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Let's pray Lord God, we ask that you would bless your word wherever it is proclaimed make it a word of power and peace

To convert those not yet your own to confirm those who have come to saving faith may your word pass from our ears to our hearts from our hearts to our lips and from the lips to our lives as You've promised your word may achieve the purpose for which you've sent it.

We ask this all through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen Okay, so we are in 2nd

Samuel and I'll try to go in order this week so last week we did chapter 2 before chapter 1 and Think of that song this senior moment

So if you remember from last week Saul is dead.

Jonathan's dead. Mephibosheth is dead and Abner without any office has anointed

David to be the not David but anointed one of the sons of Saul to be the king of Israel he had no authority to do so and Abner is in rebellion to God's Word.

But as I said last week, this story is actually one of repentance and it actually speaks pretty well of the

One of the themes we talked about in our sermon today and that is the scandal of the forgiveness of sins the scandal of grace

It's actually quite scandalous that people who are outright treasonous

Rebels against Christ can be forgiven. I mean you think of it this way did

Abner What what what should Abner have done upon the death of Saul? He should have bent the knee to David.

Did he know? He didn't instead without any authority whatsoever.

He anointed a new king over Israel so the kingdom remains divided and there's been now a battle fought between David's guys and Abner's fellows and people have lost their lives there's a lot of rancor and hatred and disunity and discord in Israel and What does

Abner deserve? Deserves to be hung by a tree

You have this carcass Hung up for everybody to see as an example of this is what you do with with people who are treasonous traitors of this type

But we're gonna note as we read this text Abner is not going to be strung up on a tree as he deserves

Instead Abner through the word is going to repent Not only is he going to repent he's gonna actually be forgiven by David and Treated as a brother treated as a prince now

Remember that one of the brothers of Joab Has died as a hell has been killed by Abner and they're bearing a grudge

Do you think they're going to be on board? with this Abner being forgiven thing No, and so in this story, we actually kind of see a microcosm of the fact that Christ forgives the worst of sinners and That that forgiveness is boundless.

It is limitless and that there are no asterisks That's a word, right?

Yeah, I mean I I like to follow baseball right and Sometimes when somebody wins a championship or the and there's been scandal or the season hasn't been quite right

They technically they go into the record books. But when they go into the record books, they have a what an asterisk

You think of you know, the fellow who years ago, you know became the home run king, you know

Right, right. He he hit 70 home runs in a year, right? Well, he was taking steroids

So he was in the record books, but he had an asterisk that well bonds

No, I No, no, no, he played for st.

Louis Josh pay attention to this.

We want to make it a lot sound like we're smart So when we can't find the answer squish the video audio together to hide the evidence

There was an asterisk, right so when People are forgiven by God.

Is there an asterisk? No Thank God Now we say that for ourselves.

But what about that person? It's tougher. It is tougher

Is it I you're being honest, right?

So we sit there and we'll say well It's not so tough to not have an asterisk for the town whore the town drunk the guy who went to prison for knocking off a convenience store or that fellow who

Whose marriage blew up? But what about like the pastor who has a terrible fall from grace, right?

public sins What about that guy? You know, what about somebody who was you know?

Just start start naming the thing but as soon as you start putting an asterisk on anybody's forgiveness

What are you doing? You're judging and you're you're but who are you judging?

Yeah, you're not judging the person who committed the sin You're actually judging Christ who forgave it.

That's the issue, huh? Yeah, that's a biggie Yeah Yes, it's okay for you

Jesus to forgive these people this group but to forgive that group

You know Nazis that's a little too much you can't for you right you start as soon as you start throttling it

The person you're judging is not the sinner who committed the sins. You're forgiving the

Jesus who forgave them and That's a very dangerous place to be in because now you have become the one who gets to decide

Who gets forgiven and who doesn't and it's not based on the biblical standard what?

Right, it's not. Okay. So when I took my ordination vows, I took my ordination vows.

I promised that I would forgive the sins of the penitent and In my ordination vows it

I did not say I'll forgive the sins of the penitent as long as the sins are not this that or the other thing I Have authority to forgive sins of the penitent.

I also have authority to retain the sins of the impenitent, right? so regardless of the magnitude of the sin at least in our eyes

Christ Can and does forgive people freely and again this gets to the scandal of grace and What's really scary is when you get people in church offices who will say?

You don't get an absolution because I don't think you're penitent enough.

I haven't seen enough Tears, I haven't seen enough

Fruit from your repentance yet. What are they doing?

They're literally damning up the grace of Christ. You don't want to do that That's really kind of the motif that we're gonna be working in here.

So we're gonna see Abner straight up Treasonous fellow who deserves to no doubt die for his treason against the true king

No doubt about it, and that's not what's gonna happen. And so that creates the scandal here 2nd

Samuel chapter 3 verse 1 then reads there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David How needless that is right?

David grew stronger and stronger while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker 2nd

Samuel chapter 3 now verse 2 the sons of and sons were born to David at Hebron The first was

I am none of a Hanoam of Jezreel and the second Heliab of Abigail the widow of Neville of Carmel the third

Absalom the son of Macha The daughter of Talmai the king of Gesher.

So you're gonna note here. This is kind of fascinating here first mention of her Macha Absalom will later

Try to have his father killed and kicked out of office and take his place So we're gonna see here that while David is in Hebron Macha the daughter of Talmai king of Gesher.

This is a political marriage Political marriage now, we don't understand how these necessarily work in our context in the

United States but think of it this way back in the ancient world you go back to ancient Europe or you know, even medieval

Europe and When I was in college and I had to take European history,

I was lost I mean I yeah, yeah, because all the intrigue isn't is among the different royal families and so you got

Spain fighting with England and this thing going on with the the Duke regent of Whatever right and you just your head spins because number one, you don't know the geography number two

You've never heard of these people and number three is like this reads like a soap opera and I'm bored to tears by soap operas but we kind of understand that in in that context that if two nations were hostile to each other one of the ways in which to prevent hostilities would be that a king would take his daughter and give her in marriage to The prince of the king of the land where there was hostilities with this kind of thinking that well now that they're married

Now that they're married the chances of that of that region attacking us is bad

Because his wife would give him grief. Well, you're gonna kill my father. You're gonna attack my people How dare you see how to get the idea?

So we see here that David now while he's in Hebron has

Gotten married to a princess the princess of Who's the daughter of Talmai the king of Gesher the fourth is

Adonijah the son of Haggith and the fifth Shephatiah the son of Abital and the sixth

Aetherium of Agla David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron No, they're all his wives there are technically all his wives

Well, no in this particular case, it's the the immediate reference is the is the is the child who was born of Agla She's also one of his wives

So they're all wives, but it just in that particular sentence. It's dealing with the one child who was born to this particular wife

So There we go. Now. I need to give you a little bit of history Also, I may have mentioned this before but it bears repeating in this context in the ancient

Near East in this era in this age that a king was the best way

I can describe it is that a a King and his wives was similar to a lion and his pride of lionesses it was kind of like that and I'm kind of pulling on a naturalistic metaphor and that this is an important thing that when a king died or Somebody was making a run at Trying to usurp the king and become king himself

That one of the ways that occurred so if a king dies the fellow who succeeds him by having mating privileges with his harem

That that is seen as an act of him saying to the world I'm king or if somebody's making a run at the king sleeping with his wives and concubines

Would be a way of telegraphing his intent to overthrow him. I know it's just weird because it's like where did that come from?

I don't know It does Okay Yes Yeah, and this is why

I liken it to a pride of lions because technically this is how a lion pride works If you if you know how male lions when when they're adolescent and they start to get their manes they're not strong enough to take over a pride and it's not until a lion is older in a pride and is loses his strength that he's then usurped by a younger lion and That with that goes mating privileges with the females

Yeah, I've seen this on some animal thing that I was flipping channels. It's like yeah. Anyway, you kind of get the idea

Yeah, so it's like that. So the animal kingdom has come now into human kingdoms

So you got to know that little subplot here in order to kind of get what comes next Right on.

Okay. I grew up in Southern, California So the only bulls I saw were in cartoons, so right

Second Samuel chapter 3 verse 6 there was a war between the house of Saul and the house of David Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul and you're gonna see how now

Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah the daughter of aaha and ishbosheth said to Abner.

Why have you gone into my father's concubine? Notice the text said that Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

There's a real simple reason why he Had sex with Rizpah is because He was making himself strong It's not that he had that Wibbly -wobbly feeling inside for her and they wanted to make a house together and put up a white picket fence

It was because of political intrigue. He was making himself strong in in Saul's house, so Abner Typical when people are confronted with their

Sins, he was angry very angry over the words of ishbosheth and said am I a dog's head of Judah?

Try that one out with your neighbors sometime when you're insulted, you know, am I a dog's head of Oslo, you know

The interesting retort to this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father

To his brothers and to his friends and have not given you Yet into the hand of David and yet you charge me today with a fault

Concerning a woman actually the charge was that you're I'm making a run at being

King yourself God do so to Abner and more also if I do not accomplish for David what

Yahweh has sworn to him to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah and From Dan to bear

Sheba now note here. This is the first rumblings of Abner's repentance and the first rumblings are he's going to do the right thing for the wrong reason

Which is kind of fascinating what's the reason why he's now going to transfer the kingdom to David Because he's ticked

That he's been called on the carpet by ish Bosheth regarding Rizpah He's angry and incensed about it and this is an honor culture and he's feeling dishonored

So first mention of this he's he's now beginning to think he's going to do the right thing

But for the wrong reason but note here that he's made it clear that in his breath are the actual words of God Did not the

Lord swear to David to transfer the kingdom to him? And so he's remembering now

God's Word and repentance is worked through the Word of God It doesn't just come out of nowhere

It works through the Word of God. So he's remembering what God said He's it's now on his mind.

It's in his heart. It's on his lips and Still he's going to do the he's setting out to do the right thing for the wrong reason, but this is going to change

This is going to change because God's Word is now going to work repentance in him. So Abner Sent messengers to David on his behalf saying to whom does the land belong?

Make your covenant with me and behold my hand shall be with you to bring over all of Israel to you

Right thing wrong reason and notice he wants to cut a deal Cutting a deal here

I'm gonna bring all of Israel over to you. So make a covenant with me. We can work this out. I Know it's not his to give and yet again, he's doing the right thing

But the reason why is still off So David said good.

I will make a covenant with you But one thing I require of you that is that you shall not see my face

Unless you first bring the call Saul's daughter when you come to see my face Then David sent messengers to Ishmael Sheth Saul's son saying give me my wife

McCall for whom I paid the bridal price of 104 skins to of the

Philistines actually he paid to But who's counting and ishbojeth sent and took her from her husband

Paul TL the son of Leish But her husband went with her weeping after all after her all the way to Bahrain Then Abner said to him go return and he returned a little bit of a note here scripture actually talks about that if a woman has committed adultery and returns to her husband, it would be an

Actually a bad thing in This particular case, although this was against her will she's been with Paul TL now and she's been an adulteress the whole time and So when you read the

Church Fathers on this and you can't push too hard on it they see in this some picture if you would of the church and Christ You know the estranged wife now being brought back to Christ although she's technically an adulteress and of him forgiving her for her adulteries and Desire and desiring for the relationship to be restored.

You can't push too hard on it because you're gonna see that McCall She's gonna end up dying childless

You know later in the story, but you at this point you can kind of see there's a picture if you would of the church we are all born dead and trespasses and sins enemies of God and Christ and Christ bleeds and dies for us and washes away our sins and restores the relationship and we are the bride of Christ collectively you see how that works.

So kind of a it's an interesting typology then then and I get it I get it.

It's you can't push too hard on it So I think that's a good way of you know Kind of like focusing it on Christ and meditating on that particular theme in Scripture is beneficial

All right next Abner conferred with the elders of Israel saying for some time past you have been seeking

David as king over you now then bring it about for Yahweh has promised

David saying and now watch this direct quote Now the actual Word of God the direct quote from the

Prophet Samuel is now in the lips of Abner By the hand of my servant David I will save my people

Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all of their enemies and When you hear a prophecy like this

By the hand of my servant David, I will save my people You can't help but think there's got to be like a twin fulfillment here

One pointing to David and the old the the ultimate fulfillment of a prophecy like this pointing to Christ Because this is a salvific theme and that's oftentimes house how prophecies work

So now Abner is actually he's gone back checked his notes he knows exactly what the

Lord has said God's Word is on his lips and God's Word does not return to him void and now the

Word of God is now working in him and you're gonna see that he's going to change from doing the right thing for the wrong reasons and He's already beginning to do this to do the right thing for the right reasons recognizing that it was the

Lord who established David and Tacitly in public

Recognizing that he's been working against that and that's kind of what the gist of this little speech is here, right?

So Abner also spoke to Benjamin Then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do when

Abner came with 20 men to David at Hebron David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him

Huh? Which parable does this sound like it sounds exactly like the prodigal son does it not?

Okay, let's take a look at that real quick because I think it's worth Reviewing because the themes are unmistakably identical.

Hang on a second Harris build that wrong. Unfortunately, it's user error

All right, Luke 15 1 This is a picture of repentance the tax collectors and the sinners were all drawing near to Jesus Well, we got to put a stop to that At least that's how the

Pharisees thought right and the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled saying this man Receives sinners

That's weird because if Jesus were to eat at the Pharisees house, would he be eating with sinners? Yeah, so, you know, it's kind of the theme here against the self -righteous

So Jesus told them this parable and it's important to note parable here is in the singular.

This is one parable three chapters Chapter one what man of you having a hundred sheep if he has lost one of them does not leave the 99 in the open country go after the one that is lost until he finds it and when he has found it he lays it

On his shoulders rejoicing and when he comes home He calls together his friends and his neighbors saying to them rejoice with me for I have found my sheep that was lost

So I tell you there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance

So the angels have a party every time a sinner repents and sinner Repentance is here likened to a shepherd finding a lost sheep picking the sheep up putting on a shoulder

Carrying it back to the sheep pen and you can say that little sheep is going. Hey, look at me. I'm repenting

All right the whole time Who's the active agent in the repentance then?

God is working that in the sheep. Okay, and if you miss the point chapter two of the one parable or That what woman having ten silver coins and this is the day when they did not have nice hardwood floors floors were made out of dirt

Okay Having ten silver coins if she loses one coin does not light a lamp

Sweep the house seek diligently until she finds it and when she has found it She calls together her friends and neighbors saying rejoice with me

I have found the coin that I had lost just so I tell you there is joy before the angels of God over one

Sinner who repents by the way, what did the lost coin do to be found? Nothing Right.

So you notice here One parable three chapters opening chapters make it clear who the active agent is in repentance.

It's God Now we get to chapter three There was a man who had two sons

The younger of them said to his father father give me the share of property It is coming to me and he divided his property between them

Not many days later the younger son gathered all that he had and took a journey into a far country and there he squandered his property on reckless living

So just so you kind of get the gist of what's going on here honor culture son basically says to dad dad

It really upsets me that you're not dead yet Since you're not doing me any favors and dying anytime soon.

I don't really love you I just want what you have. Would you just give me the inheritance now, and we'll just I'll wait for you to die later

That's kind of the gist of the subtext of what he's saying. What a lovely son Lovely son.

All right Just has the best bond with his dad, right?

So when he'd spent everything so he spends his property in reckless living important to note here It doesn't actually say what he does except for its reckless living.

It doesn't define what reckless living is Not sure what that is. Maybe he was at the racetrack

Who knows when he had spent everything a severe famine arose in the country? He began to be in need so we went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country who sent him into his fields to feed pigs and He was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate and no one gave him anything

So we have a Jewish boy feeding pigs. That's just the lowest of the low

But when he came to himself, he said how many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread

But I perish here with hunger I will arise go to my father and I will say to him father. I've sinned against heaven and before you

I am no longer worthy to be called your son. This is most certainly true Treat me as one of your hired servants notice.

He's trying to cut a deal The confession is correct, but he wants to cut a deal which means he's still kind of in charge.

But watch what happens So he rose came to his father, but while he was still a long way off his father saw him felt compassion very strong in the

Greek his plug needs of my were just wrenched within him and he ran and he embraced his son and kissed him and The son said to him father

I have sinned against heaven and before you and I am no worth no longer worthy to be called your son full stop

That's the confession of sins This is most certainly true, but watch this the father said to servants quick Bring the best robe put it on him put a ring on his hand his shoes and his feet

Bring the fatted calf kill it. Let us eat and celebrate for this My son was dead and is alive.

He was lost and is found and they began to celebrate They began to party like it was

BC 99, that's grace was there an asterisk

Nope full rights as son full honor full forgiveness full pardon

And how do you think the older son's gonna like that? He won't next part.

His older son was in the field. He came drew near to the house He heard music and dancing and he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant

He said your brother has come your father has killed the fatted calf Because he's received him back safe and sound and he was angry and refused to go in Who's he angry at?

His father That's who he's angry at The person who is scandalized by the gospel is angry at Jesus How dare you forgive him or her because remember the context was this the

Pharisees were incensed That what? Jesus was eating with sinners

He was angry.

He refused to go in his father came out and entreated him and notice his father is being insulted by this son

And being dishonored by him in his behavior But he asked he answered his father. Look these many years.

I have served you I never disobeyed your command yet. You never gave me even a young goat that I might celebrate with my friends

Notice that this the son is describing himself not as a son, but as a slave or a servant

It's not interesting But when this son of yours Came who has devoured your property with prostitutes.

Yeah, I I don't it didn't say that in the text That's weird kind of slander there

You killed the fatted calf for him and he said to him son You're always with me and all that is mine is yours

It was fitting to celebrate and be glad for this your brother was dead and is alive.

He was lost And it's found. This is the motif.

This is the doctrine. This is the theology that is in our Old Testament text so here you have

Abner the treasonous fellow who's caused Israel to be split who's Put ishbochef in an office as king with no authority to do so.

This is the fellow who deserves to die he's killed he's killed

Asahel and Joab and Abishai are gonna get vengeance on him

And this is the fellow now who because God's Word is working in him is Laying down his arms rallying all of Israel and gonna transfer the kingdom to David and David gives him asterisk free pardon and it's scandalous

Absolutely scandalous, so just then 2nd

Samuel 3 Oh verse 20 Abner came with 20 men to David at Hebron David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him

Abner said to David I will arise and go I will gather all of Israel to my lord the king so that they may make a

Covenant with you and that you may reign over all that your hearts desires So David sent

Abner away he went Bach Shalom in peace

Peace Shalom. He went in peace and that's what forgiveness does

It gives us Shalom with Christ Go in peace

This is not going to sit well with Joab So just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from raid

Bringing much spoil with them, but Abner was not with David at Hebron for he had sent him away and he'd gone in Chile in peace

Bach Shalom When Joab and all the army that was with him came

It was told Joab Abner the son of Ner came to the king and he has let him go and he has gone

Bach Shalom, he's gone in peace and Joab goes what?

What So Joab went to the king and he said what have you done?

Who's he blaming David? What have you done

Oh Abner came to you. Why is it that you've sent him away so that he's gone?

You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know you're going out and you're coming in and to know

All that you're doing. Oh, isn't that interesting? Joab wasn't even there.

He didn't hear any of the words of Abner He didn't see his demeanor

Didn't see the sincerity of what he is doing and he's straight -up lying about him and It's basically ascribing to his motives the worst of intents what he's really planning on doing

He's here to spy this all out because he's gonna come and slaughter you knew what what

Joe I've trust in him. I mean David trusted trusted Abner David trust in him

David held a feast for him The one who was lost has been found He's not but he's not he's not listening to Joab So when

Joab came out from David's presence He sent messengers after Abner and they brought him back from the cistern of Sira but David did not know about it and When Abner returned to Hebron Joe had

Joe I've took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately And there he struck him in the stomach so that he could speak to him

But he died for the blood of Asahel his brother remember

Asahel died when Joe I've took the back end of his spear to get him to stop and they went right through his

Stomach and he ended up dying So now this is a vengeance killing Total vengeance killing

David knew nothing about it. David didn't sanction it and you can see that when

Joab left the presence of David he'd gotten nowhere with David So he's acting all on his own

Forgive this fellow. How dare you? Have a feast for him.

How? dare You so he struck him in the stomach so that he died for the blood of Asahel his brother

Afterward when David heard of it He said I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before Yahweh for the blood of Abner the son of Ner May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all of his father's house

I made a house of Joab never be without one who has a Discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks?

bread so Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because he had put their brother

Asahel to death in the Battle of Gibeon and This is a huge curse, by the way

This is a cursed reserve for the most of the most impenitent refusing to forgive those who have been forgiven to treat somebody as Unforgiven who is forgiven is a grievous sin in the eyes of God There's a grievous sin in the kingdom of God.

You see it terrible

David's actions next are beautiful because how much

Repentance has Abner had time to demonstrate prior to his assassination

Almost none. All we see was his intent to make things, right?

And he was on his way to Undo his own sin. He hadn't even had time to basically make things right not at all and How is

David gonna treat him remember he is a treasonous murderous rebel who's divided the kingdom and Through his treason deserve to die but watch how he's treated in his death

So David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him tear your clothes put on sackcloth

Mourn before Abner and King David followed the beer David takes

Abner's funeral and turns it into a state funeral the king himself

Following the casket Right behind it. They buried

Abner at Hebron The king lifted up his voice and he wept at the grave of Abner and all the people wept

Remember Jesus weeping at Lazarus's tomb the king lamented for Abner saying

Should Abner die as a fool dies your hands were not bound your feet were not fettered as one falls before the wicked you have

Fallen and all the people wept again over him Then all the people came to persuade

David to eat bread while it was yet day But David swore saying God do so to me and more if I taste bread or anything else until the

Sun goes down He weeps he laments he fasts and all the people took notice of it and it pleased them

There's everything that the king did pleased all the people So all the people in all of Israel understood that day that it had not been the king's will to put

To death Abner the son of Ner and the king said to his servants. Do you not know that a prince and A great man has fallen this day in Israel you have got to be kidding me notice he goes from treasonous rebel

All the way to Prince. That's crazy, but I'll tell you what

It gives me hope gives me hope

It shows me the limitless boundless nature of Christ's forgiveness and mercy and his pardon is without asterisk and it's humbling and It's beautiful You get a picture of the results of the cross here in King David Unfortunately, there's way too much

Joab in me. Do you not know that a prince?

and a great man has fallen this day in Israel and I was gentle today though anointed

King these men the sons of Zariah are more severe than I Yahweh repay the evildoer according to his wickedness from a political point of view

What Joab did? By the world standards was very helpful for David It helps establish his kingdom gets rid of the man who is blocking the kingdom from being united But the circumstances mean everything

David is behaving like Christ here Joab like Sinful grudge -bearing, huh murderous thugs.

Yeah No Absolutely not no

So this is where you you have to keep the right in the left -hand kingdom separate in your mind so the idea then is that the left -hand kingdom has been given the sword for the purpose of punishing the evildoer and This keeps evil at bay so let's say that Some fellow, you know, he goes on a murdering spree kills a bunch of people.

He's a pagan and He's found guilty goes to prison and In prison he's brought to penitent faith in Christ his

Punishment for this because he lives in Texas is that he's going to be executed because Texas does this right?

So now that he's brought been brought to penitent faith in Christ Should we be sitting there going?

No, you can't execute him. He's forgiven by Christ No We actually say to this fellow you're going to die as a temporal consequence for your sins and This is good and right in God's eyes because God has given the government and the government has said you must die for this and so you must but we say your eternal consequences are paid for by Christ and So what we do is that and if somebody commits a crime and they end up having to serve out their full sentence and they're released

And they're brought to penitent faith in Christ. Well, and they come here to Kong's vinger Does it matter that they are a felon who's been forgiven as far as membership in our church

Nope Are they welcome during fellowship time to sit here and eat with us and drink with us to pray with us to have the

Lord's Supper on bended knee at our altar Absolutely what they did makes no difference to us

They have the full rights and privileges of citizens of the kingdom of Christ in this church

Now they still might have consequences. They have to serve in the temporal world. I mean it could be parole It could be a whole lot of other things

Difficulty getting a job and stuff like that that all goes along with this but here

Makes no difference We're all equal forgiven Pardon traitors

Asterisk free we don't sit there and say oh he sat at this table.

I'm gonna go sit over there. He scares me His tattoos are demonic

Right, you see the difference Yeah, and I'll keep coming back to because I think it's so poignant is again pastor

Gerke, who was the chaplain to the Nazi war criminals in Nuremberg, you know

He just keep coming back to that. It's the perfect example of it You know six of the fellows that he was ministering to were brought to penitent faith in Christ they all hung for their crimes and Rightly, so and pastor

Gerke went to the gallows with them didn't send the steps But he walked them to the gallows and they went up the steps and I love that one of them

As he was ascending the steps looks at his pastor and says I'll see you later And so there you see the right in the left -hand

Kingdom at work absolved with Christ Paying the penalty for his crimes as he rightly should that's what the left -hand

Kingdom is for Yeah, and so that Nazi war criminal he's wait.

He's there. He's there in the presence of Christ right now Seeing him face -to -face

Are you offended that when you get there? That you might have to make eye contact with that guy, you know

Yes Yes, yes So we must always look to Christ who's bled and died for the sins of the world asterisk free and He pardons and his pardon is full

Is without asterisk is without measure. It is with full state honors that Abner's funeral he was declared a prince this treasonous terrible man was declared a prince by David It's a beautiful picture of mercy and forgiveness

I think you get the idea asterisk free forgiveness. I think we'll end there but Don you had a question

I Love the fact that this still plays out and Challenges us to this day.

I mean, that's a great example of a modern -day exam, you know Example of this how it all works out, but unfortunately again,

I'll kind of point this out within myself man, I see a lot of that older brother who's

Upset that the father killed the fatted calf for that no good lousy dirty rotten thieving dishonorable

Miserable excuse for a brother brother, right? Yeah But see the fault doesn't lie with the father and his mercy fault lies with me and my self -righteousness and my lack of love

It's terrible It's absolutely terrible. So stories like this. I love how they challenge us they challenge us with the fact that Christ forgives freely and Incompletely and as far as the

East is from the West so he casts our sin from him Or I like to say he takes all of our sin throws it into the sea of God's forgetfulness and puts up with an old

Fishing side. Yeah Yep, and the person who wants to bring up somebody else's sins

You know somebody's penitent forgiven absolved right standing in the church and wants to continue to remind the public of the sins that person is

Joab it's a dangerous spot to be in because Joab is cursed for this lack of forgiveness mercilessness

No, love at all is nothing. He's not has nothing in common with David at all. That's the point