Impact Week Twenty-One

Review

Last week we addressed the importance of thanksgiving. While Jesus was walking the boarder heading into Jerusalem, he was approached by ten leprous men, asking for their healing. Jesus instructed them to show themselves to the priest, and as they went, they were healed. But despite the supernatural healing that took place in their bodies, only one of the ten returned to give praise to God for it. Most of us don’t have amazing stories like those of the leper – we haven’t been healed of life-threatening diseases. But if you think there’s no reason to give thanks, stop a moment and realize: you have every reason to be grateful. Number one, there was nothing to be healed from in the first place. And second, we have been set free by the blood of Jesus from certain death and judgment. In everything, give thanks. We shouldn’t approach God about anything without an attitude of thanks. We need to remember all that He has done for us.

Background

This week, I’d like to jump back to the Old Testament. If you haven’t figured it out by now, I love the historical books. There’s a lot to be gleaned from the lives that are written about. And here we have a story to learn both from King David and a man by the name of Nathan.

To bring you up to speed, David has been ruling for quite some time. He is married to Saul daughter, Michael (yeah, yeah, laugh it up fuzzball). One night while he was out on the rooftop of his palace looking over his kingdom (I assume), David spotted Bathsheba. She was, as the account describes, married, but also beautiful. So David sent for her and slept with her. A short time later, he got the report from Bathsheba every man dreads to hear, “I’m pregnant” (at least it’s dreaded when the situation is not righteous). Let’s review. David is married. Bathsheba is married. Ahem. See the problem? Now that we’ve got that clear, let’s read.

Reading: II Samuel 12:1-10

End

Reading that passage, I can’t help but think about the Word that God spoke through the prophet Samuel to King Saul, specifically the one found in I Samuel 15 where God rejects Saul as king. It is such a sobering Word, and reading the one found here makes me wonder how close God was to rejecting David. But God had mercy on David, much more than he deserved. And to think, it is said that David was a man after God’s own heart. That God used him over and over again to drive back the enemies of Israel. To fall so hard, like he did in this situation, it makes me wonder what it would take for me to fall from grace. Are any of us beyond falling? Can anyone really say with any certainty that they will never fall into sin?

But thank God for the Nathans in our lives. Have you ever had someone get up in your face, “all up in your grill” as Pastor Dave would say? In our culture, we have the preposterous notion that we should be accepting and tolerant of immorality. I have had people feed me the lie that as a Christian, I should be all the more understanding and accepting of certain lifestyles, namely homosexuality. And to a degree, it is true. No one has the right to be judgmental of another individual. But – that does not mean we should be complacent and allow immorality to increase, and stay silent about an issue like homosexuality merely because we don’t want to offend. Buddy, if you don’t want to offend someone, you might as well drop your whole belief in Christ. There is nothing more offensive than trying to live righteously. With a message of tolerance spreading through our culture, we so desperately need people that are willing to speak truth, that aren’t afraid to make a stand as Nathan did.

Let me make something perfectly clear: I am not saying that you should take a walk out on the town and start preaching repentance. More than anything, your life and the way you lead it should speak volumes, rather than your tongue. But it is appropriate to make a stand on the tough issues, like abortion, same-sex marriage, and so on.

Before you get up in someone else’s face, ask the hard questions of your own life. Examine yourself today. I can’t say that I’m proud of my past, but I’m not much more excited about the present. Even now, as I am writing this, I have to take a step back and realize, without Christ, I am one sad desperate individual, and I would be lost without the saving redemptive work He has done and is still doing within me. Take this with you today: be correctable. Don’t be offended when someone gets up in your face, whether they have the right to or not. It may well be that God is speaking through them, because God uses flawed individuals. Be attentive to God and listen to the correction He speaks, whether through a person, or through His Word.

Memory Verse: Proverbs 4:20-22

“20My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.”