Warren W. Wiersbe - Be Restored. Trusting God to See Us Through

BE RESTORED

Published by David C. Cook

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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.) Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved; NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved; NLT are taken from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers; and WUEST are taken from The New

Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest, 1961 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Italics in Scripture have been added by the author for emphasis.

LCCN 2010930522

ISBN 978-1-4347-0049-0

eISBN 978-0-7814-0514-0

2002 Warren W. Wiersbe

First edition of Be Restored published by Victor Books in 2002 Warren W. Wiersbe, ISBN 1-56476-789-2

The Team: Karen Lee-Thorp, Amy Kiechlin, Sarah Schultz, Jack Campbell, and Karen Athen

Series Cover Design: John Hamilton Design

Cover Photo: iStockphoto

Second Edition 2010

Contents

: An Introduction to Be Restored by Ken Baugh

1. (2 Samuel 1:12:7; 1 Chronicles 10:112)

2. (2 Samuel 2:84:12)

3.
(2 Samuel 56; 1 Chronicles 3:48; 11:19; 13:516:3)

4.
(2 Samuel 710; 1 Chronicles 1719)

5.
(2 Samuel 1112)

6. (2 Samuel 1314)

7. (2 Samuel 15:116:14)

8. (2 Samuel 16:1518:33)

9. (2 Samuel 19:140)

10.
(2 Samuel 19:4121:22; 1 Chronicles 20:48)

11. (2 Samuel 22; Psalm 18)

12.
(2 Samuel 2324; 1 Chronicles 11:1041; 21:126)

13. (1 Chronicles 2229)

The Big Idea

An Introduction to Be Restored

by Ken Baugh

My grandpa loved to tinker in the garage and fix things. In fact, I think his inclination was to fix something that was broken than to buy it new; there was just something in his character that couldnt discard stuff. You could have called my grandpa a pack rat and referred to his garage full of stuff as junk, but to him things that were broken and discarded by someone else provided an opportunity to fix and restore.

I think my grandpas desire to fix and restore stuff reflected an important aspect of Gods character. God does not discard broken people who have junked up their lives with sin. Instead, He wants to forgive and restore people to right relationship with Himself. God is a God of restoration, and this is the Big Idea that runs throughout the book of 2 Samuel and is reflected in 1 Chronicles.

But Gods willingness to forgive is conditional. Before a sinner can be restored, he or she must first confess. The apostle John says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9 NIV ). Notice the condition to Gods willingness to forgive: If we confess Its not enough to be sorry for my sin; I must confess it to God, agreeing with Him that what I have done is wrong. And an essential part of confession is having the right understanding of sin.

David was a man after Gods own heart, but he was also a man who knew all about sin and its devastating results. And yet David provides us with a good example of a person who has the right view of sin that leads to true confession and Gods forgiveness. Let me show you Davids right view of sin recorded in Psalm 51, which he wrote sometime after his sin of adultery.

First, David knows that his sin deserves to be punished. In Psalm 51:1 ( NIV ), he writes, Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion. Davids plea for mercy reveals two things: that his sin deserves to be punished, and that God is a merciful and forgiving God. We need to remember when we sin that God is merciful and will forgive us our sin if we cry out for His forgiveness.

Second, David knows he needs a complete cleansing. He goes on to say, Blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51:12 NIV ). David asks for his sins to be blotted out, to be erased from Gods record book. He asks to be washed, like having dirt washed out of clothing. He asks for a complete cleansing. Not only does he know he needs this complete cleansing, but he also wants it. He longs for it with all his heart. Our confession of our sin must be motivated by a desire to be cleansed from all defilement, from anything that is displeasing to the Lord.

Third, David takes full responsibility for his sin. Look at what he says: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me (Psalm 51:35 NIV ). David knows it is the Lord he has sinned against, and he knows that Gods judgment is justified. He knows he possesses an inner nature to sin from conception, but he also knows that his sin was based on his own willful choice and not the choice of another. The Bible is clear that as a Christian, when I sin, I do so because I want to. There is no one to blame but myself. James says, Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed (James 1:14 NIV ).

David is broken by his sin. He knows that he needs Gods forgiveness and that this forgiveness is only accessible through a right view of sin. And after his confession, David knows that the Lord has forgiven him: Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the L ORD does not count against him. I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the L ORD and you forgave the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32:12, 5 NIV ).

But there is one more thing we learn about sin from the life of David: God does forgive and restore, but He does not absolve us from the consequences of our sin in this life. With sin comes consequences. God is always willing to forgive and restore us once we confess, but He is not willing to take away the consequences of our sin in this life. Yes, God has taken care of the ultimate consequence of sin, eternal separation from Him in hell through Christs payment for sin on the cross. But we will still suffer the consequences of our sin in this life in various ways. The apostle Paul says, A man reaps what he sows (Gal. 6:7 NIV ). We see this truth play out in Davids life as God outlines the consequences for his sin.

First, God says to David, The sword will never depart from your house (2 Sam. 12:10 NIV ). Throughout Davids life there is constant death and strife within his family. There is incest and rape (13:119), and premeditated murder (vv. 2029). Davids son flees after the murder (vv. 3039). Arson occurs (14:2833). David experiences insurrection of his throne by his own son to the point where David has to flee his home, fearing for his life (15:114). David is attacked and cursed (16:513). His warriors are forced to fight against his sons forces (18:18), and finally, Davids son Absalom is killed (18:915). What a heavy price to pay for sin!