 This week I want to refer to something we’ve read in the Disciple’s Journey readings. We are currently in 1 Samuel and we find there a somewhat disturbing situation with Saul and God. The situation involves Saul being confronted about his sin against David. He was seeking to kill David because of his jealousy and fear of David. When confronted about his sin, Saul breaks into tears and confession. He also speaks the truth about David one day being king - as God has already said. As big spiritual moments go - this one seems legit! Yet later Saul turns from these very confessions and finds himself chasing David and trying to kill him within days of his previous confession and supposed repentance. Saul changes his position like a yoyo going up and down on a string. One would think that his tearful confession of sin - even stating he is wrong and has sinned against God and David is the real thing. What is going on here in Saul’s life? And what can we learn from it?
When God truly works in a person’s life it is measured by what happens in the heart. That is a principle we must remember. When David was chosen as king, Samuel was reminded as several of David’s brothers walked by that, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.” Jesus made it clear in the Gospel of Matthew that, “It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” (Matthew 15:11) And Jesus told us that out of the abundance of the HEART the mouth speaks. When Jesus spoke of murder in the Sermon on the Mount, He defined murder and adultery based on what was happening in the heart - not just what happened outwardly in the actions. Back to Saul . . . Yes, he has tearful confessions to David - but we really don’t see him turning to God. When David sinned later in life with the adultery with Bathsheba and proxy murder of her husband, he confessed his sin to God - even writing Psalm 51 and other Psalms as testimony and instruction for Israel. In spite of all Saul’s tears - there is no real repentance and turn to God. That is where we must turn to the New Testament to be reminded of the nature of true repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:9-11 speaks of true repentance. The passage reminds us that there are two kinds of sorrow. There is a godly sorrow that leads to repentance - and - a worldly sorrow that leads to death. Here is that entire passage. For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 2 Corinthians 7:8-11 Note in the underlined section that there is a sorrow according to God’s will that leads to repentance without regret and to salvation. This is contrasted with the sorrow of the world that produces death. There is repentance to life - and another repentance to death. Saul had the second of these two kinds of repentance. It had plenty of tears - plenty of words - even plenty of emotion. The problem is that is had no true turn to God. So how to we know whether we have the first or second kind of repentance? In the end - it is evidenced by our actions. And we will see in a moment that these actions are not toward the offender or the offended primarily. They are actions toward God. The last verse describes the actions of true repentance. Earnestness - vindication (apologea - a defense - here a defense of God’s ways and a defense seen not only in words but in a change of our actions). There is also fear of God - longing to change - zeal for God and his law to be fulfilled in our actions and attitudes - and a future where we are innocent in regard to sinful actions. All this points to a change in life. It matters very little how many tears are shed - it matters much how much we turn to God and allow Him to change our hearts so a different way of living ensues. Then there is verse 12 - which is very enlightening. So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 7:12 Paul states here that he wrote with rebuke - not for the sake of the offender who had sinned - nor did he write for the sake of the offended that had been sinned against in this situation. Ultimately he wrote so that they would see a revived earnestness in their response to the Word given to them by Paul - in God’s eyes. Ultimately Paul knew that repentance is something done “in the sight of God.” It is not done for the consumption of man. When we are truly repentant toward God - we will change. We change primarily because we restore our relationship with Him - and He works within us as we turn from disobedience to obedience. Back to Saul . . . He makes a very good and even somewhat convincing confession to David. The problem is that we see no true confession to God. Remember Saul’s confession to Samuel. He said he had sinned - but the next thing he did was to ask Samuel to come with him so he could be honored in the eyes of the people. David’s repentance didn’t care about honor before the people - he desired restoration to God. That is why we see David turn to God - even in the midst of very difficult circumstances and consequences of his sin. We see him turn to God again and again - humbling himself and seeking God in the middle of the mess his sin had caused. But what we see in Saul is a continuing descent into sin - disobedience in the Amalekite matter - disobedience in his attitudes and actions toward David - disobedience in continuing in his efforts to kill David even after having his life spared twice - and then a turning to a demonic medium when God wouldn’t answer his prayers before his death in a battle against the Philistines. Saul got worse - not better after his tearful confessions. So what do we come away with from these chapters of 1 Samuel? We come away with a warning about merely looking at the outside of things. Even when people cry actual tears along with their confession - that is not enough to merit calling what they do “true repentance.” We come away with a reminder that ultimately the One most offended by sin is God. Therefore the primary issue in true biblical repentance unto life is what is happening in the heart. Are we turning to God wholly or are we just making a good religious show of things? True repentance is all about our response to God. He calls us to repentance - helps to grant us true repentance - and is the One we are returning to in repentance. Without those things happening - and a subsequent work of God that affects the way we live - all our tears, confessions, and promises we will truly change are just chaff to be blow away. The real work - is heart work resulting in life change - to the glory of God.
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 Just thought I’d write something in light of our reading from 1 Samuel 15 the other day. Here is one of those passages that can really get confusing if we don’t study it in light of the whole counsel of God’s Word. On one day - and within one chapter of the Word - we read these three sections all dealing with God regretting (or in the King James it reads, “repenting”) something. And what we read has to be doubly confusing because in verse 10-11 God says he regrets making Saul king, in verse 29 He says He will not lie or “change His mind,” and then finally in verse 35 God repeats that He regretted making Saul king over Israel. Does God change HIs mind or not? Does this represent a serious problem with God being both immutable - and yet - in these passages - seeming to say that He isn’t immutable - because He made a regrettable choice in making Saul king? Which is it - immutable (never changing) or not immutable (changing His mind)?
The first thing we need to do in finding an answer to this dilemma is to place ourselves in humble dependence on God to reveal Himself through the Holy Spirit in the pages of Scripture. As we do this we need to address the whole counsel of God’s Word. First let’s see the passages we are addressing in 1 Samuel 15. Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, "I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands.” 1 Samuel 15:10-11 (NASB) As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. "Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind." 1 Samuel 15:27-29 (NASB) Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. 1 Samuel 15:35 (NASB) The next thing to do is to seek to understand these with the wider lens of their context. Had God said anything earlier that would have made this a possibility? The first place to look for this is in Saul’s appointment as king. This did not come without a problem. The prophet Samuel did not want to see a king appointed for Israel. He rightly discerned that God was displeased with this request. Chapter 12 of 1st Samuel is his address to this displeasure of God. After telling them that this was an ungodly request - God manifest Himself by sending thunder and rain during the wheat harvest. This was completely out of the norm and the people feared the Lord greatly as a result. But Samuel sought to comfort Israel with a call to remain faithful to God by continuing to serve the Lord with all their heart. Then he said these words. "Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away." 1 Samuel 12:24-25 (NASB) Therefore we learn from the start of Saul’s kingdom that his appointment was based on him following God with all his heart and not doing wickedly. If he did this, Saul would be swept away by God’s judgment. The fact is that Saul did disobey a direct command of God twice already. This was the second time he disobeyed God in a direct command. The first involved him making an offering without a priest - something God absolutely warned against doing. It was on that occasion that Samuel made it clear that God was then seeking a man after His own heart to be king. We read that in 1 Samuel 13. Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 1 Samuel 13:13-14 (NASB) So what we learn from a better understanding of the context of 1 Samuel is that God had already warned Israel and Saul once - and rebuked Saul for direct disobedience and said that God was going to seek out for Himself a man after His own heart to be king. It was in this context that the incident in chapter 15 with the Amalekites took place. So based on this alone we know that God had not “changed His mind” or “repented” as a man would who had made a mistake. He had already made it clear that Saul was going to be replaced because he had shown himself unfit to be Israel’s king by his multiplied disobedience. One thing we need to state here as well is that often God moved upon His prophets to speak judgment for disobedience and rebellion. But often these were conditional warnings. There was a caveat that if those who received the warnings would repent and turn from their sin - the disaster and judgment could be avoided. If they refused to repent and continued in their sin - the judgment would surely fall upon them just as God had promised. Saul knew this from Israel’s history - and yet he continued in his pride, disobedience and unwillingness to follow God’s decrees. It is at this point that we need to take a look at the words that were used in 1 Samuel and elsewhere to understand a little better what is going on in this passage. Once we have come to understand the context, it is wise to do word studies as well. The KJV regrettably uses the word repent in 1 Samuel 15 to translate the Hebrew word, “nacham” in 1 Samuel 15:11. According to The Complete Word Study Dictionary, Old Testament, the word “nacham” means: to be sorry or to regret. What is going on in this passage where God uses the word “nacham” every time He speaks is this - He is expressing sorrow and regret for having Saul made king. He did so to teach Israel a lesson. That lesson was to trust Him as king - and not be like the rest of the nations around them. And yet even as He gave them what they wanted, knowing it would lead to disaster for them, He did so that they would learn from their mistakes. But as these mistakes began to multiply and the people suffered because of it - God speaks of how it affects Him to see it - he was filled with sorrow and regret for having Saul as king and the suffering it caused. God is not just in heaven marking off the things that will happen like some unfeeling bureaucrat checking off a list. He hated to see the suffering it caused - and yet - He was also disciplining His people so that they would reject sin and adhere to His ways and leading. The word most often used for a man’s repentance is the Hebrew word “shub” which means to turn back. In verses 10 and 11 God uses this word “shub” to describe Saul’s turning from God. But when God speaks of His regret for making Saul king the word “nacham” is used. The two are distinguished from one another - as they are elsewhere in Scripture. A man disobeys God - and after learning of his rebellion is called to change his mind about his wickedness and repent (shub). But God knows no such shock in departing from the right way. What He experiences here - and elsewhere in Scripture is grief and sorrow over sin. Some might assert that God, being sovereign, knew Saul would sin. Then why would God make him king? Why wouldn’t God just make David king - or just refuse to have any king at all? Why would God allow the suffering and the sin that would follow Saul’s terrible reign as king - when He could have avoided it altogether? To answer this will require a second article - seeing as this one has already run very long. I’ll address this question in the next installment.  Today is November 9th, one day after an election where Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. It is also a fact that he is president in large measure because he received over 80% of the Evangelical vote. Since I was one of those who went through the agony of eventually voting for our president-elect, I also feel very qualified to offer the following article on the other side of the election.
Voting for Mr. Trump was one of the most difficult and excruciating things I’ve ever done. In the end I did so primarily due to one issue – abortion. After watching former Secretary of State Clinton coolly and confidently support abortion up until the last minute before a child is born, while also stating that an unborn child has no rights whatsoever – that was the turning point for me. There was no sense of anything in her except great pride that we do this in America. Because Mr. Trump had made it clear that he would oppose abortion (albeit with a promise – not exactly the most trustworthy currency in an election) I chose to vote for him. I did so without a sense of great pride in my vote – without any kind of bravado – I simply did it to protect the unborn. Having said this – and having read far too many facebook posts from both sides that broke my heart after the election – I want to offer unsolicited advice to those who are evangelicals who voted for president-elect Trump. President-elect Trump needs our prayers (as does President Obama) as he faces the presidency. First and foremost, it is my opinion, based upon his actions and words, that we need to pray for this man’s salvation. I was never under any deception that he was or is a Christian – regardless of what the President of Liberty University says. This man needs to repent of sin and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior – period. By the way, if that statement offends you, I believe all men and women need to repent and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. If you are a “true evangelical” then this is THE issue for us ultimately – is he (or anyone else for that matter) someone who has come to understand that he is a sinner by choice and by nature – has come to understand that Jesus is the God-man who came and paid for sin by His death, burial, and resurrection – and has come to repentance over his sin and now has put his faith in Jesus Christ to pay for his sin and make him acceptable to God. President-elect Trump also needs our prayers to govern wisely as the chief executive and commander in chief over our armed forces. Ask anyone who has ever held this office, there is tremendous pressure and responsibility associated with it. And take it from someone who is only a father and pastor of a local church – the more authority you have – the greater the damage you can do by making unwise and ungodly decisions. My unwise choices affect the 14 people in my family – and at least 175-200 people who attend the fellowship I am honored to serve. Things like pride, ego, marital infidelity, foul language, caustic comments, and perverse treatment of women, are unwise and ungodly from a biblical perspective. Sorry if this offends you but I am a pastor who is responsible to teach God’s Word – and advance a godly and righteous lifestyle. We can support him in some ways – but we need to be clear that these actions and attitudes are unacceptable. Should we show our president-elect grace and love? Absolutely. But can we afford as evangelicals to just gloss over the clear elephant in the room when it comes to his character and ungodliness? If we do – we will lose the moral authority to speak to our society – especially those who opposed him in the election who need the gospel so badly. President-elect Trump – and our nation – need our prayers for healing and unity. Only someone who has lived under a rock for the last year and a half is unaware of the incredible rift that there is in our nation. He is not responsible alone for this rift – but this past election cycle only made us aware of how wide it is. I am painfully aware that much of this rift is due to vastly divergent worldviews. Both sides of this divide view the moral stances of the other as moral bankruptcy. He will face deep divides that will require wisdom, patience, and understanding to even begin to address. As an evangelical there are issues within our nation where I have to take a stand that is unpopular – very unpopular with those who oppose it. There are moral issues – issues about sexuality – issues about justice – issues about racism – issues about abortion and crisis pregnancies – issues about how to help those in financial need – so many issues that even trying to list them makes my head swim. What makes it worse is that currently any discourse about them has become so incendiary that basic communication (where we respect one another) seems almost impossible. We so quickly descend into sound bytes and insults at the drop of a hat. Oh how we need to move away from listening to the talking heads and talk radio and actually listen to one another once again. The rhetoric of the election has left us all battered and worn out emotionally. Pray that our President – and our president-elect can begin to heal the fractures – rather than make them worse. One final word though to those of us who are evangelicals – and it is a word of great warning. If we choose to swagger through the next several months before and after the inauguration we are going to see the gospel itself face a terrible backlash. If we act as if Mr. Trump has great moral authority after what we’ve learned about how he treats women and his own marriage – we will alienate a large group of women who need to hear the gospel. They will see our joy over his election as an endorsement of his immoral actions – and will turn a deaf ear to the message of the gospel. If we act as if it wasn’t a problem that he didn’t distance himself from the KKK and other white supremacist groups with the strongest words possible – we will alienate many in the black community. They will see our joy in his election as an affirmation of what they already see as systemic racism and will turn a deaf ear to the gospel. If we act as if Mr. Trump’s bravado and pride – and the many morally questionable insults toward his opponents – should be seen as just politics as normal – we should not be surprised to see a rejection of our gospel as if it is associated with such insults. If we don’t at least attempt to see the political discourse toned down from its new lows in foul language that should offend people’s sensibilities - too many will deduce that we have come to endorse of this kind of talk. They will mock us when we say that the Bible teaches us to reject “corrupt communication from our mouths.” They will see such statements as just another way we’ve embraced hypocrisy as Christians. This will, in turn, justify in their minds turning a similar deaf ear to whatever else we have to say about salvation and the gospel. I’ve already seen too many posts by those on the other side of the political divide who are saying that if Trump represents evangelicalism – they are done with it. Be careful precious saints of God – and be wise in the days ahead. Our attitudes and our demeanor can do much to either advance the gospel or turn people off to it. May God give us wisdom, especially in these days to prove ourselves true sons of God – who embrace both truth and our role to be peacemakers. THE most important thing is that we, as evangelicals, see that what our nation needs most is the grace of God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are the only things that will bring about the much-needed revival in the church and the even more-needed spiritual awakening among the lost. So that these things may come to our nation may God give us grace to be men and women wise enough to navigate such a time as this. May God work in all of us to give us hearts that are tender and sensitive to His Word and His working in us.
This morning I read about King Josiah in my time alone with the Lord. Josiah was a godly king who decided to follow the Lord like David his many times over great grandfather. What is fascinating about this is that at the time Judah did not have a copy of the Scriptures from which to learn about the Lord. Yet Josiah went about seeking God the best he could at the time. That led him to have the temple restored and repaired. It was during that renovation of the temple area that one of the priests found a copy of God’s revelation of Himself – what we call the Word of God. When this happened it quickly rose up the ranks until Josiah Himself was able to hear God’s Word, maybe for the first time. His reaction to God’s Word was priceless and very instructive for us today. Josiah, according to God’s own rendition of this event, responded with a tender and broken heart as he listened to God’s Word. Scripture tells us that he tore his robes in grief and wept before the Lord. Here is what God sent the prophetess Huldah to say to Josiah concerning that event. But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus you will say to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel regarding the words which you have heard, "Because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, tore your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you," declares the LORD. 2 Chronicles 34:26-27 (NASB) Josiah responded to God’s Word with a tender heart. He did not respond with pride or arrogance against God – and neither did he reject God’s Word outright as he heard it. Scripture says that he humbled himself – tore his robes – and wept before God. When Josiah heard the Word he knew that Judah was in serious trouble for their rebellion against the Lord. They had disregarded God’s Law and had chosen horrific levels of disobedience to God. He knew from the words that were read to him that God did not think lightly of this rebellion and sin. In fact his own thoughts were that God’s wrath was upon them. I want to take a few minutes and reflect on Josiah’s tender heart – and how we should aspire to have one much like his. Josiah took God’s Word as a Word from God. That may seem a little redundant at first – but it is one of the signs that someone has a tender heart. Too often today there is not a respect for God’s Word. We’ve seen too much written and heard too much said that denigrates God’s Word. Too many people have the attitude that they can pick and choose what they want to be His Word – be authoritative in their lives – and then set the parts they don’t like to the side. That would have been easy for Josiah to do. He could have thought that it wasn’t his fault that things had deteriorated so badly. That was his father’s and grandfather’s doing. He just inherited this mess. He could have argued that he was just hearing the Word for the first time – and that God shouldn’t hold him accountable for everything he just heard. Josiah did not take any of those routes – because his heart was already tender toward God. He wanted to hear God – and know Him and His will. The moment such things were made known to him – he wanted to submit to it. That is the heart which is tender toward God. He acknowledged that God was the One in authority and that His place was surrender and submission to His will – another mark of those with tender hearts toward God. Josiah also responded with distress and brokenness to what he learned about the Lord. A king’s robe distinguished him from everyone else in the kingdom. This was a royal robe – and yet his first response was to tear that robe and grieve the situation that his and his kingdom’s rebellion had caused. His concern was to embrace humility and a truly broken and repentant heart before the God he and his kingdom had offended. Repentance, instant repentance, and brokenness are a sign of a tender heart before God. David did not care about his position and authority – because he knew that an infinitely more important authority had been scorned. His place was in broken, weeping repentance before God. Finally we see that David was not just concerned about what God had said through His Word – but he wanted desperately to know what God was saying NOW. He immediately sent representatives to the only known ones who could answer that question – Jeremiah and Huldah, who were the only prophets in that area at the time. Neither of these two had that great of a place within the kingdom. Huldah lived in the third quarter of Jerusalem – which was a much poorer section of the city. Her position was a common one – and yet Josiah recognized her heart for God and gift as a prophetess. Josiah wanted to know what he needed to do to remedy this situation. How could he lead Judah to return to God? This is another sign of a tender heart. The tenderhearted man or woman wants to know God right now – and lives to see Him honored and glorified. Huldah did not have a very encouraging message for Josiah. Judgment was coming and Josiah would not be able to stop it. He himself would be gathered to his people in peace – but the kingdom of Judah was going to be judged. What I find fascinating is that even with this diagnosis Josiah still sought God and did what was right and best for Judah. He returned to God with a passion and desire that was unrivaled. He not only turned to God, but endeavored to lead Judah to do the same. His life was a labor to see God’s people repent and return to Him. This is what the tenderhearted live for in their lives. Their greatest longing is for God to work not just in their hearts, but also in the lives of others as they turn to Him as well. The more I read of this tenderhearted man of God, the more I desired that same kind of work in my own heart. The more I thought about the marks of that heart – the more I saw where I lacked it in my own. Oh to be a man of God who is so tender-hearted toward the Word, toward the honor and glory of God, toward any manifestation of sin in myself or among God’s people. Oh to be a man of God who responds with a broken heart, a tear-stained face, and a life turned wholly toward God. Oh to be among a congregation of people who embrace the same things as together we seek God’s face and favor in the midst of a generation that has turned from the Lord so hard and so completely. My prayers, dearest saints, is that this will be true of me as your pastor and of each of us as we walk in these days. Josiah is not just a great example of a tender heart – but is also a wonderful example of how we should respond in a time of darkness to seeing our sins and the sins of our culture in the light of God’s Word. May He grant us that honorable work of broken hearts, tear-stained altars of prayer, and repentant, pliable, surrendered, submissive lives passionately pursuing Him. May we seek Him first, seek to see His favor return to His church, and hopefully see a revival in our church, city, state, and land. |
Biblical ArticlesMost of these articles are taken from the Calvary Courier, a weekly newsletter that is sent to the folks who attend Calvary Chapel Jonesboro. Due to the response to these articles, we've decided to print some of them which proved to be very helpful to God's people at the fellowship. 
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