How to Create a Scripture Memorization Plan (Free Generator Included)
A scripture memorization plan breaks Bible passages into daily portions using spaced repetition, typically spanning 1-12 weeks depending on passage length. Research shows that reviewing information at increasing intervals improves long-term retention by 200% compared to cramming. The key is combining learn days (new verses) with review days (reinforcing what you’ve learned).
Most people who try to memorize Scripture fail within the first week.
Not because they lack motivation. Not because they have “bad memories.” But because they tried to muscle through without a system.
They read the same verse 50 times on Monday, feel confident by Tuesday, and can’t remember a single word by Friday.
Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing: your brain doesn’t work that way. It needs strategic reinforcement, not brute force repetition. And the easiest way to get that reinforcement is with a structured memorization plan.
Why Most Scripture Memorization Fails
The problem isn’t that you’re bad at memorizing. The problem is that cramming doesn’t work.
When you read a verse repeatedly in one sitting, you’re only engaging your short-term memory. You might feel like you’ve learned it, but you haven’t actually transferred it to long-term storage.
This is called the illusion of fluency—the more you see something, the more familiar it feels, so you assume you know it. But recognition isn’t recall.
Here’s what the research says:
Memorization Method
Retention After 1 Week
Retention After 1 Month
Cramming (same-day repetition)
20-30%
Less than 10%
Spaced repetition
70-80%
50-60%
Spaced repetition + active recall
80-90%
70-80%
The difference is dramatic. And the fix is simple: spread your practice out over time.
The Science Behind Spaced Repetition
Spaced repetition works because of how your brain forms memories.
Every time you recall information, you strengthen the neural pathways associated with it. But here’s the key: the strengthening effect is greatest when you recall just before you would have forgotten.
If you review too soon, you’re not challenging your brain enough. If you wait too long, you’ve already forgotten and have to start over.
The sweet spot is reviewing right at the edge of forgetting.
A good memorization plan does this automatically. It schedules review days at increasing intervals:
Day 1: Learn new verses
Day 2: Review yesterday’s verses
Day 4: Review again (2 days later)
Day 7: Review again (3 days later)
Day 14: Review again (7 days later)
Each successful recall pushes the next review further out, until the verses are locked in long-term memory.
What a Good Memorization Plan Includes
Not all plans are created equal. Here’s what separates effective plans from useless ones:
1. Appropriate Pacing
Trying to memorize too much too fast is the #1 reason people quit. A good plan matches your pace to:
Your available time (5 minutes vs. 30 minutes daily)
Your memorization experience (beginner vs. experienced)
The passage length (single verse vs. entire chapter)
Pace
Sessions Per Week
Best For
Relaxed
3x/week
Beginners, busy schedules
Steady
5x/week
Most people
Intensive
7x/week
Experienced memorizers, shorter passages
2. Built-in Review Days
A plan without review days is just a reading schedule. You need strategic review to move verses from short-term to long-term memory.
Look for plans that include:
Daily review of recent verses
Weekly cumulative review
End-of-plan full passage review
3. Manageable Chunks
Research suggests 7-10 words is the optimal chunk size for memorization. That translates to about 1-2 verses per session for most people.
A good plan breaks longer passages into digestible pieces and connects them gradually.
4. Progress Tracking
You need to know where you are and how far you’ve come. A plan with checkboxes, progress markers, or milestone celebrations keeps you motivated.
How to Create Your Own Plan
You can build a memorization plan manually, but it requires some math and planning. Here’s the basic process:
Step 1: Choose your passage. Start small if you’re a beginner. Psalm 23 (6 verses) or the Lord’s Prayer is perfect.
Step 2: Count the verses. Divide by your sessions per week to get verses per session.
Step 3: Schedule learn days and review days. Use a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio (3-4 learn days for every review day).
Step 4: Add cumulative review points. Every 7-10 days, schedule a day to review everything learned so far.
Step 5: Build in rest days. Your brain consolidates memory during rest. Don’t skip these.
Or you can skip all that math and use our free generator.
Enter any passage, choose your timeframe and pace, and get a personalized PDF schedule with:
Daily assignments (learn days and review days)
Spaced repetition intervals built in
Progress tracker
Memorization tips
No email required. Download your PDF instantly.
How It Works
Enter your passage (e.g., “John 3:16-21” or “Psalm 23”)
Choose your timeframe (1 week to 3 months)
Select your pace (relaxed, steady, or intensive)
Download your personalized PDF
The generator uses spaced repetition principles to schedule your learn days and review days optimally. It automatically calculates:
How many verses to learn per session
When to schedule review days
When to do cumulative reviews
Estimated time per day
Popular Passages to Memorize
Passage
Verses
Suggested Duration
Psalm 23
6
1-2 weeks
Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)
5
1-2 weeks
Romans 8:28-39
12
2-4 weeks
1 Corinthians 13
13
3-4 weeks
Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
10
2-3 weeks
Psalm 1
6
1-2 weeks
John 15:1-17
17
4-6 weeks
Philippians 2:1-11
11
2-4 weeks
Tips for Sticking With Your Plan
Having a plan is step one. Actually following it is where most people struggle. Here’s what works:
Set a consistent time
Anchor your memorization to an existing habit. Right after morning coffee. During your commute. Before bed. The specific time matters less than the consistency.
Start smaller than you think
You can always add more verses. You can’t un-burn yourself out. Better to finish a modest plan than abandon an ambitious one.
Use multiple learning modes
Reading silently is the weakest form of memorization. Instead:
Read aloud
Write it out by hand
Record yourself and listen back
Use the first-letter method (write just the first letter of each word)
Try it with your eyes closed
Don’t break the chain
Mark each day on a calendar. Build a streak. The psychological power of “not breaking the chain” is real. Missing one day makes missing two easier.
Review at random moments
Flash through verses while waiting in line, stuck in traffic, or brushing your teeth. These micro-reviews add up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to memorize a Bible verse?
Most people can learn a single verse in 5-10 minutes. However, moving it to long-term memory requires review over 2-4 weeks. Expect to spend 10-15 hours total to permanently memorize a short passage like Psalm 23.
What’s the best pace for Scripture memorization?
For most people, 1-2 new verses per session, 3-5 times per week, with regular review days produces the best results. Consistency matters more than intensity. Three 10-minute sessions beats one 30-minute cram session.
Can I memorize an entire chapter?
Yes. Longer passages just require more time. A chapter like Psalm 119 (176 verses) might take 6-12 months. The key is breaking it into sections and connecting them gradually.
Is memorizing Scripture harder as you get older?
Your memory does change with age, but adults can absolutely memorize Scripture effectively. You might need more repetitions, but the spaced repetition method works at any age.
What if I miss a day?
Don’t panic. Don’t try to make up the missed day by cramming double. Just pick up where you left off. Consistency over perfection.
Should I memorize in my preferred Bible translation?
Yes. Pick one translation and stick with it. Mixing translations creates confusion. Most people find modern translations (NIV, ESV, NLT) easier to memorize than KJV due to contemporary language.
Start Your Plan Today
Scripture memorization isn’t about having a photographic memory. It’s about having a system.
The right plan—with spaced repetition, built-in reviews, and manageable pacing—can help anyone memorize Scripture. Even if you’ve failed before. Even if you think you’re “bad at memorizing.”
Or, if you want interactive memorization tools with progress tracking and smart reminders, try Scriptured. We built 6 different memorization modes specifically designed to move Scripture from your head into your heart.
Your future self—the one who can recite entire passages from memory—will thank you.
Most Christians own multiple Bible translations but rarely compare them verse by verse. I’ve spent hundreds of hours studying how different translations handle the same Hebrew and Greek texts. Here’s what I’ve learned about comparing translations effectively.
What Makes Bible Translations Different?
Bible translations differ based on three core factors:
Factor
Description
Example
Source Texts
Manuscripts the translators used
Textus Receptus vs. Nestle-Aland
Translation Philosophy
Word-for-word vs. thought-for-thought
KJV vs. NLT
Target Audience
Reading level and cultural context
ESV vs. NirV
The biggest practical difference comes from translation philosophy. Here’s how the major approaches break down:
Translation Philosophy Spectrum
Category
Translations
Best For
Word-for-Word (Formal Equivalence)
KJV, NASB, ESV, NKJV
Deep study, memorization
Balanced
NIV, CSB, HCSB
General reading and study
Thought-for-Thought (Dynamic Equivalence)
NLT, CEV, GNT
Accessibility, devotional reading
Paraphrase
MSG, TLB
Fresh perspective, comprehension
Why Compare Translations?
Three situations call for side-by-side comparison:
1. Difficult Passages
Some verses are hard to understand in one translation but clearer in another. Comparing shows you different angles on the same text.
2. Memorization
When memorizing Scripture, the exact wording matters. Some translations have a more natural rhythm that’s easier to recall. The only way to find your preference is to compare.
3. Study Depth
Seeing how multiple translators handled the same Greek or Hebrew word reveals nuances you’d miss reading just one version.
How to Compare: A Practical Method
Step 1: Start with Your “Home” Translation
Pick the translation you normally read. This is your baseline.
Step 2: Add a Contrasting Philosophy
If your home translation is word-for-word (KJV, ESV, NASB), add a thought-for-thought version (NIV, NLT). If you normally read NIV, add NASB or ESV.
Step 3: Look for Key Differences
Pay attention to:
Words that are completely different (not just synonyms)
Phrases that are phrased very differently
Verses where one translation seems clearer
Step 4: Check the Original Languages
For important passages, look up the Greek or Hebrew word and see which translation best captures the meaning in context.
Common Translation Comparisons
KJV vs NIV
The King James Version (1611) and New International Version (1978, updated 2011) represent two different eras and approaches.
Key Differences:
KJV uses “thee,” “thou,” and Elizabethan English; NIV uses modern English
KJV is more literal; NIV balances readability with accuracy
John 3:16 Example:
KJV: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”
NIV: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…”
ESV vs NASB
Both are word-for-word translations, but they have subtle differences.
Key Differences:
NASB is considered the most literal major translation
ESV prioritizes readability slightly more
NASB uses more technical theological vocabulary
NIV vs NLT
Both aim for readability, but NLT goes further toward dynamic equivalence.
Key Differences:
NLT uses simpler vocabulary and shorter sentences
NIV maintains more traditional phrasing
NLT is easier to understand on first read; NIV rewards closer study
What Bible Translation Is Best for Memorization?
There’s no single best translation for memorization. It depends on:
Your Background
If you grew up with KJV, those verses may already feel natural. The rhythmic structure of KJV also aids memory for many people.
Your Purpose
For quoting in conversation, a modern translation like NIV or ESV sounds more natural. For personal meditation, choose what speaks to you.
Your Church Context
If your church uses ESV, memorizing in ESV means sermons and small group discussions reinforce your memory.
The Test
Read the verse out loud in 2-3 translations. Which one feels like “your words”? That’s probably your best choice.
Free Translation Comparison Tool
We built a free Bible translation comparison tool that shows 2-3 translations side by side with word-level highlighting. The highlighting shows exactly which words differ between translations.
You can:
Compare any passage across 16+ translations
See unique words highlighted in color
Download a PDF for offline study
Select your preferred version for memorization
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Bible translation is most accurate?
“Accuracy” depends on your definition. NASB and ESV are closest to the original word order and structure. NIV and NLT better convey the original meaning to modern English readers. All major translations are accurate to the source texts they use.
Is KJV more accurate than NIV?
Not necessarily. KJV is based on fewer manuscripts available in 1611. NIV uses older, more reliable manuscripts discovered later. However, the theological content is consistent between them for all major doctrines.
Should I read multiple translations?
Yes, for study. Most Bible scholars read several translations. For regular devotional reading, pick one primary translation. For serious study, compare 2-3 versions.
Why do some verses have different numbers between translations?
Verse numbering was added centuries after the Bible was written. Different traditions numbered verses differently, especially in Psalms and some Old Testament books. The content is the same; only the numbering differs.
What’s the best translation for beginners?
NIV or NLT are the most accessible for new readers. NLT uses simpler language; NIV balances accessibility with precision. Both are excellent starting points.
Start Comparing Today
The best way to understand translation differences is to see them yourself. Try comparing a familiar verse like Psalm 23:1 or Romans 8:28 across three translations.
Use our free comparison tool to see the differences highlighted in real time, then pick your preferred version for study and memorization.
Today, we’re going to spend a few minutes going through what “Growing in the House of God” means. Let’s dive right into 1 Samuel to start getting a good overview!
11 And Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli the priest.
12 Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
13 And the priest’s custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand;
14 And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.
18 But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
19 Moreover his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The Lord give thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the Lord. And they went unto their own home.
21 And the Lord visited Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before the Lord.
22 Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
23 And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people.
24 Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.
25 If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the Lord would slay them.
26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.
1 Samuel 2:11-26
To catch everyone up to speed before we begin…
Hannah was a barren woman who desperately wanted to have a child. She told the Lord that if He saw fit to give her one, she would dedicate the child to Him and offer Him to the ministry of the Lord. God allowed her to conceive and her firstborn was Samuel. True to her word, she placed Samuel in the tabernacle under the care of Eli, the head priest, where Samuel grew up.
This is what the Bible means in verse 21 when it says Samuel grew before the Lord. He was in God’s house, day in and day out, serving. He had his own little uniform and everything. I imagine as a child he probably helped with general cleaning. Perhaps he played cymbals for the services, or put out the shewbread.
However, we are also introduced to some other children who grew up under the care of Eli… his sons.
Part of what we are going to be exploring this morning is the contrast of the two different sides. Although there was somewhat of an age difference, I think it’s safe to say that all of these boys came from the same background. They were what we’d call today churched.
As we quickly see though, just because you’re churched doesn’t mean you’re saved. Eli’s sons were a trainwreck.
The Bible says that they were sons of Belial. This was an insult reserved for the worst of the worst. Son of Belial means useless, unrighteous, wicked, and good for nothing
You know who else were called sons of Belial?
In Judges 19, The men of Sodom who wanted to rape the angels sent to rescue Lot
In 1 Samuel 25, Nabal, the man who unrighteously refused to reward David and his men for protecting his flocks
In 1 Kings 21, Jezebel told two men, who the Bible calls sons of Belial, to falsely accuse a man named Naboth of blaspheme. The men did and Naboth was put on trial and wrongly stoned to death
Eli’s sons were wicked. The Bible says that they took the meat that THEY wanted from the offerings of the people, rather than the breast and shoulder that they were supposed to have. They took it raw so that they could roast it, which was against God’s command.
They slept freely with the women. They were angry with the people, taking what they wanted. They were reprobate and evil. True children of Belial.
What was the difference between them and Samuel?
Well Sam, Samuel knew God and evidently Eli’s sons didn’t.
This is just always what I assumed, but when we dive deeper and study the text, we see a different story.
1 Samuel 2:12 - Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.
1 Samuel 3:7 - Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.
In the original text, the word for know in both of those verses is exactly the same. It means “to realize and become known”
At this time in the story, Samuel didn’t know the Lord in the same way that the Eli’s sons, wicked as they were, didn’t!!!
So I ask again… at this point in time, what was the difference between Samuel and Eli’s sons.
It was how they grew in the house of the Lord. Both sides were given the exact same starting point of information. They were placed in more or less the same environment, but we see that their paths diverged DRASTICALLY.
And it is here where I want to challenge us today folks. Growing in the house of the Lord. What was the house of the Lord designed for? What was it not designed for? What was to be gained by following the expectations in God’s house? What was lost if you didn’t?
WHAT WAS THE HOUSE OF THE LORD DESIGNED TO BE
What was the purpose of the house of the Lord? Why did the Lord feel it necessary to create a place where the people could go to commune with him?
First, we had the tabernacle. This was the place that God told Moses to create in Exodus for the people to worship Him while they were in the wilderness. This was a portable structure that they would set up whenever they camped in the wilderness
Then, later on, we had the temple. This was the grand structure that was set up when the Jews were established in their cities. In 1 Kings 6, we see king Solomon set up the first temple.
These were the places where God met with His people,
These were the places where God’s people worshiped Him,
This was where the world caught a glimpse of who God was. There were sacrifices and teachings and celebrations, all devoted to God.
That’s what the house of God offered the people. It was a place to come to meet with the Lord. Yes, God was everywhere, just as He is today, but this was a symbolic place that offered and stood as a reminder to the power and the presence of God in the community
The house of the Lord offered the people an opportunity to come and do business with God in a public manner for a variety of reasons,
Hannah did business with God from a place of sadness. The Bible says in 1 Sam 1 that she wept sore, praying in the house of God
King Hezekiah did business with God from a place of desperation. The Bible says in 2 Kings 19 that he went into the house of the Lord and spread out a message of evil that he’d received from Assyria, praying to God for guidance and direction, as he’d reached the end of his rope
King Solomon did business with God from a place of joy and praise. The Bible says in 1 Kings 8:64 that he offered so many offerings that the altar couldn’t contain them all!
The house of God was a place where all of this could take place. It was a reminder of God’s presence among the people. When they saw the Lord’s house, it reminded them that there was a place that they could go to get relief, or counsel, or joy. That’s what it was.
Is that what the house of the Lord is today? We can’t speak to other churches, but I want us to stop for a minute and think about the churches we are in physically. Are we that light in our community? There’s churches on every corner, but I’d wager to say not all of them are shining that light. Are we? Is there evidence of us impacting our community in that way?
Do people come here to get a glimpse of the Lord?
Do people leave here convicted of their sins and encouraged to walk closer to the Lord day by day?
Do we help the hurting? Do we counsel the broken? Do we rejoice with and uplift our fellow believers?
What is the evidence of all these things? Is it visible in our church and our lives today? I know I’m asking a lot of questions, but it’s not my place to give answers. These are the types of questions in which God lays the answer, the convictions, and the burdens upon the hearts of all of those who listen. What is He telling you?
God’s house was designed to be a beacon of light and hope. Are we fulfilling that design?
WHAT WAS THE HOUSE OF THE LORD NOT DESIGNED TO BE
In the old testament in Ezekiel 44, we can see list of rules and regulations that were set up for God’s house
Much of that doesn’t apply to us today, as we don’t live in the Jewish culture, but there are still some key things that we see that are not supposed to be in God’s house.
Firstly, it is not designed to be a place for consumerism and commercialism.
What did Jesus say in Matthew 21:12-13?
12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves**.
Matthew 21:12-13
What was going on here? Well… some cats were getting pretty fat in the house of the Lord. The leaders of the Jews saw an opportunity to go into business. Not only were they selling the animal sacrifices at inflated prices, but they invented their own coin, and required the Jews to exchange their coins for temple coins otherwise they could not buy sacrifice offerings.They had turned it into a marketplace.
It probably wasn’t exactly like this, but in my head, if we modernized this a bit, I walk in and hear someone say…
“Hey. You sinned but forgot to bring two doves for atonement and sacrifice? Today’s your lucky day. We’re doing a two for one special today in the vestibule. Grab ‘em while supplies last. Those sins won’t forgive themselves!”
“Hey. All your money in Euros? We only take US Dollars here. I’ll get you straightened out.”
Jesus was essentially cleaning his house. He was returning it to what it should have been all along. What was Jesus doing here?
He was saying that his house would not be a place of consumerism and commercialism. It was not a place for buying things and selling.
What about our churches today?
How many churches have made God’s house a commercial enterprise? They sell branded music albums and devotionals, and mugs and t-shirts. They have their international missions outreach branch and their home missions branch. They have their social media campaigns and mailer ministries. They’re on billboards and on TV and on the radio.
Now… there’s nothing wrong with these things in and of themselves. I believe we have a responsibility to utilize every avenue we can for the gospel and for ministry. But, when those become the focal point over God’s Word being given, there is an issue with that. When the church becomes more of a business, and less of a lighthouse, there’s a problem with that
Secondly, God’s house wasn’t designed to be a place for shows of wealth and opulence and riches. Remember when Jesus watched the woman put two mites into the offering plate. (Essentially two pennies today)
And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury:
For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.
Mark 12:42–44
Not only was Jesus applauding the woman here, he was also saying something about the rich. They cast in of their physical abundance. When I read this, it almost seems as if Jesus was saying the widow had something figured out that the others didn’t. There was something she was doing right that they were doing wrong. Perhaps it was that they were pridefully giving? “Look at all these riches I have to give!”
In the house of God, the woman’s heart was aligned with the Lord. In giving all she had, she was showing God that she was relying on HIM for her sustenance. In giving of their abundance, the rich were showing that they had a fall-back plan in place in case God didn’t work out for them. Now… I’m not saying we’re to give every last dime we make to the offering plate, but our heart should never be “God, here is your bit and the rest is mine. Leave it alone.”
What about our churches today?
Is there a focus on physical abundance? Is it possible people in the house of God place too much pride in a nice property, or a fully equipped outreach ministry, or a debt-free facility, or a big number of attendees? Is our heart saying, “God, you we are relying on you for our sustenance, growth, and future” or is it saying “Lord, we’ve got it handled with what we’re doing currently. We’re giving enough, doing enough, saying enough. We’re in a good spot. We’re abounding just fine. No need to rock the boat further.”
Thirdly, it wasn’t designed to be a place to capitalize off the plights of people.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Matthew 23:14
In this time, it wasn’t uncommon for husbands to make scribes and Pharisees, the respected legal and spiritual leaders, executors of their estate in their wills. Some of these men took their positions in the courts and in the house of God and used it to cheat widows after their husbands’ passing.
What about our churches today?
Are we, as members in the house of God, seeking to tell people about Jesus (who is the solution to their spiritual plight) or are we capitalizing on it for selfish gain?
This point is more of a referendum on those who lead the flock, as it is our primary responsibility to push people towards Christ and encourage them to have a deeper walk.
There are “churches” where physical weaknesses are taken advantage of. Benny Hin and Kenneth Copeland pioneered a whole church model related to this called the Word of Faith movement. Name it and claim it. Have a need, plant a seed. The prosperity gospel. Any pain that afflicts you, you can buy some miracle spring water, a prayer package, prayer cloth, or miracle manna and it’ll fix you. You got aches and pains? Financial debt? Don’t settle for less than God’s best. Call toll-free and get your miracle today.
Some don’t only prey on those with physical ailments, but they also prey on those with emotional ailments. Seems like we regularly hear on the news about pastors becoming engaged in acts of infidelity and adultery, preying on the emotional instability of a congregant. Often it begins when the counselee comes to them for some sort of spiritual guidance or counseling one-on-one and then inappropriate relationships form. They capitalize on the emotional weakness of the counselee. Steve Lawson and Ravi Zacharias are glaring examples of this.
Lastly, and most prevalent in America today I’m afraid, are those who prey on spiritual weaknesses. These are the churches that tickle people’s ears. They don’t preach on God’s justice, or hell, or homosexuality. They don’t stand against drunkenness and adultery and child mutilation and gender confusion. It’s all about love and acceptance.
These churches muddy up God’s word. They selectively choose what verses to preach and which to ignore. Their congregants are mostly comprised of nonbelievers who think they’re saved and spiritually weak babes in Christ who are stunted because they are being fed nothing but spiritual milk week after week.
These churches don’t shine as a beacon of light in a dark world.
It’s so important that the house of God not be a place where the struggles of people are capitalized on.
So… now that we know what the house of God was designed to be and what it isn’t designed to be, let’s look back at Samuel and Eli’s sons to determine what is to be gained if we grow in the house of the Lord properly and what is to be lost if we don’t.
WHAT WAS TO BE GAINED BY GROWING IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.
1 Samuel 3:19–20
The word grow there means to advance, exceed, and excel. Samuel advanced and excelled in his relationship with the Lord as he continued to grow in the house of the Lord. The Bible sayings that “none of his words fell to the ground”. What does this mean? This meant that everything that Samuel ever prophesied from God came true.
Samuel was so in tune with God that God revealed things to Him for him to prophesy to the Jews. Samuel did this faithfully, and it all came true as God had said. Samuel’s track record was flawless, and all Israel took note.
What importance does this hold for us today? When you grow in Christ, people will notice and God will be glorified.
When you get to a place where you are communing with God, and he with you, your life will change. The house of the Lord becomes a place you want to be more and more. You will begin to grow and excel spiritually, as Samuel did.
Till the day that He takes us from this earth, God is in the process of refining and restoring us. He calls us to task. He corrects us. He blesses us. He molds us. Doesn’t matter if you’re 8 or 80. He tirelessly works in our lives to bring us closer to him.
As you grow in Christ, it becomes evident. You don’t go to the same places you used to. You don’t take pleasure in the same things. You don’t think the same way, talk the same way, act the same way. There is noticeable change in your life. You want to get a feel for how close you are to God? Look at your life a year ago and see how you’ve grown in your walk with Him.
What trials have you relied on Him for?
What people have you ministered to in His Name, telling them about the power of God working in you?
What baggage, guilt, or regret have you given to Him to take care of, not content to let it rule in your life anymore?
What new challenge or opportunity have you stepped out on in faith, trusting in Him to guide and direct?
If you can’t think of anything, then the next point applies to you specifically. It is the warning given to us in the lives of Eli’s sons. The warning of what is to be if you refuse to grow in Christ and squander the opportunity He gives you.
WHAT WAS TO BE LOST BY REFUSING TO GROW
27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?
29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?
30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.
32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.
33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.
34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.
1 Samuel 2:27–34
God essentially told Eli, “I chose your lineage, the lineage of Aaron, to be my priests, but you’ve treated that privilege with contempt and disdain. You haven’t done as I commanded. You’ve given priority to your sons over me, allowing them to live sinfully and riotously. I told Aaron that his lineage would always be my priests, but now, I’m taking a different route. Those who honor me, will I lift up, but those who despise me will I pull down. As punishment, I will end your family line. You’ll no longer be my priest. I’ll raise up someone else. For a sign that this will all come to pass, your sons will die on the same day.”
True enough, this came to pass..
10 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled every man into his tent: and there was a very great slaughter; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen.
11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain.
1 Samuel 4:10–11
So… what happens when you refuse to grow? You die. Hophni and Phinehas grew up in God’s house physically, but they never grew spiritually. They were dead spiritually long before they were physically slain on the battlefield.
It’s very simple and very cut and dry. There are only 3 categories in life.
Things that are growing.
Things that are deteriorating.
Things that are dead.
We see this across the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms of life.
A person’s bones grow and strengthen until one day they reach a peak, then, with time they begin to deteriorate.
A person’s brain grows as they learn and develop, then it reaches a peak. Then, with time, memory and function deteriorate.
Relationships wax and wane. Some people grow closer to each other and others grow apart from each other. Sometimes passion grows and sometimes it deteriorates.
If you’ve never been saved you are spiritually dead. When you accept Christ and walk with him, you begin to grow. As a saved person, when you pull away from Christ and make the decision to live for yourself, you damage and deteriorate that spiritual relationship.
APPLICATION FOR US TODAY
Are we growing in the house of the Lord today? It’s a continual process. As the year comes to an end, I want you to reflect on how God has used you this year. How have you allowed yourself to be used by Him? Are there opportunities that you have squandered? How is this church? Are we seeking to grow physically? Are we seeking to grow spiritually? What is the evidence of that in our lives and in our church? Are people being called to task? Is growth taking place? Are we comfortable where we are at, or are we seeking more?
You don’t have to turn there, but I want you to briefly think on the events of 1 Samuel 3. Samuel didn’t have rest in the house of the Lord. He laid down to sleep and the Lord called Him.
1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision.
2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
4 That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.
1 Samuel 3:1–4 (KJV 1900)
Of course, if you know the story, you know that Samuel originally thinks its Eli but later comes to find that the Lord is calling Him.
I want to pull that example out and look at it a bit differently. I read this passage, and God brought a thought to my mind. Something for the church to hear.
Samuel grew up in the house of the Lord. He knew the sounds of the prayers and the cymbals and the offerings and everything else. It was his home. It was a place of work and a place of rest. There came a day though to where, when he tried to sleep in the house of the Lord, the Lord awoke him.
Are you asleep today in the house of the Lord?
I want you to think about it spiritually. And this question applies to unbelievers and believers alike. Babes in Christ and Giants in Christ alike. Are you asleep? When’s the last time you got so burdened, and God spoke into your life in such an evident way, where you just had to respond? You couldn’t continue to sleep. You couldn’t continue to be stagnant. You couldn’t be content to do what you’d always done. You had to get up and move. You had to get up and seek an answer for God’s call in your life.
I’m afraid today Christians by and large have gone to sleep in the Lord’s house. They’re here, but they’re not listening. Part of it has to do with preachers not preaching, but there’s a whole ‘nother section that solely relates to church folk content to be stuck in the spiritual mud.
Our pulpits and our congregations smolder when they should be aflame with the power and might of God moving and working!
It’s incredible to me sometimes how Satan manages to worm his way into the Lord’s house here in America and prowl among the sleeping sheep. In the new age contemporary church, he wraps everyone up in emotionalism. He gets them hooked on milky inspirational Ted talk sermons and lightshow productions and feel-good fellowship. Church becomes a social cult devoid of the Holy Spirit, fueled by flashy music and catchy sermon slogans.
We’re quick to judge the Seacoasts and the Hillsongs and the NewSprings of the world, but we forget how Satan worms his way into our conservative traditionalist churches. He wraps us up in our traditionalism and our pride of “we’ve always done this”. We come to worship the legacy and the history of our churches, rather than the Creator who ordained them. We grow comfortable with our order of service, our music, our fellowship meals, and our faithful few. We don’t seek to really grow, expand, and challenge ourselves because, if we’re honest, we like how it is because that’s how it’s always been.
Whether we like to hear it or not, the only thing that has to remain constant is the Word of God being preached with conviction and power. Everything else is variable to a degree of change, and THAT’S OKAY.
Hold up Sam, doesn’t the Bible say in Jeremiah 6:16 to cling to the old paths?
The verse says
Thus saith the Lord: “Stand ye in the highways and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way; and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk therein.’
Jeremiah 6:16
The path that is being walked there refers to the teachings of the Lord. That verse is talking about Jerusalem not departing from the Word of God. It’s not talking about mode of dress. It’s not talking about whether we can have drums in the sanctuary or sing contemporary music and hymns in the same service. It’s not talking about social media campaigns versus door knockers, or live streams versus recordings.
It’s the same path (the statutes and judgements) mentioned in Malachi 4:4
Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Malachi 4:4
I struggled with what the old paths meant for a long time. I grew up in a hardcore traditional church. Only hymns. Fellowship meal once a month. You were highly encouraged to wear a red shirt and black pants at the Christmas cantata every year if you were singing in the adult choir. It was steeped in tradition. When the pastor of 20+ years retired a new pastor came in, the new pastor didn’t cling to the old paths. He didn’t seek God’s voice each week in his sermons as the men who’d come before him had. He ripped other men’s sermons off the Internet and passed them off as his own.
When my family found out, a fallout ensued, and we eventually left the church. There were those who stayed though. People who knew of the transgressions, but who were too comfortable to make a change. Too comfortable to rock that boat. It was more important to do what they’d always done than it was to make sure they were spiritually growing.
They were spiritually asleep. As a result, the church is all but dead now. The growth has stagnated. The people come, but the challenge isn’t there. It’s sad.
We came to a new church that had that challenge after we left. That church also had youth worship, and drums, and a website and branded merch. I was a bit confused. In my traditionalist background, I’d always associated those things with weak new age churches. However, the Lord showed me differently. He showed me that the heart of ministry and worship relies in how the people call out, cry out, and rely on the Lord, not on the externals.
Is that what we’re doing? IS THAT REALLY WHAT WE’RE DOING?
God has blessed His church abundantly. He’s given churches financial opportunities. He’s given his churches local opportunity. He’s rooted us in solid doctrine and Biblical background. Are we utilizing all of this? Are we doing our part to grow?
What does our church look like this time next year? Are there more people, are there stronger relationships, are there new ministries and dreams and goals?
How will your personal walk with Christ look? Are you taking steps now to propel yourself forward in that walk? Will evidence of growth be present?
It’s important that we grow as believers. There is a very real spiritual war that is happening all around us. We are a pivotal part of the battle, yet many of us go day to day ignorant of it.
We think some crazy liberal teacher is responsible for the gender confusion in our school classroom.
We think some wicked media celebrity is responsible for the sexual and profane filth that’s in our movies and music.
We think that some corrupt politician is responsible for laws that drive racial divisions deeper in our country, and stokes tensions and wars in our world
It goes much deeper than that.
Choose today to shake off that ignorance and take the next step you need to take in your walk with Christ. It’s so important that we continually grow, so that we’re better equipped to fight against the devices and wiles of Satan.
If you don’t know who Christ is, the Bible says that today is the day of salvation.
There’s no such thing as being too far gone.
God can wake you up today spiritually.
You can know today that you are saved and that you have new and eternal life in the Savior Christ Jesus. If you feel that calling in your heart right now, don’t hesitate.
Contact me. We can go through what salvation is. You can accept Christ today.
If you are saved, Make a commitment today to growth.
Make it a prayer in your life that God wakes you up as He did Samuel.
Heed to the warning given to us in the life of Eli and his sons
As the old year comes to a close, I’m praying that even now that God would begin to burden us and challenge us, both individually and collectively, for what 2025 will hold.
Y’all ever been in a situation that just right out blew your mind?
When I met my beautiful bride-to-be, there were many things about her that I didn’t know off the jump. For instance, for our first date, we went to a little pizza place over on Ashley River Road called Paisano’s. I went to order the pizza, and she told me it had to be pepperoni, cheese, mushrooms, and nothing else. I come from the line of thought that says if you have enough room to put the pineapples AND pepperoncinis on the pizza, you do it. The more toppings, the better. Not the case with her.
I also got my mind blown on this fishing trip we took. In the beginning, I wasn’t aware of her love of fishing. She can out-fish anyone sitting here in this room. So, when we went on our first fishing date out in Edisto, I didn’t know this. I quickly realized the error of my ways. Then, internally, I decided I had to put up or shut up. I couldn’t look macho and have the woman out-fish me. Right about the time I came to that conclusion, a fish bit my line and took my bait. He got the bait; I didn’t get him.
So, I reeled in and spent a couple minutes securing a new piece of bait on the line (all while she’s happily fishing away).
After I finally got the bait secured the way I wanted, I threw the line back out. First cast… overshot the water and went straight into the weeds and bushes. Got stuck. I yanked and yanked until finally I had to cut the line because I was stuck (all while she happily fished away).
I went back to the tacklebox and dug around for another hook and weight and bait. Fought with those dumb tiny push clips trying to secure the weight to the line until my fingers were raw (while she happily fished away)
Finally got everything secured a third time, went to cast. Reared that fishing pole back like my life depended on it. Had to regain my masculinity with an insanely far throw. I snapped the pole forward like a whip with all my might. The phrase “hook, line, and sinker” took on a whole new meaning in my mind as I watched THE ENTIRE APPARATUS fly through the air, untethered from my pole to plunk in the water. Someone had wrapped extra string around the reel! I had spent all that time attaching the new bait, hook, and sinker, to that extra line, because I thought (as any normal person would) that it was all part of ONE FISHING LINE SPOOL on the reel!
It was at that point that she gave up on trying to hold in her laughter at my plight, and I gave up on fishing for the evening. I admitted defeat.
My mind was blown. I kept trying to do what I wanted to do (out-fish her), but all the things I kept trying to do on my own kept failing. All the tools that I had in my own power didn’t work. It wasn’t working out, and it took me too long to figure it out.
Today, we’re going to be talking about a man who got his mind blown, tried to go forward on his own, and it didn’t work out. Hopefully, we’re going to see today that we have some of the same tendencies he did. And Lord-willing, the Lord is going to be working in some hearts, that we heed to the warning, and don’t fall prey to the same trap going forward.
The verse we’re going to be primarily focusing on today is Genesis 17:18
And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Genesis 17:18
There is so much meat in this verse, but I think many of us miss it because it’s so short, and it’s packed with so much else on both sides. So, keeping that verse in the back of your mind, let’s get some context on what exactly is happening as we come upon this passage in Genesis 17. In Genesis 16:2-4 we see the beginning of trouble
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
Genesis 16:2-4
Immediately, we see a plan being hatched. We see a woman, Sarah, who is trying to work inside the box. We’re going to keep coming back to that phrase, so I need you to go ahead and get it to stick … the box.
What is the box?
For the purposes of this sermon, I want you to think of the box as a toolbox that you carry around with you all the time.
It holds your thoughts
It holds your past experiences
It holds your presuppositions (things you assume)
It holds your preferences
It holds your biases
As humans, whenever we are faced with a problem, we pull this toolbox out and we use what’s in it to help us fix or solve the problem.
For instance… let’s walk through a real life scenario here. Your spouse is always leaving the toilet seat up. You hate it. One night at 3 AM you get your backside inadvertently and unexpectedly baptized, falling into the toilet. At that moment, you pull out the toolbox. You pull out
your preference (that the toilet seat be down)
Your past experience (_your spouse never puts the toilet seat down)
Your presupposition (you assume your spouse doesn’t care about you because they don’t listen to you when you ask them to put the toilet seat down)
You take these “tools” if you will, and you start to apply them to the problem at hand. Your preference that toilet seat be down drives you to confront your spouse. You come to this confrontation with a presupposition, assuming that your spouse doesn’t care for your feelings regarding the toilet seat, and you aid this claim with the pastexperiences where they didn’t put the toilet seat down.
Needless to say, I doubt this will lead to a productive conversation. Especially if it’s 3 in the morning and your backside is wet.
It’s a bit of a humorous example, but I hope it helps you understand a very valid mode of operation we sometimes fall into. This is exactly what Sarah was doing when she thought she was going to be unable to bear children. The plan that was hatched involving Hagar was one that was conceived entirely in Sarah’s toolbox.
She came to that crucial conversation with Abraham with the presupposition that she was unable to bear children. She was too old. She was past child-bearing years. There had to be another plan put in place.
Her preference was that Abraham’s lineage be continued, but her pastexperience was one of disappointment and let-down. In this time period and culture, a woman’s status and worth were tied to her ability to produce the next generation in order to carry on the lineage of the family. Motherhood was valued above all else. There was no doubt Sarah and Abraham had tried to have a child. Sarah probably married Abraham around the average age of marriage during that time (16 years old). She would have had DECADES of failed attempts under her belt by this point in time. She finally decided to talk to Abraham about getting with Hagar when she was around 76 years old. How do we know this?
And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Genesis 16:16
Sarah was 10 years younger, so the age of 76 checks out. That’s a long time to go without seeing the Lord move in your circumstance!
So evidently Sarah became tired of waiting. She pulled all the tools out of her toolbox and hatched a plan to have Abraham’s lineage carried on through his servant Hagar. As we all know by now, Hagar conceived a son by Abraham named Ishmael. God kept his Word regarding the blessing and multiplication of Abraham’s descendents, and through Ishmael we have the people group known today as the Arabs. Through Ishmael we have some of our Palestinian nations. Through Ishmael we have Islam.
So… Before we go any further, I need you to fully grasp this first point here. Remember when I said I needed you to keep in mind the idea of the box? I need you to look at the toolbox you’re carrying around right now. The biases and thoughts. The preferences, presuppositions, and past experiences. The tools that you draw upon and rely upon when you are faced with a situation you feel that you need to fix.
Everyone has a toolbox, and everyone tries to be a DIY handyman when it comes to fixing life every once in a while.
Maybe some of you can identify with Sarah.
You have past experiences that have shaped and influenced the presuppositions you carry
Maybe that family member has mistreated you
Maybe that coworker or classmate has been stealing credit for your work
Maybe you grew up poor
Maybe you watched a loved one abuse food, or drink, or medication.
Those past experiences led to presuppositions.
I assume I’ll never be able to trust them after what they did.
I assume I’ll always be in the background, doing the heavy lifting while someone else takes the glory.
I assume I’ll have to scrounge and save every nickel and dime or else I’ll be just like I was when I didn’t have money for clothes and food.
Thus, these experiences and presuppositions have influenced the steps you’re taking right now to achieve the end goal of satisfying your preference.
You prefer to keep someone at a distance, so you try your hardest to play hard ball and cold shoulder, so you don’t get hurt again
You prefer to achieve rightful recognition, but you’re anger towards your coworker or classmate’s past behavior has led to you actively seeking to undercut them as payback.
Because of the trials and mishaps of your past, whether in regards to finances or relationships, you prefer stability. In fact, you try your hardest to change as little as possible in order to keep that stable state. You essentially paralyze your growth personally and relationally in an attempt to keep everything level and predictable
Where Sarah messed up is the same place that we mess up today. We start pulling the tools out of our toolbox before we stop and consider that God is still King, and he is still on the throne. Don’t let your preferences, presuppositions, and past experiences keep you from the joy that comes from following the Lord with a pure heart.
Let’s fast forward 13 years. To Genesis 17. Abraham is 99 now. Remember… he had Ishmael when he was 86 with Hagar. So, Ishmael is now 13. For 13 years Abraham has been remembering that promise the Lord gave him. Sarah is still barren though, and Ishmael is growing into a young man.
This is where we pick up at Genesis 17:15…
15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
22 And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
Genesis 17:15-22
First thing I want to make note of here in verse 15 is the name change.
“Sarai” (שָׂרָי) and “Sarah” (שָׂרָה) are different forms of the same Hebrew word that basically means “princess/woman of strength”.
So, what was the reason God changed it? It’s basically the same thing, right?
In this ancient culture, names held power. So, to change one was a powerful thing. Throughout the Bible, we see the power behind the transformation of names.
(Acts 9) Saul was changed to Paul when he met the Lord on the road to Damascus.
(John 1) Simon was changed to Peter when Jesus decided to make him the rock on which he would build his Church.
(Genesis 32) Jacob became Israel when he went from being a deceitful brother who schemed his way into a birthright, to a man who had wrestled with God, refusing to let go until he received a blessing
I say all that to say, God changes names for big reasons, and we’d do well to pay attention to the name changes here. In Genesis 17:5 we see God change Abram’s name to Abraham, and here we see him change Sarai (with an i) to Sarah (with an h). Why did He do it?
God was essentially saying, “listen, the way you operated before isn’t the way you’re going to operate now”. That’s the meat and potatoes of a name change. In Biblical times, your name was attached to your identity. To change it was to re-identify yourself.
God is re-identifying Abraham and Sarah right before our eyes in Genesis 17. Why is this important to note?
Well, Abraham and Sarah had been living a certain kind of way up until this point, as we’ve already discussed. They’d been going along the journey of life as many of us do, getting some things right and getting some things wrong. They’d been living with successes and living with mistakes. But, for whatever reason, the Lord decided that this was going to be the moment to close that chapter of life and open the next. This was the moment he was going to pull the curtain back, remove confusion, provide direction, and execute the next step of his plan in the life of Sarah and Abraham.
Let me tell you that God can do the same for you today. He can give you a new identity. How does God give us a new identity?
He doesn’t have to change our name to make this identity real in our lives. He simply has to change our hearts. How are our hearts changed? Through the complete and total acceptance of Jesus Christ
There was a day when Samuel was going along the journey of life as many of us do, getting some things right and some things wrong. I’d had successes. I’d made mistakes. But, for whatever reason, the Lord decided 2000-something years ago that he was going to send his son Jesus to die for me.
So, when I decided to do my part in that plan of salvation and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior years ago, my name was written down in the Lamb Book of Life, and I took on a new identity. God reidentified me. No longer was I just Samuel. I was Samuel—a child of the King. My heart was changed from a desire to glorifyself to a desire to glorify God.
Have I been perfect, no. Do I still sometimes fall, yes. But I strive each day to live this new life in Christ with the new identity that I have been given. You have that same opportunity today. God can “change your name”. Through acceptance and unfettered submission to his son Jesus, you too can live in a new identity.
I came up with the term “unfettered submission” because many on the outside of the faith look at worship and submission to Jesus as an oppressive restrictive thing that keeps you from doing what you want and living how you want to live. It’s like fetters and chains that hold you down and tie you up. This is wrong. Submission to Christ makes you free. Free from the power of death. Free from the consequences of hell. Free from the grip of sin in your life. Free from the question everyone faces of “what is all of this for”. It’s not some intellectual cop-out to put your trust in Christ, as some would have you believe. It’s not some crazy attempt to find meaning in a meaningless existence. It is the best and most freeing thing you can ever do!
So… back to Sarah and Abraham, he renames them to signify the new identity he is about to bestow on them and their lineage. What does God say here?
16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her
Genesis 17:16
The Lord declares that Sarah and Abraham’s offspring will be vast. The generations of children would expand and grow into nations of people. Their children would be kings. This is the promise that God gives. And what does Abraham do?
The Bible says that he falls on his face and laughs.
I read this wrong my entire life. I thought he was laughing purely in disbelief, like God was playing a joke on him. It’s important to note that this is not the laugh of one who doesn’t believe. This is the laugh of one who is in awe and in amazement, delighting in the promise of God, by which the impossible is made possible.
How do I know this? Romans 4:18-20. This is Paul writing, speaking of Abraham…
17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
18 Who against hopebelieved in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 Andbeing not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
20 He staggered not at the promiseof God through unbelief; but wasstrong in faith,giving glory to God;
21 And being fully persuadedthat, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Romans 4:18-20
The Bible says that he gave glory to God. Abraham thought it incredulous, but he didn’t think that it was undoable. He believed in hope that God was going to take him, a 100-year-old man, and give him a child with Sarah, a 90-year-old woman.
So… I have to ask you… What is God’s promise to you? Does it sound impossible?
If you’re a child of Christ, I’ll tell you what God’s promise is to you. If you love him as Lord, He will work all things together according to your good, just like he was doing here with Abraham. He was fulfilling a promise to do a good work in Abraham’s life. Seemed impossible though didn’t it. Seemed hard right?
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Romans 8:28
Note that verse does not say “all things are good for them that love God. ”
It says all things WORK TOGETHER for good. That all things include the parts of your life you don’t like.
Life circumstances that you wish were different.
Mistakes you’ve made.
Regrets you hold.
I doubt Sarah and Abraham wanted to be in their old age with child. That was a life circumstance they might have avoided had they been able to do it their way. I feel sure there was some regret from Hagar, Sarah, and Abraham regarding the conception of Ishmael. I know Sarah thought it to be a mistake later and regretted it.
Similarly, I know some of you under the sound of my voice are in a similar boat. Romans 8:28 feels like a slap in the face, because it seems like parts of your life are just so out of wack and so far out in left field it doesn’t make sense. You have no idea how good can come out of it.
May I encourage you to follow the Abraham Blueprint laid out in Romans 4:18-20 (that’s a sermon time for a yet-to-be-finished sermon 😁)
Believe in hope,
Be not weak in the faith
Stagger not at the promises of God. (Don’t doubt the promises)
Give glory to God
Now that we know what we SHOULD do, I want to talk about what we ACTUALLY do sometimes. In fact, In Genesis 17, Abraham lays out a perfect case study. He believed on God’s promise, but he still tried to help the promise along. AND WE ALL DO THAT.
People who know me know that I sometimes… struggle… with certain parts of the driving process. Don’t get Sarah started on how I park my Tacoma sometimes. Anyway… I had a driver instructor when I was learning to drive named Mr. Parnell. He was a retired Highway Patrol officer. Excellent gentleman. Funny guy too. He was an older fellow, mostly bald, (and I’m pretty sure I didn’t help his hair situation with the perils I put him through during our lessons). The cul-de-sac definitely widened out a bit if you know what I mean.
Mr. Parnell had a really cool trainer car that had a brake on the passenger side. Being as this was the case, he was fine with me driving the car… as long as he had his foot on the passenger brake. When I got too fast, took an unexpected turn, or tried to back in the parallel parking spot wrong, he’d hit that break.
We do the same thing with God folks. We’re fine with him driving the car. We’re fine with “trusting in the promise” … to a certain extent. Then we like to pump the brakes. We like to exhibit some control. You can tell Jesus all you want to “take the wheel”, but if you leave your foot on the brake, you’re not really doing yourself any favors.
When God decides he wants to take an unexpected turn, or he wants to put you in reverse for a minute, or he wants to pick up the pace, we’re quick to say “HOLD UP LORD. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING HERE?!” And this is where we introduce what I like to call the counteroffer.
Abraham gave God a counteroffer in Genesis 17:18… EVEN AFTER WE ALREADY KNOW HE WAS TRUSTING THE LORD. He couldn’t help himself.
He said, “Lord, I believe your promise and all, but you mind just using Ishmael? Like… he’s already here, so it makes sense and stuff. I wouldn’t have to deal with her pregnancy cravings, she wouldn’t have to get irritated at me when the hormones started acting up. It’s really a better deal God.”
I’m being a bit facetious, but you get the point. He took God’s promise, and he put his own spin on it. Even the most Christian of us do this same thing folks! The counteroffer is another tool we all possess inside our box. We take the blessing, the promise, or the opportunity that God puts in front of us, and we say, “Oh Lord, could you tweak it a bit here? Could you change it a bit there”.
So, I have to ask you… Are you trying to give God a counteroffer? Are you trying to use the tools in your toolbox?
Are there situations in your life where you have asked God to work, but you’re still trying to exert some control. Maybe you’re just like Abraham. Ultimately, you believe in the promise of God, but a little bit of self has slipped in. Maybe you want God to work on somebody or in something, but you want it done your way instead of God’s way.
Sometimes we may not even recognize we’re giving God the counteroffer, trying to make Him work in our box. A really good example of this is when you decide to take (what I like to call anyway) the “closed mouths don’t get fed approach”
We’ve all heard of the phrase “closed mouths don’t get fed” right? The general point is that you have to put yourself out there and do a little bit of work if you expect to see results.
This is all fine and dandy until the work you’re doing for yourself is more important to you than the work God is doing on your behalf.
Case in point…1 year before I graduated college, I began looking for a job. Not just any job though. I wanted a 9-5, M-F, $40k a year, computer science job right in Florence. Florence isn’t exactly the capital of tech industry, so my options were limited, and the competition was high. So, I threw myself into working at it. I knew I’d need an internship that I could then use to transition into a full-time position, so I began my search
I wrote a bunch of cover letters, sent emails, and revised my resume multiple times. I took extra classes for additional certifications in an attempt to stand out. I interviewed tons of places. The school IT dept, the hospital IT dept, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the local county govt IT dept. Rejection after Rejection.
Anyone that sent me a call back, I’d interview with. I so desired that EXACT TYPE of JOB that I chased it. Then there came the day I found it. It was a junior developer internship at a small software company named ACS technologies.
It was 15 minutes from my parents’ house, (where I planned on staying at least a year after graduation to save up money
I knew people who had connections there
It was a company that built Christian Church Software
It checked all the boxes I’d mentioned earlier. The internship had potential to be full-time upon completion
I applied, then asked like 3 different connections to put in a good word for me. Waited.
I got an initial interview. Passed!
A second-round interview. Passed!
Third round - “I’m sorry, but we’ve decided to go with another candidate”
I. WAS. CRUSHED. And Angry. The person who ended up getting the internship was one of my classmates. He was the brainiac who knew everything and didn’t mind telling everyone how smart he was. I’d wasted all that time, trying so hard, all for nothing
That night I found out. I was so angry I went on a run to blow off some steam. Landed wrong on a rock and stumbled. I was stubborn and aggravated, so I ran through the pain. Got back to the house, was walking up the steps, and my knee gave out.
Ended up having to spend a few months in therapy because of that dumb decision.
That was right around Christmas. The internship fell through. I broke it off with the girl I was dating. My leg was all jacked up, hindering mobility. I was done.
Later, as I reflected, I’d been giving God the counteroffer. I was taking the “closed mouths don’t get fed approach” and throwing myself into everything and anything, regardless of if it was God’s Will or not. I was offering up my Ishmael.
Essentially, I had this vision of what I wanted in my head and I was saying, “Lord, I believe that you’re going to protect me and keep me and bless me if I follow You, but how about you bless me with THIS job and with THIS girl and THIS SPECIFIC THING I’M WANTING”
But God knew the future that I didn’t. And, because He loves me, he wasn’t going to let me torpedo myself completely.
LET ME GIVE YOU A TESTIMONY TO HOW GOD WORKS THOUGH.
Because I didn’t take that internship, the next summer I was able to go to the Wilds and impact kids for the Lord. Even led some to salvation. Had the best summer of my teen years.
The next year, ACS Technologies underwent some financial struggles. They laid off a bunch of staff. The man I interviewed with, who would’ve been my boss, put in his resignation.
My last semester of college, All the doors in Florence remained closed to me, but the Lord threw a door wide open right here in Charleston, SC at Nucor.
He blessed me with a job making double what I had thought I initially wanted.
He gave me my own place to live (when I thought I was going to have to be living at home another year.)
My job isn’t 9-5, but I have flexibility to work remote, which is amazing.
He’s opened the door for me to preach in churches I’d have never been able to had I stayed at home.
He didn’t just put another girl for me to date in my path… HE HAD A WHOLE SMOKESHOW OF A WIFE waiting for me in Charleston.
Even with all the tools in my toolbox, I couldn’t have built something so great! Nor could I have seen the future God had for me back then on my own. I simply had no idea!
Working off the knowledge I had when I was applying for those internships years ago, I could have made a bunch of good, wise, stable decisions. I think I could have worked inside of my box and built something that would have been stable and morally okay. I could have lived my entire life never setting foot on Rainbow Row. But it would have been wrong for me. Why? Because I don’t know my future like God does.
He saw a better life for me myself.
** than I saw forHe saw a better life for Abraham than Abraham saw for himself.**
He sees a better life for you than you see for yourself.
The fact is that whenever you try to handle something on your own apart from God, things will slip through the cracks.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s impossible to make a good decision apart from God. There are plenty of moral, good people in the world who strive to make helpful, compassionate, and moral decisions. But, in the end, that isn’t good enough. Why? Consider the following example…
You’re building a house, and you need to wire up the electricity. You have two choices. You can choose an electrical contractor, or you can choose my brother. Let me stump for my brother really quick. He’s a smart and intelligent young man. 19 years of age. He’s spent a couple summers working as an electrical apprentice. He has an internship under his belt. He knows the difference between AC and DC voltage. He’s moral and good. He’s got the best intentions. He’s not intentionally going to seek to wire up your house wrong or burn it down. Because of these reasons, I think you should pick him to wire up 200 AMPS of pure lightning into your house.
Already some of you are looking at me like I’m crazy and rightfully so. You don’t want some 19-year-old kid wiring up your house! You want a seasoned and experienced contractor who’s wired up many types of houses for many people over many years!
Explain something to me then… why do some of us treat our spiritual lives the same way?
Know that apart from God, your spiritual life is dead and dark. Everyone recognizes this, regardless of if they believe in Jesus or not. You can see the depravity of the human condition all around you.
Yet, some of us seek to bring light to this innate depravity through our own goodness and morality. We pull out our toolbox and get to work wiring up lights! After all, you’re a good person with no ill-intentions.
Yeah… you haven’t been around since the dawn of time
and yeah, you’ve never created solar systems with a breath
and yeah, you’ve never saved anyone from eternal damnation,
but sure, you can go ahead and wire up the light into your dead dark spirit. It’s all about making good choices every day and hoping your good outweighs your bad when the Reaper comes calling right?
NO! That’s a foolish line of reasoning.
Good and moral people making good and moral choices die and go to hell every day because goodness and morality is not what saves you.
Only trusting in Jesus as Lord of your life does.
It makes sense that, since God is the one who initially created us, then He alone is the one who is fully qualified to restore us and fix us when we falter.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23
Romans 3:23 tells us that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Both you and I are included in that all.
6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isaiah 64:6
Isaiah 64:6 tells us that our righteousness (all the good we can do apart from God) is as filthy rags.
We can’t do it on our own folks. We all need Jesus. Do you have him today or are you still trying to work inside the box?
Something that became very evident to me at a young age was the simple fact that people hold preachers and pastors to a higher standard. Growing up in my Grandaddy’s church, I saw both sides. I saw how people cleaned up around him. I saw how people came to him for advice and prayer and comfort. There was a certain aura around him that was different. When we moved to Florence, I saw the same thing with Pastor Donnie, then Pastor Joel. Then, when I lived in NC that summer, I saw it in Dr. RK Lee. When I moved to Charleston, I saw it in Pastor Barry Owens. Visiting home, I see it in Pastor Scott. David’s Dilemma.
On the radio, as I’ve listened to Adrian Rogers, Tony Evans, J Vernon McGee, I’ve realized that these are men who (right, wrong, or indifferent) people have placed on a pedestal. In some ways, I’m starting to experience this same thing myself. In my workplace, out in the steel mill in Huger, SC, I’ve gotten the reputation of “preacher” to the guys out on the floor and in the office. There are some days, when I’m hit with certain questions and comments, I get the same feeling that perhaps people look at me a bit differently. It isn’t always the best feeling in the world.
It is true that men who preach the word of God have an elevated sense of responsibility, as well as a more dire consequence if they mislead the sheep. It is for this reason I’ve struggled with today’s message. I’ve gone back and forth over it.
The thought that this sermon is built on was initially placed in my mind when I heard that Pastor Tony Evans was stepping down and resigning from his church of 48 years on account of undisclosed sin in his life. I idolized him. I listened to his sermons every morning for years going back and forth from my commute to West Florence High, and then Francis Marion University. It didn’t make sense to me. How could a man seemingly so close to God mess up so bad?
In the weeks following, I was exposed to this question in a much more visceral way, and I found the passage of Scripture we’re going to be discussing today weighing heavy on my heart. There have been times when I’ve studied Scripture and I’ve received a sense of peace and comfort. There have been times I have been corrected and admonished through the Word of God. We speak of God’s Word being a sword, but sometimes we forget that the sword isn’t just used to defend against the wiles of Satan. It can also be used to cut away at the sin in our lives, painfully calling us to task and imploring us to do better. Indeed, Hebrews 4:12 rings true.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12
So the question prevailed… How could a man seemingly so close to God mess up so bad? What brought him to that point? What pitfalls should have been avoided? What lessons are there to learn?
Today, we are going to take a few minutes to dive deep into a tiny portion of the life of David, one of Israel’s most notable kings, a man after God’s own heart, and a man in the lineage of Jesus Christ himself. Let’s begin.
11:1And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
2And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 _ And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
2 Samuel 11:1-4
The fact about sin is that it goes from its point of origination to attack 3 locations. It originates in your heart. That’s where it always starts. It then proceeds to attack in 3 locations. It attacks you Physically, Emotionally, and Spiritually.
I’ve made the mistake in my own life of believing that certain sins are purposed and certain sins you just “fall into”. Certain sins are premeditated and certain sins just come upon you suddenly and you’re caught off guard and there’s not much you can do to respond. This isn’t a concept that has only affected me, because someone before me at some point came up with the phrase to “fall into sin”. I’ve heard it all my life.
“So and so has strayed from the Lord. They’ve fallen into sin.”. “So and so has fallen away from the faith” This implies that we’ve been caught off-balance. This implies that our faith is on shaky ground and, because we aren’t standing on it, we fall into all the sinful muck and dirt surrounding us. That’s what fall means right? Some of the most used definitions for the word fall in the Merriam-Webster are:
To come by chance (a tragic circumstance fell into his lap)
To enter as if unawares (we fell into a trap)
To leave an upright position suddenly or involuntarily (she slipped and fell on the ice.)
What do you notice about these definitions? It all implies falling as something outside of your control. Friend, when we fall into sin, the sinful actions that we commit our within our control and done by our own will. How do I know this?
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
1 Corinthians 10:13
God says in his word that ALL temptations that we face will include a path of escape. God doesn’t lie. That means that you willfully choose to stay with the temptation and sin, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.
Sometimes, we try to hide behind boundaries to prevent these attacks on our life.
Pops once told me a story about a man named Odysseus (ah - dis -ee - us) who wanted to hear the Sirens sing. These wicked creatures would enchant sailors with song and fake beauty as they passed through a certain portion of the ocean. The only problem was, whenever sailors heard the Sirens sing, they would jump overboard, trying to get closer to the sound, only to drown or be attacked. Still, Odysseus wanted to hear the Sirens sing. So he had all of his crew stuff wax in their ears, wrap him with ropes and chains to the mast of the ship, and promise not to take the chains off when he begged them to. As he heard the song, he became crazed, wanting to get near the Sirens. He strained at the ropes and chains as they cut into his skin. He screamed at the sailors, begging to be set free. To him, the Sirens looked like beautiful women. The other sailors, unenchanted, saw them for what they were, wicked beasts with claws. You see… Odysseus willfully and purposefully put himself in a position to be lured and tempted by evil, all for a few minutes of pleasure. Did he have a couple boundaries in place? Yes. But he was still behaving quite foolishly. He chose to stay in the path of danger.
When it comes to how we guard ourselves from sin, we need to focus less on not crossing the boundary and more on cultivating an attitude that will give us a godly perspective, where we WON’T WANT TO cross the boundary and we WONT WANT TO stay in the path of danger.
I need you to see that David was kind of like Odysseus.
We’re going to see sin got to David in this way today.
First, He put himself in a bad position. There were boundaries that he blatantly ignored. He acted wrongly, chasing a few minutes of pleasure. Why in the world was David on the rooftop that night? What aspect of his heart was misaligned with the Lord to the point where he, a man after God’s own heart, committed such a wicked sin? Why did he choose to stay, instead of choosing a path of escape?
A Slothful Heart
The first point that we need to see today is that A slothful heart will set the trap.
David was being lazy. In 2 Samuel 11:1, we see that it was the time when the kings went out to war. This was the time that they were supposed to be going out and leading their armies since the weather was nice. Didn’t have to worry about troops dying of frostbite and hypothermia I guess.
The weather was so nice that David decided he was going to stay home and enjoy it. He was going to take a nice little nighttime stroll in that beautiful weather on the roof of his magnificent palace. He was going to delegate the future success of his nation to his generals and he was going to take a minute to enjoy all the stuff that God had blessed him with. He disregarded the responsibilities that God had given him and chose instead to grow slothful and lazy with the blessings that God had given him.
When David decided in his head that he was going to hang back, instead of going out on the battlefield with his men as he was supposed to, the trap was set. His laziness put him in a location that he had no business being in.
Can I tell you today that we allow our laziness with the Lord to put us in all kinds of locations we have no business in. The Bible says in Proverbs 15:19 that…
19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns:
But the way of the righteous is made plain.
Proverbs 15:19
The word way there speaks of a journey, walking a distance. When you’re lazy in regards to your walk with Christ, you always end up walking into a location that’s surrounded by that hedge of thorns. That hedge is a sharp, cutting barrier all around you. One step, and you end up in the briars and the thistles with cuts on your arms, legs, and face. You end up all tore up and hurt. You get caught in the trap, and you have to learn a painful lesson in order to get out.
David was effectively in the trap when he walked on that rooftop. He was in the wrong location. He should’ve been on the battlefield with his men, but he wasn’t. Take a moment this morning and ask yourself, “Is my laziness leading me to the wrong location?”. Am I hanging out with the wrong people? Am I spending time in the wrong places? If I know nothing good happens after dark, then why am I out? If I know when I’m with a particular friend, then I always get into trouble, then why are we friends? If I know that bad things happen at a particular place, then why would I go? Trust me, I know all about this, after spending a night out on King Street.
A slothful heart won’t only put us in the wrong locations, it’ll also give us the wrong justifications
Keep in mind, being in the wrong location often leads to having the wrong justification.
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way;
A lion is in the streets.
Proverbs 26:13
What is a justification? It’s a reason given to demonstrate that an action is reasonable. It’s the excuse you give for why you’re doing what you’re doing
Proverbs 26:13 highlights the excuses of the slothful man. The justification that he is giving for not working is “there is a lion in the street”. That’s the equivalent today of “I can’t go to work because I may get hit by a meteor”. Technically not impossible, but almost assuredly improbable. No rational person would take that excuse. Your boss would chuckle a bit right before he fired you.
Regarding my walk with Christ, I’ve found that, when I’m in the wrong location, it’s easier for me to give the wrong justification. When I’m in a compromised position, either physically, spiritually, or emotionally, it’s a lot easier for me to make excuses as to why I’m there and why I should stay there. I wonder how David justified his actions that night. How he justified staying home when he should have been on that battlefield. How he justified calling for Bathsheba, a woman married to one of his friends, to come to his house in the middle of the night. He could’ve said…
I’m tired. I’ve always led the battle. I slept with my men in the caves when I was on the run from Saul, fighting the Philistines. I deserve a break.
I’m the king, I can do whatever I want. I deserve to have this time to relax and enjoy myself
I’ve been good to Uriah. He’s one of my mighty men. He owes me.
Do you think any of these are good reasons?
What are the reasons that we use today?
Well, they said something ugly to me, so I can say something back
Well, I’ve already gotten this far, mind as well go all the way.
Well, I made it to church this morning, so no need to go tonight.
Well, all my friends are doing it….
Well, if the boss is okay with it, I guess I should be to.
Well, I’ve done a lot over my life, it’s time for someone else to step up and serve the Lord…
If you step back and take a look, I’m pretty sure you can find an area in your life where you are justifying behavior you KNOW is wrong. And, friend, the reason you may have the wrong JUSTIFICATION is because your slothful heart has set a trap and you’re in the wrong LOCATION and you are actively being caught in the guilt and grip of sin.
What should our location be folks?
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life:
**_In thy presence_** _is fulness of joy;_ **_At thy right hand_** _there are pleasures for evermore._
Psalm 16:11
It took him a minute to figure it out I think, but when David penned these words in later years, he hit the nail on the head. My Bible tells me that my location is supposed to be right there in the presence of the Father. And if you feel that twinge in your chest right now telling you that’s not where you’re at, today’s the day to get it right.
So, the first point here this morning, is that a slothful heart will set a trap for you. If you’re not on guard, making sure to stay close to Jesus, you’re going to end up in wrong locations making bad justifications.
A Stubborn Heart
Secondly, I need you to understand that a stubborn heart will sear the conscience. A slothful heart sets a trap, then a stubborn heart sears the conscience.
One thing I’ve started doing recently is doing some more “manly” type cooking. Fellas know what’s up. The minute a good woman pops up in your life, you freak out in your brain for a minute because you’re trying to figure out a way to keep her. My dumb self figured that if I got into cooking steaks and chicken and all that other jazz, I’d make myself look like some testosterone-ey grillmaster. So I had to learn how to do a good sear.
Now, I don’t exactly have a grill on my back patio in my 3rd floor one bedroom city apartment, so I’m making do with an electric stovetop and a pan. Learned about this thing called a “pan-seared steak” There I was in the kitchen one afternoon with a steak and a glowing hot pan. Piece of steak in my hand, fresh from the Food Lion. Drizzle some oil. Throw the meat down in the pan like I’ve seen on Food Network. I was hoping for a calm little sizzle. I got me a whole steam locomotive up in that house! That thing starts hissing and popping! Smoke and steam is all in my face. Turns out I’d forgotten to pat the stupid thing dry of all the extra liquid!
I wanted a nice sear. I wanted to scorch the outer surface of the meat to get that crispy brown crust. Instead, I ended up just getting a mess. But the point I want you to understand is the sear. What is a sear? It’s when the outside is hardened by heat and flame while the inside is more tender
I need you to see that A stubborn heart will sear the conscience.
26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.
2 Samuel 11:26-27
So, just to fill you in, since we hopped a few verses…
David sleeps with Bathsheba, and she conceives out of wedlock
David tries to get her husband, Uriah, to sleep with her, TWICE, so that everyone thinks the baby is his. Both times, Uriah is loyal to his fellow soldiers and refuses to go home.
David sends a letter, by the hand of Uriah, back to the battlefield with instructions for Joab to have Uriah killed and make it look like an accident.
Joab fulfills the request and Uriah dies
David takes Bathsheba to be his wife.
I need you to see that sin sears your conscience. Some people let their immorality sit in their lives, like a burning coal, and they let it cauterize the cut of sin. They don’t get rid of it, they just let it sit and burn until they’re numb to it.
Evidently, David was in this position, because we see he stubbornly continued without repentance for some time after he murdered Uriah and committed adultery with Bathsheba. Each sin was directly related to the previous. He stubbornly continued spiraling, digging the hole deeper and deeper.
The key phrase that this entire point hinges on is “and bare him a son” part of verse 27. This is why you have to study your Bible diligently folks. This would be an easy verse to skip through, but The Lord brings out the meat when you ask Him to…
“and bare him a son” implies a long length of time where David, a man after God’s own heart, was apart from a right relationship with God.
The Bible says that Bathsheba bore him a son, so we know that at least 9 months have passed. You see, I imagine. David thought he’d gotten away with it. His stubborn heart attitude became a stronghold in his life. It convinced him that he was free and in the clear. Over that time, he had developed that hardened outer shell while, as we’ll see later, the impact of his sin was still raw in his heart.
Let’s see… what had he gotten away with? What exactly had seared his conscience?
Firstly, David had murdered Uriah, and no one was the wiser.
This was a big deal. Not just because it was murder, but because of who Uriah was. 2 Sam 23:39 shows us that Uriah was one of David’s elite soldiers. He was not just a footman. He was part of the group that has become known as David’s Mighty Men. These were 37 military warriors that David had who were set apart for their heroic actions. These were David’s personal friends. We don’t know exactly what Uriah did to be put in this group, but we know he was on the same level as men like
Adino (ah-dee-no), killed 800 men in one battle with a spear.
Eleazar ( el-aw-zawr’_), stayed behind during a battle where others fled and killed Philistines. He swung his blade so much that his hand became stuck, clenched around his sword.
Benaiah (ben-ah-ee-ah-hoo). , one of David’s division commanders, with 24,000 men under his command, killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day. He also beat down a powerful Egyptian with a club staff, took the Egyptian’s own spear, and then killed him with it.
These were some powerful, loyal dudes, and Uriah did something similar to be placed with him. He was so loyal, the Bible says that he chose to sleep with the other soldiers, rather than go home to be with his wife when David got him drunk and told him to. He was loyal to David, but David wasn’t loyal to him.
David had a real relationship with this man, which made the sin all the more evil. If you were to look in the Dead Sea Scrolls, you’d see that Uriah was the armor bearer of Joab, David’s head commander. Both David, who commanded Uriah’s death, and Joab, who executed the command, were at fault. Both of their consciences must have been seared, for we see that they simply continued on.
Secondly, not only was Uriah out the picture, but Bathsheba was David’s wife now, so their baby looked legitimate, and no one was the wiser.
There was going to be no scandal. There was going to be no outcry of injustice. There weren’t going to have to be any split custody arrangements or child support payments.
No one in the world knew about that adultery besides David and Bathsheba.
No one in the world knew about that murder besides David and Joab.
The baby was on the way, healthy, and all was good. All of the nasty business was behind David. Sure… He’d slipped up a couple of times, BUT it was all taken care of. He chose to be stubborn and set in his ways.
Are we stubborn like that today folks? Is there sin in your life that you refuse to give up? Is there something that you are doing that you know is wrong, but you keep burying the guilt and the shame? Maybe at one time the pain pierced your heart, but now its just a dull thud.
Friend, you can tell yourself that you’re fine. You can tell yourself that it doesn’t hurt like it used to. The reality is that, with each passing day you stubbornly allow that sin to stab you, you become a bit more dead on the inside. And remember, dead people don’t feel. If the guilt, shame, or pain is becoming more bearable the longer your stubborn heart continues to chase the sin, just know that you are killing yourself, whether it be physically, spiritually, or emotionally.
In my mind, I see David going about his daily routine as the months wore on. With each passing month, the atrocity of the sins he committed faded a bit. It became a bit easier to handle. Then, there comes the day….
A servant slips into his throne room to announce that Nathan the prophet is here to see him. I imagine it was just another day for David. Just a standard day of hearing people’s complaints and strategizing with his generals. He’d probably just had a 10 o’clock with the foreign policy advisor and was dreading the 2 pm with his director of internal affairs. But he decided he could slip Nathan the prophet in. Then Nathan comes in and completely flips his world. What does Nathan say?
1 And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds:
3 But the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.
4 And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him; but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.
5 And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
7 And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
2 Samuel 12:1-7
Just like that… 9 months of secrecy come to light. Just like that, everything that David was hiding comes to the forefront. All of his stubborn refusal to get right with God comes to a screeching halt. Look at how it unfolded….
Notice David invokes the name of the Lord in verse 5. He was still talking the talk. At that moment, he had no idea that the gig was up. He had no idea that Nathan knew. David had on his holy face. He was going to honor God and judge the situation that Nathan put before him righteously. He was going to be the catalyst for the restoration of this poor man with his one little lamb. David, in his own power, would make this bad situation right by forcing the offending man to pay restitution 4 times over, then kill him for his crimes.
Imagine what Nathan thought as he stood before King David, staring at him as he ranted. There David was, putting on a show of pious holiness and righteous anger. He spoke of the man having no pity! I imagine Nathan cringing at that one… David talks of having no pity, having sent Uriah’s death order BY THE HAND OF URIAH HIMSELF. Nathan quietly waits until David tuckers himself out, then he calmly says, “David, you’re the man. You did this. You’re the one who has sinned against God”.
At that moment, I think David’s heart dropped in his chest. I think that the hardened emotional shell that he had built around his heart was smashed to pieces. I think Nathan’s words, infused with the divine revelation and retribution of a Holy God, hit him like a hammer.
I’m praying that if that’s where you’re at today, living with a seared conscience toward the things of God, the words that you’re about to hear are going to smash through your hardened heart in the same way. I want you to leave this place today broken. I want you to leave raw. Because that was what David had to go through to get back into the right relationship with God.
Some of us are still talking the talk this morning. Some sins have sat so long in our lives, that we’ve learned how to work around them. We’ve learned how to carry them. We may not even be asking for forgiveness anymore. These sins have seared our conscience, and we’re no longer sensitive to the Holy Spirit calling us to task on it.
We’re just like David, professing the name of God outwardly, while our hearts are far from him. We’re here in the church building, putting on the show of being holy and righteous, but we’re not really living it out in the world. We’re like David, expressing indignation at the very sins we know we’re committing in our own lives. We don’t care though, because our hearts have been seared numb by the sin.
8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
Matthew 15:8
Please don’t misunderstand me. I’ve been in this position myself. I am not preaching to you as one who is above these problems. In my past, I’ve given up ground to Satan that I’d swore I’d always occupy. I stubbornly thought I could handle it, and now I have scars of sin in my life that I will carry till the day God calls me home. My life is far from perfect. I know how it feels to sin on Saturday night and walk into church with a fake smile on my face on Sunday morning. I know how it feels to switch from leading the bawdy humor around the water cooler at lunch to leading the prayer at dinner. I don’t say this for you to make excuses, but rather to tell you that the Lord peeled back the layers of my life as I studied for this message and He told me, “Sam, you can’t live with that kind of duplicity in your life. You can’t be an ambassador for me and an ambassador for the world. Your mouth can’t sing my praises and preach my goodness while your heart is seared to my instruction.”
So I ask you, is your stubborn heart searing your conscience? Is the Holy Spirit working your life at this moment, impressing you to get right, and you’re stubbornly refusing? How long have you been fighting this battle with God? Don’t you think that it’s time to give it up?
If your sin USED to make you feel bad but you don’t feel the sting anymore, that’s a scary place to be. Don’t dull the conviction of the Holy Spirit. And maybe you’re like David today. You’re still invoking the name of God. You’re still acting it out your part in the cosmic play we’re in. The people in the church don’t know. The people at work don’t know. The people in your family don’t know. You’ve got it covered right up, but the dull ache is throbbing in your chest right now because you know that you’re living in sin. It’s still raw under that hard outer exterior you’ve fashioned over the weeks or months or years that you’ve held the sin in your heart.
That’s some of of us here today folks. That’s us. This is the Nathan moment. I don’t know your unique situation. And I don’t know how the Lord is convicting you in this moment and working on your life, but if this is your Nathan moment, you need to heed to it.
Why Sam? Why should I pay attention to anything you’re saying right now?
This brings us to our third point this morning.
A slothful heart sets a trap
A stubborn heart sears the conscience
A scarred heart will set you back
A Scarred Heart
A scarred heart will set you back.
If you’ve ever been in the burn unit at a hospital, you know that people who get seared by flames are often left with scars. The heat causes the skin to scar. First-degree burns often heal on their own without scarring. Second- and third-degree burns usually leave behind scars.
This was definitely a 3rd degree kind of burn folks. Look at the scars left on David’s life because of slothfulness and his stubbornness
9_Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon._
10 Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.
11 Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.
12 For thou didst it secretly: but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.
2 Samuel 12:9-12
Because David despised the commandment of the Lord, there were consequences. Even though David was a man of God, there was punishment to be meted out in his life because of the sin that he had committed. What exactly were those consequences?
There would always be fighting in his house. The sword would never depart. His family was never going to be fully at peace. We see this come to pass when…
Amnon, David’s firstborn. He raped his half-sister, Tamar.
Absalom, David’s third son, murdered Amnon, the firstborn, as vengeance for the rape of Tamar. Then, he was killed by Joab when he mounted a rebellion against David and tried to take the throne.
Adonijah (add - doni -yah -hooo), the 4th son of David, attempted to usurp the throne from Solomon, the 10th son, and Solomon had him executed.
Verse 11 and 12 prophesy’d of Absalom taking David’s concubines in the sight of all of Israel. Around the time of that event, David had to flee from the castle, in fear of his life, on account of Absalom.
We see also in verses 14 and 15 that David’s first child by Bathsheba dies as a baby. That didn’t just wreck David folks. I have no doubt that Bathsheba took that hard. She lost her husband Uriah, then she lost her child. Both losses came in tragedy. Part of me wonders if she blamed David for any of that as the years went on. I wonder if these events had any lasting negative impacts on their marriage.
Scars were left. Awful scars that didn’t just damage David, but also damaged his family in an irrevocably way. David may have been one of the greatest kings that Israel ever had, but this singular event tore his testimony as a father, arguably more important than his testimony as king, to shreds. His house never stopped warring. His kids executed each other, and some even tried to execute him.
Sin leaves scars. Yes, Jesus forgives, but the scars still remain. This is why the “well… I’ll just ask for forgiveness later” line is so horrid and terrible. The consequences of our sin may just not leave scars on our hearts, but they have the potential to hurt other people as well. And these scars set us back. Sometimes they make us question God. Sometimes they bring anger into our lives. We become so hurt and broken giving into sin that we are REMOVED from that right relationship with God, and that sets us back in the relationship.
You ever been set back in a relationship? You were really tight, the vibes were good, everything was going along smoothly. Then, you get into a yelling match and something hurtful is said. Or, you get into an argument and you end up giving each other the silent treatment and the cold shoulder. Do those things move you closer towards oneness in the relationship, or does it move you further back from it?
Yes.. you can say you’re sorry quickly, but, sometimes, that isn’t enough. There has to be a change in approach, attitude, or action in order to restore the relationship. There has to be time put into to build up the foundation that was broken, or rebuild the bridges that were burned
So what about our relationship with the Lord this morning? Are there any parts of your heart this morning that are scarred, and that’s set you back? Are there certain areas of your life, maybe in your career or in your home where you see the effects of not maintaining that close relationship with Christ? Friend, if you see parts of your life like that this morning, you need to heed to the example of David.
Looking at this passage, we can, without a doubt, see the awful effects that the scars of sin can leave on your life. There were goals that David was never able to achieve. There were milestones he was never able to celebrate. The same is true for us today folks.
There are some people who’ve stubbornly allowed the sin of anger to sit in their life. They became desensitized to the roughness of their words and the harshness of their actions. Their hearts were seared to it. One day, they flew off at their boss and got fired. They raised a hand against their spouse and got served with divorce papers. Can God redeem them? Absolutely. But the scars remain.
There are some people who’ve stubbornly allowed the sin of selfishness to sit in their lives. They became desensitized to the focus onme, me, me. They spent years chasing the next check to spend on their toys and clothes and vacations. Their hearts were seared to it. One day, they looked around their childless, spouseless home and felt the most crushing weight, realizing they’d squandered a life that could have been shared with others and brought so much joy and life into the world. Can God redeem them? Absolutely. But the scars remain.
Some who stubbornly allowed the sin of laziness to sit in their lives. They became desensitized to the evil they see. They let the kids smart off and ingest the trash TV and social media. They slip into the back of the church, and leave right after the prayer. They pretend that the crazies are only in California and NYC. They could make more of a difference in the lives of their children, the lives of those in their church, the life of the nation, but they are content to sit and watch as people do the wrong thing. One day, they wake up and realize their kid has rejected their upbringing and gone to live riotously, their church is barely treading water because 20% of the people are doing 80% of the work, or they turn on the TV and see that the clowns are running the country. Can God redeem them? Absolutely. But the scars remain.
David’s dilemma originated in his heart, created by his slothfulness, his stubbornness, and his scars.
Samuel Howell
Don’t let your slothfulness steer you into the wrong location and give you the wrong justifications.
Don’t let your stubbornness sear your soul to the correction of the Lord in your life.
And remember that the scars on your life may set you back, but they can’t keep you back.
Why?
Because a repentant heart will restore a right relationship with God
A Repentant Heart
We can see this right here in 2 Samuel 12:13.
13And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.
2 Samuel 12:13
We see David come full circle here.
He allowed his slothfulness to put him on that roof that one summer night.
He allowed that stubbornness to lead to the murder of Uriah and months upon months of hiding from God.
The scars of his life were going to be put on full display as a warning for us all. But HERE, we see David begin the process of restoration.
Note that David took responsibility for his actions. He says, “Ihave sinned against the Lord”.
Folks, YOU have to come to that realization. It’s not enough for a man of God to stand behind a pulpit and tell you. It’s not enough for your friends, or your parents, or your coworkers, or your children to inform you. Your standing with God is your responsibility alone to acknowledge and maintain.
Some people get bent all out of shape because they feel like the preacher is coming down hard on them. Or some other godly person in their life is getting on their case. And they’re resistant to the process of restoration because of it. I’ve seen it in my own life. There’ve been people who’ve heard me preach, and walked out the door and never came back because of it. I’ve had that same attitude myself in the past. There’s been times in my life where God has put a Nathan in place to tell me something, and I haven’t wanted to hear it.
Friend, you have to take that up with God. He’s the one you really have a problem with if your honest with yourself. And He’s who you need to be talking to about fixing it.
David took it in stride. We’d do well to follow his example today folks. We’d do well to ask for forgiveness from the Lord and begin the process of restoration. Swallow our pride and take it on the chin instead of sitting and rotting in the filth of sin.
What’s stopping you today? What’s stopping you from doing as David did and admitting your sin?
You know what happens when you do?
When you admit your sin to God, acknowledging you’ve done wrong and asking for forgiveness, you know what the Lord does?
The Lord forgives you. Completely and wholly.
Don’t misunderstand me. This doesn’t give you license to continue to live in sin. God’s mercy is not to be treated as a “get-out-of-hell” free card. You can’t just live how you want “because God’ll forgive me anyway”. That attitude implies repeated willful sin, which implies you were never really sorry in the first place. A repentant heart is truly sorry and seeks to “go and sin no more”. Will you always succeed in this quest? No. But the Bible says….
16 For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief
Proverbs 24:16
God knows the desire of your heart, whether it’s to do better or to continue to live in sin
It was in David’s heart to do better. He wanted to be restored to a right relationship with his God and Savior. Can you say the same for yourself today?
If you can, and you accept Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, know that the Lord has put away your sin. You will not die the eternal death of separation from all that is good. You will not suffer the fires of hell. Only if Jesus is Lord of your life. Message me. We’ll go through what salvation is.
If you’ve already accepted Christ, but you know you’re not in a right relationship with him. Now is the time to do business with God. Get with him one on one and get it straight. No one can do it for you.
