Bad tooth

In the movie, Castaway, Tom Hanks plays a FedEx worker marooned on an island when his plane crashes. Over the course of a couple of years he stays on that island suffering all kinds of difficulty from starting his own fire to building the raft that finally takes him to rescue. One of the most difficult scenes to watch in the whole movie is when Tom has an absessed tooth. Anybody remember that? His jaw is swollen and he’s taking this stick or object, reaching it way back in his mouth and literally pounding on that painful tooth to get it out. Now he’s so adamant about getting that tooth out because it hurts, of course, but he’s also concerned for another reason: he realizes that if he doesn’t get it out the infection may kill him. Finally, he’s got the rock and the stick and he gathers his courage and gives it one massive blow. The pain is so great that he passes out, but he succeeds in getting the tooth out. Going through that terrible pain probably saves his life.

I feel a little bit like Tom Hanks today. I have walked away from the last couple of messages I’ve preached on Saul and David, feeling like I may have caused you some pain. It can be very difficult to face our sin, especially when we may have been covering it up. Dealing with the deception and disobedience of our lives isn’t pleasant, but it is definitely spiritually therapeutic. There is a lot of pain, perhaps, but the result can be healing and growth. So, while today’s message may be a bit more of the rock and the stick, I ask you not to give up. Don’t tune me out. Listen to what God may want to say to you about your own need of Him. Last week we talked about David’s sin and his coverup. Today we want to look at David’s brokenness and especially, what caused it