Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer
in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the
Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the
Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in Spirit and Truth," (Joh 4:24)
REBOUND AND
KEEP MOVING
Winning a
basketball game requires players to shoot and to REBOUND the ball. When the
ball leaves the hand of a shooter, arches gracefully toward the basket, drops
inside the rim of the hoop, and rips through the net, he scores. But when his
shot misses, the ball must be rebounded. Rebounding recovers the loose ball as
it ricochets off the rim or backboard. Rebounding
restores the opportunity to shoot, to score, and ultimately, to win. In
the Spiritual life every Christian misses shots or sins. But like basketball,
the contest of the Christian life does not end when a believer sins. God
graciously provides the way to rebound
from sin, to restore the filling of
the Holy Spirit, to recover
fellowship with God, and to keep moving in
the Spiritual life. Rebound offers the believer an
infinite number of chances to win and keep winning in the Christian life.
WHAT ABOUT SIN?
If every shot
in basketball went through the hoop and scored, rebounding would not be
necessary. But no player is perfect. If Christians never sinned the rebound
technique would not be necessary. But no Christian is perfect. We all sin.
If we [Believers] say that we have no
sin, (Sin nature) we are deceiving ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. (1Jn 1:8)
If we say that we have not sinned, (When we
have) we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. (1Jn 1:10)
Sin is disobedience to the will of God, any
mental, verbal, or overt activity contrary to the perfect character and
standards of God. Yet why do believers continue to sin after salvation?
The volition
of Adam is the culprit. God created the first man perfect, without sin. But
Adam’s decision in the Garden to disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit, (Gen 3:6-8) alienated the entire human race from
God. (Gen 3:2-3; cf., Rom 5:12; 1Co 15:22)
The resulting Spiritual death of Adam was passed to all men. Sinful, imperfect
mankind can have no relationship with perfect God.
The
omniscience of God knew the free will of Adam would choose to sin. Therefore,
even before God created man, He conceived the plan for renewing our
relationship with Him. He would send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the
cross. As our perfect substitute, Jesus paid the penalty for every human sin —
past, present, and future (Rom 5:8; 2Co 5:14-19; 1Pe
2:24; 1Jn 2:2). This
matchless plan or policy toward mankind is called grace.
WHAT ABOUT GRACE?
God’s
solution for sin is established by His grace. Grace is all that God is free to
do for each of us on the basis of the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross. We do not earn or deserve
grace; we can do nothing to merit the favor and blessing of God. He has done everything for us!
GRACE FOR BELIEVER AND UNBELIEVER
Sin separates
the unbeliever from God. Since Jesus Christ resolved the sin problem on the
cross, just one issue confronts the unbeliever: What do you think about Christ?
The issue is resolved by one simple act of faith.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved.” (Act 16:31)
For by grace you have been saved
through faith; [Believing in Christ] and that not of yourselves, ---
(Salvation) --- it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one
should boast. (Eph
2:8-9)
When you believe
in Jesus Christ, a non-meritorious act, God the Holy Spirit instantly enters
you into a personal and eternal relationship with God the Father. You are saved
by grace. Even though you are still a flawed human being, you have been
declared righteous at the moment of salvation when you are given the
righteousness of God. (Rom 4:3-5; 2Co 5:21) No matter how many sins you commit in
your Christian life, your eternal relationship can never be broken because the
immutable promise of God guarantees your transgressions will not be remembered.
“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your
transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” (Isa 43:25)
Immediately
after salvation, logistical grace extends from the justice of God to His righteousness
present in you. In military life, logistics, the supplying of troops and
equipment, play a vital role. But in the Christian life logistics play an even
more dramatic and pivotal role. You are alive today
because of the logistical grace God supplies to your every need, and as a part
of your logistical grace the rebound technique cleanses your life of personal
sins, freeing you to advance Spiritually.
WHY REBOUND?
If all sins
were blotted out at the cross, why is sin still an issue? If all sins are
already forgiven, why must you rebound? The penalty for sin, (The Lake of Fire)
is removed once and for all at the cross, but repercussions of personal sin in
the life of a believer must be confronted. When a believer sins the initial
repercussions are loss of fellowship with God and loss of the filling of the
Holy Spirit, the empowerment for the Christian life.
No member of
the Trinity can fellowship with a believer having sin in his life. Sin destroys
our temporal fellowship with the Lord. Rebound,
confessing or naming our known sins to God the Father, is the only means
compatible with grace for restoration of fellowship with God and recovery of
the filling of the Holy Spirit. Rebound is our
access to intimacy with the Lord, the gateway to Divine power in our life, our
license to serve the Lord.
THE REBEL WITHIN
For that which I am doing, I do not
understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the
very thing I hate. (Rom
7:15)
So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but
sin [The sin nature] which indwells me. (Rom
7:17)
During our
lifetime as Christians we will always be plagued with the sin nature inherited
from Adam. After we sin we may experience feelings of remorse or guilt; then,
we may try to attain forgiveness from God by performing acts of penance or
self- punishment. Why? We feel guilty because we make decisions to “do the very
things we hate.” We punish ourselves to purge the guilt. We wrongly reason, When I feel
forgiven, then I am forgiven.
Such human
attempts to gain forgiveness can lead only to confusion, a guilt-ridden
conscience, and Spiritual impotence. No one can merit forgiveness from God.
Understanding the relationship between the sin nature and sin is necessary to
avoid a guilt complex once we become involved in sin.
When Adam
chose to disobey God he died Spiritually and was cursed with a sin nature. This
sin nature, subsequently inherited by every human being, resulted in Spiritual
death separation from God in time and eternity and the sovereignty of the sin
nature over human life. (Rom 6:12) The
sin nature itself is passed down genetically through procreation and resides in
the cell structure of the human body (Rom 6:6;
Rom 7:14-18).
Invisibly lurking in our genetic makeup, Satan through the
sin nature continually tempts the soul to rebel against God. But the sin
nature cannot make us sin. (The devil did not MAKE us
do it!) Temptation is not sin. The sin nature is only the source of
temptation, our volition is the source of personal sin.
Only when we choose to succumb to this inner
tempter do we sin. Our choice makes us responsible for all our sins.
With the
exception of Jesus Christ, every person born into the human race possesses a
sin nature, (1Pe 2:22; cf., Rom 3:23). Salvation does not eradicate this
inherent corrupter of mankind, but does give us access to the only way to
resolve the repercussions of sin in our lives. No believer will ever be sinless
in this life; but we can and must sin-less! (1Pe 4:1-3)
UNDERSTANDING THE SIN NATURE
To recognize
the sin in our lives we must understand how the sin nature seeks to influence
and gain control of our souls. The sin nature is composed of an area of
weakness, an area of strength, trends toward legalism and lawlessness, and lust
patterns. Within the sin nature the area of weakness is the source of
temptation for personal sin; the area of strength is the source of human
morality.
THE AREA OF
WEAKNESS tempts us to commit personal sins in three categories. The first is
mental attitude sins, including pride, envy, jealousy, bitterness, hatred,
vindictiveness, implacability, guilt feelings, fear, worry, anxiety, self-pity,
(Pro 8:13; Isa
41:10; Php 4:6; 1Jn 2:11) Mental attitude sins are the most
destructive to the Spiritual life. They can quickly initiate a cluster of sins
which develop into “chain-sinning.”
Sins of the tongue form the second
category of personal sins. These sins develop from mental attitude sins and
include maligning, judging, bullying, gossiping, criticizing, lying. James
warns us about the devastation wrought by this category of sin.
So also the tongue is a small part of
the body, and yet it boasts of great things. Behold, how great a forest is set
aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of
iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire
body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. (Jas 3:5-6)
The third
category of personal sin is overt sin. Some overt sins declared in the Bible
are murder, adultery, drunkenness, drug abuse and stealing.
Now the deeds of the flesh are
evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery,
enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I
forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such
things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
(Gal 5:19-21)
Misinformed people insist certain taboos are also overt
sins. A taboo is a prohibition arbitrarily imposed by a religious or social
group. But taboos are not the basis for assessing sin. While some may not
condone certain taboos, the Bible does not condemn them as sin. Believers must
stay with what the Bible teaches.
THE AREA OF
STRENGTH becomes operational only after the believer chooses to sin and comes
under the control of the sin nature. From the area of strength the sin nature
produces deeds of human morality and or “dead works.” (Heb 6:1) These "good deeds" can be
performed by believers or unbelievers. The results may be the same in human terms.
Human works, including philanthropy, charity, and altruism, can be beneficial
to mankind. But for the believer, unless the
motivation is from the filling of God the Holy Spirit and God's Thinking and
motivation, there is no Spiritual value to deeds
of human morality. Scripture distinguishes between good works with
Spiritual and eternal value and good works with only temporal value.
Now if any man [Believer] builds upon
the foundation [Jesus Christ] with gold, silver, precious stones, [Divine Thinking and the Holy Spirit's Power] wood,
hay, straw, [Human thinking and power] each
man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, [At the Judgment Seat
of Christ] because it is to be revealed with fire; (God's Word; Jer
23:29) and the fire itself will
test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work [Divine Thinking and the Holy Spirit's Power] which he has built
upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work [Human thoughts and power] is burned up, he shall
suffer loss; [Of rewards] but he himself shall be saved, [delivered from the
lake of fire] yet so as through fire. (Divine judgment) (1Co 3:12-15)
In our
limited perspective all good works may appear the same. But God differentiates
those done by the power of the sin nature from those done by His Power. The thoughts and
deeds of an unbeliever and or carnal believer — wood,
hay, and straw — have no Spiritual value,
and are not reward-able in heaven. (1Co 3:19-20; cf., Psa
94:11)
All our righteous
deeds are like a filthy garment. (Isa
64:6)
Good deeds do
frequently fall short of their intended results and sometimes contribute to
evil. The sinful nature of humanity corrupts good intentions. Acts of human
power are never permanent solutions for our problems. (Zec 4:6) In this
imperfect world only acts of Divine Power, produced in the power of God the
Holy Spirit, provide permanent solutions and affect Spiritual momentum. The
Divine solution is the only solution; the human
solution is no solution!
THE SIN
NATURE HAS TWO TRENDS. One is toward legalism — a
futile attempt to earn salvation, Spirituality, or the approbation of God
through morality or "good works." The
other trend is toward lawlessness — self-gratification
leading to licentiousness. We all have a trend in one direction or the
other. When we are under the control of the sin nature we generally move in the
direction of our habitual trend. Less frequently we move in the opposite
direction. For example, one person may develop an area of legalism, though his
general trend might be toward lasciviousness. On the other hand, a person who
trends toward self-righteousness might suddenly develop an area of
licentiousness.
THE LUST
PATTERN is another characteristic of the sin nature. Lust is an illicit or
perhaps insatiable desire, the motivation toward either trend. Lusts include
approbation lust, (The desire for recognition or
approval) power lust, sexual lust, social lust,
monetary lust, materialism lust, inordinate ambition resulting in inordinate
competition, revenge lust, criminal lust, chemical lust, crusader lust,
pleasure lust. (Jas 3:14-15) Satisfying the desires of lust does not bring the lasting
happiness which is bestowed only by God. When we
are controlled by the lust pattern of the sin nature, we become slaves to our
desires, (Rom 7:14) divorced from reality.
Never judge a person because their weaknesses are not your
weaknesses. (Mat 7:1-5) Even
growing Christians can be desperately sinful at times. You may be strong where
they are weak. An indispensable principle for
relationships with other believers is to allow them to live their own life as
unto the Lord. Everyone must handle their own
sins in privacy before the Lord.
THE STANDARD OF GOD IS ABSOLUTE
Once we
believe in Jesus Christ, salvation can never be forfeited. Our eternal security
is based on the payment by Christ for every sin committed before and after
salvation.
For I am convinced that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, (Satan and the demons) nor principalities, (Demon and or
human rulers) nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
The moment we
believe, the Holy Spirit places us into union with Christ, the irrevocable
state of eternal relationship. The Scripture designates this union with Christ
by the phrase “in Christ.”
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ
all shall be made alive. (1Co 15:22)
Because God
did everything to secure this union, we can do nothing to abolish our position
in Christ. We cannot be removed from the ‘top circle’ of eternal relationship.
“And I give eternal life to them, and
they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.” (Joh 10:28)
We are held
by the hand of God who never lets go. We are not held by our own morality,
obedience, good works, or religious observances. Our salvation never depends on
us. Salvation is by grace, freely given by God, never earned or deserved.
For by grace you have been saved
through faith; and that not of yourselves, --- (Salvation) --- it is the gift
of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)
Since we can
do nothing to earn our salvation, we can do nothing to lose our salvation. Just
as salvation is given by the grace of God, our eternal life is also preserved
by His grace. God always preserves what He has given.
To obtain an inheritance which is
imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are protected by the power of God. (1Pe 1:4-5)
No believer
can be plucked from the omnipotent hand of the Lord Jesus Christ.
TEMPORAL FELLOWSHIP — THE BOTTOM CIRCLE
When we
believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, we enter not only the top circle, an eternal
relationship with God, but we also enter the bottom circle, fellowship with God
in time. Fellowship with God provides the means to live the Christian life and
grow Spiritually. Unlike the top circle, the believer
by his own volition can remove himself from the bottom circle. (Jer 17:13)
Inside the
bottom circle represents Spirituality; outside represents carnality. Spirituality is the absolute status of being in friendship
with God, under the control of God the Holy
Spirit. Carnality is the absolute status of
being out of fellowship, under the control of the sin nature. We cannot be partially Spiritual and partially carnal. They
are mutually exclusive.
Every time we
decide to sin we move out of the bottom circle losing temporal fellowship. We
become carnal when we sin; we become Spiritual when we rebound. By
acknowledging our sins to God the Father we return to the bottom circle. As in basketball we recover the ability to score and to win
by rebounding. (Pro 28:13)
DOES
CARNALITY SHOCK YOU?
(1Co 3:1-3) confirms the existence of carnality
among believers. Remember, the most wonderful people in the world are
Christians, but some Christians can be despicable. How can this be? Carnality is the problem.
When a Christian consistently remains under the control of
the Holy Spirit, growing to Spiritual maturity, he exhibits the fruit of God
the Holy Spirit.
But the
fruit OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)
However, the Christian who habitually remains under the
control of the sin nature, in carnality, commits destructive mental, verbal,
and overt sins. If you do not acknowledge the existence of carnality
among Christians, you will never understand the necessity for confession of
sin. You will resemble the Corinthian believers who were unable to make Spiritual
progress.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to
Spiritual men, [Filled with the Spirit --- in fellowship] but as to men of
flesh; [Carnal --- out of fellowship] as to babes, [Nepios] in Christ. (1Co 3:1)
These
Corinthians are believers. “Brethren” refers to anyone who accepts Jesus Christ
as Savior and is born into the family of God. (Joh
1:12) Although Paul reprimands them for their carnality, he declares
their position “in Christ.”
Since these believers are not Spiritual, Paul is unable to
speak to or teach them. If they had been filled
with the Spirit they would have been able to learn and grow from the Truth Paul
taught. Unfortunately, they are not Spiritual and consequently could not
advance beyond the very basic Doctrines they had learned. They are “men of flesh,” carnal Christians out of fellowship
with God --- with a stagnant Spiritual life.
Though these Corinthians are saved they are carnal and wreaking havoc in the
church.
If you have
ever observed a carnal believer and asked, how can he be a Christian? You have
based your judgment on superficial appearances.
“For God
sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (Full of God's Thinking) (1Sa 16:7)
Overt behavior is not the issue in Salvation and or the
Spiritual life. The only issue in salvation is
faith alone in CHRIST ALONE! (Eph 2:8-9)
As you mature, by faith alone in His WORD ALONE!
You will discover the Bible does make a distinction between carnality and
Spirituality.
Paul
virtually insults the Corinthians by calling them “babes.” The Greek noun nepios does not refer here to a newborn,
but is used insultingly as a sign of contempt for the ignorant or untrained
believer. Paul reminds them they are ignorant of the Christian life because
their growth is stunted by carnality.
Rebound is
the first Doctrine a new believer must learn to progress Spiritually. Shortly
after salvation a new believer will sin and lose fellowship with God. Unless the filling of the Holy Spirit is recovered he will not advance in the Christian life. (Pro 28:13) Truth cannot
be learned or applied in his life. Such was the situation in Corinth.
I gave you
milk [Basic Truth] to drink, not solid food; [Advanced Truth] for you were not
yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able. (1Co 3:2)
Like Paul the
responsibility of the pastor-teacher is to provide Spiritual nourishment. But
Paul could only give them “milk,” basic Truth, instead of the solid food of
advanced Truth. Carnality impaired their ability to
learn and apply even the most basic Doctrines of the Word of God.
IS YOUR LIST COMPLETE?
For you are still fleshly. [Carnal] For since
there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly and are you not
walking like mere men? [Imitating unbelievers] (1Co
3:3)
Some Christians conveniently focus on a few overt sins and
ignore myriads of mental and verbal sins. Their
list of sins is superficial and incomplete. Any sin expels the believer from
the bottom circle. Sin is sin and all sin
results in carnality.
The carnality
of the Corinthian believers began with the mental attitude sin of jealousy.
Vicious, rampant jealousy among these believers spawned the sin of “strife.”
This strife was inordinate competition and ambition motivated by un-confessed
jealousy.
For example,
one person may aspire to approval and recognition in a local church. When he
hears praise for others, mental attitude sins of envy and competitiveness are
aroused. To satisfy his desire for approbation he must divert attention to
himself. With a malicious innuendo he maligns the character of his rival. The
rival reacts. The situation deteriorates as the two fall into sins of the
tongue, maligning and gossiping about each other. Unless quelled through
rebound and Spiritual growth, strife becomes divisive in the church.
“Walking like
mere men” refers to the motivation of unbelievers. Carnal
believers are indistinguishable from unbelievers because both are controlled by
the sin nature. Carnal Christians continue to
degenerate because they fail to rebound. Believers are capable of
committing any sin and can even remain in carnality for an indefinite period.
However,
there is no excuse for any Christian to remain in a state of carnality. This is why we must understand rebound before we can
maintain Spirituality. No one can be
Spiritual unless they rebound. (Pro 1:23)
You may be a
miserable and contemptible sinner. But you can recover because of God’s
gracious provision of rebound. God forgives even the most extraordinarily
wicked sinner. If you commit a heinous sin that shocks you, remember this: If you are still alive, God still has a purpose for your
life!
GOD’S LIST OF SINS
There are six
things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him. (Pro 6:16)
God detests
every sin, but seven are of particular magnitude. Are you ready for a surprise?
Five of these seven sins are not overt! Of the seven sins named on God’s list, two are mental attitude, three are verbal, and only two are
overt. Remember these verses when you are
tempted to ignore mental and verbal sins and focus on only overt sins.
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that
shed innocent blood. (Pro 6:17)
“Haughty eyes” represent mental attitude arrogance, a
presumption of superiority, self-absorption, self-centeredness, and inordinate
pride. Arrogance is the first sin and the ROOT sin that leads to ALL other
sins; in angelic and human creation. (Isa 14:13-15) Christians who think of themselves as supremely Spiritual
are arrogant. They define their own false
"moral" standards and believe they live up to them. Because they
avoid certain overt sins they become convinced they are Spiritually superior.
They are not! Arrogance
destroys fellowship with God, damages the soul, and alienates people.
The next sin, “a lying tongue” is an arrogant attempt to
reshape the Truth to escape responsibility or distort reality by deceiving
others. Like all sins of the tongue, lying is
motivated by mental attitude sins such as arrogance, worry, or fear.
“Hands that
shed innocent blood” is murder. Christians can and do commit homicide. The murderer weaves his way through a path of mental attitude
sins, including anger, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, revenge culminating in
murder. (Mat 5:17-22) A heart
that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil.
Do you plot ways to retaliate against people who have hurt
you? “A heart that devises wicked plans” is the mental attitude sin of revenge.
“Feet that run rapidly to evil” describes those who follow the lusts of their
sin nature into all manner of evil. These carnal
believers lack self-restraint or self-discipline, delighting in treachery,
deceit, and wrongdoing.
A false
witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers. (Pro 6:19) “A false witness who utters lies”
deliberately perjures himself, in contrast to the person with a lying tongue.
The false witness with malicious intent engages in slander and defamation under
oath.
Finally, “one
who spreads strife among brothers” reminds us of the divisions in Corinth, a
situation common to many local churches today. One group vies for power over
another group by resorting to innuendo, gossip, and lies to damage the
reputations of their rivals.
These verses
should dispel our shallow view of sin. Tragically we
restrict our understanding of sin to a few blatant overt sins or taboos. No
such restriction exists with God. Some of the worst repercussions accompany
mental attitude and verbal sins. To avoid carnality,
chain-sinning, and Divine discipline we must learn God’s provision for
recovering the filling of the Holy Spirit. (Isa 55:6-9)
TWO DISTINCT MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
At the moment of salvation every believer is
both indwelt and filled with the Holy Spirit. These two ministries are not
identical and should never be confused. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a permanent relationship, regardless of
our carnality or Spirituality. The filling of the Holy Spirit is temporary fellowship determined by our
carnality or Spirituality.
Do you not know that you are a temple
of God, and that the Spirit of God indwells [Oikeo] you? (1Co 3:16)
In the
indicative mood the Greek verb oikeo,
to indwell, is a declaration of fact, the certainty of the status of
indwelling. The Holy Spirit indwells the body of every believer to make a
temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ. (1Co
6:19) This indwelling of the Holy Spirit can never be lost. The
indwelling is permanent — dependent upon God’s faithfulness; the filling is temporary — dependent upon our
volition.
And do not
get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled [Pleroo] with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18)
In the
imperative mood the Greek verb pleroo
designates a Divine mandate, a command that involves our choice. God would not
mandate a status we already possess. We must choose to
be or not to be filled with God the Holy Spirit.
Pleroo means “to fill up a deficiency, to fully influence, to
possess, and to fill with a certain quality.” No
believer has the ability to obey God’s mandates through human power. (Rom 7:14) The Holy Spirit fills up this
deficiency by giving us the power to live the Christian way of life. But why,
if we are filled with the Spirit at salvation, is this command necessary?
The reason is
our old nemesis, the sin nature. The filling of the Spirit is lost when we sin.
In carnality we are no longer controlled by the Holy Spirit, but by Satan and the sin nature. (2Ti 2:25-26) How can we escape this control?
REBOUND!
Rebound is
for believers only. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, confession
is utterly useless. Judas Iscariot confessed his sins, felt sorry for his sins,
and even made restitution. (Mat 27:3-4) He did everything except believe in Christ. His
confession was futile. He was lost and died an unbeliever.
As a believer
you have no excuse for permitting sin to destroy your Spiritual life. Rebound and keep moving!
If we confess
[Homologeo — name] our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us [Cancel] our sins and to cleanse [Purify]
us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)
The word “if’ translates a third-class conditional clause in the Greek.
Fulfillment of this condition depends on your volition: Maybe you will rebound
and maybe you will not. Each of us must decide to exercise that option.
The Greek
word homologeo, translated confess,
means “to name, cite, admit, acknowledge, confess a crime in court, to make a
legal statement.” The verb was used primarily in a judicial context, (1Jn 1:9) is no exception. The word means simply
to acknowledge or name your sins to God. Homologeo
does not mean to feel sorry for sins, to publicly renounce sins, or to suffer a
guilty conscience; there is no emotional meaning involved.
Before the Supreme Court of Heaven, how you feel about your
sins is of no consequence. No human works or
emotion can be added to Christ’s complete payment for sin on the cross. Though genuine feelings of remorse may accompany confession
they have no bearing on God’s forgiveness. You
need only name your sins to God. Confession that compels self-reproach
or penance is blasphemy and rejects the grace of God. Never insult God by
adding an emotional plea for forgiveness. (1Jn 1:9)
does not say, If we ask or beg for forgiveness. Just
acknowledge you have sinned!
CONFESS TO GOD ALONE
There is no biblical requirement for ritual cleansing or
repetitive liturgical phrases to be made to a priest, a pastor, or any other
member of the clergy. At the moment of salvation you become a royal
priest with the privilege of representing yourself directly to God both in
prayer and confession. (1Pe 2:5) In
confession your sins are your concern and not the business of anyone else and
should be named privately to God the Father. He alone can forgive them.
Open declarations of sin, besides being superfluous to
rebound, may induce mental attitude sins in others. Such harmful results occur in cases where public admission
of wrongdoing reopens the wound of an injured party, embroils previously
uninvolved parties, or reveals a sin particularly heinous and shocking to
others.
David, King
of Israel, committed monstrous sins with prolonged and devastating
consequences. Though many people suffered, he confessed to God alone, “Against You, You only, I have sinned.” (Psa 51:4)
Apologizing
to someone whom you have hurt is always appropriate and should be motivated by
a genuine desire to restore harmony to the relationship, not to ease guilt
feelings. When you apologize, do so privately after you have recovered fellowship with God through rebound. But do not be a slave to anyone's unforgivness; or and the other hand do not disregard them because you are
forgiven, (No not mortgage your future to pay
for past mistakes; just rebound and keep moving and let the chips fall where
they may).
FORGIVENESS BY GRACE ALONE
Divine forgiveness depends solely on God’s perfect
character: “He is faithful and righteous.” “Faithful” emphasizes God’s
consistency in forgiving every believer who admits his sins to Him. God cannot default on His promise. His grace never fails.
He never wearies of our repetitious rebounding. He never says, this time you do
not deserve it. We never deserve forgiveness, but He always forgives!
“Righteous” describes the source of forgiveness. God’s
holiness or integrity is composed of righteousness and justice. His perfect
righteousness is the only standard His justice can accept. The righteousness and justice of God cannot be compromised!
He cannot accept our penance, guilt feelings,
emotional reactions, or other human works. Only the saving work of God
the Son on the cross can satisfy or propitiate the integrity of God the Father
The next two
verbs, “to forgive” and “to cleanse,” describe the results of rebound. The
Greek verb (Aphiemi) means “to forgive, to cancel.” The
instant we acknowledge our known sins to God He cancels the sins and the
initial repercussion of loss of fellowship. If any repercussions related to
Divine discipline remain, they are transformed from suffering for discipline to
suffering for blessing. Now filled with the
Spirit, the believer can apply Truth to his suffering and advance toward
Spiritual maturity.
What about
sins we commit which we have forgotten or do not know are wrong? He cleanses
“us from all unrighteousness.” The Greek verb, (Katharizo) means “to cleanse,
to remove for the purpose of purifying, hence, to purify” and applies to all
sins. Known sins are usually accompanied by unknown sins. When we acknowledge and or admit to God the Father that we
are out of fellowship, He forgives and purifies us from all unrighteousness,
including unknown and forgotten sins.
THE PRODIGAL SON
Jesus
illustrates the extraordinary forgiveness of God in the parable of the prodigal
son. (Luk 15:11-32) The narrative
revolves around the actions of three characters: the father, the elder brother,
and the younger son. The younger son represents the believer who continually
sins and wallows in carnality. His sins remove him from fellowship with his
father, who represents God the Father.
Taking his
share of his inheritance, the prodigal leaves home and departs to a far
country. His, continued debauchery and extravagance wreck his life — the
consequences of carnality. He becomes a beggar, living among pigs. Having come to the end of his own resources he realizes how
wretched he has become and determines to return to his father. (Psa 119:67; Psa
119:71)
"But when he
came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have
more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! “I will get up and go
to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven, and
in your sight.’ (Luk
15:17-18)
This is the
younger son’s prayer of rebound, but his next statement reveals his confusion
about forgiveness.
l am no longer worthy to be called your son;
make me as one of your hired men.(Luk 15:19)
Because of
his irresponsible degeneracy, the prodigal convinces himself his father no
longer loves him or regards him as a son. He thought his father would be more
inclined to forgive him if he offered penance for his sins through
self-sacrifice or guilt. He was wrong. Forgiveness was based on his father’s
character. Christians often make this same error about God’s forgiveness.
When the son
returned home he was astonished by the love, compassion, and forgiveness of his
father.
“And he got up and came to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him, and felt compassion
for him, and ran and embraced him, and kissed him.” (Luk 15:20)
This verse
vividly portrays how the essence of God acts to forgive us. The omniscience of
God knew every-sin we would ever commit. He also anticipates every confession.
The righteousness and justice of God insure our forgiveness through Christ’s
payment for those sins. The love of God is free to flow to us because of that
payment. His love guarantees compassion for us when we rebound.
When we name
our sins to God it is as though the Father runs to us, throws His arms around
us, and welcomes us back with a kiss. Our forgiven sins no longer affect our
fellowship with God. That is the grace of God!
Often those
with legalistic tendencies become upset because they think rebound is a license
to sin. Some believers who fail may use rebound for exactly that purpose. But rebound restores the believer to a position where he can
live his Spiritual life and serve God, not
excuse or rationalize sin. No believer can be in God’s plan apart from
the Divine power which comes only through the filling of the Holy Spirit.
Rebound is the only way to recover from sin and regain the filling of the Holy
Spirit.
AFTER CONFESSION, WHAT?
Having named your sins to God, three other
steps must follow: Isolate your sins, forget
your sins, and keep moving.’ These steps prevent continued carnality
through chain-sinning.
See to it that no one comes short of
the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and
by it many be defiled. (Heb 12:15)
ISOLATE YOUR
SINS, A root is the base or foundation of a plant that absorbs nutrients from
the soil to supply nourishment to the plant. When “a
root of bitterness,” is rooted in a soul, a devastating chain of sins — mental, verbal, and overt — spring
up. Bitterness ripens into anger, hatred, or vindictiveness, the natural
foundation for gossip, maligning, violence, or even murder. However, the memory
of a past grievance or a forgiven sin must not be allowed to generate further
sins. Past sins must be isolated from the present to break this chain reaction.
Brethren, I
do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching
forward [Moving on] to what lies ahead. (Php
3:13)
FORGET YOUR
SINS AND KEEP MOVING. Before his salvation on the Damascus road the Apostle
Paul was infamous for his self-righteous crusade to exterminate Christians. (Php 3:6) Although God
had forgiven these heinous sins, the guilty memory could have crippled Paul’s
Spiritual life, but he isolated and forgot past sins and focused on the present
goal of Spiritual maturity.
Once sin is confessed you must forget as God has
forgotten. (Psa 103:12; Isa 43:25) Someone may have offended you. You
reacted with bitterness and anger which you then confessed. God forgave and forgot that sin. But your failure
to forget the sin can lead to smoldering hatred and a thirst for revenge. These
mental sins may quickly ignite into verbal and overt sins unless you rebound,
isolate the sin, and put the sin in the past where it belongs. Only then are
you free to keep moving toward maturity in the Christian life.
I press on
[Keep moving] toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus. (Php 3:14)
SELF-JUDGMENT OR DIVINE DISCIPLINE
Whenever we
sin we are liable for discipline.
“For those whom the Lord loves He
disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” (Heb 12:6)
Our choice is
between self-judgment and Divine discipline. Neglecting
rebound plunges the believer into Divine discipline. The apostle Paul
specifically warns the Corinthians of this principle in a passage about the
Communion Table. (1Co 11:28-32) Before
partaking of the Communion elements, a believer should “examine” or “judge”
himself, synonyms for rebound.
But let a man examine himself
[Rebound], and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (1Co 11:28)
Every
believer has the right to partake of the Communion elements, but each believer
is warned never to eat or drink with un-confessed sin in the life.
For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks
judgment to himself, [Divine discipline] if he does not judge the body rightly.
(1Co 11:29)
For this reason many among you are
weak [Warning discipline] and sick, [Intensive discipline] and a number sleep.
[Dying discipline] (1Co
11:30)
But if we judged ourselves rightly,
[Rebound] we should not be judged. [Divine discipline] (1Co 11:31) But when we are
judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order
that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1Co 11:32)
The “if” in
verse 31, a second class condition, indicates the Corinthian believers should
have been judging themselves, but were not. The resulting Divine discipline
devastated the congregation. Three categories of discipline caused by Spiritual
maladies afflicted the carnal Corinthians. (1Co
11:30)
1. “Weak” —
illnesses which are basically not organic in nature. These may include loss of
energy and strength, motivation, even depression. This is warning discipline to encourage the believer to rebound.
2. “Sick” —
includes definite organic (Physical) illnesses, even to the point of becoming
an invalid. This intensive discipline
is designed to shock the rebellious believer out of carnality.
3. “Sleep” —
the Greek word (Koimao), used figuratively for the physical death of believers
only. (1Th 4:14) If a believer
stubbornly remains carnal; the Lord may prematurely terminate his life through
dying discipline or the “sin unto death.” (1Jn
5:16)
The
alternative to God’s judgment is self-judgment. After rebound and restoration
to fellowship, God exercises one of three options on our behalf. First, He may
remove all disciplinary suffering. (1Co 11:31)
Second, disciplinary suffering may be diminished and transformed into blessing.
Third, disciplinary suffering may continue at the same intensity, but is
designed for greater blessing.
The longer a
believer remains out of fellowship, the more intense the discipline becomes.
Prolonged carnality may result in discipline so severe that some become
convinced they were never saved. This believer becomes useless in relation to
God’s plan for his life. The only solution is to
exploit the grace of God through, (1Jn 1:9)
and keep moving!
REBOUND FOR
SPIRITUAL ADVANCE
What can be
expected when a believer lives without using rebound for an extended period of
time? The prodigal son! (Luk 15:11-32) Just like the prodigal son in the
New Testament, the pattern of sin, discipline, rebound, restoration and
blessing can be observed in the lives of Old Testament believers.
Therefore, since we have so great a
cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, (Distraction) and the sin (Sin
nature) which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the
race that is set before us. (Heb 12:1)
The great “cloud
of witnesses” are the outstanding Spiritual heroes of the Old Testament, the
hall of fame list of, (Heb 11:1-40).
They were not perfect; they were not ‘holier than thou’; they were not sinless.
When they failed they used God’s grace in rebound. We, too, must “lay aside
every encumbrance, (Distraction) and the sin, (Sin nature) which so easily entangles us.” The Old Testament heroes exemplify for us the necessity of
rebound in order to advance Spiritually.
DAVID: FAILURE AND RECOVERY
A vivid Old
Testament illustration of sin, discipline, rebound, restoration and blessing
occurs in, (2Sa 11:1) thru (2Sa 12:31). The hero
is David, the King of Israel, one of the most highly respected believers in
history. The Scripture lauds him as a man
“after the Lord’s Own Heart.” (1Sa 13:14;
Act 13:22) Yet,
like EVERY OTHER
believer, David miserably failed the Lord. The
episode begins with David in fellowship. This quickly changes. The results are
tragic.
Then it
happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David
sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons
of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. (2Sa 11:1)
In the
ancient world, Near East armies traditionally stood down in the fall and
winter, and then reassembled to conduct their campaigns in the good weather of
spring and summer. The previous year Israel had defeated the Ammonites, but by
summer’s end failed to capture Rabbah, the Ammonite capital. With the arrival
of spring the army of Israel mobilized and deployed to renew the siege of
Rabbah.
DAVID, THE CARNAL GIANT
As monarch,
David was responsible for leading his troops in the field. The Holy Spirit
carefully makes this point: “At the time
when kings go out to battle.” God’s will was for David to lead his troops at
Rabbah. Instead, David sent Joab, his Chief of Staff, and his servants.
David had
previously led every military campaign, but now he “stayed at Jerusalem.” Failure to fulfill his responsibilities put David OUT of
God’s operational, (To be in fellowship and Thinking with Truth) functional (What He wants us to do) and geographical will, (Where He wants us to be) and IN carnality. David was
now a Spiritually mature believer out of fellowship.
By being in the wrong place David encountered temptation
where he was most vulnerable. David had many impressive strengths: He exhibited phenomenal courage in combat
with Goliath, brilliant leadership of the nation, and true humility toward God.
But his strengths were neutralized by carnality. His
weakness for women became his downfall.
Now when evening came David arose from his bed
and walked around on the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a
woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. (2Sa 11:2)
David had
little to do around Jerusalem, since his responsibility was to be with his army
at Rabbah. Apparently he was sleeping most of the day. When he awoke in the
evening he was bored. So he took a walk in the palace garden. In the ancient
world, gardens were not on the ground level, but on the roof. During the course
of David’s stroll, he saw an extremely beautiful woman bathing. Suddenly David
was no longer bored. He found this view more exciting than his garden.
If David had been in fellowship when he saw this gorgeous
woman, he may have resisted the temptation. After all, he had three
wives and at least ten concubines. Seeing such a breathtaking woman was not an
unusual event in his life.
But David was out of fellowship. Any believer out of
fellowship finds temptation overwhelming, especially in areas where he is weak!
If your
weakness is jealousy, bitterness, envy, gossiping or maligning others, it will
be more difficult to resist the temptation to sin in these areas. This lovely
woman appealed to David’s weakness. Being tempted in your area of weakness when
you are in fellowship is one thing; being tempted in
your area of weakness when you are out of fellowship may be something else
entirely!
So David sent and inquired about the
woman. And one said, “is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of
Uriah the Hittite?” (2Sa
11:3)
David ordered
his aides to find out the identity of this woman. They discovered she was the
wife of one of David’s commanders. Uriah, unlike David, was where he should be
— at Rabbah with the army of Israel. (2Ti 2:4)
And David sent messengers and took
her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified
herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. And the woman
conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, “I am pregnant.” (2Sa 11:4-5)
David found a way to cure his boredom — adultery. If David had been a Christian today, some
of his friends might have said, David was never really
a Christian. They would be wrong. David was saved and is in heaven
today. He was another believer who willingly walked
into the trap of carnality. His mental attitude
sins turned into verbal and overt sins.
DAVID’S SCHEMES
Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send
me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him,
David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the
war. (2Sa
11:6-7)
When he
questioned Uriah, David pretended concern for the
battlefield situation. David was not at all interested in the siege of
Rabbah. Instead, he schemed to conceal his
seduction of Bathsheba. David concocted a clever ploy
to lure Uriah home to be with his wife because he hoped to escape blame for her
pregnancy. David’s appearance of virtue when he
inquired about the army was nothing more than hypocrisy and deception.
Hypocrisy is a common characteristic of carnality. A
believer out of fellowship often attempts to conceal or deny his sin. With each progressive sin David was transformed from a
Spiritual giant into a carnal hypocrite.
Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to
your house, and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a
present from the king was sent out after him.
(2Sa 11:8)
“Wash your
feet” is a Hebrew idiom for “enter the house.” In the time of David, the
streets of Jerusalem were so dusty that every household had a footbath at the
door. Before entering his house, a man would remove his sandals and wash his
feet. When a guest knocked on the door, instead of saying, come in, the
response was, wash your feet.
But Uriah slept at the door of the
king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his
house. (2Sa
11:9)
Uriah failed
to comply with David’s wishes, frustrating his plan. Instead he “slept at the
door of the king’s house.” The door of the king’s house refers not to David’s
palace, but to the guardhouse near the king’s gate. Located there were special
barracks to house the royal guards. Rather than going home to spend the night
with his wife, Uriah moved into the barracks of the guard-house with the palace
guard. Uriah was a responsible soldier who would not enjoy the pleasures of
home while the army was in the field.
Now when they
told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah,
“Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” And
Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary
shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open
field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink
and to lie with my wife? By your life and the
life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” (2Sa 11:10-11) cf. (2Ti
2:4)
David must
have winced as he heard this reply. All his life David had displayed a
tremendous sense of responsibility, so Uriah’s loyalty and concern for his
troops should have awakened David’s conscience. While the entire general staff
was enduring hardships in the field, David was enjoying the pleasures in the
palace. If David had been in fellowship he and Uriah would have left for Rabbah
at once. But what did he do? David made another attempt to entice Uriah home.
Then David
said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go.” So Uriah
remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now David called him, and he ate
and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to
lie on his bed with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house. (2Sa 11:12-13)
David made
Uriah drunk. David hopes that once Uriah’s inhibitions break down, he will go
to his wife’s bed. David exhibited all the manipulative
skills characteristic of the carnal hypocrite, frantic to escape the
consequences of his own bad decisions. David’s
cruel cunning reached a new low. Some of the most conniving people are
believers out of fellowship. Did his manipulations succeed? Under
David’s insistence Uriah did get drunk, but in spite of the temptation, Uriah
maintained his military standards of integrity.
Now it came about in the morning that
David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. (2Sa 11:14)
David was
desperate. The only solution to his dilemma seemed to be the death of Uriah. To
accomplish his wicked deed David wrote a letter to Joab. Not only would David be guilty of murder, but he would make
Joab an accessory. David knew an officer of Uriah’s integrity would
never examine a letter he carried.
And he had written in the letter, saying,
‘Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so
that he may be struck down and die.” (2Sa 11:15)
Joab
understood the wishes of his commander-in-chief. The order was clear: Advance
on Rabbah with Uriah leading, then retreat, leaving Uriah isolated and
unprotected from the enemy.
So it was as Joab kept watch on the
city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. And
the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people
among David’s servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. (2Sa 11:16-17)
Uriah’s unit fought just below the city walls.
How tragic that such a valiant soldier was sacrificed for David’s lust.
Then Joab sent and reported to David
all the events of the war. And he charged the messenger, saying, “When you have
finished telling all the events of the war to the king, and if it happens that
the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city
to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? Who struck down
Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on
him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’
then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ “ (2Sa 11:18-21)
Why would
Joab expect David to become angry? Because Joab made a tactical blunder which
cost the lives of several men. He left a unit exposed and unprotected so its
commander would be killed. When David heard this report he would probably
become furious with Joab for committing such a deadly error. So Joab said if
David becomes angry, just say to him, “Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” Joab
was protecting himself by reminding David of his previous order.
So the messenger departed and came and
reported to David all that Joab had sent him to tell. And the messenger said to
David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but
we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. Moreover, the archers shot
at your servants from the wall; so some of the king’s servants are dead, and
your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” (2Sa 11:22-24)
Then David
played the hypocrite.
Then David
said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this thing
displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle
against the city stronger and overthrow it;’ and so encourage him.” (2Sa 11:25)
David’s
encouragement of Joab was sheer pretense. Joab lost the
battle because he obeyed David’s orders to have Uriah killed. David
never before had treated the loss of his men so casually. This was not his
normal practice. No great captain of history would be so philosophical in
defeat as to say “the sword devours one as well as another.”
Now when the
wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her
husband. (2Sa 11:26)
David’s
carnality brought sorrow and grief to Bathsheba who apparently loved her
husband and mourned for him. The sins of one believer
often involve and hurt others.
When the time
of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became
his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil
in the sight of the Lord. (2Sa 11:27)
No believer can be a winner when out of fellowship or outside
the plan of God. David was no exception. Not once during ‘Operation
Bathsheba’ did David confess his sins. He deserved what he gave Uriah, but
after the entire incident David was still alive. God still had a plan for his
life. But only after undergoing the severe physical and emotional agony of
Divine discipline did he finally rebound. Then he could continue to mature as a
believer.
WAS IT WORTH IT?
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath,
And chasten me not in Your burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk deep into
me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. (Psa 38:1-2)
Here is a picture of self-induced misery and piercing pain.
David agonizes under the ordeal he experiences from Divine discipline for his
sins. These “arrows” were God’s arrows of discipline which penetrated to the
depths of David’s soul, “Your hand has pressed down on me” is a figure of
speech dramatizing the gravity of David’s plight. He was being justly punished
by the Lord.
There is no soundness in my flesh
because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin.
For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much
for me. My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly. I am bent over and
greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. (Psa 38:3-6)
Verses 3-6
describe the traumatic emotional and physical consequences of David’s sin.
“There is no health in my bones” is a Hebrew idiom for loss of health. David’s sins affected his physical and mental health. His
festering guilt became an emotional burden that left him severely depressed
which was reflected in his physical demeanor.
The severity
of this discipline must be attributed to his failure to rebound, (Psa 32:3). When we fail to rebound and isolate
our sin a chain reaction develops. The original sin
becomes compounded by guilt reaction coupled with various mental attitude sins,
including hypocrisy, arrogance, lust, fear, worry, anxiety, depression, envy,
bitterness, hatred, anger. Together these sins produce stress and anguish in
the soul, which in turn destroy physical
health, (Psa 32:3-4).
For my loins
are filled with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am benumbed
and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. (Psa 38:7-8)
The “loins”
refer to the nervous system, which was affected by David’s mental attitude
sins. As a result of worry and anxiety his physical misery became so intense
that he wandered about groaning.
Lord, all my desire is before You; And
my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And
the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me. (Psa 38:9-10)
David’s problem was overt sin driven by mental attitude sins,
including guilt. The ever-increasing stress these sins placed on David’s soul
threatened his sanity. He lost motivation, energy, and the capacity for
enjoying life!
My loved ones and my friends stand
aloof from my plague; and my kinsmen stand afar off. (Psa 38:11)
Not only did David’s sins destroy his temporal fellowship
with God and his health, they devastated his human relationships. No one enjoys
being around someone who is always miserable. No
one desires to become embroiled in God’s discipline of another believer.
David’s friends began to avoid him. Even his family gave him a wide berth.
Those who seek my life lay snares for
me; and those who seek to injure me have threatened destruction, and they
devise treachery all day long. But I, like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am
like a dumb man who does not open his mouth. Yes, I am like a man who does not
hear, and in whose mouth are no arguments.
(Psa 38:12-14)
Divine
discipline may also include attacks from your enemies. David’s numerous enemies
relished the opportunity these calamitous circumstances offered. Though they
may not have understood the cause, they realized he had become weak and
vulnerable. Taking advantage of David’s weakness they devised cruel and devious
attacks against him.
In this
numbed condition David had little to say. Defenseless, he was unmotivated to
fight back. All the issues that make life worthwhile
became irrelevant to him. Having lost hope and hit bottom, he finally
realized his only hope was in the Lord. Only after intensive Divine discipline
does David consider rebound.
For I hope in You, O LORD; You will
answer, O Lord my God. For I said, "May they not rejoice over me, Who,
when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me." For I am ready
to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. (Psa 38:15-17)
DAVID’S REBOUND
David’s pain
and misery became so unbearable that he longed to end his suffering.
For I confess my iniquity; I am full of
anxiety because of my sin. (Psa 38:18)
The first
half of this verse, the confession, illustrates how to recover fellowship. “For I confess my iniquity” was David’s prayer of
rebound. Admitting sins to God the Father is all that
is required. The second half of the verse reveals David’s emotions at
the time. Emotions may be present and are perfectly normal, but are not the
basis for Divine forgiveness. Feeling sorry for his
sins was a legitimate reaction, but it is dependence upon God’s provision, not
human emotion, that restores the believer to fellowship.
WHAT A PRICE TO PAY!
What finally
brought David to his senses? God ordered Nathan the prophet to confront the
king, a fearful prospect since the unstable king was the final authority in the
land. Yet Nathan as a prophet had the responsibility
to be critical of the political leadership of Israel.
Nathan
confronted David by using a parable. In this narrative the events illustrate
David’s sins. But David had so rationalized and
justified his sins that he was blind to the application of the parable.
He never would have reacted with such indignation if he had understood its true
meaning.
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David.
And he came to him, and said, “There were two men in one city; the one rich and
the other poor. The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. But the poor
man had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and
it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and
drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, and was like a daughter to him. Now a
traveler came to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take from his own flock
or his own herd, to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; rather he
took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” (2Sa 12:1-4)
If David had
not sunk so deeply into carnality he would have perceived the meaning of the
parable: He was the rich man. The poor man was Uriah the Hittite, now dead. His
only possession had been “one little ewe lamb” — Bathsheba.
In ancient
Israel the custom was to kill the fatted calf or lamb to welcome a visitor.
Rather than taking from his own abundant flocks, the rich man stole the one
lamb of the poor man. By application, David had several beautiful wives, yet he
took Bathsheba from Uriah.
Then David’s anger burned greatly
against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, surely the man who
has done this deserves to die. And he must make restitution for the lamb
fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.” (2Sa 12:5-6)
Why was David
so outraged? His sense of justice was offended, yet he failed to make the
personal application. Unwittingly, he pronounced his own judgment. Only God’s grace commuted the death sentence. (Exod 21:14; Lev
20:10) Instead of the death penalty the Lord used a fourfold
restitution as the basis for David’s discipline. God chastened David beyond
what has been recorded in, (Psa 38:1-22).
The longer you remain out of fellowship, the higher the
price you pay.
Nathan then said to David, “You are the man!”... (2Sa
12:7)
The Truth
struck David like a thunderbolt. But before he could react Nathan continued:
...“Thus
says the Lord God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and It
is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 'I also gave you your master’s
house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of
Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I
would have added to you many more things like these! (2Sa 12:7-8)
David was
appointed king over Israel by the grace of God, not because of his magnificent
abilities. God brought it to pass, not David. Everything David had been courtesy of God’s grace. The
same is true for all of us. Everything we have, any blessing in life, is
courtesy of the grace of God.
“Why have you
despised the Word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You have
struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your
wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now therefore,
the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and
have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.” (2Sa 12:9-10)
By his sinful actions David “despised” the Will and Word of
God. God pronounced David’s discipline: Violence would plague his family
for years to come.
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will
raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives
before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your
wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing
before all Israel, and under the sun.’ (2Sa 12:11-12)
David’s sins
had been committed in private, but his discipline would be administered in public.
All Israel would be witness. David himself proclaimed his discipline in verse
6. God would punish him fourfold from his “own household.”
(2Sa 12:13) begins where David left off in, (Psa 38:18). Did David say, I am sorry for what I
have done and regret every sin; will You forgive me? Not at all! Notice how
specific David’s rebound is.
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to
David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you
shall not die.” (2Sa 12:13)
God instantly forgave and forgot David’s sins. Those past
sins no longer kept David from fellowship with God. David need never
again feel the oppressive guilt and overwhelming anxiety he expressed in, (Psa 38:1-22). On the authority of God’s Word
those sins were blotted out. To feel guilty for those
sins again would have been another sin — the
rejection of God’s wonderful grace provision of rebound.
Divine forgiveness never depends on our feelings, our degree
of guilt, or even our faith. Forgiveness depends on God’s promise to cancel the
sins when we name them to Him. To experience
the blessing of renewed fellowship and to avoid the guilt trap, we must have confidence
that God has forgiven and forgotten our sins and that we are cleansed “from all
unrighteousness.” Then we, too, can share in David’s praise of God:
How blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the
man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no
deceit! (Psa 32:1-2)
David’s sins
were completely forgiven. The remainder of David’s discipline was accomplished
through members of his own family. David paid fourfold for his sins:
1. The child
born of adultery died. (2Sa 12:14-15)
2. Amnon,
David’s son, raped David’s daughter Tamar. (2Sa
13:1-14)
3. Absalom
murdered Amnon to revenge Tamar. (2Sa 13:22-29)
4. Absalom,
the son David loved the most, led a national revolt against his father. (2Sa 15:13-14)
His suffering for blessing finally
terminated in, (2Sa 18:32) when David
heard of the death of Absalom. And thus he said as he walked, “O my son
Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I have died instead of you, O Absalom,
my son, my son!” (2Sa
18:33)
When David
heard the news of Absalom’s death, he staggered under the pain of his loss. The
discipline for his sins had come to an end. The four installments extended over
a period of about fifteen years. If his discipline had been meted out at one
time he may not have survived.
Though
David’s discipline was severe, because he had
rebounded; his suffering was for blessing. David advanced Spiritually
throughout these years. He learned to depend on the
Lord in the most adverse circumstances. Many of the lessons David
learned are preserved in the Psalms he authored during the Absalom revolution
when he lost everything and became a fugitive. By
staying in fellowship David was able to accelerate his Spiritual advance illustrating
the principle of cursing turned to blessing.
THE DIVINE TRAINING PROGRAM
The tragic
example of David in the Bathsheba incident illustrates the trauma of Divine
discipline. The twelfth chapter of Hebrews warns us not to forget the reality
and repercussions of God’s discipline.
And you have forgotten the exhortation
which is addressed to you as sons, “"MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE
[Corrective] DISCIPLINE OF THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM;
[Warning discipline] FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, [Warning
discipline] AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES;”[Intensive discipline]. (Heb 12:5-6)
To be a
winner, the basketball player must perform within set boundaries. Just as the
referee blows a whistle when the player steps out of bounds, God blows the
whistle by administering discipline when the believer steps out of bounds
through sin.
God begins
with warning discipline to alert the believer to his carnality and motivate him
to rebound. If the believer continues in carnality, “regards lightly the
discipline of the Lord,” God intensifies the punishment. Unless rebound is used
this intensive discipline becomes dying discipline, the sin unto death. (1Jn 5:16)
God’s
punitive action is never arbitrary or abusive. God is
always just and fair. Divine discipline is an
integral part of God’s training program for the believer in the royal family.
God’s discipline is both an evidence of our son-ship, (Joh 1:12) and a
manifestation of God’s love for us even when we are carnal.
DO NOT FAIL THE GRACE OF GOD
It is for discipline that you endure;
God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not
discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers,
then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly
fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be
subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short
time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness [Divine nature]. (Heb 12:7-10)
Wise, loving
parents discipline their children to train them for proper orientation to life
as adults. Through discipline children learn humility, respect for authority,
teachability, and objectivity indispensable qualities for maturity. Just as
parental discipline prepares children for human maturity, God’s discipline prepares believers for Spiritual
maturity. With Spiritual maturity the believer
can handle ALL the vicissitudes of life.
“And live”
means that when we rebound we can continue to advance in the Christian life. The more time we spend in fellowship, the more we can learn
and apply Truth. As we grow Spiritually our
capacity for life and blessing increases and our life is enriched!
To “share His holiness” encompasses the entire spectrum of
the advance to Spiritual maturity in the Christian life. God disciplines us to get our attention and to bring us back
to reality. Once focused; we rebound, recover, and move on!
All discipline for the moment seems not to
be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards
it yields the peaceful fruit of (Experiential)
righteousness, (Spiritual
maturity). (Heb 12:11)
Punishment is
painful, never pleasant. Discipline is designed for correction and training. The child that is never corrected grows up to be a
rebellious, miserable, self-absorbed adult who is maladjusted to life.
However, the child that has been well-trained has a greater opportunity to be
stable and adjusted to life. Believers that respond
to Divine discipline by rebound are filled with the Spirit, have the potential
for Spiritual maturity and the ‘greater grace” blessings of the Spiritual life.
(Jas 4:6)
Therefore, strengthen the hands that
are weak and the knees that are feeble [Rebound] and make straight paths for
your feet, (Stay in fellowship) so that the limb which is lame may not be put
out of joint, (The sin unto death) but rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (Spiritual maturity --- Personal love for God, Impersonal
love for all mankind) without which NO ONE
will see the Lord.
(Heb
12:12-14)
Strengthening
weak hands and feeble knees and making straight paths are synonyms for rebound
resulting in the filling of the Holy Spirit, the source of Spiritual strength. Rebound transforms you from the weakness of carnality to the
strength of a restored Spiritual life. The
Spiritual life is healed because the cursing has turned to blessing. The
weakness of cursing under discipline becomes the strength of suffering for
blessing.
One final
warning concerning discipline is in verse 15:
See to it that no one comes short of
the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and
by it many be defiled. (Heb 12:15)
Some people
respond to discipline from the Lord with bitterness and continue in bitterness.
They become obstructionists, miserable people who are obstacles to their own
Spiritual growth and to the Spiritual lives of others. They will never recover
and become oriented to grace again, unless they understand the true purpose of
discipline.
God has
provided the believer with the perfect solution for sin. Since the moment we
were saved God has always dealt with us in grace. He
disciplines in grace; He forgives in grace; He blesses in grace. Rebound is the
epitome of grace.
Rebound is the simplest yet most incredible concept in the
Spiritual life! The ease with which we name
our sins and are forgiven by God memorializes His matchless grace! Rebound defeats sin and accesses the power of God!
At our fingertips is the key that unlocks the Christian way of life. To grasp
rebound is to open the door to the wonderful Spiritual freedom that God’s grace
offers to every believer in Jesus Christ. Do not fail
the grace of God; the grace of God never fails you. Rebound and keep moving!
I advise you to buy
from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white
garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness
will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. 'Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore
be zealous and repent. 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears
My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him
and will dine with him, and he with Me. 'He
who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 'He who has an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit says to the churches.' (Rev
3:18-22)
End
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