Human Nature
The Rev. Tony Lantz, Life Church, Emporia
Friday, October 9, 2009
The Rev. Tony Lantz
Special to The Gazette
You know the stories. We are disgusted when we hear them. The money-hungry executive who uses company funds to pad his own accounts. The CEO who drives a company-bought luxury jet for “personal use” or the politician who pushes decisions based on personal agenda. Not good — any way you look at it.
Obviously this is no newsflash. But, such stories are all too familiar and not even close to being new.
In the Bible, II Samuel chapters 11 and 12, we find a chosen servant of God. It’s King David. He had gotten his priorities out of wack. He’s been making decisions so that he could please himself. When it was time for war, David sent someone else to do his bidding. During that time, he goes up on his roof, looks over his balcony, and sees a beautiful married woman named Bathsheba and has her brought to him. He justifies everything and then sleeps with one of his own men’s wife. David then murders the woman’s husband, who’s name happens to be Uriah. And even when David gets confronted and repents, his sorrow lasts just long enough to see if he can get God to do something else for him.
Now, this story may sound really bad to you. And it is. But it’s in the Bible for a reason. It’s there so that you and I can identify. David is a horrible example of our humanness. And if we are honest, you and I are tempted with the same inclinations. Whether it is trying to use our power to get what we want from people or just simply not caring about anybody else but ourselves. The verdict is in — our nature, without Christ, is fallen.
We are tempted to take advantage of other people. Maybe we fight wanting to manipulate a family member, friend, or co-worker. Or we are tempted to send others to do our dirty work.
You may be thinking right now, “Well what can God do with a terrible person like David?” Matthew’s Gospel tells us. It’s where we find a list of Jesus’ ancestors. In that list we find this phrase: “David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been Uriah’s wife.”
David went after Bathsheba and murdered Uriah through a horrible misuse of power. And God used something crooked (David and Bathsheba union) to bring forth the Savior of the world. Centuries after David died, Jesus Christ would be called by the honorary title “Son of David.” (Matthew 9:7) Even though David and Bathsheba sinned in a seemingly hopeless way, God redeemed their union to offer salvation to us all.
Now let’s stop and think about it — think of the ways you have misused your power. Consider your sins, your giving in to fear, your regrets, your mishaps. In most people’s lives there are things to be ashamed of, the things you would like to forget. But If God can bring salvation out of David’s sins, what can he do with your sins?
So here’s The Good News. It’s through Jesus’ death and resurrection that you and I can be forgiven of all our sins.
And there is more. Christ is the Redeemer as well as the Forgiver. He can bring great good, healing, and wholeness even from your darkest moments.
All you have to do is call out to him and ask Him to forgive you. And the Bible says that “he will be faithful to forgive us from all of our unrighteousness.” The next step would be for you to find a church community that has been changed by His grace and get connected. He loves you so much.
• “Sunday Sermon” is a forum for Emporia area ministers to share their sermons, thoughts and observations. This week’s sermon is from the Rev. Tony Lantz, lead pastor at Emporia’s Life Church.