Tag: David

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Bible Preaching

More Vile

Stephen Kuntzman | March 9, 2025 | 6:30 PM

Text: 2 Samuel 6:16-23, “(16)  And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul’s daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. (17)  And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. (18)  And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. (19)  And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, as well to the women as men, to every one a cake of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine. So all the people departed every one to his house. (20)  Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself! (21)  And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. (22)  And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. (23)  Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

Picture the moment:

  • The ark of the covenant is being returned to Jerusalem to the city of David (on a hill south of Mt. Moriah, the Temple Mount, where Solomon’s Temple will one day stand to permanently house it).
  • It was been away from Israel for 20 year.
    • 7 months with the Philistines
    • Then the Ark was taken to Abinadab’s house in Kiriath-Jearim, where his son Eleazar, watched over it for 20 years.
    • Then the house of Obededom cared for it for 3 months.
    • “And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obededom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness. And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet” (2 Samuel 6:12-15).
      • “With gladness” = with joyful music, jubilant dancing and passionate singing.

Peering from their home, Michal watched David and despised him for his worship to God.

She so reviled him that the moment he came into the courtyard shemet him and with words dripping with sarcasm, irony, disrespect and even hate, she mocked him for his act of worship –

for making himself small in humble worship to His Lord.

True worshippers forget their surroundings.

They forget what their positions, titles, and roles

They got lost in adoration of the One who fills all space and time.

True worshippers don’t take into account others may think or say, they simply want to offer their praise and worship to their God.

Michal was bitter and like her father, Saul, she was more concerned about the people’s opinion than she was that her husband worshipped his God.

So, in a move of manipulation, she tried to shame David with words that she thought would reduce his joy and gladness, but David had already faced this attack before.

Years before, Saul dangled his daughter as a prize. It was witchcraft anf manipulation.

One day Saul said to David, “I am ready to give you my older daughter, Merab [Michal], as your wife. But first you must prove yourself to be a real warrior by fighting the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “I’ll send him out against the Philistines and let them kill him rather than doing it myself.”[1]

Not an offer out of friendship or good will, but a trap.

Saul’s main struggle was his overwhelming concern with what the people would think of him, which is why he said, “Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him.”

In other words, let them do my dirt work for me so that the people won’t think badly of me.

Manipulation and control – witchcraft.

The struggle every leader faces is “their faces” (Jer. 1:4-10), and Saul failed miserably in this area.

You will remember what the LORD said to Jeremiah:

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.[2]

Saul’s attempt in trying to persuade David to wear his armor in his fight with Goliath was for the same reason he wanted Samuel to worship with him after God rejected him.

He was more interested in what the people thought. He was terrified of public opinion.

Saul thought that David wearing his armor would be good for Saul.

Saul was two years into his kingship when he showed his fear of public opinion and it was here that he lost the dynasty:

“And Samuel said, What hast thou done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the LORD: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”[3]

In 1 Samuel 15 it looks as if God was willing to give Saul a second chance of sorts, but his disobedience led to his ruin and it was partly due to fear of public opinion:

“And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.”[4]

Later Saul lies to Samuel, but still asked for special favor before the people:

“Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD. And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel. And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent. And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent. Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.”

Saul’s worship wasn’t from his heart to God, but from his mind to manipulate the peoples’ perception.

This was what Saul taught Michal.

If David had never laid down his kingly robes, but instead marched stoically before the Ark, Michal would have been thrilled with this display of Royal pomp and circumstance.

The key difference between Saul and David is here:

“And Samuel said, When thou [Saul] wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” (1 Samuel 15:17)

Humility – the willingness to make himself “MORE VILE” – is what separated David from Saul and distinguished him in God’s eyes as “a man after his own heart.”

David laid down his kingly robes and returned to his humble origins where he first met God as a shepherd boy.

In the Ancient Hebrew, vile also means “gathering to the staff.”

When the shepherd called the sheep they swiftly came to him.

The staff of the shepherd was his tool of authority. With it he would direct, discipline and protect the flock.[5]

David heard the voice of the Shepherd and gathered himself to His Staff in an offering both of animal sacrifices or worship and in a spirited display of  a Living Sacrifice.

David learned worship shepherding in the fields long before he became a king, it was east to lay aside his kingly robe to worship his King.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Romans 12:1-2).

You must make yourself More Vile.

It’s easy in our multigenerational Pentecostal culture to think that worship is in the dance, the shout, the jump, the tongues,

BUT real worship is when you become vile and base to yourself.

You submit your self in an act or personal requirement to lay down your pride, personal rights, what you consider “justice” — lay down your gift and be reconciled.

Why? Because someone has ought against you, not you against them.

We wear robes of dignity, pride, position (that’s beneath me), entitlement, religion, but Jesus is looking for His robe on you: garments of praise, robes of righteousness.

More Vile:

  • But it doesn’t make any sense
  • What will people think
  • Costs you something – a sacrifice
  • Requires a demonstration of true leadership – a true shepherd (Jesus at Calvary became “more vile”)

Michal, if she ever had it, lost it that day when she reviled and mocked a true worshipper because of her fear of what others might say,

But David, that shepherd-king gave it all in worship.

Jesus is here and He knows what it is like to humble Himself and be seen as vile:

Philippians 2:5-11, “(5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  (6)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  (7)  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:  (8)  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.  (9)  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  (10)  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  (11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

[1] 1 Samuel 18:17, NLT.

[2] Jeremiah 1:4-10

[3] 1 Samuel 13:11-14

[4] 1 Samuel 15:24

[5] H7043. Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Just a Little Stone

Stephen Kuntzman | Feb. 23, 2025 | 10:00 AM

Text: Acts 4:8-12

(8)  Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel,

(9)  If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;

(10)  Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

(11)  This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

(12)  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Just a Little Stone

verse 11, “This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.”

Have you ever set something aside thinking that it was not useful for your purpose, only to comeback to it later in the project because it was exactly what you needed all along?

OR – have you rejected a person, thing or opportunity only to regret that decision later on.

In life, there are moments you can retrace in your mind that take you to a decision made that changed your life.

Something you “set a nought,” or what the psalmist wrote as being “refused,” and the apostle Matthew said it was “rejected.”

Whether despised, refused, or rejected, you relegated it in you mind to being Just a Little Stone.

This passage from our text quotes Psalms 118:22-23, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.  (23)  This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.”

A small stone from the Valley of Elah.

It is considered a messianic prophecy, but it is also addressing David’s years of obscurity before he was anointed, accepted and crowned:

  • His own father discounted him, but the Lord of Heaven and Earth saw in him something of great value.
  • David’s time in the hills and valley caring for sheep prepared him for leadership
  • His time of solitude brought him close to God as he poured his heart to Him in prayer, praise, song and music.
  • The time spent looking for stray sheep offered discoveries that would later serve to hide him in safety from a king who wanted to destroy him.
  • He learned, in his obscurity, how to defend and protect the flock.
  • Nobody thought much of David before Samuel anointed him, but in those years of solitude, he was being prepared for his purpose.
  • While rejected, despised and even snubbed, these years with the sheep were the exact thing he needed to shape him into the kind of person that the Lord said was “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.”[1]

Our text also points to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was also set at nought, He was refused, rebuffed, despised and rejected of men.

For the most part, the religious leaders of His day did not want, recognize and desire what He was offering.

It did not fit within their understanding, framework, and teaching of how the messiah was to appear to them.

So, they rejected Him.

Instead of a headstone he was set aside and became a stone of stumbling.

Isaiah 28:16, “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.”

Romans 9:30-33, “(30) What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.  (31)  But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.  (32)  Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;  (33)  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”

In the 1800s, Edward Irving, a Scottish preacher came on the scene in London, England, and his preaching turned London upside down.

He preached to politicians, lords, ladies, the wealthy, the elite, and to the common man.

His effect was so widespread that people would come and sit for hours just to hear him preach God’s Holy Word,

But nobody in England knew about the years he spent in obscurity in Scotland preaching with little success and minor results.

In his biography it was told that he changed nothing about his preaching, style, delivery, and ministry to the people.

It was just that God had finally pulled him out of the corner he was set in and he became a cornerstone for a supernatural move of the work of the Holy Ghost.

Ephesians 2:19-22, “(19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  (20)  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  (21)  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  (22)  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

God has come to pull you out of obscurity…out of the shadows…where He has been:

  • Refining you
  • Training you
  • Preparing you
  • Arranging the place He wants to put you.

1 Peter 2:5-12, “(5)  Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.  (6)  Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.  (7)  Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  (8)  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.  (9)  But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:  (10)  Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.  (11)  Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;  (12)  Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

Romans 11:11, “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”

Just a Little Stone

[1] Acts 13:22

Categories
Bible Preaching

100

Apostolic Life Cathedral | Sept. 8, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Text: Psalms 100:1-5

(1)  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

(2)  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

(3)  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

(4)  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

(5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

This week, Apostolic Life Cathedral will be celebrating 100 years of existence here in the Guyandotte section of Huntington, WV.

100 years with all the joy and pain, gain and loss, births, graduations, weddings, life and death.

100 years of sound doctrine, new births, and ministries born and sent out.

100 years of capable and visionary leadership: Forbush, Kitchen, Harper.

100 years of shepherds leading God’s people and often going out into the streets, hollers, along creeks and riversides searching for stray sheep who left the safe pasture of the Church.

Look around the cathedral this morning and you will see that there are sheep missing from the fold.

Men and women, boys and girls, missing from this sheepfold.

The Good Shepherd is calling their name, just like he calls your name when you go missing.

Why? Jesus is interested in lost sheep.

“For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.”[1]

Jesus loves His sheep.

Before He went to the Gentiles, He first searched and reached for “the lost sheep of the house if Israel.”[2]

To find that one lost sheep Jesus will lead the 99 to a safe pasture, leave them there and go looking for 1.

1 out of 100 is as valuable to Jesus as the 99.

Do you see Him searching this morning?

Looking high and low for one lost sheep.

Ezekiel 34:12, “As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day.”

“…we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

“(11) For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.  (12)  How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?  (13)  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray” (Matthew 18:11-13).

And what rejoicing there is when He finds that one lost sheep.

There is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner repents.

It doesn’t matter what your station, gender, job, career, education may be.

Everyone can and will at one point in their walk with God stray and be lost,

BUT the Shepherd comes looking, seeking, searching.

Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

When Jesus Comes to Lodebar

2 Samuel 9:1-13

(1)  And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

(2)  And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.

(3)  And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

(4)  And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.

(5)  Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.

(6)  Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!

(7)  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

(8)  And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

(9)  Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house.

(10)  Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

(11)  Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.

(12)  And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.

(13)  So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.

Jesus will take His search to Lodebar

Lodebar simply means “pastureless,” or no pasture.[3]

It is a place where lost sheep find themselves.

Barren, rough, no place to forage, no safety, no security…

Lodebar was where the Shepherd-King David found Mephibosheth (“dispeller of shame”),[4] the lost prince.

When the Shepherd finds His lost sheep, He also drives away the shame of the past.

Luke 15:6, “And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”

Do you feel lost this morning?

“…broken, hurting, marginalized…” do you often think you are “ignored and overlooked or worse, despised and abused.” Maybe it’s “due to your own mistakes of perhaps someone who was supposed to care” for you failed….do you now pass your days in a state of hopelessness, unable to believe that your life will ever be different.”[5]

The Shepherd is searching for you.

He wants to put you at His table.

He will erase the years of shame.

The lost sheep hears the shepherd’s voice:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”[6]

Text: Psalms 100:1-5

(1)  Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

(2)  Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

(3)  Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

(4)  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

(5)  For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

[1] Ezekiel 34:11,

[2] Matthew 10:6, 15:24

[3] Strong’s. H3810.

[4] Strong’s. H4648.

[5] Paraphrased. https://churchsource.com/blogs/ministry-resources/god-of-new-beginnings

[6] John 10:27-28

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Battle for the House

Apostolic Life Cathedral | Aug. 18, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Psalms 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

God desires to dwell in the midst of His people.

David – “…when kings go to battle…”

  • 2 Samuel 11:1-18
    • Put the Ammonite king’s crown on his head
    • Pride of life
    • Ammonite king, numbered the people not the fighting men
    • Human spirit
    • 70,000 people dead
  • 1 Chronicles 20:1
    • Uriah
    • Bathsheba
    • Lust of the flesh
    • 2 people die
    • Sword never leaves the house of David
    • Amnon
    • Civil war

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

  • Stedfast – firm, settled
  • Unmoveable – not to be moved from its place. Firmly persistent.
  • Always abounding – at all times, to be in excess, exceed, excel.

“…In the work of the Lord…” – “Except the Lord build the house”

Categories
Bible Teaching

The Shepherd’s Assurance and Care

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 10/31/2023 | 7:00 PM

Text: Psalms 23:1-6, A Psalm of David

(1) The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

(2)  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

(3)  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

(4)  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

(5)  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

(6)  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

The beauty of living for Jesus and having an intimate relationship with Him is the reassurance that He gives us as He leads us.

Life is full of extremes, but His assurance is always with us. Our Shepherd, our Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, Savior looks over us and He sees the end from the beginning.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “(1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  (2)  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  (3)  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  (4)  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  (5)  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  (6)  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  (7)  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  (8)  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

Jesus is a present in the good times as He is in the bad.

He is just as present in our yesterday as He is in our today and is already awaiting us tomorrow.

It does not matter what the day may bring, He is there…present.

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

Did you catch that?

  • Fear not, I am with you…I am present.
  • Don’t be disheartened, or alarmed, I am your God
    • I will reinforce, brace and support you
    • I will help you to bear your trial
  • I will do this because I am faithful

Four Ways the Shepherd Assures Us:[1]

  1. The Shepherd is present
    • “…he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb. 13:5).
    • Deuteronomy 31:6, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”
    • Throughout Psalm 23 David reminds himself of God’s assuring presence:
      • He is present in Death Valley, in the green valleys, beside still waters, paths of righteousness, when enemies present themselves.
      • Following close behind His Goodness and Mercy.
      • He is present to restore your soul; anoint your head with His oil; comfort you in the midst of your anxiety and fear.
      • He is present to guide, comfort, restore and assure you
    • Since He is so willing and caring enough to be present with you, then you should develop that intimacy with Him that comes from time spent with Him.
      • It is possible to be with someone and for them not to be with you.
      • To be in the room, but miles away.
      • Not our Jesus, He is every where present at the same time.
    • Henri Nouwen wrote, “the mystery of God’s love is not that He takes our pains away, but that He first wants to share them with us…God is not a distant God, a God to be feared and avoided, a God of revenge, but a God who is moved by our pains and participates in the fullness of the human struggle.”[2]
    • Jesus said, “lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Mt. 28:20).
  2. The Shepherd Guides
    • He leads me beside still waters
    • He leads me in paths of righteousness.
    • He leads me…
    • Three Hebrew verbs that define the way the Shepherd guides us[3]
      • Nahal – leading with tenderness…bringing a flock to a place of rest and refreshment.
      • Nakhah – straightforward guidance
      • Nahag – the kind of directive herding accomplished from the back of the flock, when the shepherd’s will has to be imposed.
    • Trust the Shepherd. He knows the way you need to go.
      • Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heat…”
  3. The Shepherd Provides
    • Lush green pastures, refreshing still waters, rod of correction, staff of protection, lavish table of food, oil, overflowing cup.
    • He daily provides all your needs
    • 1 Peter 5:7, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
    • Jehovah-Jireh. He sees and provides
  4. The Shepherd Gives Hope
    • You may be discouraged and disappointed, Discouraged and despondent, but God will provide
    • “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life…”
    • Romans 8:35-39, “(35) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (36)  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  (37)  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  (38)  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  (39)  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Jesus, our Shepherd, is present, He guides us, provides for us, and He gives Hope.

[1] Much of this is derived from Tom Nelson’s book The Flourishing Pastor.

[2] Henri J. M. Nouwen. (1992). Show Me the Way.

[3] Tom Nelson. (2021). The Flourishing Pastor.

Categories
Bible Teaching

Reporters at the Gate

Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 4, 2023 | 7:00 PM

It is a breath of fresh air then you read a positive news report.

In ancient times, the city gate was the busiest place in the city:[1]

A place where the social, business, and legal interaction of the city took place

Where the Torah was read and proclamations were declared

Where justice was served

News exchanged and discussed

Local gossip spread

2 Samuel 15:1-6 (KJV)

(1)  And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.  (2)  And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so, that when any man that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city art thou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.  (3)  And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right; but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee.  (4)  Absalom said moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!  (5)  And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.  (6)  And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 15:1-6 (NET)

(1)  Some time later Absalom managed to acquire a chariot and horses, as well as fifty men to serve as his royal guard.  (2)  Now Absalom used to get up early and stand beside the road that led to the city gate. Whenever anyone came by who had a complaint to bring to the king for arbitration, Absalom would call out to him, “What city are you from?” The person would answer, “I, your servant, am from one of the tribes of Israel.”  (3)  Absalom would then say to him, “Look, your claims are legitimate and appropriate.  But there is no representative of the king who will listen to you.”  (4)  Absalom would then say, “If only they would make me a judge in the land! Then everyone who had a judicial complaint could come to me and I would make sure he receives a just settlement.”  (5)  When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him.  (6)  Absalom acted this way toward everyone in Israel who came to the king for justice. In this way Absalom won the loyalty of the citizens of Israel.

Markets and trading centers flourished in certain gates in the city:

Nehemiah 3:1, “Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests, and they builded the sheep gate; they sanctified it, and set up the doors of it; even unto the tower of Meah they sanctified it, unto the tower of Hananeel.”

Nehemiah 3:3, “But the fish gate did the sons of Hassenaah build, who also laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, the locks thereof, and the bars thereof.”

It was at the gates where prophets and priests delivered God’s admonitions and Divine pronouncements

Sovereign attention was attracted at the gate, because “there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”[2]

The most vulnerable place in the walls surrounding a city were the gates, which were well-guarded and designed to deter enemy soldiers.

Such a place of distinction would also be a place where any “new arrivals” would be seen, noticed and counted.

It was an honor for an elder to be chosen to sit at the gate of the city and viewed as a place of authority.

Lot, somehow, was an elder at the gate of Sodom where he was vexed with the wickedness of that city and his own compromises made there:

“And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;”[3]

Though vexed and compromised, Lot still had enough in him to recognize the angels of the Lord.

Those same angels were the means of Lot’s salvation from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorroh:

Peter tells us how that God “delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:”[4]

But the damage was done: his wife was dead and his two daughters, overcome by their situation reverted to what Sodom had taught them.

 The Gate Signifies Authority[5]

  • The gate represents a place of authority
  • To “possess the gates” meant one possessed the city
  • Jesus spoke of the “gates of Hell” (Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”)
    • While we may not be privy to the dark counsels of Hell was have no worries when we have the Rock – Jesus Christ.
    • We are on a missional journey and Hell Cannot Stop the Church.
  • “To be within the gates” meant to be under the authority of the elders of the city presiding in the gates
    • Deuteronomy 15:7, “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother:”

The gates are a place where plans are made, tactics designed, strategies implemented, and counsel sought.

Absalom understood the importance of the gate and exploited that knowledge to turn the heart of the people from King David with an Evil Report.

It is the Evil Report, spread at your gate and attended to by you that defiles you.

Defile = to make profane, call common, defile, pollute, dirty, or unclean.

Jacob spoke of the “gate of Heaven” (Genesis 28:17, “And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”)

He called that place Bethel – the house of God.

You are Bethel today – You are the House of God and you have gates of access that to need to be well guarded.

Isaiah 33:15-17

(15) He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;  

If you Shun the Evil Report

(16)  He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.  

(17)  Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off.

Your ears, eyes and mouth are gates to either shun or share evil reports.

Your ear is a gate and listening to an evil report can defile you.

Evil Report: Distortion of Facts – Incomplete Facts – False Information

The wrongful motivation of an evil report causes the hearer to be defiled by drawing wrong conclusions based on that report.

Mat 15:17-20, “(17)  Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught?  (18)  But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man.  (19)  For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:  (20)  These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”

Dr. Joe Nelson of Parkersburg Bible College listed various ways an evil reporter operates:

  1. A Whisperer – one who secretly passes an evil report:
    1. Psalms 41:7, “All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt.”
  2. A Gossip (rumor) – magnifies and sensationalizes rumors of partial information:
    1. Ezekiel 7:26, “Mischief shall come upon mischief, and rumour shall be upon rumour; then shall they seek a vision of the prophet; but the law shall perish from the priest, and counsel from the ancients.
  3. A Slanderer – One who speaks to destroy credibility by using evil facts:
    1. Numbers 14:36-37, “(36) And the men, which Moses sent to search the land, who returned, and made all the congregation to murmur against him, by bringing up a slander upon the land,  (37)  Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.
  4. A Busybody – one who digs up evil reports and information with the express purpose of spreading them by any of the three methods above:
    1. 1 Peter 4:15, “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.”

Nelson taught that an evil report is motivated by:

  1. Bitterness – reacting because of personal hurts
  2. Rebellion – justifying an independent spirit
  3. Deception – believing that the evil report is one’s “right” to give
  4. Pride – wanting to exalt self
  5. Guilt – justifying past actions or attitudes
  6. Envy – desiring what others have (jealousy)

Evil Reporters often think that they are getting by: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Ecclesiastes 8:11).

5 QUESTIONS THAT WILL UNCOVER AN EVIL REPORT (DR. JOE NELSON):

  1. WHAT IS YOUR REASON FOR TELLING ME THIS?
  2. WHERE DID YOU GET THE INFORMATION?
  3. HAVE YOU GONE DIRECTLY TO THOSE INVOLVED?
  4. HAVE YOU PERSONALLY CHECKED OUT ALL THE FACTS?
  5. CAN I QUOTE YOU IF I CHECK THIS OUT?

Defilement takes place when you receive an evil report and believe it to be true.

Our True Spiritual Battle is not with people, but with spirits that motivate people.

Ephesians 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Spirits of lust, deceit, envy, rebellion, perversion, jealousy, pride…

God has elected not to tell us about the plans of these evil rulers & authorities of the unseen world. 

He has not given us a seat at their gate listening to their strategies and wicked plans.

But we see the result of these evil authorities.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

(3)  For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

(4)  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

(5)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

(6)  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

How?

Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

You get to choose what you allow into your gate, what you heed, hearken, obey.

[1] **See Notes from Dr. Nelson’s Class & Lesson “Defilement: Absalom’s Curse on 7-13-2010**

[2] Rom 13:1 

[3] Genesis 19:1

[4] 2 Peter 2:7

[5] Clarence H. Wagner Jr., Guarding Your Gates

Categories
Bible Teaching

A Time of Preparation

Esther experienced a time of preparation (purification) before she was introduced to the king and subsequently gained his love and was made queen:

Esther 2:2-18 (KJV), “(1) Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king:  (3)  And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king’s chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them:  (4)  And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.  (5)  Now in Shushan the palace there was a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite;  (6)  Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.  (7)  And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter: for she had neither father nor mother, and the maid was fair and beautiful; whom Mordecai, when her father and mother were dead, took for his own daughter.  (8)  So it came to pass, when the king’s commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the palace, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king’s house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.  (9)  And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness of him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens, which were meet to be given her, out of the king’s house: and he preferred her and her maids unto the best place of the house of the women.  (10)  Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.  (11)  And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her.  (12)  Now when every maid’s turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)  (13)  Then thus came every maiden unto the king; whatsoever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women unto the king’s house.  (14)  In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s chamberlain, which kept the concubines: she came in unto the king no more, except the king delighted in her, and that she were called by name.  (15)  Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king’s chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favour in the sight of all them that looked upon her.  (16)  So Esther was taken unto king Ahasuerus into his house royal in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.  (17)  And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins; so that he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti.  (18)  Then the king made a great feast unto all his princes and his servants, even Esther’s feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave gifts, according to the state of the king.”

Apostolic Life Cathedral | 2/12/2023

This time of purification was a time of instruction and examining for these young ladies. They learned what their role was to be and how to act and please the king. It was more than just cleaning and preparing the body, but also the decorum and grace of the maiden.

Hadassah? Well, she excelled and her time of preparation resulted in great success.

The psalmist David wrote, “The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.”[1] 

In this passage, when we read that God “trieth” it simply means that this is God’s way of “examining, scrutinizing, proving, and testing” the hearts of those who are His people.[2]  These tests are for the sole purpose of preparing us for greater responsibility and spiritual growth. 

The apostle Paul makes it quite clear that the process of being approved by God follows a particular process: “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”[3] 

As this process takes place we witness the varying degrees of preparation God places us in as they accomplish. Work out, and achieve God’s purpose for our lives.

So, what we think of as pressure, stress, or trial God uses as a means to bring about a patient, enduring, sustaining, perseverant, and steadfast quality to our Christian character.  These times of preparation are purifying our motives and actions through the teaching of grace in our lives.

When this quality is part of our spiritual nature we have become God proven because our character has been tried and found worthy.  This experience results in the establishment of hope in our lives, which is the “joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation” and the understanding that because I came through previous trials intact then I’ll make it through this one as well because God is with me.”[4]

This is why, when Esther, as queen, had to go before the King to deal with the threat of genocide her people faced because of Haman’s jealous treachery, she did to with complete faith and hope.

Esther was prepared beforehand “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:4). It likely never crossed her mind in her time of purification that she was actually being prepared to be more than a queen, she was being readied for a role of mediation and deliverance.

Right now you are being prepared through trial and tests and difficulties for a greater work than you can imagine. Let those tribulations purify and prepare you for your own God designed moment.

[1] Psalm 11:5

[2] Brown, Driver, Briggs and Gesenius. “Hebrew Lexicon entry for Bachan”. “The KJV Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon”. https://www.studylight.org/lexicons/eng/hebrew/974.html.

[3] Romans 5:1-5

[4] Thayer and Smith. “Greek Lexicon entry for Elpis”. “The KJV New Testament Greek Lexicon”. https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/kjv/elpis.html.