When Satan Stands Up
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I want to label the message this morning, When Satan stands up.
There is a word that most of us don’t use in our world today. That word is Serendipity. it is one of the most difficult words to describe. What exactly is a serendipity? I have never used the word so I really wanted to know. It is fortunate accident, a pleasant suprise. The term was coined in the 18th century by a man named Horace Worpol. in 1754 he wrote to a friend named Horace Mann explaining the reason why he made the word up.
He had read a book entitled the three princes of serendip. The story was about the heroes who along their journey continued to find things they were not looking for....
Reading this Horace Worpol began using the word serendipity and it stuck and has even made it throughout many centuries as a word that is a part of the English language. What we have in is a Biblical serendipity. The story in this chapter is parallelled in 2 Samuel chapter 24 but the stories are slightly different.
the story is told of how the people of Israel suffered because of the sin of one of their kings. But the story in is different because in this story the writer tells the story to teach us how David “found” the land upon which the Temple of God would be built.
Davids heart was not satisfied with the presence of God dwelling inside of a tabernacle, a tabernacle was basically an elaborate tent. David wasnt satisfied with God living in a modified tent. He felt God deserved a building in which to meet with His people. God agreed but wouldnt allow David to build that house because David was a man of war with bloody hands.
But God did allow David at the end of this book to raise the offering that would fund the building of the house of God but here in chapter 21 the writer tells us that David is also the one who chose the land upon which the house of God would be built. It was a biblical serendipity. It was a pleasant surprise.
David went down the wrong path and ended up at the right destination, this is a picture of God’s soverign hand at work. Only god can do that. This chapter tells us about a great sin of David, this sin brought consequences, it brought consequences for Israel. Pestilence hit the land and 77thousand men were killed and the angel of the Lord hovered over Jerusalem preparing to kill even more people of Israel but God relented and showed mercy.
He told David that the judgment would stop if David would offer Him a sacrifice. David went to the house of Ornan and asked for a man named Ornans land to use his threshing floor to make an offering of sacrifice to God. Ornan said David you da king so whatever is mine is yours, David said NO you gotta make me pay a price for the threshing floor.
Because I cant offer to the Lord something that did not cost me anything.
David made the sacrifice and God stopped the judgment. The Angle of the Lord left. But David who was a worshipful man did not go to the tabernacle to make anymore sacrifices he got there because he went down the wrong path but somehow the wrong path lead him to the right destination.
He was there at Ornans threshing floor David says
1 Chronicles
Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”
David went the wrong way and landed at the right place. Choosing this land as the place where the Temple of God and the alter of God would be built, it would be in that Temple centuries later that one of Davids descendant which the Bible calls Davids son would be drug in chains to be tried by religious authorities.
They would condemn Him to death, and then drag Him to the outskirts of the city and let Roman soldiers NAIL Him to the cross and in the process all God was doing was setting up a greater alter so that you and I could find free forgiveness and conversion and eternal life. This is a Biblical serendi[ity David went the wrong way and ended up at the right place.
How did this happen?
The story begins at the beginning of chapter 21
David is an old wise and seasoned king but here David would make one of the biggest mistakes of his life and reign as king. David is known for his sin with Bathsheba but I tell you that this sin was even greater than his sin with her and his murder of her husband Uriah.
In his youthfulness he became tempted by the lusts of his flesh and sinned with Bathsheba, but now as an old wise experienced Godly man, He made his greatest mistake when he numbered the people of Israel.
This is a warning church, children are often foolish, but so are adults. young people can fall to the world the flesh and the devil but so can older people. Immature people make mistakes but even the most mature person in this room is stll capable of making big mistakes. Here David now an old and wise and Godly man, made the greatest mistake of his life.
The passage begins by telling us in
Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
Satan was behind this, this was one of the three direct references of the OT to an appearance of Satan he doesnt show up much in the OT he shows up in and 2 where he goes before God asking for permission to afflict Job. He shows up in Zecheriah 3:1-2 before the HEavenly court he accuses before God the High priest whose name was Joshua and now the text says
SATAN STOOD UP AGAINST ISRAEL AND INCITED DAVID TO NUMBER ISRAEL
The other scripture I mentioned at the beginning tells us that God’s anger was stirred up against Israel and God put it in Davids heart to number Israel. This is the mystery of Gods total control.
tells us in verse 13 that God never tempts any man. But in Jesus teaches us to pray and lead us not into temptation. This is the mystery of the exhaustive soverignty of God. God is not the source of evil but God is so in control, that He can use a bad thing to produce a good result.
Here we see a mystery of God in His soverignty permitting Satan to do evil, and David sins and is held responsible for his own actions. Satan stood against Israel.
I was just kind of shocked by this when I first read it. Doesnt that kind of blow you away. Satan stood … can you imagine that?
Satan standin up.
The idea here is both bad news and good news, the good news here is that the text suggests that Satan cannot do what He desires if God doesnt permit him to stand up. We say the devil is busy but maybe he aint as busy as we think he is. Have you ever thought about the fact that the world could be so much worse than it is right now. IF the devil really had his way, but we have been protected from somethings that the devil wanted to do because God literally looked over at him and said you better sit your hind end down devil...
God makes the devil SIT DOWN
Thats the good news, but heres the bad news. There are times when God allows Satan to stand up; I dont know about you but it seems to me he can do enough trouble sitting down. ...
But what is it like when Satan stands up?
He concentrates all of his attention and forces against the people of God. This is what we find in the text, when did Satan stand up against Israel and David?
The first word of verse 21 is this: THEN
When?
This ties chapter 21 to chapters 18-20, where there is one battle after another that David faces but God gives him victory in every one. In fact at the end of chapter 20 there is a battle against the age old enemy of Israel the Philistines who are being lead by the brother and relatives of the Giant Goliath.
Thats why you better not celebrate too much after a victory. Because as soon as you get through fighting one battle another one is on the way. Don’t get too comfortable when you have slain a Giant in your life, because that Giant.... you may kill him but he may got brothers that you dont know about, that you’ll meet again.
One battle rose after another against David… Have you ever felt like this?
You win one battle but then as soon as its over another struggle has showed up in its place.
One battle after another came after David but David had victory over them all. When NO MAN COULD STAND IN DAVIDS WAY, VERSE 1 SAYS THEN SATAN STOOD UP…
When we count on man it displeases God but theres a second consequence God struck them. I am getting to the end of this.
When we lean on our own understanding we fall to our own foolishness. I mean what is so wrong with numbering the people of Israel?
it seems wise doesnt it? count them all find out how many people you have in order that you can tax them or ask them to contribute to the building of a new Temple? Find out how many men you have to fight battles when they arise? it sounds wise there was just one problem, God explicitly told David NOT to do it, he sent a man named Joab to come and tell David not to do it and he did ti anyway.
You know sometimes God will send a friend, sometimes God will send a preacher, a sunday school teacher, heck he even sent a donkey to talk to someone. God will send people into the lives of his people to tell them what needs to happen.
But you know whats funny, were often looking for worldly wisdom rather than listening to those whom God may have appointed to tell us exactly what we need to do.
As a result of his disobedience God sent pestilence on the land, and 77 thousand fell dead. David sins because he starts counting on his people, God sends pestilence and in the blink of an eye, he takes out more than 77 thousand at one time, as a warning about counting on man, because while you adding up God knows how to subtract.....
We cannot rely on the things that make us comfortable, because God will take those things away to let you know that you aint as big and bad as you think you are. God wasnt done, the Bible says
And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
God says you counting on man, I am gonna take man out and see what you do then, but right before the angel of the Lord wiped out Jerusalem the city of David, the Lord saw....
SAW WHAT?
Im glad you asked the Bible doesnt tell us, I have a guess though, I cant prove it, but you cant disprove it either. I think God saw David. The same one that provoked God’s anger, Provoked God’s mercy.
David was a man after God’s own heart that dont mean David was perfect at all. It just means he had a Godly heart, there would be times whe David would mess up, but what made David a mans after God’s own heart is that when David messed up he didnt do like we do, he didnt hide and cover and pretend and where a mask, and put on a show, and play it off.
And be a hypocrite in front of people displaying ourself to be something on the outside that we know we really aint on the inside. You dont get free from guilt by running from God, the only way you get free from guilt is by running to God.
This is what David did look at verse 8
And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
Listened to what David says:
David says when God got mad, he didnt blame nobody he didnt point the finger he said Lord look it was me, I did it I was a fool and Lord IM JUST ASKING THAT YOU HAVE MERCY. God sent Gad a prophet to see him. Gad came from the Lord with a message. Theres no message like this in all of the Bible.
God never does this anywhere else in scripture. God sends the prophet to David and says God is gone punish you for what you did,and he sent me to tell you, that he is gone let you choose your own punishment.
He says you got three choices:
either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
3 years of famine, 3 months of your enemies prevailing over you with their swords or 3 days of the sword of the Lord.
tell me which one you want so I can go back and report to the one who sent me.
Wow non of those sound good.
But now David has learned how to count right, he done learned how to count now, because David never picks one of the three options. Listen I got three options, but he says I am gone put the three choices in 2 categories.
3 choices but 2 categories
I can fall in the hands of man, or I can fall in the hands of God...
Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
He says I and in a tight spot all three of these sound bad but let me just change the category, go back and tell the Lord WHATEVER HE IS GONNA DO DONT LET ME FALL INTO THE HANDS OF MEN. LET ME FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE LORD, WHY?
BECAUSE IN THE LORDS HANDS HE SAYS THERES NOT JUST MERCY THERES GREAT MERCY!!!
Anybody know what I am talking about this morning?
If you fall into the hands of man they will never let you outlive what you did wrong, BUT IM HERE TO TELL YOU IN THE HANDS OF THE LORD THERE IS MERCY!!!!
When I was a kid I would much rather be whipped by my mom, than by my dad. Some of yall young people acting like you dont know what Im talkin bout. When we were kids we got whipped… We didnt even get spanked I dont even remember ever getting a spanking I got whipped.
I know today in the mentally weak and psycholigical age we dont like to talk about spanking children and that cute and all but I’m gone tell you some kids just need to be spanked. Thats Biblical whether you agree or like it I dont really care. A FATHER DISCIPLINES THE ONES HE LOVES!!
I believe discipline when done the right way is the answer to alot of issues we have today. When done in love and not in anger.... When viewed through the lense of the gospel but thats a different sermon.
My kids they would much rather be spanked by me I think than Mamma. Mamma dont play, Daddy on the other hand is a little too soft sometimes.
Yesterday afternoon my son Gage was using his imagination beating up bad guys in the backyard. Which did my heart good thats what boys are supposed to do, and there was his sister right there with him. I told him not to swing the stick he had in his hand, but being a boy he waited until I wasnt looking and did it anyway.
I walked inside it couldnt have been for 60 seconds and I heard a loud scream, Gage had picked up a pipe instead of the stick. You see when boys get told No often times they dont listen they simply upgrade their weaponry.
So Gage had picked up this pipe and began to lay the law down on this imaginary bad guy, and little Noah had slipped out the back door behind me, and ran up to see what was going on boom Noah got hit, his head was bleeding I ran out and grabbed him got him into to see Amy who is a RN and she began trying to see the wound.
HE went to the ER and thank the Lord they used some super glue and fixed him right up. I praise the Lord he is ok. After Amy had left to take Noah to the Er I went looking for Gage, He knew he had messed up.
I walked in stressed out and upset, but when I saw him crying it brought out the merciful side of me. He wasnt crying because he was in trouble he was crying because I told him not to do swing objects because someone could get hurt and now it had happened.
I got down on one knee and asked if he was worried about Noah. Gage said yes and then asked if we could pray for him. I said yes and he said Daddy am I gonna get a spanking, and I said no son, he said but I did something wrong I hurt Noah because I didn’t listen…
I said Gage you deserve a spanking but I am going to give you mercy, because I know in your heart you didnt mean to do this.
I gave him mercy because he admitted what he did and was truly heartfelt sorry for it. Thats what is happening in the text this morning, David messed up he relied on something other than the Lord and the Lord sent consequences, but when given the choice he would much rather fall into the hands of his loving Father than into the hands of his enemies.
BECAUSE HE KNEW HIS FATHER WAS MERCIFUL!!
That is the Heavenly Father we serve, we can be relying to much to our creature comforts and judgment can be falling but if you CRY OUT WITH A SINCERE HEART GOD CAN AND WILL SEND MERCY WALKING YOUR WAY!!!
WHAT ARE YOU RELYING ON?
DAVID RELIED TO MUCH ON HIS PEOPLE
WE RELY TO MUCH ON THIS BUILDING
PARENTS RELY TO MUCH ON PROGRAMS TO TEACH THEIR KIDS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE GETTING TAUGHT AT HOME
WORKERS RELY TOO MUCH ON THAT JOB THAT THEY COMPROMISE THEIR FAITH IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR JOB
HUSBANDS RELYING TOO MUCH ON THEIR WIVES
WIVES RELYING TO MUCH ON THEIR HUSBANDS
LISTEN TO ME CHURCH
WHERE DOES MY HELP COME FROM? MY HELP COMES FROM THE LORD THE MAKER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH!
DAVID ADMITTED AND CONFESSED HIS WRONGDOING AND GOD TOOK AWAY THE PUNISHMENT THAT WAS COMING.
(practical)
(GODS WRATH)
I’m telling you God has allowed Satan to stand up against some of you in this room this morning, and the message is simple RUN TO JESUS, RUN TO JESUS, RUN TO JESUS, GODS MERCY IS READY TO BE POURED OUT,
But you have to admit you were wrong, you have to confess
and if you confess your sins he is faithful and just to forgives us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Will you listen to me?
Will you listen to the one God has sent to you to tell you, there is a better way to life than the way were living?
Will you cry out in repentance this morning?
FROM YOUR HEART?
Come fall into the arms of Jesus.