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Day by Day - 2 Samuel
A NEW SON IS BORN!
We can be free of the weight of guilt and recognize that our future is bright thanks to Jesus.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
The message David is receiving is that forgiveness is a reality as demonstrated by the new son of David being loved by God. And that message rings true for us today! Not because Solomon was born, but because a greater Son of David, a greater Solomon was born, and died, and brought back to life. Put your hope in Him.
An overwhelming feature of the love of God is that His love for His chosen does not shift, does not waver, does not fluctuate. Even though God may discipline his children, it doesn’t mean His love for them has diminished. David reaps what he sows in discipline from the Lord, but He also reaps the promise of God.
My friends, those of you struggling with the misery of sin from the past, of which you have repented, you need to know this—The LORD’s love for you never lessened; and neither did His love for you intensify. It has always been full, complete, immutable. His love for His own does not change. And the reason He can place His gracious love on you and keep it there is wholly due to the His Son, who stood in your place to take on the wrath of God you deserve. His life for your life. And His resurrection is the new life, the complete righteousness, the new account laid before God that you get credit for.
No, your future is far from over. Your future is far from hopeless. Your future is far from misery if you would believe and walk in these truths.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 21, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:42 min.
00:02:42 min.
Day by Day Video
Preaching Lab
Clif discusses the preaching lab he will be leading in January.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Hey, guys. Welcome to Lifeword's Day By Day, where typically we run through a book of the Bible, digging for all that it's worth. But today, I want to take a break from our study, from 2 Samuel 12, and talk to you about an event that's coming up in January. I have the great privilege to be able to run a ministry called The Preaching Lab, where we seek to help train pastors to be healthy, not only in regards to their preaching ministry, but also in regards to their own soul, their own personal life. And we are hosting a conference, The Preaching Lab Conference, on January the 10th and 11th, and we're calling it Press On: Preaching in a Hostile Culture.
And so if you're a pastor or a preacher who is watching Day By Day, please register and join us in Little Rock, Arkansas for this conference. If you're not a pastor or a preacher, you're a church member, would you do me the favor of letting your pastor know about this conference that is coming up? We'll have preachers Doug Brewer, David McMurray, and Gary O'Neil bringing the Word of God to us, but also talking to us about getting through burnout. And so I just want to invite you to be with us on January the 10th and 11th for this Preaching Lab Conference.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 20, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:01:41 min.
00:01:41 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
We Repent Because God Is Righteous
Although we will reap the consequences of our sin, we can know God is still righteous.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
This was not the end of David’s statement. Once the child dies, David resigns himself to the will of God, with no blame, with no finger-pointing, with no defiant fist-shaking, with no “but God would never do that, God can’t do that.”
David shows his submission to the will of God.
This is a fruit of true, biblical repentance. Repentance is a turning from sin in head, heart, and hand, and turning to God in trust—head, heart, and hand.
Take heed that with sin, you reap what you sow. But you can trust God because He is gracious and righteous.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 19, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:03 min.
00:02:03 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
As beautiful as creativity can be, it should be filled with love and personality.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 18, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:51 min.
00:05:51 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Plead For Grace
When we do not receive the answer we want to our prayers, we should still recognize that God is good.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
David has been told by God through Nathan that one of the consequences of his sin is that his child will die. And yet, when the child becomes sick, David sought the LORD on behalf of the child. The reason David did this was because he believed God to be a God of grace. David did this because he had experienced the grace of God previous in his life. David did this because he knew that the nature of God was one that included grace and mercy and forgiveness.
My friends, there is nothing wrong with pleading for grace in your life. Who knows when the LORD may decide to be overwhelmingly gracious to you?! This does not mean that God is spurious, spasmodic. It means that God, at any time, according to His will and goodness, can be gracious to His children for countless and unknown reasons to us. Sometimes it is to simply bless us and smile upon us, sometimes it is so that a future providence will occur.
But David knew God to be a God of grace, and made his pleas accordingly.
Is there an area, is there a burden, where you desire to see God’s grace, his unwarranted favor, be poured out over your life, even though you know you are a mess? Even though you know you deserve, not just nothing from him, but eternal punishment?
Friends, fellow believers and followers Christ, we not only know that God does what is just and righteous, but included within that justice and righteousness is His goodness.
Even when we do not receive the answer to our prayers in accordance with how we pray them, we can still move forward with hope and faith and confidence because we know that His every move towards us, for us, behind us, in front of us, above us, and beneath us is for HIS GLORY AND OUR GOOD!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 15, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:03 min.
00:03:03 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
In Repentance There Is Worship
As we repent, we should be worshipful that God would choose to forgive us.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
We note that David immediately begins to pray and plead with God to spare the baby’s life. He fasted and laid on the ground before the LORD all night. The elders would try and encourage David to take a break, come eat something, get some rest, but David would not. He would not leave the presence of the LORD, he would not stop begging and pleading on behalf of his son.
This behavior worried the servants of David to the point that when the child actually did die, they were afraid of telling David the news, in fear of what he might do. To them, his behavior was so erratic and out of character, that they had no idea what to predict when the child actually died.
Take notice that in repentance, there is worship.
But what is even stranger, perhaps to us, is what happened when David discovered that the child had died. David lifted his face out of the dirt. He took a shower, washing all the dirt and ash, all the signs of mourning, off of him. He anointed himself with oil, the sign of joy, and went into the temple and worshiped the Lord. After a worship service, he went to eat.
That seems strange to us, right? It seems to us that now is the time for weeping.
So what exactly was going through David’s mind? Read 2 Sam. 12:21-23
“While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
These words from David speak volumes about his theology, about what he thought about God’s nature, and give us direction as we repent of our own sin, and deal with the fallout of the consequences.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 14, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:04 min.
00:03:04 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
The Scars Of Sin
God calculates the consequence of sin based on His purity, righteousness, and justice.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
We can’t help but notice with what terseness the narrative takes in 2 Samuel 12:15 and 16. “Nathan went to his house. And the Lord afflicted the child.” It is matter of fact. Almost uncomfortably so, given the nature of what is taking place. After all, what has this child done to receive the destiny that has fallen to him. This seems wrong.
So let’s deal with this head on. First, the child was not innocent. No one is born innocent, or in a positive state or even neutral state, with God. The baby carried the stain of sin. The difference between the baby and someone mature is the ability to discern between the right and the wrong, the mental ability to knowingly rebel or be defiant.
Absolutely this is a tragic event from our perspective. Yet we must also keep in tension that God was absolutely just and righteous in His actions. When something takes place in my life that I am not able to untangle, I have to trust that the Judge of all the earth does what is right. And even in this case, God was just in punishing David by pronouncing death to his child. Since David led the enemy nations to mock God, David will be publicly and personally humiliated with discipline from his sin.
Once again, David’s guilt of sin is removed, but not the consequences.
So we must take heed that we reap what we sow, and what we are to learn from this here is that oftentimes we do not know the severity of what we are sowing. Would David had stopped lust in its tracks if he could have predicted the devastation that was caused by His sin? I don’t know. What more prediction of devastation do we need than “the wages of sin are death,”? But what we must know is that sin and rebellion against God carries consequences, and more times than not those consequences are far more weighty than we ever want to admit.
We calculate the reaping of what we sow based on comparison to others. “Surely it won’t bring that much harm, I mean, after all, I am a pretty good guy. I have done a lot of good for the kingdom of God.” We think that since the seed of sin is so small, then so too will the fruit of sin be small, and we forget the whole idea of sowing and reaping, and that what is put down into the ground may be tiny, but while in the soil it is nurtured and fed, until it grows into something we never imagined.
God calculates the reaping according to His purity and righteousness and justice. He has to or else he would not be righteous.
Take heed, that when you sin you will bear the scars of sin. You can be forgiven, but you cannot undo the consequences.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 13, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:47 min.
00:03:47 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
No New Newspaper Articles
We should be aware that we have the same propensity for sin as anyone else.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
In my family growing up, it was a normal routine for everyone to sit at the dinner table and eat supper together. We all had our assigned seats. We prayed. We ate. You had to ask permission to be excused from the table. And during that time mom and dad talked to one another about what was going in their day, or they talked to us about our schedules or sports or homework, etc. Normal stuff.
One night dad came to the supper table with something in his hand. We went through our normal routine that night. We prayed. We talked. But before my brother or I could ask permission to be excused from the table, dad handed me what he had brought to the table. It was a newspaper clipping from when he was in high school. The article talked about how, as a junior in high school, Uriel Johnson and another of his teammates, were some of the fastest sprinters in the Little Rock area. They were the ones to watch, the ones to beat. My eyes grew wide in amazement. I had heard of my dad talking about running track before for Central High School, and he had told me some of his times running the 100 yard dash and the 400. But I didn’t know he was this fast!
After I read that article, my dad said something to the effect of “They didn’t write any articles about me my senior year. I got cocky. And lazy. And didn’t put in the work. Don’t let that happen to you.”
I don’t know why dad decided to bring that up at that point in my life. I was in high school at the time. I may have even been a junior, like he was at the time that article was written. I don’t know if he saw some complacency or arrogance building up in me in my attitude towards baseball. Regardless, he wanted to warn me. “Don’t let what happened to me happen to you.”
Paul gives us the same type of instruction in the book of Romans when he tells us that what was written in the OT was written for our instruction. It is meant to teach us about the pitfalls that God’s people fell into so that we may avoid those same pitfalls. In essence, Paul is giving us newspaper clippings and saying, “I see the same propensity in you. Be aware!”
And that is what we have been doing over the last several weeks as we have studied David’s fall into sin with Bathsheba. We will continue to do so today. But I also want us to see another feature. The OT is not just a compilation of stories warning us about the sin we need to avoid. The OT is more about the relaying to us of the nature and character of God.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 12, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:34 min.
00:03:34 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
Architecture, construction, and building design can be intended to evoke feelings in the people who see them.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 11, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:26 min.
00:05:26 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Deal With God’s Word Today
When we know what God’s Word says, we must wrestle with what to do with it.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
2 Samuel 12 ends with, “Then Nathan went to his house.” David is left to deal with God’s word that Nathan gave to him.
That is where we are this morning. You are left with God’s word. You must deal with it. Deal with it today. Make no delay. Do not wait for a more opportune time. There is not a more opportune time. There never will be. When the word came to David through the prophet, David repented. God’s word has come to you today. Repent today. Beg for the gift of repentance, and keep begging for it until your heart and mind are aligned with God’s word, God’s direction, God’s will. God’s word tells us that all who are thirsty can come and drink from the fountain that never runs dry. He answers the prayers of the ones who are truly seeking Him. Turn to Him today. You have an atoning, all sufficient sacrifice in Jesus. Return to the joy of salvation today. Throw off the conviction of culture, do away with the conviction of convenience. Peer pressure and pragmatism will not bring back joy. Only the LORD.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 08, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:01 min.
00:02:01 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Forgiveness Does Not Forfeit All Consequences
Although God is quick to forgive, there may still be consequences for our sin.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
David’s confession of sin is short. To the point. Two words in the Hebrew language I believe. And yet it was complete.
And so too is the pronouncement of forgiveness. But you have to take note, that even though David is forgiven, there are earthly consequences to his sin. A punishment, a consequence must be had. And that discipline falls upon David’s son.
This does not sit well with us at all, does it? How is it right that this child is punished instead of David. Well, that’s just it. This is punishing David. David’s sin does come with a cost—the cost of public humiliation, the cost of no peace in his house, and the cost of his own son. Sometimes there are worse punishments than death.
We will examine this further in the days to come, but what I want us to see is that there would be another Son of David who would die as a punishment. And it is because of His death that repentance is made possible, that forgiveness is offered, and that fellowship can be restored.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 07, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:11 min.
00:02:11 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Repentance Returns Us To God
True repentance cries out to be restored with God.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Biblical Repentance leads us towards God primarily
What do you mean, Clif, that repentance that leads us back to God.
We see this plainly in how God accuses David. God lists off all the blessings of God upon David’s life. He didn’t mention the havoc it caused in Bathsheba’s life, or Uriah’s. He could have. But the root of the issue was his despising the word of the LORD. The fruit of his sin affected other people, as it always does, but root of the sin was rebellion against God.
And this is why repentance is specific. A person who is truly repenting leaves no corner of his heart closed off to God. He can’t because he recognizes God for who He is. If he didn’t recognize God as the true authority over his life, then there remains a higher authority in that person’s mind, which means that the repentance being shown is only using God for the person’s own pragmatic, self-preserving means.
True repentance cries out for more of God, no matter the cost, no matter what may come. True repentance desires first and foremost a restored and right relationship with God.
And this is why, when David confesses, after having heard most of the consequences of his sin, he says, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Full stop. No excuses, no “if I have sinned..”, no “can we make a bargain?” I have sinned against the LORD. Come what may, I need to be restored to the LORD.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 06, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:43 min.
00:02:43 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Don’t Follow Your Heart!
Rather than follow our hearts, we must allow our hearts to be changed by God.
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Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Biblical Repentance recognizes the word of God as the authority of God.
But in order for that to happen, we need to recognize that there is One who rules over us, and whose word is truth. Biblical repentance recognizes the authority of God over us.
The LORD Sent Nathan, the prophet, to David. There is a reason why the LORD sent Nathan. Nathan was a prophet. Nathan was not primarily David’s friend, confidant, or homie. Nathan was a prophet of God, who spoke on behalf of God. We are introduced to Nathan in 2 Samuel 7 with that very title. David knew that when he saw Nathan coming, here too comes the word of the Lord.
And when Nathan tells David the story of the rich man with a herd of sheep, and the poor man with one sheep, David thinks he is justified in his ruling over the rich man, not because he thinks of himself as righteous, but because he sees the story as asking for God’s word of judgment against the rich man. This is why David responds to the story by saying, “As the LORD lives…” He is calling God down as a witness to observe David’s execution of judgment and that it will be in line with God’s word.
You see, David knew there was a higher authority than his own. He recognized God’s word as that authority and was willing to act on it when it came to other people falling underneath, and for himself for the most part.
But then Nathan pointed the finger at David and said, “You are the man,”
If you do not recognize God as the authority over all of life, if we do not see His word as our rule, then we will not have biblical repentance. We might think we are repentant, but it would just be a repentance from pragmatism or peer pressure
R.C. Sproul once said that, “Our calling isn’t to follow our hearts. Our calling is to have our hearts informed by the clear and plain teaching of the word of God.”
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 05, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:47 min.
00:02:47 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
We can still find sacred truths in everyday tasks.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 04, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:06:53 min.
00:06:53 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
A God-Worked Repentance
Believers need a work of God leading to repentance among our people.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Solid, biblical teaching will aid us greatly in our understanding of repentance and in helping us see our need for repentance, and examples of people living repentantly may motivate us to emulate their lives, but the only source of repentance is God himself. (Repentance, by Richard Owen Roberts, p. 106).
Psalm 60:1 “O God, you have rejected us. You have broken us.; you have been angry; O God, restore us!”
Psalm 51:10-13 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation.”
Acts 5:29 “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging him on a cross. He is the One whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.”
Acts 11:17-18 “God has granted also to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
2 Timothy 2:22ff “Refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s bond servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”
Oh how we need a work of God leading us to repentance among us today. We need the work of the Spirit of God, using the word of God to lead us to repentance. You need to pray for it, beg for it, plead for it, cry out for God’s kindness to lead you to repentance. There is no other type of repentance within the biblical framework that restores us to fellowship with God, except for the repentance that comes from God and leads us back to a recognition God as authority.
We need to fall on our faces today and cry out before Him to grant us repentance. We need to recognize that repentance that is granted from God to us changes our hearts and minds towards sin. Do you see still love your sin; do you still think of it as innocent, not hurting anyone? Then there has not been repentance. Biblical repentance is when we start to think God’s thoughts towards our own sin.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Nov 01, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:08 min.
00:03:08 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Repentance Is A Work Of God
Biblical repentance and grief cannot be manufactured but must be sent by God.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Biblical Repentance is a work of God
This is, perhaps, the most important feature of Biblical repentance that we need to understand. We cannot wash over this. And this is being made evident to us in the text.
Chapter 12 begins by saying, “And the LORD sent Nathan to David.”
A few weeks ago, when we were studying chapter 11, we made a big deal about David sending. David sent Joab into the battlefield. David sent servants to find out about Bathsheba. David sent for Bathsheba. David sent for Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband. David sent execution orders to Joab. When Uriah was killed, David sent for Bathsheba and brought her into his house as his wife.
David’s sending was a sign of his power; his unquestioned, unrivaled power. There is no mistaking who was in control in chapter 11 as far as what was playing out among the characters involved. David had the power.
And now chapter 12 begins, “the LORD sent Nathan to David.” This is the message we are to pick up on—“David has shown off his power; his authority. But now God is about to show HIS POWER and HIS AUTHORITY over David.”
David had been under the conviction of conceit—“I deserve this.” Then he had been under the conviction of convenience—“I need to change my methods in order for this situation to work out.” But now He was about to be laid low under the conviction of the word of God.
David had spent nine months full of tears and fears, but it wasn’t until the LORD SENT NATHAN that David was repentant.
My friends, biblical repentance, godly grief, is not something we manufacture. You cannot plan for it, you cannot create it, you cannot fake it. Biblical repentance, just like all of salvation, is a work of the LORD, from start to finish.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 31, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:29 min.
00:02:29 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Convicted By Culture
Merely being convicted or swayed to change by the culture around us is not biblical grounds for repentance.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Convicted by culture/crowds—keeping up with the trends/no longer acceptable culturally. This is called peer pressure, but it is really a type of repentance. We stop doing something because it is no longer culturally acceptable, whether it be the culture at large, or our own little group of friends that we run with. So for instance, when you go off to college now, one of the first things they will do at orientation is ask for your pronouns. And if you refuse to call other people by their “preferred pronouns” but instead call them by the biologically appropriate pronoun, then you will be deemed, intolerant and disrespectful. Thus, peer pressure is being put on you to change your mind. And if you do, then you are repenting, you are changing your mind, changing your direction, because of being convicted by culture. This type of repentance happens all the time in a thousand different ways.
But being convicted by culture doesn’t cut it when it comes to Biblical repentance. Something greater is needed. But it is worth asking, is it not, if my repentance has been motivated in the past by the crowds instead of by the King.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 30, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:18 min.
00:02:18 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Catalysts Of Repentance
It is important that the catalyst leading to our repentance is biblical.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
When I was in junior high I played basketball for the Mabelvale Junior High Red Raiders. One particular game stands out in my memory. We had gone in for halftime to make adjustments to our game plan, went back out to warm up before the second half began. It was our ball to begin the second half, which required an in-bounds play from halfcourt. My teammate was the one who would make the pass, and the plan was for him to pass it to me at half court. The rest of my team was scattered around the gym. I break away from the kid who was defending me to create some space between us so that my teammate can pass the ball to me. He passes it to me as I am breaking away, and once I get the ball and start dribbling, I see that there is no one between me and basketball goal. So I start dribbling as fast as I can and running as hard as I can. And just as I am about to start preparing to go into my lay-up, it dawns on me…this is the wrong side of the court. My team’s goal is on the other end.
Thankfully, I had this realization in enough time that I could continue dribbling and turn towards my goal and bring the ball up the court in the proper direction.
I realized I was doing something wrong. I was convinced it was wrong the wrong direction, the wrong goal, so I stopped going that direction, turned and went to the other end of the court, the other direction.
That is a very rudimentary, simplistic illustration of what repentance is—to realize you are wrong, to stop what you are doing, and to turn from your wrong direction and go in the right direction.
And when we think about it, everyone repents, in one way or another, under that basic definition and understanding. Everyone is actually pretty skilled at the basics of repenting. We are constantly changing our mind about stuff, changing our actions, changing our directions. But what is the catalyst for our repentance?
Over the next few days, I want to give you at least three catalysts that oftentimes spur our repentance, and I want us to ask the question, “Are these catalysts in line with biblical repentance?”
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 29, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:52 min.
00:02:52 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
As we use our talents for God, we should give other believers the tools to do the same and promote discipleship.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 28, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:03 min.
00:05:03 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Tears And Fears Don’t Get It Done
Being tearful over sin or fearful of retaliation does not automatically equate to repentance.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Yesterday we learned that there can be this false notion that tears alone equals repentance; but there is also the false notion that fears alone equal repentance.
Much of what we may call repentance is nothing more than “fox-hole religion.” The prospect of grave consequences are brought upon your conscience, and vows are made to never do such and such again. But once the threat is removed, once the fear is gone, it’s back to life as it once was.
Fear and acting on self-preservation are not the same as repentance.
But isn’t that what we do? We get scared of the consequences, we tremble, and maybe we change behavior in order to avoid the those consequences, at least for a little while, and when the fears subside, it’s back to the way things were.
If fears alone equaled repentance, then why wouldn’t the demons be considered repentant, because do not even they demons tremble?
Couldn’t we read throughout the gospels and see where Jesus worked miracles that produced all kinds of fear, but not necessarily true repentance?
Or consider Paul, who stood before Felix the Governor in Acts 24. Paul, defending his case before Felix, and never missing an opportunity to witness for Christ, was reasoning with Felix about, “righteousness, and self-control, and the coming judgment.” And while this was happening, Felix was alarmed and said, “Go away for the present time.” But there was no true repentance!
So be on guard of your own heart. Tears alone and neither fears alone equate to biblical repentance. It is the turning away from sin, the hating of sin like God hates sin, that is the sign of repentance.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 25, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:34 min.
00:02:34 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Wasted Bones And Loud Groans
Genuine, godly grief over sin leads to repentance.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
After having read of the horrible crimes of King David against Bathsheba, Uriah, and all of Israel in 2 Samuel 11, chapter 11 ends by saying, “But the thing that David had done displeased (troubled) the LORD.” But this is not the end of the story. Between the end of chapter 11 and the repentance shown in 12, at least 9 months have passed, and a baby boy has been born into the house of David.
But something else has been going on in that 9 months. It wasn’t all bliss and baby showers. David recounts it for us in Psalm 32:3
“For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”
Notice what David is saying. When David was under the conviction of his sin, yet was still quiet about his sin, he was consumed, racked with the guilt of his crimes. He thought the cover-up would alleviate his soul. If he could just get away with it, then he wouldn’t have to speak of it any longer, but he forgot the convicting work of the word of the LORD. He felt the weight of his sin pushing him further and further to the depths of despair. When he refused to acknowledge the depth of his sin, his body ached and deteriorated. He had very little strength to face day after day after day.
We could easily say that David was in the throes of depression. He was in mental and spiritual anguish over what he had gotten away with. He was sorrowful, soaking his bed with tears at night.
But this was not complete repentance.
Tears (sorrow) alone is not proof of repentance.
Paul writes to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 7:8-9 “For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that the letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”
We see here that Paul acknowledges that to be grieved does not automatically equal biblical repentance, but only if it is godly grief will it lead to repentance. There is a type of worldly grief, or a grief that is not a working of God upon your life, and that type of grief does not work repentance, but eats away slowly at your soul, leading to death.
Think of Peter and Judas. Both denied Jesus. Both betrayed Jesus. Both suffered under the heavy hand of grief, but only one of them was suffering under godly grief that led to biblical repentance. The other died in his worldly grief.
My friends, we must be able to discern within our own lives, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the difference that exists between sorrow and true repentance. Tears over sin, conviction of sin, even confession of sin does equate to biblical repentance. Those are all lead ups to repentance, but they can also be evident in those that never repent. How many people do you know who have cried over particular situation they have caused, or have been sorrowful over a circumstance brought on by his or her sin, and yet, after the tears, after the initial emotional response, after the comforting hugs, the same action prevails with no remorse?
Many times the sorrow is there because a person is caught in their sin. Many times tears are there because the person knows they have disappointed a significant person in their life. Sorrow can be present for a host of reasons, but tears alone does not equal repentance.
How many revivals over the last 30 years have you seen take place, with people coming forward, weeping at the altar, show up for the next couple of weeks to church, and then disappear?
Do you, dear brother and sister, know the difference in your own life between tears alone and Biblical repentance?
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 24, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:04:59 min.
00:04:59 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Looking For A Satan-Crusher
Our hope for defeating sin lies with Jesus, who committed no sin.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
This book that we open each week unveils a story to us. And this story makes sense of everything in the world. It is the belief of the orthodox Christian that life and the world does not make sense otherwise. We understand what is going on because the nature and the motivations for what is going on in us, through us, around us, and to us is explained sufficiently in this book we open each week.
Not every question you ask of it will find the answer you are looking for, but there are answers. Not every answer will be as specific as you want them to be, for God has chosen to drape a cloak of mystery over some of His determined will. But when we do find mystery in this life, we can rest assured that we also find sufficiency in the presence of God with His people.
So what is the story of this book? What is the unfolding drama? The story is that a good and righteous and holy God created us, and he created us for His glory. And in creation God laid upon us His word, or His laws, by which, through our obedience to them, would bring glory and honor unto Him. But our first parents failed at this task, listening to the slithering whispers of Satan Himself, thus infecting the line of humanity with weakness, with a spiritual death and curse that we are all born into.
But not only is God good and righteous and holy, He is also a God of mercy and grace. And in His grace, He extended words of promise and salvation/rescue/redemption to our first parents, and to us. The promise was that God would send a Satan crusher, putting an end to Satan’s ability to bring deceit and shame upon God’s people.
So we read the OT, and we look and anticipate this great Satan-crusher. Our hopes rise and fall as we see glimpses of this mighty Hero, hoping that each new character we run into on these pages is the one promised by God. We learn as we read that a sacrifice is what is needed to cleanse us from our sin, from our guilt, from our shame. Could it be Abraham? Could it be Joseph? Could it be Moses? Most recently, as we have studied 2 Samuel, we have wondered, “Could it be David?” After all, this was a man after God’s own heart.
But we know it’s not David, and over the last few weeks we have seen why. David was imperfect. David was a good king, a great king, but David was not able to defeat his own sin, so how could he be the victor over other people’s sin. How could he be the perfect atoning sacrifice each of us must have if we ever dare live in communion with God.
David is our last real hope until we come to the NT. And it is in the NT that Jesus breaks on the scene, born of a woman, hailed as God with us, God in the flesh. He taught the people as one had never taught them before. He was truthful, compassionate, bold, full of mercy and grace and truth, preaching the kingdom of God was at hand. No one, no matter how hard they tried could find fault with him. No one, no matter how many traps they set for him, could ensnare him in their wicked schemes.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 23, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:04:07 min.
00:04:07 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
A Murderous Coverup
The further we spiral into sin, the more calloused we become to its effects.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
We can hardly believe what we are reading in 2 Samuel 11, can’t we? Surely not David. But yes, it is David, walking down this dark path of sin.
After hearing that Bathsheba was pregnant, David, still not repenting, takes sin to the next level. He brings Uriah home. And after some fake pleasantries, treats David a King’s gift basket, in hopes that Uriah would enjoy them with his wife and partake in some amorous activities. That way, Bathsheba could claim that her pregnancy was not immoral.
But did you notice Uriah’s response? David was dealing with a righteous man…a man committed to his king and to his country. He dare not enjoy one moment of pleasure while his fellow countrymen were out at battle. Here is a man with self-control, which David was severely lacking. Here was a man who was committed to God’s people, which David had abandoned at this point.
What a perfect time for David to repent! David is staring in the face of a man who loved King David and God’s people. Uriah had just been told by Joab to be courageous for his family and for the cities of God. And here, his courage and resolve is on full display. And yet David is unmoved by it all, except only to ramp up the intensity of his scheming.
Just observe the cold-hearted nature of David at this point. He writes a letter to Joab, instructing Joab to execute Uriah, and he sends it by means of Uriah’s own hand. Uriah is carrying his own death certificate and doesn’t even know it.
The cover-up has not ended. The watching world of Israel would have taken notice of David’s bringing Bathsheba into his house. They would have seen this as an act of nobility on David’s part, to bring in the young widow, and the father a child, giving her a continued lineage. He was, in their eyes, a kinsman redeemer. But in reality, he was an adulterous, murderer.
Let that be a lesson to us all…the farther we go down the spiral of sin, the more calloused we can become, the deeper we dial in to our own power, and the greater lengths we go to cover it up. So do not put off repentance while the LORD is convicting. It is His kindness and grace that leads us there.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 22, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:38 min.
00:03:38 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
What God requires of us is to return the talent He has given us to be used in His service.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 21, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:06:16 min.
00:06:16 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
A Taboo Topic
Sex is to be enjoyed between husband and wife and not committed outside that relationship.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
In the summer of 2002, Kristi and I had been married one year, and led a group of about 4 students on a mission trip to a church planter in Hawaii. It was an interesting trip. We helped with a revival that no one came to. But while we were there we learned that there is a type of pigeon language in Hawaii. One of the familiar pieces of literature in that pigeon language in Hawaii were the Ten Commandments, and one commandment in particular stood out. It was this—“No muy muy wit da brother’s wahini.” You don’t have to be fluent in Hawaiin Pigeon to understand exactly what is being forbidden.
I feel like I need to make clear what seems to be fuzzy for some people. I never thought I would have to, but from conversations I have had with some, there is not a doubt in mind that I need to bring some clarity to a situation.
On the surface of this passage we are dealing with adultery. David is a married man, several times over actually, and we have discussed that in the past. But David is a married man who sleeps with someone who is not his wife. That is adultery. To complicate the matter further, the woman he sleeps with was also married.
So let me be clear today—Adultery is sinful. It is not within the design of the relationship of husband and wife. You didn’t fall out of love with your spouse and fall in love with someone else, therefore justifying yourself and sin. To love someone biblically, whether they be your wife, husband, or brother in Christ, to love someone biblically is to make a conscious choice to serve them sacrificially. So falling out of love in a marriage is a choice you make to no longer care or serve or sacrifice on behalf of your spouse. Falling in love is a conscious choice you make to care, to serve, to sacrifice for, to the exclusion of others who might vie for or compete for that position in your heart.
Let me go further, just so that we are clear. Adultery is sinful because the sexual relationship is the bringing together of a man and a woman, mind, heart, body and soul. Two become one. There is to be safety and security and peace within that sexual relationship, and that safety and security and peace is proclaimed to each other and everyone else through marriage. So when you step outside that covenant, you shatter the security of the other spouse.
Let me go a bit further. The sexual relationship is for marriage. You do not test it out before marriage. You do not see if you’re sexually compatible with someone else. Sex is to be enjoyed, sustained and maintained within the covenant bonds of marriage. When you engage in sexual acts before marriage, and then you finally do come to the altar of marriage, you don’t come as a veteran in relationships, you come as an incomplete person, because part of you is still with the other people with whom you have slept with. Emotionally, mentally. You gave away something precious that was intended for your wife or husband.
This is why Genesis tells us that a “man shall leave his father and mother, and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” The man leaves one relationship, the relationship of the parents, which is a type of oneness, he leaves that relationship, NOT to sow his wild oats, NOT to test drive what is out there, BUT to attach himself to one other person, HIS WIFE. The marriage, the covenant of marriage, is the guarantee, it is the promise that just because the road may get rocky, I am not leaving your side. And the physical expression of that is the sexual relationship. You see, there is a right and beautiful order to God’s design. It’s not the other way around, no matter how much he or she tells you they love you.
Why all of this? Because not only is the sexual relationship to be enjoyed in security, its other purpose is to produce children. And children are to be brought into this world within the one flesh, safety and security and peace of a mom and dad committed to one another, committed to displaying the leadership and submission of Christ and His church.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 18, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:22 min.
00:05:22 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Pride And Power In Motion
When we leave our pride unchecked, we will inevitably fall into sin.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
We can see sin’s spiraling effect building because David goes from having innocently seen Bathsheba, to dreaming about her so much so that he calls his servants to find out about her identity.
How about you? Has a run in with an old classmate lingered on in your mind too long, so that you begin checking their social media, see if they are married, single, or divorced. Do you wonder what your life might be like if you would have ended up with him—how much nicer, happier, you would be. Do you even begin to think, “What harm could one dinner do? I just want to catch up with her, see how he is doing? Nothing wrong with that, right?”
James 1:14 “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire, when it is conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when fully grown brings forth death.”
Isn’t that what we are watching David do.
This is like watching a movie you have seen several times. You know how it ends, but you still find yourself saying, “Don’t open that door! Don’t go in that room!”
And after having read the story, knowing what is going on, and upon the re-reading, we are shouting, “Don’t do it, David! Stop! Turn back! Run!
Once David realizes who her husband is, and where her husband is, the spiral of sin continues downward. David devises a plan to have what he wants.
James 3:16 For where…selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
This is David’s pride and power in motion, willing, or perhaps refusing to see how his actions will bring destruction upon those around him.
So learn from David about your own humanity, and run to solution that God has made known to us, and that is the true King of Israel, King Jesus.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 17, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:02:45 min.
00:02:45 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
Take Heed Of Sin’s Spiraling Effect
It is not sin to be tempted, but to indulge in that temptation and act upon it is sin.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Take heed of sin’s spiraling effect
We receive a taste of the spiraling effect of David’s sinfulness in verses 3-4—“And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, ‘Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah?’ So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her.”
David inquired, David sent, David took, David lay.”
Proverbs 26:27 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”
Where does the shovel meet the dirt, on its way to digging a pit; and where does the stone begin to roll in this story?
An innocent look
The shovel meets the dirt in our story with a little further back than we might think. The stone started rolling when David’s sexual desires went unchecked and his neglect of God’s word went unaccounted for, when he started multiplying wives back in his younger years. Whether it was for political strategy or alliances, or whether it was out of lust, it was wrong. The God of Israel had made it explicit in His word that the king of Israel should not multiply wives. And yet David, driven by the flesh and not by the Spirit, fed that desire.
It may have been something David wrestled with, we don’t know. But we do see that desire manifest again. David is most likely out of place at the beginning of chapter 11. The text tells us that kings are at war with their men during this time, but David was at home, which set the stage for the opportunity to sin.
Please don’t take this to mean that if David were with his men, then he wouldn’t have had temptation to sin. It is not as if when we are walking in the Spirit, living within the God’s will for our days that we will not face temptation. That is not what I am saying, that is not what the text is saying. But it is evident that there was a weakening, a lethargy of spiritual zeal, so to speak, so that when the temptation came David was weak, and did not fight it.
And the downward spiral of sin was set in motion by an innocent look. It was not sinful that David saw this woman. Being tempted is not sinful. It is what you do with that temptation that determines if you are indulging the flesh or not. I once heard it said that you cannot keep a bird from flying over you, but you sure can keep it from building a nest on your head. It was not the seeing that was sinful; it was the refusal to look away, it was the lingering gazes, that was building its nest.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 16, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:03:44 min.
00:03:44 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
What Is The Death Dagger?
Belief in Christ is the only tool which can put to death the temptations of the flesh.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
1 Peter 5:2-3 is the warning to me—“Shepherd the flock of God that is among you…not for shameful gain, but eagerly, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock…humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he might exalt you…”
Colossians 3:19 is the warning to husbands—“Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” And then in Ephesians it says to husbands to sacrifice on behalf of your wife, as Christ loved and sacrificed himself for the church. Don’t minimize your wife, and her role, her thoughts, her emotions, her life. Don’t disregard her.
Parents, do not provoke your children to anger. Do not exasperate them by dominating them.
Bosses, stop threatening your workers, knowing that he who is in heaven is both their master and yours, and that there is no partiality with him.
There are some here who are drunk on power you think is yours. You will not hear my words. You will not relinquish your hold on your sin. But there are others of you, who are in the midst of this scenario, upon whom the Holy Spirit has been tenderizing your heart. You know it’s wrong, sinful. You know you are hurting those around you. You know you think your power is a cloak that can cover up your hurtful ways. But the LORD has been dealing with you. He has been merciful and gracious to do so.
We all have hearts bent towards lording it over people when we can. It’s a glitch in our system due to the fall of man into sin. Eve wanted as much power as God. Adam wanted as much power as God, and now we crave it too. But how do we change? We can’t just stop it. The virus runs to the core of who we are.
Jesus came to not only serve, but to give His life as a ransom, as a payment, for many people. And as we watch the gospel unfold, we learn that Jesus not only trades His life for ours, takes our sin and give us His righteousness, but part of the payment is that the Holy Spirit comes to live among His people, in His people. And this tendency to exert power and authority unjustly is that old flesh trying to raise its head again in your life. And you have to put him down. How? What is the death dagger? It is belief. Believing that Christ reigns over the flesh, has put the old man to death through Jesus’ resurrection. I have to believe that, and turn my eyes to Christ, bow the knee and walk according to His word.
Jesus said he came to give his life as a ransom for many? But who are those people? Those people are the ones who recognize the virus of sin in their lives, and the destruction it causes, and run to Christ! Are you that person this morning? Is that you, who is just now realizing the danger of your own sin and that it displeases, angers the God of all creation, from whom you cannot hide, and who will not be minimized in one aspect of His being? Then run to the cross! See Christ crucified for you, to be your ransom payment for your sin and death. Cling to Him with every fiber of your being and every part of your heart! There is no other gift or offering or sacrifice made that will atone for your sin than Christ!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 15, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:05:03 min.
00:05:03 min.
Day By Day Expressions
Day By Day Expressions
Believers should seek God’s approval rather than comparing our accomplishments to those of others.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 14, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:10:26 min.
00:10:26 min.
Day by Day - 2 Samuel
The Bend In Our Hearts
Every person’s heart is bent toward misusing whatever authority is granted to them.
#daybydaylw
Interested in learning more about becoming a devoted follower of Christ? Go to follow.lifeword.org!
~~~
Some of you may be sitting here today thinking, “I am glad I am not the king and have to deal with all this power trip stuff.” Or you may be thinking, “My boss sure needs to hear this.”
No, that is not right. You need to hear this and I need to hear this. Every person present must take heed lest he or she fall. You see, the reality is that all of our hearts our bent towards abusing and misusing whatever power and authority we have, or that we perceive to have or that we want to have. We all can minimize people down to tools or objects. We can all be fooled into thinking that we are safe in our sin because of our power. But you will not be. You will be found out.
By: Clif Johnson
(Lifeword)
(Lifeword)
Aired on
Oct 11, 2024
Show
Day by Day
Duration
00:01:45 min.
00:01:45 min.
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