David

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org. We are finishing up the story of us, the series King David Today. Now, I recall when I was a pastor out in California, one of my leaders in that church said the most memorable sermon he ever heard was on King David. It was called, Dare to be a David. And I thought, I'm not so sure. I want my kids to be like King David. Are there some reasons why we might not want anyone to be David? Can you name any? Bathsheba. It's called, you know, that was actually not simply adultery. That was also the position of power over a woman. Do you understand what was all going on there? How could she say no? And then Uriah, the husband, murder. Those are just a couple, but it's not just like, oh, then it's over. No, Amnon, Absalom, later on, even on his deathbed, there were some issues. You read his story and you go, like, this guy is complex. And I dare you not to be like David in a number of ways as well. But this is the story, I think, that I'm glad it encapsulates and finishes the series. Because I think we're going to learn a lot from David. And at the same time, realize that maybe some of our moralisms that you might have gotten in Sunday school, you know, just kind of highlight is a little off. Now, I understand why people have moralistically kind of elevated David to this role model. The problem with it, and it comes possibly from the Bible itself. In the Book of Chronicles, there's a repeated phrase. Now, Chronicles was written, we think, after the Book of First and Second Kings and after Samuel, where our text is today. It was kind of written in retrospect to look back at all the kings. And a phrase comes up again and again throughout the Book of Chronicles as it evaluates every other king after David by David. It's kind of like he's the standard. And you might have heard this phrase, a man after God's own heart. Have you heard that? And that's what made David so special. We're going to have to figure out what that word actually means, because he was after something else when he was going after Bathsheba and not God's own heart. So what does that mean? We're going to figure that out today, I hope. OK, I hope. So we're reading from Second Samuel, chapter seven, and you can follow along. It's a rather lengthy text, but I think it all fits together as a story. Second Samuel, seven, verse one. Now, when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, the king said to Nathan, the prophet, see now I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent. And Nathan said to the king, go do all that is in your heart for the Lord is with you. But that same night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, go and tell my servant David. Thus says the Lord, would you build me a house to dwell in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day. But I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling in all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel. Did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, why have you not built me a house of cedar? Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, thus says the Lord of hosts. I took you from the pastor from following the sheep that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more as formerly from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house when your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers. I will raise up for you offspring after you who will come from your body and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men with the stripes of the sons of men. But my steadfast love will not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever. In accordance with all these words and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. So, this text today, we're going to look at these three points. First of all, David's good intentions. You know what good intentions do, right? God's divine plan and then what it means to be a human after God's own heart. Okay? That's what we're...