Bible Teaching

Calvary Temple Teaching Library

Turned Into Another Man Pt.7

Praise you, Father. Glory to God. It's always good to be in His presence, amen? Let's go ahead and turn to Samuel. We'll continue with our study we've been on for a number of sessions now as we're looking at contrasting the kingdom of darkness, the kingdom of light, looking at Saul's kingdom and David's kingdom. We want to discover what God saying, "David, a man after His own heart," really meant. We've studied David's life some and we've seen that his moral conduct was not acceptable. What was it that made this man, the sweet psalmist, a man after God's own heart? Many commentators over the years have said it's his ability to repent. That goes against what the Word says in Samuel. God says that obedience is better than sacrifice, amen? It's not David's ability to repent, it's David's desire to honor God more than it is to honor himself.

Now in David's life it had to come through a lot of repentance, but the fact of the matter is, when the prophet put his finger in his face and said, "Thou art the man," (2 Samuel 12:7) his heart bowed and he was able to deal with the sin that was within him. Not like our father Adam who said, "The woman thou gavest me" (Genesis 3:12). Not like King Saul who said, "The people went out and wanted to retain these things. I was wanting to be obedient but the people forced me" (1 Samuel 15:15). We saw that it wasn't the people at all but later as the prophet spoke to him and said, "The kingdom was going to be rent from him." He said, "Would you do one thing? Just turn with me and honor me in eyes of the people" (1 Samuel 15:30).

We've come to grips with the fact everyone of us has to deal with that on a daily basis. Are we looking to be honored in the eyes of men or the eyes of God? Is the kingdom that we're looking to glorify, the kingdom that we're building--many times we're deceived beloved, we're trying to use the name of Jesus. We think we're out about Father's business and we're just building our own kingdom and God will see to it that it's exposed in your life. One day the prophet will come before you and he'll stand and he'll say, "You're the man." One of these days you're going to have to deal with issues in your own home, in your own life. Is your knee going to bow? Are you going to be able to humble yourself or will you find yourself moving over into the kingdom of Saul? There are a lot of churches out there you can attend that will let you move in that spirit. They'll tell you everything is all right. They'll tell you that God's more interested in your sacrifice than He is in your obedience, but it's not what the Scripture teaches.

In fact, the Bible says--turn with me over to Timothy for just a moment. Timothy is close to Samuel, same book anyway. We'll see what the Scripture says about the day we're leaving in. It's so important, beloved, that we identify the spirit of the age. As we look around, we hear from many people that there's a great revival going on in our country. I don't see it. In fact, it's contrary to Scripture. People talk about a great revival in the last days. The Bible doesn't teach a great revival in the last days. It's a misapplication of the latter day rain. The latter day rain, beloved, began at Pentecost. The latter day rain was one that fulfilled the covenants to Israel and began to be fulfilled in the Church, the seed of Abraham, Christ; and it's fulfilled in the church. The latter day rain has been manifesting itself since the Spirit of God was outpoured on that Day of Pentecost and it continues to bring strength to the Church. It continues to empower us to be bold witnesses in the day that we're living in. Nowhere in the new covenant do you find the declaration of a great latter day outpouring. It's a misapplication. What you see is the purifying of the bride of Christ. The emphasis in the new covenant is a bride that's being purified and made ready for the bridegroom, praise God; a Church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. The emphasis is about all of this great harvest that's going to come in the last days. Jesus taught a different message than what's being preached in most of our American churches today. He said there's going to be a message that's going to go forth and it's going to preach about a strait and narrow way and there are going to be very few that find it, "but broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be which enter therein." (Matthew 7:13).

Listen to what the Apostle says as he speaks to us in these Pastoral Epistles. I think it's interesting how many preachers, how many pastors want to look for ways to speak to their church and prepare them for the last days and they never look to the Pastoral Epistles. As a pastor I think I would start there, wouldn't you? We refer to Timothy and Titus as the Pastoral Epistles, but really, if you look at all of the epistles, they are pastoral. They have to do with application of the preparation of the church, the way to set in order the abuses that were taking place, whether they were moral or doctrinal. We go into the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit speaks to us and talks about these last days. In chapter four of 1Timothy, it says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly that in the latter times some [not all-some. The reference here is not the majority. What you have to understand is the departing here is not a majority of humanity. It's some of those that were in Revelations; some of those who were already in the church; some who had already been delivered. You're talking about a minority to start with and of the minority, some] shall depart from the faith [now watch what's going to draw them in these last days] giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils." A seducing spirit that would cause a wandering; which would lead astray; the seduction process of another gospel. We talked this morning about what that gospel was comprised of. It's secular humanism with Christian jargon, just enough to be able to feign the Gospel. It's a gospel of pleasure, it's a gospel of self.

I was sharing with someone just before the service that it's interesting to hear the people today that are excited about evangelism, and they're talking about evangelism, and you listen to what their evangelism is, and their evangelism is a call to recreation. It's a call to party time. Calling to the churches, "and if you'll come, we'll give you free clothes and we'll give you food and there will be a way that you can socially interact and you might even find a mate or a date." As I listen every morning to different Christian broadcasters--and I do it for a number of reasons. I listen to be edified and I am edified as I'm taught the Word of God, but I'm also trying to keep up with what's going on in the world, what's being preached. You get to hear some good teachers out there like Adrian Rogers and Charles Stanley. Men like that who will bless you. Isn't it sad that I can't mention any charismatics? You listen to what's being taught and then you hear some of these other messages that are being preached. I don't want to mention any names, necessarily, but I'll just give you initials like TBN, because people don't like names mentioned so we won't mention any names. We'll just use initials. You get ministries like this and you see what is being entertained and every doctrine imaginable comes on there. Isn't anybody going to stand for the truth? They have one thing in common, the viewing audience. What it's all about, beloved, is how much recognition I can get, how this will build my ministry. Tragically, it comes down to dollars and cents.

I can show you this in the Pastoral Epistles. It says, "Not for filthy lucre's sake" (1 Peter 5:2). Don't preach this gospel for what you can gain from it. The spirit of the age. How we need men and women that will stand as prophets of God and speak the truth and see a remnant purified and prepared for the coming of Jesus! Willing to be persecuted for the kingdom rather than build their own kingdom. I'm not just talking to preachers. I'm talking about the ease of you on the job or whatever it is you want to do to ease yourself and not have to deal with relatives, or whoever else it might be when you stand for the truth. In the latter days there's going to be a seduction. How easy it is to go out and proclaim a gospel of hedonism. "Come to church and hear some singing that will bless you. Go away feeling good about yourself." We get advertisements, not only are they not shamed but they're boasting in the fact--I got one the other day. "You can come to our church and we guarantee you that you'll never feel guilty." They boast in that. That's a pretty easy sellout. It's a lot easier to invite people to a party than it is to a cross.

It's a difficult thing for you and I to go out there and know that what we're presenting to people is a cross, death. As we've shared so many times, the dual cross of Christianity. So many professed Christians talk about the cross, but Christianity has more than one cross. Thank God Jesus died on that cross for you and me. The emphasis is the death of Christ and the cross of the first fruits who was willing to lay down His own will and say, "Not my will but thy will be done. Father if it's possible, let this cup pass from me, but nevertheless not my will" (Matthew 26:39). He went to a cross to empower you and me to take up a cross and follow Him. There is no eternal life until you accept your cross. It's not by works. We're not talking about works, we're talking about obedience. We're talking about subordination to the lordship of Jesus Christ. We're talking about recognizing the eternal purposes of God and not being distracted by the temporal solicitation of the flesh.

In the last days teachers are going to seduce many with this doctrine of hedonism, pleasure; that gospel of self-helps. I very seldom go to bookstores but I walked into the Christian bookstore the other day. I was greeted by a book by T.D. Jakes, "Lay Aside Every Weight." The whole book is about how to lose weight. "Lay Aside Every Weight." What blasphemy! To use a Bible verse that has to do with freeing ourselves from the power of sin, to live a holy life for Jesus Christ, to sell a recipe book! I'll tell you how to lose weight, put a knife to your throat. That's what the Scripture teaches, bless God! It's tragic. You're greeted by just huge rows and rows of self-helps and doctrine of how to feel good about yourself. Then somewhere in the back you find this one little counter and these books on the front are selling for $25.95 and the only good thing about it is that you can go in the back and you can find these little books for a $1.95. You can blow the dust off of them and you can buy Andrew Murray and A.W. Tozer and E. M. Bounds.

What's the condition of the church today? You want to find out the condition of the church? Go to the bookstores. I can guarantee you that they sell a whole lot more trinkets than they do classics. It just gives us a little feel for where we are. Just listen to Christians today and listen to the conversation and let's see if there's not a seduction that's taking place. "And many shall depart from the faith" (1 Timothy 4:1). There's only one faith. There's only one truth. Everybody's talking in this other realm of Saul's kingdom about unity. It's the unity gospel. It's not talking about unity. It's talking about compromise. It's talking about if you don't bring any doctrine in, we won't. I want to tell you something. The church of Jesus Christ is unified. The Bible says we are to "endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). Those that are walking in the Spirit are unified with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We just need to find people that believe t he truth and hang out with them, praise God. I'm not looking to make friends with the world or with the Pharisees. I'm not interested in what men have to say about me. I'm not interested in being blessed in front of the eyes of the elders or whoever it is that's the famous guy in the religious circles today. As many of you know, I've already preached in most of their churches. Of course, most of the guys whose churches I preached in when their churches were the super churches in this nation are has-beens now. I'll tell you that the 60 minutes of fame is very fleeting and if that's what you put your heart in and your treasure in it'll kill you.

So listen to what the Spirit says. I want to get back on course here. It says, "They're a people that speak lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared." (1Timothy 4:2). It's tragic to hear that phrase being used. People that have been assaulted, if you please, by the Word of God, by the truth of the gospel, by the power of the Holy Spirit and have refused the truth and embraced a lie, and God turns them over to reprobate hearts. Conscience seared so that they can no longer hear the truth, people who call the truth a lie and a lie truth.

Is that where we are today? The admonition to the young preacher as you read down in this chapter is, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine [Not your unity to with the ministerial association.] ...for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." Where are we today in our churches?

Well Paul says--look over at the third chapter of the second epistle. This is a powerful statement. He says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good" (2 Timothy 3:1-3). This is what I wanted to get to tonight, "despisers of those that are good." This is going to be an indication of the last days. This isn't talking about the world this is talking about people who have been in the truth, those that have been seduced. Look what he goes on to say. What were they seduced to? To become lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Tragic. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Those that despise good.

You want to see what these people are called. Look at verse 4. Traitors. In the church today people that defect from the faith are no longer called heretics, they're just called immature Christians. Those that defect from the faith are just called carnal. The Holy Ghost calls them traitors to the blood of Jesus Christ. "...heady, [strong, self-willed], high-minded," [exalting their own opinion and the secular view on the same plane as the Word of God]. High-minded. Embracing philosophy, psychology, which is what permeates so many of our professed churches today, and they equate this with the wisdom of God's Word.

I just want you to try and get a taste here of what the Holy Spirit is saying. This is the Holy Ghost that's telling us that this is going to be what we're going to experience in the professed church in the last days. Before we go back to Samuel, look over if you would, just a second, to the fourth chapter here of 2 Timothy. He admonishes this young man, "Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season." How much of this goes on in churches today? He says, "There's going to be a seduction. There's going to be a last day falling away. Men are going to heap to themselves teachers having itching ears." Congregations are in charge today, voting on the men that will tell them what they want to hear, to make them feel good about themselves. Paul admonishes this young pastor. He says, "I want you to preach the Word." Now how much of this goes on in churches today? "...reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (verses 2-4).

That's what people are living in today in most churches--fairy tales. Fables about who they are. Fables about who Jesus is. Fables about the hour that we're living in. Fables about the founding fathers of this nation. Dear God, so many of our churches today want to make Thomas Jefferson a saint. The guy was a deist. He didn't know Jesus. We need to understand, beloved, the call to defend this Gospel, to keep this message pure and to guard our own hearts in this last day from the spirit of seduction because we're not free. You know, when the majority keeps talking and propagating this thing and talking about how peaceful they are and how content they are in the Lord and how they have this great peace. You say, "My relationship with Jesus--it seems like I'm always under condemnation. I'm having to battle with these different things and they're experiencing such joy and liberty." What they've found, beloved, is a doctrine that allows their rebellion to be justified. Their consciences have been seared. Of course there is no longer condemnation. Their conscience is seared. Everything in the natural man has a tendency to want to look that way.

When I talk about condemnation, I'm talking in light of what the Scripture says. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. [Amen?] ...For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:1, 3). Praise God! We understand the victory that we have over sin. We understand the victory that we have over that power that's in our members. We understand that there's no longer a condemnation that says, "I'm being judged of God." But there is, beloved, that spirit of conviction that's in us. Not condemnation. We are not condemned but we are convicted. There should be a brokenness and a remorse. There should be in us a godly sorrow so that there can be true repentance, praise God. Don't let anybody talk you out of feeling bad about your sin, of being under a true godly sorrow when you've reproached the name of Jesus and trampled His blood beneath your feet through your own rebellion. You ought to feel bad about that. Then you ought to rejoice, praise God, that the Scripture says, "If we confess our sin, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all of our unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

You see the difference between the two messages. The one says, "Don't feel bad." The other one says, "Feel bad and repent. Change your course." That's how we contrast these two kingdoms of Saul and David. The thing that keeps you and me from being able to transition into the kingdom that David was in is that spirit that we've talked about in a number of these studies, of being perceived in the eyes of men as something that we're not, of being afraid to have who we really are revealed to us and to those that have been given ministry to lift up our hands when they're hanging down and to comfort the feeble-minded.

That's what I want to talk about tonight. I want to talk about this spirit of being able to absolutely cast everything over onto the Lord and let Him build this character that will cause you and me to be servants in the kingdom to where men could see the works and not glorify man but glorify our Father which is in heaven.

So let's go to Samuel. I want to get to this passage we've been trying to for three services now. It looked like we weren't going to get there again but I'm going there, bless God. 2 Samuel. I don't know why we got off there. I felt the Lord told me, as I was in prayer in the other room before coming, to speak on those couple passages in Timothy. I don't know who it was for. Grab it and run, praise God. Now in 2 Samuel we find that David is now departing Jerusalem, fearing Absalom, the anarchy that's getting ready to take place. The consequence of his sin is being reaped. As David now is on his way out of Jerusalem, a very interesting thing happens. Verse 24 of the 15th chapter, "And Zadok also, and all of the Levites were with him, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God: and they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out of the city. And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me again, and show me both it, and His habitation. But if He thus say, [This is a powerful passage, beloved] I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, let Him do to me as seemeth good to Him."

Have you come to that place in your life yet to where you can offer everything up that means something to you? David we find in a place right now, I'm sure looking back on the call of God in his life--and many times we say things seemed to be better, easier before God called me. Many times in the natural, in the temporal, things are easy. You don't have any resistance. The devil wasn't opposing you, he already had you. Don't mistake ease and a lack of trouble with being right with God. That's paganism in its purest state, as we've shared with you many times from the philosophers and the philosophic approach. We see it in much of Christianity today. If something bad happens, we say, "They must be sinning. There must be something wrong in their lives." Pagans believe that if you're good the reward will be good, and if you're bad then there will be evil that will come on you. There's a whole book about that, it's called Job.

Let God speak for himself in the book of Job and you'll find out that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. The issue in your life and mine, beloved, is coming to an understanding of this, that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. That all things work together for good to those that love God and are called according to His purpose. Everything that's happening in your life and my life is not by fate. It is orchestrated by an eternal God who loves us and who's called us to an eternal purpose. Everything that you and I are facing is to make us more like Jesus so that we can bring glory to the kingdom of God. So we embrace where Father has brought us at this particular time. Even when we look at things that are tragic and we think dear God, did God tell David to commit adultery? Of course not. Did God tell David to kill Uriah? No, but God orchestrates every circumstance of our lives and He's able to take evil and turn it for good.

We have to believe that or we can never come to this position that David's in here and be men after God's own heart. A man after God's own heart is a man like Job who will justify God instead of himself. Can you do that in the midst of your tragedies and trials? Are you able to say, "Look, though He slay me, I'm going to trust Him. I'm going to worship Him. I'm going to serve Him. I don't deserve anything but a devil's hell and it's the mercy of God and the grace of God that solicited me into His heart"? How many people are serving God for what we can get out of it? How many of us are tempted to be seduced away when trials come and adversity comes? When that hour comes, when the Bible says they'll be despisers of those that are good. When the Bible says what Jesus so clearly told us in Matthew 10 comes to pass. "They will kill you and think they're doing God service. Your enemies will be those of your own household. They will hate you for My name's sake."

We don't like these messages. We sit here tonight and we hear what the Spirit of God is saying to us and we say, "Man, surely there's something else we can study besides this!" What are you going to do when your own kids rise up against you? Here's a man whose son will kill him if he gets a chance. He's a traitor to God, to his father, and David sees this young man as the chastening of the Lord. David says, "I deserve to have the kingdom taken from me. I'm not worthy to be king." You know what, he wasn't. He never was. He wasn't worthy when he was singing praises on the backside of the desert. He wasn't worthy when he wrote the 23^rd Psalm. He wasn't worthy when he killed the lion and the bear. He wasn't worthy when he slew Goliath. Our righteousness is as filthy rags. He was no more worthy at his best than he was at his worst.

The issue is, are you willing to be used of God for God's eternal purposes? Are you able to worship Him and trust Him in the midst of adversity? When you don't understand the circumstances that you're in, do you realize that God's doing you good and that all things will work together for good to those that love Him and are called according to His purpose? You can truly say, "I'm not going to manipulate this thing. I'm not going to do anything to make it happen. I put myself solely in the hands of God. If He wants to bring me back to Jerusalem again, He will. If I am to see the ark of God again then God will orchestrate it. I'm not doing anything to promote my own will. I have finally bowed my knee in Gethsemane to drink the cup of God and say for the rest of my life, not my will but they will be done." That's the spirit that we're talking about. That's a man after God's own heart.

All of these things that we think were so horrific that he did, and they were. They were so heinous, and they were, but we have to experience those things as fallen men many times to be emptied out and poured out before God that He might finally raise us from the dead and in our weakness show His strength perfect. Are you willing to be poured out? Are you willing to have all of your ugliness revealed that God's glory could finally be seen in you? Are you willing to experience what Corinthians says to become earthen vessels that the glory and the excellence might be of God and not of us? It's not fun. Turn to the book of Job for just a second. Job's a great book. ("Get a Job, sha, na, na, na." That was for those of you who think God just pours blessings out of heaven. You have to work. Get a job.) Chapter 40. Job's a great book. Too many people emphasize the first part of the book of Job--the trial. With all that Job was going through and with all of Job's comforters, they're trying to figure out why this thing happened. "Surely," as the comforters say, "Surely, there's sin in your life. This is God judging you." Job says, "No it isn't. I haven't done anything wrong. I'm right with God. I've served the Lord. I've dedicated my life to Him." They're arguing back and forth. Now remind yourselves of what took place here. Here's a man who lost everything; a wealthy man, a powerful man; a man that the Scripture speaks toward and says that he was feared in the gates. The same that reverenced his position and his wisdom are now mocking him.

Through all of that he comes to this in chapter 40. "Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct Him? He that reproveth God let him answer it" (Job 40:1-2). You come up with an answer. And Job responded and said, "Behold I am vile; what shall I answer thee?" "I can't explain all of these mysteries." God asked him a question. "Where were you when I hung the heavens? You explain to me all of these different laws." Job said, "This is way beyond me. I will lay my hand upon my mouth." You want to know what to do in the midst of God's pruning you and purging you? Just put your hand over your mouth and take it, praise God. Just keep saying, "God's good. The Lord is good. I want to acknowledge something in your presence. The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. I want to declare with my brother, Abraham, 'the judge of all the earth does right,' praise God. I'm not going to speak. 'Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.' "

Here was the whole issue, beloved--we're talking about men after God's own heart. Here was the whole issue. We're contrasting Saul and David. Saul, who said, "Justify me, exalt me; recognize me in the eyes of the people." And David, when he faced the finger of the prophet who said, "Thou art the man," wrote the 51st Psalm. "Renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me." A man after God's own heart is a man who says that there is only one treasure in my life. There's only one thing that I cannot live without and that's the presence of God. You can take my wife. You can take my children, you can take my wealth, you can take my health, but I can't live without Your presence.

Have you come there? Now, we would like to think that, and doctrinally that's the confession of our mouths, but you know what the Scripture says, chapter 42, verse 5, "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee." Beloved, many of us have not come to our Gethsemane. Many of us, in the day and the hours that are coming, when they'll call good evil and evil good, when they'll kill the true church of Jesus Christ and think that they're doing God service--Do you have a heart of Saul or a heart of David? Don't answer; you'd be wise just to put your hand over your mouth and say, like Peter, after being asked for the third time, "Do you love me," say, "thou knowest, Lord. You've asked me three times and I've responded in the affirmative and you keep asking me; I don't know, Lord. I thought I wouldn't forsake you and I was the one who betrayed you. I don't know. You tell me whether I love you or not." "Feed my sheep. Just teach My Word. Be an example of someone who's emptied himself for the kingdom. Give up the fishing business again and finish what I've called you to do" (John 21:5-17).

What do you do when times get rough? Do you run back to fishing? Do you go back to what you can do in the natural when it looks like this lucrative position is falling through, and it looks like the kingdom that you thought was going to be established now appears to be in jeopardy because the king has just been crucified? When God allows you to look at your own heart and you think that you're some kind of champion and some kind of an example and all of a sudden out of your mouth comes, "I don't know the man." And you lie or you cheat or you murder. Those eyes of fire gaze into your heart and you realize how weak and how vile you are and you begin to weep. You find yourself isolated from the community. The good news is this, beloved. The Master said, "Satan desires to sift you as wheat but I've prayed for you" (Luke 22:31). Can you say, "praise God for that"? We don't know our own heart but He's prayed for us, praise God. I don't know if I can endure Gethsemane but He's already endured it for us. Are you willing to die with Him so that His power can resurrect you? Are you willing to believe that even in your pride, when you've forsaken Him and you've sinned, that He's still seeking you and when He rises He says, "Go tell the disciples and Peter that I'm risen." He'll never leave us nor forsake us. He can't deny Himself.

What kind of a heart do you have? Do you really want to know who you are? Do you really want a glimpse of yourself? Do you want to see as God sees you? Our doctrine is correct. I've heard with the hearing of the ears. I can tell you what I'm supposed to say. I want to tell you something. It's only after Gethsemane and it's only after what Job went through that you can say, "But now I've seen Him with my eyes." Listen to what the declaration of Him is, "Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). You see, the indictment of God against Job is found back in the 40th chapter, verse 8. Look at it. He said, "Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? [Here's why the whole book of Job exists, right here, this verse.] Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?" Will you indict God that you might justify your own behavior, your children's behavior, your pet doctrine? Will you justify yourself and indict God? The man after God's own heart is the man that's jealous for the righteousness of God, the truth of the gospel. "I've heard of Him. I said earlier the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord." He was able, listen, he was able to stand up to the loss but he wasn't able to stand up to being the cause. "This did not come because of my unrighteousness. What I am experiencing is not just." Beloved, Genesis 18 says that the judge of the earth does right. A man after God's own heart. A man that is jealous for God's truth. A man that abhors himself and repents in dust and ashes, verse 6 says. As soon as that revelation of the renewed character of Job is expressed, listen to God's response. "And it was so, that after [chapter 42, verse 7] the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said... [Now here were Job's comforters, those that were accusing him constantly. Those that were dealing from a secular, humanist, pagan perspective. Here's God's judgment] ...My wrath is kindled against thee and thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right as my servant Job hath."

It all has to do with what our perspective of whom God is. This world is not about us. It's not about the idealizing, the idolatry of humanism, of man. It's about God. Even the Ten Commandments are set up that way. The first five deal with our relationship to God and the other five have to do with our relationship with man. It's interesting how even in our churches we emphasize and are horrified by murder and adultery and lying, and not about having idols of self-will, of secular humanism, of a generation who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. "You've not spoken right concerning Me. Will you indict Me that you might justify yourself?" The end of the matter is seen in the 10th verse, "And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends; also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."

That seems to be the emphasis of everybody that reads this book. I just want twice as much of God. I just want to know as I am known. As David's leaving Jerusalem, he's as empty as Job was and at that point he even says, "Just take the ark back. I don't know what God's going to do with me but I know it's going to be right. I don't have a clue, but if God's willing, if God desires, He'll bring me back again, praise God. But if He thus say, 'I have no delight in thee,' let Him do to me that seemeth good to Him." Have you ever been there? I have. I have been there on a few occasions in my life.

David, the man after God's own heart. Wouldn't it be great if the story went like this? After David was humbled, and after God had restored him and Absalom had been killed, that David then returned to Jerusalem and lived happily ever after. But you know, the guy had a problem with his flesh. As we shared this morning, he goes back and he numbers Israel again and the judgment of God comes upon the people again. Is he ever going to get it right? It was made right, not in Abraham, but in his seed. Not in David, but in his seed. The house of David that lasts forever and that a man was faithful to the best of his ability, with all of his frailties, with all of his carnality, with all of his sin, in the end to say whatever God chooses to do, He is right. He is just and I am worthless. If God can use me for His glory, here am I, my Lord, send me.

Is that where your heart is tonight? Are you ready to be poured out so that God's strength can be seen in your weakness? Are you willing to make this choice of casting all of your care upon Him knowing that He cares for you? "It doesn't matter, I'm not going to try to plan anything whatsoever. If God delights in me, He'll bring me back again." Can you trust God? Moses did when Korah and Dathan were opposing him. He just fell on his face and said, "Let God make the judgment." The simplicity of emptying ourselves of every part of our own personal agenda so that God can be glorified. Enduring the process to come to that place makes us men after God's own heart.

Father, we thank You for the Word of God. As we're taking time to study these men and we've seen the rise and the fall; we've seen the good and the ugly; we've seen the carnal and the faith; we've seen the life and the death. If we had to analyze the man's life, it was a failure and his son after him even worse. But it wasn't to David but the house of David. Of his kingdom there shall be no end. The kingdoms that you and I represent are temporal, they're earthly, in the natural. Some of your children are going to make it and some of them aren't. Some of you will not have your spouses accompany you into the kingdom of light, but of His kingdom there shall be no end.

You won't have done everything right and you may have contributed to the delinquency of Absalom. Your lack of diligence, to be not on the battlefield but be home strolling on the housetop and viewing Bathsheba and being overcome in your flesh, can bring you grave consequences. As your pride rises up and you number the people to show your great success. As you number your checkbook, as you look at the size of your home, as you compare yourselves by yourselves, you just bring the necessity of the chastisement of the Lord. Listen to the conclusion of this whole thing. "I'll call you by My name. I will make you righteous with My own righteousness. While you were sinners I loved you and I died for you, and I was made sin with your sin that you might be made righteous with My righteousness." Whosoever will may come and embrace the unspeakable free gift of the grace of God.

And we then declare that "it is no longer I that live but Christ that liveth in me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). It is no longer I but Christ. A man after God's own heart.

Let's stand before the Lord. As Gary plays for us, we'll take a moment to allow the Spirit of God to speak to hearts tonight. Which kingdom does your heart represent tonight? Can you say that it's no longer I but Christ? Can you say not my will but Yours? When asked the question can you drink of His cup and you say, "Yes." The Master will say, "You can't but you will be able to. I'll make you able. You're not ready yet but I will make you able." When Jesus speaks to you tonight and says, "Can you drink of this cup?" Thou knowest Lord, but I want to be able to. Thou knowest, Lord; here am I, send me. I'm a man of unclean lips. Remove the coal from the altar and sanctify my mouth that I would speak only the Word of God. Like Jeremiah, I'm only a child, but put your Word in my mouth that it could break the rock in pieces. That it would be a fire that would consume the spirit of the world that would oppose the truth. Like Elijah, I'm just a man of like passions and I feel many times like quitting and dying, but send the angels to feed me, because without You I can do nothing but I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. A man after God's own heart. I know what I am and I know who I am in Christ. There's a difference. I know what I am and I know who I am. Who I am is a son of God, an heir and joint-heir with Jesus. What I am is a sinner and my righteousness is as filthy rags. Who I am is the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. What I am is an earthen vessel. Who I am is a conduit of the glory of God. What I am is overcome. Who I am is an overcomer, for sin no longer has dominion over me, praise God. Here am I, Lord. You said go into all the world and preach the gospel, the cross, the power of God to salvation. Heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead. Freely you've received, freely give. You're going to be hated of all men for my name's sake, but I'm with you always even until the ends of the earth. Oh, what a mission before us! What a task! It's overwhelming and so we say, "It's no longer I that live." A man after God's own heart.

As we sing this chorus together, are you willing to be prepared? Are you willing to be prepared to experience the purging, the chastening, the purifying process? Let's offer ourselves up to Him. Is that your heart's cry tonight? Have the things of this world left you dry? We've all partaken to different degrees and to the degree that you and I have partaken, it doesn't matter. Every one of us could say that it just doesn't satisfy. Now the tragedy is this: We think if I could just have a little more, surely it would. It never does. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. A man after God's own heart. A man that treasures the presence of God beyond life itself; make us those men, Father, we ask in Jesus' name. Here am I, Lord, send me.

Before you go, turn to somebody next to you and say, "Take up the cross." Amen, Go in peace. God's love go with you.

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