A Son In Conflict Part 1

One was in June Marie Flores looking to Jesus phone number. Shakespeare once said, like a serpent's tooth is thankless child when your kids turn against you. Pain can be unbearable. King David's moral authority over his sons eroded in his later years, and he knew this pain well today we take a look at our son in conflict from the Moody Church in Chicago this morning to with Dr. Sir who was clear teaching helps us get across the finish line. We are in a 10 part series on growing through conflict. Let's turn in our Bibles to second Samuel chapter 13 master loser. I'm sure many listeners have conflicts with their children. Dave, as you indicated this is one of the most painful experiences. Parents can have a son or a daughter who not only runs away from them and from God, but turns against them. Actually, he or she desires to destroy their parents. Absalom wanted to kill his father. It's a story that is very sad.

It's also part of David's sin, because as you mentioned, he lost his moral authority after the experience that he had with Bathsheba and all of the fallout, but in the midst of this, even here, we have to see God's grace and to all the parents out there, you have a prodigal son.

Just know this. Oftentimes they come home most of the time they come home.

Sometimes they don't. But even there, you still must cleave to God, even as David did were so thankful for the many who support the ministry of running to win and I believe that you are blessed as a result of the exposition of God's word would you consider becoming an endurance partner that someone who stands with his regularly with their prayers and their gifts. Of course you need more info.

You go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com and when you're there you click on the endurance partner button or you call us at 1-888-218-9337 just as God promised the name David is famous when we think of David. We think of him as a warrior. Everyone knows the story of David and Goliath we think of David as a great poet for 3000 years people have been blessed by reading the Psalm's that he wrote. We also think of David as a great King. Even today, Jerusalem is known as the city of David, but one of the things that we do not associate with David. One of the things that does not come to mind is that he was a good husband and a good father because as we read the Bible. It seems very clear that even though David was a wonderful administrator and King and warrior and poet. He was not a good dad and a good husband. He was able to rule his kingdom but he was not able to rule his family. My message today has contained within it. Words of warning, but if you stay till the end.

As I hope you will. There will also be some words of great hope for. We can never preach words of warning without words of hope when we shall see in the first part of this message is how David's sin of murder and adultery, as so paralyzed him morally that he lost his ability to rule his family and as a result of that everything begins to disintegrate. If you have your Bibles open to second Samuel second Samuel chapter 11 you recall, that's where David committed adultery and murder.

Chapter 12 is where he was confronted by Nathan the prophet, and after being confronted, he admitted his sin and was forgiven. Beginning in chapter 13. What you find is if you could draft this book up until now, David is having one victory after another. Everything is going is way he's 47 years old. Kingdoms are being conquered territory seems to be falling into his hands, but beginning in chapter 13. Everything begins to, unraveled your member Nathan the prophet said David because of what you did.

The sword shall never depart from your house and today were going to be talking about three swords that pierced David's heart Nathan the prophet said that you committed this sin secretly.

Indeed someone whom you know shall commit the same sin publicly and openly, and that's the sordid story that is before us today.

Sin, though it is forgiven has its consequences. These are referred to sometimes by theologians as governmental consequences. The natural consequences built in to disobedience and one of them is that David was on able to take charge in his family.

Chapter 13 what we see is this David became angry without action angry without action.

It's a sordid story. Chapter 13 is a story of Absalom and his sister tame marble. The bone that were very beautiful, striking in their appearance and Absalom and Kmart were up one of David's wives make and that they of course I got along well together, but there was another son that David had from another one of his wives and that was an non-and Amnon lusted after Kmart so you know what happens in this story and by the way. Sometimes the Bible has some of these very unseemly stories, but never to entice us. This is not Hollywood on screen by any this is given to warn us and to show us the consequences of people's disobedience. But what happened is Amnon no wanted to have a relationship.

A sexual relationship with Kmart and so he pretends that he is sick, and when she comes in to bring him some food, he rapes her.

Not just think of what's happening.

It is not only rape parable, that is, it is also incest and notice what the text says when it's over verse 15 Amnon hated her with a very great hatred for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. Isn't that a sad commentary on illicit sexual experiences.

I thought that he loved her. The chapter opens my sink. Now he love tamer. Oh yeah, he did, he rapes her and now he hates Eric and he throws her out of the room and she is a left alone to deal with her own shame and her own guilt and her own sense of humiliation as best she can. Terrible story David hears about this and you'll notice it says in verse 21 now when King David heard all of these matters. He was very angry or good for you David do something discipline this kid but he doesn't. Maybe because of the said Amnon you know what you did was wrong.

It's a hot who are you to talk. Remember what you did.

David doesn't do anything so the story gets worse. Absalom is angry that his sister has been so cruelly mercilessly shamelessly violated somebody dies is he gets Amnon drunk and invites them to a sheep shearing party and has him killed how'd you like that going on under your nose within your family and what does David do in verse 31 it says the king arose, tore his close lay on the ground and all of his servants were standing by with close torn. This is terrible well of course it's terrible. Do some thing David. David is nothing David is not, by the way you see it was because David did nothing to Amnon that Absalom thought that he had to act and so he multiplies the difficulty by committing murder and Absalom flees. He knows that he is and welcomed anymore and his dad doesn't quite know what to do with them. It says in verse 34 Absalom led verse 37 Absalom fled verse 38, Absalom fled and he goes to guess your and he stays there for three long years want to say David. I mean, you're not just a king you're not just a poet but be your father step in do something, but he was passive.

Some of you grew up with passive fathers, didn't you know sometimes when we do counseling. We say to someone, would you please describe your father in a Fraser in a word very important.

Why because the father has awesome power over his family. There are people who are listening to this message today who are still responding to the actions of the father, either because of abuse or because of neglect or because of his past civic T he would be involved and your whole life has been affect by it. It has to be if he abandoned you, you're going to be at a now all kinds of insecurities, all because of the impact that your dad had but on the other hand, many of you had good fathers and you are emotionally whole today and you have good relationships all because of your dad all has to do with the dead. David is angry, but he doesn't act because you see he had lost his moral authority. It lost his moral authority. The sin was forgiven, but the consequences were there, well let's continue on and what do we discover here. We notice that in the next chapter. David had reconciliation without forgiveness, reconciliation without forgiveness. You know he loved Absalom another one of David's faults. By the way, favoritism. He loved Absalom he wanted to have him back in Jerusalem, but he knew that they didn't think it was politically good to do because news of what happened that spread. Everybody knew what Absalom had done so Joab one of David's men. In fact, the head of his military contingent tips and an idea style Absalom can be brought back and actually tells a woman to tell David a story I will not tell you that we are covering today seven or eight chapters in the Bible, and therefore were going very very quickly on getting you the highlights in your own reading pick up all of the details so anyway I David is convinced that he can bring Absalom back but he still not sure still not sure somebody does is he has Absalom brought back but he won't see him. He keeps them in house arrest.

It says in chapter 14 verse 24.

However, the king said, let him turn to his own house and let him not see my face so Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king's face.

He didn't get a chance to see his dad Absalom snotty Absalom, snotty so he figures you know I can't get attention how he calls to job Joab I want to speak to you in jobs is heard about you before coming.

There's a know he does he get some of his servants to commit a crime of arson. They set some of the things on fire that belong to Job they take some of his crops, and they burn it back on Job's attention. Suddenly, Joab said I'm here I'm here, nieces, Absalom says I want to go back to my dad.

So what does David do he relents and says okay. The boy wants to come back, let him come back already. Verse 33 so Joab came to the king and told him and he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king and the king kissed Absalom in effect saying your in my good graces again and we want to shout it.

David would like to shake the guidance I have in the world can you do this you Welcome the rebellious child back like this and pretend that nothing happened. The guy murdered one of your other sons David David until Absalom is willing to deal with this sin until he is willing to confess it and forsake it and add some thing you just can't embrace him and welcome him back into the family because forgiveness always pre-seeds, genuine reconciliation is not the kind of thing that you can just paper over there may be a man who commits adultery is found out he goes back to his wife, she may have found out and he thinks that everything can just continue in their relationship as it has been as if nothing happened well, what are you making such a big deal about this he thinks there can be no reconciliation without forgiveness without taking care of the whole he says but I'm sorry well yeah, thank you, thank you for that much, but beneath hold that there's a whole lifestyle that needs to be dealt with in the presence of God. You just can take these matters and not deal with the issue that cause them. Let's consider some of the lesser matters of reconciliation within homes whenever I lost my temper and discipline my children unfairly. I've done that out of their little older I can confess to that. And if you have any doubts you could corner them and they probably would keep you there for quite a while. It was enough for me to simply pretend that everything was okay after my anger cooled.

I had to go to them, humble myself specifically say I send I did wrong and even that wasn't enough, I had to say. Will you forgive me afterwards dealt with.

Then we can really be reconciled is a all these people who think that there can be reconciliation if you just pretend or you hope that they will forget so you have fathers who abuse their children, who years later will not deal with the issue.

They will not ask forgiveness. They think well you know it was so many years ago that the child probably doesn't remember there's a word that came to mind that I was going to use and you should be thankful that I quickly screened it nonsense was that word was another nonsense is going to have to do though. For the purposes of the Pope. Of course they haven't forgotten. And of course you can't pretend that everything is okay when it's not okay that was David's problem.

Now you know it's going to happen.

The Absalom he never asked for forgiveness. Therefore, never received it. Sin was not dealt with. He is going to use this sin of murder and he got by with murder and he's going to use that as a launching pad for something a lot worse if only David and confronted him the way Nathan had confronted David and said Absalom you have greatly sinned, and until you take care of this and we somehow deal with the issue, then we can be reconciled with his father and son again.

David here is is unable to act is unable to act as I can imagine Absalom saying, well, you know, murder serious, but dad, you did that with Uriah sexual sin. Yeah that serious but remember what happened with Bathsheba and the father is nothing to say. Let's show how this works out again anger without action reconciliation without forgiveness, sentimentality, sentimentality without strength and now I'm going to summarize several chapters. Here's what happened. Absalom's back in Jerusalem is in the good graces of his father so he stands beside the gate, which is where all the judges stood and he begins that people come to him to deal with some of the judicial aspects of the kingdom and he begins to say to them. Oh, you know, if only I were King, you wouldn't have these problems and he begins to talk about the promises that he makes to them about the fact that you know my dad's kingdom is coming unraveled and he's too busy with other things and he hasn't really been the king that he used to be. And so it says in chapter 15 verse six, second Samuel, and in this manner, Absalom dealt with all Israel. Whoever came to the king for judgment, so Absalom stole away the hearts of the men of Israel, and he built up opposition to his father David. He stole the hearts of the people through deceit. He was incredibly good-looking.

The Bible says that he was handsome. I read a verse in chapter 14 that says now in all Israel. There was no one as handsome as Absalom so highly praise from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head was no defect in him. He oozed charisma and so people began to say, you know, wouldn't it be wonderful if Absalom were our leader. One day after he thought that his power was solidified. He blew the trumpet and he said on having Civil War now and I'm chasing my dad out of Jerusalem and I'm going to grasp the kingdom I'm to be king. What follows is one of the most humiliating experiences for David but also in a sense his finest hour and he goes through the Kidron Valley and he begins to go up the scent of the Mount of olives. His friends want to bring the ark of God with him in an earlier message.

We talked about that ark of God and notice what he says in verse 25 and the king said to Zada return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the sight of the Lord, then he will bring me back again and show me both.

It and his habitation. But if he should say.

Thus, I have no delight in you, behold, here I am.

Let him do to me as seems good to him. That is to God but God do as he wills it. He brings me back to Jerusalem, that's fine.

But if he doesn't bring me back whatever God wants if I'm to die at the hands of my own son let God's will be done by point in David's life and experience. Do you see here a crushed man crushed man by man who finally had given himself wholly and totally to God, my friend, this is Pastor Luther I want to have a personal word with you.

I know that listening today are many parents and you have wayward children. Children who have turned their back on you children who have turned their back on God, and you wonder where you are and God sees your despair. David was so filled with despair.

He said God if you want to take my life at the hand of my son, do what ever you will, of course, David's life was spared and eventually he came back, but I want you to be encouraged to know that often times God brings those prodigal sons back home. Can we just pray together for a moment and ask God to put his hand on those sons and daughters. Father, I thank you for the many people listening today and I ask old Lord that you will birth faith in their hearts, and they will not allow Satan to have their children made a stand in in faith and prayer that their children shall be brought home in Jesus name, amen. I hold in my hands a letter from a Christian counselor who actually says this I learn every day from Pastor Luther and she goes on to say, if Satan can destroy the family. He has a foothold on the rest of our community and that's of course exactly what happened in the life of David and then she says I work with narcissism daily and Pastor Luther preaches on it like no one else. Well, it's because I have preached on narcissism, which of course is increasing in our world today.

She goes on to say is the truth that will set us free, and indeed it is. It is the truth about Jesus Christ.

It is the truth about repentance and running to win exist to preach those truths around the world were so thankful that running to win is in Arabic.

All throughout the Middle East. It's in other languages as well.

Would you consider becoming an endurance partner, someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com when you're there, click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337 want you to know that your prayers, your gifts are making a difference through this ministry go to RTW offer.com. And of course as you know RTW offers all one word when you're there, click on the endurance partner button or you can pick up the phone right now and call 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us running to win 1635 LaSalle Boulevard Chicago line 606141 looser with part one of a son in conflict. The ninth message in his series growing through conflict starting in the life of King David. Next time more about David's loss of moral authority.

This is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the Moody Church