REBOUND
Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be
sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to
learn Truth from the Word of God.
"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth,"
(John 4:24)
REBOUND AND KEEP MOVING
Illustration
Winning a basketball game requires players to shoot and to REBOUND the
ball. When the ball leaves the hand of a shooter, arches gracefully toward the
basket, drops inside the rim of the hoop, and rips through the net, he scores.
But when his shot misses, the ball must be rebounded. Rebounding recovers
the loose ball as it ricochets off the rim or backboard. Rebounding restores the
opportunity to shoot, to score, and ultimately, to win. In the Spiritual life every
Christian misses shots or sins. But like basketball, the contest of the Christian
life does not end when a believer sins. God graciously provides the way to
rebound from sin, to restore the filling of the Holy Spirit, to recover fellowship
with God, and to keep moving in the Spiritual life. Rebound offers the believer
an infinite number of chances to win and keep winning in the Christian life.
WHAT ABOUT SIN?
If every shot in basketball went through the hoop and scored, rebounding
would not be necessary. But no player is perfect. If Christians never sinned the
rebound technique would not be necessary. But no Christian is perfect. We all
sin.
If we [Believers] say that we have no sin, (Sin nature) we are deceiving
ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. (1Jn 1:8)
If we say that we have not sinned, (When we have) we make Him a liar,
and His Word is not in us. (1Jn 1:10)
Sin is disobedience to the will of God, any mental, verbal, or overt activity
contrary to the perfect character and standards of God. Yet why do believers
continue to sin after salvation?
The volition of Adam is the culprit. God created the first man perfect,
without sin. But Adam’s decision in the Garden to disobey God by eating the
forbidden fruit, (Gen 3:6-8) alienated the entire human race from God.
(Gen 3:2-3; cf., Rom 5:12; (1Co 15:22) The resulting Spiritual death of Adam
was passed to all men. Sinful, imperfect mankind can have no relationship with
perfect God.
The omniscience of God knew the free will of Adam would choose to sin.
Therefore, even before God created man, He conceived the plan for renewing
our relationship with Him. He would send His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the
cross. As our perfect substitute, Jesus paid the penalty for every human sin —
past, present, and future (Rom 5:8; (2Co 5:14-19; (1Pe 2:24; (1Jn 2:2). This
matchless plan or policy toward mankind is called grace.
WHAT ABOUT GRACE?
God’s solution for sin is established by His grace. Grace is all that God is
free to do for each of us on the basis of the saving work of Jesus Christ on the
cross. We do not earn or deserve grace; we can do nothing to merit the favor
and blessing of God. He has done everything for us!
GRACE FOR BELIEVER AND UNBELIEVER
Sin separates the unbeliever from God. Since Jesus Christ resolved the sin
problem on the cross, just one issue confronts the unbeliever: What do you
think about Christ? The issue is resolved by one simple act of faith.
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
For by grace you have been saved through faith; [Believing in Christ] and
that not of yourselves, --- (Salvation) --- it is the gift of God; not as a result of
works, that no one should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)
When you believe in Jesus Christ, a non-meritorious act, God the Holy
Spirit instantly enters you into a personal and eternal relationship with God the
Father. You are saved by grace. Even though you are still a flawed human
being, you have been declared righteous at the moment of salvation when you
are given the righteousness of God. (Rom 4:3-5; (2Co 5:21) No matter how
many sins you commit in your Christian life, your eternal relationship can never
be broken because the immutable promise of God guarantees your
transgressions will not be remembered.
“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own
sake; and I will not remember your sins.” (Isa 43:25)
Immediately after salvation, logistical grace extends from the justice of
God to His righteousness present in you. In military life, logistics, the supplying
of troops and equipment, play a vital role. But in the Christian life logistics play
an even more dramatic and pivotal role. You are alive today because of the
logistical grace God supplies to your every need, and as a part of your
logistical grace the rebound technique cleanses your life of personal sins,
freeing you to advance Spiritually.
WHY REBOUND?
If all sins were blotted out at the cross, why is sin still an issue? If all sins
are already forgiven, why must you rebound? The penalty for sin, (The Lake of
Fire) is removed once and for all at the cross, but repercussions of personal sin
in the life of a believer must be confronted. When a believer sins the initial
repercussions are loss of fellowship with God and loss of the filling of the Holy
Spirit, the empowerment for the Christian life.
No member of the Trinity can fellowship with a believer having sin in his life.
Sin destroys our temporal fellowship with the Lord. Rebound, confessing or
naming our known sins to God the Father, is the only means compatible with
grace for restoration of fellowship with God and recovery of the filling of the
Holy Spirit. Rebound is our access to intimacy with the Lord, the gateway to
Divine power in our life, our license to serve the Lord.
THE REBEL WITHIN
Illustration
For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what
I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. (Rom 7:15)
So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin [The sin nature] which
indwells me. (Rom 7:17)
During our lifetime as Christians we will always be plagued with the sin
nature inherited from Adam. After we sin we may experience feelings of
remorse or guilt; then, we may try to attain forgiveness from God by performing
acts of penance or self- punishment. Why? We feel guilty because we make
decisions to “do the very things we hate.” We punish ourselves to purge the
guilt. We wrongly reason, When I feel forgiven, then I am forgiven.
Such human attempts to gain forgiveness can lead only to confusion, a
guilt-ridden conscience, and Spiritual impotence. No one can merit forgiveness
from God. Understanding the relationship between the sin nature and sin is
necessary to avoid a guilt complex once we become involved in sin.
When Adam chose to disobey God he died Spiritually and was cursed with
a sin nature. This sin nature, subsequently inherited by every human being,
resulted in Spiritual death separation from God in time and eternity and the
sovereignty of the sin nature over human life. (Rom 6:12) The sin nature itself is
passed down genetically through procreation and resides in the cell structure of
the human body (Rom 6:6; Rom 7:14-18).
Invisibly lurking in our genetic makeup, Satan through the sin nature
continually tempts the soul to rebel against God. But the sin nature cannot
make us sin. (The devil did not MAKE us do it!) Temptation is not sin. The sin
nature is only the source of temptation, our volition is the source of personal sin.
Only when we choose to succumb to this inner tempter do we sin. Our choice
makes us responsible for all our sins.
With the exception of Jesus Christ, every person born into the human race
possesses a sin nature, (1Pe 2:22; cf., Rom 3:23). Salvation does not
eradicate this inherent corrupter of mankind, but does give us access to the
only way to resolve the repercussions of sin in our lives. No believer will ever be
sinless in this life; but we can and must sin-less! (1Pe 4:1-3)
UNDERSTANDING THE SIN NATURE
To recognize the sin in our lives we must understand how the sin nature
seeks to influence and gain control of our souls. The sin nature is composed of
an area of weakness, an area of strength, trends toward legalism and
lawlessness, and lust patterns. Within the sin nature the area of weakness is
the source of temptation for personal sin; the area of strength is the source of
human morality.
THE AREA OF WEAKNESS tempts us to commit personal sins in three
categories. The first is mental attitude sins, including pride, envy, jealousy,
bitterness, hatred, vindictiveness, implacability, guilt feelings, fear, worry,
anxiety, self-pity, (Prov 8:13; Isa 41:10; Php 4:6; (1Jn 2:11) Mental attitude
sins are the most destructive to the Spiritual life. They can quickly initiate a
cluster of sins which develop into “chain-sinning.”
Sins of the tongue form the second category of personal sins. These sins
develop from mental attitude sins and include maligning, judging, bullying,
gossiping, criticizing, lying. James warns us about the devastation wrought by
this category of sin.
So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great
things. Behold, how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the
tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members
as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and
is set on fire by hell. (Jas 3:5-6)
The third category of personal sin is overt sin. Some overt sins declared in
the Bible are murder, adultery, drunkenness, drug abuse and stealing.
Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity,
sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like
these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who
practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)
Misinformed people insist certain taboos are also overt sins. A taboo is a
prohibition arbitrarily imposed by a religious or social group. But taboos are not
the basis for assessing sin. While some may not condone certain taboos, the
Bible does not condemn them as sin. Believers must stay with what the Bible
teaches.
THE AREA OF STRENGTH becomes operational only after the believer
chooses to sin and comes under the control of the sin nature. From the area of
strength the sin nature produces deeds of human morality and or “dead works.”
(Heb 6:1) These "good deeds" can be performed by believers or unbelievers.
The results may be the same in human terms. Human works, including
philanthropy, charity, and altruism, can be beneficial to mankind. But for the
believer, unless the motivation is from the filling of God the Holy Spirit and God’
s Thinking and motivation, there is no Spiritual value to deeds of human
morality. Scripture distinguishes between good works with Spiritual and eternal
value and good works with only temporal value.
Now if any man [Believer] builds upon the foundation [Jesus Christ] with
gold, silver, precious stones, [Divine Thinking and the Holy Spirit’s Power]
wood, hay, straw, [Human thinking and power] each man’s work will become
evident; for the day will show it, [At the Judgment Seat of Christ] because it is
to be revealed with fire; (God’s Word; Jer 23:29) and the fire itself will test the
quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work [Divine Thinking and the Holy
Spirit’s Power] which he has built upon it remains, he shall receive a reward. If
any man’s work [Human thoughts and power] is burned up, he shall suffer loss;
[Of rewards] but he himself shall be saved, [delivered from the lake of fire] yet
so as through fire. (Divine judgment) (1Co 3:12-15)
In our limited perspective all good works may appear the same. But God
differentiates those done by the power of the sin nature from those done by His
Power. The thoughts and deeds of an unbeliever and or carnal believer —
wood, hay, and straw — have no Spiritual value, and are not reward-able in
heaven. (1Co 3:19-20; cf., Psa 94:11)
All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. (Isa 64:6)
Good deeds do frequently fall short of their intended results and
sometimes contribute to evil. The sinful nature of humanity corrupts good
intentions. Acts of human power are never permanent solutions for our
problems. (Zec 4:6) In this imperfect world only acts of Divine Power, produced
in the power of God the Holy Spirit, provide permanent solutions and affect
Spiritual momentum. The Divine solution is the only solution; the human solution
is no solution!
THE SIN NATURE HAS TWO TRENDS. One is toward legalism — a futile
attempt to earn salvation, Spirituality, or the approbation of God through
morality or "good works." The other trend is toward lawlessness — self-
gratification leading to licentiousness. We all have a trend in one direction or the
other. When we are under the control of the sin nature we generally move in the
direction of our habitual trend. Less frequently we move in the opposite
direction. For example, one person may develop an area of legalism, though his
general trend might be toward lasciviousness. On the other hand, a person who
trends toward self-righteousness might suddenly develop an area of
licentiousness.
THE LUST PATTERN is another characteristic of the sin nature. Lust is an
illicit or perhaps insatiable desire, the motivation toward either trend. Lusts
include approbation lust, (The desire for recognition or approval) power lust,
sexual lust, social lust, monetary lust, materialism lust, inordinate ambition
resulting in inordinate competition, revenge lust, criminal lust, chemical lust,
crusader lust, pleasure lust. (Jas 3:14-15) Satisfying the desires of lust does
not bring the lasting happiness which is bestowed only by God. When we are
controlled by the lust pattern of the sin nature, we become slaves to our
desires, (Rom 7:14) divorced from reality.
Never judge a person because their weaknesses are not your
weaknesses. (Matt 7:1-5) Even growing Christians can be desperately sinful at
times. You may be strong where they are weak. An indispensable principle for
relationships with other believers is to allow them to live their own life as unto
the Lord. Everyone must handle their own sins in privacy before the Lord.
THE STANDARD OF GOD IS ABSOLUTE
Once we believe in Jesus Christ, salvation can never be forfeited. Our
eternal security is based on the payment by Christ for every sin committed
before and after salvation.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, (Satan and the
demons) nor principalities, (Demon and or human rulers) nor things present, nor
things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,
shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our
Lord. (Rom 8:38-39)
The moment we believe, the Holy Spirit places us into union with Christ, the
irrevocable state of eternal relationship. The Scripture designates this union
with Christ by the phrase “in Christ.”
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.
(1Co 15:22)
Because God did everything to secure this union, we can do nothing to
abolish our position in Christ. We cannot be removed from the ‘top circle’ of
eternal relationship.
“And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one
shall snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:28)
We are held by the hand of God who never lets go. We are not held by our
own morality, obedience, good works, or religious observances. Our salvation
never depends on us. Salvation is by grace, freely given by God, never earned
or deserved.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, --- (Salvation) --- it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that
no one should boast. (Eph 2:8-9)
Since we can do nothing to earn our salvation, we can do nothing to lose
our salvation. Just as salvation is given by the grace of God, our eternal life is
also preserved by His grace. God always preserves what He has given.
To obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not
fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of
God. (1Pe 1:4-5)
No believer can be plucked from the omnipotent hand of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
TEMPORAL FELLOWSHIP — THE BOTTOM CIRCLE
When we believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, we enter not only the top
circle, an eternal relationship with God, but we also enter the bottom circle,
fellowship with God in time. Fellowship with God provides the means to live the
Christian life and grow Spiritually. Unlike the top circle, the believer by his own
volition can remove himself from the bottom circle. (Jer 17:13)
Inside the bottom circle represents Spirituality; outside represents
carnality. Spirituality is the absolute status of being in friendship with God,
under the control of God the Holy Spirit. Carnality is the absolute status of
being out of fellowship, under the control of the sin nature. We cannot be
partially Spiritual and partially carnal. They are mutually exclusive.
Every time we decide to sin we move out of the bottom circle losing
temporal fellowship. We become carnal when we sin; we become Spiritual
when we rebound. By acknowledging our sins to God the Father we return to
the bottom circle. As in basketball we recover the ability to score and to win by
rebounding. (Prov 28:13)
DOES CARNALITY SHOCK YOU?
(1Co 3:1-3) confirms the existence of carnality among believers.
Remember, the most wonderful people in the world are Christians, but some
Christians can be despicable. How can this be? Carnality is the problem.
When a Christian consistently remains under the control of the Holy Spirit,
growing to Spiritual maturity, he exhibits the fruit of God the Holy Spirit.
But the fruit OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things
there is no law. (Gal 5:22-23)
However, the Christian who habitually remains under the control of the sin
nature, in carnality, commits destructive mental, verbal, and overt sins. If you do
not acknowledge the existence of carnality among Christians, you will never
understand the necessity for confession of sin. You will resemble the Corinthian
believers who were unable to make Spiritual progress.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to Spiritual men, [Filled with the
Spirit --- in fellowship] but as to men of flesh; [Carnal --- out of fellowship] as to
babes, [Nepios] in Christ. (1Co 3:1)
These Corinthians are believers. “Brethren” refers to anyone who accepts
Jesus Christ as Savior and is born into the family of God. (John 1:12) Although
Paul reprimands them for their carnality, he declares their position “in Christ.”
Since these believers are not Spiritual, Paul is unable to speak to or teach
them. If they had been filled with the Spirit they would have been able to learn
and grow from the Truth Paul taught. Unfortunately, they are not Spiritual and
consequently could not advance beyond the very basic Doctrines they had
learned. They are “men of flesh,” carnal Christians out of fellowship with God
--- with a stagnant Spiritual life. Though these Corinthians are saved they are
carnal and wreaking havoc in the church.
If you have ever observed a carnal believer and asked, how can he be a
Christian? You have based your judgment on superficial appearances.
“For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (Full of God’s Thinking)
(1Sa 16:7)
Overt behavior is not the issue in Salvation and or the Spiritual life. The
only issue in salvation is faith alone in CHRIST ALONE! (Eph 2:8-9) As you
mature, by faith alone in His WORD ALONE! You will discover the Bible does
make a distinction between carnality and Spirituality.
Paul virtually insults the Corinthians by calling them “babes.” The Greek
noun nepios does not refer here to a newborn, but is used insultingly as a sign
of contempt for the ignorant or untrained believer. Paul reminds them they are
ignorant of the Christian life because their growth is stunted by carnality.
Rebound is the first Doctrine a new believer must learn to progress
Spiritually. Shortly after salvation a new believer will sin and lose fellowship with
God. Unless the filling of the Holy Spirit is recovered he will not advance in the
Christian life. (Prov 28:13) Truth cannot be learned or applied in his life. Such
was the situation in Corinth.
I gave you milk [Basic Truth] to drink, not solid food; [Advanced Truth] for
you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able.
(1Co 3:2)
Like Paul the responsibility of the pastor-teacher is to provide Spiritual
nourishment. But Paul could only give them “milk,” basic Truth, instead of the
solid food of advanced Truth. Carnality impaired their ability to learn and apply
even the most basic Doctrines of the Word of God.
IS YOUR LIST COMPLETE?
For you are still fleshly. [Carnal] For since there is jealousy and strife
among you, are you not fleshly and are you not walking like mere men?
[Imitating unbelievers] (1Co 3:3)
Some Christians conveniently focus on a few overt sins and ignore myriads
of mental and verbal sins. Their list of sins is superficial and incomplete. Any sin
expels the believer from the bottom circle. Sin is sin and all sin results in
carnality.
The carnality of the Corinthian believers began with the mental attitude sin
of jealousy. Vicious, rampant jealousy among these believers spawned the sin
of “strife.” This strife was inordinate competition and ambition motivated by un-
confessed jealousy.
For example, one person may aspire to approval and recognition in a local
church. When he hears praise for others, mental attitude sins of envy and
competitiveness are aroused. To satisfy his desire for approbation he must
divert attention to himself. With a malicious innuendo he maligns the character
of his rival. The rival reacts. The situation deteriorates as the two fall into sins
of the tongue, maligning and gossiping about each other. Unless quelled through
rebound and Spiritual growth, strife becomes divisive in the church.
“Walking like mere men” refers to the motivation of unbelievers. Carnal
believers are indistinguishable from unbelievers because both are controlled by
the sin nature. Carnal Christians continue to degenerate because they fail to
rebound. Believers are capable of committing any sin and can even remain in
carnality for an indefinite period.
However, there is no excuse for any Christian to remain in a state of
carnality. This is why we must understand rebound before we can maintain
Spirituality. No one can be Spiritual unless they rebound. (Prov 1:23)
You may be a miserable and contemptible sinner. But you can recover
because of God’s gracious provision of rebound. God forgives even the most
extraordinarily wicked sinner. If you commit a heinous sin that shocks you,
remember this: If you are still alive, God still has a purpose for your life!
GOD’S LIST OF SINS
There are six things which the Lord hates, yes, seven which are an
abomination to Him. (Prov 6:16)
God detests every sin, but seven are of particular magnitude. Are you
ready for a surprise? Five of these seven sins are not overt! Of the seven sins
named on God’s list, two are mental attitude, three are verbal, and only two are
overt. Remember these verses when you are tempted to ignore mental and
verbal sins and focus on only overt sins.
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood.
(Prov 6:17)
“Haughty eyes” represent mental attitude arrogance, a presumption of
superiority, self-absorption, self-centeredness, and inordinate pride. Arrogance
is the first sin and the ROOT sin that leads to ALL other sins; in angelic and
human creation. (Isa 14:13-15) Christians who think of themselves as
supremely Spiritual are arrogant. They define their own false "moral" standards
and believe they live up to them. Because they avoid certain overt sins they
become convinced they are Spiritually superior. They are not! Arrogance
destroys fellowship with God, damages the soul, and alienates people.
The next sin, “a lying tongue” is an arrogant attempt to reshape the Truth
to escape responsibility or distort reality by deceiving others. Like all sins of the
tongue, lying is motivated by mental attitude sins such as arrogance, worry, or
fear.
“Hands that shed innocent blood” is murder. Christians can and do commit
homicide. The murderer weaves his way through a path of mental attitude sins,
including anger, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, revenge culminating in murder.
(Matt 5:17-22) A heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil.
Do you plot ways to retaliate against people who have hurt you? “A heart
that devises wicked plans” is the mental attitude sin of revenge. “Feet that run
rapidly to evil” describes those who follow the lusts of their sin nature into all
manner of evil. These carnal believers lack self-restraint or self-discipline,
delighting in treachery, deceit, and wrongdoing.
A false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife among
brothers. (Prov 6:19) “A false witness who utters lies” deliberately perjures
himself, in contrast to the person with a lying tongue. The false witness with
malicious intent engages in slander and defamation under oath.
Finally, “one who spreads strife among brothers” reminds us of the
divisions in Corinth, a situation common to many local churches today. One
group vies for power over another group by resorting to innuendo, gossip, and
lies to damage the reputations of their rivals.
These verses should dispel our shallow view of sin. Tragically we restrict
our understanding of sin to a few blatant overt sins or taboos. No such
restriction exists with God. Some of the worst repercussions accompany
mental attitude and verbal sins. To avoid carnality, chain-sinning, and Divine
discipline we must learn God’s provision for recovering the filling of the Holy
Spirit. (Isa 55:6-9)
TWO DISTINCT MINISTRIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
At the moment of salvation every believer is both indwelt and filled with the
Holy Spirit. These two ministries are not identical and should never be
confused. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a permanent relationship,
regardless of our carnality or Spirituality. The filling of the Holy Spirit is
temporary fellowship determined by our carnality or Spirituality.
Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God
indwells [Oikeo] you? (1Co 3:16)
In the indicative mood the Greek verb oikeo, to indwell, is a declaration of
fact, the certainty of the status of indwelling. The Holy Spirit indwells the body
of every believer to make a temple for the indwelling of Jesus Christ.
(1Co 6:19) This indwelling of the Holy Spirit can never be lost. The indwelling is
permanent — dependent upon God’s faithfulness; the filling is temporary —
dependent upon our volition.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled [Pleroo]
with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18)
In the imperative mood the Greek verb pleroo designates a Divine
mandate, a command that involves our choice. God would not mandate a status
we already possess. We must choose to be or not to be filled with God the
Holy Spirit.
Pleroo means “to fill up a deficiency, to fully influence, to possess, and to
fill with a certain quality.” No believer has the ability to obey God’s mandates
through human power. (Rom 7:14) The Holy Spirit fills up this deficiency by
giving us the power to live the Christian way of life. But why, if we are filled with
the Spirit at salvation, is this command necessary?
The reason is our old nemesis, the sin nature. The filling of the Spirit is lost
when we sin. In carnality we are no longer controlled by the Holy Spirit, but by
Satan and the sin nature. (2Ti 2:25-26) How can we escape this control?
REBOUND!
Rebound is for believers only. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as
Savior, confession is utterly useless. Judas Iscariot confessed his sins, felt
sorry for his sins, and even made restitution. (Matt 27:3-4) He did everything
except believe in Christ. His confession was futile. He was lost and died an
unbeliever.
As a believer you have no excuse for permitting sin to destroy your
Spiritual life. Rebound and keep moving!
If we confess [Homologeo — name] our sins, He is faithful and righteous to
forgive us [Cancel] our sins and to cleanse [Purify] us from all unrighteousness.
(1Jn 1:9) The word “if’ translates a third-class conditional clause in the Greek.
Fulfillment of this condition depends on your volition: Maybe you will rebound
and maybe you will not. Each of us must decide to exercise that option.
The Greek word homologeo, translated confess, means “to name, cite,
admit, acknowledge, confess a crime in court, to make a legal statement.” The
verb was used primarily in a judicial context, (1Jn 1:9) is no exception. The
word means simply to acknowledge or name your sins to God. Homologeo
does not mean to feel sorry for sins, to publicly renounce sins, or to suffer a
guilty conscience; there is no emotional meaning involved.
Before the Supreme Court of Heaven, how you feel about your sins is of
no consequence. No human works or emotion can be added to Christ’s
complete payment for sin on the cross. Though genuine feelings of remorse
may accompany confession they have no bearing on God’s forgiveness. You
need only name your sins to God. Confession that compels self-reproach or
penance is blasphemy and rejects the grace of God. Never insult God by
adding an emotional plea for forgiveness. (1Jn 1:9) does not say, If we ask or
beg for forgiveness. Just acknowledge you have sinned!
CONFESS TO GOD ALONE
There is no biblical requirement for ritual cleansing or repetitive liturgical
phrases to be made to a priest, a pastor, or any other member of the clergy. At
the moment of salvation you become a royal priest with the privilege of
representing yourself directly to God both in prayer and confession. (1Pe 2:5)
In confession your sins are your concern and not the business of anyone else
and should be named privately to God the Father. He alone can forgive them.
Open declarations of sin, besides being superfluous to rebound, may
induce mental attitude sins in others. Such harmful results occur in cases where
public admission of wrongdoing reopens the wound of an injured party, embroils
previously uninvolved parties, or reveals a sin particularly heinous and shocking
to others.
David, King of Israel, committed monstrous sins with prolonged and
devastating consequences. Though many people suffered, he confessed to
God alone, “Against You, You only, I have sinned.” (Psa 51:4)
Apologizing to someone whom you have hurt is always appropriate and
should be motivated by a genuine desire to restore harmony to the relationship,
not to ease guilt feelings. When you apologize, do so privately after you have
recovered fellowship with God through rebound. But do not be a slave to
anyone’s unforgivness; or and the other hand do not disregard them because
you are forgiven, (No not mortgage your future to pay for past mistakes; just
rebound and keep moving and let the chips fall where they may).
FORGIVENESS BY GRACE ALONE
Divine forgiveness depends solely on God’s perfect character: “He is
faithful and righteous.” “Faithful” emphasizes God’s consistency in forgiving
every believer who admits his sins to Him. God cannot default on His promise.
His grace never fails. He never wearies of our repetitious rebounding. He never
says, this time you do not deserve it. We never deserve forgiveness, but He
always forgives!
“Righteous” describes the source of forgiveness. God’s holiness or
integrity is composed of righteousness and justice. His perfect righteousness is
the only standard His justice can accept. The righteousness and justice of God
cannot be compromised! He cannot accept our penance, guilt feelings,
emotional reactions, or other human works. Only the saving work of God the
Son on the cross can satisfy or propitiate the integrity of God the Father
The next two verbs, “to forgive” and “to cleanse,” describe the results of
rebound. The Greek verb (Aphiemi) means “to forgive, to cancel.” The instant
we acknowledge our known sins to God He cancels the sins and the initial
repercussion of loss of fellowship. If any repercussions related to Divine
discipline remain, they are transformed from suffering for discipline to suffering
for blessing. Now filled with the Spirit, the believer can apply Truth to his
suffering and advance toward Spiritual maturity.
What about sins we commit which we have forgotten or do not know are
wrong? He cleanses “us from all unrighteousness.” The Greek verb, (Katharizo)
means “to cleanse, to remove for the purpose of purifying, hence, to purify” and
applies to all sins. Known sins are usually accompanied by unknown sins. When
we acknowledge and or admit to God the Father that we are out of fellowship,
He forgives and purifies us from all unrighteousness, including unknown and
forgotten sins.
THE PRODIGAL SON
Jesus illustrates the extraordinary forgiveness of God in the parable of the
prodigal son. (Luk 15:11-32) The narrative revolves around the actions of three
characters: the father, the elder brother, and the younger son. The younger son
represents the believer who continually sins and wallows in carnality. His sins
remove him from fellowship with his father, who represents God the Father.
Taking his share of his inheritance, the prodigal leaves home and departs
to a far country. His, continued debauchery and extravagance wreck his life —
the consequences of carnality. He becomes a beggar, living among pigs. Having
come to the end of his own resources he realizes how wretched he has
become and determines to return to his father. (Psa 119:67; Psa 119:71)
"But when he came to his senses, he said, ’How many of my father’s hired
men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! “I will get
up and go to my father, and will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and in your sight.’ (Luk 15:17-18)
This is the younger son’s prayer of rebound, but his next statement reveals
his confusion about forgiveness.
l am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired
men.(Luk 15:19)
Because of his irresponsible degeneracy, the prodigal convinces himself
his father no longer loves him or regards him as a son. He thought his father
would be more inclined to forgive him if he offered penance for his sins through
self-sacrifice or guilt. He was wrong. Forgiveness was based on his father’s
character. Christians often make this same error about God’s forgiveness.
When the son returned home he was astonished by the love, compassion,
and forgiveness of his father.
“And he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way
off, his father saw him, and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced
him, and kissed him.” (Luk 15:20)
This verse vividly portrays how the essence of God acts to forgive us. The
omniscience of God knew every-sin we would ever commit. He also anticipates
every confession. The righteousness and justice of God insure our forgiveness
through Christ’s payment for those sins. The love of God is free to flow to us
because of that payment. His love guarantees compassion for us when we
rebound.
When we name our sins to God it is as though the Father runs to us,
throws His arms around us, and welcomes us back with a kiss. Our forgiven
sins no longer affect our fellowship with God. That is the grace of God!
Often those with legalistic tendencies become upset because they think
rebound is a license to sin. Some believers who fail may use rebound for
exactly that purpose. But rebound restores the believer to a position where he
can live his Spiritual life and serve God, not excuse or rationalize sin. No
believer can be in God’s plan apart from the Divine power which comes only
through the filling of the Holy Spirit. Rebound is the only way to recover from sin
and regain the filling of the Holy Spirit.
AFTER CONFESSION, WHAT?
Having named your sins to God, three other steps must follow: Isolate your
sins, forget your sins, and keep moving.’ These steps prevent continued
carnality through chain-sinning.
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of
bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. (Heb 12:15)
ISOLATE YOUR SINS, A root is the base or foundation of a plant that
absorbs nutrients from the soil to supply nourishment to the plant. When “a root
of bitterness,” is rooted in a soul, a devastating chain of sins — mental, verbal,
and overt — spring up. Bitterness ripens into anger, hatred, or vindictiveness,
the natural foundation for gossip, maligning, violence, or even murder. However,
the memory of a past grievance or a forgiven sin must not be allowed to
generate further sins. Past sins must be isolated from the present to break this
chain reaction.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I
do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward [Moving on] to what lies
ahead. (Php 3:13)
FORGET YOUR SINS AND KEEP MOVING. Before his salvation on the
Damascus road the Apostle Paul was infamous for his self-righteous crusade to
exterminate Christians. (Php 3:6) Although God had forgiven these heinous sins,
the guilty memory could have crippled Paul’s Spiritual life, but he isolated and
forgot past sins and focused on the present goal of Spiritual maturity.
Once sin is confessed you must forget as God has forgotten. (Psa 103:12;
Isa 43:25) Someone may have offended you. You reacted with bitterness and
anger which you then confessed. God forgave and forgot that sin. But your
failure to forget the sin can lead to smoldering hatred and a thirst for revenge.
These mental sins may quickly ignite into verbal and overt sins unless you
rebound, isolate the sin, and put the sin in the past where it belongs. Only then
are you free to keep moving toward maturity in the Christian life.
I press on [Keep moving] toward the goal for the prize of the upward call
of God in Christ Jesus. (Php 3:14)
SELF-JUDGMENT OR DIVINE DISCIPLINE
Whenever we sin we are liable for discipline.
“For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son
whom He receives.” (Heb 12:6)
Our choice is between self-judgment and Divine discipline. Neglecting
rebound plunges the believer into Divine discipline. The apostle Paul specifically
warns the Corinthians of this principle in a passage about the Communion
Table. (1Co 11:28-32) Before partaking of the Communion elements, a believer
should “examine” or “judge” himself, synonyms for rebound.
But let a man examine himself [Rebound], and so let him eat of the bread
and drink of the cup. (1Co 11:28)
Every believer has the right to partake of the Communion elements, but
each believer is warned never to eat or drink with un-confessed sin in the life.
For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, [Divine
discipline] if he does not judge the body rightly. (1Co 11:29)
For this reason many among you are weak [Warning discipline] and sick,
[Intensive discipline] and a number sleep. [Dying discipline] (1Co 11:30)
But if we judged ourselves rightly, [Rebound] we should not be judged.
[Divine discipline] (1Co 11:31) But when we are judged, we are disciplined by
the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.
(1Co 11:32)
The “if” in verse 31, a second class condition, indicates the Corinthian
believers should have been judging themselves, but were not. The resulting
Divine discipline devastated the congregation. Three categories of discipline
caused by Spiritual maladies afflicted the carnal Corinthians. (1Co 11:30)
1. “Weak” — illnesses which are basically not organic in nature. These
may include loss of energy and strength, motivation, even depression. This is
warning discipline to encourage the believer to rebound.
2. “Sick” — includes definite organic (Physical) illnesses, even to the point
of becoming an invalid. This intensive discipline is designed to shock the
rebellious believer out of carnality.
3. “Sleep” — the Greek word (Koimao), used figuratively for the physical
death of believers only. (1Th 4:14) If a believer stubbornly remains carnal; the
Lord may prematurely terminate his life through dying discipline or the “sin unto
death.” (1Jn 5:16)
The alternative to God’s judgment is self-judgment. After rebound and
restoration to fellowship, God exercises one of three options on our behalf.
First, He may remove all disciplinary suffering. (1Co 11:31) Second, disciplinary
suffering may be diminished and transformed into blessing. Third, disciplinary
suffering may continue at the same intensity, but is designed for greater
blessing.
The longer a believer remains out of fellowship, the more intense the
discipline becomes. Prolonged carnality may result in discipline so severe that
some become convinced they were never saved. This believer becomes
useless in relation to God’s plan for his life. The only solution is to exploit the
grace of God through, (1Jn 1:9) and keep moving!
REBOUND FOR SPIRITUAL ADVANCE
What can be expected when a believer lives without using rebound for an
extended period of time? The prodigal son! (Luk 15:11-32) Just like the prodigal
son in the New Testament, the pattern of sin, discipline, rebound, restoration
and blessing can be observed in the lives of Old Testament believers.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let
us also lay aside every encumbrance, (Distraction) and the sin (Sin nature)
which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us. (Heb 12:1)
The great “cloud of witnesses” are the outstanding Spiritual heroes of the
Old Testament, the hall of fame list of, (Heb 11:1-40). They were not perfect;
they were not ‘holier than thou’; they were not sinless. When they failed they
used God’s grace in rebound. We, too, must “lay aside every encumbrance,
(Distraction) and the sin, (Sin nature) which so easily entangles us.” The Old
Testament heroes exemplify for us the necessity of rebound in order to
advance Spiritually.
DAVID: FAILURE AND RECOVERY
A vivid Old Testament illustration of sin, discipline, rebound, restoration and
blessing occurs in, (2Sa 11:1) thru (2Sa 12:31). The hero is David, the King of
Israel, one of the most highly respected believers in history. The Scripture lauds
him as a man “after the Lord’s Own Heart.” (1Sa 13:14; Acts 13:22) Yet, like
EVERY OTHER believer, David miserably failed the Lord. The episode begins
with David in fellowship. This quickly changes. The results are tragic.
Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that
David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the
sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.
(2Sa 11:1)
In the ancient world, Near East armies traditionally stood down in the fall
and winter, and then reassembled to conduct their campaigns in the good
weather of spring and summer. The previous year Israel had defeated the
Ammonites, but by summer’s end failed to capture Rabbah, the Ammonite
capital. With the arrival of spring the army of Israel mobilized and deployed to
renew the siege of Rabbah.
DAVID, THE CARNAL GIANT
As monarch, David was responsible for leading his troops in the field. The
Holy Spirit carefully makes this point: “At the time when kings go out to battle.”
God’s will was for David to lead his troops at Rabbah. Instead, David sent
Joab, his Chief of Staff, and his servants.
David had previously led every military campaign, but now he “stayed at
Jerusalem.” Failure to fulfill his responsibilities put David OUT of God’s
operational, (To be in fellowship and Thinking with Truth) functional (What He
wants us to do) and geographical will, (Where He wants us to be) and IN
carnality. David was now a Spiritually mature believer out of fellowship.
By being in the wrong place David encountered temptation where he was
most vulnerable. David had many impressive strengths: He exhibited
phenomenal courage in combat with Goliath, brilliant leadership of the nation,
and true humility toward God. But his strengths were neutralized by carnality.
His weakness for women became his downfall.
Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on
the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and
the woman was very beautiful in appearance. (2Sa 11:2)
David had little to do around Jerusalem, since his responsibility was to be
with his army at Rabbah. Apparently he was sleeping most of the day. When he
awoke in the evening he was bored. So he took a walk in the palace garden. In
the ancient world, gardens were not on the ground level, but on the roof. During
the course of David’s stroll, he saw an extremely beautiful woman bathing.
Suddenly David was no longer bored. He found this view more exciting than his
garden.
If David had been in fellowship when he saw this gorgeous woman, he may
have resisted the temptation. After all, he had three wives and at least ten
concubines. Seeing such a breathtaking woman was not an unusual event in his
life.
But David was out of fellowship. Any believer out of fellowship finds
temptation overwhelming, especially in areas where he is weak!
If your weakness is jealousy, bitterness, envy, gossiping or maligning
others, it will be more difficult to resist the temptation to sin in these areas. This
lovely woman appealed to David’s weakness. Being tempted in your area of
weakness when you are in fellowship is one thing; being tempted in your area
of weakness when you are out of fellowship may be something else entirely!
So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “is this not
Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” (2Sa 11:3)
David ordered his aides to find out the identity of this woman. They
discovered she was the wife of one of David’s commanders. Uriah, unlike
David, was where he should be — at Rabbah with the army of Israel. (2Ti 2:4)
And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he
lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she
returned to her house. And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David,
and said, “I am pregnant.” (2Sa 11:4-5)
David found a way to cure his boredom — adultery. If David had been a
Christian today, some of his friends might have said, David was never really a
Christian. They would be wrong. David was saved and is in heaven today. He
was another believer who willingly walked into the trap of carnality. His mental
attitude sins turned into verbal and overt sins.
DAVID’S SCHEMES
Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent
Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of
Joab and the people and the state of the war. (2Sa 11:6-7)
When he questioned Uriah, David pretended concern for the battlefield
situation. David was not at all interested in the siege of Rabbah. Instead, he
schemed to conceal his seduction of Bathsheba. David concocted a clever ploy
to lure Uriah home to be with his wife because he hoped to escape blame for
her pregnancy. David’s appearance of virtue when he inquired about the army
was nothing more than hypocrisy and deception.
Hypocrisy is a common characteristic of carnality. A believer out of
fellowship often attempts to conceal or deny his sin. With each progressive sin
David was transformed from a Spiritual giant into a carnal hypocrite.
Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.”
And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a present from the king was sent
out after him. (2Sa 11:8)
“Wash your feet” is a Hebrew idiom for “enter the house.” In the time of
David, the streets of Jerusalem were so dusty that every household had a
footbath at the door. Before entering his house, a man would remove his
sandals and wash his feet. When a guest knocked on the door, instead of
saying, come in, the response was, wash your feet.
But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his
lord, and did not go down to his house. (2Sa 11:9)
Uriah failed to comply with David’s wishes, frustrating his plan. Instead he
“slept at the door of the king’s house.” The door of the king’s house refers not
to David’s palace, but to the guardhouse near the king’s gate. Located there
were special barracks to house the royal guards. Rather than going home to
spend the night with his wife, Uriah moved into the barracks of the guard-house
with the palace guard. Uriah was a responsible soldier who would not enjoy the
pleasures of home while the army was in the field.
Now when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,”
David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go
down to your house?” And Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah
are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord
are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink
and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this
thing.” (2Sa 11:10-11) cf. (2Ti 2:4)
David must have winced as he heard this reply. All his life David had
displayed a tremendous sense of responsibility, so Uriah’s loyalty and concern
for his troops should have awakened David’s conscience. While the entire
general staff was enduring hardships in the field, David was enjoying the
pleasures in the palace. If David had been in fellowship he and Uriah would
have left for Rabbah at once. But what did he do? David made another attempt
to entice Uriah home.
Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let
you go.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now David
called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the
evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord’s servants, but he did not go
down to his house. (2Sa 11:12-13)
David made Uriah drunk. David hopes that once Uriah’s inhibitions break
down, he will go to his wife’s bed. David exhibited all the manipulative skills
characteristic of the carnal hypocrite, frantic to escape the consequences of his
own bad decisions. David’s cruel cunning reached a new low. Some of the most
conniving people are believers out of fellowship. Did his manipulations succeed?
Under David’s insistence Uriah did get drunk, but in spite of the temptation,
Uriah maintained his military standards of integrity.
Now it came about in the morning that David wrote a letter to Joab, and
sent it by the hand of Uriah. (2Sa 11:14)
David was desperate. The only solution to his dilemma seemed to be the
death of Uriah. To accomplish his wicked deed David wrote a letter to Joab.
Not only would David be guilty of murder, but he would make Joab an
accessory. David knew an officer of Uriah’s integrity would never examine a
letter he carried.
And he had written in the letter, saying, ‘Place Uriah in the front line of the
fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”
(2Sa 11:15)
Joab understood the wishes of his commander-in-chief. The order was
clear: Advance on Rabbah with Uriah leading, then retreat, leaving Uriah
isolated and unprotected from the enemy.
So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place
where he knew there were valiant men. And the men of the city went out and
fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and
Uriah the Hittite also died. (2Sa 11:16-17)
Uriah’s unit fought just below the city walls. How tragic that such a valiant
soldier was sacrificed for David’s lust.
Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. And he
charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events
of the war to the king, and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says
to you, ‘Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they
would shoot from the wall? Who struck down Abimelech the son of
Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall
so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall
say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ “ (2Sa 11:18-21)
Why would Joab expect David to become angry? Because Joab made a
tactical blunder which cost the lives of several men. He left a unit exposed and
unprotected so its commander would be killed. When David heard this report he
would probably become furious with Joab for committing such a deadly error.
So Joab said if David becomes angry, just say to him, “Uriah the Hittite is dead
also.” Joab was protecting himself by reminding David of his previous order.
So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab
had sent him to tell. And the messenger said to David, “The men prevailed
against us and came out against us in the field, but we pressed them as far as
the entrance of the gate. Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the
wall; so some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite
is also dead.” (2Sa 11:22-24)
Then David played the hypocrite.
Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let
this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make
your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it;’ and so encourage him.”
(2Sa 11:25)
David’s encouragement of Joab was sheer pretense. Joab lost the battle
because he obeyed David’s orders to have Uriah killed. David never before had
treated the loss of his men so casually. This was not his normal practice. No
great captain of history would be so philosophical in defeat as to say “the
sword devours one as well as another.”
Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she
mourned for her husband. (2Sa 11:26)
David’s carnality brought sorrow and grief to Bathsheba who apparently
loved her husband and mourned for him. The sins of one believer often involve
and hurt others.
When the time of mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his
house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that
David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord. (2Sa 11:27)
No believer can be a winner when out of fellowship or outside the plan of
God. David was no exception. Not once during ‘Operation Bathsheba’ did David
confess his sins. He deserved what he gave Uriah, but after the entire incident
David was still alive. God still had a plan for his life. But only after undergoing
the severe physical and emotional agony of Divine discipline did he finally
rebound. Then he could continue to mature as a believer.
WAS IT WORTH IT?
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your
burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has
pressed down on me. (Psa 38:1-2)
Here is a picture of self-induced misery and piercing pain. David agonizes
under the ordeal he experiences from Divine discipline for his sins. These
“arrows” were God’s arrows of discipline which penetrated to the depths of
David’s soul, “Your hand has pressed down on me” is a figure of speech
dramatizing the gravity of David’s plight. He was being justly punished by the
Lord.
There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no
health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head;
As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and
fester Because of my folly. I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go
mourning all day long. (Psa 38:3-6)
Verses 3-6 describe the traumatic emotional and physical consequences of
David’s sin. “There is no health in my bones” is a Hebrew idiom for loss of
health. David’s sins affected his physical and mental health. His festering guilt
became an emotional burden that left him severely depressed which was
reflected in his physical demeanor.
The severity of this discipline must be attributed to his failure to rebound,
(Psa 32:3). When we fail to rebound and isolate our sin a chain reaction
develops. The original sin becomes compounded by guilt reaction coupled with
various mental attitude sins, including hypocrisy, arrogance, lust, fear, worry,
anxiety, depression, envy, bitterness, hatred, anger. Together these sins
produce stress and anguish in the soul, which in turn destroy physical health,
(Psa 32:3-4).
For my loins are filled with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am
benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.
(Psa 38:7-8)
The “loins” refer to the nervous system, which was affected by David’s
mental attitude sins. As a result of worry and anxiety his physical misery
became so intense that he wandered about groaning.
Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.
My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has
gone from me. (Psa 38:9-10)
David’s problem was overt sin driven by mental attitude sins, including guilt.
The ever-increasing stress these sins placed on David’s soul threatened his
sanity. He lost motivation, energy, and the capacity for enjoying life!
My loved ones and my friends stand aloof from my plague; and my
kinsmen stand afar off. (Psa 38:11)
Not only did David’s sins destroy his temporal fellowship with God and his
health, they devastated his human relationships. No one enjoys being around
someone who is always miserable. No one desires to become embroiled in God’
s discipline of another believer. David’s friends began to avoid him. Even his
family gave him a wide berth.
Those who seek my life lay snares for me; and those who seek to injure
me have threatened destruction, and they devise treachery all day long. But I,
like a deaf man, do not hear; and I am like a dumb man who does not open his
mouth. Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no
arguments. (Psa 38:12-14)
Divine discipline may also include attacks from your enemies. David’s
numerous enemies relished the opportunity these calamitous circumstances
offered. Though they may not have understood the cause, they realized he had
become weak and vulnerable. Taking advantage of David’s weakness they
devised cruel and devious attacks against him.
In this numbed condition David had little to say. Defenseless, he was
unmotivated to fight back. All the issues that make life worthwhile became
irrelevant to him. Having lost hope and hit bottom, he finally realized his only
hope was in the Lord. Only after intensive Divine discipline does David consider
rebound.
For I hope in You, O LORD; You will answer, O Lord my God. For I said,
"May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify
themselves against me." For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually
before me. (Psa 38:15-17)
DAVID’S REBOUND
David’s pain and misery became so unbearable that he longed to end his
suffering.
For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.
(Psa 38:18)
The first half of this verse, the confession, illustrates how to recover
fellowship. “For I confess my iniquity” was David’s prayer of rebound. Admitting
sins to God the Father is all that is required. The second half of the verse
reveals David’s emotions at the time. Emotions may be present and are
perfectly normal, but are not the basis for Divine forgiveness. Feeling sorry for
his sins was a legitimate reaction, but it is dependence upon God’s provision,
not human emotion, that restores the believer to fellowship.
WHAT A PRICE TO PAY!
What finally brought David to his senses? God ordered Nathan the prophet
to confront the king, a fearful prospect since the unstable king was the final
authority in the land. Yet Nathan as a prophet had the responsibility to be
critical of the political leadership of Israel.
Nathan confronted David by using a parable. In this narrative the events
illustrate David’s sins. But David had so rationalized and justified his sins that he
was blind to the application of the parable. He never would have reacted with
such indignation if he had understood its true meaning.
Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said, “There
were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a
great many flocks and herds. But the poor man had nothing except one little
ewe lamb which he bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and
his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom,
and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, and he
was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, to prepare for the
wayfarer who had come to him; rather he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and
prepared it for the man who had come to him.” (2Sa 12:1-4)
If David had not sunk so deeply into carnality he would have perceived the
meaning of the parable: He was the rich man. The poor man was Uriah the
Hittite, now dead. His only possession had been “one little ewe lamb” —
Bathsheba.
In ancient Israel the custom was to kill the fatted calf or lamb to welcome
a visitor. Rather than taking from his own abundant flocks, the rich man stole
the one lamb of the poor man. By application, David had several beautiful
wives, yet he took Bathsheba from Uriah.
Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan,
“As the Lord lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. And he
must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had
no compassion.” (2Sa 12:5-6)
Why was David so outraged? His sense of justice was offended, yet he
failed to make the personal application. Unwittingly, he pronounced his own
judgment. Only God’s grace commuted the death sentence. (Exo 21:14;
Lev 20:10) Instead of the death penalty the Lord used a fourfold restitution as
the basis for David’s discipline. God chastened David beyond what has been
recorded in, (Psa 38:1-22). The longer you remain out of fellowship, the higher
the price you pay.
Nathan then said to David, “You are the man!”... (2Sa 12:7)
The Truth struck David like a thunderbolt. But before he could react Nathan
continued:
...“Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ’It is I who anointed you king over Israel
and It is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ’I also gave you your master’
s house and your master’s wives into your care, and I gave you the house of
Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you
many more things like these! (2Sa 12:7-8)
David was appointed king over Israel by the grace of God, not because of
his magnificent abilities. God brought it to pass, not David. Everything David
had been courtesy of God’s grace. The same is true for all of us. Everything we
have, any blessing in life, is courtesy of the grace of God.
“Why have you despised the Word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?
You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be
your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. Now
therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have
despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.”
(2Sa 12:9-10)
By his sinful actions David “despised” the Will and Word of God. God
pronounced David’s discipline: Violence would plague his family for years to
come.
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own
household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your
companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. Indeed you did it
secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.’
(2Sa 12:11-12)
David’s sins had been committed in private, but his discipline would be
administered in public. All Israel would be witness. David himself proclaimed his
discipline in verse 6. God would punish him fourfold from his “own household.”
(2Sa 12:13) begins where David left off in, (Psa 38:18). Did David say, I
am sorry for what I have done and regret every sin; will You forgive me? Not at
all! Notice how specific David’s rebound is.
Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan
said to David, “The Lord also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.”
(2Sa 12:13)
God instantly forgave and forgot David’s sins. Those past sins no longer
kept David from fellowship with God. David need never again feel the
oppressive guilt and overwhelming anxiety he expressed in, (Psa 38:1-22). On
the authority of God’s Word those sins were blotted out. To feel guilty for those
sins again would have been another sin — the rejection of God’s wonderful
grace provision of rebound.
Divine forgiveness never depends on our feelings, our degree of guilt, or
even our faith. Forgiveness depends on God’s promise to cancel the sins when
we name them to Him. To experience the blessing of renewed fellowship and to
avoid the guilt trap, we must have confidence that God has forgiven and
forgotten our sins and that we are cleansed “from all unrighteousness.” Then
we, too, can share in David’s praise of God:
How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered!
How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in
whose spirit there is no deceit! (Psa 32:1-2)
David’s sins were completely forgiven. The remainder of David’s discipline
was accomplished through members of his own family. David paid fourfold for
his sins:
1. The child born of adultery died. (2Sa 12:14-15)
2. Amnon, David’s son, raped David’s daughter Tamar. (2Sa 13:1-14)
3. Absalom murdered Amnon to revenge Tamar. (2Sa 13:22-29)
4. Absalom, the son David loved the most, led a national revolt against his
father. (2Sa 15:13-14)
His suffering for blessing finally terminated in, (2Sa 18:32) when David
heard of the death of Absalom. And thus he said as he walked, “O my son
Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I have died instead of you, O
Absalom, my son, my son!” (2Sa 18:33)
When David heard the news of Absalom’s death, he staggered under the
pain of his loss. The discipline for his sins had come to an end. The four
installments extended over a period of about fifteen years. If his discipline had
been meted out at one time he may not have survived.
Though David’s discipline was severe, because he had rebounded; his
suffering was for blessing. David advanced Spiritually throughout these years.
He learned to depend on the Lord in the most adverse circumstances. Many of
the lessons David learned are preserved in the Psalms he authored during the
Absalom revolution when he lost everything and became a fugitive. By staying in
fellowship David was able to accelerate his Spiritual advance illustrating the
principle of cursing turned to blessing.
THE DIVINE TRAINING PROGRAM
The tragic example of David in the Bathsheba incident illustrates the
trauma of Divine discipline. The twelfth chapter of Hebrews warns us not to
forget the reality and repercussions of God’s discipline.
And you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,
“"MY SON, DO NOT REGARD LIGHTLY THE [Corrective] DISCIPLINE OF
THE LORD, NOR FAINT WHEN YOU ARE REPROVED BY HIM; [Warning
discipline] FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
[Warning discipline] AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE
RECEIVES;”[Intensive discipline]. (Heb 12:5-6)
To be a winner, the basketball player must perform within set boundaries.
Just as the referee blows a whistle when the player steps out of bounds, God
blows the whistle by administering discipline when the believer steps out of
bounds through sin.
God begins with warning discipline to alert the believer to his carnality and
motivate him to rebound. If the believer continues in carnality, “regards lightly
the discipline of the Lord,” God intensifies the punishment. Unless rebound is
used this intensive discipline becomes dying discipline, the sin unto death.
(1Jn 5:16)
God’s punitive action is never arbitrary or abusive. God is always just and
fair. Divine discipline is an integral part of God’s training program for the
believer in the royal family. God’s discipline is both an evidence of our son-ship,
(John 1:12) and a manifestation of God’s love for us even when we are carnal.
DO NOT FAIL THE GRACE OF GOD
It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for
what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without
discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children
and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we
respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits,
and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but
He disciplines us for our good, that we may share His holiness [Divine nature].
(Heb 12:7-10)
Wise, loving parents discipline their children to train them for proper
orientation to life as adults. Through discipline children learn humility, respect for
authority, teachability, and objectivity indispensable qualities for maturity. Just
as parental discipline prepares children for human maturity, God’s discipline
prepares believers for Spiritual maturity. With Spiritual maturity the believer can
handle ALL the vicissitudes of life.
“And live” means that when we rebound we can continue to advance in the
Christian life. The more time we spend in fellowship, the more we can learn and
apply Truth. As we grow Spiritually our capacity for life and blessing increases
and our life is enriched!
To “share His holiness” encompasses the entire spectrum of the advance
to Spiritual maturity in the Christian life. God disciplines us to get our attention
and to bring us back to reality. Once focused; we rebound, recover, and move
on!
All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to
those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of
(Experiential) righteousness, (Spiritual maturity). (Heb 12:11)
Punishment is painful, never pleasant. Discipline is designed for correction
and training. The child that is never corrected grows up to be a rebellious,
miserable, self-absorbed adult who is maladjusted to life. However, the child
that has been well-trained has a greater opportunity to be stable and adjusted
to life. Believers that respond to Divine discipline by rebound are filled with the
Spirit, have the potential for Spiritual maturity and the ‘greater grace” blessings
of the Spiritual life. (Jas 4:6)
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are
feeble [Rebound] and make straight paths for your feet, (Stay in fellowship) so
that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, (The sin unto death) but
rather be healed. Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification (Spiritual
maturity --- Personal love for God, Impersonal love for all mankind) without
which NO ONE will see the Lord. (Heb 12:12-14)
Strengthening weak hands and feeble knees and making straight paths are
synonyms for rebound resulting in the filling of the Holy Spirit, the source of
Spiritual strength. Rebound transforms you from the weakness of carnality to
the strength of a restored Spiritual life. The Spiritual life is healed because the
cursing has turned to blessing. The weakness of cursing under discipline
becomes the strength of suffering for blessing.
One final warning concerning discipline is in verse 15:
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of
bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. (Heb 12:15)
Some people respond to discipline from the Lord with bitterness and
continue in bitterness. They become obstructionists, miserable people who are
obstacles to their own Spiritual growth and to the Spiritual lives of others. They
will never recover and become oriented to grace again, unless they understand
the true purpose of discipline.
God has provided the believer with the perfect solution for sin. Since the
moment we were saved God has always dealt with us in grace. He disciplines
in grace; He forgives in grace; He blesses in grace. Rebound is the epitome of
grace.
Rebound is the simplest yet most incredible concept in the Spiritual life!
The ease with which we name our sins and are forgiven by God memorializes
His matchless grace! Rebound defeats sin and accesses the power of God! At
our fingertips is the key that unlocks the Christian way of life. To grasp rebound
is to open the door to the wonderful Spiritual freedom that God’s grace offers
to every believer in Jesus Christ. Do not fail the grace of God; the grace of God
never fails you. Rebound and keep moving!
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become
rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of
your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that
you may see. ’Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be
zealous and repent. ’Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My
voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he
with Me. ’He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My
throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. ’He who
has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’ (Rev 3:18-22)
End
 |
| |
 |