10-22-25 Sermon: emotional complex of sins 5 overcoming fear

High-Detail Theological Outline (Strictly Chronological)

Opening and Audience Setup

Greeting: “Good evening.”

Practical note: QR code availability check with attendees.

Pre-Study Protocol: Confession and Filling of the Spirit

Statement of normal practice: “We’ll take a moment of silent prayer, as we always do, to ensure the filling of the Spirit.”

Scripture: 1 John 1:9

Quoted: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Doctrinal points:

Personal sin causes temporal separation from fellowship with God, not loss of salvation.

Loss of fellowship prevents believers from being taught by “our true teacher, which is the Holy Spirit.”

Necessity of silent prayer and self-examination before studying the Word of God.

Prayer Requests and Intercessory Prayer

Requests:

Ed and Kathy Risch

Background: Pastor Ed was ordained by Pastor Bob; they pastor a church in Pennsylvania.

Situation: Terrible car accident a week prior; undergoing surgeries; Facebook updates indicate Ed has been extubated, talking, and praising God; long road of healing ahead.

Catherine Trahan

Relationship: Mother-in-law of a coworker.

Situation: Hospitalized due to a mass pressing against her kidneys causing obstruction; treated in hospital; hope to go home “tomorrow”; road ahead.

Pastoral prayer (content summarized in order delivered):

Thanksgiving for the day and for time on earth to glorify and serve God.

Intercession for Ed and Kathy Risch:

Petition for healing, restoration, and God’s hand upon them during/after the accident.

Affirmation: “Where there’s life, there is hope.”

Purpose clause: God to use this for His glory; restore them more powerful than ever in grace; enable testimony such that others see “the glory of God” through His work in their tribulation.

Intercession for Catherine Trahan:

Petition for God’s hand, restoration, healing.

Evangelistic request: “Most of all, Father, that you would bring a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ if she’s not saved.”

Request for blessing on the evening and the Word to be studied.

Thanksgiving for God’s Word.

Petition for the Holy Spirit to open hearts and teach God’s will and truth.

Personal petition: To speak with power fitting God’s Word and with the grace that God’s Word teaches.

Closing: “In Jesus’ name, amen.”

Housekeeping Note

QR code check repeated briefly: “Is everyone good with the QR code here? Yes.”

Instruction: Will not go to slides right away.

Upcoming Preaching Plan and Thematic Introduction

Date mentioned: “on the 16th of November” (for Sunday service).

Topic teaser: Why are there giants in our lives? Why do we have to fight giants?

Short answer: Angelic conflict explains the ultimate struggle, human creation, God’s plan—culmination involving the angelic conflict.

Need to break down practically: Why the ongoing struggle? Why do we face things? Israel at the outskirts of the promised land had to fight giants—“Why couldn’t God just have delivered them out of Egypt… and just have everything? Why does it have to be a struggle? Why does it have to be fighting?”

Tonight: Will cover “a little bit” of that topic.

Next weeks: Begin series on “the pre-designed plan of God.”

Illustration: The Million Dollars Distribution Analogy

Hypothetical scenario: Speaker secretly rich; promises $1,000,000 to everyone after service.

Logical question to expect: “How am I going to get it?” Methods: check, cash, Venmo, Cash App.

Theological application:

God has “escrow blessings” already on deposit “on our account” in eternity past.

Positional vs experiential:

Positionally: “we already have been blessed” with all blessings.

Experientially: We have not yet received them.

Central question: “How do we get our escrow blessings?”

Answering framework: The pre-designed plan of God is about receiving experiential blessings; fighting giants and overcoming trials connects to maturity (spiritual growth).

Means: Grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ; learn doctrine; reach stages of spiritual growth; “adjusting to the justice of God” so that justice is free to bless us.

Warning: Some believers will never receive any escrow blessings experientially.

Observation: “Most believers are in the pre-designed plan of God once in their life, and that’s at salvation… they get out of fellowship… don’t know how to recover the filling of the Holy Spirit… never get back… end up residing in the good side of their sin nature, or worse yet, the bad side… you’ll never get all of the blessings that God has for you.”

Transition to Scripture: Numbers 13

Instruction: “Turn to Numbers… chapter 13.”

Context reminder: 12 spies sent to spy out the land; 10 gave a bad report; giants present; 2 had different attitude (Caleb and Joshua).

Doctrinal observation:

Giants exposed their unbelief.

Application: All believers must face “giants” (metaphorical struggles) before becoming everything God intends.

Growth principle: Only one way to grow—through resistance; overcoming resistance with the right power and motivation.

Scripture Reading: Numbers 13:25–33

Narrative flow emphasized:

Return at end of 40 days to Moses/Aaron and congregation at Paran/Kadesh.

Report: “It certainly does flow with milk and honey… this is its fruit.”

“Nevertheless”: People are strong; cities fortified and very large; descendants of Anak present; Amalek in Negev; Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites in hill country; Canaanites by the sea and Jordan.

Caleb’s exhortation: “We should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it.”

The ten’s objection: “We are not able… for they are too strong for us.”

Bad report: “A land that devours its inhabitants… men of great size.”

Nephilim reference: “The sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim.”

Self-perception: “We became like grasshoppers first in our own sight… and so we were in their sight.”

Doctrinal point:

Contrast between faith and unbelief; two saw same giants with faith-rest, ten saw giants with fear and human viewpoint.

Giants reveal inner posture: unbelief or trust.

Scripture Link: Deuteronomy 9:1–3

Instruction: “Turn to Deuteronomy… chapter 9… verses 1–3.”

Generational context: Another generation—those who will cross into the land (previous generation barred due to unbelief).

Reading/expounding:

“Hear, O Israel… you are crossing over the Jordan today to go in to dispossess nations greater and mightier than you, great cities fortified to heaven.”

“A people great and tall, the sons of Anakim… who can stand before the sons of Anakim.”

“Know… the Lord your God… as a consuming fire, he will destroy them… subdue them… that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has spoken to you.”

Theological clarification:

God Himself states the opposition is “greater and mightier” than Israel—humanly impossible.

The purpose is dependence: God would go before them and defeat the giants; the spies’ confession “they are too strong for us” was factually accurate but spiritually indicting due to unbelief in God’s promise and power.

Application:

Trials are intentionally beyond our human capacity to elicit faith in divine power.

Each believer has a personal pre-designed plan with unique giants designed to reveal whether we will operate by faith or by self-reliance.

Pastoral Application: The “I can’t take it anymore” Moment

Personal testimony: Over 20 years, repeatedly reached points of saying “I can’t take this anymore… this is too much.”

Recent reflection: Over the last 15 months of life and in preparation for messages on the pre-designed plan of God.

Insight:

When we say “I can’t do it,” we are nearer to the truth: we cannot, but God can.

God’s intent: “I’m going to be the one that’s going to do it. If you operate in the power that I will give you, you will be able to overcome these circumstances.”

Exhortation:

Those at the brink of quitting are often closer to success than they realize.

True failure is quitting just before success in the spiritual life.

Persist in faith rather than give up under pressure.

Doctrinal Link: Fear as Sin; Emotional and Arrogance Complexes

Ongoing theme from prior weeks: Emotional complex of sins and arrogance complex of sins.

Why fear is sin:

Fear manifests unbelief—the same unbelief the giants exposed in the ten spies.

Many profess trust in God in worship but abandon trust when trials appear.

Exhortation:

Commit to advance in God’s plan regardless of giants.

Acknowledge inability; renounce self-reliance; rely on divine power.

Promised Land Typology

Definition: “The promised land represents the believer’s spiritual advance and experiential sanctification.”

Giants as symbols:

Anything that hinders faith-rest, doctrine, or spiritual momentum:

Fear and doubt.

Arrogance and self-reliance.

Emotional complex of sins.

Cosmic thinking or human viewpoint.

Sin nature’s dominance.

Satanic opposition and the angelic conflict.

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:2

Instruction: “Go for a moment quickly to 2 Peter chapter 1… verse 2.”

Reading/expounding:

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

Word study note:

Peace: Greek “eirēnē” (transliterated as “eirene”; pronounced “ay-ray-nay”).

Meaning: More than absence of conflict; denotes prosperity and well-being—stability that persists “regardless of troubles or regardless of problems.”

Forward-looking note: Will spend significant time on “eirene” in the upcoming pre-designed plan of God study.

Theological Synthesis: Giants in the Promised Land

God’s declaration (Deut. 9): opposition “greater and mightier” than Israel on purpose.

Ten spies’ assessment (Num. 13): “too strong for us,” “we became like grasshoppers”—true humanly; reveals unbelief spiritually.

Principle:

Trials engineered to exceed human strength, forcing dependence on divine power.

Faith-rest life appropriates God’s promises, enabling victory through God’s action.

Transition to Faith-Rest and Positional vs Experiential Themes

Instruction: “So turn to Hebrews. Hebrews 4, chapter 1… we’ve been over these verses, but we’re going to read them again in this context.”

Framework:

Giants stand between positional truth (what we already have in Christ) and experiential possession (living it out through the faith-rest life).

Prior studies referenced: Past few weeks on these verses and on emotional/arrogance sins and cosmic thinking; continued application tonight.

Opening recap and premise: God is already in your future

Statement: “Whatever problems you have coming up… you might be in prosperity tonight… There could be a problem coming up that you don’t even know about.”

Theological point: God is not restricted by time; He is already “there” in our future situations.

Quoted assurance: “The Lord is the one who is going ahead of you… He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear. Do not be dismayed.”

Implicit reference: Deuteronomy 31:6, 8 (theme: Yahweh goes before you; do not fear or be dismayed).

Historical analogy: Israel facing superior enemies

“They’re going to fight giants that one-on-one were greater… nations greater and mightier than you.”

Implicit references: Numbers 13–14; Deuteronomy 7:1; 9:1–2.

Purpose of the giants/obstacles:

To reveal whether they would live by the faith-rest life (divine viewpoint) or by human emotion/human viewpoint.

Diagnostic question: “What will you do in the day of adversity?” (Application: examine past responses and prepare for future testing.)

Emphasis: The issue is not that things “fall apart,” but the mentality you carry when they do.

Growth through opposition: resistance analogy

Theological point: God could have removed all giants “in one fell swoop,” but then Israel would not grow.

Illustration: Weightlifting requires resistance for muscles to grow; same spiritually—resistance is essential for capacity and maturity.

Application: Every tribulation is an opportunity for growth; “the more impossible the odds… the greater the growth is going to be” when you trust God.

Exhortation: “Do not fear; do not be dismayed”

Pastoral aim: To think divine viewpoint when “everything is going wrong.”

Word-study setup: “Dismayed” will be examined further.

Opening Scripture: Hebrews 4:1–11 (primary text)

Hebrews 4:1

“Therefore let us fear…”

Teacher’s doctrinal point: This is one of the places in Scripture where “fear” is to be taken as literal fear. If there is anything to truly fear, it is not the giants; it is falling short of entering God’s rest.

Application: Our real fear should be failing to enter the faith-rest life within the pre-designed plan of God (PDG), not external adversaries.

Hebrews 4:2

“For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also… but the word they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

Identification: “They” refers to the Exodus generation who gave a bad report and refused to enter the Promised Land.

Doctrinal point: Refusal to enter God’s rest equals refusal to operate in the PDG; God will not force believers to “fight the giants.” Volition is respected.

Hebrews 4:3

“For we who have believed enter that rest…”

Teacher’s emphasis: “As I swore…” and “Although His works… were finished from the foundation of the world” (beautiful doctrine highlighted).

Doctrinal point: God’s works were completed from eternity past; rest is rooted in God’s completed work.

Hebrews 4:4

“For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day, ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works.’”

Doctrinal point: The Sabbath pattern demonstrates God’s rest as cessation from works based on completion.

Hebrews 4:5

“And again in this passage, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’”

Warning: Unbelief excludes entry into divine rest.

Hebrews 4:6

“Since it remains for some to enter it… those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience.”

Doctrinal point: Some will enter; failure is due to disobedience (negative volition).

Hebrews 4:7

“He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David, after so long a time… ‘Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.’”

Application: The urgency of “Today” demands responsive faith; hardness of heart blocks the rest.

Hebrews 4:8

“For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.”

Doctrinal point: The rest in view transcends Joshua’s conquest; it is a spiritual/soteriological rest in Christ.

Hebrews 4:9

“So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.”

Doctrinal point: Ongoing availability of divine rest for Church Age believers.

Hebrews 4:10

“For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.”

Key emphasis: Rest involves ceasing from human works and relying on divine provision.

Hebrews 4:11

“Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall through following the same example of disobedience.”

Exhortation: Diligence in entering rest prevents spiritual failure patterned after the Exodus generation.

Transition: The Christian life is a supernatural life

Doctrinal assertion: The Christian life requires a supernatural means of execution.

Power system defined:

Filling of the Holy Spirit.

Bible doctrine.

Application: Current activity—studying Bible doctrine—is essential; there are no shortcuts.

Ephesians 1: Escrow blessings in eternity past

Teaching point introduced: God in eternity past placed into escrow a portfolio of blessings tailored for every believer.

These blessings are released only at spiritual maturity when the believer can receive them without destroying humility or dependence on grace.

Teacher repeats for emphasis (verbatim concept repeated).

Giants as testing stage:

Doctrinal point: Giants represent obstacles that refine and prepare believers to receive escrow blessings.

Ephesians 1:3 (quoted)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has [past tense] blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Doctrinal point: In eternity past, God has already graced believers with every spiritual blessing—beyond what we could ask or think.

1 Peter 1:4 (referenced)

Turn forward to 1 Peter 1:4.

Doctrinal application: Supports the concept of reserved/inherited blessings.

Giants reframed theologically

Statement: The giants of the land are not there to defeat you, but to reveal God’s power.

Application: Giants are divine opportunities to exercise faith-rest and prove grace sufficiency.

Note: Teacher mentions a forthcoming one-hour teaching “on the 16th” as a fuller introduction to why there are giants.

Return to emotional complex of sins: Ephesians 4:14 and faith-rest life

Context: Continuing series on the emotional complex of sins, paralleling the arrogance complex of sins.

Doctrinal danger: Emotional complex derails the believer, hindering the PDG and faith-rest life.

Fear revisited: The true object of fear is not entering the rest/PDG.

Clarification on emotion and fear:

Definition/discipline of emotion: Emotion is a responder and appreciator; normal human fear (e.g., a large German shepherd chasing you) is not sin.

Sin occurs when emotion takes the lead, usurping cognition and doctrinal thinking.

Progressive stages: Emotional revolt of the soul; “panic alley” language noted for the trajectory of emotional takeover.

Ephesians 4:14 (quoted and exposited)

“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people… by craftiness in deceitful scheming.”

Word note: “Craftiness” highlighted; will connect to another passage shortly.

Doctrinal point: Immaturity and susceptibility to false doctrine are linked to emotional instability; the remedy is doctrinal stability.

Devotional interlude: 1 Samuel 30:6

Passage: “Moreover, David was greatly distressed because the people spoke of stoning him… But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

Personal application from the teacher:

“Check up from the neck up” phrase—constant evaluation of thoughts throughout the day.

Process: Move from drill to lifestyle—faith-rest becomes operational habit, not merely steps on paper.

Personal transparency: Teacher experiences clinical depression; sometimes feels grief-level depression without external cause; often on Wednesdays before teaching.

Theological reframing: These episodes are recognized as “giants.”

1 Samuel 30:6 application:

David’s model: He strengthened himself in the Lord—did not call a counselor, hotline, or others.

Faith-rest method: Stop the emotional spiral, re-engage doctrinal thinking and divine viewpoint.

Only means: The Word of God within the soul; filling of the Spirit plus resident doctrine.

Principle: You cannot strengthen yourself by someone else’s doctrine—you must possess it personally.

David’s life as theological illustration:

Failures: Adultery, murder, etc.

Yet “a man after God’s own heart.”

Reason: Continuous rebound, restoration to fellowship, relentless pursuit of PDG despite failures.

Application: Never quit; in every trial, run to God repeatedly.

Returning to conquest motif and imperatives: Deuteronomy 31:6

Setting: New generation under Joshua preparing to face giants and enter the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 31:6 (quoted)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is the one who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.”

Teacher’s breakdown:

Imperatives: Be strong; be courageous; do not be afraid; do not tremble.

Doctrinal point: God’s presence and faithfulness guarantee protection and success.

Ethics: Fear is prohibited; courage is mandated.

Grounding: The command is grounded in divine presence, not human resources.

Continuation: Deuteronomy 31:8

Attention to vocabulary: “Dismayed” highlighted for focused word attention.

Deuteronomy 31:8 (beginning quoted)

“And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you. Remember that.”

Doctrinal point:

God’s advance presence ensures provision and victory before believers arrive at the test.

Application: Remembering God goes ahead reinforces the faith-rest life against emotional dismay.

Isaiah 41:10 (explicit citation and exposition)

Quoted: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will also help you, I will also uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Emphasis on divine sufficiency:

“I am with you… I am your God… I will strengthen you… I will help you… I will uphold you.”

Contrast: Courage is not self-generated bravery; the giants were greater than Israel.

Numbers 13 perspective failure:

“We became like grasshoppers in our sight… and in their sight.”

Point: They evaluated from human viewpoint; God’s answer: “I am with you… I will help you.” Faith is required.

Doctrinal reminder: “They didn’t enter the rest because… they didn’t unite [the promise] in faith.”

Implicit reference: Hebrews 4:2.

Word study: “Dismayed”

Definition given: “To anxiously look about, to be shattered, or to lose composure.”

Picture: “Mental fragmentation… looking in every direction in panic.”

Psalm 121:1–2 (explicit citation and exposition)

Quoted: “I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”

Illustration: A song based on this verse (personal note).

Exegetical emphasis:

Contrast between panic-scanning (dismay) and faith-lifting of eyes.

The Creator-creature distinction: help from “the Lord… who made heaven and earth.”

Warning: Fear easily morphs into arrogance—self-reliance replaces reliance on God.

Definition of arrogance: Elevating self above God and His Word.

Doctrinal application: Emotional arrogance and complex of sins feed off each other; the antidote is doctrinal orientation to the Creator’s sufficiency.

Indwelling of the Trinity and union with Christ

Review of verses “we looked at last week”:

Colossians 1:27 (explicit): “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Galatians 2:20 (explicit): “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me… I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”

Emphasis: Personhood of Christ and relational dynamic (“David’s always talking to me. It’s a person.” Context connects to living faith.)

Theological point:

For Israel, God went with and before them; for church-age believers, the Trinity indwells—Father, Son, and Spirit. Therefore, God is with believers in every problem.

Question of volition: Will I operate in the pre-designed plan of God (PPOG) or in the flesh?

New wine/old wineskins analogy and the inability of the flesh

Principle: “You can’t live the Christian life in your human flesh.”

New creation doctrine: Believers are given a new nature capable of pleasing God (the imputed, regenerate nature that does not sin in essence).

Warning: Attempting spiritual life in the flesh leads to collapse (“wineskins burst”), resulting in disillusionment: “I can’t do this… Christianity doesn’t work… the Word doesn’t work.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (explicit citation and doctrinal categories)

Quoted: “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

Definitions/notes:

“Spirit” = operational lifestyle in the Church Age (not a mood; a normative mode of living).

“Power” = divine power operational in the believer; the same power that was available to Jesus Christ in His humanity is available to us in the Church Age.

Christology/PPOG: Jesus in His humanity executed a pre-designed plan; He could have come down from the cross, yet “for the joy set before Him He endured the cross” (implicit Heb 12:2).

“Love” = virtue love.

“Discipline” (or sound judgment) = disciplined thinking; doctrinal orientation (identified as one of the problem-solving devices).

Fear as a function of carnality; doctrine as stabilizer

Thesis: Fear in the believer indicates carnality; without doctrine resident in the soul, problems produce anxiety and worry.

Statement: Fear, worry, and anxiety contradict God’s plan by denying God’s sufficiency and presence.

Application: When panic rules, we echo the ten spies: “It’s too great for us… it would have been better for us to go back to Egypt.”

Implicit references: Numbers 14:2–4; Exodus 14:11–12.

Volitional crossroads: “I’m either going to believe what this says or I’m not.” No half-belief.

Pastoral confession: Frequent personal exposure to seemingly insoluble problems; resolution is not understanding “how,” but trusting the One who resolves.

1 Peter 5:6–9 (explicit citation and exposition)

Quoted: “Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit; be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brothers and sisters who are in the world.”

Definition of humility (from last week, restated):

“Mental attitude that submits to the authority of God’s Word over human emotion, reasoning, or self-will.”

Word-study note: “Having cast” = a wrestling term; “body slamming” your anxieties onto God.

Theological assurance: “Because He cares for you.” God did not lead Israel to slaughter; He intended to demonstrate His deliverance.

Timing doctrine: “He may exalt you at the proper time.” Resolution is certain—either in time or in eternity.

Angelology and spiritual warfare:

The devil leverages the cosmic system to incite fear, worry, and anxiety.

Means used by the cosmic system: busyness, pressures, relationships, marriage/family friction, world chaos, economic instability, political changes—“these are the giants we have to face.”

Imperatives clarified:

Resist the devil (not “cast out,” not “rebuke,” not direct combat).

Method: “Firm in your faith” (shield of faith lifts to extinguish “all the fiery darts”).

Implicit reference: Ephesians 6:16.

Pastoral application:

Persuasion to trust amid overwhelming circumstances; refuse emotional takeover.

Personal testimony: Ongoing battles with waves of depression over the last 15 months; the discipline of faith-thinking (“check up from the neck up”) disperses the waves.

Self-examination questions:

“Am I thinking with divine viewpoint?”

“Am I trusting God?”

“Am I doing what David did—strengthening myself in the Lord my God?”

Implicit reference: 1 Samuel 30:6.

“Am I leaning on God’s character?”

Concession and comfort: If depression persists, keep walking with God; He will lead through it and it will eventually lift.

Transition to the fall narrative: Genesis 3

Purpose: To show the craftiness of temptation and the first manifestation of sin.

Clarification: Not the first sin per se, but the first recorded manifestation produced by sin.

Genesis 3:1–10 (explicit narrative scope; summarized sections)

Verses 2–5: The dialogue—distortion and denial of God’s Word.

Doctrinal principle: “Religious rationalization precedes sin.”

Verses 6–7: After sin—awareness, self-covering, human solutions (“shame management”).

Verses 8–10: Fear and hiding from God—“the first recorded manifestation of sin is fear.”

Doctrinal point:

Not immorality, drinking, smoking, or drugs—the first manifestation is fear.

Sin induces fear; fear separates believers from fellowship by false conclusions about God (“God is mad and is going to get me”).

Observation: God had not executed judgment yet; Adam and Eve hid preemptively from a distorted view of God’s posture—fear and shame propel hiding.

The Davidic contrast: why David was a man after God’s heart

Foreshadowed point: David’s distinction lay in how he responded when he failed—he turned to God rather than hiding (application pending further development).

Cross-centered assurance in Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10:10 (explicit): “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.”

Hebrews 10:14 (explicit): “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

Hebrews 10:17 (explicit): “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will no longer remember.”

Doctrinal synthesis:

If you believe God makes you pay for your sins, you nullify the cross.

The finished work of Christ renders divine remembrance and retribution for sin impossible for the believer.

Where the cross is not understood, fear persists; believers then rehearse past sins and project divine rejection onto God.

Opening pastoral concern: believers failing to “rebound” after sin

Problem described:

Common reaction to failure: “I failed, I messed up, I blew it.”

Instead of confessing and moving on in the plan of God, people become dominated by shame and fear.

Misinterpretation of life events:

Example: a flat tire gets interpreted as God “getting me back” for last night or last week’s sin.

Clarification:

This mindset is not biblical or scriptural.

Yes, divine discipline exists (as any good father disciplines a child who is straying), but God is not abusive nor “waiting with a hammer” to club believers every time they mess up.

Pastoral exhortation:

Pick up the pieces, thank God for forgiveness and the sacrifice at the cross, confess the sin, and move on.

Transition to David as exemplar of grace and recovery

Acts 13:22 cited and emphasized

Text reference: “a man after My heart, who will do all My will.”

Teacher’s noted emphasis: circled “who will do all My will.”

Thesis: Why was David a man after God’s own heart?

Teacher’s notes (“ramblings”):

His thinking, motivation, and faith were shaped by God’s Word and God’s grace.

He aligned his thinking with divine viewpoint.

He lived in rebound and grace recovery.

He depended completely on God’s character and had personal love for God.

David’s inner life and devotion to God

Psalm 40:8

Quote: “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”

Doctrinal point: Delight in God’s will flows from internalized doctrine (“Your law … in my heart”).

Psalm 42:1–2

Quote: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.”

Doctrinal point: Personal love for God; longing for fellowship.

Application from David’s failures and recovery

David failed many times yet never quit.

His attitude: rebound and recovery—not “run from God,” nor “God’s going to get me.”

He did not conclude, “I blew it; there’s no way God could have a plan for me now.”

He continued in grace:

“I’m going to trust in the grace and mercy of God in my life.”

God’s omniscience:

God knew all about the failure beforehand and knows all the mess-ups that may occur even later tonight (e.g., driving irritations: cut off, slow driver, tailgater).

Christ’s finished work:

“All of your sins were dealt with at the cross.”

Exhortation:

Do not live in fear of God because of failure.

Case study: 1 Chronicles 21—David’s census and God’s merciful discipline

Teacher’s preliminary notes:

David feared his enemies and sought security by human numbers.

Reading and exposition: 1 Chronicles 21:1–13 (last passages for the night)

1 Chronicles 21:1

“Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.”

Doctrinal point:

Satanic agency influencing leadership into human viewpoint security.

“Crafty devil”—links to biblical theme of craftiness.

Cross-reference concept:

Genesis 3:1: “The serpent was more crafty than any other beast.”

Ephesians 4:14: warning against being “tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine” and by human “craftiness.”

Note: Teacher emphasized the word “craftiness” appearing in both contexts (serpent; doctrinal instability).

1 Chronicles 21:2–3

David commands Joab and princes to number Israel; Joab objects:

Joab’s counsel: “May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many… are they not all my lord’s servants? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?”

Doctrinal point:

Joab recognizes divine sufficiency; warns against guilt-producing initiative.

1 Chronicles 21:4–6

The king’s word prevails; census proceeds; Levi and Benjamin not numbered due to Joab’s abhorrence.

Doctrinal point:

Human viewpoint resolves to quantify military strength; Joab senses spiritual wrongness.

1 Chronicles 21:7

“God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.”

Doctrinal point: Divine displeasure and discipline for reliance on numbers over God.

1 Chronicles 21:8

David confesses: “I have sinned greatly… please take away the iniquity of Your servant… I have done very foolishly.”

Rebound doctrine:

Name it, cite it; David acknowledges guilt and seeks forgiveness.

1 Chronicles 21:9–12

God’s offer through Gad: three disciplinary options

Three years of famine; three months fleeing before enemies; three days of the sword of the Lord (pestilence) with the angel of the Lord destroying.

Doctrinal point: Divine discipline calibrated; God allows David to choose the mode.

1 Chronicles 21:13

David’s choice: “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Doctrinal emphasis:

Confidence in God’s character; preference for divine correction over human exploitation.

Principle: “To whom much is given, much is required.”

Teacher’s pastoral comment:

God must discipline David as king; discipline is not capricious but righteous and merciful.

Synthesis and application from the passage

Teacher’s summary on slide:

“Joab counsels: the Lord is with us.”

“Divine response: discipline; choice: fall into the hands of enemies or the hand of God.”

“To whom much is given.”

“The mature attitude prefers divine correction over human exploitation.”

“Confidence: He was confident in God’s character.”

Job 13:15 cited

Quote: “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him; nevertheless, I will argue my ways before Him.”

Application:

Absolute trust in God’s character in suffering and discipline.

Pastoral focus for next week and tonight’s core takeaway

Continuation planned:

Further teaching on the emotional complex of sins next week (“For whatever reason, God wants me to keep going… I have more to say.”)

Tonight’s highlighted point (apart from “giants” motif mentioned briefly):

Fear that cripples believers is often fear of God following personal failures—more than external trials.

Mental script: “I can’t go on; God’s mad at me; God’s going to get me.”

Correction:

“God’s not mad at you. God’s grace and God’s mercy overshadow everything.”

Rebound procedure:

1 John 1:9

Quote: “Confess your sins… He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”

Doctrinal point:

Magnitude or degree of sin is irrelevant to the efficacy of the cross.

“Sin is not the issue.”

The issue:

Are we going to be filled with the Spirit?

Will we proceed to metabolize and apply Bible doctrine and go forward in the plan of God?

Or will we be derailed by giants/tribulations/problems?

God’s sovereignty in trials; call to forward motion

Doctrinal principle:

God deliberately allows insurmountable problems in human strength to test trust and faith.

God to Israel: the nations were mightier and greater, yet God would dispossess them.

Red Sea historical reminder:

God’s word: “Why are you crying to Me? Have the people move forward.”

Promise: “I’m going to open the Red Sea… I got this… I have everything under control.”

Application:

Go forward in the plan of God; follow Him; trust Him amid trials.

Pre-designed plan of God and escrow blessings

Doctrinal development (preview):

Escrow blessings placed by God in eternity past.

God “graced us out” in eternity past; His desire is to bless believers and produce winners (mature believers) who receive escrow blessings.

Many fail to receive because they fixate on problems and circumstances, become dismayed, lose composure, and look around rather than trust.

Pastoral illustrations and practical exhortations

Everyday pressures:

Car breakdown, house needs a new roof, family member ill, hospitalizations, personal health—believers look around asking, “How am I going to manage this?”

God’s answer:

“I’m waiting for you to trust Me. You can’t do all of this.”

Encouraging pivot:

“I can’t take it anymore, God.” Response: “Good—let Me show you what I can do.”

Teacher noted he posted this thought on Facebook: “You can’t do it anymore—good. Let Me show you what I can do then.”

Q&A segment: arrogance and recovery

Question: When you become arrogant, what do you do? What’s the procedure and solution?

Teacher’s answer:

Confess your sin (rebound).

Adjust to doctrine (align thinking and conduct with Scripture).

Practice “check-up from the neck-up”: constant evaluation under the Spirit’s conviction.

Warning:

In arrogance and emotional complexes, people get “too far down the road” and then won’t rebound.

The solution is always the same: rebound—confess, name it, cite it, pick up the pieces, move on.

Attribution:

Pastor R.B. Thieme Jr.: “Rebound and keep moving” (booklet title; repeated principle).

Additional participant insights affirmed by teacher:

Keep short accounts; don’t let sin accumulate.

Cast your burden on the Lord (relief through humility).

Exhortation cited: “Humble yourself therefore under the mighty hand of God.”

God’s faithfulness contrasted with our faithlessness; arrogance stems from unbelief—trying to do what only God can do.

Impatience as a key driver of arrogance: wanting things “yesterday” when God says “tomorrow” because we are not ready.

1 John 1:9 reiterated:

Confess, return to fellowship, wait for God’s rescue, witness how God works.

Illustration:

The “almost at the finish line” principle:

Natural realm quote adapted spiritually: “The only real loser is the person who didn’t know how close to success they were when they gave up.”

Testimony from teacher:

Years resisting God; “you must decrease, I must increase.”

Personal disbelief years ago that he would ever teach the Bible again—yet God restored him.

Cross reflection:

Two criminals: one humbled and appealed to Christ, “Remember me when You come into Your kingdom,” the other rejected. Humility receives grace.

Recovery requires humility:

People deep in complexes of sins have difficulty recovering; humility is the only way.

Teacher’s vulnerable disclosure:

Quoting Pastor Robert McLaughlin (“Pastor Bob”): sometimes people with mental illness are among the most arrogant; teacher identified with this in his past—entitled, arrogant, needy.

Real humility requires: “I am wrong; God is right. God knows everything; I know nothing. God is all-powerful; I am not.”

Warning against false humility:

Feigned lowliness (“shuffling feet, ‘I’m not special’”) can be the worst arrogance.

Real humility = healthy assessment of self by grace: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”

Preview for next week:

Healthy self-assessment by grace, concluding segment on emotional complex of sins.

Closing prayer

Thanksgiving for time in the Word and its truth.

Petition:

Use these principles to help execution of God’s plan.

Spirit to quicken the message to hearts.

Empowerment to live in the plan God designed and to receive escrow blessings.

Blessing requested on all present.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

Summary of Scripture References in Exact Order Mentioned

1 John 1:9

Numbers 13:25–33

Deuteronomy 9:1–3

2 Peter 1:2

Hebrews 4:1–11

Ephesians 1:3

1 Peter 1:4

Ephesians 4:14

1 Samuel 30:6

Deuteronomy 31:6

Deuteronomy 31:8

Isaiah 41:10

Psalm 121:1–2

Colossians 1:27

Galatians 2:20

2 Timothy 1:7

1 Peter 5:6–9

Genesis 3:1–10

Hebrews 10:10

Hebrews 10:14

Hebrews 10:17

Acts 13:22

Psalm 40:8

Psalm 42:1–2

1 Chronicles 21:1–13

Job 13:15

1 John 1:9 (reiterated)

Exodus 14:11–12 (implicit in application; “Why are you crying to Me? … move forward.”)