Bathsheba's beauty was NOT the problem

In the fight of faith against lust I can be tempted to think and act as though my lust is due to the fact that women are too attractive. They are pretty. However, this train of thought leads me away from honest assessment of my own heart and confession of my own sin. It reminds me of Adam’s ‘dodge’ of responsibility, when after his sin in the garden he said to GOD, “… the woman YOU gave… me, she gave me fruit of the tree…”.

In the account of David and Bathsheba, the narrative says “Bathsheba was "very beautiful" (2 Samuel 11:2). There is no sin in women being beautiful or even in men noticing their beauty (cf. Genesis 29:17). The sin of lust is not merely an issue of perceiving beauty. Biblically speaking, beauty is a good thing.

Now I don’t deny that women, out of their own sinful desires, can act-out their own lustful desires in word and deed. But as a man and a father and a pastor I am charged to pursue righteousness and lead my sons and church to do the same. Dumping my responsibility as a man for my own lust on women will deeply undercut my calling and my growth in grace.

My lust is an issue of MY heart. Jesus says, “…out of the heart come evil thoughts… [and] adultery…” (Matthew 15:19). My sinful heart is the source and cause of my lust.

Once I come to the place of responsibility for my sins, Lord willing, I am ready to confess and seek the Lord’s forgiveness: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

When the Prophet Nathan confronted David for his murderous adulterous scheme David took responsibility for his sin and said “I have sinned against the LORD” (2 Samuel 12:13). Likewise, may I not dodge responsibility, but confess my heart’s sin to the LORD, and seek his forgiveness.

And may I seek the Lord’s heart changing grace. In the gospel, God promises to give us a new heart, with new impulses, desires and power:

“… I will give you a new heart…. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes…” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Who will set me free from this my sinful heart? Thanks be to GOD through Jesus Christ our Lord!

A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

Isaiah 42:1 Behold my servant… 
3 …a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

The word “behold” directs us to us to see the glory of Christ in Isaiah’s prophetic description of how Jesus treats reeds and wicks. A ‘bruised reed’ is a blade of tall grass whose shaft, for one reason or another, has been crushed. A ‘smoldering wick’ is the weakly burning linen cord of an oil lamp about to be extinguished. It’s a word picture.

Christ’s saving work concerns much more than grass and oil lamps. We know this prophecy of Isaiah is about Christ's care for broken people because immediately after recording Christ's healing of a man with a withered hand, Matthew remembers this prophecy:

“…a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory…”(Matthew 12:20).

Christ has come into the world of people bruised to the breaking point and smoldering to the brink of extinction. His mission is to set at liberty those who are ‘captive’ or ‘bruised’ (Luke 4:18; cf. Isaiah). He has come to set free those who have been ‘crushed’ by the activity of demons (Luke 9:39). He has come to seek and save sinners like you and me.

There is great mercy here. You, who are crushed with affliction, hope in Jesus. You, who are smoldering in faith, look to Jesus. As J.C. Rile observes,

“…we may be sure that “bruised reeds” and “smoldering wicks” are very precious in our Lord’s eyes.”^[1]

You, whose repentance is wavering, you whose faith ebbs with doubts, you whose hope teeters on despair, you whose fears seem overwhelming —lift your eyes to behold Jesus. He will not break you. He will not snuff you out.

By his death for us, he has ‘faithfully brought forth justice’ (Isaiah 42:3) by suffering the justice of God in our place once and for all. Look now to Jesus and find mercy for your bruised and weakened soul. Receive his tender comfort, cleansing, healing and all-sufficient grace. God’s great mercy in Christ is for us 'bruised reeds' and 'smoldering wicks'.

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^[1]Ryle, J. C. (1993). Matthew. The Crossway classic commentaries (Mt 12:22). Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books.

A Blog: The Fruit of My Sabbatical

This blog is one of the intended fruits of a Sabbatical given to me by Bethlehem Baptist from January 18, 2010 to April 30, 2010. Below is my letter to the church body informing them of my sabbatical.

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A Sabbatical for Pastor Kenny Stokes

[Jesus said] “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

One of the observations that encourages me to acknowledge my own limits and finitude is the fact that Jesus in his earthly ministry, along with his disciples, stepped out of the flow of ministry from time to time. For instance:

· Jesus personally “…withdrew … in a boat to a desolate place by himself….” (Matthew 14:13).

· After the disciples returned from their missionary journey finding more ministry with the crowds, Jesus told them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).

You may know that Bethlehem Baptist Church has a policy to permit pastoral staff a 3-month sabbatical after 5 years of ministry. The policy states: “Bethlehem wants its pastors to be spiritually and mentally healthy, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and on the cutting edge of the best biblical and strategic thinking in their particular ministry areas. We desire for our staff to thrive in ministry, find periodic refreshment and avoid burnout.”

Yet in 21+ years of pastoral ministry, the last 11 of which have been at Bethlehem, I have never taken a sabbatical. That is probably more an evidence of a problem, than anything else. Observing this among several of the pastoral staff, our “Pastoral Care & Compensation Committee” contacted me and three other Bethlehem pastors encouraging us to take advantage of a sabbatical leave.

What is a sabbatical? “The background to the word for “sabbatical” comes from “Sabbath,” the day of rest on the seventh day of the week. In the Old Testament, every 7 years there was a Sabbath year (a year of rest for the soil), and every 50th year was to be a Jubilee (also a year of Sabbath rest for the land). The idea of a pastoral sabbatical goes back to the Middle Ages when the university professors and the doctors of the church were one and the same. The sabbatical, granted every 7 years, was an opportunity for these teachers and leaders to become regular “students” and “worshippers” for a season….”

What does a Kenny Stokes Sabbatical look like? Last year, the elders approved the following sabbatical for me:

Time Frame: January 18 – April 9; April 21-30. Note: The purpose of the April 10-20 interruption is to host Dr. Steve Childers preaching at BBC, participate in the TCT network Meetings and in the Pastors and Wives Retreat.

Aims:

· Rest

· Reflection, Prayer & Extended Devotions. Seek the Lord for a renewed sense of his direction for the next season of life and ministry.

· Marriage and Family time.

· Physical Exercise: I aim to increase my weekly swimming distance and time (Yes, in an indoor pool!)

· Read, reflect and write on Christian Community (i.e., the “Relational Culture” we are praying to grow more and more at BBC)

· Blog, Wilderness Mercies: Write thoughts from devotions, reflections on racial harmony, ministry, marriage, sufficient-grace, observations, personal, corporate, pastoral ministry,

· Write 6 Songs (1 every 2 weeks if the Lord wills)

· At the end of the sabbatical, I am expected to submit a written report to the elders detailing how my time was spent and what was accomplished.

Thank you Bethlehem for the gift of this sabbatical. Please pray:

· That we would be spiritually refreshed in our fellowship with God and benefit from physical rest;

· That Kathy and I would be renewed in our marriage and family relationships by the time afforded by the change of pace;

· That I might be able to write, blog and song write for the glory of Christ in my own heart and for the joy of others.

Spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ,

Pastor Kenny Stokes