The Story Behind The Story
10/12/08 PM
Text: Various
INTRODUCTION:
Introduction: Last Sunday I preached a lesson drawn from a story that many are familiar with, one that I pointed out is taught beginning in the youngest of bible classes; the story of Noah. But the lesson went behind the story of the ark and the animals, the flood and the rainbow to focus on the elements which resulted in the salvation of Noah, the same things which save us today: Grace, Faith, and Obedience. There are many stories in the Bible which many of us learned from the same viewpoint as we learned the story of Noah, the viewpoint of what is interesting to children and what we were taught in those early bible study classes. But there is often is a story behind the story that is missed and of which we should be aware. In this lesson I’d like to consider some examples.
I.The Story of Noah
A.The story
1.The story of the ark, the animals, the flood, the dove, and the rainbow. I can almost see the felt-board cutouts used in my first grade bible class to tell the story.
B.The story behind the story
1.We went behind the story last week to focus on those elements which made the whole story possible. The Grace of God, the faith of Noah which led to his obedience to God.
a.By the faith of one man, Noah, the future of all mankind was assured on this world. By faith in one man, Jesus, the future of all mankind is assured in eternity.
Acts 4:12 (NASB) “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
b.John 14:6 (NASB) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
II.The Story of David and Goliath.
A.The story
1.In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel anointed David the son of Jesse to be the King of Israel. Saul is still reigning and will continue for the next several decades.
2.David is still a young boy. But in 1 Samuel 17, David goes out to check on his brothers on the battlefield with the Philistines.
a.He found the army of Israel backed down by a giant named Goliath.
b.Saul was leading the army against the Philistines, but he lacked faith in God. He was an ungodly man.
c.David convinced King Saul and his commanders to let him go out and fight Goliath.
d.David said to the monster of a man, “You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a shield, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” (17:45.)
3.We have heard this story from this angle repeatedly from childhood.
a.This battle between the young lad David and the giant Goliath has become a proverb and a parable.
b.It represents any conflict between good and evil when the evil seems to be so great to overcome, but the young and seemingly impossible task is accomplished by faith in God.
B.The story behind the story
1.While all of that is true, the story behind the story is the contrast between Saul hiding behind the rocks and the young King, David going out to meet the giant.
2.It is the story of faith and unbelief.
a.David is the right kind of king; Saul was like the kings of the nations around Israel.
b.God warned the people when they demanded a king that they might have one like Saul to rule over them.
c.In the NT, Paul recounted this history:
Acts 13:21 - 23 (NASB) “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. “After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’
3.This bold statement said about King David is derived from the words which the prophet Samuel said to Saul about David,
1 Samuel 13:14 (NASB) “But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
a.This is the real story. It is the story about the kind of Kingdom and people the Lord wants today.
b.Proverbs 6:16 - 19 (NASB) ”There are six things which the LORD hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood, A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that run rapidly to evil, A false witness who utters lies, And one who spreads strife among brothers.” – and Saul did every one of these things.
c.But what about Bathsheba and Uriah?
1)Refer to 2 Samuel 11:1-17
2)How could this adulterer, murderer, and liar be called a man after God’s own heart?
3)1 Kings 15:5 (NASB) because David did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and had not turned aside from anything that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.
4)David messed up, but when he became aware of his sin he realized his need to submit to God and ask for God’s forgiveness. He also acknowledged that his sin was committed primarily against God. In Psalm 51 we can hear David’s plea for forgiveness:
Read Psalm 51 3-4, 10-12
5)When David confessed his sin and asked for the Lord’s forgiveness he was showing his desire to seek God’s will, unlike Saul who sought his own will.
d.1 John 2:3 (NASB) By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
[This is the story behind the story of David and Goliath.]
III.The Story of Jonah and the Fish.
This is such an interesting story and it is easy to emphasize the sensational part of the prophet getting swallowed by a big fish! It is a story children love to hear and it has a good ending; the fish did not have Jonah for lunch. He was spit out on dry land and went his way to preach to the Ninevites. But there is something else in this message; there is a story behind the story…
A.The story
1.Nineveh was the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire. They were “gentiles” in contrast to the Jewish nation.
a.Jonah did not want to preach to the Ninevites, according to his own words:
Jonah 4:2 (NASB) He prayed to the LORD and said, “Please LORD, was not this what I said while I was still in my own country? Therefore in order to forestall this I fled to Tarshish, for I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.
b.Jonah did not want his audience to repent and to be forgiven. Jonah reflected the prejudice of his countrymen.
2.The real story is that the Gentiles were never left out of God’s view or care.
a.He had not abandoned the Gentiles; the Jews acted superior and better than the Gentiles, but it was not so.
b.Romans 1-2 show that there is no real difference between the two groups - both sinned against God and were in need of the justification that comes by faith.
c.Peter said at the Jerusalem conference:
Acts 15:9 (NASB) and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. The Jews were not justified by the Law of Moses; no flesh was ever so justified.
Galatians 3:11 (NASB) Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
d.Everyone justified has been justified by faith in God.
B.The story behind the story
1.Jesus Himself tells the story behind the story of Jonah.
a.Matthew 12:38 - 40 (NASB) Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet; for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
b.We are justified by our faith in the resurrected Son of God.
Romans 4:25 (NASB) He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
c.The story of Jonah and the fish is an amazing and miraculous event but we cannot afford to miss the story of Jesus behind the story of Jonah.
IV.Philemon, Onesimus and Paul.
A.The story
1.There is a little letter in the New Testament, only 25 verses, sandwiched between Titus and Hebrews. It is about a runaway slave who lived at Colossae whose master was a Christian. Paul met him in Rome, taught him the gospel, and sent him back home to Philemon.
a.Paul could have used his assistance in Rome, but would not take advantage of Onesimus’ appreciation for Paul teaching him the gospel without Philemon’s consent. So, Paul sent him back home to make things right with his master.
b.This is the right thing for a Christian to do; not to run away from debts or crimes, but to go and make them right.
c.Paul also put Philemon on the carpet by sending Onesimus back. How would Philemon respond to her servant now that he is a fellow Christian?
d.Paul told Philemon that he would pay whatever Onesimus owed him; put it on my account. (Philemon 18.)
e.Apparently, to Philemon’s credit, he received Onesimus back again as Paul mentions Onesimus in Colossians 4:9.
B.Is this the whole story?
1.We can recognize the story behind the story of Onesimus when we interject ourselves into the account:
a.We are the runaway; the sinner. We have sinned against our Master in heaven.
b.Jesus has converted us and sent us back to the Father with a letter; the letter of the Gospel of Christ.
c.In the letter, it says to the Father, “Whatever they owe, put it on my account. I will pay it in full.”
d.On our way back to the Father, we go cautiously and reluctantly because we know what we have done and we read the letter often on the way home.
e.What if the Father rejects us and judges us guilty? But Jesus wrote, “Receive him as myself.” (Verse 17.) Would the Father reject the Son? No, then he will not reject us.
f.The Father counts us as if we were Jesus His Son. “If you count me as a partner, receive him as myself.”
[That is the story behind the story of Philemon.]
Conclusion:
The truth is there is a story behind the story of the entire Bible. It is the story of God and His love and His desire for all to have salvation.
Invitation
If you are a Christian but have fallen away
God’s grace is still available.
To avoid destruction, one must be faithful and obedient.
If you are not a Christian this morning . . .
God’s plan for your salvation is the same as Noah in principle.
But God has a different method today.
Heed the plan that it has for man’s salvation today!
Hear the word; Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing…”
Believe with all your heart; Hebrews 11:6 “For without faith it is impossible . . . .”
Repent of your sins (Acts 17:30).
Confess Jesus as the Son of God (Matthew 16:16).
Be baptized for the remission of your sins (Mark 16:15,16).
