PRE-417-417. What Happens to the Church When Preachers No Longer Preach

417. What Happens to the Church When Preachers No Longer Preach

What Happens to the Church When Preachers No Longer Preach Against Sin

by David Wilkerson

January 17, 2005

[May 19, 1931 '96 April 27, 2011]

You'92re probably familiar with the story of King David and his adulterous, one-time affair with Bathsheba. The incident resulted in Bathsheba'92s pregnancy. And as soon as she discovered her condition, she sent a note to David, saying, '93I'92m with child.'94

When David read the note, he panicked. His reputation as a godly, upright man was in jeopardy. Here was a man who had written more than 3,000 Psalms and spiritual songs. He had been God'92s instrument in slaying Israel'92s enemies. And he'92d illustrated to the world what it meant to have a great heart for God.

Yet now, in his panicked state, David thought not only of his own reputation, but of the Lord'92s. If his sin were exposed, it would be connected to God'92s name. Visions of a huge scandal flooded his mind. So David conceived a plan to cover up his affair with Bathsheba. And he set it into motion by sending a message to Joab, the general of his army. The message said, '93Send me Uriah the Hittite'94 (2Sa_11:6).

Now, Uriah was Bathsheba'92s husband, and was an infantryman in Israel'92s army. Evidently, Uriah was part of an elite detachment of soldiers, because Scripture lists him as one of David'92s thirty-seven strongest men (see 23:39). When Joab received David'92s message, he must have been suspicious. He knew David'92s heart, including his lustful tendencies. Nevertheless, the general instructed Uriah to go to Jerusalem, to find out what David had to say.

When Uriah arrived, David received him at his royal residence and immediately engaged him in military conversation. He asked, '93How is the war going? And how is your general doing? Are your fellow warriors getting along?'94 Uriah had to wonder, '93What'92s this all about? I'92m just an infantryman. I haven'92t done anything to merit this kind of attention.'94 Or, he also might have been suspicious. He could have heard gossip about the affair (although Scripture doesn'92t state whether this was public knowledge).

The truth is, Uriah was being set up by David. The king thought his problem would be solved if he could just get Uriah into Bathsheba'92s bed for a night. Then Uriah would think he had caused his wife'92s pregnancy. David said to him, '93You'92ve fought a long battle, and you must be weary. Why don'92t you go home and rest tonight? I'92ll send over some special food for you to enjoy.'94 But when Uriah left, he didn'92t go home. Instead, he slept in the guardhouse outside the palace. When David learned about it the next day, he called Uriah back in and asked, '93Why didn'92t you go to your wife last night?'94

Uriah replied, '93My lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing'94 (2Sa_11:11). Uriah could think only of his fellow soldiers. His loyalty must have heaped hot coals on David'92s head.

Now the king'92s panic grew. He quickly ordered Uriah to stay in Jerusalem one more night. Then he set into motion another plan. That evening, he would invite Uriah to his table for dinner, ply him with lots of wine and get him drunk. If Uriah'92s wits left him, he would forget about his fellow soldiers and want to sleep with his wife.

Can you imagine this godly king, a preacher of righteousness, trying to get one of his faithful soldiers drunk? That'92s exactly what David did. And the plan worked: Uriah did get drunk. David instructed the palace guards, '93Take this man home and carry him to his bed.'94 But again, Scripture says, '93At even (Uriah) went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house'94 (11:13).

At this point, David'92s panic grew beyond control. He knew he had to take drastic action. So he wrote a letter to Joab, commanding him to put Uriah on the front line of the hottest battle. Then, when the enemy surged, Joab was to pull back all his troops except Uriah. In short, David wanted Uriah killed.

David handed the sealed letter to Uriah, with instructions to give it to Joab. The loyal Uriah didn'92t know it, but his commander-in-chief had just handed him his own death warrant. When Joab read the letter, he saw through David'92s scheme. Yet he obeyed the king'92s order anyway. He sent Uriah on a suicide mission. And, just as David had planned, the soldier was killed in battle.

It'92s hard to conceive that a godly, righteous man like David could fall into such awful sin. Even today, with all the news reports of rape, violence and murder, David'92s story stands out as one of the worst falls any leader has ever taken. Why? It happened to a man of God, someone who was passionate for righteousness.

You probably remember what happened next: Bathsheba mourned her husband'92s death for seven days, according to the law. Then David brought her into the palace, where she joined his harem of wives (he already had five). Eventually, Bathsheba gave birth to David'92s baby. And for an entire year after the murder, David showed no sign of repentance for his acts. In fact, he justified Uriah'92s death to Joab, saying Uriah had died by the fortunes of war: '93The sword devoureth one as well as another'94 (11:25).

David may have taken his sin lightly, but God didn'92t. Scripture says, '93The thing that David had done displeased the Lord'94 (11:27).

Thank God, David had a pastor who didn'92t fear man.

Nathan the prophet was David'92s pastor. And he wasn'92t afraid to expose the sin of his flock, including the king'92s own sin. I see Nathan as a type of godly shepherd who weeps over the sin in his congregation. It must have grieved him deeply that David, a man whom everyone looked to as godly and righteous, was covering up sin.

Nathan knew all that David had done, because the Holy Spirit had revealed it to him. The supposedly righteous king had broken three holy commandments: He'92d coveted another man'92s wife and stolen her from him. He'92d committed adultery with her. And he'92d committed murder to cover it all up. How did Nathan handle the situation? How did this preacher of holiness reprove someone who was covering a horrible sin?

Many young ministers have asked me similar questions: '93How can I deal with sin in my congregation? So many couples are divorcing, and others are living in adultery. I know I have a responsibility to preach God'92s holiness to them. But I don'92t want to drive anyone out of the church, either.'94

My answer to these young preachers is always the same: '93Your congregation will listen to anything you have to say, if you say it through tears. You can'92t beat them over the head with your message. They have to know your heart is broken. Try to bring them to repentance by preaching God'92s grace. Yes, his Word is a two-edged sword. But you have to wield it wearing velvet gloves.'94

Of course, this isn'92t the attitude of every preacher. I regularly receive letters from Christians who say, '93You have to hear Reverend So-and-so preach. He comes down hard on sin.'94 Yet, much of the time, these preachers'92 sermon tapes are nothing but angry tirades against outward things. Their messages rarely include God'92s mercy or grace. Instead, they lay heavy burdens on their sheep, yet never lift a finger to relieve them.

I believe Nathan provides us with a wonderful example of how a godly minister exposes sin. He didn'92t storm into David'92s presence, his arms flailing and voice thundering. He didn'92t gleefully point a bony finger in David'92s face and cry, '93You'92re the guilty one!'94 No, he delivered God'92s awesome, sin-revealing message with great wisdom, persuasive power and tender mercy. And he used a parable to do it.

Nathan told David: '93A poor man had only one little lamb. It was the household pet, and was loved just like a member of the family. This lamb would lie in everyone'92s lap, wanting to be petted. So the man raised it and fed it just as he would one of his children. Now, the poor man had a wealthy neighbor who owned many herds. One day, the wealthy man was entertaining a visitor. When dinnertime came, he sent his servant out to slay a lamb. Yet he told the servant not to take a lamb from his own vast herds, but instead to steal his neighbor'92s lamb, then kill it, dress it and serve it to the visitor.'94

When David heard this, he went ballistic. He told Nathan, '93That wealthy man is as good as dead!'94 '93As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity'94 (2Sa_12:5-6).

At this point, Nathan must have had tears in his eyes. Trembling, he said to David, '93Thou art the man'85thou hast despised the commandment of the Lord'85thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife'94 (12:7, 9).

Nathan was saying, '93David, don'92t you understand? I'92m telling your story. You had five wives, yet you stole the only wife of another man. You had no pity on him. You sent him out to battle to be killed, so you could have his lamb. You'92ve become an adulterer, a murderer, a thief. You'92ve taken God'92s Word lightly.'94 Nathan exposed every detail of David'92s sin. But he didn'92t do it in a fury. Rather, he simply spoke to the king: '93Nathan said to David'94 (12:7, emphasis mine).

That'92s the moment it all hit David, and he broke. As we read David'92s writings from this time, we see the cry of a broken heart: '93My bones are weak. I can'92t sleep. Every night I cover my pillow with tears.'94 The Holy Spirit had been hounding David, speaking to his heart, urging him to repent. He couldn'92t escape God'92s merciful hounding.

As I read and reread this account, the Holy Spirit wouldn'92t let me go on until he showed me a powerful truth.

After studying this passage at length, I began to cry out to God: '93Oh, Lord, will you be as merciful to me as you were to David? Will you send me a powerful, sin-exposing word, as you sent to him? Please, God, if I ever slip into compromise, put me under the godly reproof of a prophet who isn'92t afraid to expose sin.'94

I believe one of God'92s greatest gifts of mercy to his church is his faithful ministers, who lovingly reprove us of our sins. I thank God for such '93Nathan preachers,'94 people who aren'92t afraid to offend elders, deacons or wealthy church members. They stand face to face with anyone, to expose their iniquities in tenderness and love.

Of course, not everyone wants such reproof. Some on our mailing list have written: '93I don'92t like opening your letters. Reading them always makes me feel uncomfortable. They'92re too unnerving.'94 '93I can'92t serve a God like yours, who'92s always poking around in my soul to expose things.'94 '93You need to soften your messages. I can'92t handle them.'94

I know that as a loving shepherd, I have to be careful of my tone. But I can'92t apologize for preaching convicting truth. I ask you, what happens to the church when pastors no longer show people their iniquities? Where would David have ended up, if he hadn'92t had Nathan to show him his wickedness?

You have to understand, Nathan was well aware that the powerful king could have slain him at any time. He'92d seen David fly off the handle many times. So, why didn'92t Nathan say, '93I'92ll just be a friend to David. I'92ll pray for him and be there when he needs me. I have to trust the Holy Spirit to convict him.'94 What would have happened?

I believe that without Nathan'92s convicting word, David would have fallen under the worst judgment known to humankind.

The worst possible judgment is for God to turn you over to your sin, to stop all of the Holy Spirit'92s dealings in your life. Yet, that'92s exactly what is happening to many Christians today. They choose to listen only to soft, flesh-assuring preaching. Where there is no convicting Word, there can be no godly sorrow over sin. And where there is no godly sorrow for sin, there can be no repentance. And where there is no repentance, there is only hardness of heart.

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: '93I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner'85for godly sorrow worketh repentance'94 (2Co_7:9-10). Paul said his outcry against the Corinthians'92 sin produced a godly sorrow in them that led to repentance. In turn, that produced in them a hatred for sin, a holy fear of God and a desire to live upright. Yet this never would have happened if he hadn'92t preached a sharp, piercing, convicting word.

The reason Paul spoke so strongly to the Corinthians was, '93That our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you'94 (7:12). In other words: '93I wasn'92t trying to unnerve you or condemn you. I exposed your sin so you'92d see how much I love and care for you. When the Holy Ghost knocks on your heart, sometimes it sounds like harsh pounding. But it'92s actually God showing you his tender love.'94

Without such a word, David surely would have fallen under terrible judgment. He had already spent a whole year going about his business, without ever facing what he'92d done. He didn'92t hear any words of rebuke or correction. So with each passing day, his sin became easier to put out of his mind. Moreover, his army was still winning decisive victories. On the surface, everything seemed to be going well for him. Yet I'92m sure David had trouble sleeping at night. He probably woke up each day with a dark cloud hanging over him. The fact is, nobody who'92s intimate with the Lord can remain comfortable while living in sin.

Let me give you an example: I counseled a dear Christian brother whom I suspected was having an affair. When I asked him about it, he denied it vehemently. Then, a month later, he asked to see me late one night. When I met with him, he was weeping and broken. He confessed, '93Pastor, I'92ve been living in hell for weeks. I'92ve lied to you and to God. I'92ve been living in adultery. I'92ve replayed every message from the pulpit, every word of warning. And I couldn'92t silence God'92s Word.'94 The Holy Spirit continually reminded this man of all the sin-exposing preaching he'92d heard. And he was brought to repentance by his remembrance of that preached Word.

Now let me give you a different example. A sister in Christ wrote to me, '93Brother David, I'92ve been married to my husband for twenty years. I love him, but now I'92m probably going to have to leave him, even though I don'92t want to. I couldn'92t figure out why this man of God, who goes to church with me regularly, would begin to deteriorate so much in character. He became dishonest with me, and a wall grew between us. Soon he became a stranger to our whole family. I couldn'92t put my finger on it. I prayed and did everything I could to try to understand why he was coming apart. Then I discovered why: he'92d been hooked on pornography ever since we were married, and for some time before that. He still claims to be a Christian and goes to church with me. But he refuses to give it up.'94

This man is about to lose his family and home. He claims to be born again and on his way to heaven. Do you think he needs a pat on the back and a word of assurance? Does he need to hear some preacher say, '93You'92re okay, Jesus loves you'94? No, never! He needs a Nathan, someone who'92ll tell him, '93You'92re the guilty man!'94 He needs to be awakened, to have the fire of the Holy Ghost lit underneath him. Otherwise, he'92ll be turned over to his sin, and eventually he'92ll be destroyed.

If there had been no Nathan '97 no piercing, prophetic word '97 David could have ended up like Saul: spiritually dead, with no Holy Ghost guidance, having lost all intimacy with God.

As David listened to Nathan'92s loving but searing word, he remembered the time a previous king had been warned by a prophet. David had heard all about Samuel'92s warning to King Saul. And he'92d heard about Saul'92s halfhearted response, confessing, '93I have sinned.'94 (I don'92t believe Saul cried from his soul, as David did, '93I have sinned against the Lord!'94)

David saw firsthand the ruinous changes that befell Saul. The once godly, Spirit-led king continually rejected the Spirit'92s reproving words, delivered by a holy prophet. Soon Saul began to walk in self-will, bitterness and rebellion. Finally, the Holy Ghost departed from him: '93Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king'94 (1Sa_15:23). '93The Lord'85departed from Saul'94 (18:12). Saul ended up turning to a witch for guidance. He confessed to her, '93God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do'94 (28:15).

David remembered all the madness, ugliness and terror surrounding this man who had shut out God'92s word. Suddenly, the truth pierced his own heart: '93God is no respecter of persons. I have sinned, as Saul did. And now here'92s another prophet, in another time, giving me God'92s Word, as Samuel gave it to Saul. Oh, Lord, I'92ve sinned against you! Please don'92t take your Holy Spirit from me, as you did from Saul.'94

David wrote, '93I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight'85 Purge me'85 Create in me a clean heart'85 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me'94 (Psa_51:3-11).

One commentator suggests that in spite of David'92s repentance, he never recovered from his fall. He points out that the Bible says little about any victories by David after this time. Rather, he suggests, David merely faded into the background until he died.

It'92s true that David paid severe consequences for his sin. In fact, he prophesied judgment upon himself: He told Nathan that the rich man who stole the poor man'92s lamb should restore it fourfold. And that'92s just what happened in David'92s life: The baby that Bathsheba gave birth to died within days. And three of David'92s other sons '97 Ammon, Absalom and Adonijah '97 all had tragic, untimely deaths. So, David did pay for his sin, with four of his own lambs.

Yet the Bible clearly shows that whenever we return to the Lord in genuine, heartfelt repentance, God responds by bringing absolute reconciliation and restoration. We do not have to end up like Saul, descending into madness and terror. Nor do we have to '93fade away'94 from life, biding our time in quiet shame until the Lord takes us home. On the contrary, the prophet Joel assures us that God steps in immediately when we return to him: '93Rend your heart'85turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil'94 (Joe_2:13).

Amazingly, God then gives us this incredible promise: '93I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten'85and ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed'94 (2:25'9626). The Lord promises to restore all.

You have to understand, when this prophecy was given, God had already pronounced judgment on Israel. But the people repented, and God said, '93Now I'92m going to do wonderful things for you. I'92m going to restore everything the devil has stolen.'94

Beloved, God'92s tender mercy allows even the worst sinner to say, '93I'92m not a drug addict. I'92m not an alcoholic. I'92m not an adulterer. I am a child of the living God, with all the rights of heaven in my soul. I no longer live under condemnation, because my past is fully behind me. And I don'92t have to pay for any past sins, because Jesus paid the price for me. What'92s more, he said he'92ll restore everything to me.'94

Here is the truth about what happened to David: He listened to God'92s Word from Nathan, he repented and obeyed, and, as a result, he spent the rest of his life growing in his knowledge of God. The Lord brought great peace into David'92s life. And eventually, all his enemies were silenced.

Yet the clearest evidence of God'92s restoration in David'92s life is his own testimony. Read what David wrote in his dying days:

'95 '93The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer'85in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour'94 (2Sa_22:2-3). This isn'92t the testimony of someone who has faded away.

'95 '93My God'85did hear my voice'85he took me; he drew me out of many waters'85He brought me forth also into a large place: he delivered me, because he delighted in me'94 (22:7, 17, 20). We'92ve just studied all that David did to displease the Lord. Yet, even after all that, David was able to say, '93The Lord delights in me.'94

Here is why David will forever be known as '93a man after God'92s own heart'94: It'92s because he quickly and genuinely repented of his sins. Proverbs tells us:

'95 '93He that regardeth reproof shall be honoured'94 (Pro_13:18). God will honor you, if you love and obey godly reproof.

'95 '93They despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way'85For the turning away of the simple shall slay them'94 (1:30'9632). If you turn a deaf ear to godly reproof, it will end up destroying you.

'95 '93Reproofs of instruction are the way of life'94 (6:23). Simply put, God'92s convicting Word brings life.

Dear saint, the truth about '93hard preaching,'94 if it'92s preached through tears, is that it'92s actually '93grace preaching.'94 If you'92re being probed by God'92s Word '97 if his Spirit isn'92t letting you sit comfortably in your sin '97 then you'92re being shown mercy. It is the deep love of God at work, wooing you out of death and into life.

Will you respond to him as David did? If so, you'92ll know true restoration and reconciliation. And God will restore everything the enemy has stolen. Hallelujah!

By: David Wilkerson