24-0204p Transcript

Preacher: Mike Mathis

Good evening. (0:28) I continue a lesson that I began this morning entitled God is merciful. We looked this morning (0:44) mostly at God being merciful and that we too should show mercy as in Matthew 5 7 the beatitude (1:03) that says blessed are the merciful for they shall see mercy and we’re instructed to (1:16) even love our enemies to do good to them and if he says if our enemies hunger (1:27) then and if our enemies thirst to give them drink for in so doing (1:39) so he calls a fire on their head this is the way to defeat the enemy make a friend out of them (1:54) we saw that God is merciful when he became sorry that he made man in Genesis 6 (2:10) we’re told that the world was filled with wickedness and violence and the thoughts of man (2:19) was evil continually and it made God sorry that he made man and he determined to bring destruction (2:33) upon the world and we know that there was a man named Noah that was righteous before God (2:45) he was just he walked with God and God told him to build an ark for he was going to bring a flood (2:54) upon the earth and he was going to destroy all flesh man and these (3:06) but he said no no it was righteous and he found and Noah found grace in the eyes of God (3:18) so and we also looked at the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (3:25) he destroyed those cities for the wickedness that was in those cities (3:33) like Abraham’s nephew lived in Sodom and it came to the point where the angels came and to Sodom and (3:50) life took them into his place and fed them and such and and we saw that because life was righteous (4:06) the angels drove he him and his wife and daughters that lived under his roof (4:20) out of Sodom told them to hurry and get out and so we see that (4:32) God was merciful to Noah and to life now we’re going to look at man showing mercy (4:45) and we’re going to look at toward the end of Genesis (4:53) and we’re going to see but we’re going to talk about Joseph one of the sons of Jacob (5:04) and Jacob a Joseph rather was Jacob’s favorite son is it appeared for he loved Joseph (5:17) and due to the jealousy his brothers had toward Joseph (5:27) they first talked between themselves and thought about killing him and then we’ll see (5:42) were his dreams for Joseph two dreams that they interpreted to mean that they would fall down (5:52) before Joseph but they ended up selling (6:01) Joseph to a band of Ishmaelites and he is taken to Egypt and we can read the story of Joseph (6:15) in Egypt from Genesis 39 through Genesis 50 but we’re going to just highlight that (6:31) a little bit about that Joseph became second in command that is after he experienced (6:45) in Egypt being put in prison because of a lie that Potiphar’s wife told against him (7:01) she was making advances to him but he fled and there she was holding his (7:09) coat and he she told Potiphar that he was making advances to her and when she screamed out (7:23) then he fled leaving his coat in her hands but that made Potiphar angry and mad (7:33) and he had Joseph been put in prison in the meantime Joseph behaved himself (7:41) he told dreams to two men that was with him in prison and after he told the dreams (7:54) the interpretation of the dreams to these two men (7:59) one was set free and the other was hanged they were in prison because (8:07) they served favor and favor was angry with them so it happened that (8:19) Joseph had two dreams (8:25) and these dreams bothered him and nobody could tell him what these dreams meant (8:37) then it came to pass that the one that was set free serving favor (8:49) told favor about Joseph interpreting his dreams so what Joseph did Joseph did tell (9:02) favor that his dreams meant that there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years (9:10) of famine and that led to favor making him second in command favor only was over (9:26) Joseph so Joseph stored up food during the seven years of plenty and indeed (9:35) the seven years of famine came and it was so great that even (9:42) where Jacob and his family lived they were hit with this famine and they heard about the (9:53) third man in Egypt and Joseph’s brothers came down to stand before Joseph (10:04) this resulted in Jacob his father and family and brought to Egypt (10:19) now in it in it came that Jacob died and after Jacob died his brothers were (10:32) thinking that Joseph after Jacob had died would really repay them for the evil that they did to (10:44) him in Genesis 50 and verse 15 when Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead they said (11:07) perhaps Joseph will hate us and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him (11:17) so they sent messengers to Joseph saying before your father died he commanded saying (11:27) thus you will shall say to Joseph I beg you please forgive the trespass of your brothers (11:36) and their sin for they did evil to you now please forgive the trespass of the servants of God (11:46) of the God of your father and Joseph wept when they spoke to him (11:55) then his brothers also went and fell down before his face and they said (12:02) behold we are your servants Joseph said to them do not be afraid for am I in the place of God (12:13) but as for you you meant evil against me but God meant it for good in order to bring it about (12:22) as it is this day to save many people alive now therefore do not be afraid (12:30) I will provide for you and your little ones and he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (12:40) so Joseph did not take revenge upon them because he said you meant to do me evil (12:53) but God meant it for good God could take the evil things that happened to us (13:02) and have things turn out for good and in this case it was to save many people alive (13:14) and so he comforted his brothers now we’re going to look at David this morning I failed to (13:31) to tell that the idea for this lesson come from a lesson that I watched on a video on youtube (13:44) but anyway I decided to put this together now some portions of this is is (13:57) what I heard on there but I put together this on my own and so now we look at David (14:10) we David is said to be a man after God’s own heart but the reaction of some when they (14:27) put their mind on David’s sin with Bathsheba and murdering Uriah her husband after she becomes (14:41) with child by David he has Uriah killed at first he tried to get Uriah to go to Bathsheba his wife (14:56) because when he comes back there he is you know wanting to be a servant of David (15:07) but David wants him to go and to be with his wife so perhaps he would think that the child she was (15:18) divine would be his but Uriah would not go so after failing to get him to leave (15:29) he had Uriah in battle to be put in front of the battle and be killed (15:41) but you know that this that the action that David did displeased God and so (15:53) in chapter 12 of 2nd Samuel Nathan or the Lord sent Nathan to David and Nathan is the father (16:08) and he came to him and said and it tells about two men in one city one rich and the other poor (16:19) the rich man had an exceedingly many flocks and herds but the poor man had nothing except (16:28) one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished and it grew up together with him (16:37) and with his children it ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom (16:46) it was like a daughter to him and then a traveler comes to the rich man (16:55) who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the way for a man (17:04) who had come to him but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him (17:14) David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man and he said to Nathan as the Lord lives (17:22) a man who has done this shall surely die and he shall restore fourfold the land (17:30) because he did this thing and because he had no pity then Nathan said to David you are the man (17:40) thus said the Lord God of Israel I have mourned you king over Israel I delivered you from the hand (17:48) of Saul I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping and gave you the (17:58) house of Israel and Judah and if that had been too little I would have given you more (18:06) why have you despised the commandment of the Lord to do evil in his sight you have killed your eye (18:15) with the sword you have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the (18:24) people of Ammon now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house because you have despised (18:33) me and have taken the wife of your eye of the Hittite to be your wife that says the Lord behold (18:42) I will raise up adversity against you from your own house and I will take your wives (18:49) before your eyes and give them to your neighbor and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of (18:58) the sun for you did it secretly but I will do this thing before all Israel before the sun (19:09) so David said to Nathan I have sinned against the Lord and Nathan said to David the Lord also has (19:21) put away your sin you shall not die now David was king and Nathan put his hands on hands trusting (19:37) in God to come before David the king to tell him this you know David could have gotten angry (19:47) David could have had Nathan put in prison or killed because Nathan told him that let him know (19:58) that he had sinned displeasing God greatly and David said I have sinned against the Lord (20:12) this must have been true because then you know David had sinned and you know when people (20:22) I’ve heard people say David committed adultery and he’s still called man after God’s own heart (20:33) but David quickly confessed his sins sins that he committed and even in Psalm 51 is he said (20:45) against you only have I sinned he was very penitent in owning up to his sin (20:57) and then we have something in 2nd Samuel 24 that David (21:12) was at the beginning of this chapter is that the anger of the Lord was roused against Israel (21:22) and he moved David against them to say go number Israel and Judah so David was told Job the (21:33) commander of the army to go throughout Israel to take a census but in this (21:46) he didn’t do it in the proper way and we it is told then that in verse 10 of this chapter 24 (21:59) and David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people so David said to the Lord (22:06) I have sinned greatly and what I have done but now I pray oh Lord take away the iniquity of your (22:19) servant for I have done foolishly and then the prophet Gad David’s here came and (22:33) so David as God had told Gad that he had he said I offer you three things (22:45) choose one of them for yourself that I may do it to you (22:50) so Gad came to David and told him and he said to him shall seven years of famine come to you (22:58) in your land or shall you plead three months before your enemies while they pursue you (23:08) or shall there be three days flag in your land now consider and see what answer (23:19) I should take back to him who sent me that’s Gad talking to David (23:28) and David said to Gad I am in great distress please let us fall into the hand of the Lord (23:39) for his mercies are great do not let me fall into the hand of man as I said this morning that (23:52) a man when he goes out and he’s in a rage it doesn’t matter if someone is guilty of (24:05) action against that person it doesn’t matter if it could be an innocent baby it could be (24:15) just innocent people anyone and anybody at their hands could be killed (24:25) but God knows just who to deal who he knows how to deal well God sent a flag upon Israel from morning (24:37) till the appointed time from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men of the people died (24:46) but then when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy him (24:55) the Lord relented that means he repented or changed his mind (25:04) he he relented from the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people (25:12) it is enough now restrain your hand and the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Aramah (25:22) the Jebusite so we say that the Lord can destroy (25:32) sin the destroyer and the Lord can also restrain the the destroyer (25:40) the Lord is merciful and David said let me fall into the hands of the Lord for his mercies are (25:50) great and you know God’s mercies are greater than what man can endure and that is what David trusted (26:04) in the mercies of God he experienced the mercies of God when he at the adultery he committed (26:15) and the murder that he committed the husband of Bathsheba (26:25) but now we’re going to see how David can be called a man after God’s own heart (26:35) because and I’m I’m going to talk about three things here I’m only going to give a chapter (26:47) that this cat is in and you can go and study it for yourself and see David (27:00) shows mercy now there is no revenge on Nabal (27:08) Nabal is a man that is in 1st Samuel 25 and what that says about him is that (27:18) Nabal is a churlish guy he is a churlish man his wife’s name is Abigail (27:25) but he he doesn’t care about anybody and you know the servants of Nabal (27:35) were near the near David and his men and David and his men provided protection (27:49) to Nabal’s men and so it came that David and his men needed some food (28:04) and since they were near Nabal they sent the Nabal to get some food telling him that they were (28:15) gave protection to his men but Nabal would refuse to give the food now at first (28:28) David thought about going and having revenge on Nabal but Abigail Nabal’s wife intervened (28:41) she took some food from the place and put them on her animal and went to meet David (28:55) now she was sure that David was going to come and and take revenge but after Abigail spoke to him (29:06) bringing the food then he did not take revenge on Nabal in 2nd Samuel 16 there is a benjamin (29:23) benjamin of the family of Saul his name is Shimei and David on this occasion is (29:40) going with this man and as they are going Shimei is going along kicking up dust and cursing David (29:56) and throwing rocks and such at David Abishai the son of Sarai said to the king (30:08) why should this dead dog curse my lord the king please let me go over and take off his head (30:18) but the king said what have I to do with you you sons of Sarai so let him curse because the lord (30:27) has said to him curse David who then shall say what have you why have you done so (30:37) and other words David is considering there is reason for Shimei to curse him it’s probably (30:44) something that David did and so therefore he doesn’t he doesn’t deal in revenge to Shimei (30:57) and David is on this journey because he is fleeing from Adam his son that is revolting (31:12) against him and in 2nd Samuel 18 and verse 5 David is has been (31:27) free from Absalom but then the people have gathered together to go out and they find out (31:38) where Absalom is and the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ithiah saying deal gently for my (31:53) sake with the young man Absalom he asked for gentleness for his son Absalom in spite of (32:04) Absalom’s revolt trying to take over power against his father now in conclusion I want to read (32:16) Romans 11 32 through Romans 12 verse 1 now Kevin read in your hearing Romans 11 32 (32:36) and I just want to take it take the reading down to verse 1 of chapter 12 beginning with verse 32 (32:57) for God has committed them all to disobedience that he might have mercy on all (33:08) all the debt of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God (33:15) how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out for who has known the mind of (33:25) the Lord or who has become his counselor or who has first given to him and it shall be (33:35) repaid to him for of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever amen (33:50) I beseech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living (33:59) sacrifice holy acceptable to God which is your reasonable service these past 11 the first 11 (34:15) chapters of this book Paul is showing the Romans that God is merciful and and through faith we can (34:29) obtain that mercy and it is through faith that when we obey the gospel and when we are baptized (34:39) and our sins are washed away through baptism we’re made anew we’re born again (34:51) because the old man of sin is is done away with we have a new life and so therefore (35:02) by the mercies of God because I beseech you that you present your body the living sacrifice (35:15) no more do we have to take an animal and slay it and do so morning and evening every day (35:28) but since Christ has sacrificed his life upon the cross he gave his body (35:37) one time once for all and his sacrifice (35:44) can atone for our sins and it is through the mercy of God his mercy is that we can have that (35:53) now we present were to present our bodies a living sacrifice holy acceptable to God (36:04) which is your reasonable service yes God is merciful Jesus died that God’s mercy can be (36:14) extended to us we should take advantage of it if we have obeyed the gospel we need to continue in it (36:24) as I said this morning Christ said come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden (36:32) we have burdens to bear we may it may be that we have we are our anger to God (36:42) but we need to become his children if we need to do that we need to be baptized and become his (36:49) children and even after we can still continue to come to Jesus because of the burdens that (36:59) we may bear because he can make he makes the burden light so his mercy is extended to all of us (37:13) even to the sinners Hebrews 8 12 says for I will be merciful to their unrighteousness (37:22) and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more yes God is merciful (37:34) and we should be merciful too so if there’s any way that you’re subject to the gospel invitation (37:44) we would urge you to do so now while we stand and while we sing