Sunday Evening Worship Service by Nathan Whitley First Apostolic Church of Knoxville (Knoxville, TN) Kind: sermon Scripture: 2 Samuel 12:24-25, Psalm 51:10, Psalm 51:16-17, Matthew 5:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, Ephesians 2:14 Source: https://acts238.life/repository/sermons/nathan-whitley--sunday-evening-worship-service-58 Published by Acts 2:38 Life from the sermon transcript on that page. Free to copy and share with attribution. ------------------------------------------------------------ would you clap your hands to Jesus one more time tonight and you can start making your way back to your seat just remain standing and grab your Bibles what a tremendous timely word we heard last uh this morning and I am just so so blessed to be a part of this great church and a tremendous time we had H Thursday and Friday at our Tri State District youth retreat and Friday morning we heard a timely word from uh brother will farmer we are blessed we are blessed here at First Apostolic church with great ministry I'm glad to be a part of of the house of the Lord be a part of the church where you can have everything everything I believe that I have everything because of the church and I know you feel the same way too turn with me to 2 Samuel chapter number 12 2 Samuel chapter number 12 we're going to go to the end of that chapter all week I had a sermon that I believe that I was going to preach to tonight then yesterday I was doing some studying and a a thought that I had written down another thought came then another thought came and I thought I'm in trouble so I text Brother Derek Daniel I said I might have to change this uh but I believe the Lord has given me a word for somebody in this room today I don't know who it's for but I believe that there's there's a pulling that the Lord is doing on someone's heart and if we'll just be sensitive to his word and his Spirit tonight I believe there's going to be some restoration and there's going to be some reconciliation do you believe that does anybody believe that he can still put lives back together does anybody believe that 2 Samuel 12: 24 and 25 and David comforted B Sheba his wife and went in unto her and lay with her and she bare a son he called his name Solomon someone say Solomon and the Lord loved him and he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet and he called his name jedadiah because of the Lord Solomon jedadiah tonight I want to minister to you from this thought the path to reconciliation the path path to reconciliation would you put your Bibles or devices down and would you just lift up your hands one more time and I want you to ask the Lord that to help you or to help your neighbor receive his word today Father we are so grateful for the ministry that has been taking place here over the last several weeks the words of that have been coming through here through our sermon series and our Sunday Services Lord that I believe that you're tying them all together but that there is a spirit of Revival there is a spirit of restoration that's taking place and Lord I pray that you would continue it tonight you know what you laid in my heart and I pray Lord that I would convey it and communicate it Lord with wisdom and with anointing tonight in jesus' name we pray and everyone said amen would you clap your hands one more time onto Jesus and you can be seated tonight the path to reconciliation David is one of the most beloved figures in the Bible for some his calling and exploits serve as an inspiration to overcoming life's great obstacles others might admire David's Devotion to God seeing in him a man truly after God's Own Heart but there's something about David that stands out even more than his exploits and his devotion and that's his Humanity one of the greatest proofs you've heard me say this before one of the greatest proofs that the Bible is fully inspired of the holy spirit is that it refuses to sanitize the lives of its Heroes If This Were merely a book written by men it would leave out all the flaws the failures the W the warts and the wrinkles yet scripture tells the whole story even the parts that are very uncomfortable and that's why for many David isn't just an inspiration in his victories but he's a reminder of Hope in his failures most of us I would say will never relate to David the Giant Slayer the warrior king or the poet of Israel but we can all relate to David The Sinner his failures resonate with us because they remind us that God is not done with us even when we fall now this is not an excuse to to take sin lightly but as evidence that God can take our worst moments and through repentance turn them into a testimony of reconciliation I shared this with Ashley a couple days ago maybe last week I can't remember we were we were sitting in our office I was taking some notes and I thought of David's two major failures and I asked her the question I said what do you think those two major failures were and we began to talk and Converse about that and then I real realized that there is something about his failures that are in that are in common and I want to share those two things with you and try to put this together and and give somebody some hope tonight I want to look at his two major failures David's two major failures the first being his sin with ba Sheba his first major sin with baath Sheba while his army was at War David remained in Jerusalem and from his Palace he saw Sheba bathing and he lusted after her he committed adultery with her and when she became pregnant he tried to cover it up and his cover up failed leaving him to orchestrate the murder of her husband Uriah by placing him in the front lines at the heat of the battle David thought he had concealed his sin but God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him with the parable of a rich man who stole the poor man's lamb and when DAV David heard this Parable he wanted to find that man and destroy him but yet the prophet points his finger at the king and says you are the man and when David hears that he immediately falls to his knees and he says I have sinned against the Lord Psalm 51 one of the greatest chapters in The Bible records David's repentance and and if you need a prayer of repentance in your daily prayer time I highly recommend reading through Psalm 51 and part of that David says create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right Spirit Within Me David knows that reconciliation begins in the heart it begins in the spirit that if we're going to be reconciled we must first repent then he says something revelatory in verses 16-1 17 of of of Psalm 51 he said that the Lord would not accept an offering of an animal or a burnt offering David knows there's not an offering that he could give or offer to the Lord that would atone for his sins but God would accept a broken heart and a contrite spirit that he knows he's going to throw himself completely on the mercy of God no burnt offering no ritual just raw broken repentance he realizes that God doesn't want another sacrifice he doesn't want another animal what he wants is David's heart oh God have mercy that he wants the one who sinned he wants the one who fell he wants the one who made a mistake he doesn't need another animal and here is the ma the amazing thing about this is that he could have offered something but he said I have nothing I must throw myself upon the mercies of God brothers and sisters we have nothing to Bring No Good Works no religious effort nothing we can do can atone for our sins but you know what the good news is do you know what the good news is that Jesus has always already paid for it all he became the perfect sin offering for us covering what we could never conceal he Reveals His love for us that he paid a price he didn't bring animals oh no it was not the blood of bulls and goats and Lambs oh no but he was the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and I wish somebody would give him some praise come on you didn't have to offer an an animal you didn't have to bring him an offering but you brought your broken heart and your broken Spirit to him that's what real repentance is about that's where reconciliation begins it's in Repentance and let me give you this just a little bookmark this here and we'll come back to it in a moment though David was forgiven his sin had consequences right you heard me tell the story and I'll say it again tonight Ash and I taught a Bible study to a family many years years ago we baptized this brother and God fill him with the Holy Ghost as he came up out of the waters few weeks went by and he wouldn't at church I could begin to worry I got a phone call from a jail in Kentucky would I like to accept this phone call and I said well maybe it was it was this brother he got on the phone had a warrant out for his arrest for many years ago and he said brother Nate you told me I was a new creation and old things were passed away I said Jesus forgave you but that judge didn't you see he can forgive you of your sins but there might be some consequences in this life repentance yes is real he will forgive you but there might be some consequences for your sin in this life and he took David's first child with be Sheba and he he takes him and he dies leaving him nameless but the Lord gives them Solomon going to come back to that what's what's David's second major sin his second major sin is at the end of his Reign when he wants to number the people of Israel and you might think that pales in comparison to adultery and murder but here's the issue at hand that David's numbering of Israel reflected his pride and Reliance upon his military strength rather than his dependence upon the Lord you might think that's something small you might think that that we can ab we can just read through and go on to First Kings but God said oh no you've what you've done here we need we need to pause for a second and just like he had done with the ba Sheba and Uriah incident the Lord sent a prophet a prophet Gad and he came to him and he said here's what's going to happen judgment is going to come for your sin and you have three choices three years of famine three months of fleeing from enemies or three days of a plague choose David what choose choose my judgment what do you mean choose my judgment but David knows something something about people that a lot of us know about people David said this let me fall into the hand of the Lord for his Mercy is great but don't let me fall into the hands of man why is that because people can be harsh unforgiving and quick to condemn David knew something about people they remember what God chooses to forget people can be harsh unforgiving and quick to condemn but God corrects but he also restores but people hold grudges he said let me fall into the hands of God God I'm gonna let you choose and let instead of me choosing and falling into the hands of man because man will kill me they'll judge me they'll condemn me I am I am I am more afraid of my peers than of my God and so the Lord said fine we're going to send a plague he sent a plague that killed 70,000 people in Israel the angel of the Lord is bringing judgment but here's what God says he sent Gad back to David it says here's what you can can do you can build an altar and offer a sacrifice and I will relent the plague and here's where the angel has his foot he has his foot at the threshing floor of Aruna the jebusite and David Goes to Aruna the jebusite and I was studying this and it's easy to read through that real quick and think oh yeah Aruna the jebusite go on but I want you to stop and I want you to think about who the jebusites were the jebusites were not Israelites they were Canaanite people and they were a part of a people that lived at jbus that would that would eventually be Jerusalem these were Canaanites that the Israelites were to drive out and they didn't so when David became king he said I want to make that place jbus I want that to be the C capital I want it to be the city of David I want it to be Jerusalem means peace that's what I want and they laughed at him and said you can't do this you're weak we'll destroy you guys and guess what David did they judged the jebusites and drove them out so when David you're not hearing me when David Goes to the threshing floor of auna the jebusite Aruna the jebusite could have said absolutely not I'm not letting you off you took my land you kicked me out of my land now you're wanting more but here is Aruna the jebusite showing Grace to David and he says I'll give it to you for free but David says I will not offer the Lord anything that hasn't cost me something first so let me pay oh God have mercy I know that I can get it for free but God doesn't want to sacrifice for free because that doesn't cost me anything and so let me pay it and and and and Aruna says here it is pay me and here where there was once judgment is now coming reconciliation and so David Builds an altar at the threshing floor of a rune of the jebusite and here the Lord sees the offering the sacrifice and stays the plague so there's reconciliation between Aruna and David and then there's reconciliation between David and the Lord now let's stop I want you to stop I I want to think through this for a second I'm trying to think through this for a second why did God not want sacrifice for his sin with Beth Sheba and Uriah why did God accept David's forgive me cleanse me renew me there's no sacrifice that you want but a broken heart and a contrite spirit and God accepted it but yet the case with the numbering of the people God says I want an altar why the two differences because there are some sins that God will forgive in private but there are some other sins that will take a [Music] public restitution so yes I'll forgive you I'll cleanse you I'll restore you I'll give you a second chance on something like that he said against you you only have I committed this sin but here in the numbering of the people where David's pride is lifted up and 70,000 people are destroyed the Lord said I want an altar and I want a sacrifice I'm offering forgiveness for both because there is a pathway to reconciliation can I just say this for a second there are some sins that are private and then there are some sins that are public what is necessary in both requires repentance some who offend others would like to come to an altar and ask God to forgive and that's fine but there are times when God doesn't want you to build an altar of repentance to him but instead he wants you to build an altar of repentance for you and the others that you have offended [Applause] let me read something to you Jesus said this in Matthew 5 veres 22- 24 but I say unto you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and whosoever shall say to his brother rqa shall be in danger of the counsel but whosoever shall say thou fool will be in danger of Hellfire therefore if thou bring thy gift to The Altar and there rememberest that thy brother hath against thee leave your gift before the Altar and go thy way first be reconcile to thy brother and then come and offer thy gift he said there are some sins that he will forgive you in private but then there are some sins that are so public that there must be a public reconciliation we want to come up here and cry and I'm for that you here and repent I'm for that but God is saying I'll accept it but it depends on the situation I'll forgive you but will you forgive them I'll forgive you when you ask them to forgive you you know where I think real Revival is going to come is not people simply repenting to God for their private mistakes but real Revival is going to come when we learn to act like Jesus and start forgiving others when they have done us wrong and real Revival is going to come when we can put our pride aside and go to those who are offended because of something we've said something we've posted something we've did and say you know what I was in the wrong and so right here let me offer an offering an altar here of reconciliation calm down stop running stop rolling the floor but you don't know what they did you're right I don't and I'm not trying to take that lightly but I'm going to tell you something what they did and if you don't forgive could send you to hell because if you don't forgive and if you don't let it go that bitterness you think it's getting at them and they're living Fancy free and have no idea and you can't sleep at night you've got no peace in your mind what you need to do is go build an altar somewhere and say Lord help me to forgive that person help me to go to that person and ask for forg foress because God I don't want anything to keep me out of your [Applause] presence reconciliation reconciliation reconciliation now I this here's the thought that fired me up last night David's Second Son with Beth Sheba was named Solomon and the name Solomon comes from the Hebrew root word Shalom meaning peace holess or reconciliation when I read that last night I about had a fit I thought why haven't I ever heard that before why haven't I ever stopped and paused to ask what his name was before God gave David a second chance and David named him reconciliation because I didn't get what I deser deserved he gave me a second chance and so here with Beth Sheba his major sin his major wrong his major failure he says I want him to be a testimony a living breathing witness of God's reconciliation but God looked down at Solomon whose name means reconciliation and said let me also name him Jedediah that means beloved of the Lord can I tell you something the pathway to reconciliation is learning how to have peace and have the love of God you'll never have reconciliation in your life until there is peace reconciliation and the love of the Lord and when David in his second major sin he goes to the threshing floor of [Music] Aruna that place was significant it was also Mount Mariah where Abraham offered Isaac it was also the place where the Lord met with Moses and here is going to be the place that Solomon reconciler reconciliation is going to build the temple you ain't hearing me David's two major sins God turned around for David and everybody else is good in Israel you know what that tells me is that your failure is not final that if you made a mistake it's not over there might be some reconciliation in your future but can I tell you God has provided a place the temple was a place where Heaven met Earth and Reconciliation took place can I tell you a greater than Solomon is here a greater than the temple is here that Jesus has come to reconcile D God used David's mistakes his failures and his sins God has used what everybody else would make an excuse for and say it's over I'll never make I I'll never amount to anything God shows us with David's major failures that he can turn it around and take a broken story and give you peace and give you reconciliation I'm going is this all right y'all okay me show you me what this means in the New Testament that Jesus is a better Solomon he's a better Temple he is greater He Has Come Those were but a shadow but Jesus is the reality that you can be reconciled here today because of Christ sacrifice you don't have to stay in your shame you can be reconciled you can be restored you can have peace Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 5:1 18-19 all of this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them Jesus has come first to reconcile you and him that means that we have been at enmity our sin Keeps Us separate from him but through the blood of Jesus Christ we can have peace we can have reconciliation with him the second part to that is important and here's where a lot of us would like to move on Overlook or ignore is that Paul says in Ephesians 2:14 for he himself is our peace amen love that amen preach it brother who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility in other words not only has he reconciled us to himself but he has provided the means for us to be reconciled to each other I got that's the amen I was looking for right there that's right I'm reconciled to him you can be reconciled to that person who wronged you whoa oh I'm not sure about that I don't like that not sure about that are you sure yeah I'm sure that he has not just come to reconcile there are private things but then there are public things and he makes us one family you know where many need reconciliation and hear me tonight you know where many need reconciliation in their families I'm gonna say it again because you didn't you didn't hear me you know where many need reconciliation in their families too many can be reconcile to other Saints in the church but are reluctant to reconcile with their own flesh and blood some will forgive strangers but they won't forgive fellow Saints some will forgive Outsiders but refuse to forgive co-workers we don't just need a Solomon reconciliation we need an an Aruna reconciliation you know I was thinking your peace or lack thereof might hinge on asking for forgiveness or forgiving someone but you just don't know brother Nate you're right but God does and your conscience does and those things might be robbing your peace and what you need to do is make some things right your husband your wife wife your children your in-laws your Outlaws they deserve the mercy of God just as much as the drug addict or the alcoholic that walks off the street into this church sit down sit down sit down stop running stop going crazy real Revival is going to take place when we can learn how to forgive one another and stop holding each other's mistakes over their heads you know what a a new person doesn't need when they come to church they don't need the directory of everybody's past failures recited to them in story for you know what that's called that's called gossip and what you need to do is repent of that and get over it and move on in your life reconciliation musicians you want to start making your way forward you can David giant killer songwriter royalty sinner that David's two major sins tells us something about the goodness of God and that no [Music] matter how hard we try or constantly get in God's way he finds pleasure in restoring healing shifting rewriting erasing that David God could have thr thrown David right out the door let me find somebody else but no David said I'm want to use you and use Solomon and use this line that will come the son of David a great than Solomon a greater Temple that God's plans won't be thwarted you know what that should tell us tonight that if God can use somebody like David he can use somebody like me if he can use somebody like David he can use somebody like you if he can use somebody like B Sheba he can use somebody like you that if God wasn't through with David he's not through with you either that if you're still breathing if you're still here and you survived that mess that tells me that God's got a message for somebody and that you are a witness to his power to reconcile you and him and you and and others would you stand to your feet maybe you failed maybe you carry guilt and shame but if David's story teaches us anything God can redeem your mistakes and use him use them for his glory listen to me tonight God is not finished with you yet some young person needs to hear me the devil's telling you it's over you done too much there there's there's no coming back from this I've come in the name of of the Lord to say that is a lie if you're here it's not over yet David's greatest shame should have disqualified him but God stepped in and brought Solomon out of the mess the very place where David's Pride brought judgment the threshing floor became a foundation for the temple the meeting place between God and his people what looked like a setback was really a setup for Destiny what looked like a setback was a setup for destiny that it looked like it's over but God had a Solomon and God had a blueprint for a temple and that through those major mistakes God was going to not only forgive David and Beth Sheba but he would also forgive the people of Israel days and days and days and generations ahead you know when Solomon built the temple me share this with you when when Solomon built the temple they it was the inauguration of the temple Solomon reconciler child given to Bath Sheba and David the adulterers Solomon offered a staggering 22,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep the sheer scale of the sacrifice was unheard of but Solomon knew what forgiveness looked like Solomon was a testimony to a second chance and he was going to stand there as a witness to reconciliation that God could not only forgive David and beath sheba but he could forgive all of the people of Israel if they would just trust him if they would just serve [Music] him if God could do that for David what can he do with your life he can take your greatest failure and make it a stage for his greatest Glory he can take as Joseph said what the enemy meant for evil God can turn it for the good Jesus the better Solomon has made the sacrifice the blood's been shed the price has been paid the door to reconciliation is wide open you don't have to be defined by your past but you can simply step into your purpose tonight but it begin begins with coming to an altar and asking him to forgive but I feel in the Holy Ghost tonight not only is there restoration for the individual who failed privately but I believe there's some reconciliation in some marriages and some families tonight that God is willing to put back together some broken relationships tonight I believe that if you'll come to an altar I believe that there's going to be some forgiveness I believe there's going to be some cleansing and you don't have to bring an offering you don't have to bring an animal all you've got to do is bring your heart all you've got to do is bring yourself and the and the and the and the reconciler Jesus Christ will forgive you but I wonder if somebody will say not only do I need forgiveness in my heart with Christ but I might need some forgiveness from my Breen I might need some forgiveness from that other person I offended him Jesus said leave your gift at the altar and make things right and when you do that your gift will be waiting for you and that is the gift of forgiveness for yourself I'm telling you it's here tonight your greatest failures don't have to Define you you don't have to stop right here the chapter story is still being written that if God can use someone like David if God can use someone like BBA he can put your life back together he can rewrite your story and he can start all over again I wonder if you lift up your hands lift up your heart and I wish you would cast yourself at his feet tonight and say Lord cleanse me Lord forgive me Lord reconcile meory then I've seen it all your love has changed my life forever satisfied God you are my everything if the highest place I reaches and your be then I've done it all if the best thing that I see is your glory then I seen it all your love has changed my life forever satisfy God you are my everything if the one word is the only thing you speak then I I've heard it all if I feel your heart and never see your head I so have it all no Treasure of this life could ever satisfy God you are my everything everything oh God you are my everything oh God you are my what a God what a [Music] God oh what a God what a God oh yes what a God what a God what [Applause] God what a God what a God if the highest place if the highest place I reaches at your feet and I've done it all if the best thing that I've seen is in your [Music] glory your love has changed my life forever satisfied God you are my if the one word is the only the you speak that I H it all if I feel your heart and never see your [Applause] hand and no Treasure of this life oh God you are my everything everything would you lift up your hands just for a moment I believe the Holy Ghost is trying to minister to somebody's heart the greatest obstacle to asking for forgiveness is Pride saying that I'm wrong saying that I'm wrong many miss out on on on the Salvation that Jesus has provided because they are afraid to admit that I'm a sinner I'm wrong but there are some in this room I want you I want you to keep praying for a second there's some in this room that God is dealing with you about going to somebody and asking for some forgiveness and your pride says Ah you didn't do anything wrong they they they knew you meant and they took it the wrong way and uh they're the ones who've got a problem I'm telling you that's pride and pride will keep you and and Rob you of your peace and I want you to pray right now and say Lord I pray that you would help me oh God to silence my pride Lord you can silence condemnation but I pray that you would silence my pride that I would go to that person and ask for forgiveness and that I make things right with them I want just listen to me for a second listen to me sometimes when we go ask somebody to forgive us we we we we start to project I'm sorry you felt that way that's not asking for forgiveness you know uh I think I might have done something to offend you and you know uh I don't think I did anything wrong but I that's that's not forgiveness that's Pride but if you'll go to somebody and say listen I feel like there's something that I have done that has offended you and I I I wish to God that I had never done that and I I'm so sorry that I said that I did that I posted that I went there I and you know what might happen somebody might say I had no idea I I don't even know what you're talking about but here's how you should respond I forgive you I forgive you and if somebody asks you for forgiveness and you say I forgive you don't you hold it over their head the next time something happens I knew it no Jesus said if how many times Peter said how many times should I ask for forgiveness seven times acting like that was some Pious thing Jesus said seven Peter I have forgiven you seven times this week no 70 time 7 he wasn't trying to put a numerical value on it he was saying anytime somebody offends you you need to forgive you know why because Jesus forgives you every time you ask him so we are more like Christ when we learn to forgive others and forget one more time I want you to lift up your hands come on I want you to pray I want you to pray I want you to pray I want you to say Lord maybe they don't ask for forgiveness maybe you let God deal with that and you forgive them anyway you forgive them anyway they don't ask for forgiveness you forgive them anyway because you need to let go of that thing you need to you need to release your it's killing you it's robbing you of your peace it's robbing you of your joy you need to release that thing because that's when reconciliation takes place one more time would you clap your hands to Jesus Wednesday night