FLAWED PEOPLE CAN STILL
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Have you ever wondered what would be said
about you if someone wrote a biography of your life? Would they focus on your flaws and failures
or emphasize the positive things about you?
Last week I
finished a biography of Jonathan Edwards by George Marsden. In this account of a most amazing man, the
good and bad were presented together in a balanced look at a life that
continues to make a difference 250 years later.
One of his contemporary opponents dismissed Edwards as one whose works
if they survived at all would be found “in the rubbish of libraries…looked upon
as singular and whimsical” (President Ezra Stiles of Yale, 1787). In the early years of the 20th
century, Mark Twain remarked that Edwards represented “a resplendent intellect
gone mad.”
His
eccentric personality sometimes hid the brilliant man of conviction, principle
and godliness and limited the extent of his impact and influence to a certain
degree. However, in spite of all that, a
book written at around 1900 contrasted the descendants of one of his opponents
with those of Edwards.
The legacy
of his opponent, a man with less character and even less biblical convictions,
was a family that had produced more than ‘three hundred “professional paupers,”
fifty women of ill repute, seven murderers, sixty habitual thieves, and one
hundred and thirty other convicted criminals.
Contrasting that with Edwards, it was found that his family had produced
‘scores of clergymen, thirteen presidents of institutions of higher learning,
sixty-five professors, and many other persons of notable achievement.’ (p.
501-2, Marsden).
Many would
have loved to see him fail and fall into oblivion, but the Lord has a practice
of taking flawed people (even brilliant and gifted ones) and turning their
lives around so that they can still make a difference.
What about
you? Have you long since concluded that
your effectiveness in making any real difference in life has been wasted by the
mistakes and failures of your less-than-perfect past? Then the life of David offers you a hope, a
genuine picture of what can still be true if you will learn to trust the Lord
as David did.
THESIS:
In spite of his many failures and flaws, David was still used by God to glorify His name and make a difference in
the lives of others.
I. THE
BROAD RANGE OF DAVID’S EXPERIENCE
--When we think back over the record of David’s
life, we find a man who experienced more than any ten people have over the
course of their days!
--He found himself hitting peaks and valleys,
addressing his strengths and weaknesses, delighting in God’s favor and dreading
God’s discipline.
--Clearly David was a man of extremes—gifted
more than most, yet guilty more than most.
--There is no attempt in Scripture to minimize his
flaws and foolishness or to hide his indiscretions and infidelity.
· Chosen by God
· Courageous by faith
· Chased by Saul
· Crowned by Judah and Israel
· Contaminated by sin
· Confused by exile
· Confirmed by restoration
· Completed by grace
--He is a wonderful picture of hope for flawed people
in every generation! God can still take
your life, restore and complete you, and enable you to make a difference for
His glory!
II. THE
BIG PICTURE OF DAVID’S EFFECTIVENESS
--This morning, I want to direct your attention
to the big picture of David’s life so that we do not get bogged down in the
individual moments and experiences and lose sight of God’s sovereign design.
--God was doing a major work of grace in David’s life that
encompassed the breadth of his experiences in a way that shaped his heart and
life to be inclined more and more toward the Lord.
A. CREATED TO KNOW GOD AND MAKE HIS GLORY KNOWN
--David knew that God had a sovereign design, a
prevailing purpose for which he had been created that shaped his life in such a
way that no individual hardship or success could overshadow the big picture.
1. To
Know Him
--God created David to know Him and love Him, a
dominant force that compelled him to look beyond the immediate circumstances to
the long-term purpose for his life.
Jer. 9:23-24
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the
mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of
this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who
exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in
these things,” declares the LORD.
Psalm 36:10 Continue your
love to those who know you, your
righteousness to the upright in heart
2. To
Make Him Known
--What God has made known to those who know Him
generates a passion to make that known to others.
Psalm 145:3-7 Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable. 4
One generation shall praise Thy works to another, And shall declare Thy mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of Thy majesty, And on Thy
wonderful works, I will meditate. 6
And men shall speak of the power of Thine awesome acts; And I will tell of Thy greatness. 7 They shall eagerly utter the memory of Thine abundant goodness, And shall shout joyfully of Thy
righteousness.
--In all his life, David found ways to make known the
amazing truth he was constantly discovering about the Lord.
B. CALLED
TO SERVE GOD AND DELIGHT IN HIS PORTION
--As he knew the Lord, David had a clear sense of what
it meant to serve Him and take delight in whatever came with the calling to
serve.
Psa. 16:5-9
The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; Thou dost support my
lot. 6 The lines have fallen
to me in pleasant places; Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me. 7
I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the
night. 8 I have set the LORD
continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be
shaken. 9 Therefore my heart
is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will dwell securely.
--Through the desperate times and the delightful times,
David put everything in perspective—all this was a part of the calling to
serve.
--What a privilege to mature to the point that we can
take delight in whatever God gives us to do, or even to endure, simply because
we have learned to see it as part of our calling to serve Him without any
concern about what it involves.
C.
CHALLENGED TO SEEK GOD AND INVITE HIS PRUNING
Psalm 119:2, 10
Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their
heart…10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your
commands.
--We cannot assume we understand how to go about
knowing God and serving God, so David set his heart to seek God and allow
nothing to get in the way of finding Him and His will.
--When sin cut him off from that pursuit, he was
miserable until he was restored and invited the Lord to cut away everything in
his life that got in the way of seeking Him.
Psa. 51:1-3
Be gracious to me, O God, according to Thy lovingkindness; According to the
greatness of Thy compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my
iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3
For I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me.
--Jesus spoke of the need to be pruned, to have dead
branches and unhealthy influences cut off and thrown away so that every
obstacle to seeking Him could be removed.
John 15:2
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch
that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
--David asks the Lord to show him whatever needs to be
removed so that when he seeks the Lord, nothing will keep him away.
Psa. 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful
way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.
D. CONSECRATED TO WORSHIP GOD AND ABIDE IN HIS
PRESENCE
--As David looked over the accomplishments of his
reign, the dominant desire of his heart had been to establish Israel as a place
and people whose highest purpose was to worship the living God.
· Return of the
ark of God to Jerusalem
--A powerful time of worship followed the return of the
ark, including the psalm recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:8-36.
1 Chronicles 16:8-12
Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the
peoples. 9 Sing to Him, sing
praises to Him; Speak of all His wonders.
10 Glory in His holy name; Let the heart of those who seek
the LORD be glad. 11 Seek the
LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. 12 Remember His wonderful deeds
which He has done, His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
· Request to
build a house of worship for the Lord.
1Chr. 17:1, 4
And it came about, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the
prophet, “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the
covenant of the LORD is under curtains”
…4 “Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the LORD, “You
shall not build a house for Me to dwell in;
--Worship was his passion…writing psalms and
hymns…organizing the singers and musicians…preparing the sacrifices…all spoke
of David’s desire to draw near to the Lord in worship as the chief desire of
his heart.
Psa. 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house
of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to
seek him in his temple.
Psa. 84:10
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
E. COMMISSIONED TO PROCLAIM GOD AND ANNOUNCE HIS
SALVATION
--David accepted his role as a messenger of the Lord to
proclaim His glory and not allow the heavens to out-do him in announcing that
the exalted and glorious One is Lord of heaven and earth.
Psa. 96:3 Tell of His glory among the nations, His
wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
--There is a theme throughout the psalms repeating that
salvation belongs to God and that He offers it to the nations through His
people Israel.
1 Chronicles 16:23-25 Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim his
salvation day after day. 24
Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all
peoples. 25 For great is the
LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods.
--Even after all he had been through, David recognized
that his commission as king was to make sure that Israel lived in such a way
that all the nations would know the greatness and worthiness of the LORD to be
worshiped and praised…that He alone can save those who put their trust in His
name.
III. THE
BOTTOM LINE OF DAVID’S RECOVERY
--Flawed as he was, David never lost sight of
what God was doing or who God really is.
--He set his heart and mind continually on Him, or
readily came back to do so when he wandered.
A. HE LOVED AND EXPRESSED GRATITUDE TO A
GRACIOUS GOD OF FORGIVENESS.
--God’s forgiveness gave David a new and clean heart
which was restored to fellowship with the Father and released from the burden
of his guilt and shame.
--For that, David’s gratitude continued to pour out in
words of thanksgiving that he served such a gracious God.
B. HE DEVELOPED AND MAINTAINED CONSISTENCY WITH
AN INTROSPECTIVE ATTITUDE OF PRAYER.
--David never allowed his sin to take root and harden
his heart.
--His heart could never remain closed off to the Lord
for very long because he knew the pain that such distance would inflict on his
soul.
--A major factor in David’s recoveries from the dark
valleys he had fallen into was his capacity to turn back his heart and seek the
Lord’s forgiveness.
C. HE SURRENDERED TO AND TREASURED SCRIPTURE
WITH A HUMBLE HEART OF SUBMISSION.
--God’s Word was the anchor which held his soul when
the storms of his life threatened to drive him far from the Lord.
--Again and again, the foundation of his life proved to
be the power of God’s Word, a flawless field of counsel and a trustworthy mine
of promises.
Psalm 18:30
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is
a shield for all who take refuge in him.
--Failure never has to be fatal as long as God’s Word
can be believed and the promises He give us can be trusted!
Your life may never be written up in a
biography, may never attract any attention in this world. You may think that you have been disqualified
from making a difference for the glory of God because of the flaws that have
marked your life.
Well,
here is the good news! David blew it
just about as badly as a person can blow it…and yet, God not only used him—he
allowed him…
…to make a powerful difference with the people Israel…
…to be called a man after God’s own heart…and
…to be in the line of God’s own Messiah who would be
called the Son of David!
What a
comeback! Your life can matter more than
you may ever know if you assume that you are no longer useful to the Lord. Today, through the forgiveness and
transforming power of Jesus Christ, you can make a difference for the glory of
His name.
Learn from
David and never give up. If you allow
your flaws and failures to defeat you, you will never know what God could have
done. But if you will trust the Lord
Jesus with the make-over, and allow Him to transform the rags of failure to the
robes of righteousness, you can be assured that you can make a difference for
God’s glory!
The
biographers may never notice, but God Himself will be waiting for you and will
one day welcome you with the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
April 24, 2005
Providence
Baptist Church
© David Horner 2005
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