Good morning,

Temptations. We all hate to be tempted. What we do when we are tempted demonstrates our spiritual condition. Obedient to God or obedient to Satan. We choose.

We will explore 1 Corinthians 10:13, David’s sin with Bathsheba, David confronted with his sin, and Psalm 51, David’s repentance, plea for mercy, request for cleansing, and willingness to teach others about God’s righteousness.

Psalm 51

Repentance and request for mercy (1-4)

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. ² Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. ⁴ Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Shapen in iniquity (5-6)

⁵ Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. ⁶ Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Request for cleansing, joy, gladness, clean heart, God’s presence, the Holy Spirit, joy of salvation (7-12)

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ⁸ Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. ⁹ Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹ Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. ¹² Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Results of getting right with God (13-19)

¹³ Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. ¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. ¹⁵ O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. ¹⁶ For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.¹⁸ Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.¹⁹ Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

CONCLUSION

Be at your appointed place

Be careful what you look at

Do not allow temptation to become sin

Cover ups are always exposed by God

The punishment of sin is always greater than the enjoyment of the sin

Repent

Seek God’s mercy

Continue to minister for God

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Temptations. We all hate to be tempted. What we do when we are tempted demonstrates our spiritual condition. Obedient to God or obedient to Satan. We choose.

We will explore 1 Corinthians 10:13, David’s sin with Bathsheba, David confronted with his sin, and Psalm 51, David’s repentance, plea for mercy, request for cleansing, and willingness to teach others about God’s righteousness.

2 Samuel 12:1-14

Story of the rich man and the lamb (1-6)

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 traveler 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.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.

Nathan declares, “…Thou art the man…” (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;

Punishment (8-14)

“⁸ And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.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.¹³ And 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.¹⁴ Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”

David seems to really not realize that his behavior with Bathsheba was wrong. He is now confronted with his sin. The consequences are great. He finally understands and repents.

When we sin, there are consequences. God knows what it will take to bring us back to Him. He executes His punishment. We again have a decision to make. Repent or continue to walk away from God.

To continue in sin does not meet the common sense test. We need to repent of our sin, ask God’s forgiveness, plead for His mercy, and move on.

Tomorrow we will look at Psalm 51 and see how David prayed for forgiveness.

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Temptations. We all hate to be tempted. What we do when we are tempted demonstrates our spiritual condition. Obedient to God or obedient to Satan. We choose.

We will explore 1 Corinthians 10:13, David’s sin with Bathsheba, David confronted with his sin, and Psalm 51, David’s repentance, plea for mercy, request for cleansing, and willingness to teach others about God’s righteousness.

What will we do when tempted?

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)

INTRODUCTION

2 Samuel 11 – 12:13

2 Samuel 11

Lust of the eyes (1-2)

“…from the roof he saw a woman washing herself;…”

Lust of the flesh (3-5)

“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.And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”

The cover-up Uriah the righteous man (6-13)

“And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.” (11)

The death of Uriah (14-17)

“And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.” (17)

Report to David (18-25)

Bathsheba mourns (26)

David takes Bathsheba as his wife (27) Displeased the Lord

2 Samuel 12:1-13

Story of the rich man and the lamb (1-6)

“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:” (5)

Nathan declares, “…Thou art the man…” (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;

Punishment (8-13)

Psalm 51

Repentance and request for mercy (1-4)

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. ² Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. ³ For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. ⁴ Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Shapen in iniquity (5-6)

⁵ Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. ⁶ Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Request for cleansing, joy, gladness, clean heart, God’s presence, the Holy Spirit, joy of salvation (7-12)

⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. ⁸ Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. ⁹ Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹ Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. ¹² Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

Results of getting right with God (13-19)

¹³ Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. ¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. ¹⁵ O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise. ¹⁶ For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.¹⁸ Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.¹⁹ Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.

CONCLUSION

Be at your appointed place

Be careful what you look at

Do not allow temptation to become sin

Cover ups are always exposed by God

The punishment of sin is always greater than the enjoyment of the sin

Repent

Seek God’s mercy

Continue to minister for God

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Temptations. We all hate to be tempted. What we do when we are tempted demonstrates our spiritual condition. Obedient to God or obedient to Satan. We choose.

We will explore 1 Corinthians 10:13, David’s sin with Bathsheba, David confronted with his sin, and Psalm 51, David’s repentance, plea for mercy, request for cleansing, and willingness to teach others about God’s righteousness.

2 Samuel 11

Lust of the eyes (1-2)

“…from the roof he saw a woman washing herself;…”

Lust of the flesh (3-5)

“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.And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child.”

The cover-up Uriah the righteous man (6-13)

“And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.” (11)

The death of Uriah (14-17)

“And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.” (17)

Report to David (18-25)

Bathsheba mourns (26)

David takes Bathsheba as his wife (27) Displeased the Lord

David was not where he supposed to be.

This opened him up to be tempted.

Satan tempted David with a woman. He saw her, took her, committed adultery with her, had a child with her, tried to cover up his sin, and committed murder.

David was righteous man, who loved God, worshipped God, and consulted God for wisdom and instruction. But when tempted, he failed the test!

We are just as susceptible to be being tempted as David. We must choose to follow God and not Satan.

Will we?

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

Good morning,

Temptations. We all hate to be tempted. What we do when we are tempted demonstrates our spiritual condition. Obedient to God or obedient to Satan. We choose.

We will explore 1 Corinthians 10:13, David’s sin with Bathsheba, David confronted with his sin, and Psalm 51, David’s repentance, plea for mercy, request for cleansing, and willingness to teach others about God’s righteousness.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“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.”

God knows that we will be tempted. He knows exactly what we are able to bear. He makes a way to escape.

God has also given us a free will. We may choose any course of action we please.

So, the question becomes, will we choose God’s way of escape or not? God makes it available, but we do not have to take it. Of course, if we do not take it, we follow the temptation and walk away from God. This is called sin. God punishes sin.

If we choose to escape from the temptation, then we are obedient to God, and will be blessed.

When we are tempted, do we desire the blessing or the curse?

Choose to obey God!

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

There are so many lean Christians who devour hundreds of sermons!

(Edmund Calamy, 1600–1666) 

“His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2

“I meditate on Your precepts and consider Your ways.” Psalm 119:15 

It is not merely hearing a sermon that does you good, but meditating on what you hear. So when you hear a sermon, if you do not meditate and ponder upon what you hear, you will never get any good.

There are so many lean Christians who devour hundreds of sermons–and are never any better, never any fatter in grace. They never meditate, ponder and consider what they hear–that is the reason why they are so lean in grace.

Pray unto God to enlighten your understandings, to quicken your devotion, to warm your affections–that by meditation on holy things . . .
  you may be made more holy,
  you may have your lusts more mortified,
  you may have your graces more increased,
  you may better behold the vanity of the world, 
  you may lifted up to Heaven and eternal realities.

“Meditate upon these things.” 1 Timothy 4:15

    ~  ~  ~  ~

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

God is everywhere!

(Don Fortner)

“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Proverbs 15:3

God is everywhere by His power–upholding, maintaining, sustaining all things, and performing with His own hands the works of His eternal purpose in all places. 

God is everywhere by his providence–taking care of and governing all His creatures, executing in all places at the same time His everlasting decrees.

God is everywhere by His omniscience–beholding all things, all places, all events, all people, even the secrets of the hearts of all men at one time.

“His eyes are on the ways of men; He sees their every step. There is no dark place, no deep shadow, where evildoers can hide.” Job 34:21-22

“For a man’s ways are in full view of the LORD, and He examines all his paths.” Proverbs  5:21

“My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from Me, nor is their sin concealed from My eyes.” Jeremiah 16:17 

“Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him? Do not I fill Heaven and earth?” Jeremiah 23:24

“Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:13

“O LORD, You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in–behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain!” Psalm 139:1-6 

  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

If you saw Christ standing beside you all the time

(J.R. Miller, “Intimate Letters on Personal Problems”)

Scripture says of Moses, that “he endured as seeing Him who is invisible!” Hebrews 11:27. That is, Moses always remembered that God was right beside him, his friend to help him–and this made him strong. He did not actually see God–but it was as if he saw Him. That is, he realized the divine presence in all of his life.

If you saw Christ standing beside you all the time–it would not be hard for you to keep sweet, or to keep control of your temper and speech. 

Well, Christ IS beside you–just as really as He was beside Mary when she sat at His feet in Bethany, or beside Peter and the other disciples as they walked together over the hills of Judea and Galilee. What you need, is to realize this fact. 

We know that Jesus is present with us all the time, at every moment, by day or by night. He is closer than any human friend can be to us. Indeed, we are to practice His presence–that is, we are to live all the time, as if we actually saw Him!

You must remember that Christ is always beside you, not only to see you–but to help you, as your truest and best Friend!

  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

December 31, 1855

(James Smith, “Marvelous Mercy!” 1862)

The following is an excerpt from the diary of James Smith:

December 31, 1855. 
The last day of the year 1855–a year characterized by . . .
  many severe trials, 
  many sore temptations, 
  and innumerable mercies. 

In some things, it closes differently to what I expected–but how differently it may have closed! 

I might have been in Hell! O terrible thought! 

I might have been on a sick bed, tormented with excruciating pain, or reduced to a state of infantile weakness. 

I might have been in great and sore troubles, tossed with tempests, and not comforted. 

I might have been without a pastorate–and without a loving people. 

Or I might have been guilty of some heinous sin, lost my character, and been a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth!

Blessed, forever blessed be the Lord–that such is not my case! 
My health is good, 
my hope in Christ is steady, 
my congregation good, and 
I trust the Lord will yet work a great work by me. 

And now, Lord, I desire to confess before you the sins of this past year: 
  I have sinned with my tongue–and with my temper. 
  I have sinned in my heart–and in my life. 
  I have omitted duties. 
  I have committed sins. 
  My motives have often been impure. 
  My aims have not been sufficiently high and holy.
  I have been impatient, fretful, irritable, rash, jealous, envious, discontented and ungrateful. 

O may the blood of Jesus wash out every stain! 

I renounce all hope–but what centers in Jesus!

I have no refuge, no hiding-place, no strong tower, no place of safety–but Jesus. 

Christ in His person, 
Christ in His finished work, 
Christ in His glorious intercession–
is all my hope, all my confidence, all my joy!

I am His servant–and wish to serve Him alone. 
I am His subject–and wish to be ruled by Him alone. 
I am His purchased property–and wish to be consecrated entirely, eternally, and altogether to Him!

  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001

   ~  ~  ~  ~

Good morning,

Memorial Day is just a week away.

A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person (who has died) or an event. The most common type of memorial is the gravestone or the memorial plaque. Also common are war memorials commemorating those who have died in wars.

God has given us many memorials. This week we will look at five of them.

The Lord’s Supper, the Rainbow, the Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of Purim.

5.  The feast of Purim 

The fifth memorial can be found in Esther 9:28. 

“And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.”  (Esther 9:28) 

In the book of Esther you may remember that Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, who was the king’s favorite. As a result, Haman made plans to massacre the Jews on a fixed date. Mordecai went to Esther and persuaded her to intercede with the king. Esther invited the king and Haman to a banquet. At the banquet Esther reveals Haman’s plans to massacre the Jews, and Haman is hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Since the edict for the massacre cannot be revoked, the king sends a edict allowing the Jews to defend themselves. The Jews take advantage of this to kill their enemies. The deliverance is commemorated at the feast of Purim.

The special feast continues to be celebrated by Jews to this day to celebrate their deliverance from Haman’s destruction through Queen Esther’s actions. So it is a self-proclaimed memorial to the Jews to this very day. During the Purim, the Esther scroll is read aloud in the synagogues.

Other festivals were ordained by Divine authority this one was initiated by Mordecai and Esther. Yet its commemoration was undoubtedly sanctioned by God whose merciful interposition it records.

CONCLUSION:

So what we can learn from this is not so much the memorial that the Jews proclaimed, but rather the fact that God is a protector and deliverer of those who look to him and trust in him. It is a memorial to illustrate the Graciousness of God.

Memorials are for:

Remembrance

Worship

Learning

Teaching