of his own share. Just as we.
[41:33] Designate. A portion. Of whatever we have. As an act of worship. To God. Because God is a giver. In our lives. And we designate. A portion. Whatever is within your hearts. David didn't steal.
[41:43] From them. It doesn't need a portion. Of his own share. In verse 20. We know that. He willingly took a part. Of David's spoil. You see.
[41:54] Just as the. Chosen King David. Would model. It was instructed. To be the way of life. For his people. A life of finding strength. In God. Listening.
[42:05] Obeying. And generous. Charitability. And equity. And distribution. Church. Church. Our way of life. Was made.
[42:16] To be directed. In the similar way. Which is. Christ. Like. Trajectory. And as we. Sort of wrap things up. We have to ask.
[42:28] Based upon. The situation. Of the passage. And of which David is. Reflecting. And foreshadowing. Are we.
[42:39] Living. Living. Living. In Christ. Like. Trajectory. Are we. This is the thrust.
[42:52] Of the text. On the road. To restoration. If God. Is determined. To test. Our. Faithfulness. If God.
[43:02] Says. Do this. Or do that. And we think. The road. Is going to be. Paved in ease. We're. Fooling ourselves. It will be hard. And if God.
[43:14] Is determined. To test. Our faithfulness. Sometimes. We might. Find ourselves. Off. A degree. Or two. Or three. Or four. Or five. If we want.
[43:25] To be real. But the good news. Is. In the context. Of David's. Bad day. We are reminded. On the. On this.
[43:36] Road. To restoration. To never. Forget the power. Of being reckoned. With the fruit. Of our decisions. By grief. When we've realized.
[43:46] We have been. Off a degree. Or two. It's not like. Oh. Well. I'm a sinner. Saved by grace. I know. Silly me. No. Do you understand.
[43:57] The penalty. For your sin. That was bore. Upon the cross. This isn't cheap. Grace. Church. This took blood.
[44:09] Sweat. And Jesus Christ. Bore it. On the cross. It's far from cheap. We ought to be reckoned.
[44:22] By our bad decisions. By grief. We ought to be reckoned. We ought to be reckoned. We ought to be reckoned. We ought to be reckoned. But also hope. That it is not too late. The text proves.
[44:34] That we are one prayer away from restoration. One prayer away from restoration. And in fact. When we can say to ourselves.
[44:45] That it would be unfair. For God to forgive us. For our defiance. Of being off a degree. Or two. Or three. Or four. Or five. That it would be unfair.
[44:56] For God to forgive our defiance. It is actually. With that spirit. Of contrition. That applies. The equity. Of his grace. Into our lives.
[45:08] So to those wandering. Feeling lost. Were like failures. Today. Maybe you are in the effect. Of a poor decision. That you have made in your life. Strengthen yourself in the Lord.
[45:22] You are a prayer away. From restoration. This is Christ like trajectory. This is. Jesus Christ prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
[45:34] He went resolutely to the cross. Disarmed the rulers and authorities. And put them to open shame. By triumphing over them. And yes. It is unfair.
[45:45] That this grace is available. To sinners like you and me. Today. But that is precisely. The hope. God's word tells us. On the journey.
[45:56] Of restoration. This is the hope that we have. In the perceivable. Unfair nature. Of God's scandalous grace. In our lives. That is the hope.
[46:09] So God kept David the whole time. Along this trek of restoration. No one was killed. They didn't even get lost.
[46:22] Nothing was missing. Everything was recovered. Everything was rescued. Why? Because the Lord worked out the salvation. Don't forget.
[46:34] That God will keep you also. On that road. To restoration. Don't you forget it. I might not be preaching to the choir today.
[46:45] But I guarantee. Sometime between now. And the next life. You will need this truth. To hold you anchored. In who God is.
[46:55] And his hand in your life. Trust me on that. What degree. Is your trajectory set to? Is it set to worldliness? Handling things your own way?
[47:06] Doing whatever you want? A sinner saved by grace? Worldliness? Forget that. Tune your trajectory. To Christ likeness.
[47:18] Remember. It's not a matter of. If God will keep you. It's a matter. If we. Will keep God. Let's pray. Amen. Let's pray.
[47:38] Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray.
[47:50] Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray. Let's pray.