Address—R. Pilkington
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I'd like to speak about failure only in the sense of maybe connecting it a little bit to yesterday's talk on overcoming failure is a very negative subject.
But I wish to talk of it in a positive way. I don't know what there is positive.
About failure? None. I suppose. On the other hand, there is.
I wish to think of failure in the sense of what is your.
Reaction to failure.
What is my reaction to failure when I find it within my life? So who would you use as an example of failure from scripture, ironically enough.
Why not use the man who was called?
A man after God's own heart? Probably first reaction would be what? Man after God's own heart? No failure there. Oh yes, there was.
Very serious failure. I would like to, as I say, consider David's reaction to failure. Of course, the greatest failure, David.
I shouldn't make that statement. I can't substantiate it.
Because all sin is sin and just as serious in God's sake.
But what we might consider the greatest failure in David's life, of course, was the sin of adultery with another's wife in Chapter 11.
In the background, because our time is short this afternoon, the background be behind this would be that.
David is on the roof and he's looking down. He sees a beautiful woman. The armies are at war and he's at home relaxing. This is quite a challenge to each one of us.
Actually.
Sometimes the most dangerous area in our life is leisure. What do you do with leisure time? One brother made the remark. I think it was this morning.
Things right in their own place.
If the heart gets set on them, then they become a snare and eventually a sin. So he has his leisure time. He doesn't spend it properly.
He looks down, he sees a beautiful woman, and he desires her.
He takes her, lies with her, commits the sin. Sins can happen very quickly when we're not close to the Lord. Was that the end of the story? No, God never allows you to escape.
With sin in your life, it's like a rotten apple. It can only get more rotten with time if you don't deal with it with the Lord. So he calls Uriah.
But she was husband Mac pretence of asking about the battle.
Very devious, his ways says go on home and lay with your wife.
I don't know if I'm right inferring this. Seems to me if that could happen then he could claim that the child belonged to Uriah. But one thing is very certain that you can't get away from the Lord. He loves you too much.
And God would not allow David to get away and cover up his sin like that. Then he, because he arrived, will not listen to him. He gets your eye drunk.
Figures if he gets drunk enough he doesn't know what he's doing, he'll probably go home and lay with his wife.
Cover up the same same way doesn't work, thank God.
He never lets me away with anything in my life. Then he resorts as my memory comes to me. If I serves me right, has a little plan.
Very careful covering over his sin.
Right goes into battle, gets in the forefront.
Army pulls back.
Your eyes killed your brother and sister, so I think about.
David, a man after God's hand, a heart.
Could it be that he would sink to such depths as this?
Devious ways, I think we find it repugnant, Your brother and sister. It hurts, it really hurts to see somebody who had the title of a man after God's heart to sink into sin like that. Not a sort of being caught off the guard, but a insistence.
That he was going to commit that sin and that he was going to cover up. So Uriah is killed, and then David goes and takes Bathsheba. A little boy is born.
From the relationship of adultery, your brother and sister where was gone? Why did it not God jump out?
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Had David.
He lets him go.
That's what really frightens me.
About sin.
And maybe in my own life, if we let.
Things go.
And we insist on our own will.
Sometimes God says leave them alone, let them go right to the very end.
How important it is?
In failure.
As soon as we discover it.
To come to the Lord Jesus, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and justice to forgive us our sins.
So God leaves the failure go right to the very end.
Now there is no way of refuting.
A little child is born, and so God.
Says the Lord sent chapter 12 and verse one it says the Lord sent Nathan.
Nobody.
As far as I can see.
As far as it's recorded in Scripture, nobody.
Was appalled by what David did. There must have been somebody who knew about it.
Moreover.
The Lord sent Nathan. It wasn't like we were talking about a little while ago.
That we become so concerned about a brother and sister when we see weakness.
Then in tears, we go to that person. It hurts us too much to see that person going on in a path.
That is going to eventually end in sin.
But here the Lord himself is faithful, and he sends Nathan.
He tells a little story.
About a lamb.
Little lamb a rich man and the poor man that had little lamb and how the rich man steals the poor man's little lamb In verse five of chapter 12, David's anger was greatly kindled against the man.
And he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth.
The man had done nothing. This thing shall surely die.
And he shall restore the Lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Know what I look for in my own personal life as a weathervane to see which wind the blow the wind is blowing.
Health finding.
Criticism. David is quite hard on this man, he said. He's going to die, he's going to simply pay back four full.
When you get away from the Lord, we start criticizing people. You really get hard on people.
But there's basically something wrong with us.
Nathan quietly says 4 words. Thou art the man.
You're the man. Does David try to?
Think of it, David, powerful king.
He could easily simply say chop that man's head off. It's an arrow conviction to his heart. He has no more excuses. He never did. I suppose he just had devious ways trying to cover up. But when he's found out, he quietly admits.
With no excuses, I want to you to notice what God says. This is what I want to say to my heart and yours this afternoon above failure. How does God consider it? How other people consider it?
Please don't think when you see failure in your own life, sweep aside.
How other people think about it. In one sense, the word, I don't really mean that, OK, but you'll understand what I'm trying to say. Sweep aside of what other people say about it. Come into God's presence yourself and look at the thing as God looks at it, and that will produce real repentance in your heart.
And mine. So here's what God says. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel. I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul, and I gave thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the House of Israel and of Judah.
And if that had been too little, I would more moreover, have given thee such and such things. Why hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord to the evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and has taken his wife to be thy wife, and has slayed him with the sword of the children of Ammon. Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thy house.
Thine house, because thou despisest me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hidayat to be thy wife.
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Thus saith the Lord, be Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wise before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sin, for thou didst it secretly. But I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. Now this is God's response. In a minute we see David's response. But it seems to me, having read all of those verses.
That what God is saying to him.
I blessed you. I delivered you from Saul.
And my blessing came fully on you.
And as soon as it touches my sense of humor, then he says a little phrase he said to him in verse 8.
If that had been too little.
That have been too little.
I would, moreover, have given unto these such and such things.
Dear young people, this is really, I suppose, for all of us. God has blessed us, first of all with those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. We have eternal life, sins forgiven. We have the Word of God.
We have the Holy Spirit to open up this book and really give us guidance.
And give us very precious things to make us enjoy God's love, the Lord is saying, is not enough.
That's OK.
Isn't that enough? That's OK, I can give you more.
If that's not enough, I'll give you more. There are certain needs in our lives as a human being. We need to relax. We need a partner in life. We need a job.
We need brothers and sisters in Christ to walk with and to encourage us, David said. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.
Not in this chapter.
David thought he could. He needed something more than God had given to him.
And failure is not necessarily.
Disobeying the 10 commandments.
Failure comes in our lives when we grab things that God is not given to us.
Is there anything wrong with feeling the need of a wife or a husband or a friend?
Is there anything wrong with needing fellowship of brothers and sisters? Do you need it?
Why don't you ask God? Don't steal from God. He doesn't pay. It only brings as it did in David's life.
Pain and suffering to both him.
And his family. So I would encourage you, dear brother and sister in Christ, don't steal from God.
If you feel a need in your life.
You ask him for it.
And he will either give it to you.
Or he will fulfill that need.
He will satisfy that need. Now. David's reaction.
How does David?
React lots of excuses.
Verse 13 David said to her, under Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.
What else does he have to say?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Could it be in our mind's eye that we stand in the presence of David? He's confronted with his sin.
And so if we can see David standing there speechless.
With only four words I've seen against the Lord. No excuses, no explanations. Dear brother or sister in Christ, as we are before the Lord in this conference, maybe even in this meeting if you are conscious.
Our little secret things in your life.
Come quietly and stand before the Lord if you cannot get full peace and rest in your heart.
About something in your life, you bring it to the Lord this afternoon.
If you are conscious.
Of an area in your life where you have stole from God.
Come quietly, you yourself and justice. Tell him I've said Lord against you. No excuses, no exclamations. I just want you to know I've sinned against you this afternoon. So the Lord forgives him and that's the end of it, no?
Because there is such a thing.
In our lives.
His God's government is called.
Such a thing in our lives as God saying you can't escape from the consequences of your action.
You're going to pay for it now in a very real way. And so in our story.
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Nathan in verse 13.
And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin. Thou shalt not die. First of all, God doesn't strike us dead. God does not wipe us off. God does not dismiss us from his mind because we have sinned. But there are consequences.
Is what what we read now? But first thing you must get clear in your mind, if you have sinned before the Lord, if you stole something from Him.
He doesn't write you off and say OK after this you're a second class Christian.
OK, after this, you're not going to get as much blessing. I'm not going to bless you as richly as somebody else. But we do suffer consequences.
When we allow sin in our light.
And so the first thing he said, you won't die.
The Lord has put away your sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins.
And their cleanses from our iniquity. So that's the first thing. Second thing.
Verse 14 however, however, I trust dear young person, dear older, middle-aged, or older brother and sister.
That.
There won't be a however in your life, dear young person. I desire and the Lord desires far more than I do.
That there may be no howvers in your life. That he might feel quite free to bless your life.
That there might be no consequences of sin in your life in this example that we are dealing with.
It is adultery, a very serious sin in God's sight. Extremely serious, because as far as I know.
The sin of adultery. Fornication Sin of adultery.
In a spiritual sense.
Spoils one of the most beautiful.
The Bible and that is the relationship between Christ and the Church.
He is the husband and wife relationship.
And so David Sin is a very serious one, but I'm not thinking of it this afternoon in the sense that.
You know the sin of adultery. I'm just saying sin itself.
Is a very serious thing in the sight of God.
So he says in this verse, however.
Because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord, to blasphemy.
The child also that is born unto thee, shall surely die. He can't escape the consequences of sin in his life, and God deals with him with it.
And so, he said, the child is certainly going to die.
And Nathan verse 14.
Verse Right. Verse 15 Nathan departed from his house, and the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife bear unto David, and it was very sick.
Where is David's reaction?
Does he rebel?
Does he say if you're going to do that to me, God?
I'm going to fight you to the end. No he doesn't. The young person. God wants to bless you.
Very greatly in your life.
He wants to satisfy all of your needs. He wants you to put you in a position where you will be fruitful and very happy. Don't steal from God. Seek to go to Him for guidance in your life. Be honest with Him and tell him your needs. Because God said to David if you thought you needed more, I sure could have given it to you.
God is not a selfish God. This is what happened in the Garden of Eden.
Satan was trying to tell Eve that God was holding back something.
For himself.
But the truth was, God knows what's good for us and what is not good for us. And so that little child.
He's very sick. And what's David's reaction verse 16? First of all, his first reaction is he confesses it with no excuses or explanation. He simply says I have sinned against the Lord. His second reaction is probably towards the consequences of his sin. And in this verse 16, they were therefore besought God for the child, and they were fasted and went in and lay all night.
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Upon the earth and the elders of his house, they want him to eat bread, but he refuses. And then they start talking. And David perceives in verse 19 that their child is dead. And he asked them, is the child dead? And they said he is dead.
Verse 20 Then David rose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel, and came into the House of the Lord in worship, And then he came to his own house, and when he required, they set bread before him, and did eat.
Seems like a very strange reaction.
He lies on the ground, he fasts, he begs God.
Give me what I want.
Please give me.
The child, the fruit of what he stole from God. God said you can't have it.
That was his discipline against David. David did not rebel.
And I want to show you what's behind this strange behavior of David.
The servants ask him, what N are you doing in verse 22 is his explanation and he said while the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, who can tell whether God will be gracious to me?
That the child may live, but now he is dead. Wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. When we sin, we steal from God.
That is at the basis of sin in our lives. We are stealing something that God has not given to us.
There are certain sins that are simply against God's holiness, but there are certain sins where we're simply stealing something that God didn't give to us.
Whatsoever is not of faith.
Is sin and the thing that comforts my heart is his verse, he said. Who can tell?
God is a very gracious God, and maybe he'll give me that little boy.
But he didn't rebel, he said the boy's gone now. He accepted it from God's hand. If you find consequences from sin in your life.
Two things. First of all, accept the consequences.
Second thing I wish for you and I.
That even when there is failure in our lives, that we might get a hold of one thing.
And that is that God is gracious. He is gracious. He is not someone who is out to steal your happiness or your fun.
Or anything else in life. He has the power to give it. He has the power to hold it back.
Pray God that you and I.
May have a deep sense of confidence in him. The Lord is gracious. The Lord is gracious. And when you have something that you feel you really need and you cannot do without.
Quietly come to the Lord Jesus and tell Him you need it.
In quiet humility.
And.
What He has for you, He may give it to you, and if He does, your heart will be filled with praise.
And if he holds it back?
He will comfort your heart.
And fill the knee.
Let me turn just for a second to some.
51 which is David's reaction.
Psalm 51 it says, Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy loving kindness, and according and according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgression. This is David. What went on in his heart when Nathan pointed the finger and said, David, you're the man.
That did.
Such.
A horrid thing. You're the man.
And David pours out his heart to the Lord here and said, Have mercy on me, Lord, according to Thy loving kindness, and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my transgression. Do you have a sense of His loving kindness in your life? We sang the 1St hymn 71 a very special hymn to me and it speaks of inside of Calvary.
I've learned my guiltiness when I come to carefree. I learned the loving kindness of God.
And I learned how dirty and repugnant is sin. And as I stand at the cross and see my Saviour on the cross.
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Especially if I have sin in my life and God has called me up short.
There was one time, specially in my own personal life.
And a thing that hurt me most.
Was thinking about the needle. Needlessness of sin.
When you say, see the Lord Jesus hanging on the cross, his head is bowed, nobody can understand the anguish of his heart. And I think it says the second Peter, he bore my sin, God taking those sins, those filthy dirty sins and quietly putting them on the Lord Jesus.
In one sense of the word, holly must have shrunk.
From those filthy dirty sins being laid on him and then Gods judgment.
God simply shuts out the light.
It's too sacred a sin.
That anybody?
Should gaze with curious eyes.
On the anguish.
Savior as he quietly bowed his head.
And stroke after stroke.
For your sins and for mine fell upon that spotless 1.
Verse two washed me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
A desire to be clean again. Do you have a desire to be clean again this afternoon if there is a secret sin in your life?
You will enter into David's longing to be clean again.
For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is ever before me.
Think of David.
As conviction came into his soul and he reviewed that whole devious path that led to the killing of Uriah, it must have been a really hard thing to take. It must have just been a broken man, because it says down below about brokenness.
Do you think he could ever?
Boast again? I don't think so.
If he had, he had forgotten his sin. My sin is ever before me. And then he says, 4 verse four against thee, and the only have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight?
That when thou mightest be justified, thou mightest be justified, when thou speakest to be clear, when thou judgest against thee and the only.
Just a sense that it's not against other people, not against the meeting, but between you and the Lord personally. Verse 5A, Sense of the old nature.
Of the old nature.
Weakness.
Becomes failure.
When we don't bring it to the Lord.
Weakness becomes failure when we don't bring it to the Lord.
If we come quietly and confess our weaknesses to the Lord, He is able to help us to rise above. He fills us with His power to quietly rise above that weakness that you and I don't seem to be able to conquer.
Do you have a weakness that threats to become a sin quietly come into the Lord's presence this afternoon and say, Lord Jesus, I feel a deep need for something. It's my weakness. Could you give it to me please? Or could you fulfill?
That weakness for me.
I don't have time. Verse six is the truth and the inward parts. It's not a show. It's really in the inward parts. And that's why David said against thee, and the only have I sinned.
A deep sense that he had offended the Lord.
Sin against the Lord.
And then verse 7.
Purging with hyssop so that he'll be clean again. Verse 8.
The deep need for joy and gladness again.
To retain, to obtain once again the joy and the peace of being a Christian now, of quietly walking near to the Lord.
But sin will hinder this. Verse 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise. Verse 16. For thou dost not desire sacrifice, else would I give it.
Thou delightest not in a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, and a broken and a contrite harm. O God, thou wilt not despise. Is what God is looking for in each one of us a broken spirit?
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This is why God allows weaknesses.
To come to the surface in our light sins.
So we might become aware.
In a human way, how weak we are.
And that makes us more soft towards the Lord.
And against our brothers and sisters in Christ have no time, but I recommend.
To your quiet reading.
Tonight.
Two things.
Would like you to read them over quietly.
Or leave it to some other time. Just be by yourself quietly and consider them.
Go on this topic, how do we respond to failure?
Do we excuse it, explain it away, or do we bring it into the presence of the Lord?
When David.
Son Absalom chases him out. There's a man who runs along the hilltops cursing him.
Look at his attitude. Here is attitude.
Quiet acceptance of the result of his sin.
I also recommend to you.
Another little passage, if you could go through it quietly, praying by yourself. And that is when David numbered the people he sinned against, sinned again.
And God came to him only this time it's very interesting. He came to himself very quickly this time and he didn't need a prophet coming to him to accuse him, but he simply said to God, I have sinned against thee. And in that story the people had to suffer for Davis mistake. Of course, there's an aspect where it says that the people had sinned and David moved, Satan moved. I've forgotten how they they exact whatever it was. David committed the sin the people.
Had also done wrong, but the people suffered for David's mistake.
This is another area in our life failure, where sometimes we fail and those around us have to suffer for our weakness or for our sin. Look at David's tender spirit to the Lord, his brokenness.
He just broken down, he said. Please, Lord.
Don't allow these people to suffer.
I take the responsibility fully and wholly for this mistake, his tenderness towards God and his confidence in the graciousness of God. And in that story God gave him three choices. He said you made a mistake. OK, I'm going to give you 3 punishments so you can choose from Do you know what? Do you know what David chose?
Brother in Hong Kong pointed this out to us.
Said he didn't choose anything. He didn't choose anyone of the three punishment, he only required one thing and he said, Lord, I want to go into your hands.
And not into any other. If you want to punish you, punish me, please. But I won't fall. I don't want to fall into the hands of men.
He had tremendous confidence in the Lord. And so I encourage you that if you find failure or sin in your life, bring it to the Lord.
Never lose a sense of confidence in His loving kindness and His care for you.
And David knew the seriousness of sin. He wouldn't accept a gift to make atonement for the sin in that story. He paid it for himself.
So I desire for those of us, perhaps I haven't spoken very clearly this afternoon, but if you could give us some quiet thought and prayer that.
When there is failure and there is sin, he liked David, who had tremendous confidence in God's loving kindness. He was not, he was not a person who takes God's loving kindness for granted or use God's kindness, but he did have tremendous confidence in God's love for him.
And may each one of us find in that area in our life, when we come across failure in our own lives and weakness, that we might have that tremendous sense of, of, of confidence in God's love for us, that we might have a tender spirit towards others, and that we might walk quietly together in God's great loving kindness for us. Let's pray.