“Pastor Brian Houston, founder of Hillsong church resigned the other day, amidst complaints and allegations. I have been guilty of condemning churches like Hillsongs, because of their pastors being heretical, money loving, music centered ministries, and involved in sexual misconduct. The issue for me was though a lot of their songs are wonderful worship songs, their ministry was a mess, and not accountable for their leaders. Looking from the outside in, it was easy for me to throw stones from my glass house, and make myself feel holier than thou. The issue as I’ve come to realize is that when we are busy casting stones, we don’t realize, those same hands are sin filled weapons, that we ourselves just used for abominations. In my past, I too have sinned and been a laughing stock to my family, and former partners in ministry, but mostly of making a mockery of my walk and faith. It is easy to forget the paths we have traveled, and not offer the same forgiveness to anyone who is struggling and or have fallen, like was shown to us. We become like the cults that excommunicate their fallen leaders and believers, rather than to offer discipleship, prayer, and restoration.
David is called a man after God’s own heart, but many don’t realize or remember, that he was an adulterer and a murderer. David’s fall from grace didn’t just happen overnight, as many may think, because we can see signs of his compromises that ultimately led him to these sins. David as a boy, with the power of the Holy Spirit, killed Goliath with a pebble from a sling. We see David killing thousands upon thousands, as the top forty hit of his day referenced. But then we see the confidence of a man chosen by God, and being the line of where Jesus would ultimately be from, begin to be compromised and shaken. Second Samuel six says,
“David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim. And they CARRIED THE ARK of God on a NEW CART and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark. And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
I love good worship music as much as the next person, but just because the music and the people are singing and dancing for the Lord, does not mean it’s being obedient to God. David was carrying the ark on a new cart, instead of how God had instructed His people to do so, using poles and having the Levites carrying it. Worship isn’t about what we want it to be, and how big of a concert we can create, about how many “sacrifices” or people we have in our church. God is desiring that we are obedient, to Him and not to idolatry of self. Samuel says this to Saul when Saul did not kill everything as commanded by God, as we read in First Samuel fifteen,
“Then Samuel said, “Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and presumption is like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.”” (NET)
David had not obeyed the Lord, regardless of the procession before him and the dancing and “worship. As a result of David’s disobedience, Uzzah died for touching the ark as it fell, and David grew bitter towards God, instead of repenting for his incorrect worship. When our ministry isn’t successful, or people walk away due to circumstances that they felt God allowed, we become bitter, angry, and then blame God, when in reality it was our sin and disobedience!
Before this; David had started to gather more wife’s and not just love Michal. God call us all of us to love one wife or one husband, but according to Second Samuel Three David had many wives who names were, Ahinoam the Yizre’elite; Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; Maacah, the daughter of Talmay, king of Geshur; Haggith; Abital; and Eglah.
I will not make excuses, but being a man, I struggle with sexual desires; partly because of my circumstances from my youth, but I have to take it constantly to God to help me deal with it. Paul writes in Romans seven, and this is not an excuse to be okay with sin or to practice sin, because that is not what Paul was writing.
“For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (ESV)
Paul was sharing his struggles and how easy it is for anyone, even someone like Paul, or David to fall to temptation and into sin, if we allow the flesh to overtake us and not walk in the Spirit. If we read Paul’s writings we see that that was what he constantly wrote. David finally made the biggest mistake that led him to fall into Adultery, although technically, he had already committed this sin. This time he committed murder to try and hide him getting Bathsheba pregnant. In Second Samuel Eleven it says,
“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”” (ESV)
David, a man of war and great at it, stayed home instead of being with his troops and men as he usually was. When he saw Bathsheba and inquired of her, he ignored one of his servants, saying isn’t this the wife of Uriah? David, unlike Paul, allowed the temptation to overtake him, as I have done, as Pastor Brian did, as many people have constantly done in their rebellion and want of sin, over walking away and walking in the Spirit. Paul writes in First Corinthians ten,
“No TEMPTATION HAS OVERTAKEN YOU that is NOT COMMON to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will ALSO PROVIDE THE WAY OF ESCAPE, that you may be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, FLEE FROM IDOLATRY.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
There are temptations everywhere and when Paul wrote this, he wrote it to the Corinthians who were allowing sexual sin and turning an eye from it, ultimately leading to many of them to walk away from their faith. Paul was saying that God gives us a way out, but notice what he says at the end? To flee from idolatry.
I believe that ALL SINS are adultery to God because we make them our idols that we carve to satisfy our desires. The idols of self, pride, sex, drugs, alcohol, money, work, and even ministry’s, take us away from The Lord. Anything we put above God, and yes this includes ministry, because when we overlook sin, teach false doctrine, or do worship wrong like David, or any other churches, or even us, it is adultery and idol worship against God.
We struggle daily, some more than others, and it’s easy to want to kick people when they’re down, but we should pray, encourage and minister to them. I pray for Mr. Houston, because that is what we are called to do. The Holy Spirit will deal with his heart and if he repents, what a blessing, but if he doesn’t, it doesn’t change the positive messages and songs that came from his church.
Paul reminds us of the grace of God, by sharing his own struggles, he writes in Romans chapter eight,
“There is THEREFORE NOW NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHRIST JESUS. For the law of the Spirit of life has SET YOU FREE in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (ESV) (Emphasis added)
Someone said to me once during a show, “the enemy is good at isolating us from the pack” and when we think about our sins that we commit, we notice how true that really is. We can blame others, our upbringing, even Satan, but ultimately it is us running to those things that we feel are good, instead of fleeing idolatry. I’ve mentioned this before, but I feel it is appropriate for this post; that one of my favorite songs to sing and play is by Hillsongs, named, “All I Need Is You.” The lyrics say,
(Verse 1) Left my fear by the side of the road, Hear You speak, Won’t let go, Fall to my knees as I lift my hands to pray, Got every reason to be here again, Father’s heart that pulls me in, And all my eyes want to see is a glimpse of You!” (Chorus) All I need is You, All I need is You Lord, Is you Lord (Verse 2) One more day and it’s not the same, Your spirit calls my heart to sing, Drawn to the voice of my Savior once again, Where would my soul be without Your Son, Gave His life to save the earth, Rest in the thought that You’re watching over me!”
All we should need is Jesus, because we should rest in the thought that He is watching over us, and that all our fears should be left. So my question is, what small compromises and things are we allowing, thinking it is okay to overlook, be okay with, or think we can handle alone? Are you being isolated, walking towards the darkness, or looking back to the “fun” of sins? Paul ends chapter eight with words that we should all hold onto, it says,
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (NET)
Nothing but ourselves will keep us from Jesus, nothing but our idolatry and adultery to God. David lost the son born from the idolatry, but God heard David’s cry of repentance and gave Him Solomon, and eventually Jesus was born through his lineage. David cried in Psalm fifty one, which is one of my favorite chapter in all the Bible,
““You are the only one I HAVE SINNED AGAINST; I have done what you say is wrong.”
“You are RIGHT when you speak and FAIR when you judge. Take away my sin, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Make me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you crushed be happy again. Turn your face from my sins and wipe out all my guilt. CREATE IN ME a pure heart, God, and make my spirit right again. Do not send me away from you or take your Holy Spirit away from me. Give me back the joy of your salvation. Keep me strong by giving me a willing spirit.” (NCV) (Emphasis added)
There is nothing too difficult, sinful, wrong, that we have done, or are doing that God won’t forgive or restore. We just have to be willing to repent and turn back to Jesus and cry out like David. He will create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit in us, but we need to cry out, “all I need is You, Lord, all I need is You!” Repent and live!
Jose Barajas
Leave a Reply