Blog 15

                                                              A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

(Acts 20:17-38)

By Ps Nelson Koh

                                                         preached at CACV on 09/09/12

 

Introduction

The title of today’s message is taken from a 1966 best Oscar movie of that name. It was a story of Sir Thomas More, played by Paul Scofield in 16^th Century England.  

Sir Thomas More, while as Chancellor, stood up to Henry VIII who against the Catholic Church ruling,  wanted to divorce his then wife and queen Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, on the excuse that she could not bear him a son.

As a good Catholic, More stood up against the King, as he couldn’t go along with the heresy.

Hence, Sir Thomas More became known in the movie as a “man for all seasons” for being a man of conscience who remained true to himself and beliefs under all circumstances and at all times, for which he paid the ultimate price of public execution.

Background to Paul, the Apostle

Centuries earlier, we had Paul, the Apostle, a man who would be more by far than Sir Thomas More, who stood for Christian doctrines and matters of faith and practice in the early church and who in the end paid the ultimate price.

We owe much of our Christian belief and heritage to this man Paul – certainly, a Man for all Seasons. Perhaps no other single man or person, through his ministry or writings, apart from Christ himself has influenced and impacted on Christianity, more than Paul.

He was a Church Planter, Missionary Extraordinaire, Pastor, Evangelist, Spiritual Father to many, Preacher, Teacher, Apostle, Theologian, an indomitable and tireless worker, Prophet and Martyr for God. Most of all he was a Servant of God.

His letters were weighty and forceful but in appearance, he was described as being unimpressive and with speaking that amounted to nothing” (2 Cor 10:10), probably short and bald headed with a big nose. He declared himself to be not eloquent. Face to face, he was timid but bold when away. (2 Cor 10:1)

He was born in Tarsus, in present day Turkey. He was a Jew, a Roman citizen and once described himself as a “Hebrew of Hebrews” and a Pharisee, in strict adherence to the Jewish law. He was zealous in hunting down Christians and said in Acts 22:4, “I persecuted the followers of the Way to their death…” He would drag men and women to prison and torture them. He was a witness and gave approval to the stoning of Stephen, the first Christian martyr. 

He wrote a total of 13 epistles in the New Testament, completed 3 and possibly 4 missionary journeys. He was said to have been beheaded in Rome around 67 A.D., 33 years after his conversion.

1.    He was a man called of God

Who would think that a man like Paul or Saul, a Christian persecutor would be called of God? Yet, he had an amazing conversion experience on the road to Damascus. In Acts 9:1-2, he was breathing murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples and had asked for letters from the High Priest, to the synagogues in Damascus, so that he could drag men and women of the Way, to Jerusalem, to imprison them.

Then he met the Lord in a flashing light, fell to the ground and heard a voice saying in v4, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Then in v5 we have, “Who are you Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.

So we read that Saul was blinded for 3 days, without food or drink, till he met a disciple called Ananias in Damascus. Then the Lord said to him in v15, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel.” Then in v16, “I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” So after Ananias had laid his hands on Saul, his sight was restored and he was baptized.

Then after a period of 3 years in Arabia (Gal 1:17), he preached Christ in Damascus and then in the synagogues in Jerusalem.

The lesson we learn is that God is sovereign and can use the foulest man or woman to be his chosen instrument.

2.    He was faithful to his call

We see this in the text. Paul was towards the end of the 3^rd Missionary journey. He needed to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost (50 days after Passover). But he chose not to stop-over at the major port of Ephesus, even though he had founded and spent about 3 years there. He by-passed that great city and called for the Elders from Miletus.

Here we see a measure of his greatness…a man who had been faithful and was true to his call in declaring, all this while, the gospel of God’s grace to the Gentiles and that he might finish the race in-spite of all the difficulties encountered and was about to face for his focus was on proclaiming the will of God, come what may.

So, after giving a word of advice to the Elders, he forged ahead to Jerusalem, in-spite of warnings against it by the disciples and one prophet called Agabus. True enough, he was seized, bound, beaten and imprisoned for 2 years before being sent to Rome.

3.    He was a man of great courage and conviction

Daniel entered the lion’s den, but Paul was as bold as a lion. He entered the den of the Judaizers, heretics, false teachers, chief priests, Pharisees, Sadducees, Governors, Kings and the Emperor. He spoke out against such as legalism, liberalism, antinomianism (to live as they pleased as grace would save them), false teachings, sexual immorality, idolatry, greed, evil and all kinds of depravity, often to his own detriment. He was completely uncompromising when it came to teaching of the truth of the gospel.

He chastised the church in Galatia for perverting the gospel by insisting that Gentile Christians should go through certain OT rites, like circumcision.  In the book of Romans the largely Gentile church found it hard to reconcile Jewish law with freedom in Christ. Paul highlighted the faith of the Jews through the law and encouraged them to think more deeply about the roots of their faith. Yet he also encouraged the Jews to look outside the law and to see a God of grace. He provided the right balance between law and grace to the mostly Gentile Christians.

At another instance, he even chastised Peter, who had somewhat yielded to Jewish prejudice of not having meals with Gentiles. Gal 2:11 says that Paul resisted him to the face.

At other times he had to defend his apostolic authority and remind his listeners of his amazing conversion and God’s call, to lend credence to his message.

He was perhaps the most misunderstood of all the Apostles and often accused as one who was harsh, insensitive, hurtful and judgmental. In fact, he was a largely unpopular character. But while he did challenge individuals and churches and found it necessary to be uncompromising, he was full of encouragement, affirmation and love to the right audience. One should never miss out on his loving support, exhortation and teachings that he gave to the early church.

He taught the primary teachings of the Christian faith, such as justification by faith, salvation is by grace through faith, the Trinity, the Virgin birth, the humanity and divinity of Christ, the full authority of Scripture, the resurrection and the second coming.

Without all these fundamental teachings, Christianity in its purest form would no longer exist. We would not be where we are today. Instead we would have been subsumed by a different kind of gospel. Hence, Paul knew that he had to put it right from the start…to never compromise or abandon the fundamental beliefs of the Christian faith.

 

 

4.    He had a passion for souls

While Paul directed displeasure over all sorts of false teachings and practices, he never deviated from his primary call, which was bigger, and that was to reach and save the lost.

He knew what he was called to do and he did it without fear or favour. He had a passion for souls. In v24, he considered his life as worth nothing to him, if only he might finish the race and complete the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.

Then he made a declaration after saying that they would not see him again, that he was innocent of the blood of all men, for he had not hesitated to proclaim to them the whole will of God.

Paul knew what  Pr 11:30 meant by “…he who wins souls is wise.”

Then in 1Cor 9: 20-23, he said, “To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

Here we see Paul in action as truly a man for all seasons.

Paul wept at the very thought of people going to hell. In Ro 9:2-3 he said “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers…” That was a very profound statement, for he was willing to go to hell for the sake of his brothers.

Indeed, like Paul, we are called to weep and pray for our unsaved loved ones, friends and relatives.

5.    He was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering

Paul once said in Phil 1:21, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

His satisfaction and life’s pursuit was to know Christ and to be like him in every way, suffering included and even to death. The wonderful thing was that he did not take his salvation for granted and neither did he take the resurrection from the dead for granted.

He wasn’t a pew warmer, but believed in working out his salvation with fear and trembling so that somehow he may receive the promise of the resurrection.

As in Is 53, Paul was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering. He was the embodiment of what Jesus said in Mt 16: 24-25 “If anyone would come after me, he must first deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”

True to his call, the Lord showed him how much he had to suffer in his name. Paul himself mentioned in 2 Cor 11:23-30:

“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” But even though he was sorrowful because of his sufferings, he had reason to rejoice in Christ because he had such a healthy view of God through the eyes of faith. He cared nothing of his own life, only that the gospel may be preached and people may be reached for Christ. In the end, he had this to say, “What has happened to me has resulted in the advance of the gospel.” Phil1:21 6.    He was a humble man This is a character trait that often escapes people because of his indomitable zeal and dominance. Mohammad Ali once said that it is difficult for one to be humble when one is the greatest. Well, Paul was perhaps the greatest Apostle for all time. But there was no hint of self-adulation. This was some of what he said of himself: “For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” (1 Cor 15:9) “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst.” (1 Tim 1:15) “Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,” (Eph 3:8) “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Ro 7:18) “Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say.” (2 Cor 12:6) In other words, Paul wanted people to evaluate him on the basis of his everyday words and actions rather than his impressive list of credentials. Paul’s experiences were so spectacular and incredible, that he would have struggled with pride. Even his fellow apostles, let alone ordinary Christians would have been tempted to envy him. But to keep him from being conceited, we read that he was given a ‘thorn in his flesh’, a messenger from Satan, to torment him.” (2 Cor 12:7)   For centuries, people have wondered about what this meant. The fact remains that the thorn was there to keep him humble and make him weak. So he prayed for its removal. But God gave a surprise answer “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” V9 Instead of removing Paul’s thorn, God chose to give him grace to endure it. Instead of taking away Paul’s weakness, God chose to demonstrate his power through Paul’s weakness. God’s promise applies to us all…that anything that makes us weak, humble and dependent will see a demonstration of God’s power. 7.    He was a powerful Missionary It is estimated that Paul’s travels by ship covered at least 12,000 miles. In addition, he travelled several hundreds of miles overland. He visited at least 50 cities, wrote 13 epistles and yet he never complained of hardship, of wasted years, lack of family time, wealth or fame. There was just the simple joy of knowing and serving Christ and of the blessed hope in the life to come. He completed 3 missionary journeys and possibly a 4th all the way to Spain. He planted several churches throughout Asia and Europe and no doubt set the stage for an incredible spread of Christianity in the known world.     Close Paul was truly a “man for all seasons”. He preached what he lived and lived what he preached. His greatest value was centred on Jesus Christ and the gospel. That was the secret of his greatness. He pursued not after personal greatness but after a great God. In the end he found real joy above his circumstances and his own comfort and freedom, so long as the gospel was preached and souls won to Christ. Finally, he was able to claim for sure “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Phil 1:21 Amen.

 

 

 

Blog 14

 

YOU MIGHTY WARRIOR

( Judges 6: 7-18 )

By Ps Nelson Koh

                                                preached at CACV on 10/06/12

Introduction

The story of Gideon is a story of how God used an ordinary person to do extraordinary things. In Gideon we see strength in weakness. In Gideon, we see transformation under God’s hand, of a coward to a Mighty Man of God. The bible states that God chooses the foolish things of the world to shame the wise and the weak things to shame the strong. He chooses the lowly things, the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him (1 Cor 1:27, 28). Gideon exemplified these characteristics of a weak, tentative and lack of self-confidence man whom God chose and used for His purposes.

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he was found in a winepress, threshing wheat. What would a guy be doing in a winepress when threshing wheat is always done in the open fields? Now that’s like washing your car in a garage or drying clothes in the laundry! He was probably cowering with fear just like the Israelites who were hiding in mountain crags, caves and strongholds from the Midianites, the Amalekites and their allies.

Tell story of mummy, who insisted but Johnny resisted. “Go get a can of tomato soup from the storeroom” she said. Johnny resisted and kept going back and forth from the storeroom. Finally mummy said “Don’t be afraid – Jesus is in the storeroom!” Johnny finally went, knocked at the storeroom door and said “Jesus, if you’re there, please pass me a can of tomato soup!” Folks - That’s Gideon for you!

From a victorious period of re-establishment into the land of Canaan under Joshua, the people of God had again entered into a new and repeated cycle of apostasy, disobedience, immorality and idolatry. We read in Judges 17:4, “In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” So God, being a loving but righteous God that He is, decided to give them over into the hands of the Midianites for 7 years. But because the oppression was so great, the Hebrews cried out in desperation and like always, and up to a point, God relented and sent a deliverer, a prophet, a judge to deliver his people from bondage.

So, the angel of the Lord went up to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” I wonder how you would react if the same thing had happened to you? You would probably have said “Couldn’t be, not me or why me?!” And that was exactly how Gideon reacted. Couldn’t be! If the Lord had been with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers spoke about? Did he not bring us out of Egypt? Why has the Lord abandoned us? Questions, questions, questions!

And when the Lord said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Gideon again asked “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Excuses, excuses, excuses! But the Lord simply replied “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together”.

Am I not sending you? And “I will be with you… But as though that wasn’t enough, Gideon asked for a sign! As we look at Gideon, with all his incessant questioning, excuses and doubts, one wonders if God had made a mistake? No, God had not made a mistake – in fact God never makes mistakes! Why then was Gideon called a MIGHTY MAN or a MIGHTY MAN OF VALOUR (NKJV)?

There are several reasons for it, as follows:

1.    He was Available

 

God often looks, not so much at ability as he does availability. Ability may be in the form of sociability, compatibility, adaptability, reliability, giftedness, talent etc. But without availability, one can become a liability – I mean not just church availability but Kingdom availability. To be available is to place oneself totally and completely at God’s disposal – for him to do anything and everything with us as he chooses – not as we choose of ourselves. Often, we’d like to do what we like to do. The test comes when we’re asked to do something which we don’t necessarily like to do. But because we are willing to subject ourselves to Godly authority, we are willing to give it a go.

 

On the other hand, you may think of yourself as unqualified to serve God – but the only way of being unqualified is to be unavailable. Gideon, for all his questions, excuses and doubts, in the end, proved to be AVAILABLE.

 

Story – a one-legged teacher came to J. Hudson Taylor to offer himself for service to China. Taylor asked “Why do you with one leg think of going as a missionary? The answer was “I do not see those with 2 legs going.” He was accepted – and his name was George Scott.

 

The lesson we learn is that when God sends he will enable and provide – ours is to trust and obey. Remember God is not just a God of the possible but more so, a God of the impossible! Ro 8: 31b says “…If God is for us, who can be against us?” Your little strength plus God’s immeasurable might will be far more than any power this world could ever imagine! So go in the strength you have ( see Moses’ staff, the widow’s oil and the 5 loaves and 2 fish) though it may not be much and His promise to us is that he will do it together with us – if only we’ll BE AVAILABLE!

 

2.    He was a Worshipful Man

 

Just like King David, Gideon was a man of worship. Remember the time when David over-heard that his son from his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba? He simply arose, washed himself, put on lotion, dressed and went to worship at the house of the Lord.

 

Likewise, Gideon said to the Lord in v18 “Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” He wanted a sign from the Lord but not until he had brought an offering before him. Then in v24, Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it The Lord is Peace.

 

Later, in Jdg. 7:15 we read that when Gideon overheard a dream and its interpretation that God had given the whole of Midian’s camp to him, he immediately worshipped God.

 

God loves a worshipful heart. Gideon had in mind an offering to God even before receiving a sign. Make no mistake about it – there’s nothing wrong with asking for a sign although it can be stretching God’s patience somewhat. Gideon asked questions, he asked for signs, he tested God but in the end it was all about a very patient God.

 

3.    He was an Obedient Man

Gideon may have asked lots of questions and shown his doubts but each time he obeyed God.

Once again we quote from 1 Samuel 15: 22, 23

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?

To obey is better than sacrifice,

and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is like the sin of divination,

and arrogance like the evil of idolatry…”

 

When the angel of the Lord asked Gideon to place meat, unleavened bread and broth on the rock, he did just that. When the Lord told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal, cut down the Asherah pole and offer a second bull on a new altar to the Lord – he did that too – though he was still fearful and did it at night instead of daylight.

 

As a result, he got the sign he wanted from the Lord and he was able to win small battles – against the fear of man and of his family. It was a case of one small victory – one giant step for Israel! Lk 16:10a says “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with little will also be dishonest with much.”

 

Gideon was now ready for the big time. Obedience can bring out the very best of us into the realm of faith. Was Gideon still lacking in confidence? Indeed he was. Did small victories remove all fear – indeed no, but God was with him and was about to remove all fear and doubt and transform him into a truly Mighty Man of God!

 

4.    He was a man of Great Faith and Courage

 

Because of the assurance that God would stand by him and fight together with him, Gideon developed into a man of great faith and courage. In Heb 11:32, Gideon is listed in the Great Hall of Faith, together with people like Samson, David, Samuel and the prophets. He is described as among those who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was promised…whose weakness was turned to strength, and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.

 

Man sees the outward appearance but God sees our potential. When the angel appeared to Gideon, what he saw was not the ‘present’ Gideon but the ‘future’ Gideon. God sees into the future and his desire was to see Gideon come out of his doubts and fears into the realm of faith and courage.

 

As a result, Gideon achieved many successes and victories because God was with him and against all odds he achieved final victory against the Midianites in Chapter 7, not with 32k men, not with 10k but with a mere 300 men, armed with little more than trumpets, empty jars and torches! Indeed God is a God of the seemingly impossible!

 

The way we serve with faith and courage can encourage others to do likewise, and more. On 06 May 1954, a runner by the name of Roger Bannister did the seemingly impossible by breaking the 4 minute mile. In the following year some 300 other runners did exactly the same thing.

Small steps of obedience and faith can help others do likewise. Gideon was transformed from a coward to a high achiever, a Mighty Man of God!

Close

God wants us to be more than conquerors (Ro 8:37). When one learns to trust and obey, the Lord can do amazing things through us. If a coward who took small steps of obedience can be used of God to achieve great victories to his glory, he can even use you and me.

We need to look not so much at what great things we can do for God but what great things God can do through us.

Today, you may feel like Gideon – the least of the least – quite ordinary – but God is a Master of the impossible. He doesn’t use those who think they have arrived but those who feel they have a long way to go. He loves to use the ordinary, the mediocre even. He is able to change you from the ordinary into the extraordinary. In 2 Cor 12:9 we read of what God told the Apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Indeed, only when we are totally submitted and surrendered to God, can his power be made perfect in us.

God might well be saying to you this morning, “if you’re feeling weak and ordinary, I love to work with the ordinary – are you willing to put your lives in the Potter’s hands and say,  mould me, use me and make me after thy will…for I’m waiting and yielded still.”

Amen.

 

Blog 13

A man after God’s own heart

By Ps Nelson Koh

(1 Samuel 13: 7-14; Acts 13:22)

                                                       preached at CACV on 06 May2012

 

Introduction

I wonder how you would like to be called “a man after God’s own heart?” Sounds great doesn’t it? It certainly would be, especially if we’re referring to God’s heart…all pure and holy!  Why then was David called “a man after God’s own heart”?

Well, it all began with Samuel’s rebuke of King Saul who had just offered burnt and fellowship offerings ahead of his arrival at a place called Gilgal. This was what Samuel then declared to Saul in 1 Sam 13:13-14, “You acted foolishly,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”  Wow! That’s the price Saul had to pay for disregarding the Word of the Lord’s prophet and anointed one, Samuel.

David, as we know was chosen above and apart from 7 of his apparently good-looking older brothers in 1 Sam 16. Who would have thought that God would have chosen the youngest boy – ruddy and fine in appearance and handsome – but only a boy minding the sheep! But God looks at the heart and not the outward appearance! God looks at the inner disposition and character, not the outward show! God looks at the potential and the future, more than just the present.  So Samuel anointed him with oil and from that day the Spirit of the Lord was upon David!

Then you might say “What?” You mean God chose this guy called David? Wasn’t he the one who lusted after Bathsheba and committed adultery with her? He certainly was! Wasn’t he the one who manipulated and arranged for her husband to be killed at the front-line? He certainly was. Wasn’t he the one who should have been leading his men and the battle-front but instead remained in the palace while his men fought and slept in the open fields? Yes, indeed! Wasn’t he a bad father, who, after his son Amnon had raped his half-sister, did nothing about it? O yes, he was. Wasn’t he the one whom Joab, his commander said “You love those who hate you and hate those who love you” (see 2 Sam 19:1-7), when he failed to go to war and encourage his men to attack a city called Rabbah, while he mourned for Absalom? He certainly was!

So how could this scoundrel, this murderer and adulterer, be ever considered, let alone be called a man after God’s own heart?

Well, there are several reasons for that but firstly, it’s important to note that:

David suffered the consequences of his sins

Firstly, on the matter of Bathsheba, David had to pay dearly for his liaison with Bathsheba. God caused the first son from the adulterous relationship to die. (2 Sam 12:18)

Secondly, for his sin of murder, he was told by the prophet Nathan that the sword will not depart from his house. Sure enough, his sons came to violent deaths. Amnon was killed by Absalom in 2 Sam 13:28-29 and Absalom was killed by Joab as he hung with his head caught among a branch of a tree (18:14). Adonijah, David’s son after Absalom died at the hands of Solomon in 1 Ki 2:25.

Thirdly, the prophet Nathan prophesied that David’s wives would be given to one close to him and he will lie with them in broad daylight. Sure enough, Absalom lay with his father’s concubines on a roof in full sight of all Israel, as in 2 Sam 16:22.

Besides these, David was driven out of his palace in Jerusalem and was relentlessly pursued by his son Absalom, who conspired to snatch the throne from his father.

God is a holy and righteous God and David, paid dearly for each one of his sins. Likewise, we are reminded that God is our loving heavenly Father, full of love and mercy but he hates sin and though He forgives us when we confess our sins, we are not immune to suffering the consequences of our sins…that is what a righteous and loving God will do to us.

Back now to the question “Why was David called a man after God’s own heart?”

Well, it’s often said that “THE HEART OF THE MATTER IS THE HEART!” Here’s why…It has all to do with the condition of David’s heart! How was David’s heart like?

1.    He had a Repentant Heart

 

After committing adultery with Bathsheba, Nathan confronted David. Here we see the repentant heart of David. Many people when confronted with their own sin would either kill the messenger, deny responsibility or blame someone or something else. Not so with David.

 

This is what he said to Nathan in 2 Sam 12:13, “I have sinned against the Lord.” That’s all…one simple sentence. He did not deny, defy or blame someone else. He just repented deeply and this comes out in Ps 51.

 

In v4 he said “Against you, you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.” Then in v7 he added “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me and I’ll be whiter than snow.” “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.” V10-11.

 

Nathan then replied “The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.” He could have blamed Bathsheba for bathing in the open, the servants for bringing her to him or some other excuses but he didn’t. He was always ready for correction. Whenever he sinned, he was quick to repent. He had a teachable and malleable spirit.

 

After he heard that his son from his adulterous relationship had died, he simply got up from the ground, washed himself, changed his clothes and then went to the house of God to worship. He paid for his sins – yes, God was harsh but he submitted himself totally to God’s discipline. He did not kick or squirm. His desire was always to please God.

 

2.    He had a Humble, Broken and Contrite Heart

 

He confessed his sins with a contrite heart and declared that the Lord does not delight in sacrifices but “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” Ps 52:17

 

We see this too in Is 66:2 “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.” And in Is 57:15 we have, “…I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit,…”

 

In 1 Sam 17:58, after overcoming Goliath, Saul asked “Who are you?” David replied – the son of Jesse the Bethlehemite. He remained humble and did not say that he was a hero or the chosen one. David saw victory after victory, but he always attributed it to God.

 

To be broken is to have a healthy dissatisfaction of self or disappointment with self. David knew and acknowledged his moral failure. Only with a broken and contrite heart can one see one’s own wretchedness and acknowledge one’s own need for God. In Ps 16:2 he said …”You are my Lord. Apart from you I have no good thing.”

 

To be broken and contrite is to say “I’m only a sinner saved by grace.”

 

God doesn’t look so much at our capabilities or our sacrifices but whether we have a humble, broken and contrite heart for God is close to the broken-hearted (Ps 34:18); and he longs to lift up those who are bowed down. 
 

3.    He had an Obedient and Willing Heart

We read in Acts 13:22, “After removing Saul, he made David their King. He testified concerning him “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”

Wow! David was willing to do whatever God called him to do! WE may do things for God, but God desires for us to do everything He wants us to do…not what we want to do.

There are many portions of Scripture where God shows us that He wants to use us e.g... In Eze 22:30-31 “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.”

Many of us may have done many things but it may not be what God wants us to do. We need to do the right things the right way. Are we willing to be men and women after God’s own heart? Then we need to listen and do the right thing God’s way.

David knew that he was not to touch the Lord’s anointed. In 1 Sam 24, even though he had the opportunity to kill Saul, when Saul pursued him at the crags and caves of En Gedi, yet he refrained from doing so. Instead he cut off a corner of Saul’s robe as evidence. And he said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should lift a hand against the Lord’s anointed.” Later he shouted to Saul from afar “may the Lord judge between you and me…so my hand will not touch you.” He knew when and how to refrain from touching the Lord’s anointed. Hence, David did the right thing the right way!

David always kept to the Lord’s commands. In 1 Ki 15:5 we have “For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life – except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.”

What else did David do?

·         He constantly inquired of the Lord

·         He loved the Word of God – “Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long.” (Ps 119:97)

·         He wrote many psalms

·         He loved to pray – I love the Lord for he heard my voice; I will call upon Him as long as I live.” (Ps 116:1-2)

·         He loved unity as in Ps 133:1

·         He hated every false way (see Ps 119:104)

 

4.    He had a Passionate Heart for God

 

David was passionate for and about God. John Orthberg, in his book “Growing a heart for God”, describes David as having a heart of wild abandon. Everything he did was superlative – unabashed, unashamed and unafraid…he loved God with a wild abandon. Once, while he and his men brought up the ark to the City of David, he danced half-naked before the Lord. We find this in 2 Sam 6:4 “David, wearing a linen ephod danced before the Lord with all his might,…”  He did it much to the disgust of Michal, his wife and Saul’s daughter.

 

David was never half-hearted. He loved God unreservedly and unconditionally. He wrote in Ps 37:4 “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

 

How is your love life for God today? Do you love Him unreservedly and unconditionally? Many things can rob us of our love for God. Do you whinge at every little setback or discomfort. The bible says in Pr 4:23, “Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

 

David was also big-hearted and very generous. Look at how he treated Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth in 2 Sam. David demonstrated his kindness because of his promise to Jonathan. In so doing, he reflected and pointed towards God’s grace, love and mercy. He did not hold back, but was always generous, gracious and free-spirited.

 

5.    He had a Devoted and Worshipful heart

Oliver Newton John once sang “I’m hopelessly devoted to you…” David was hopelessly devoted to God. In Ps 86:2 he said “Guard my life, for I am devoted to you…” In Ps 9:1 we have “I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart…” In Ps 86:11 he prayed “…give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”

To be devoted is to have an undivided heart for God. Although David had committed serious sins, his heart was never divided when serving the Lord. In 1 Ki 15: 3, we read of Abijah, King of Judah, a descendant of David “He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord, his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been.”

David was full on for the Lord. We are often divided in our devotion…distracted by the cares of the world. David was focussed. This comes through in the psalms he wrote. For instance, in Ps 139, he said “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

He had a great intensity in his devotion to God. He spoke to God as a close friend and confidante. He knew God deeply. In Ps 32:7 he said “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

David was a great worshipper of God and a great musician too. Many of his psalms turned out to be songs of praise and worship. For instance, we have Ps 57:11 “Be exalted O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.” Ps 8:1 “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.”

He introduced what is known as Davidic worship. It is a mode of worship that involved song, music and dance. In 1 Chr 16:4-7, David ordered a new priesthood to minister praise and worship before the Lord. The people ministered before the ark, which was previously forbidden.

Here was a new boldness in God’s presence…the priesthood no longer came before the presence of the Lord with animal sacrifices but with song and dance, praise and thanksgiving. It was a precursor to the new life and worship of the church, whereby there is no longer the tent of the tabernacle but we ourselves are now the tabernacle flowing in praise and worship. We may ask ourselves “Are we a tabernacle of worship?”

           Close

David made many mistakes in his life. He HAD FAILURES but was NOT A FAILURE. He was SINFUL but NOT SIN-FILLED, in the sense of being sin dominated. He was a sinner, but paid for his sins big-time. When confronted, he quickly admitted his sins, was genuinely repentant, paid the price and moved on.

He had a heart which was teachable, malleable, humble, obedient, broken and contrite…all these are beautiful before the Lord. If we would allow Him, He can also make all things beautiful in His time,

The Lord doesn’t look at our capabilities, our successes or our failures as much as he looks at our person and our character. He is drawn not so much to our sacrifices but to our brokenness.

David was passionate for the things of God, was totally devoted and had an undivided heart which came through in his generosity, grace, and as a worshipper and servant of the Lord.

For these reasons, David was called a man after God’s own heart.

Amen.