This is “Loyalty and Love”. To hear more inspiring messages from Jentezen Franklin,

♪ ♪

>> Hello and welcome

to Kingdom Connection.

Thank you so much

for joining me today.

I believe you need a fresh

word from God.

A word that is relevant

to what you’re facing

in your life, and that’s why

I believe you’ve tuned in

to this program.

Let His word speak to you today.

♪ ♪

>> I’m gonna give you one verse

of scripture tonight

and I’m just gonna teach what

I feel the Lord has laid on

my heart, let it speak to you.

“Because David did what

was right – Verse five:

“Because David did what was

right in the eyes of the Lord,

and had not turned aside

from anything that He commanded

him all the days of his life,

except in the matter

of Uriah the Hittite.”

He did everything right

in the eyes of the Lord,

he turned not aside from

anything the He commanded him

all the days of his life except

this matter of Uriah,

the Hittite.

I wanna talk about that

for a few minutes and how

it concerns you

and your marriage.

Uriah, the Hittite was

one of David’s mighty men,

he’s listed in 2 Samuel 23

as being a mighty man

of warfare and valor.

He’s mentioned 11 times

in the scriptures,

in Old Testament 11 ti –

Or 11 times combined in

the Old Testament

and he even shows up

in the New Testament.

He so impressed God he so got

the attention and eye of God

that God could not get over him.

This particular text was written

150 years after he was dead.

And when God spoke of David

He could not get over

somebody named, Uriah,

the Hittite.

He stood out to God.

Who was he?

In 2 Samuel 12:15 it says

this,”

And Nathan departed from

the house and God struck

the child, “Listen to this.

“of Uriah’s wife the he bore

unto David and

it was very sick.”

I’ll tell you and explain this,

but this is a pretty amazing

verse “the Lord struck the child

that Uriah’s wife bare,”

But wait a minute.

Uriah was dead in the story,

when this text was recorded.

And Uriah, David had had

murdered to cover up his sin.

And yet God said,

“he’s still Uriah’s wife.”

He had married Da –

She had married David.

David had had an affair

with her, had tried to get him

to come home and sleep

with his wife,

and I’ll explain it in a minute.

And so that he could say

that he – they had a oops

and she got pregnant.

And that would have covered up

his affair but it didn’t

work that way.

He wouldn’t go home,

he wouldn’t go to his wife

and so David puts him out

on the field to get killed,

and has the orders to pull back

and let him get killed.

And when the prophet goes

in this text to confront David

the Bible said under

the old covenant –

Thank God for mercy,

but the Bible said,

“the Lord struck the child that

Uriah’s wife,”

No David’s wife, Uriah’s wife.

Is it possible to be involved in

a marriage that’s recognized

on earth but ignored in Heaven?

I realize tonight

I’m on very thin ice,

but we need to be committed

to our marriages.

When we make a covenant

before God it is not

a play thing that is determined

by our emotions or our feelings.

But can I take a moment

to preach to younger couples.

The way that I was brought up

to approach marriage was,

this is not a try and see

play house and see how it goes

and if it doesn’t feel happy,

happy, goodie, goodie

all the time just trade

that one in for a newer version.

That is not in this Book.

And when you start eliminating

all the options

you’ll get serious about

getting in a place

and getting a good marriage

going on because for us

it’s one marriage.

One marriage.

And if you have started over

and this is new for you then

start in the marriage

that you are in,

begin to approach it like

I’m preaching right now that,

“The one I’m in is the only

one I’m going to be in.”

C’mon, and give me a big amen

right there.

Alright, let’s go.

Are you ready?

You ready to go?

I didn’t wanna preach this,

I got another one in here,

it’s brand new and I liked it,

but I’ll preach that whenever.

But this is what the Lord

said today when I was walking

in the woods.

When Jesus was asked about

divorce He took them back

to Genesis and He made

this comment,

He said – When Jesus was asked

by the Pharisees about divorce

He said, “Did He not –

Did He not make them one

flesh.”

Everybody say, “One Flesh.”

And then He starts quoting

the scripture.

“For is it not written that

a man his father

and his mother,”

That’s a public ceremony.

“and cleave to his wife,”

That is a joining together.

“and the two shall

become one flesh.”

That is the consummation

of the marriage.

The physical honeymoon night.

It is a covenant

that takes place.

“And they will be joined

together,” Jesus said.

And the word join means

to stick like glue.

No separation.

To stick like glue.

Watch what Jesus said.

Verse two: “The Pharisees came

and asked Him, “Is it lawful

for a man to divorce his

wife?”

Testing Him.

Cause there are people who are

going through things in this

room, all of us, and we must

eliminate that filthy word

called divorce.

It is not an option

in Jesus’ name.

There is a clause,

there is a fornication clause,

I believe it’s in Matthew 19:9,

if somebody has been unfaithful

then you can choose.

But it’s not necessarily what

ought to be done

and what has to be done.

What about grace?

That’s where grace

needs to come in.

Whew.

It’s tight, but it’s right.

[Laughter]

“The Pharisees came and said,

“Is it lawful for us to get

– you know some people are like

attorneys, the look

for loopholes.

When they read the Bible

they’re looking for –

they’re not looking for what

the text and the Spirit

of the verse is saying,

they’re looking for a loophole.

“How can I get outta this?”

‘The Pharisees came –

I can’t get past this verse.

“And the Pharisees came,

asked Him, “Is it lawful for

a man to divorce his wife?”

And He answered and said unto

them, “What did Moses command?”

They said, “Moses permitted

a man,” This is New Testament,

“Moses permitted a man

to write a certificate

of divorce,

and to dismiss her.”

And Jesus answered and said

unto them, “Because of

the hardness of your heart

he wrote you this precept.

But from the beginning,”

Here He goes again,

back to one.

Everybody say, “One.

One.

One.

One.”

He made them one.

Watch Him.

Watch Him.

This is Jesus, this isn’t –

this is God in the flesh.

This is Jesus.

This is how He feels

right now.

“And Jesus answered and said

unto them, “Because of the

hardness of your heart

he wrote you this precept.

But from the beginning,

of the creation, God made

them male and female.’”

That’s important.

“‘For this reason a man

shall leave his father and

mother and be joined to

his wife, and the,” Some –

Everybody say it out loud,

“and the two shall become

one flesh;’ so then they

are no longer two,

but one flesh.”

Verse nine: “Therefore,”

[Chuckling]

“Well, what if God didn’t

put us together?”

If you got married and

you said your vows,

God just put you together.

[Laughter]

“Therefore what God

has joined together,”

It might – you mighta met him

in the club or in the

Red Roof inn, in a bedroom,

I don’t know where you met him,

but when you said,

“God, will you please

bless this marriage,

we give it and we sign

the commit – we publicly

celebrate, we leave,

we cleave, we’re joined,

we’re one.”

God said, “It’s sanctified,

it’s Holy, it’s under the blood,

I surround it with angels

and I put my favor on it!”

Let’s see, is there any more?

Oh yeah, it does get –

Oh, I almost missed

this goodie part.

You’re not gon’ believe –

y’all would not come

to hear Jesus, you would not

come to hear Him preach

on marriage.

“Therefore what God has

joined together,”

In Holy matrimony.

“Let no man separate.”

Verse ten: “In the house

His disciples also asked Him

again about the same matter.”

Okay, now Je – They thought

Jesus would sweeten it up

a little bit, watch this.

“He said to them, “Whoever

divorces his wife and marries

another commits adultery

against her.

And if a woman divorces,”

Equal rights.

“And if a woman divorces

her husband and marries another,

he commits adultery.”

In one place it says,

“If the person marries

the person who –

[Sighs]

Did it not say that?

This is the Bible.

That it’s possible to be

in a marriage that’s

acknowledged on Earth

but ignored in Heaven?

God – Now I’m gon’

really mess you up.

Go to Matthew chapter one.

God could not get over Uriah.

Why?

Because he was so loyal, y’all.

He was so loyal.

That when David sent for him –

You know, he committed adultery,

he walked out on the balcony,

and he saw a UFO,

an unclothed female object,

taking a shower, or taking

a bath, I don’t guess they

had showers, but had a bath

and he got to lusting after.

And the Bible says,

when the kings went to war

he stayed home, he had civilian

spirit when he should have

had a warfare spirit.

He’s unconcerned,

let somebody else fight,

let somebody else be spiritual.

And he walked out on the balcony

and he saw that neighbor

taking a bath and he inquired

of her.

That’s what the scripture said,

“Who is she?”

Well, first-of-all I wanna say,

“Who are you?

You forgot, you’re married.

Why are you inquiring?”

You know, if you listen

to the Holy Spirit He’ll tell

you, “Don’t get – Don’t even

mess – Don’t even get

around that.

Don’t even flirt with that.

Don’t even.

Don’t even dare open a conver –

You go the opposite direction,

you stay away from that.

Don’t you – Does anybody still

believe in the conviction

of the Holy Spirit?

You have no business inquiring.

Going on Facebook,

“Well we – I wanna see how

my old lovers doing.”

I tell you they’re doing,

they’re looking for trouble.

Say, amen somebody.

And David sins for her,

commits adultery with her,

gets her pregnant,

they tell him that she’s

pregnant and he send for Uriah,

brings him back,

brings him back to the city,

during warfare,

when the war is going on out

in the battlefield.

And your Bible said,

Uriah was so loyal.

David didn’t care about

his loyalty, he was loyal

to his leader,

he was loyal to his king,

he was loyal to his comrades

that when he said,

“Hey, I’m going you

a leave of absence.

Just go home, you been such

a great warrior,

you’re one of my mighty men

and I just wanted you to –

You need a rest,

I’ll sent you back.

Go in and have a wonderful night

with your wife.”

And the Bible said,

“He went home and sat down

on the front porch and said,

“How can I do that?

How can I go in and

be with my wife

and sleep with my wife,

and have a wonderful night

when my buddies

are getting ripped and cut,

and fighting all of hell out

there, I can’t do that.”

I wanna ask you a question.

Where did he learn

that loyalty from?

Do you know that the Bible said

in 2 Samuel 23 that when David

was thirsty he said,

“Oh that I have a drink of water

from the well of Bethlehem.”

And the Bible said two

of his mighty men said,

“If my king wants a cup

of water –

And the Philistines controlled

that whole area.

“If my king wants a cup

of water, if that’s what

he just wishes he had I’m gon’

run through a troop and over

a wall and I’m gonna

get a cup – And they fought

their way to that well,

dipped the cup,

came back and took the cup

to the king.

And when the kind heard

what these mighty men –

We’re not told their name

but I got a sneaky –

My sermon, I can preach it

like I want to.

And I got a sneaky suspicion

one of them was Uriah!

Because he watched the king

who could have drank that water

but instead he said,

“I can’t drink it now –

I never understood this,

it would a ticked me off to be

– You know, fight all the way,

get a cup of water,

come back, risk my life,

and now he –

“No, I’m not gon’ drink it.”

But he was pouring it out

unto the Lord and there

was something about that

spirit of loyalty

that got in Uriah.

And when he could have went

into his wife he said,

“I can’t do it.”

And then David had a plan,

the next night he had a feast

and got him drunk.

Uriah had more convictions drunk

than most Christians

have sober.

Cause even when he was drunk

the next night he went home

and he thought,

“I ought to go in there,

my flesh wants to.”

But there was something in his

spirit that said, “Even if you

aren’t smart right now

I can keep you.”

I don’t know who I’m preaching

to but you’re real issue is you

need a fresh infilling

of the Holy Spirit,

because He can keep you

from things even…

when you don’t feel like

you’re in control.

And let me show you

what happened.

He was loyal on the battlefield,

he was loyal in the bedroom,

he was so loyal that –

There’s a picture,

I looked it up,

I meant to give it to them but

I didn’t know I was gon’

preach this till

I got up here, so.

But there’s a picture that —

It’s a very famous picture

of king David giving the letter

to Uriah to take to Joab

the commander of the armies

of Israel.

And it was a sealed letter,

your Bibles days this happened.

That the king, when he couldn’t

get him to sleep with his wife

to cover his tracks,

so that David wouldn’t look

like he had committed adultery

and gotten her pregnant,

he said, “I’mma have

to kill him.”

It started with a look,

just a look, and then

he kept on looking.

When the look voice is louder

than the don’t look voice

there’s – At some point

– It’s not a sin to look,

but then you need to turn

around and start pleading

the blood of Jesus and Lord —

And flee, get outta there.

Quit looking.

Not look and keep looking

and keep looking.

And the Bible said that Uriah

was called by David,

and David said, “Take this

letter to the front line

and give it to Joab

the commander of the army

of Israel.

In the letter –

Think about this.

In the letter was the

instructions, “Put Uriah

on the front line

and get him so far out on

the battlefield and then have

all of his comrades withdraw

and abandon him,

and leave him to die.”

And it was so – He knew –

Think about it.

He didn’t say, “Let me send

somebody else,

let me send Jonathan,

my son, with this message.”

He called Uriah to carry his

own death warrant,

because he knew he’s so loyal

he won’t read it.

He won’t break the seal,

he’s a loyal man.

And even through David,

the king didn’t notice it

God 150 years later said,

“I am so impressed with

that man, that when

I think of David,”

In 1 Kings 15.

“He was good in all of his ways

except for the matter –

150 years later God says,

“It still bugs me how he did

Uriah the Hittite.”

Now let me show you one thing

that’s gon’ bless you.

You ready?

Matthew chapter one,

and this is the Book of the

genealogy of Jesus, verse one.

Son of David,”

And they start going

Abraham begat Isaac,

Isaac begat Jacob,

and Jacob begat,”

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

There’s a lot of begetting

going on.

There needs to be a lot

of begetting going on, Amen.

Say Amen.

If you married it’s good

to have some begetting going on.

Obed begat Jesse,

and Jesse begat David the

king,”

Watch.

Watch.

“and David the king begat

Solomon by her who

had been the…

wife of Uriah”

It’s like God said,

“I’mma give Uriah credit.”

Not really he wasn’t really

in the blood line

but God said,

“He’s so loyal I’mma

put him in the bloodline.”

And you can have another year,

another year of frustrating

differed dreams.

You know, some people think,

“Well, you know, we gon’ cross

our fingers and hope things

get better.”

It’s not gon’ get better.

“We just gon’ see what

happens.”

It’s not gon’ get better!

But when you make up your mind,

“You are the only one I’ll

ever be married to

in this life.

This is it.

And so we can make each other

miserable or we can absolutely –

Not out of duty,

not out of a contract,

not out of a marriage license,

not out of -cause

we’re pastors and we

need to look, really,

really, really good

in front of the peo –

but because I love that woman

and she loves this man!”

Does that make sense?

It’s real!

C’mon, somebody.

It’s real!

It’s real!

It’s not perfect,

it’ll never be perfect

but it’s real!

You’re real uncomfortable.

You been uncomfortable

this whole sermon and some of

you are, “Oh God, what’s

he going to do next?”

I don’t care.

Do you understand that?

I don’t care what people think.

When I end this life I’mma

put my teeth in the little glass

and I’mma reach over and I’mma

grab Cherise’s hand

and I’mma say, “Gimme a sugar,

I’m going to Heaven.”

[Laughter and Applause]

Till death do us part.

Shout it!

“Till death do us – Shout it!

“Till we are one flesh!”

Shout it!

C’mon get up on your feet!

We are one flesh!

Say, “God’s gonna have

a godly seed, in our house,

in our children and our children

– They will not grow up

without dad, without mom.

♪ ♪

>> As you listened

to this program today,

I really believe that the

Holy Spirit knows how to

direct a sermon and a message

right to the area of your life,

and this is so important,

at the right time.

So, today I believe God

brought you and I together,

and I want to pray for you

and your family.

Maybe you’re watching me

right now,

there’s no doubt about it,

someone’s watching me right now

and you desperately need

a change in your life,

and what I just preached

has touched your heart,

and you’re on the brink

of a miracle called salvation.

Forgiveness, mercy, and grace.

Open up your heart,

pray this prayer with me.

Say, “Jesus.”

Just say those words.

“Jesus, I receive you

as my Lord and Savior.

Wash me and cleanse me,

forgive me, and restore

and renew me.

Thank you for mercy,

thank you for grace,

thank you for the love of God

that will never let us go.

I receive that love,

that forgiveness

in Jesus’ mighty name.”

Amen and amen.

Thank you so much for watching.

You know, when you watch

this program, it only comes

to you —

we’ve been doing this

for a long time,

for decades, and it’s because

people like you hear

the messages week after week,

and say, “I want to be

a part of that ministry.”

We are 100% funded by viewers

who watch this program.

And we made a pledge many

years ago that we would use

any funds that come in

to our TV ministry,

number one, to preach the Gospel

through satellite and television

all over the world,

and we have done that in over

200 nations of the world.

Secondly, that we would put out

material, Bibles, and books

material that would touch,

and strengthen, and go in places

that we can’t go.

And thirdly, that we would take

resources that are left over

from your financial giving

and give to the poor

and the needy and reach people

in foreign soil that need help.

That’s why we have committed

a one million dollar gift

to the Ukraine.

Through your help,

we have been able to already

send over $600,000 to

80 churches in the Ukraine.

We have a warehouse that we’re

working through,

a ministry that we’re working

through in Poland,

and they load up the food,

the supplies, the medicine,

the resources that people need,

every day resources,

and they send them to over

80 churches that have been

turned into refugee camps.

This is the real deal,

and it’s beautiful ministry,

and we’re so honored

and proud to stand

hand-in-hand with our Ukrainian

friends there,

Christian brothers and sisters

and show the love of God

to that nation that is going

through a living hell.

Will you help me?

Will you help me

complete this gift?

They need it now more than ever.

One Ukrainian pastor told me

that one of the greatest fears

that they have is that America

will just lose interest

and pull out support,

because we are the life line.

Help me today.

If God speaks to your heart.

I’m not going to tell you

what to give,

I’m gonna ask you to ask God

what you should give.

And I believe it’ll be

more than enough.

We’re gonna reach,

we’re close to it,

that million dollar gift

completed.

What a miracle.

Only God could do that.

We pay our bills,

and it’s a lot to preach

the Gospel, and beyond

and above we’re able,

such a joy to know that

we’re saving lives,

and most importantly,

those refugee centers

that we’re supporting

preach the Gospel of

Jesus Christ and souls

are being saved every day

as they’re handing out food

and supplies,

they’re handing out Bibles,

and telling them about

a Jesus who loves them.

Help us today,

I know God’ll bless you for it.

Thank you so much,

and we’ll see you next time

on Kingdom Connection.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

>> For more information

about this message,

and other ministry resources,

visit us online at

JentezenFranklin.tv.