Sermon - December 28, 2014 - The Story Week 23 - Jesus' Ministry Begins

An announcer for a college basketball game was commenting on the skills of a player. The announcer shouted, “He’s scary good!” When we see professionals who accomplish outstanding athletic plays we often say, “Who is that guy?” or “How can he do something like that?” This guy is scary good, it probably true in every profession. There are some who are just that good, that smart, that good at what they do that it looks like it comes so easy for them.

When Jesus Christ came into public ministry, people made these kinds of statements:

Who is this?

How can He have such wisdom?
How can He do that?
How did He stop the wind and calm the seas?
How did He heal that person?

Jesus Christ was, indeed, scary good.

They had never seen anyone do anything remotely in the realm of the things Jesus was doing. They had never heard anyone teach with the authority that Jesus taught with. They never saw anyone so kind and so bold. Jesus was scary good and was unlike any person they had ever seen.

Please open you Bibles to Matthew.

Matthew 3:16-17

“¹⁶ After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. ¹⁷ And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!”

I have been part of a fair number of baptisms and I have yet to see a response like this. The heavens opened up and a voice bellows from the heavens, “This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!”

If Jesus really is God’s son, then why did He need to be baptized?

Baptism is something that we as sinners do. It is an act representing the cleaning we have received from Jesus. But here Jesus wades into the water to be Baptized, He was born in a common womb, raised in a common village, in a common profession, and now He the Son of God steps into a common river. He steps into the waters of the Jordan River and tells John the Baptist, that it is right for us to do this. It is the way for ‘us’ to fulfill all righteousness.

Being baptized was another way for Jesus to identify with us, after all He is 100% human in addition to being 100% God. Jesus was showing that all who accept Him should be baptized. After all He came to earth to show us how to live our lives.

From baptism to wilderness, from the waters of the Jordan to the desert sun, Jesus was tempted. During his 40 days in the desert Jesus in essence reenacted the temptation from the Garden of Eden.

Matthew 4:1-11

“4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. ² After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. ³ Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ But He answered, “It is written:
an must not live on bread alone
but on every word that comes
from the mouth of God.”
⁵ Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

He will give His angels orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.”

⁷ Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

⁸ Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:

Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only Him.”

¹¹ Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him.”

Every person on the face of this planet has wondered about the origin of evil. How do we explain evil? Why do people do the things they do? Where do our angry words and hurting hands come from? How about our hateful hearts, what caused them to be this way?

If we trace evil to its source we will find the devil. According to scripture, satan is not a myth, or some crazy idea. Satan is real and he is looking for ways to separate us from God, he is the great divider.

The devil is a divider, a separator, that is his mission, to divide us from God. If you see communities divided, families splitting, hearts divided, it is the work of satan. When you see people who are separated from God, you see the work of satan. Think back to Genesis when the snake approached Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan succeeded in separating Adam and Eve from God and in the verses we just read Jesus is asking for a rematch. This time around the rematch is with the perfect Adam, or the second Adam.

I can almost imagine Jesus telling satan, ‘I know what you did to my friend Adam and his wife Eve. Come give Me your best shot.’

Jesus did not give an inch. Satan tried but got nowhere. Every time Jesus speaks, He speaks about God and satan was unable to create a wedge between Jesus and God. Every time Jesus is challenged by satan, Jesus talks about God, talks about living on the Word of God, and talks about the Lord your God. Jesus is so focused on God and doing His will that satan cannot break through. Jesus is strong in His relationship with God.

Satan came to divide, and he tempted Jesus to take matters into His own hands. Jesus doesn’t fall for it and during this ultimate showdown between good and evil; heaven and hell; right and wrong; Jesus and satan, there is one clear victor. Jesus wins and satan runs away with his tale between his legs.

The devil tried to take Jesus out by giving his best punch, but Jesus didn’t even blink. Jesus won, and was scary… Jesus was scary good!

Later we find Jesus being confronted by the devil through the religious leaders of the day.

You might be surprised that some of satan’s best followers on earth are religious leaders. We see it throughout the Bible. Pastors, priests, rabbis, and religious leaders throughout history have been attacked and tricked by satan. They are his number one target. That is true today and was true when Jesus walked the earth as a man.

There was something like 6,000 religious leaders known as Sadducees or Pharisees. Many of these guys did not like Jesus and were out to get Him. Jesus said they cared more about the praise of men then they cared about the praise of God. Jesus’ teaching was different and they were scared and became angry and jealous. So they decided to get back at Him.

Luke 6:6-11

“⁶ On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching. A man was there whose right hand was paralyzed. ⁷ The scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely, to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against Him. ⁸ But He knew their thoughts and told the man with the paralyzed hand, “Get up and stand here.” So he got up and stood there. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to destroy it?” ¹⁰ After looking around at them all, He told him, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was restored. ¹¹ They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

‘what they might do to Jesus’ is also translated as ‘how they might kill Jesus’. The religious leaders of the day wanted Jesus’ head.

Jesus just performed a miracle right in front of their eyes and they want to kill Him? Witnessing a miracle like that should cause a different reaction. Applaud Him, thank Him, worship Him, why not find every person around with a similar issue and bring them to Jesus? Satan had already separated these religious leaders from God and they completely missed what Jesus was doing.

Not all the religious leaders of the day were separated from God. One example we are given is a man, a Pharisee by the name of Nicodemus.

John 3:2-16

“² This man came to Him at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher, for no one could perform these signs You do unless God were with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ “But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh, and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. ⁸ The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

¹⁰ “Are you a teacher of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. ¹¹ “I assure you: We speak what We know and We testify to what We have seen, but you do not accept Our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about things that happen on earth and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about things of heaven? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the One who descended from heaven—the Son of Man. ¹⁴ Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.

¹⁶ “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

Nicodemus a high ranking leader of the Pharisees came to Jesus and admits that Jesus must be from God. There is no other explanation for all the miracles that Jesus has performed. Nicodemus sensed there was something different about Jesus and wanted to understand His teachings better. By the sounds of it Nicodemus was surprised by what he heard.

Jesus told him that he needed to be ‘born again’. This is obviously not something anyone would have understood back then. I wonder what was going through his mind. Probably something along the lines of ‘I could not control my first birth, if a second birth were possible, how would I have any say over it.’

Maybe as Nicodemus pondered these things and listened to Jesus talk he would have realized that Jesus was not just saying you can have a second chance, but a whole new birth. Essentially Jesus was offering to do spiritually what his parents did for him physically. Being born again by the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life would mean that he was part of the family of God.

Jesus was not offering a mulligan or a second chance, He was offering a miracle, a new birth! This is where the rubber meets the road, where God’s Upper Story and our Lower Story collide.

A miracle happens when a person accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are given a wonderful gift and become a new creation. At that moment in time the old sinful self dies and the new ‘born again’ creation replaces it.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”

We may look the same, and for some time we probably sound the same. But at that exact moment an incredible gift has been given, a gift of a new eternal life with God.

Why would God do something like this?

John 3:16

“¹⁶ “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

As we have seen on our journey through the Bible, God Loves You and He wants to spend forever with you!


God Bless and Happy New Year!

Robert

Sermon - December 21, 2014 - Merry Christmas - The Story Week 22 - The Birth of The King

Merry Christmas!

We have all seen Christmas pageants with the little boy who comes in as Joseph dressed in a bathrobe and sneakers. He anxiously taps on the door to the inn and the innkeeper, dressed in a toe-sack robe answers, indicating that there is no room in the crowded inn. The innkeeper looks at Mary, shrugs and Joseph and Mary are turned away.

But what if…what if there is an interruption in the Story? What if a voice calls out to the innkeeper asking him if he knows who he is turning away? Does the innkeeper really want to be known through history as the one who turned Jesus away? But we can’t change the scene can we? If we did, so much else would change, too. No angels singing in the sky. No announcement to shepherds to look for the Savior in a manger.

John 1:14

“The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the One and Only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

‘The Word became flesh’

The Greek word for Word is Logos. About 500 years before Jesus’ birth a philosopher by the name of Heraclitus from Ephesus made this famous statement. “You cannot step twice into the same river.” By the time you step into a river and then step out of it, and enter again, the river has changed. It’s the same way with life, it is always moving, always changing.

Plato once said, ‘some day there will come forth from God a logos, a Word, who will reveal all mysteries and make everything plain.’

300-400 years latter John writes these words.

John 1:1-3

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created.”

John is placing Jesus in the beginning. He is letting everyone know that Jesus Christ did not begin in Bethlehem. Jesus has existed as long as God has existed. This was a new thought back then, as long as God has been, Jesus has been.

How did God create the universe, ‘with words.’ He would say ‘Let there be’, and there was. John is saying, do you know who is saying ‘Let there be?’ It was the Word, the voice of Jesus speaking. Paul would later support this by writing.

Colossians 1:15-16

“¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.”

Think about it, we have spent 21 weeks reviewing the Old Testament, did Jesus’ life begin in Bethlehem?

When Abraham gave an offering to Melchizedek, some scholars say he was giving an offering to a manifestation of Jesus.

Was it Jesus who was wrestling with Jacob and made his hip come out of its socket?

When Joshua fell on his face and worshipped the one who called Himself the commander of the armies of the Lord, was it Jesus?

In the fiery furnace who was the 4^th guy with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego?

Jesus with Abraham, Jesus with Joshua, Jesus with Jacob, Jesus with Daniel’s friends, and now Jesus with us. Jesus, the Word, became flesh and made His dwelling among us. He isn’t part man and part God, not ½ man and ½ God, He is 100% man and 100% God. He is at once fully man and fully God. So pure, that He could be born of a virgin.

Luke 1:34-35

“³⁴ Mary asked the angel, “How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?” ³⁵ The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.”

What a perfect beginning for the earthly ministry of Jesus. He was divine enough to enter a womb entirely on His own, yet He was human enough to have no room in the inn.

His father, Joseph, was just a regular guy. He did not have any clout, very little cash, no strings to pull, and no friends to call. Jesus, the maker of the universe, the One who invented time, the One who gave you the breath you just took, was so humble that His parents could not get a room in Bethlehem. Even though His mother was obviously pregnant and ready to give birth, there was no room for them. How humble is that for a beginning?

Jesus is humble enough to know what you’ve been through this week. Humble enough to know what keeps you awake at night. Humble enough to know the hunger pains of every child who goes to bed without dinner. Humble enough to understand the prayers of the sick, the homeless, the rejected, and depressed.

Our Lord Jesus does not sit around watching us saying ‘I wish they would get their act together.’ He remembers the pain of a hungry belly and the chill of a cold night. He knows the story about how his parents were turned away and rejected when in need.

The Word became flesh. He entered our world to feel what it was like to be you and me. He truly knows what it feels like to be cold, hungry, beaten, and crucified. Jesus is God who became flesh.

How did the world respond to the God who became flesh?

John 1:10-11

“¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not recognize Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him.”

The innkeeper wasn’t the only one who turned away Jesus, just the first. Wouldn’t you love to talk to the innkeeper and find out what he was thinking? Why put a pregnant woman in a barn with animals? Couldn’t he find some place in his inn for them?

Maybe he thought it was too crowded already. After all with the census going on, there were a lot of people heading to Bethlehem. The town was jam packed as was probably every inn in it. He may have been thinking if I let them in and she gives birth I will have a horrible mess to clean up. Letting them in and the birth of the baby will most definitely wake up everyone and that will upset my customers who have already paid me. Maybe it was just too late and the innkeeper was already in bed and did not want to get up.

Heck, maybe the innkeeper looked at Joseph and Mary and thought they were nothing special so he decided not to trouble himself. After all they were humble peasants not wealthy royalty. It could have come down to them not having enough money to pay for the room and the innkeeper not wanting to give them a break.

In the Book of Luke it tells us, ‘there was no room for them in the inn.’ Bethlehem was crowded.

Even now, the world is still so crowded that Jesus is pushed away. The demands of life get in the way. Crowded with things we need to do and crowded with things we wish we had not done. Crowded with headlines which may make our hearts, spirits, and minds feel overwhelmed. There are also deadlines, phone lines, and long lines, full itineraries, full schedules, jam packed lives, and even concerns over our waist lines. Crowded, our lives are packed, our calendars are full, and our list of responsibilities continue to grow.

Mary and Joseph knocked at the innkeepers door and Jesus comes in the midst of our crazy lives and knocks on the door of our hearts. Too often our response is I don’t have the time, my life is too busy, I have kids to shuttle around, a job that keeps me busy, a spouse who needs me, doctors appoints to keep, homework to do, house to clean. I don’t have the time with all these responsibilities. Life is crowded and what the innkeeper did not realize and what we need to get into our hearts, minds, and spirits, is the fact that Jesus Christ does not come into our lives to complicate them, He comes to simplify them.

Your life is already complicated enough. The presence of Jesus in your life does not make things complicated; it is the absence of Him in your life that adds the difficulty. When we invite Jesus into our hearts he brings Love and Peace, not a long list of things for you to do.

Jesus does not come into your life telling you what you have done wrong and what you need to do to get your act together. He comes into your life because we cannot get our act together on our own. He comes not with a to do list, but a list of things that He has already done for you.

2 Corinthians 5:21

“He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Jesus comes knocking with your sins forgiven, because He dies on the cross and received the punishment for your sin. Every sin you have every committed or will commit, Jesus has already paid the price for them.

Jesus’ list of things He has already done for you is His Christmas gift to you.

John 14:27

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful”

Jesus has given us peace beyond our understanding to take away our troubles and fear.

John 15:11

“¹¹ I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.”

Jesus does not want us being dragged down, He has given us joy.

John 15:12-13

“¹² This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.”

The Love of Jesus is complete and He laid His life down for us.

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The most important gift Jesus has given us is that He paid for our sins and given us eternal life. This gift allows us to spend eternity with Him!

Jesus is offering these gifts, all you have to do is let Him in to your crowded life. Don’t be too busy or too full to let Him in. It is never too crowded or too late to open the door to Jesus.

It is never too late to invite Jesus into your life. We don’t have to clean up our act first. It was not too late for Abraham at 100 years of age, not too late for Moses after 40 years wandering in the desert, it was not too late for Jonah running from God, it was not too late for Saul of Tarsus who persecuted Christians, it was not too late for Peter who denied Jesus, or for Thomas who doubted.

It is not too crowded and it is not too late to meet Jesus, the Word, our King and Savior. He came to earth as a little child for every single one of us so that He could give us the gifts of Peace, Joy, Love, and Salvation.

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

 

Robert

PS. We are back on The Story please read along with us. Chapter 23 is next.

Sermon - December 14, 2014 - The Story Themes of the Old Testament

On June 1^st we began a journey through the Bible using The Story. We spent 21 weeks going through the Old Testament and I continued to be surprised at how fast it went. We have taken a short break from it, but I wanted us to spend some time reviewing some of the key themes we have seen.

It has been a bit so I want to start with a reminder that as we go through The Story we are reminded of the Lower Story and the Upper Story. The Lower Story is the things we deal with on a daily basis. It is the choices and decisions we make. The Upper Story is God’s big plan, tied to His supreme passion of wanting to spend eternity with us and how it works out in our lives.

In Genesis we saw that God created everything in the universes.

The opening verse, Genesis 1:1, introduces us to the Story’s main character: God. 

Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

See God is not something man dreamt up or He is not something that can be explained through evolutionary theory of a ‘big bang’. God is the main character of our Bible’s and as it tells us right here He existed before time, He always was, The Creator, and a God with a plan.

God created everything out of nothing. He created order and wonder out of chaos.

Day 1 –Light and Dark

Day 2 – Sky and Water
Day 3 – Land
Day 4 were the Sun, Moon, and stars
Day 5 was the birds and creatures of the sea
Day 6 was all of animal kind and human beings

Genesis 1:27

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

The crowning accomplishment of all creation was God’s core passion, and that is that people were made in God’s image. In God’s opinion all of creation regardless of how remarkable or beautiful we say it is dulls in comparison to you. God’s sees you as His ultimate creation.

God’s supreme passion is to be with us at all costs.

Think about that for a moment. The God that existed before anything else, the God that existed before all of creation, the God that existed before the creation of the universe, the God that already exists in a loving community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit wants to spend time with you. You may not feel like God is with you, maybe you wonder if He has forgotten all about you, but Genesis 1 tells us something different. There is not even the slimmest of chances that God has forgotten or overlooked you. His supreme passion is to be with you at all costs. The entire Bible is about God’s passion of being with you.

God created you to be with you!

Adam and Eve were essentially given a choice and as we know, they chose to eat of the forbidden fruit and to turn away from the life that God had created them for. God’s vision to be with His ultimate creation was ruined. He had to take His plan to the next step and begin the process for restoration. The rest of The Story, the rest of the Bible is about God’s pursuit to get us back.

The life of Joseph, the son of Israel, is a great example for how God works in the Upper Story while we are living in the Lower Story. Remember Joseph was the favoured son of Israel and had a simple life of reading scrolls and hanging around Mom and Dad while his brothers were out tending the fields and herd. Life for Joseph went from great to real bad.

He was kicked over and over again. His brothers betrayed him and sold him into slavery. He ended up as a slave in Egypt. When things started looking up and going good, he was falsely accused and ended up in prison. He was lucky he did not end up dead. He helped out a fellow prisoner and was forgot about. Joseph had every reason to be angry at the world and God. Instead we find that Joseph continually honored God and God blessed him for it.

Joseph was sold into slavery.

Genesis 39:2

“The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master.”

Joseph was thrown into prison.

Genesis 39:21

“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.”

Joseph was summoned to Pharaoh.

Genesis 41:15-16

“¹⁵ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said about you that you can hear a dream and interpret it.” ¹⁶ “I am not able to,” Joseph answered Pharaoh. “It is God who will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

God blessed Joseph and he became the number 2 man in Egypt and that is when we see how the cruddy stuff that Joseph lived through in the Lower Story was paving the way for God to work in the Upper Story. After all of the hardships Joseph ended up exactly where he needed to be to save his family and the new nation of Israel.

The story of Joseph reminds us that God is at work in all the details of our lives to accomplish His purposes.

Romans 8:28

“We know that all things work together for the good for those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”

Knowing that God is working in our lives even when things seem to be crumbling around us, allows us to honor Him and remember that we need to look to the Upper Story and see what God has in store.

Remember God loves you and He wants to spend eternity with you!

Daniel and his three friends showed us a couple of very important things, we need to keep our Christian identify and we need to have faith. Remember they were strangers in a foreign land like we are foreigners in the world we live in.

1 Chronicles 29:15

“¹⁵ For we live before You as foreigners and temporary residents in Your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.”

We are strangers in a foreign land where violence is on the rise. You can’t watch the nightly news without hearing about something horrible happening.

We are strangers in a foreign land where greed seems to impact everything around us.

We are strangers in a foreign land as morals and ethics continue to deteriorate and people don’t worry about who they hurt.

We are strangers in a foreign land where over 1 million babies are murdered each year through abortions.

We are strangers in a foreign land where faith is no longer important, and many people Christian and non-Christian think there are many paths to heaven.

These things seem pretty foreign to me.

1 Peter 2:11-12

“¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you. ¹² Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.”

We are strangers in a foreign land and we need to learn how to live in this foreign land and continue to retain our identity and to be seen as the Children of God. Peter tells us to ‘abstain from fleshly desires’.

Part of the Babylonian strategy to force captured people into their society is to separate them from their people, change their names, and train them in Babylonian culture, history, language, ethics, morals, and religion.

It started with something as simple as food. Part of changing their culture was to give them the best food and wine from the kings table. At first glance it sounds like the king is being a good host. The problem was that food and wine from the kings table would have been offered to pagan altars. Daniel and his buddies did not want to eat or drink food or wine that had been offered to idols. To some that is worship and to many it would have been viewed as accepting the idol worship. They requested a special diet and God blessed their health, which allowed them to avoid the king’s food. Daniel and his friends continued to live as strangers in Babylon.

Then we see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being threatened to be thrown into the blazing hot furnace because they would not bow down to the statue of the king. Instead of cowering to the threat they had faith and spoke boldly about the power of the One True God.

Daniel 3:17-18

“¹⁷ If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. ¹⁸ But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

Talk about having faith! They say plainly that our God can rescue us from the fire and from you Nebuchadnezzar. They had faith that would get them through just about anything that this world can come up with. What did God do, He honored that faith and protected them.

Then Daniel would not stop praying to God and was thrown into the lion’s den. King Darius was so upset with this that at first light he ran to find out if God protected him.

Daniel 6:20-22

“²⁰ When he reached the den, he cried out in anguish to Daniel. “Daniel, servant of the living God,” the king said, “has your God whom you serve continually been able to rescue you from the lions?” ²¹ Then Daniel spoke with the king: “May the king live forever. ²² My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. Also, I have not committed a crime against you my king.”

Daniel was faithful to God and God was faithful to Daniel. Daniel and his friends showed the world that being strangers in the world is not a bad thing as long as you have faith in God. We to can live as strangers in the world, with the presence and power of Jesus Christ. With His help we can be ‘in’ the world, but not ‘of’ the world.

Through our journey through the Old Testament we have seen many, many things.  I think these examples remind us of the common themes.

God Created You to be with You!

God Loves You more than anything and He wants to spend eternity with You!

Live for God not the world!

Trust in God every day!

I am looking forward to us re-starting our journey next week, Christmas Sunday with chapter 22 The Birth of The King!

Thanks for Reading - Merry Christmas!

Robert

Sermon - November 9, 2014 - Billy Graham Heaven

This week we took the time to watch the Billy Graham video Heaven. It is a very moving video and many of us were touched by it. I highly suggest you take the time to watch it.
 
https://myhopewithbillygraham.org/program/heaven/

If after watching this video you commit your life to Jesus or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me or any other pastor or Christian you know. They will help you get started on the best journey of your life.


I also want to share the link to I Stand Sunday. This was a great video about how as a nation we need to turn back to God. We need this more than ever. Watch it and pray for our nation, our leaders, and our pastors. It is long but well worth it.

http://istandsunday.com/


Thank You and God Bless!

Robert

Sermon - October 26, 2014 - The Story Week 21- Rebuilding the Walls

On June 1^st we started our journey through the Bible, using The Story to do it. Twenty-one weeks later we are now reaching the end of the Old Testament. It is hard to believe that with today’s message we have wrapped up roughly 75-80% of the pages in the Bible. I have really been enjoying our journey through the Bible. I have met some old friends again and have been inspired by how God’s love has been seen in every aspect of human history. I pray you have enjoyed our journey so far as much as I have.

A few weeks back we were reading about how Haggai was called by God to get the people back on track. They had laid the foundation of the temple but things stopped there. The house of God sat for 16 years with no progress what-so-ever. Haggai spoke the Word of the Lord.

Haggai 1:5

“⁵ Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully about your ways:”

God was telling His people to think about their priorities. They had stopped lining up their priorities with God’s priorities; instead they were focused on themselves and their needs. Haggai called to attention the error of their ways, and we need to make sure to take time to examine our priorities and make sure we are living our lives in a way that honors God.

This week we read about a revival that took place in Jerusalem among the Jews who had returned from captivity. Haggai spoke to the first group of exiles to return and they rebuilt the temple. Roughly 80 years later the second group of exiles returned home under the leadership of Ezra, as was granted by king Xerxes who had married Esther.

Ezra 7:6

“ came up from Babylon. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given. The king had granted him everything he requested because the hand of Yahweh his God was on him.”

When Ezra and the second group of exiles returned it was not what they were expecting. They had figured that the people of Jerusalem would have started putting things back together and would be honoring God with their lives. Things were so bad that Ezra not only ripped his garments as a sign of great sadness, he also ripped out his hair and his beard. He pleaded with God and humbled himself.

Ezra 9:6

“And I said: ‘My God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face toward You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads and our guilt is as high as the heavens.”

Hearing how far they had fallen and Ezra’s crying to the Lord, led the people of Israel to repent. As God’s people repented and turned back to Him, His blessings began to fall on them once again.

This should be a great reminder to us of how GREAT God’s grace is. Generation after generation of the Israelites had turned their back on God; the people never seemed to learn from what their fathers and grandfathers endured. Time after time they turned their back on God, yet He still loved them. God believes in second, third, fourth, fifth, and even hundredth chances. He was never once soft on sin, but He is soft on His creation. He does not give us what we deserve. He loves us so much that when we return to Him and repentant for our sins, He welcomes us with open arms.

Thirteen years after the return of the second group of exiles we find some messengers from Jerusalem have come back to Persia and were talking to Nehemiah. He was very curious about those who had returned and the state of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah 1:3

“³ They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned down.”

This was horrible news. Back then the walls around the city were all that protected it from those who wanted to raid and pillage. Jerusalem was in bad shape and was at great risk of getting worse.

Nehemiah 1:4-7

“⁴ When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven. ⁵ I said, Yahweh, the God of heaven, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps His gracious covenant with those who love Him and keep His commands, ⁶ let Your eyes be open and Your ears be attentive to hear Your servant’s prayer that I now pray to You day and night for Your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against You. Both I and my father’s house have sinned. ⁷ We have acted corruptly toward You and have not kept the commands, statutes, and ordinances You gave Your servant Moses.”

The final group of exiles returned with Nehemiah with the blessing and provision of the king of Persia. From start to finish, regardless of all the obstacles they faced, the walls were completed in 52 days. They had people stirring up trouble trying to get them to not follow Nehemiah, they had to physically fight off people, and the people struggled to stay focused. Regardless of all that, the wall was complete in a whopping 52 days. Pretty amazing, sounds like they had help from the Man Upstairs.

As the wall was being rebuilt and seeing God work in their lives, the people began to see that they needed God. It has been one hundred and forty years since God’s people had assembled as a nation. Maybe it was a feeling that God was working with them, maybe it was having the sacrificial system in place again, maybe it was worshipping in the rebuilt temple, or maybe it was being reunited as a nation, whatever it was the people of God were seeking Him. They were primed, they were ready, and they asked Ezra to read from God’s Word.

Nehemiah 8:1-12

“¹ all the people gathered together at the square in front of the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that the Lord had given Israel. ² On the first day of the seventh month, Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding. ³ While he was facing the square in front of the Water Gate, he read out of it from daybreak until noon before the men, the women, and those who could understand. All the people listened attentively to the book of the law. ⁴ Ezra the scribe stood on a high wooden platform made for this purpose. Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah stood beside him on his right; to his left were Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hash-baddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. ⁵ Ezra opened the book in full view of all the people, since he was elevated above everyone. As he opened it, all the people stood up. ⁶ Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and with their hands uplifted all the people said, “Amen, Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

⁷ Jeshua, Bani, Sherebiah, Jamin, Akkub, Shabbethai, Hodiah, Maaseiah, Kelita, Azariah, Jozabad, Hanan, and Pelaiah, who were Levites, explained the law to the people as they stood in their places. ⁸ They read out of the book of the law of God, translating and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was read. ⁹ Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law. ¹⁰ Then he said to them, “Go and eat what is rich, drink what is sweet, and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, since today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your stronghold.” ¹¹ And the Levites quieted all the people, saying, “Be still, since today is holy. Do not grieve.” ¹² Then all the people began to eat and drink, send portions, and have a great celebration, because they had understood the words that were explained to them.”

Ezra read the scriptures, the Levites interpreted them, and the people understood and obeyed. After all these years and all the struggles, the people of God had returned to their King. Several things had to happen for the return or revival to take place.

The people of Israel had to come to a point where they wanted to hear God’s Word. To experience revival in our own hearts so that we can spread it we need to first and foremost remember that the Bible is not just a book. It is the Word of the Almighty God! Understanding that this book is filled with God’s words should drive us to respect it. That respect is what motivates us to read the Bible and to live by its teachings.

2 Timothy 3:16

“¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness,”

NIV reads ‘All Scripture is God-breathed’

NKJV reads ‘All Scripture is given by inspiration of God’

Whichever translation you prefer, it is clear that the Bible is God’s book. If we are to experience a revival which must start in our own hearts, we need to treat God’s Word accordingly. We need to respect the Bible and listen to its teachings. We need to read it and live by it!

In our reading from Nehemiah we see the Levites translating what Ezra was reading to the people. See for the most part Hebrew people no longer spoke or understood the Hebrew language. After being in exile for so long, much of their language was lost. Hearing the words spoken was nice, but they had to understand it for revival to take place. The same can be said for us. If we want a revival here in Clark it needs to start with us understanding what the Bible teaches. I mean it is a great start if we can quote this verse or that verse, but knowing what it means changes lives. The people of Jerusalem needed to understand the law so they could see how far they had drifted from it. We need to understand the Bible so we can know where we have fallen short, but also so that we know just how much grace we have been given. They had the Book of Law, we have the entire Old Testament and New Testament. We have the ability to Understand what has happened and what is going to happen. It is through this understanding that leads to action.

So we need to respect the Bible as God breathed Words, we need to understand the Bible, and we need to Obey the Bible.

As the people of Jerusalem was listening to Ezra read the Book of Law they learned that they should be celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. This was to remember the 40 years spent wandering in the wilderness.

Nehemiah 8:13-18

“¹³ On the second day, the family leaders of all the people, along with the priests and Levites, assembled before Ezra the scribe to study the words of the law. ¹⁴ They found written in the law how the Lord had commanded through Moses that the Israelites should dwell in booths during the festival of the seventh month. ¹⁵ So they proclaimed and spread this news throughout their towns and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive, myrtle, palm, and other leafy trees to make booths, just as it is written.” ¹⁶ The people went out, brought back branches, and made booths for themselves on each of their rooftops, and courtyards, the court of the house of God, the square by the Water Gate, and the square by the Gate of Ephraim. ¹⁷ The whole community that had returned from exile made booths and lived in them. They had not celebrated like this from the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day. And there was tremendous joy. ¹⁸ Ezra read out of the book of the law of God every day, from the first day to the last. The Israelites celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day there was an assembly, according to the ordinance.”

When they read about the feat and understood what they were supposed to do they obeyed God and celebrated it. It is not enough to hear the Word of God, it must be obeyed.

James 1:22

“But be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

The people of Jerusalem understood that God’s Word called them to do something, to obey. That same message is clearly laid out to us repeatedly in the Old and New Testaments. It is not enough to come to church on Sunday and hear God’s Word. Hopefully you are reading your Bible regularly, but that too is not enough. We need to be ‘doers of the Word.’ It needs to lead to action.

How can you Obey the Word and let it drive you to action?

Respect the Word as God Breathed!

Understand the Word and let it Move You!

Obey the Bible and let it lead to Action!

Respect, Understand, and Obey.


Thank You for Reading!

Our journey through the Old Testament has been wonderful!

Blessings,

Robert

Sermon - October 19, 2014 - The Story Week 20 -The Queen of Beauty and Courage

A saying in Las Vegas is ‘my life is all wrapped up in the roll of the dice.’ In Vegas you can roll lucky sevens, or snakes eyes, or boxcars (double sixes). You can also lose it all. You can win a massive windfall or experience colossal disaster. It all seems like coincidence, just roll the dice. In the Book of Esther, it seems like the destiny of the Jews is subject to ‘the roll of the dice,’ but we discover that God is working behind the scenes to fulfill his grand, saving purpose. The Book of Esther presents one of the most intriguing episodes in The Story.

Last week we looked at roughly 50,000 of the exiles who returned home. That would mean the majority of the Jewish people were still in Persia. Xerxes the son of Darius I is the king of Persia. It was interesting to read that Persia under king Xerxes was divided into 127 provinces and he was more powerful than any other king of his time, and ruled over most of the known world.
 

The powerful king held a party.

Esther 1:1-4

“1 These events took place during the days of Ahasuerus, who ruled 127 provinces from India to Cush. ² In those days King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne in the fortress at Susa. ³ He held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff, the army of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the officials from the provinces. ⁴ He displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of his greatness for a total of 180 days.”

King Xerxes in our reading and Ahasuerus is the same person, Xerxes is his name in Greek. Now Xerxes was throwing the ultimate party that lasted 6 months. Can you imagine partying for that long; don’t these people have responsibilities that they need to attend to? Anyways, Xerxes was basically trying to impress all the leaders and elders in the provinces of his nation. He wanted to ensure they saw him as king and would support the upcoming invasion of Greece.

After this 6 month party, Xerxes wanted more and had another party.

Esther 1:5

“⁵ At the end of this time, the king held a week-long banquet in the garden courtyard of the royal palace for all the people, from the greatest to the least, who were present in the fortress of Susa.”

One party led to another, probably an important lesson there somewhere but we will leave that one for another day. During this ‘after’ party king Xerxes summoned his queen Vashti and she refused to join him. In Persia at this time, the queen had no rights, and was at the beck and call of the king.  

Esther 1:11

“¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very beautiful.”

It is believed that Queen Vashti was summoned to show up and parade in front of Xerxes and his guests in nothing but her crown. He was treating his queen very poorly and she fully knowing the consequences bravely stood up for what was right. She stood up for herself and it cost her severely.

What do we learn from this? Take a stand for what is right no matter the consequences. The right thing to do is the right thing to do, even if you endure pain in the end. Vashti, as well as Esther and Mordecai do just that throughout our lesson today.

Vashti is banished, a few years have passed, and Xerxes is looking for a new queen. That is when Esther enters the picture. Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah, AKA Esther. She was a beautiful young lady and was noticed by those searching for the next queen. She was taken to the castle and given a spa year. Not a day, or week, but a full year of spa treatments before she could enter the presence of the king. To make a long story short Esther impressed the king and everyone else around.

Esther 2:17

“¹⁷ The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other young women. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.”

Esther becomes the queen, luck or something else?

While all this was going on Mordecai does what he can to keep tabs on his cousin Esther and catches wind of something and lets the queen know.

Esther 2:21-23

“²¹ During those days while Mordecai was sitting at the King’s Gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two eunuchs who guarded the king’s entrance, became infuriated and planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus. ²² When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai’s behalf. ²³ When the report was investigated and verified, both men were hanged on the gallows. This event was recorded in the Historical Record in the king’s presence.”

Mordecai is hanging around when he hears a couple of guys trying to figure out how to take out the king. He gets Esther involved and when the king investigates it, he has the men hung till dead. Mordecai and Esther have earned some credibility with the king, which will help out later. Was Mordecai hearing this luck or was someone at work?

In chapter 3 we are introduced to Haman.

Esther 3:5-6

“⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage, he was filled with rage. ⁶ And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, Haman decided not to do away with Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom.”

Haman had it out for the Jews and more specifically Mordecai. Haman is an Amalekite, Saul the first King of Israel failed to wipe out the Amelekites. From what we can discern it appears that all these years later Haman still held a grudge against the Jews. He had also been given a high position of authority in the Persian Empire with direct contact with the king.

Haman had the lot cast, or dice rolled, to determine a day that he could have the Jews wiped out. Once he had that day determine he went to the king and pleaded his case.

Esther 3:8

“⁸ Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, yet living in isolation. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.”

The king agreed that some 8 or 9 months later the Jewish people were to be exterminated. 8 or 9 months down the road, whose luck won out on that date or is someone influencing the results?

As the news spreads all the Jewish people in Persia weep, fast, pray, and Mordecai rips his clothes and puts on sackcloth and ashes. Esther hears of this and Mordecai pleads with her to appeal to the king, but she is afraid. If she goes to the king and is not summoned her life is forfeit. She eventually agrees to go before the king, knowing that her life could end today or with the rest of her people. She rolled the dice.

Esther 5:1-2

“5 On the third day, Esther dressed up in her royal clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing its entrance. ² As soon as the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, she won his approval. The king extended the gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip of the scepter.”

The king offers Esther anything even up to half of his kingdom; she simply invites the king and Haman to a dinner she has prepared. The king and Haman enjoyed the banquet and Esther asked them to come back the next day.

Haman was on top of the world, he was promoted, he had a dinner with the king and queen, and then he saw Mordecai hanging outside the palace. His mood soured and Haman wanted Mordecai gone now. So he set plans in motion to get the king to approve of hanging Mordecai the following morning.

The king has a hard time sleeping that night and figures he might as well do something productive. He has the book recording the daily events read to him. When they read about how Mordecai helped foil the assassination plot against the king, the king realizes that nothing was done to honor Mordecai for his actions.

The next morning the king asks Haman what would be the best way to honor a hero and Haman thinking that he was going to be honored went all out.

Esther 6:7-9

“⁷ Haman told the king, “For the man the king wants to honor: ⁸ Have them bring a royal garment that the king himself has worn and a horse the king himself has ridden, which has a royal diadem on its head. ⁹ Put the garment and the horse under the charge of one of the king’s most noble officials. Have them clothe the man the king wants to honor, parade him on the horse through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.’”

Haman was expecting to be honored but was horrified when he was ordered to clothe Mordecai accordingly and parade him through the capital. Haman thought he was going to rid himself of Mordecai that day, but instead had to honor him. Was it luck that saved Mordecai?

That night Haman has dinner with the king and queen again, and Esther pleases the king and once again her offers her anything.

Esther 7:3-4

“³ Queen Esther answered, “If I have obtained your approval, my king, and if the king is pleased, spare my life—this is my request; and spare my people—this is my desire. ⁴ For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and extermination. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the king.”

The king is angered and Haman is hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai. Mordecai was honored and given Haman’s place as an official in the Persian Empire.

Now this is all and good, but the threat still remains against all the Jewish people in Persia. As we have seen over the last couple of weeks a Persian king’s edict cannot be overturned. So a new decree is written and sent out that the Jews can defend themselves against anyone who is hostile towards them. The Jews in Persia prevailed against their enemies.

Seems like the Jewish people got lucky that Esther was beautiful, that Mordecai caught on to the assignation plot, and that the king read about Mordecai the night before he would have more than likely been killed.

Proverbs 16:33

“The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.”

God controls the roll of the dice. God’s name is not mentioned in the book of Esther, but His presence is seen. It is not luck that saved the Jews, it was God working in the Upper Story making sure things happened according to His plans.

Name your fears… illness, aging, not enough money, loss of a job, loss of home, family breakdown, being alone, wayward children, depression, death, whatever.

Take a courageous stand, like Esther and Mordecai, knowing that life may look like things happen by luck but in reality it is God. How can you be Courageous for God?

Romans 8:28

“²⁸ We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.”

God Loves us so much that He is working all things out for our good!

God Bless,

Robert

Sermon - October 12, 2014 - The Story Week 19 - The Return Home

Sometimes life is about pig slop and fish guts. This was true for the prodigal son and for Jonah. The prodigal son blew his inheritance and ended up eating pig slop. Jonah ran from God and rebelled against His command to preach in Nineveh and ended up in the guts of a big fish. In The Story we will see the Jews and an abandoned temple of God. The big question for us is this: What does God do when we make his big thing our small thing? The Story tells us that three generations have passed in exile in Babylon and God raises up Cyrus, a pagan king, who releases God’s people to return to Jerusalem and build their temple.

Ezra 1:1-4

“1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:

² This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. ³ Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. ⁴ Let every survivor, wherever he lives, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

Who would have thought that a pagan king, who himself knew very little about the God of Judah would have allowed them to rebuild their temple let alone decree that it should be done. Not entirely sure if this would have been out of character for a Persian king or not. One thing I read this week mentioned where the Babylonians believed in moving people when they conquered kingdoms the Persians only cared that they paid a tribute and remained loyal. It also came in response to a prophecy from Isaiah that was given some 150 years prior.

Isaiah 44:28

“who says to Cyrus, “My shepherd, he will fulfill all My pleasure” and says to Jerusalem, “She will be rebuilt,” and of the temple, “Its foundation will be laid.”

Regardless of whether it was in character or not, prophecy foretold it and God turned the heart of the Persian king Cyrus. In doing so God had Cyrus give the Jews freedom to return home, freedom to build the temple, and had those that they were living with give them gold, silver, food, etc… for the trip and for the temple. What a change in tune after being hauled away and in exile away from their home for some 70 years. They Jewish people are heading home with the goal of building the temple and restoring their community.

God using a pagan king was a way for God to remind His people and anyone else paying attention that ‘He will use whatever it takes to finish His plan to build a perfect community where He can be with His people forever, even a sinful pagan king who knows nothing about Him.’

Why did God guide the Persian king Cyrus to build God a temple? Why was this so import to the Almighty God? Why was it such a big deal?

The temple is a sign of God’s passion. If you remember God’s passion, His desire, and the reason He created us was so He could dwell with us. God wants to be in a relationship with each and every person ever created, and the temple is a symbol of that passion.

There is a problem with God’s passion and the state of His chosen nation while in exile. The Jewish people were no longer worshipping at the temple, they were no longer offering sacrifices, they were no longer able to be in His presence. They no longer dwelt with God! Sin was separating God’s people from being with Him. Not having the temple was leading to a major problem, sin was keeping God and His people apart.

In the long run the solution to the sin problem was the coming of Jesus Christ, His Birth, Death, and, Resurrection. That was not going to happen for another 5 centuries or so. Until then the solution to God’s problem was to rebuild the temple and reinstitute the sacrificial system so that people could once again be in the presence of the One True God.

The people were returned home with plans in place, they knew what God wanted. They saw God’s problem as their problem.

Ezra 3:1-3

“3 By the seventh month, the Israelites had settled in their towns, and the people gathered together in Jerusalem. ² Jeshua son of Jozadak and his brothers the priests along with Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his brothers began to build the altar of Israel’s God in order to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the law of Moses, the man of God. ³ They set up the altar on its foundation and offered burnt offerings for the morning and evening on it to the Lord even though they feared the surrounding peoples.”

The people of God were following God’s will. The altar was restored the foundation of the temple was being rebuilt, things started off good. If you read this week’s chapter you will recall that the people began good, but lost focus. Life interfered with rebuilding the temple and what was a big problem for God, became more of a nuisance for the people. What happens when something is just a nuisance, it gets ignored. Think about that squeaky screen door, it will squeak for a long time before it gets fixed. A broken water heater on the other hand gets taken care of immediately as not having hot water is a big problem when you are getting ready for church or to go to work.

God’s people no longer saw the building of the temple as a major priority and it sat. Instead of working on the temple that was down the road, they wanted to get their own homes built. For 16 long years the temple sat as homes and communities were built. It was an abandoned construction site in the middle of town, with weeds growing all over. Those 16 years was long enough for every visitor from surrounding nations to look at the temple in Jerusalem and think that the Jewish people did not take their God or His temple very seriously. Think of the message it sends to the kids growing up in Jerusalem. At first they saw their parents and neighbors working hard to build the temple and then they just walked away from it. Not the messages they, we, or God want to be shared.

God loving His people and wanting to be with them raised up a prophet, Haggai, to call His people back to their task of building God’s temple.

Haggai 1:1-6

“1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, the governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest: ² “The Lord of Hosts says this: These people say: The time has not come for the house of the Lord to be rebuilt.” ³ The word of the Lord came through Haggai the prophet: ⁴ “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?”  ⁵ Now, the Lord of Hosts says this: “Think carefully about your ways: ⁶ You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have enough to become drunk. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag with a hole in it.”

Haggai is reminding the people of God that they are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. He is hitting them pretty hard. You have your nice house, you have spent a lot of time and energy trying to build yourselves up. You are working hard, but it never seems to be enough. You harvest little. You never have enough to eat or drink. Your clothes don’t keep you warm and your money does not go far enough. In short they got distracted by their own things and set God’s needs aside. The people in Jerusalem got their priorities all mixed up.

How many of us can relate with our priorities getting out of whack? If I were to list my personal priorities the top couple would be in this order.

1.      My personal relationship with Jesus Christ
2.      My family
3.      Ministry
4.      Work

I would think most people sitting in this room would rank theirs similarly. If you priorities are in this order, does your life always reflect it? I know mine does not. Work has a tendency of interfering with just about everything. Ministry can get easily get in the way of family time. The hustle and bustle of life and how crazy it gets at times can interfere with the time I spend with God, which means things are interfering with my first and most important priority. I am sure most of you can relate.

I have yet to meet someone who loves Jesus who deliberately decided to ignore God. What tends to happen is that people let things get in the way of their top priority and slowly drift away from Him. It was not a decision, but they let things get in the way, the kids, the job, demands from others, stress, and just about anything else thrown their way. It starts slowly and at first efforts are made to keep their top priority number 1, but it can continue to slip until it is no longer on the list. This is exactly what happened to the people in Jerusalem and God got sent Haggai to get their attention and call them back. If we let God slip out of the number one spot He has ways of getting our attention.

Think about it for a moment, can you recall a time in your life when you achieved some goal or accomplished something that you thought would make you happy and it did not? Can you think of a time that you got everything you wanted, but it left you wanting? These feelings could be God’s way or trying to get your attention.

I am not saying that every bad thing in life or period of wanting is punishment by God. Don’t think that every time that something bad happens to you that God is punishing you. Most of the bad we encounter in this world is part of living in a sinful world. The Bible tells us that rain falls on the just and the unjust, but sometimes in life if we seem to be hitting one obstacle after another with no end in sight. It maybe that God is trying to get your attention.

The simple fact is, when we put our priorities over God’s priorities, life becomes empty and meaningless. Putting our priorities above God’s is a sin.

Charles Spurgeon wrote “God doesn’t allow His children to sin successfully.”

God loves us to much to allow us to continue down a path of sin and will do everything He can to get our attention.

God sent Haggai to remind the people of Jerusalem just that. He was telling them, ‘STOP, examine your ways, you need to change your priorities!’ Haggai’s job was to remind the people that their priorities need to match Gods. It was their wake up call. They heard the call and got back on track fulfilling the purpose of God. They put God back as their first priority.

Matthew 6:33-34

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. ³⁴ Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Jesus tells us to seek First His kingdom and God will take care of everything else.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “If we put the first things first, we get the second things thrown in; but if we put the second things first, we lose both the first and second things.”

God needs to be first and foremost in our lives! We need to make sure that we do not let the things of the world, our jobs, our toys, our families, our medical issues, in short our lives, interfere with following God’s priorities. If He has called you to something, you need to do it!

The prodigal son repented and left the pig slop.

Jonah repented and got out of the fish guts.

The Jews repented and finished the temple for God.

Do you need to repent and return to god? Is God speaking to you through a season of testing? Are you being distracted from God’s purpose for your life?

Commit to making God’s priority your priority!


Thanks for reading,

Robert