In his sermon, Larry Lafferty explores the story of King David mourning his son Absalom's death, as recounted in 2 Samuel 19. Despite Absalom's rebellion, which threatened David's throne, David grieves, turning a victory into mourning. Lafferty criticizes David's inability to rejoice in the victory over rebellion, likening it to how modern believers often choose to live in spiritual defeat. He argues that Christians should embrace the victory already won through Christ, rather than allowing negativity and worldly influences to steal their joy. The sermon emphasizes the importance of maintaining spiritual perspective, living in victory, and finding strength through prayer and scripture. By doing so, believers can avoid the pitfalls of preferring the wrong and neglecting spiritual fellowship, as exemplified by Absalom's rebellion and David's misplaced priorities.

Second Samuel chapter 19. While you're turning there, I would love to thank the church for the hospitality, for Brother Green, for the invitation to be with y'all. We've enjoyed it immensely. It's good to find other believers around. I've seen that a lot this summer, traveling and preaching.

We need each other. We need each other. Second Samuel 19, and we're going to begin reading in the very first verse. 2 Samuel 19 in the first verse, the Bible says, And it was told to Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth for Absalom. And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people, for the people heard say that day how the king was grieved for his son.

And the people got them by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed still away when they flee in battle. And the king covered his face and cried with a loud voice, saying, O my son Absalom, O Absalom my son, my son. And Joab came unto the house to the king and said, Thou has shamed this day the faces of thy servants, with this day which this day have saved thy life and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters and the lives of thy wives and the lives of thy concubines and that thou lovest thy enemies and hatest thy friends for thou has declared this day that thou regardest neither princes nor servants for this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all we had died this day then it would please thee well. Let's pray. Dear Lord we thank you and praise you for your word.

Lord, we pray that after all these years it's still preserved in the King James Bible. We give you praise for that as an English-speaking people. God, now we pray that you would bless your word to the hearts of the ears. Stir up your people to your service Lord and if there's a lost one here that's yours Lord we pray that you would save them this very day and we pray these things in the sweet and the precious name of Jesus. Amen.

Now maybe some not so familiar verses of scripture I've heard it preached a few times. Sometimes I would have to say it was out of context, but I want you to see here that David makes a huge error. Now, in defense of David, I've never give up a child. I can't identify with that. I won't pretend that I understand that.

I do know that it changes people. My mother outlived my sister by 10 years, and mother was just never the same again. So I do know it changes people, but we have to keep our eye in a spiritual perspective. Now what he was doing was bringing down the entirety of the group because of the rebellion. Absalom was a rebel.

Nothing more, nothing less. Absalom was a rebellion. And he hated his dad, and he hated God's people, and he hated the things that appertained unto God's people, and there was nothing good about Absalom. And we have this wonderful victory that David snubs at. We live in a day of defeat, church, because we choose to.

We choose to. Now victory has already been won, so why should we be miserable? And we'll get into that in a minute, but I just want you to know every day that you get up and oh woe is me, I hope the Lord comes today because I can't take much more of this. Every day you get up in that mood, you're living another day in defeat. And you know what?

All that's happening is the devil's keeping back his heels and laughing and making fun of you because you know what, he wants to steal your joy. What's the second fruit of the spirit? Love, joy. And He snatches it from us. And we walk around like we're defeated people.

Listen church, we're not a defeated people. We want, we want. Are we pilgrims and strangers here? You betcha. And we get stranger every day as this crazy world just goes up in our face.

I'm excited about the repealing of Roe v. Wade. But listen, the government has never been able to solve problems here on Earth. That's the same as they all might. Amen.

And so it's not gonna change very much. And we live in a day which is so corrupt that it's very much the inclination of the flesh just to get in. I'm defeated. Forget about it. I'm not going to do anymore.

That's what the devil wants you to do. So I want you to see back in our first verse, and you know the events leading up to this, that Absalom came in rebellion against his father. Now, you can say what you will, and I personally believe Absalom was the kind of the Antichrist. Because he was in the bloodline, he was supposed to be really probably the one that would assume the throne but because of his rebellion he did not. He did not have any spiritual value at all, but David preferred him.

See, that tells us this about the flesh. We'll prefer what's wrong. That's the natural state of this flesh. Everybody goes, well, I felt like, well, you better be careful how you feel. Because that's not going to take you very far.

And so we see as Absalom is in this situation, and that David approaches it totally the wrong way. This was a day of victory. The rebellion had ended. And again, I've never buried a child, so I can't say for that for sure, but I can help but think, you know, the Bible says this, that David was a man after God told him hard. That's what it says.

And, but in this he was fully flesh, because The victory had come, and he didn't enjoy it. He just didn't. He snubbed it. He did not relish the victory. And so we find that David is in a horrible spiritual shape right here.

Notice verse 2, and the victory, what they had just accomplished, what the Lord had done on their behalf, David restored to the throne, Absalom put in his place, all that done, and the victory was turned unto mourning. You know what? We do that every day by election, by deciding when we get up, woe is me, this is gonna be another fateful day, maybe I make it to midnight. That's right, preach it. Man, and then we have the most glorious victory there is.

Amen. You know, that's the worst thing I'm having, having the plane fall out of the sky on my way back to Nashville. Glory be to God, I'll be home to be with the Lord. Amen. So what could get any worse?

We are to live in big creature. You know it's a snub in the Lord's face when we go around with the hungry grumpies. It is. Because you see it a lot, people just, you know, like they barely can tie a knot in it and hang on. Listen, we've got the victory.

So we find that David did the exact same thing. Now Joab being faithful to God, and faithful to the word of God, comes in and rebukes him. Notice what he says. And Joab, verse 5, and Joab came unto the house of the king and said, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of thy servants. Now when you make this election, and you know, we want to tiptoe around making decisions, but listen church, we make decisions for service every day.

I'm not talking about deciding to be saved, that's foolishness. But I'll tell you what, We do make a decision on how we want to serve and how we're not going to serve. Right, right, right. We do. And we find here that Joel comes in and says, listen, you've turned this great victory into shame.

Are you really saved? I mean, are you genuinely saved and wants one thing that could go wrong? I tell you a lot of it is this today. Make your calling election sure. You know why I think a lot of people live in the faith because they're lost right five-pointer from one side to the other I'll even say six put sovereignty on them and then you have two lips right just as solid and doctrine as they can be and never pays you the sweetness of Christ.

That's the problem. And so we find then that David gets rebuked and you can go on and he doesn't really correct the situations, but he does acknowledge what Job is saying. So the question I ask you, are you living in victory? And if you're not, how did you get to the point you are right now? Go back a little bit and we'll get the history on it like our brother did earlier with his text, 2 Samuel 14.

Go back over there. 2 Samuel 14 and we're going to begin reading in verse 25. 2 Samuel 14, verse 25, the Bible says, but in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom. Now, who is to be getting the praise now, in the day which we live? Christ.

Right? He is our intercessor, He's our mediator. And so we find that this false son, this son who is full of rebellion, looks good. Young ladies, y'all would have to catch that for absolute. He was a good looking man and That's what the flesh wants.

You know what I believe concerning Solomon? He's probably the ugliest son David had. But he was God's chosen. See, it never really makes sense to the flesh, because We want to judge how this mind trains us to judge. But we find here very clearly that Absalom was a very good looking young man.

He was smart. He could do things that the other children did not do. But in all of Israel there was none so much praise as Absalom, for his beauty, he is good looking, from the sole of his feet, even to the crown of his head, there was no blemish in him. And when he pulled his head it was at every year's end that he pulled it because the hair was heavy on him wherefore he pulled it and weighed the hair of his head 200 shickles after the king's weight. Now we see another thing about Absalom is two, well, two things.

First, number one, he's a very healthy individual. A person's hair doesn't grow that much unless you have good health. When an individual comes to see if their hair gets thinned and the hair starts slowing down in growth. So we find he's healthy and then we find that his hair is so healthy he cuts it off once a year, and I don't know what this is, maybe it was a cap and hat, but I don't know, it doesn't say that. But I want you to see, not only is he the picture of beauty, he's the picture of health.

That's what sin is, dear friend. Don't, as one of the brothers was saying, don't look for a red man with a pitchfork. You look for the best looking one at work. And you look for one that has the sweetest saints. Because that's him.

And we find that Absalom stood up to this, to the T. Verse 27, and unto Absalom there was born three sons and one daughter, the name of the one, the name was Tamar, she was a woman of fair countenance. So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and saw not the king's face. Now We find a spiritual symptom in Absalom, and that is he doesn't abide with his father. Now, David, there was no fellowship for him.

Now, David was a type like unto Christ. He was ignoring his fellowship time with who he was supposed to be. You know how our fellowship belongs to? It doesn't belong to that stupid TV that's sitting in the middle of our limbs, it belongs to the Almighty. That's our fellowship time.

That's our time of redoing. And you know what? I've seen people withdraw themselves for longer than two years. Have you? I've seen people not come into the Lord's house for 10 years, withdrew themselves.

So we see, even though he looks good, and he sounds good, and he's a smart man, he's with grew himself from the fellowship of God. That will make you miserable. That will bring you down next to nothing. And see, this is the thing you gotta remember, the redeemed can do this. It's not just lost people.

The redeemed can do this. Now listen, if you're redeemed and you're far from God, I'll tell you this, look out, because if you don't, you'll get chastised, because if you're not chastised you're bastards and not sons. Or you're never saved to start with. And you can live like that forever listen I have no confidence whatsoever if you've ever been born again. I really don't.

I tell you, you talk about church discipline. My dear sister and her husband were members of New Testament Baptist Church. They got into some problems, brought before the church some discipline. Both of them were dead in two years. He was 41 and she was 42.

You don't think church discipline is a serious thing? I told somebody once, and I didn't mean it bad, but you know, they actually had more confidence in their salvation after that. Because they were redeemed. Two young people. I'm the young man.

I think of the 40s. It's young to me. So we find that Absalom is out of fellowship with the Father. What about you? Are you out of fellowship with the Father?

What about you? Are you out of fellowship with the Father?" And that's exactly what his situation was. Verse 10, the Bible says, But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel as soon as to hear the sound of the trumpet, and when he shall say, Absalom reigneth in Hebron." Now I want you to see the next thing in 6 through 10 really. He begins to desire the throne. He wants the preeminence.

In the New Testament, in the Paul writing, it says the Dean is loving the preeminence. And man, there's people that like that today. So what Absalom really wanted was the Trump. Yeah. What he wanted was the Trump.

Now, even David could see this, but he looked at it in carnal terms. He didn't see a rebellion, he saw a son. You know, It's a very difficult thing to say to your son or your daughter, you'll do it my way or let her sit over. I've done it. Yes, sir.

It's a rough thing to say. I fully meant it. If it wasn't my way, Don't let the door hit you on the way out. But David didn't see it that way, did he? See, what stole David's victory was in all how he looked at things.

You know what's still in your victory? It's all in how you look at it. Listen, our God is not winding his hands somewhere, wondering how this thing is going to turn out. Our God is sovereign. He's throwing this thing into being.

And he'll dictate the moves of the earth to the very end of the earth. Why should we be weary? Why should we be scared? There's no reason. So why do we?

Number one, turn this on mute. This thing will worry you into the grave. That's right. We don't need it. That's the only way I can speak to my children now because they don't do anything else.

But you know what? Biden's an idiot. So what? We're not gonna change that, right? You know, we can change that to almighty.

Almighty saves his never dying soul. We might see something. But until then, There's nothing we can do. So why beat yourself up by stealing your victory? Yeah.

Every day. Every day. And you know what? I believe now, as things are going along, You're not stealing our victory. We're giving it to you.

There you go. Take it and you can have it. It's a sad, sad day. That's a sad, sad day. When, in fact, we should be the ones living in a victorious way.

2 Samuel 15 in verse 4. The Bible says, And Absalom said, Moreover, all that I were made judge in the land, and every man which had any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice. And it was so that when any man came to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. And on this matter did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment, so Absalom stole the hearts of Israel. Now I want you to see what's happening here.

He took on a role that did not belong to him. That was to be for the king and for the priest, really for the priest. They didn't even always have that straight down. But he became what we call an Innocent. That's why I'm saying that he had a type of the Antichrist.

He was trying to take on the role of something he was not. He was not the intercessor. And then it was, it said, just go to the heart of the whole nation. It's still in your heart. If you're not happy or something, the blue of the world, things that are out there, things you haven't seen yet.

Listen, I've been all over this world, there's not much to say, you won't see in southern Georgia. I'm serious, it's all pretty much the same. I've been all the way from eastern Europe to the end of South America, and It's all pretty much the same. I've been on the way from Eastern Europe to the end of South America, and it's all pretty much the same. Although that may be useless.

No, that's what's out there. So what's all your joy? Are you happy? You know, sometimes I think that we're not even willing to acknowledge where we're at. You know, repentance is about going in our Baptist churches, isn't it?

And you know why? It's because we have to acknowledge we were wrong. Have to acknowledge and say, Lord God, you were right, and I was wrong. Hard, hard thing to do, isn't it? But there's victory in it.

There's victory. Go with me to Hebrews 11. I believe it to be Paul the writer, but it never really says. I personally think, and you all will think I'm more crazy than you already do, but I believe the reason he didn't sign it was because this is a disagreement with Peter. But I want you to see in Hebrews chapter 11 verse number 25.

I want to take a note there. And this is speaking of the great patriarchs of Israel, how they lived in victory, how they were used by God in a mighty way. In verse 25, we have one verse concerning, part of the verse is concerning Moses, and so in verse 25, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Now, sometimes I think we think victory is like woohoo! And running down the aisles and carrying on like the Pentecostals does, you know what?

That piece is out by the time you get to the car. That's one thing about that group. That's not living in victory. Mother would say that's like putting on a show. And she would keep talking for herself.

But living in victory is right here. You know, I had two personal experiences with my health that were pretty bad. The first one, I had had part of my brain removed on this side. I tell everybody I was so smart they had to take part of it out, but no one believes that. It was actually some non-cancerous lesions.

And you know, that was pretty scary at the time. And just a few days before my surgery, I slipped into my bottle, and I looked into the book of Esther, and what did I find? I go into the king, and if I perish, I perish. What could be sweeter, what could be greater? You know, when I jumped up on that surgery table and never even, never even, that is enough.

Because I thought it was in God's hand. That's what it is in your church. That's what it is. That is what it's all about. That's right.

And sometime after that, I got pneumonia fairly easy, and I thought I had pneumonia. And so I went to my nurse practitioner. She sat in front of me in Algebra 1 in high school and they were being great friends. So I said, Christian, I need an antibiotic. She goes, well, Let me do a chest X-ray for you first.

All right. And so she did chest X-ray. I went back to the little waiting room. She goes, Larry, I want you to say something. And I thought she was asking me to look at something else.

And she had the X-ray up there. And again, I didn't know it was mine. I thought she just, she goes, what was that about you? I said, well, it's like lung cancer to me. And she goes, yeah, that's me.

And she goes, that's your x-ray. And she said, I'm going to put you on antibiotics and some prednisone. And we'll see what happens. And I said, well, I'll take the antibiotics and prednisone down and pray. And the next day after the next time on that four weeks of that, clears the veil.

Praise God. And people say, oh well, the Prednisone did it. You know, I'm like, I wouldn't have been on the Prednisone. But you see, We're not going to have smooth sailing. That's a line right out of the pits of hell, come from Bennehan and that bunch of crowd.

And that weird guy, you know, his name is Newham, that's out there. Take one. Thank you. And it's stupid. We're called to be pilgrims and strangers.

That means don't settle down. A pilgrim never has a permanent home. And strangers. You know, Very easily we want to start looking like the world up here. Dressing like the world.

I'm gonna step back now. You know what? That's not for us. What are we supposed to be showing each other? Everybody's looking and saying, is it up with them?

Amen. Is that praying in a restaurant? Man, there's some strange folks out there. Good. Amen.

That's what you need to do. And so we're not supposed to settle into this world though very frequently we do and very very often We're very much captivated by the world that we live in. Now if I can find it, I wanna read it one more place, and we're gonna close, I don't know where I'm at, as far as time. Y'all can throw a brick at me if I'm over the deal. Donna says you're gonna keep it, saying that one day to somebody who throws a brick at you.

That is not the verse I wanted. But I want to read in closing if you will go with me to 1st Timothy chapter 4. 1st Timothy chapter 4 and we'll close with this. Often read at ordinations, 1 Timothy chapter 4, Paul, I'm assuming the pastor to the church at Ephesus, He says in verse 12, 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 12, Paul writing to young Timothy, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers. Now, you look at that very carefully because it often distills our victory.

By the way, your Walmart does not have neck ties. But I went there a little bit this morning. And I was rolling around, and when I finally asked the clerk, she looked at me, I had six heads. And I'm like, what's a tie? But what they did have was ACDC t-shirts.

So I'm like, are those guys still around there today? I'd love to have them if you're my grandfather. But when I spoke of that, I looked at them and said, oh, this is crazy. They don't have cars, but they have ACDC concert shirts. But it's what the world wants.

You know what Walmart does? It's something people want. That's right, yeah. That's why they're so successful. And we find that we're very much the same day, the same way.

So if our youth are doing this, if they're standing for the example, exhort them in. Amen. Encourage them in it. Say, blessed be the name of the Lord. That's living in victory.

You know what the world tells you living in victory is? Young people, you listen to me, you've got a good group here, I know. Living in victory to the world out there is smoking pot and going to concerts. That's the victory the world is giving you. But let me tell you this, it's very short-lived.

Very, very short-lived. And what does the Bible say? There's pleasure in sin. We just read that concerning Moses. There's pleasure in sin for season.

And dear friend, it's a very, very, very short season. And so we see where to exhort these people. Verse 13, till I come again, till I come give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, neglect not the gift that is in thee, which I personally believe was the gift of preaching, that was given thee by prophecy and the laying on hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things, give yourself wholly to them, and that thy profiting may appear to all." So what are we going to do in the interim? What are we going to do until our final victory comes.

Meditate on these things. You know when President Biden, and I really nod to him as that, because that's his title, and more than that, I'm obligated to pray for him. Right, it's his title. And so, I will try to do that, for the best I can. But when he was elected, whether it was rigged or not, I had no idea, but when he was elected, the verse that came to my mind, for this reason, that will reach that paper line.

Yeah. Mm-hmm. And you know what? All that in this new way, and I'm like, well, He's my president now. And God's that purpose in this.

He does. I don't care what's occurring in your life right now. You live in victory. And if you don't understand something's going on, get in that book. That's what it's for.

That's for our betterment. I'll guarantee you this. Nothing outside what always has been is happening to you. Praise God. Get in this book.

You'll find an example of it right here. Amen. And you know what? You don't see a whole lot of this anymore either, but you did when I was a boy. Just going to your pastor and saying, pray for me.

Or more than that, come in before the church and say listen I'm laying up down pray for me. I bet it's been 40 years since I've seen something like that. Or at least close to it. And we wonder why our churches are so faithful. You think the Bible, you ever heard the term my mother used to use as a whole lot, sin-sick?

That's what we're asking. And the only way, the only way to fix that, First of all, to repent. Yes. Truly acknowledge it and get this over with. Amen.

And you'll live a victory. Amen. Amen. Amen. Appreciate that, Brother Larry, and whatever very needful message.

Thank you.