Sunday, September 8, 2013
pm
“DON’T LET IT BOTHER
YOU”
2 Samuel 11:25
Most of us are familiar with the account of David and
Bathsheba. IT is recorded
in 2 Samuel 11. During the
spring of the year, when kings went out to battle, David is in his house
when he goes on the roof and sees Bathsheba bathing.
He inquires and finds out that she is Uriah’s wife.
But David sends messengers who take her and bring her to him.
As a result, they have “an affair” and Bathsheba is found to be
with child. To cover it up,
David sends for her husband Uriah, with the hopes that he would go in to
her and thus the adultery would be covered up.
But it doesn’t work because Uriah is a loyal and honorable
soldier first and refuses to go home while his fellow soldiers are in
battle. As a result, David
composes a letter and seals it.
He gives it to Uriah with instructions to deliver it to Joab.
It instructed Joab to set Uriah in front of the hottest battle
and then to retreat from him so that he would die.
(In essence, David was commanding the deliberate murder of Uriah)
Joab complies and Uriah and others fall in battle.
Joab then sends a messenger to David telling him of the fate
of the battle. He also
instructs the messenger that when David becomes angry at the result to
say, “Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.”
After receiving this message, David returns a message to Joab
saying, “Do not let this thing
displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another.
Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’
So encourage him.” (vs. 25)
We know this is not the end of the story as David is exposed
for his part by Nathan the prophet in 2 Samuel 12.
But what I want to notice this evening is a statement David made
in his reply to Joab, “Do not let this thing displease
you.” In modern
terminology, what David said was, “Don’t let it bother you!”
Bear in mind that David plotted the deliberate death of an
innocent man and Joab was complicit.
Rather than taking responsibility, David JUSTIFIES his conduct by
saying, “These things happen in war.”
Can we relate to this today?
Are there times when we say, “Don’t let it bother you!” when that
is NOT the proper statement?
Are there times we are careless in our conduct and words and then we
seek to dismiss the consequences?
Tonight I want to talk about that statement.
a.
We need to learn to not
worry. Sometimes we let
things bother us that we should not.
- Matthew 6:25-34 discusses the subject of worry.
Jesus was teaching about those who put their trust in the things
of this world. He notes that
God knows how to take care of us if we will put our trust in Him.
In fact, while not carte blanche, vs. 33 says, “But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things will be added unto you.”
The “things” Jesus spoke of was our needs.
BUT He also emphasized how we need not worry about things we
cannot change or have no control over.
Furthermore, He emphasized being concerned about today (the things right
in front of you that you need to take care of) and not “stressing out”
over tomorrow. In a
sense, Jesus was saying, “Don’t let it bother you.”
He also gives reasons for this – 1) worry doesn’t change the situation;
2) God IS in control.
b.
There are times when you
have done all that you can do and you have done the right thing, but you
fail to accomplish something.
- Perhaps someone will not respond to the gospel invitation or a study
of God’s word you have been engaged in.
You tried everything, but they refuse to obey.
Jesus Himself taught that the majority of the world will reject
the truth (e.g. the parable of the sower – some seed fell by the wayside
and other seed on ground that was corrupted – Luke 8:4-15).
- Matt. 10:11-15 - Jesus taught His apostles, that if they went to a
city and were rejected, they were to shake the dust off and move to the
next city. In essence, Jesus
was saying, “Don’t let it bother you.”
- Paul was strongly rejected in some places he went.
NOTE: This is where we apply the saying, - “Better to try and fail than
to not try at all”.
c.
There are times when we
are criticized or maligned unjustly.
People say things out of spite or without thinking.
Some will not like you because you stand for what is right.
We can let it get to us or we can move on.
Jesus said, “Blessed are you when
they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you
falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your
reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before
you.” (Matthew 5:11–12)
IN essence, He said, “Don’t let it bother you! God knows what really
happened.”
- How often was Paul attacked by his enemies?
He has to write 2 Corinthians to defend himself from accusers
that were so-called “brethren”.
a.
There is KEY to each of
the above examples which gives reason why you should not let something
bother you. Either you don’t
have control or you have done what you can do.
BUT, the truth is there are times when we ought to be bothered.
b.
Consider the context we
began with – David “arranging” for the death of Uriah and then seeking
to cover it up. His flimsy
justification – “men die in war all the time.”
While a true statement, it should NOT happen under the types of
circumstances that we read about in our text.
“Don’t let it bother you”?
Should we consider that Uriah was both a valiant and loyal
soldier who didn’t deserve such treatment?
Should we consider that he was a married man and his death
affected his wife? Should we
ignore that it was a cover-up for sinful indiscretions of a king? Should
Joab be bothered that he was complicit in such a cover-up?
(From the text it seems Joab at least had some knowledge that
something was not right – 1) the letter commanded that Uriah be put in a
position that would guarantee his death, 2) it was based upon
deliberately poor military tactics, 3) based upon the tone of the
message he sent back to David, e.g. “If he is angry tell him that Uriah
is dead” - 18-21). If Joab wasn’t bothered by this then he had problems
as well as David.
c.
We too are in a battle:
i.
It is a spiritual
warfare against Satan and his forces – 2 Cor. 10:3-4, Eph. 6:11-12
ii.
Satan is on a daily
basis claiming souls for all of eternity.
The world lies under His sway (1 John 5:19).
iii.
Are we by our actions or
inaction placing souls in jeopardy without trying to claim them?
iv.
Are we minimizing the
impact of sin around us and saying, “Don’t let it bother you”?
Do we try to rationalize away or minimize the impact of sin that
we ought to be speaking up against?
d.
Making application
i.
Are there times when we
know we could have done more or we don’t want to deal with the
consequences of a situation so we simply say, “Don’t let it bother you”?
ii.
Preachers ought to be
bothered
1.
When brethren won’t
endure sound doctrine.
This is certainly nothing new.
Paul warned Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:3-4 warns of a time when “they
will not endure sound doctrine.”
Instead they heap up for themselves teachers.
Sadly, there are plenty of preachers and teachers who WILL tickle
their ears with soft preaching.
Isaiah 30:8-11 describes the attitude of the people as they sought
prophets would speak unto them “smooth things.”
Sadly, the history of Israel is filled with such.
Isaiah 5:20 speaks of those who call good evil and evil good,
etc. Jeremiah 6:13–14
says, “Because from the least of
them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness;
And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely. They
have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, Saying, ‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.”
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: “Do
not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you. They make
you worthless; They speak a vision of their own heart, Not from the
mouth of the LORD. They continually say to those who despise Me, ‘The
LORD has said, “You shall have peace” ’; And to everyone who walks
according to the dictates of his own heart, they say, ‘No evil shall
come upon you.’ ” (Jeremiah 23:16–17)
Someone might say, “Don’t let it bother you.
The people are happy with you and we are growing.”
BUT, AS PREACHERS we ought to be bothered by such.
Regardless of the consequences, we must “Preach
the word. Be ready in season
and out of season. Reprove,
rebuke and exhort with all long suffering.” (2 Tim. 4:2)
We cannot let growth take
place at the expense of truth!
2.
When error is being
taught or endorsed
– How many preachers today refuse to expose error, especially matters of
morality and those that directly affect us.
Many today are afraid of being offensive when it comes to the
truth. They won’t preach on
modesty, questionable behaviors, MDR, etc.
Someone might say, “Don’t let it bother you.
You don’t want to too harsh and drive them away.”
Or, “Don’t let it bother you.
You don’t want to be criticized as being Pharisaical or overly
righteous or nit-picky.”
BUT, AS PREACHERS we are expected to expose error.
Galatians 2:5 notes how Paul and others did not yield submission
to false teachers “even for an hour.”
Ephesians 5:11 says, “And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
and we don’t want to with the consequences of exposure
AS a preacher, when I stand before God, I will receive a stricter
judgment as a teacher (Jas.
3:1), therefore, I BETTER be sure that what I teach is the truth
3.
What I should NOT let
bother me –
is being called names or facing consequences because I DO preach “the
whole counsel of God.”
Rather than fearing man, I must fear God – Matt. 10:28.
iii.
Elders ought to be
bothered
1.
The work of elders is
not an easy task. They are
entrusted with the responsibility of shepherding the flock (Acts 20:28,
1 Peter 5:2). Their task is
so serious that they must meet strict standards to even qualify (1 Tim.
3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9).
Sometimes it is a difficult work and one that is often criticized or
taken for granted. Yet
the purity of the church depends upon their diligence and faithfulness.
Elders serve the flock willingly and they are entitled to honor.
Heb. 13:17 tells us to obey them and be submissive to them
because they watch out for our souls.
We are also told to let them do so with joy and not grief.
There are some elders who take their work lightly.
Rather than dealing with problems they might reason, “Don’t let
it bother you” when more should be done.
2.
When members fall away
– while not true in all congregations, there are some churches where
members just “disappear”.
That is, they quit attending for an extended period of time and are
forgotten about. In time,
they are simply removed from the membership without Biblical discipline.
Someone might tell the elders, “Don’t let it bother you.
These things are just going to happen.”
OR, “We didn’t expect them to remain faithful anyways.”
BUT that doesn’t change that a soul is in danger of being lost.
IN Luke 15:4 Jesus taught in the parable of the Lost Sheep that
the shepherd leaves the 99 to find the one that was lost.
When he is found he is brought back with rejoicing.
Though unpleasant (and it ought to be), there are some who must be
withdrawn from. If someone
is living in immorality, has become unfaithful or is causing division in
the flock, they MUST be marked.
Paul told the brethren at Corinth that they needed to withdraw
from a brother in an unlawful relationship.
The reason, when you deliver him to Satan, perhaps his soul will
saved in the day of the Lord (1 Cor. 5:4-5).
To NOT deal with the problem is to endanger the church with
impurity.
3.
When error is being
taught or tolerated by members in the congregation – one of the charges given to elders is to ensure that the
WHOLE truth is being taught and that error is not permitted to creep
into our midst. Some might
reason, “You can’t control what people think.”
Maybe not, but you CAN ensure that they are fed what they need so
if they reject it, it is their choice.
Titus 1:9-11 describes the work of elders including exposing
error. Paul warned the
Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28-30,
“Therefore take heed to yourselves
and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own
blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come
in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will
rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after
themselves.”
WHEN error is being taught or tolerated, it ought to bother all of us,
but especially the elders and teachers.
4.
When the purity of the
body is being threatened
– we are again reminded of 1 Corinthians 5:6 where the church is told, “a
little leaven leavens the whole lump.”
IF brethren are living in immorality, endorsing false teachers
and doctrine, they must be dealt with.
And it doesn’t matter if it is the majority!
TRUTH and purity must be maintained.
iv.
Members ought to be
bothered…
1.
Quite often members are
living lives that are contrary to God’s will.
The truth is they OUGHT to be bothered by such.
Yet many find excuses to justify their behavior.
When one is rebuked by the elders or preacher or a concerned member,
they run to someone else who tells them, “Don’t let it bother you.
They’re too picky.”
Or “Everybody is doing it!”
Or, “The Bible doesn’t specifically say you can’t do that.”
(ignoring principles).
2.
When you commit sin
– do you reason, “everybody is doing it” or “Nobody is perfect.”
As Christians we must never forget that we “cannot sin.” (1 John
3:4-9) IF there is some sin
that is continually plaguing our lives, don’t ignore it!
DEAL with it! Repent
of it (Acts 20:20-23) and mover forward in the right direction.
3.
When you habitually
neglect the work of the church
– whether it be attendance, preparation, contributing, or promoting her,
etc. we ought to bothered.
Bothered by how we are weakening the body and how we are not
growing as we ought to spiritually (God gave us the church to help us
grow – Eph. 4:11-16, Heb. 10:24-25, etc.)
4.
When you are not growing
spiritually as you ought to
- 1 Pet. 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. The
Hebrew writer rebuked his audience because they had NOT grown as they
ought to (Heb. 5:12-6:1).
5.
When your bother is
overtaken in a trespass
– we have addressed the responsibilities of elders in dealing with
erring brethren. But we ALL
have responsibility in this – James 5:19-20, Gal. 6:1.
Friends, how much does it bother you when your brethren are in
sin?
6.
When we fail to be duly
concerned about the lost around us – when Paul went to Athens his spirit was moved at the idolatry around
him. (Ac 17:16)
Friends there are souls that are dying and we need to care about it (2
Cor. 5:10-11). Are we
bothered by the lost whom we can influence or do we reason, “Don’t let
it bother you, they are not interested anyway”?
7.
Friends, we must
periodically examine ourselves (2 Cor. 13:5).
IF we find that we are NOT what we ought to be, instead of making
excuses, we ought to be bothered:
Bothered ENOUGH to change!