Good morning, this is Pastor David Pittman. I'm speaking to you from the auditorium of the Addison Baptist Church. Sadly, our church is not able to gather here this morning, but I pray this broadcast will be encouragement to you and we'll continue our series in this manner from the Sermons on the Mount. Let's begin with prayer. Father, we are in much need as a nation, as communities, as families, as individuals, As our battle with this virus continues, we pray for the health providers and of course for those suffering. But right now our focus is upon the spiritual needs that we have as a people and that our nation has and folk around us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on our hearts and we pray that someone will hear the good news of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and be saved as we were saved in repentance and faith. We ask these things in Jesus name, amen. My series is Sermons on the Mount, and we've looked at Noah and the Ark on Ararat. We looked at Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah, Moses on Sinai, Caleb on Hebron, Elijah on Mount Carmel, Elisha on Mount Carmel, Joshua on Mount Ephraim, Last, David on Mount Olivet and today David on Mount Moriah. If you have your Bible and I trust you can pause and take time to find it or gather the scripture and read it with me in 2 Samuel, one of the historical books, chapter 24, 2 Samuel chapter 24. You may recognize the name of this mount. It's the mount upon which Abraham was tested in bringing Isaac as an offering. God didn't require that and placed the ram and the thicket to take Isaac's place. but you'll also recognize it as the mount where Solomon will build one day the first temple to replace the tabernacle. 2 Samuel 24 said, and David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in that I have done, and now I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant, For I have done very foolishly. For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, Go and say unto David. Thus said the Lord, I offer thee three things. Choose thee one of them that I may do it unto thee. So Gad came to David and told him and said unto him, shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies while they pursue thee? Or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? Now advise and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait. Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man. I hasten to add as a footnote here that when I was preparing this series and preparing this sermon, I did not anticipate that I would be bringing this message in a time of great difficulty for our nation, our community, dealing with this sickness that sweeps across the world. And as the health providers scramble to help those who are sick and to find a vaccine and to find medicines, I do not suggest any way that we can make this pestilence in 2 Samuel 24 as a type or a picture of this modern-day plague. Inevitably, it is a peculiar analogy and draws some attention to it. I point out here in the text that of the three chastisements and For background, of course, David has sinned in numbering the people. Again, I make no allusion to the decade-long census of the United States. I do not suggest that that's some kind of sin. I don't want to be misrepresented or misunderstood. But David had certainly sinned because he had been moved by pride. More about that later. And in his pride, we'll learn pride always goes before a fall, God will chasten him. David is God's child. David is God's servant, but he had sinned in this matter, and God gives him the unusual choice of choosing his chastisement. Would it be seven years of famine, or three months of military defeat before his enemies, or three days of a plague? I simply point out that of the three, the plague is the least severe, it is the least time, and it is in the direct hand of God. And as you can see in your text there, David chooses to fall into the hand of God and not the hand of man. In the Goes on to say, so the Lord sent a pestilence or a plague upon Israel from the morning, even to the time appointed. And there died of the people from Dan, even to Beersheba, that is across the whole land of Israel, 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, The Lord repented of him of the evil and said to the angel that destroyed the people, it is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing place of Arunah the Jebusite. And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smoked the people and said, lo, I have sinned. And let me say, I believe there's a parallel here. God changes his mind because David changed his actions. God doesn't change. But God's wrath is turned to mercy because of what David does when he repents and brings his offering. David is admitting that he sinned. He says, lo, I have sinned and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house. And Gad, that's the prophet, came that day to David and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Arona, the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. And Arunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Arunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. And Arunah said, wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? David said, to buy the threshing floor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Arunah said unto David, let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good unto him. Behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood. All these things did Arunah as a king give unto the king. And Arunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. And the king said unto Arunah, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price. Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. And David built there an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated for the land and the plague was stayed from Israel. And so the turning of God's wrath to mercy here in response to David's turning from pride and disobedience to repentance and an agreement with God that he's a sinner and to bring an offering and to buy this site to build an altar and to offer an offering to God, this site will become one day the site of Solomon's Temple, the property that David has purchased. David will Collect all of the materials or most of the materials in a treasury for the building of Solomon's spectacular temple We'll look at it another message. So David repents and the plague is stayed The Old Testament you'll see this mount has the sight of Abraham and Isaac's offering, David's altar here in our sermon today, and then Solomon's temple yet to come. Simple message really, point number one, pride goes before a fall. Whenever we're lifted up and we think we're more than a creature, we're headed for trouble. God's the creator and we are just the sheep of his pasture. The sooner we remember that we are made by his hand and he is not made by our hands, the better off we'll be. Pride always brings a fall. Several reasons for that, not the least of which is pride is always an inaccurate picture. Pride always gets its facts wrong. Pride always looks at yourself and the situation, your circumstances, it looks at it incorrectly. And it's the wrong map. It's the wrong direction. It's the wrong GPS. It's the wrong guide star. It's the wrong navigational tool. Pride always leads you into a rocky path. It always leads you into a place of stumbling. It always leads you into a place of difficulty. And the Bible is absolutely correct. Pride goes before a fall. It was indeed pride that lifted up that Satan and in heaven, he was lifted up in pride and would not serve God. And he was cast out of heaven. And those angels that followed with him, pride certainly goes before a fall. The Bible always warns us that humility is the best path. It's the best road. It's the best stance, not only before God, but also with others. Think not too highly of yourself. Let God exalt you, or he may have to humble you. Pride goes before a fall. There is no reason for David to have numbered the people, none whatsoever. There was nothing in the instruction of God, and God's not against numbering the people. In the book of Numbers, he orders it twice. He's not opposed to numbers, but what caused David to do this was pride. He just wanted to see how big his kingdom was. He just wanted to have some bragging rights, I guess. He just wanted to stroke his ego. He didn't need to number the people. He was at peace with his enemies. He was prosperous. He was getting along fine, if you will. No reason to number the people. Didn't consult God about it. Didn't ask the prophet to say, inquire of the Lord and see if I should number the people. No instruction from God. No requirement from God. No necessity. No spiritual need for it. No practical need for it. Just Plain old pride. Pride goes before a fall. Then number two, sin affects the innocent and the guilty. You've heard me say many times that suffering can be caused by different things. Sometimes suffering comes simply because you live in a sin-cursed world. Adam sinned and rebelled against God willfully and intentionally, and in a very direct path, all the suffering in the world today comes from that sin of Adam. So sometimes you're born into a world, you just live in a world that's groaning and travailing, a world that suffers tornadoes and earthquakes and cataclysm and plagues and sickness and yes, death. Fact of the matter is, A great deal of suffering comes just because you live in a sin-cursed world. Sometimes suffering comes because of our own sin. We sin and God chastens us or God warns us. There's a sense in which all suffering is a warning sign from God. This is not a perfect world. This is not our final home. We do not want to be too attached to this world because it's not perfect. the world that God originally created without sin, and someday He's going to remove all of the sin and all the wickedness, and of course, all of the suffering. Sometimes God chastens us because of our sin. Even His children, as David was a child of God, God chastens us. When something happens, we do well to say, Lord, are you drawing my attention? Are you correcting some sin in me? Are you pointing out to me some fault or failure. So sometimes suffering comes because we live in a sin-cursed world. Sometimes it comes because we sin. Sometimes it comes because of the sins of others. Certainly here in this text, the nation suffers through no fault of their own. through no rebellion of their own, and Israel had been known to be rebellious and had been known to deserve the suffering that God brought on their nation, but not this time. Israel is, if you will, is an innocent bystander in this confrontation. But our sins do affect others. Sin has a terrible price to exact, not only of us, but oftentimes those around us. Sometimes the sins of parents do hurt the children. Sometimes the sins of the children hurt the parents. Sometimes a one-man sin can cause many to suffer. There are mass murderers, there are terrorists there are evil doers and the sins of one or the sins of a few can cause many many to suffer but sin affects the innocent and the guilty God is the judge and God will judge our sins and sometimes our judgment in this life affects others and then number last sacrifice atones for for sin. There is in this text a beautiful picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. And I'm not trying to draw forced analogies between David's sin and our sins, or David's plague and our plague. I believe there's some general principles. I believe anytime that something happens, we do well to ask God, is it well with our soul? Is my heart right with God? I certainly would warn anybody listening to my voice right now, you need to be sure that you're ready for heaven. You do not know what a day will bring. You don't know how frail and fragile life is. And so I beg you to consider your soul today. But I want you to know I have good news. I have great news. Sacrifice atones for sin. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Hebrews says, for Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us, nor yet that he should offer himself often as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others, For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world. But now, once in the end of the world, hath he, that is Christ, appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. That appearing is the first coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the God-man, was born of Mary, a virgin. He lived a sinless life. He died a substitutionary death on the cross. He was buried. He rose again. For our justification, he appeared once to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. That word put away means to cancel, to annul, to multiply by zero. If you were a mathematician, it means to completely eliminate. He says, and as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this, the judgment. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him, shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. Here are. the two comings of Jesus Christ, if you will, the first coming when Jesus comes as a lamb, and the second coming when Jesus comes as a lion, the first coming when he comes meek and mild, the second coming when he comes as a victorious king. They are two comings. They are separated, if you will, by this age of grace. in which we live. Sometimes it's called the last days. People say, are we living in the last days? There are earthquakes and plagues and troubles and war. And yes, the answer is yes, we're living in the last days. Understand though, that Paul lived in the last days. Those Christians who were here after Jesus ascended back to heaven, after his first coming, they lived in the last days. These years since the first coming of Christ up until the second coming of Christ are the last days. Yes, someone says we must be in the last of the last days. I understand why we think that. I understand why Christians who may have lived in the Middle Ages with their plagues and their wars and their famines and their difficulties must have thought, surely this is the end of the world. As it turns out, it was not the end of the world. And we do not know what the future may be, but we are in the last days. I warn you again, life is fragile, life is brief. I would not assume that we have another breath or another day, another week, another month, another year. And just because that appointment with death is for someone else or some other person, don't become presumptuous, don't be careless. You don't know what a day will bring forth. The fact of the matter is, Jesus is coming again. And when he went to the cross, he bore our sins. But when he returns, he will no longer be carrying our sins. You know why? Because he has put our sins away. He didn't drop them or lose them or misplace them. He canceled them out. This is one of the greatest pictures of the two comings of Jesus Christ. Once to save us and then finally to receive us. He's gone away now to prepare a place for us that where he is, we may be also. Jesus is coming again. I wish every Christian was as sure about the second coming of Jesus Christ as they are about the first coming of Jesus Christ. That's historical record. That's written in the scriptures. And even though the second coming is future, And prophecy, it's just as sure, just as certain, just as much a reality as the first coming of Jesus Christ. And so he will appear, and when we see him, he will not be bearing our sins. He will be holy, undefiled, our conquering king, our returning Lord. Christ bore our sins. That was the purpose of the cross. The cross is not just a sentimental gesture of God's affection for us. It is a judicial act where God puts our sins, imputes them, charges them, accounts them to be Jesus' sins, makes him to be sin for us. He bore our sins. He paid for our sins. Jesus Christ, because He's the sinless Son of God, because He has no sin nature, because He was born of Mary a virgin, He can go to the cross, no sins for which He must pay of His own, He can pay for our sins. And because He's the God-Man, He can suffer in those hours on the cross what it would take you, what it would take me, what it would take every believer and eternity to pay, Jesus can pay and does pay for our sins on the cross. He pays for our sins and he removes our sins. He cancels them completely. He covers them with his blood. He washes them away. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. So Christ bore our sins. He paid for our sins. He removed our sins. Soon he will return for us. We will have no sins to give account, and he will have none of our sins for which he must continue to suffer, and he'll receive us, and that's our blessed hope. That's our great expectation that we will be with him forever. Let us pray. Father, I asked that you would bless each hearer. It may be that all who view this broadcast do know Jesus Christ as Savior. Perhaps some may view that do not. Father, this question is not about whether you go to church or whether you're a member of a church or whether you're trying to be a good person or trying to keep the golden rule or the Ten Commandments. The question is, who pays for your sins? Do you pay for your sins in a Christless, godless eternity? Or do you have the blessed hope that Jesus has paid for your sins on the cross and will soon return, living proof that God has accepted his payment? Help lost sinners to trust you. Help saved sinners to rejoice and be thankful for you, for it's in Jesus' name we pray these things, amen. May God bless you.