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September 2, 2007

September 2, 2007

 

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

The Real Story

 

Introduction: From childhood, we have been told the stories of the Bible from one viewpoint; often it is the viewpoint of what is interesting to children and what we were taught in VBS. But there is often a more mature emphasis that is missed; there is the real story that should be told. Here are some examples.

 

The Story of David and Goliath. Recently in the presentation titled “A Tale of Three Kings,” we noted David’s attitude and heart in contrast to Saul’s and Absalom’s heart. Samuel, the prophet, said to King Saul, “Now your kingdom will not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart.” (1 Sam. 13:14.) In the NT, Paul recounted this history and said concerning David, “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after my own heart which shall fulfill all my will.” (Acts 13:22.)

 

In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel anointed David the son of Jesse to be the King of Israel. Saul is still reigning and will continue for the next several decades. David is still a young boy. But in 1 Samuel 17, David goes out to check on his brothers on the battlefield with the Philistines. He found the army of Israel backed down by a giant named Goliath. Saul was leading the army against the Philistines, but he lacked faith in God. He was an ungodly man. David convinced King Saul and his commanders to let him go out and fight Goliath. David said to the monster of a man, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” (17:45.)

 

We have heard this story from this angle repeatedly from childhood. This battle between the young lad David and the giant Goliath has become a proverb and a parable. It represents any conflict between good and evil when the evil seems to be so great to overcome, but the young and seemingly impossible task is accomplished by faith in God. While all of that is true, the real story is the contrast between Saul hiding behind the rocks and the young King, David going out to meet the giant. It is the story of faith and unbelief. David is the right kind of king; Saul was like the kings of the nations around Israel. God warned the people when they demanded a king that they might have one like Saul to rule over them. Later, Absalom sought to take the leadership of Israel away from his own father. David walked away from the palace for the second time; but his son Absalom was killed in battle with the mighty men of David and the disgruntled soldiers of the house of Saul. This is the real story. It is the story about the kind of Kingdom and people the Lord wants today.

 

Jesus told his disciples who were in conflict over this very matter that his kingdom would not be like the Gentile princes who loved to exercise dominion over others. In my kingdom, the chief will be your minister and the greatest will be your servant. Even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many. (Matt. 20:20-28.) This is the story that we should remember from 1 Samuel.

 

The Story of Jonah and the Great Fish. This is such an interesting story that it is easy to emphasize the sensational part of the missionary getting swallowed by a big fish! Children love to hear it repeated in Bible classes and VBS. It has a good ending; the fish did not have Jonah for lunch. He was spit out on dry land and went his way to preach to the Ninevites. But there is something else in this message; something for adults as well. There is a real story often hidden and overlooked.

 

Nineveh was the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire. They were “gentiles” in contrast to the Jewish nation. Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites, according to his own words: “I knew that you were a gracious God and merciful and slow to anger and of great kindness.” (Jonah 4:2.) Jonah did not want his audience to repent and to be forgiven. What preacher ever felt like Jonah?? Well, even Jonah reflected the prejudice of his countrymen. It might surprise you, but it is true, that some still preach from false motives. Paul said that some in the first century so preached hoping to add to his afflictions. (Phil. 1:15-18.) Today, some continue to preach their individual prejudices against one group or another.

 

The real story is that the Gentiles were never left our of God’s view or care. He had not abandoned the Gentiles; the Jews acted superior and better than the Gentiles, but it was not so. Romans 1-2 show that there is no real difference between the two groups—both sinned against God and were in need of the justification that comes by faith. Peter said at the Jerusalem conference: “God put no difference between us and them purifying their hearts by faith.” (Acts 15:9.) The Jews were not justified by the Law of Moses; no flesh was ever so justified. (Gal. 3:11.) Why would you want Gentiles to become proselytes to the Jewish faith when no one was ever justified by the Law?? Every person who has been justified has been justified by faith in God. (Hab. 2:4, Rom. 1:17.)

 

The real story is the story of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus said to some in his day, No sign shall be given to you except the sign of Jonah the prophet. As Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of the fish so must the Son of Man be three days and nights in the heart of the earth, then he will rise again. (Matt. 12:39-41.) Jesus condemned those of his day for seeking after signs and spectacular things. It is wrong to spend so much time on the amazing miraculous event of the swallowing of Jonah and miss the real message! Just as some doubt the truthfulness of the story of Jonah and the fish, some also question the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We are justified by our faith in the resurrected Son of God. “Who (Jesus) was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification.” (Rom. 4:25.)

 

The Miracles of Jesus. People are attracted to the spectacular and the unusual. Onlookers demanded of Jesus more signs. Paul wrote, “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock and unto the Greeks foolishness.” (1 Cor. 1:21-23.)

 

A nobleman from Capernaum once went out to meet Jesus to ask him to heal his son. The man’s son was at the point of death. Jesus, knowing his heart, replied, “Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” (John 4:48.) This was not harsh and a no to his request. Rather it was a firm reminder to this father that something else is far more important than seeing signs and wonders. Jesus healed the father’s son, but he wanted the father to believe. He came out to Jesus because he had heard the many wonders that Jesus performed, but he was not yet a disciple. He was not a believer; he just wanted his son healed.

 

When Jesus was on trial, Pilate sent over to Herod who was in Jerusalem at the time. Herod was exceeding glad, for he was desirous to see him for a long time, because he heard many things of him and he hoped to have seen some miracle done by him. But Jesus would not even answer him. (Luke 23:8-9.) Sinners, like Herod of old, will crowd sport’s arenas to see a pretender work miracles. They care nothing about what it means; they just want to see something spectacular. This is the nature of the hearts of worldly people. They have no plans to repent of their sinful ways. They want to be amused and entertained.

 

The real story behind the miracles of Jesus—calming the storm on Galilee, walking on water, healing the blind, raising the dead—is not to satisfy or appease the childish desires of men, but rather to demonstrate that Jesus had power over nature, over diseases and even over death. It was to prove that he was the Christ, the Son of God, so that men might be saved. That is the real story.

 

“How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him, God also bearing them witness with signs and wonders and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will?” (Heb. 2:3-4.)

 

“And they went forth and preached every where, the Lord working with them and confirming the word with signs following.” (Mark 16:20.) “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name.” (John 20:30-31.) This is the real story about the miracles of Jesus.

 

Philemon, Onesimus and Paul. There is a little letter in the New Testament, only 25 verses, sandwiched between Titus and Hebrews. It is about a runaway slave who lived at Colossea whose master was a Christian. Paul met him in Rome, taught him the gospel, and sent him back home to Philemon. Paul could have used his assistance in Rome, but would not take advantage of Onesimus’ appreciation for Paul teaching him the gospel without Philemon’s consent. So, Paul sent him back home to make things right with his master. This is the right thing for a Christian to do; not to run away from debts or crimes, but to go and make them right. Paul also put Philemon on the carpet by sending Onesimus back. How would Philemon respond to her servant now that he is a fellow Christian? Besides, why had Philemon not taught Onesimus the gospel? Paul told Philemon that he would pay whatever Onesimus owed him; put it on my account. (Philemon 18.) Apparently, to Philemon’s credit, he received Onesimus back again. Both were members of the Christian community at Colossea.

 

Is this the whole story? This would have fit well in Luke’s conversion accounts in Acts. Many have recognized that there may be more to this story than just the conversion of one man. We are the runaway; the sinner. We have sinned against our Master in heaven. Jesus has converted us and sent us back to the Father with a letter; the letter of the Gospel of Christ. In the letter, it says to the Father, “Whatever they owe, put it on my account. I will pay it in full.” On our way back to the Father, we go cautiously and reluctantly because we know what we have done and we read the letter often on the way home. What if the Father rejects us and judges us guilty? But Jesus wrote, “Receive him as myself.” (Verse 17.) Would the Father reject the Son? No, then he will not reject us. The Father counts us as if we were Jesus His Son. “If you count me as a partner, receive him as myself.” That is the real story of Philemon.

 

Conclusion. During the trials of Jesus, Pilate tried to avoid condemning Jesus to death. He reminded them that it was his custom to release a prisoner of the Jews each year. He wanted to release Jesus and spare him, but the crowd rejected the offer. They wanted a noted criminal released and Jesus crucified. Barabbas was released; and Jesus went to the cross. (Mark 15:1-14.) This really happened; but there may be more to the story than just the release of one prisoner and sinner. Bible names often signify deeper meanings. His name, Barabbas, means the son of a father; a very general name; a rather strange name except that it could refer to all of us. Jesus went to the cross so that we might be released. That is the real story of the release of Barabbas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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