August 6, 2006

Forgotten Lives - Rehoboam

Living on the Dark Side of the Moon

1 Kings 12:1-8

Opening Words: There are sixty-six books in the Bible, thirty-nine in the Old Testament. The New Testament is dominated by Jesus, himself, our Lord and Savior. The Old Testament consists of a variety of lives. Each one played a small part in God’s plan for the salvation of the world. Most of those lives are forgotten. So what I have been doing this summer is looking at some of those forgotten lives. It is for this reason that I have call this sermon series Forgotten Lives. This weekend we look at Rehoboam.

Do you remember Rehoboam’s story? He was the grandson of David and the son of Solomon. Under David the twelve tribes knew great military success. Under Solomon Israel knew great economic success. However, Solomon had made some political enemies, who were exiled in Egypt. Those political enemies were lead by Jeroboam. How Rehoboam handles those political enemies will determine his political future. Can I be honest with you? He handled the Jeroboam situation poorly and civil war broke out. In the end the country is divided. Rehoboam takes the two southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The ten northern tribes followed Jeroboam. What is really tragic about the story is that it never had to happen. If he would have treated the Jeroboam faction with respect then the nation would have remained united. That is what we found out in verse seven. Jeroboam rejects the counsel of his father’s advisers and the rest is history. He rejects their counsel because of his arrogance and his closed mind. With this understanding let us hear the scripture lesson, 1 Kings 12:1-8. Let me call this message Living on the Dark Side of the Moon.

Introduction

Mark Twain said, “Everyone is a moon and has a dark which he never shows to anyone.” In other words, every life has two sides. There is a bright side of life and a dark side. The bright side is what you show to the public. You want to be seen as a successful person. You want to be seen as a generous person. You want to be seen as a friendly person. What you want to be seen is your bright side. The dark side is what you hide from the public. You hope no one finds out about your indebtedness. You hope no one finds out about your failed marriages. You hope no one finds out about your depression. Mark Twain said, “Everyone is a moon and has a dark which he never shows to anyone.”

Body

If you can understand that quote then you can understand Rehoboam. He had a bright side and he had a dark side. In the scripture lesson today he reveals both sides. This is the situation. He has just taken the throne and he is trying to handle this complex Jeroboam situation. Let me say this clearly. He has already decided how he is going to handle the situation. His pride got the best of him. However, he is a politician. He wants to make it look good to get public support so he stages a great event. He pretends like he is listening to both sides of the issue. He listens to the elders of the previous administration. They say to welcome Jeroboam back! But he has already made up his mind. He is going to treat Jeroboam’s people harshly. Verse eight says, “Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men that grew up with him and now served him.” The public side said Rehoboam was an open minded leader. The private side showed him as a narrow minded arrogant leader. Mark Twain said, “Everyone is a moon and has a dark which he never shows to anyone.” The people saw his dark side and the kingdom divided. That is the background on this weekend’s text but how does this old story of Rehoboam’s political problems help us today? Let me say this clearly. It is really a story about unhealthy relationships.

Rehoboam teaches us how important it is to have healthy relationship within our lives and within our church. We have too many people who are living on the dark side of the moon. We have too many people who are just putting on a show. If Rehoboam would have been honest with the people, then the kingdom could have been preserved. If we have healthy relationships here at Western Reserve then we may meet our full potential. So in the next few minutes let me talk about honest relationships within our church. I am going to challenge you to stop living on the dark side of the moon! We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to be honest with others. We need to be honest God. So if you are ready for a little honesty say, “Amen!”

BE HONEST WITH YOUSELF

If we are going to be honest in our relationships then we better start by being honest with ourselves. Part of Rehoboam’s problem was that he wasn’t honest with himself. The scriptures tell us Rehoboam was forty-one years old when his reign began. He had decades of adult life to prepare himself. He had some wonderful models for leadership. His grandfather was David. His father was Solomon. He had the opportunity to learn from their past mistakes and triumphs. The problem was he didn’t learn a thing. He lied to himself. He thought he was prepared to be the king but he wasn’t. He fractured the kingdom in a short period of time. He needed to get off the dark side of the moon and be honest with himself.

Years ago the famous violinist Isaac Stern was playing Mozart’s Concerto 3 with the New York Philharmonic. It was a wonderful performance but in the middle Stern forgot his place. He suddenly stopped and got out of his chair. He walked up to the microphone and said, “I made a mistake. I lost my place. I owe it to Mozart and the integrity of this wonderful music to start over. I owe it to the tradition of the Philharmonic to start over. And I owe it to you to start over.” The audience cheered and he started over. Have you ever wished you could start your life over again? This time you wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

We need to be honest with ourselves and admit we have made some mistakes. Church is not filled with perfect people. Church is filled with forgiven people. What is so wonderful about church is that you get to start over again. If you have ever made a mistake and would like to try again say, “Amen!” Stop living on the dark side of the moon and be honest with yourself!

BE HONEST WITH OTHERS

If we are going to be honest in our relationships then we need to be honest with others. The story of Rehoboam is a story of dishonesty. He knew he was going to make the life of the followers of Jeroboam harder from the very beginning. He was just playing a game by listening to the counsel of the elders to fool the people. He fractured the kingdom because a small group of like minded people were running the show. Churches that are run by a small group of like minded people will never reach their full potential. We need to get out of the dark side of the moon and be honest with others.

A USA Today poll found that only 56% of Americans teach honesty to their children. And a Louis Harris poll turned up the distressing fact that 65% of high school students would cheat on an important exam. Recently a noted physician appeared on a network news-and-talk show and proclaimed, "Lying is an important part of social life, and children who are unable to do it are children who may have developmental problems." Being honest with other people is becoming a lost art. The ideal church is wonderful because in church we can be honest with each other because we care for one another.

I will always be thankful to Doris Roberts for being honest with me. When I got out of school I loved to preach! I loved to quote all the famous theologians in church history. It was Doris Roberts, a woman in my church, who took me to the side and said, “We really don’t care about all those educated fellows. Just tell us what Jesus said!”

I will always be thankful to the saint in this church who was honest with me. It had been a long day and was tired. I was walking to a meeting and he said, “This isn’t your church. It is our church. You take care of what happens in the sanctuary and we will do the rest!” At first my feelings were hurt but I learned to value those words. We will never reach our full potential until we all do our part. Church is wonderful because we can be honest with one another. And all of God’s people said, “Amen!” Stop living on the dark side of the moon and be honest with others!

BE HONEST WITH GOD

If we are going to be honest in our relationships then we need to be honest with God. The story of the twelve tribes is a story of God’s relationship with a special people. At one time they had a theocracy, where God, Himself, ran the country speaking through priests and prophets. It was the people who wanted a king so Saul was selected. Rehoboam was in that line of those kings. God’s leadership grew smaller and smaller. In today’s scripture lesson God isn’t mentioned at all. In his time God was only remembered when life was hard. I hope that is not our story. We need to get out of the dark side of the moon and be honest with God. Let me end with a quick story.

Conclusion

In the early 1900s George Riddell acquired the sensational London newspaper The News of the World. Meeting British journalist Frederick Greenwood one day, Riddell mentioned that he owned a newspaper, told Greenwood its name, and offered to send him a copy. The next time they met, Riddell asked Greenwood what he thought of The News. "I looked at it and then I put it in the wastepaper basket," said Greenwood, "and then I thought, 'If I leave it there the cook may read it,' so I burned it."

Can you handle the truth? Can you be honest with yourself? Can you be honest with others? Can you be honest with God? Mark Twain said, “Everyone is a moon and has a dark which he never shows to anyone.” It is time to stop living on the dark side of the moon and develop healthy relationships within our church. And all of God’s honest people said, “Amen!”