I Can’t Stay Here – 5
Subject – What Happens When Our Spirits Dry Out
by Rick Welborne
2 Samuel 11:1-5, 14-17, 26-27 (NKJV)
1 It happened in the spring of the year, 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 people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."
14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die."
16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.
17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
1 It happened in the spring of the year, 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 people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
2 Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
4 Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
5 And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."
14 In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die."
16 So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.
17 Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
--Last week we talked about how we can get to the place of being spiritually drained and how that can have such an effect on all that we do.
--We talked about having spiritual hangovers from extending ourselves way too much and how not spending time with God can truly catch up with us.
--We saw how Elijah went from the Mount Caramel experience to the desert and sitting under a broom tree. He was definitely hung over and he was exhausted to the point of wanting to give up.
1 Kings 19:3-4 (NLT2)
3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.
4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
3 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.
4 Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, LORD,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”
--We talked about him needing rest, bread, and water…Jesus tells us to come all who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.
--The bread represented Jesus and His Word…He is the Bread of Life and when we consume Him we find salvation and peace. The water represents Holy Spirit in our lives…Living Water!
--Today I want us to look at what happens to us if we allow our spirits to go un-nurtured for a long period of time and how we can allow our spirits to dry out…Danger!
1. Running on empty.
--I have always enjoyed as a dad to have fun with my children and to get them stirred up about things that really do not matter that much.
--I love how these newer vehicles will let you know all kinds of things via computers…they let you know when your tires need air and when your oil needs changing.
--Concerning my kids, my particular favorite is when the truck begins to beep, lights come, a message on the screen pops up, all this to let you know you are low on fuel.
--I actually read the manual about how many approximate miles you can go before you run out of gas but, of course, my kids didn’t know that. Dad, we need gas. Okay. No, Dad, we need gas now! Okay! Drive them crazy
--I worked for a pastor who was constantly running out of gas. Listen to what he would say. I am too busy to stop and get gas…I have too much to do and not enough time to do it.
--Well, guess who he called when he ran out of gas…AAA, nope…RDW, me! I had to stop whatever unimportant thing I was doing, get a gas can, go get gas, and take it to him. What took so long?
--Needless to say, this really blessed me spiritually and made me sing songs of praise. He got angry when I told him that if his time was so valuable 5 minutes pumping gas was much better than waiting 45 minutes for gas.
--Not to mention all the people he blessed when he ran out of gas on a long bridge…traffic slowed down to a crawl and people shouting wonderful blessings as they drove by. Not smart to run on empty.
--Last week we talked about the person who is drained and today we are speaking of someone who has been drained for some time. This person’s intake spiritually has almost disappeared.
--The unfilled tank spiritually is an invitation to disaster. We must understand that when we run out of gas, it not only affects us, but those around us. Like the cars on the bridge.
Romans 14:7 (NKJV)
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
7 For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
--Here is a caution to those of us who preach and those of us who are involved in the music of a Spirit-filled church. It is easy to mistake the applause and approval of the admiring crowd as God’s approval.
--Because we sense that there is a response to what we are doing, we begin to abandon any sense of need for spiritual passion (seeking God) and energy found in resting in God. It becomes theatrics instead of Spirit.
--When we look to results and approval of man instead of re-fueling ourselves in the presence of God, we are drying out and headed for disaster. How can we describe the dried out condition?
MacDonald – It is action without heart, oratory without power, doctrine without love. People who are dried out within can often be, for a while, the hardest workers. But they can also become the harshest critics and the most negative teammates. Inside they experience a rising turbulence—confused goals and motives and inconsistent, unexplainable patterns of personal performance.
2. King David facing another giant.
--As we study the life of King David I believe we can see a man who is faced with the temptation of adultery and murder and he is dried out spiritually and, unfortunately doesn’t even see it.
--He was a man in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong thing getting himself into trouble. We think, he had the authority and power to have whatever he commanded as king. Why do this?
--Aren’t we kings in our own little domains in the privacy of our castles or offices, we make a command and we can have adultery within our reach in just moments. One command or one click of the mouse…it is the same.
--He was supposed to be with his army doing what God had purposed him to do. He would have called on God, like before, for plans and strategies and spiritual guidance, but he was not there. Absentee warrior.
--Instead, he was home and he was bored. Be careful when you have time on your hands and your spirit is dry, many bad decisions have been made in moments like these.
--People always seem to be surprised when something bad happens at 2-3am in a bar or night club somewhere. They were just drinking and drugging and looking for someone to pick up. What could go wrong?
--People get surprised that kids get addicted to porn when they are left for hours on a computer with no supervision or protection. When we do not feed our spiritual man…the enemy comes like a flood. Ask David.
--Dried out, David made a number of bad choices and in the process, he destroyed a number of lives. Remember the analogy of the tunnel. Sadly, it took David a year to discover the magnitude of what he had done.
--When Nathan the prophet paid David a visit he had to resort to a parable to get David’s attention. Usually, parables are for people whose inner spirits are locked up, resistant to Holy Spirit.
2 Samuel 12:1-5 (NKJV)
1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.
3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.
4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
5 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!
1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.
3 But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.
4 And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."
5 So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!
--It is abundantly clear that David is in a rough place spiritually when Nathan came to call. Let’s review just a little. He was supposed to be leading his army instead of staying home. Disobedient.
--He was watching HBO – Home Bought Oppression. Don’t tell me it was by chance David just so happen to walk out on his roof at the exact time Bathsheba was bathing on her roof. He knew.
--We know how to access that which is desirable in our lives…we know how to time things just right. We know what time a certain program or show is coming on that we know will have what we are looking for.
--David ignored someone who evidently cared about the king but sometimes when your spirit is dry…you don’t listen and you move forward with your own desires.
2 Samuel 11:3 (NKJV)
3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
--His servant tried his best to warn the king without suffering his wrath. This lady is someone’s sweet daughter; this lady is the wife of Uriah…one of your loyal soldiers.
--It is amazing how sins are tied together…David was dry from neglecting time with the Lord (no worship) and he was being consumed by his lust in his weakened state. The devil knows.
James 1:12-16 (NKJV)
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.
14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.
15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.
16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
--A year has passed since the sins happened and I am sure David thought he was free and clear. Be sure your sins will find you out. David was so dry he couldn’t feel the conviction of Holy Spirit. Wouldn’t listen to people
--What a terrible moment it must have been for David when he came to grips with his willful sin and even, his hypocrisies. How could I allow this to happen to me? How could I be this blind? What was I thinking?
--How could David after years of close wonderful fellowship with God get himself into such a mess? We are all vulnerable…all of us. When you are weak and dry you can make horrible choices.
--The patterns seem to be there for those who have made similar mistakes:
A. We become negligent in finding time for rest. Weariness emotionally and physically.
B. We become negligent in finding time for intimacy with God. Seeking His face and hearing His voice.
C. We become consumed with doing instead of being. Busyness becomes our sense of affirmation.
D. We over react to the attacks of our critics. Our affirmation must come from God not man.
E. We begin to entertain things that would never be a part of our lives if we were close to God.
Psalm 118:8-9 (NKJV) 8 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.
9 It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes.
3. Repentance and humility will restore us.
Psalm 51:1-12 (NKJV)
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me.
4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight-- That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
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