When the walls at Jerusalem were built Nehemiah was careful to record the name of every person who helped so that future generations would know. He did this to bring glory to God because He knew that it was God who had brought them together. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life and because of this God has a plan for our lives. We are here to bring glory to His name.
Chapters 1 and 2 told of the strength of Nehemiah’s relationship with God. His prayers were genuine and heart-felt. I know that many of you have identified with that in your own lives. The prompting of God causing us to pray recently has solely been to show you how timely His answers have been or will be. Chapter 3 is all to do with the record of those who built the walls of Jerusalem. There were ten gates in Jerusalem: the sheep gate, the fish gate, the old gate, the valley gate, the dung gate, the fountain gate, the water gate, the horse gate, the east gate and the inspection gate. The gates had to be repaired and so did the walls in between the gates and there were only a certain number of people who were able to do that. Here and there, in chapter three, it becomes apparent how delegated jobs to the people.
Nehemiah 3:1-4
First three verses we come across the fish gate and the sheep gate. The sheep gate had something about it because it was sanctified and was built by the priests. It is very significant that our lives are grounded in the faith of God and what He has done for us. He is the door of the sheepfold. The priest here is recorded specifically by Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 3:4-5
You get the gist of this. There’s a sense in which there’s a joint effort going on here. I want to emphasize the fact that everyone mentioned in this chapter was pulling the same weight. They were aware of the fact that they were doing something that was not welcome by the fraternity, but they knew this was something they had to do. It was like a sort of scrum in a rugby match where the players bind tightly together. The binding together was a distinct purpose born of God. Unfortunately, in v.4 the Tekoites put not their necks to the work of their Lord. The Tekoites were the nobles. There’s something sad and unnerving about the situation where you have a number of people, seventy-two listed here, joined together as one and yet a few decided not to put their necks to the work of the Lord.
Nehemiah 3:6-8
All sorts of occupations. It’s very easy to translate this into our own situation. Each one of us has our own abilities. When we come in here there’s a common bond – the faith of Jesus Christ. We are brothers and sisters in Him. There’s a sense in which where we are at the moment going forward fulfilling God’s purposes for His church. It’s time for us to link up together going forward.
Nehemiah was very aware that family by family they joined together as one.
Nehemiah 3:9-12
There are families involved here; Shallum and his daughters. It came to the point that they were building with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other hand. There was a task they had to do; opposition was not going to stop them. At each gate there was a group of people getting on with what God wanted them to do, it was specific for each person. To the end that the walls would be built. Young and old were involved, there was nobody on the side lines. Everyone together. It must have been a sight to see.
As I thought about these names that are recorded here I began to think about your name and where your name is already recorded. I just want to look at a few scriptures relating to that.
Luke 10:17-20
When Jesus spoke to the seventy He empowered them. The work that God has for you you will do as unto Him, it’s His church. The tasks that He has for us will bring glory to Him. As we lift up His name collectively, so it is He will draw others to Himself. We should not just rejoice in the work that we are going to be getting on with, we should rejoice because our names are written in heaven.
Isaiah 4:2-3
Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. With your name written there, as a result of what Jesus Christ has done for you, you know that our position is secure, seated in the heavenlies. We are seated with Him in the heavenlies. Why? So that we can walk in the ways He has prepared for us and so that we can make a stand for Him. It is as if we are collectively on top of a hill and the enemy of our souls is always trying to come up the hill, and the armour we put on is purely defensive. We are not going down the hill to fight, we are merely defending. Your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life so that you will bring glory to His name. Each of us has a work to do.
Hebrews 12:18-25
This is the time when our work is to be co-workers with Him. Sharing the good news of the Gospel with others, so that they can become part of His church worldwide. Our situation is secure in Him through His wonderful grace. He wants us to, both individually and corporately, reach out to others in need. It is His love in us reaching out to others. We are here to glorify Him.
Revelation 21:25-27
That’s where security is. Your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life. For the glory that was set before Him He endured the cross. That glory was His church, the heavenly Jerusalem. Tonight I’m confirming to you that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. As a result of that there is a work for you to do. That’s not something we have to work out, we just have to lift His name up. Our lives are going to be a testimony to what He has done. We know the power of sin broken in our lives. There are people waiting for us to share the gospel with them. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
You can imagine Nehemiah carefully recording every name of every person who worked on that wall, because everyone had put their hand to their plough and he believed it was important for future generations to see who had done the work. Nehemiah knew that what he was recording was bringing glory to God because it was God that had brought them together.
Ephesians 4:13-16
Jesus Christ is in charge of His church, He knows what He’s doing. This year we are going to see miraculous things, we are going to see people met. Now is the time when collectively we need to draw together because the enemy of our souls will try to stop us. As, in Nehemiah’s time, there is a specific work which God has for each of you here to do. He is already showing you what that work is. My responsibility before God is to identify and steer, by God’s Holy Spirit, to what collectively we can do. We can have a huge impact on many people in many ways. Is that to build us up? No. It’s to share the wonderful good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will fulfil God’s purpose in this place no matter what loud noises occur off-stage. We will set ourselves to the work that God has given us each to do. When Nehemiah started recording these names I’m sure He was meticulous in recording every single person that got involved. The reason for reading the section in Ephesians is all to do with v. 16: “From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” We shall be known by the love that we have for one another.
Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. It will be that as we go forward together the glory will be to His name. We will see, undoubtedly, that it has been God who has brought things about. The way we have been protected since March last year has definitely been Him. He has things prepared that we will walk into for His glory.
Friday 30 January 2009
Sunday 25 January 2009
Nehemiah (Part 2 of 9) - The Good Hand of God is Upon You
The good hand of God is upon us. He orchestrates the circumstances in our lives so that we are drawn towards Him in prayer for the solution. As Nehemiah knew, when he came before the King, that was the crunch time. God delights in prompting us to pray and then being the answer to our prayers. God’s solution will be over and above what we could ever ask or think. He loves us, and He wants us to go forward in Him so that, through us, He can draw others to Himself.
Just a brief word concerning what we looked at previously, it was the first part of Nehemiah.
In chapter 1, Nehemiah thought that the building work in Jerusalem was continuing but when he heard about the state of the walls and that the work had ceased, it was not the news he had expected.
Nehemiah held a prominent position in that he was the cup-bearer to the King. It was as if by chance that someone brought back a report concerning the work. Jerusalem had been taken into captivity; it had become a laughing stock.
Nehemiah was shocked because he had thought that things were progressing. His initial reaction to this news was that he prayed.
What’s been going on in your life has been prompted by God for you to get on your knees before Him. It’s God’s delight for us, in humility, to come before Him and ask Him for the solution. Without that pressure or that problem we wouldn’t be on our knees.
Nehemiah 1:4
And then He prays. He reminds God of His mercy.
Nehemiah 1:11
At the beginning of chapter two it goes forward a few months.
Nehemiah 2:1
For four months Nehemiah could think of nothing else but Jerusalem. For some of you, in the situation you’re in, you’ve been thinking of nothing else. Each time you’ve thought about it there’s a sort of compression inside causing you to ask God for help. You know that you need God as the solution. That is not despair. That is the crystal clear reality of you realising who God is and what He wants to do for you. It says in James that we have not because we ask not, or we ask for things that are the wrong motive. But you need to ask.
For Nehemiah it was four months. It might be the shock you’ve had has been in your work situation or it might be in a relationship. That shock to your system is there because our God, who is our loving heavenly Father, wants you and me to be co-workers together with Him, as we witness the solution He is and He will be in your situation. It’s as if He knows just the right situation that, if you like, takes over our thinking, and causes us to say ‘Lord. You’ve got to work this out’.
Individually I can see that God is stirring in our hearts that we need to get hold of Him ourselves via His Word and prayer. There’s going to come a time when a characteristic of this group of people is that we are a people who know our God and who see Him answering prayer. He loves us.
For Nehemiah he was praying and he knew that God had to give him the answer. He was humble even though he had a high position in the land.
Nehemiah 2:2
It comes to that point where you’ve been praying and now it’s the crunch time. There was something in Nehemiah, because he knew that this was it. He knew that the King was going to ask about what had been bugging him all those months; Nehemiah didn’t know how the King was going to react. But he knew, by a God given urgency inside, it was now. Let’s translate that into your life. There comes a time in your life when you know that God has brought about a situation and now is the crunch time. You’ve been praying about it: now’s the time.
Nehemiah 2:3
I was trying to figure out the tone of his voice when he said that because he was letting the King know what he had been thinking about all those months.
Nehemiah 2:4
That was a surprise! He thought the King was going to be dismissive of what he was thinking about. The King had heard about the building of the wall but the King didn’t respond as Nehemiah thought he would. The answer that God gives you will be a surprise to you as well. Our God is a God who answers our prayers. Our God is a God who is strong; He’s the King of Kings. He knows what He is doing.
So Nehemiah prayed to the God of Heaven. Nehemiah was not thinking of himself, he was thinking of the people in Jerusalem. Here he had the King’s attention. It is God’s delight to answer our prayers, prompted by His Holy Spirit. The outworking of His purposes are sure. You can’t stop the mighty moving force of God, even though you might try.
We’ll see later in this chapter those who were mocking and scornful. But nothing can stop the mighty force of God. That force is a force of love who will outwork His purpose in your life. It’s important how you react to the pressures in life. You must pray.
Nehemiah 2:5 – 6
Are you ready for God’s answer? God will answer you. What God is doing in your life is developing that faith inside you, the faith that He’s given you. He’s making you more aware of who He is.
My foundation is Jesus Christ. My foundation is that, going forward, I want to do what God wants me to do. When God answers, the answer is clear and sure. I’ll tell you where I’m at. I am aware that God is going to build on the foundation that He’s laid in this place. It’s as if we’re going forward to outwork what He wants us to do. Now’s the time.
It’s interesting that Nehemiah set the King a length time that he’d be away for: he was ready with an answer. The expectation of Nehemiah is that God would answer. When you’re thinking about your future, God’s been speaking to you; you need to get on with it.
Nehemiah 2:7 – 8
The good hand of God is upon you. It’s a good hand. You may say that I don’t understand your situation, but I do know that it is a good hand. When Nehemiah walked out of that meeting he couldn’t believe what had happened. Nehemiah was giving up a lot to do this; he had been the cupbearer of the King. Sometimes God asks things of us, a change of direction. In his heart Nehemiah knew that he had to go. He was prepared to go even before the King had granted him his request. He had thought about it but hadn’t known how he would be able to go. He asked God to open up the way for him because he couldn’t see a solution. If we wait for God’s timing it is a good thing. God will bring the answer at the right time.
Nehemiah 2:9
Not only was the King allowing Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem but he was providing the transport for him to get there. God answers our prayers over and above what we could ask or think.
Nehemiah 2:10
It grieved them because they thought they had got King Artaxerxes to end the work in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2:11
When he got there he surveyed the situation. It’s not a bad thing to stop and take stock of your life. We must evaluate what is the foundation of our lives and what is our ambition. People might say that we are weak because we have to rely on God. Anyone who speaks like that is breathing the air that God gives them. They have life from him. Often when someone speaks like that it’s out of frustration in their life. Nehemiah wasn’t a ‘goody-two-shoes’, but he knew his God. Deep down you know your God. Sanballat and Tobiah didn’t like the fact that Nehemiah came.
Nehemiah 2:12 – 16
When you take a survey of your life, you are checking on the progress and the motives of your life. Is it the case, as far as you are concerned, that as a Christian God has a freeway in your life so that you can share with others the life of Christ within you? We are to love one another so that others can see and be drawn to the One who has caused us to have that love: Jesus Christ. The great commission from Jesus is to share our faith, His faith that God has put inside us.
The older people in the church are of value to us because they are prepared to do what God wants them to do. ‘These walls must be rebuilt’, Nehemiah said. As he was riding to Jerusalem he was thinking how wonderfully God had worked everything out. He knew that now was the time, so he decided to survey the situation.
Nehemiah 2:16 – 18
God’s timing. It didn’t take much to convince the people in Jerusalem of the need. They knew that he had come. Nehemiah told them he had come because of the ‘hand of my God which was good upon me’. He said that to encourage them to realise that it was the time to rise up and build.
God has a work for us to do. The wonderful thing is that the work He has for us corporately is being mirrored in your individual lives. That’s why the circumstances in your life are as they are now. God is ensuring that you are aware of the foundation of God in your life. He’s ensuring that your focus is right. He’s ensuring that there is a resolve to get hold of God for the solution. God gave you that resolve.
What’s going to be the result of that? That you will fulfil what God wants to be in your life so that His life can flow through you and affect those around you for good. In your life, as you succeed in the circumstances you’re in, witnessing and testifying to the faithfulness of God in your life, so there will be that flow from you to others. You will know that there is someone that can help others. His name is Jesus Christ.
Sanballat and Tobiah, and now another fellow, heard what Nehemiah said.
Nehemiah 2:19
The resolve in Nehemiah had increased.
Nehemiah 2:20
No discussion. ‘What you’re saying is against our God. Our God is the God of heaven and He will sort things out. He is the One we trust. We are strong because of the resolve He has given us.’ Some people twist it as if we are weak because we need God in our life. It is the complete opposite. There is no one here, and I mean that, who is outside of this thought, that together you’re involved in what God is going to do in our midst.
In your individual life you will find over the next weeks a resolve that God has put into you to stand your ground. A resolve to be open to what God wants you to do, to be. You are here on this earth for a reason. God wants to outwork His purposes in you. The circumstances in your life will cause you to get closer to God through prayer. It’s to the end that we will fulfil what God wants us to do corporately, that is, to reach out to those who have no answer. Now if I were to say ‘Ok, I’m in’, is that me convincing you in some rally-type turn? No, it’s God through this account in Nehemiah. Today God has been asking you what it is going to be for you.
This credit crunch has brought an additional pressure. Did God know about that coming? Yes. Did He know about the affect it would have on you? Yes. The God of heaven will prosper us.
Philippians 3:13 – 14
Today, the middle of verse 13 is important for you and for me: “forgetting those things which are behind”. And then in verse 14: “pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Today, in your situation in your life, the good hand of God is upon you. It’s not the devil: it’s the good hand of God. He knows what He’s doing. That God of love, in your situation, whether you're single, married, widowed, whatever situation you are in, it’s the good hand of God upon you. He loves you.
Just a brief word concerning what we looked at previously, it was the first part of Nehemiah.
In chapter 1, Nehemiah thought that the building work in Jerusalem was continuing but when he heard about the state of the walls and that the work had ceased, it was not the news he had expected.
Nehemiah held a prominent position in that he was the cup-bearer to the King. It was as if by chance that someone brought back a report concerning the work. Jerusalem had been taken into captivity; it had become a laughing stock.
Nehemiah was shocked because he had thought that things were progressing. His initial reaction to this news was that he prayed.
What’s been going on in your life has been prompted by God for you to get on your knees before Him. It’s God’s delight for us, in humility, to come before Him and ask Him for the solution. Without that pressure or that problem we wouldn’t be on our knees.
Nehemiah 1:4
And then He prays. He reminds God of His mercy.
Nehemiah 1:11
At the beginning of chapter two it goes forward a few months.
Nehemiah 2:1
For four months Nehemiah could think of nothing else but Jerusalem. For some of you, in the situation you’re in, you’ve been thinking of nothing else. Each time you’ve thought about it there’s a sort of compression inside causing you to ask God for help. You know that you need God as the solution. That is not despair. That is the crystal clear reality of you realising who God is and what He wants to do for you. It says in James that we have not because we ask not, or we ask for things that are the wrong motive. But you need to ask.
For Nehemiah it was four months. It might be the shock you’ve had has been in your work situation or it might be in a relationship. That shock to your system is there because our God, who is our loving heavenly Father, wants you and me to be co-workers together with Him, as we witness the solution He is and He will be in your situation. It’s as if He knows just the right situation that, if you like, takes over our thinking, and causes us to say ‘Lord. You’ve got to work this out’.
Individually I can see that God is stirring in our hearts that we need to get hold of Him ourselves via His Word and prayer. There’s going to come a time when a characteristic of this group of people is that we are a people who know our God and who see Him answering prayer. He loves us.
For Nehemiah he was praying and he knew that God had to give him the answer. He was humble even though he had a high position in the land.
Nehemiah 2:2
It comes to that point where you’ve been praying and now it’s the crunch time. There was something in Nehemiah, because he knew that this was it. He knew that the King was going to ask about what had been bugging him all those months; Nehemiah didn’t know how the King was going to react. But he knew, by a God given urgency inside, it was now. Let’s translate that into your life. There comes a time in your life when you know that God has brought about a situation and now is the crunch time. You’ve been praying about it: now’s the time.
Nehemiah 2:3
I was trying to figure out the tone of his voice when he said that because he was letting the King know what he had been thinking about all those months.
Nehemiah 2:4
That was a surprise! He thought the King was going to be dismissive of what he was thinking about. The King had heard about the building of the wall but the King didn’t respond as Nehemiah thought he would. The answer that God gives you will be a surprise to you as well. Our God is a God who answers our prayers. Our God is a God who is strong; He’s the King of Kings. He knows what He is doing.
So Nehemiah prayed to the God of Heaven. Nehemiah was not thinking of himself, he was thinking of the people in Jerusalem. Here he had the King’s attention. It is God’s delight to answer our prayers, prompted by His Holy Spirit. The outworking of His purposes are sure. You can’t stop the mighty moving force of God, even though you might try.
We’ll see later in this chapter those who were mocking and scornful. But nothing can stop the mighty force of God. That force is a force of love who will outwork His purpose in your life. It’s important how you react to the pressures in life. You must pray.
Nehemiah 2:5 – 6
Are you ready for God’s answer? God will answer you. What God is doing in your life is developing that faith inside you, the faith that He’s given you. He’s making you more aware of who He is.
My foundation is Jesus Christ. My foundation is that, going forward, I want to do what God wants me to do. When God answers, the answer is clear and sure. I’ll tell you where I’m at. I am aware that God is going to build on the foundation that He’s laid in this place. It’s as if we’re going forward to outwork what He wants us to do. Now’s the time.
It’s interesting that Nehemiah set the King a length time that he’d be away for: he was ready with an answer. The expectation of Nehemiah is that God would answer. When you’re thinking about your future, God’s been speaking to you; you need to get on with it.
Nehemiah 2:7 – 8
The good hand of God is upon you. It’s a good hand. You may say that I don’t understand your situation, but I do know that it is a good hand. When Nehemiah walked out of that meeting he couldn’t believe what had happened. Nehemiah was giving up a lot to do this; he had been the cupbearer of the King. Sometimes God asks things of us, a change of direction. In his heart Nehemiah knew that he had to go. He was prepared to go even before the King had granted him his request. He had thought about it but hadn’t known how he would be able to go. He asked God to open up the way for him because he couldn’t see a solution. If we wait for God’s timing it is a good thing. God will bring the answer at the right time.
Nehemiah 2:9
Not only was the King allowing Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem but he was providing the transport for him to get there. God answers our prayers over and above what we could ask or think.
Nehemiah 2:10
It grieved them because they thought they had got King Artaxerxes to end the work in Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 2:11
When he got there he surveyed the situation. It’s not a bad thing to stop and take stock of your life. We must evaluate what is the foundation of our lives and what is our ambition. People might say that we are weak because we have to rely on God. Anyone who speaks like that is breathing the air that God gives them. They have life from him. Often when someone speaks like that it’s out of frustration in their life. Nehemiah wasn’t a ‘goody-two-shoes’, but he knew his God. Deep down you know your God. Sanballat and Tobiah didn’t like the fact that Nehemiah came.
Nehemiah 2:12 – 16
When you take a survey of your life, you are checking on the progress and the motives of your life. Is it the case, as far as you are concerned, that as a Christian God has a freeway in your life so that you can share with others the life of Christ within you? We are to love one another so that others can see and be drawn to the One who has caused us to have that love: Jesus Christ. The great commission from Jesus is to share our faith, His faith that God has put inside us.
The older people in the church are of value to us because they are prepared to do what God wants them to do. ‘These walls must be rebuilt’, Nehemiah said. As he was riding to Jerusalem he was thinking how wonderfully God had worked everything out. He knew that now was the time, so he decided to survey the situation.
Nehemiah 2:16 – 18
God’s timing. It didn’t take much to convince the people in Jerusalem of the need. They knew that he had come. Nehemiah told them he had come because of the ‘hand of my God which was good upon me’. He said that to encourage them to realise that it was the time to rise up and build.
God has a work for us to do. The wonderful thing is that the work He has for us corporately is being mirrored in your individual lives. That’s why the circumstances in your life are as they are now. God is ensuring that you are aware of the foundation of God in your life. He’s ensuring that your focus is right. He’s ensuring that there is a resolve to get hold of God for the solution. God gave you that resolve.
What’s going to be the result of that? That you will fulfil what God wants to be in your life so that His life can flow through you and affect those around you for good. In your life, as you succeed in the circumstances you’re in, witnessing and testifying to the faithfulness of God in your life, so there will be that flow from you to others. You will know that there is someone that can help others. His name is Jesus Christ.
Sanballat and Tobiah, and now another fellow, heard what Nehemiah said.
Nehemiah 2:19
The resolve in Nehemiah had increased.
Nehemiah 2:20
No discussion. ‘What you’re saying is against our God. Our God is the God of heaven and He will sort things out. He is the One we trust. We are strong because of the resolve He has given us.’ Some people twist it as if we are weak because we need God in our life. It is the complete opposite. There is no one here, and I mean that, who is outside of this thought, that together you’re involved in what God is going to do in our midst.
In your individual life you will find over the next weeks a resolve that God has put into you to stand your ground. A resolve to be open to what God wants you to do, to be. You are here on this earth for a reason. God wants to outwork His purposes in you. The circumstances in your life will cause you to get closer to God through prayer. It’s to the end that we will fulfil what God wants us to do corporately, that is, to reach out to those who have no answer. Now if I were to say ‘Ok, I’m in’, is that me convincing you in some rally-type turn? No, it’s God through this account in Nehemiah. Today God has been asking you what it is going to be for you.
This credit crunch has brought an additional pressure. Did God know about that coming? Yes. Did He know about the affect it would have on you? Yes. The God of heaven will prosper us.
Philippians 3:13 – 14
Today, the middle of verse 13 is important for you and for me: “forgetting those things which are behind”. And then in verse 14: “pressing toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Today, in your situation in your life, the good hand of God is upon you. It’s not the devil: it’s the good hand of God. He knows what He’s doing. That God of love, in your situation, whether you're single, married, widowed, whatever situation you are in, it’s the good hand of God upon you. He loves you.
Friday 23 January 2009
Nehemiah (Part 1 of 9) - He Delights to Answer Prayer
Ezra heard about a situation, and God set it upon his heart to resolve it. There are things that you know, before God, you want him to sort out. Ezra knew that the information he was given was something that he had to respond to. There might be something in your life, where it’s as if you’ve been propelled into the arms of God through praying.
This the background to the information that Ezra received:
Ezra 4:11
Artaxerxes was king of Persia. Some people had gone back to Jerusalem to start rebuilding the walls, because Israel had been taken over by Babylon and were in captivity. Jerusalem, therefore, was in ruins.
Ezra 4:17
The work was ended. Nehemiah had heard about the Jews going back and he thought things were happening, but then Nehemiah heard the work had ceased, and it got to him.
Nehemiah 1:1
It was a shock, because what he expected to hear was that it was great, that they had got on with it and work was progressing. But, no. The work had ceased. Sometimes we come across a situation where it is a shock, and we can’t figure out how we didn’t see it coming, or how it had ended up like this.
Nehemiah 1:4
This affected him for days. He couldn’t get it out of his mind. It might be that something you’re facing is something where you need a resolution in God. You will see God provide the answer.
Nehemiah 1:5
Nehemiah was at one with the people who had gone to build the walls. He immediately linked up with them, and it was as if he took them with him to God. As time progressed, it dawned on him that he was in a position that God had put him in for that time. You are in a position for such a time as this. Whatever the situation you’re facing, whatever the mountain it seems you have to go over, whatever the valley you have to go through, you are alive tonight for such a time as this. You will prove for yourself the faithfulness of God and the way he will invigorate, change the situation, and be the answer.
Nehemiah 1:8
He remembered what God had previously said.
Deuteronomy 4:25
Nehemiah 1:10
God will provide the solution. You don’t have the solution. It’s not a vague hope – not at all. It’s God who is prompting you to pray. By his Holy Spirit he is getting hold of you. He delights to answer and to prove himself to be the solution. He is a merciful God who loves you, and he involves us.
Luke 18:1
Here is a judge who will sort it out just to get rid of the woman, and that was an unjust judge who said that.
Luke 18:7
The prompting of God in your life at the moment to pray is because God is going to answer what you are praying. The answer is coming, and it is on it’s way. But the timing will be perfect. It will be at a time when you conclusively know that the solution is from Him, and you accept it as such. It’s not what I’m going to do – it’s what he is going to do. He has prompted you to pray in the way that you are praying.
With Nehemiah, when this news came, it immediately caused him to go to God. There was a resolve in him to make a stand before his God. God delights to answer that prayer. Prayer is where God delights for you and for me to become co-workers with him. He doesn’t need to bother with us really but he loves us, and somehow, when he prompts that prayer inside, it’s his delight for us to realise that we know who made the provision. It is as if we are co-workers with him.
Nehemiah 1:11
He kept praying, and the solution came four months later. Do you have to pray for a certain amount of time to twist God’s arm to be the answer? Absolutely not. It is simply that he somehow causes things that we pray for, and it is his delight to answer at the perfect time and provide a complete solution.
Who am I trusting? Where is my faith? Who is the God I believe in? With Nehemiah, when this news came to him, it forced him onto his knees.
The prayer you’ve already prayed, God has heard. It is not wrong to pray about something more than once. And God delights to answer.
You can take everything to God and he delights for us to do that. Your need for an answer causes you to get hold of God more than ever before.
God will provide the solution. He delights to become co-workers with us, in the solution that he always is.
This the background to the information that Ezra received:
Ezra 4:11
Artaxerxes was king of Persia. Some people had gone back to Jerusalem to start rebuilding the walls, because Israel had been taken over by Babylon and were in captivity. Jerusalem, therefore, was in ruins.
Ezra 4:17
The work was ended. Nehemiah had heard about the Jews going back and he thought things were happening, but then Nehemiah heard the work had ceased, and it got to him.
Nehemiah 1:1
It was a shock, because what he expected to hear was that it was great, that they had got on with it and work was progressing. But, no. The work had ceased. Sometimes we come across a situation where it is a shock, and we can’t figure out how we didn’t see it coming, or how it had ended up like this.
Nehemiah 1:4
This affected him for days. He couldn’t get it out of his mind. It might be that something you’re facing is something where you need a resolution in God. You will see God provide the answer.
Nehemiah 1:5
Nehemiah was at one with the people who had gone to build the walls. He immediately linked up with them, and it was as if he took them with him to God. As time progressed, it dawned on him that he was in a position that God had put him in for that time. You are in a position for such a time as this. Whatever the situation you’re facing, whatever the mountain it seems you have to go over, whatever the valley you have to go through, you are alive tonight for such a time as this. You will prove for yourself the faithfulness of God and the way he will invigorate, change the situation, and be the answer.
Nehemiah 1:8
He remembered what God had previously said.
Deuteronomy 4:25
Nehemiah 1:10
God will provide the solution. You don’t have the solution. It’s not a vague hope – not at all. It’s God who is prompting you to pray. By his Holy Spirit he is getting hold of you. He delights to answer and to prove himself to be the solution. He is a merciful God who loves you, and he involves us.
Luke 18:1
Here is a judge who will sort it out just to get rid of the woman, and that was an unjust judge who said that.
Luke 18:7
The prompting of God in your life at the moment to pray is because God is going to answer what you are praying. The answer is coming, and it is on it’s way. But the timing will be perfect. It will be at a time when you conclusively know that the solution is from Him, and you accept it as such. It’s not what I’m going to do – it’s what he is going to do. He has prompted you to pray in the way that you are praying.
With Nehemiah, when this news came, it immediately caused him to go to God. There was a resolve in him to make a stand before his God. God delights to answer that prayer. Prayer is where God delights for you and for me to become co-workers with him. He doesn’t need to bother with us really but he loves us, and somehow, when he prompts that prayer inside, it’s his delight for us to realise that we know who made the provision. It is as if we are co-workers with him.
Nehemiah 1:11
He kept praying, and the solution came four months later. Do you have to pray for a certain amount of time to twist God’s arm to be the answer? Absolutely not. It is simply that he somehow causes things that we pray for, and it is his delight to answer at the perfect time and provide a complete solution.
Who am I trusting? Where is my faith? Who is the God I believe in? With Nehemiah, when this news came to him, it forced him onto his knees.
The prayer you’ve already prayed, God has heard. It is not wrong to pray about something more than once. And God delights to answer.
You can take everything to God and he delights for us to do that. Your need for an answer causes you to get hold of God more than ever before.
God will provide the solution. He delights to become co-workers with us, in the solution that he always is.
Sunday 18 January 2009
Time to Put Jesus First
We make the flimsiest of excuses to live our own lives. But the only true way forward is with Christ first in everything and we need to set the plan for our lives accordingly.
Previously we looked at the first half of Luke 14 which deals with Jesus having a meal with the Pharisees. It was a trap - they wanted to see if Jesus would heal a man who was there on the Sabbath. He healed the man, and Jesus answered what was in their hearts – is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day? Jesus pointed out to them that they would rescue an animal on the Sabbath.
As the people gathered for the meal, Jesus saw them jostling for position. But you have God as your heavenly father and the life of Christ within you, and it is God who will exalt you if you humble yourself. We saw that we should love mercy, do justice, and walk humbly. Woe betide us if we puff ourselves up.
God will honour your stand as a Christian in your place of work. He’s been there all the time, and takes notes. We work as unto God – in all that we do. He’s sorting things out for our future.
In verses 12-13, Jesus says we should not invite those who will invite us back, but should look to those who blind, halt, maimed etc. We should see people as people. Visitors are welcome for who they are and we want to help where we can.
Luke 14:15
My words today will be directed at everyone. This first part may be to do with those people who currently are making an excuse for not becoming a Christian.
Then I will preach to certain individuals God wants to speak to specifically.
Luke 14:15 – 20
Three excuses. It’s odd the way we cling to flimsy excuses. Who would buy a piece of land without having seen it? Who would buy oxen without knowing their strength? Any excuse!
There has been an invitation to you. Jesus is talking here to the Pharisees and is highlighting the fact that they’re being invited to know Him, but in time the Gospel would go to the Gentiles.
God has been clear on you weighing things up as regards becoming a Christian.
Luke 14:21 – 24
Jesus Christ died and rose again from the dead to purchase a people – the Church. And one way or another, God is adding people to His Church. It’s important to those of you who have been weighing things up over the last months to stop making excuses.
You could say from this that God will not always knock at the door of your heart. I’d rather say that God is faithful, and has been nudging your thinking. Some of the excuses you have come up with are so flimsy, it’s ridiculous.
The house of the person giving the dinner party will be filled. Nothing will hinder what God will do for His people and the people He gave His life for. I want to make sure that anyone here is clear that God is being faithful to you in pointing out time after time that now is the time for you to get serious with Him. The invitation has gone out. Three of them came back with flimsy excuses – to do with possessions, with outward wealth, and with the question of what you value most. What is the most important thing in your life?
When Jesus said these words to the people around the meal table, the Pharisees and so on, it was clear what He was saying. The faithfulness of God is that He speaks clearly to you. This hits at the priorities in your life, how you spend your time, your ambitions. But it’s narrowing down to you as an individual.
Luke 14:25 – 27
Why does it use the word 'hate'? I thought the Bible said to honour your father and mother. In this context, 'hate' questions who is the number one in your life. Is it your children, your wife, your husband, yourself?
Jesus is continuing from what He spoke of earlier. He had spoken of those who made excuses because of wealth or natural associations. Now He is saying that we have to be open before God: He should be the number one in our life. Some of you are fed up with your own life, and God will use these words to sort things out.
Now is the time for Jesus Christ to come first. It may be that I’m more concerned about father, mother, children, brothers, children, than Jesus Christ. It may be that I’ve decided to postpone things for a few years, assuming that God will keep me alive to that point when I might think about Him. A flimsy excuse!
How do you hate your own life? For those who are aware of what sin can do in a life, of what it is to be so fed up with yourself, at the things you think and do wrong ... for you it’s not difficult to hate your own life. And it’s when you reach the position where you know you can’t fulfil the law of God, that there is inside you something which takes you the wrong way. We realise as the Holy Ghost convicts us of sin, that our lives stink, and we realise that the only way forward is with Jesus Christ.
There are pressures we’re all facing, and God is asking where we are with the priorities in our lives. What is your current excuse? “I’ve bought some land, bought some oxen, married a wife and involved with the family, involved in sorting things out for myself. I’m more involved with these things than with God.”
Jesus was direct – you can’t be my disciple unless there is nothing in the way of Me. This is a God of love speaking. It’s not a tyrant’s diktat. It’s a God of love.
Luke 14:27 – 30
In a natural sense, we make plans. If we’re going to build a house we want to know we have the funds. You’d plan things so you could finish the house. Now Jesus is asking, "What is the plan?" What is the plan of your life? If I handed out sheets of paper and asked you to write down the first things you want to happen, what would it be? What should be first? The first thing needs to be Jesus Christ first in my life. What I want to do in my life is what God has called me to do. In terms of number of years, I haven’t got much of a life if you compare it to eternity, so I want to fulfil Your purposes in my life.
Luke 14:31 – 32
We’re very good at making plans. True, we need to make plans. We’re good in the natural things. You draw up a business plan. If you’re building, you weigh up what it will cost. You weigh up the odds if you’re going to war. In the natural that’s what you do. So how does that transpose to your relationship with Him? You plan in your life. What’s the plan with Jesus? Well, the plan is Him first, whatever He wants.
Luke 14:33
That’s pretty definitive. You can’t be a disciple of Jesus Christ unless everything else is secondary. “That seems hard.” No.
There are people here now to whom God has been pointing this out. He has been calling you to the ministry of God. He has been faithful in talking to you over the last weeks. And the challenge to you is this verse above. God has been speaking to you specifically. You know He has been talking to you. On the one hand are all the temptations, and on the other hand is what God wants you to do. What is holding you back? Now is the time to address it.
Luke 14:34 – 35
If you dig out the Dead Sea area, apparently it’s full of a number of minerals, and you have to isolate the salt if you want it. What’s the use of what is left?
It’s time for those of you whom God is calling to say, “You have been faithful to me. You have given me those abilities.” God will make provision for you. Get on with it. That’s the requirement. And to everybody, looking at the priorities in our lives, as He sat at the dinner table with the Pharisees and as He talked to the multitude, He wasn’t trying to be a dictator – He was talking about the secret of life. The way forward is Jesus Christ first in my life. Very specific.
Ephesians 2:19 – 22
We all need to take our place in the building fitly framed together, growing to a holy temple in the Lord. Jesus Christ first in my life, and the place I have in the Church of God, reaching out to other people, going out to people in need.
Ephesians 4:14 – 16
Christ is the head. This is His church. I’ve been appointed pastor. That means I’m a servant of all, under Him, who is the shepherd of this church. And if He is lifted up, He draws people to Himself.
So today, the challenge to your heart is whether Jesus Christ is first in your life. Are you sitting there with the excuses, or are you listening? There’s a time when He speaks by His Holy Spirit. There are some here today for whom this is a specific direct challenge to go with God 100%, fulfilling the ministry He has given you to do.
We each have our part to play, in the body of Christ.
Luke 14:11, 33
He that hath ears to hear let him hear.
Friday 16 January 2009
Lift up God
Jesus always cut right across the social standing and zeroed in on the individual. He saw not the status of the individual, but their need. When visitors come here we must make sure we are welcoming. Everyone is of value to God, even those who we may initially look down on. We must make sure that, when a new person comes with a need, our immediate attitude is to welcome them in. As we lift up God and humble ourselves before Him He will draw others to Himself.
It was interesting that when Jesus was on this earth, the Pharisees found it difficult to come to terms with what Jesus was doing in the lives of individuals. He seemed to know the ins and outs of the law, but more than that, He seemed to know the hearts of the Pharisees.
In this scripture He was invited to have a meal with one of the chief Pharisees.
It was a trap in which they wanted to catch Him out so as to boost their status.
Luke 14:1
Who asked a question, there hasn’t been a question?
Luke 13:11
So this had happened before; Jesus had healed on the sabbath day. We’re going to see the heart of Jesus; he didn’t write people off. This will help us deal with each other and also visitors who will come here.
Jesus answered what they were thinking.
Luke 14:3
I would like to meet that fellow one day. I do think he was put there as a test, because it was on the Sabbath day. They watched Jesus, and Jesus’ heart was to reach out to the man. He knew what they were thinking so He knew what they were on about. It wasn’t a matter of asking him if he wanted to be healed. He took him, healed and let him go. Can you imagine what he said to his friends when he got home? And now Jesus deals with the people around Him and their thinking.
Luke 14:5
They were concerned with their ox or their ass. He had been concerned with an individual who was in need; totally the opposite. We live in a society where you wonder if people are more concerned with animals than with humans. Now they go on into the house for the meal and as they were jostling for seats it was obvious that someone had placed themselves near the table. This was wrong because there were others, more important than him, who should be sitting in his place.
Luke 14:7
The Pharisees were hung up on status. Now Jesus talks, from this situation of the meal table and people jostling for position: ‘whosever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted’.
Micah 6:8
Do justice, love mercy, waLuke humbly. A humility of heart is a key part of being a Christian. There’s a value applied to each individual person. It shouldn’t be that you only talk to someone who has money. As far as Jesus is concerned, every person is of value. So when Jesus talked about not exalting yourself but being humble, it was a very practical thing to do.
James 4:10
What’s your view of yourself? You're in a situation in a company, there are things going on to sort out the workforce, reduction quite likely, is it a panic, or is it that you in your attitude of mind are trusting God? You know that you have been an honest employee and you are working as unto God. He will work things out. Your trust must be completely and utterly in Him in everything.
1 Peter 5:5
So my trust is in God. In my work situation my trust is in God. In a job or church context I’m not pushing myself for a position. If anyone be in charge let him be the servant of all. For a Christian, if you’re working as unto God and are trusting Him He will sort things out. He understands the situation you’re in. There is a humility, which Jesus highlighted here in Luke: there is a difference between someone who exalts himself and someone who humbles himself.
Luke 14:12
He’s just talked about being humble and now He’s saying to the host that when you throw a dinner party it should not just be for your friends every time – people you know will invite you back – you should invite those who will not be able to invite you back. When you make a feast call the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind. It’s as if our mindset should be that we do everything as unto God.
We’re not out to do a deal with people or use people. People are to be valued.
We’ve got to be careful that, as a church, we don’t have a situation where there’s one group that never talks to another group. Humble yourselves in the sight of God. If somebody new comes in on Sunday, dressed awfully, we must be careful of what our attitude it toward them. Is it going to be that when God brings in an individual they’re not put to the bottom of the pile because they were not here when the church start, or is it the case that when someone comes in here in need we are welcoming and open? There should be no immediate categorisation of a person. We shouldn’t just talk to our own friends after a meeting. This is about people and God and the life of Christ in an individual.
This is about people being met by the living Christ. Let’s make sure, particularly with new people, that we don’t immediately categorise them or welcome them the first time but then after that we ignore them. From the scripture here, first with the man with the dropsy. Jesus knew what was in the Pharisees’ hearts and He wanted to show that that man was a person, an individual with a need. So Jesus healed them.
If someone comes here, is healed and never comes back, that is fine. But it is a problem if someone comes here and finds they can’t fit in because it is such a clique. We need to bear in mind how Jesus sees people. That is easy if we let ourselves be open to what God wants us to do. Don’t talk to people just to be polite when you’re really rather taLuke to someone else. We need to be aware of this because there are going to be more and more people who will come here.
That’s not me making a claim. God said that when we lift people up He will draw others to Himself. We need to be prepared to tell others about our faith. We have to share what is inside us to people in need. Jesus cut right across the social standing and ‘claim for status’ and zeroed in on the individual. I know that the heart of everyone here is to be that way. All I’m doing is to show that as we lift God up and are humble ourselves before Him, He will draw others to Him. Why is that a good thing? Because that is why Jesus came. Time will end when the church is made.
You and I are part of that church. I want to encourage you to be that living witness God wants you to be in this place. I want there to be such a welcome for any visitor that comes here. And then the next time they came, lets be welcoming too.
It is wonderful what God is going to do here.
Sunday 11 January 2009
Living Waters
Summary: There are two types of people in life: those who view life as a drudge, who are stagnant, and those who have the living water of God inside them. Jesus Christ came to this earth so that we might have that living water inside us, the living water which springs up unto everlasting life. He came for everyone, even for a Samaritan woman who had written herself off. God is speaking to you, by His Holy Spirit, as an individual. He wants to give you that living water: don’t push it aside, respond to Him.
There was a time when a lady had made a mess of her life and the people who knew her knew the way she lived. In her own mind it was as if life had become a drudge. There was a certain framework to life, but there was something inside her which meant that she was never satisfied. She thought that she would be satisfied in a certain way, but it was as if her life was stagnant. She knew about religion and the fact that her people had certain ways of seeing things. She even knew where she should have worshiped and the scriptures her people believed in. These people only had the first five books of the Bible. But this all seemed irrelevant to her. The stagnant nature of her life was something which she thought was just way she was.
If you were to compare stagnant water with water that is alive, vibrant and flowing the difference would be considerable. Your life is either one that is stagnant, and it concerns you that it is, or it is a life where the life of Christ is flowing through your veins. What you are going to hear today? For those of you who have become stagnant, it is a word which will transform you on the inside.
When Jesus was on this earth He demonstrated the specific people He wanted to get hold of. He came to do Father’s will. Time and again He blessed the whole multitude, but He also centered on specific people. God constantly zeroed in on the individual. God is speaking, individually, to you this morning.
Matthew 10:5 – 7
The twelve were told specifically to go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. When Jesus was going to Samaria, and came to the city of Samaritans, the disciples were aware that this was a place where they were not supposed to be reaching to people.
John 4:1 – 4
That was the route. He was due to go through the area where the disciples believed, from what they had been told, that they were not supposed to be talking to people.
John 4:5 – 8
The disciples had come to the city with Jesus but had left Him to buy some food. So Jesus was now on His own. The one thing that God rejoices to do is to talk to you on your own - Jesus and you, one-to-one. It gets that personal when it comes down to what life is all about. It is you talking with Jesus and addressing the situation you are in, in your life. It is to do with Jesus changing you in your life.
John 4:9
Two prejudices He cut right through there: Jesus was talking to a Samaritan and He was talking to a woman. It does not matter what prejudices you came here with. You may have come wondering why you are in church again because it is always the same.
Jesus Christ is talking to you as an individual.
John 4:10 – 12
The Samaritan woman knew that as far as they were concerned, the Jews had got it wrong; Mount Gerazim is where they should have been worshiping, not Jerusalem. Her thought process was: ‘Here’s a man who is a Jew, who is talking to me when He shouldn’t be, and is asking me for water when He has nothing to draw with.’
John 4:13 – 14
So, if we are talking about stagnant water as opposed to living water, the source of that life is Jesus Christ Himself. Your response to the circumstances in your life is crucial. Circumstances are all about you discovering more about the love of God as He reveals His answer to you on time, every time. It is a gift.
If I’m coming into a church and I know I’m only here because it seems the right thing to do and my attitude of mind is stagnant, there is something wrong. God is saying to you that He is giving you what will be in you: the living water of life. It is water that springs up to everlasting life. It never stops springing up. It helps you know the right things to say to people. He’s there all the time.
If you feel guilty, it is that fountain of life springing up that banishes that guilt. When you see a fountain, it goes up, it goes down; here we’re talking about a fountain that does not come down. This means that in your life, the circumstances of your life are progressing to the end when you will see God face to face.
Today, God will show you that He is going to make something of your life better than you could ever have thought. It is a case of Christ’s life progressing in your life until you meet Him. Everything revolves around us reaching out to others so that they will have the life of Christ within them. There are people out there with no hope: they need Jesus Christ. What we are going to see in this church is the realisation, by you, of Who’s inside you. It is that living water inside you that communicates the life of God to others. You can stop analysing what’s happened in the past and instead focus on going forward in God with that living water inside. It is going to be God working through you.
John 4:15 – 18
Jesus knew all about her. Her sins were laid bare. To her, her past was something that haunted her. She never seemed to be able to get things right. She also seemed to get involved with the wrong people and each time she thought it was her.
It might be you’re not a Christian; Jesus Christ is speaking to you. Jesus is here to say to you that He is that living water, the One that you need. Jesus Christ is the One that will take the power of sin from your life. He has paid for the penalty of your sin. I don’t need to convince you about sin in your life, and this women did not need convincing either.
John 4:19 – 24
She wanted to know where the true place was to worship. Jesus replied that it is not to do with the place, it is to do with Jesus Christ and you as an individual. It is one-to-one. God is a spirit and we have to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
When I come into church I am coming here to open up my heart to sing and to take knowledge of the words I am singing because I am in communion with my Creator. I come here to join with my brothers and sisters to praise Him. There is a linking from the life inside me with the Scripture so that I know that this is the way I am going to understand God more. Faith comes by hearing His Word.
John 4:25
The Samaritans only had the first five books of the Bible. In Deuteronomy it was prophesied that the Messiah would come Who would tell them all things. The woman knew about this prophesy.
John 4:26
Sitting on a well, in the middle of a day, this woman was talking to the Messiah. The same Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit, is talking to you this morning. It excites me to know how God is going to develop that life in you and through you during the next few weeks. Stagnant water does not produce life. Viewing life as drudgery, or being in a situation where you wonder what is the point, needs to be discarded. We get rid of that point of view by concentrating on the words here: “I that speak unto you am He.” It is a case of you, engaging with Jesus Christ, one-to-one.
The disciples had been getting the food – that time was sufficient for Jesus to communicate with this lady – then the disciples came back.
John 4:27 – 34
When He was talking to the lady, Jesus knew that that was His work. The Gentiles had not yet had the Gospel preached to them. But Jesus knew that what He was going to do would have an impact, not only on the lady and the Gentiles, but on you today. His mind was probably so caught up with what He’d been talking about that He’d forgotten to eat. His meat was to do the will of His Father.
John 4:35 – 38
The disciples were thinking about what He was saying and could not figure it out. He was talking about fruit and the fields. He was talking about the joy that was going to be set before Him when He went to endure the cross. The joy was the Church, the bride of Christ. The fields are white, ready to harvest.
John 4:39 – 40
It was a joy to Him to be involved with people. He died that you might be set free. That means to have that living water inside. That living water affects how you react to situations in life. He is your provider and Saviour.
John 4:41 – 42
Today, you know for yourself that He is your Saviour. God has been speaking to you. You might push it away but He will come back because He loves you. Life is about living to the full and life can only be lived to the full when Jesus is on the inside. Jesus came for you, as He came for one Samaritan woman who had written herself off.
Put this into your situation today. This coming week are you going to continue in the viewpoint you know is wrong? Or are you going to let God, by His Holy Spirit, change your thinking?
Isaiah 12:2– 4
There’s living water flowing. To be involved with God is not stagnancy. To be involved with God is to be involved with the One who is life. You need to communicate to your children and to others what I’ve been saying today, by the way you live. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. I am not going to be dismissive of Him. I’m going to embrace the One who has done everything for me.
Friday 9 January 2009
Walking Through the Valley
The 6 verses that we will be looking at this evening will be incredibly familiar to most of you. So the danger is that you will switch off, thinking ‘Oh, I already know this’. But it will be relevant to us all.
As I’ve been talking to people this week, what God has been doing in many lives, he has been sorting out the foundations in our life. For David here, this encapsulates his whole understanding of who God is.
Psalms 23:1-6
V1. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Turning that verse around, He will always but always provide for my needs. I shall not want. It’s an impossibility with the Lord as my shepherd, that I will be in need of anything. The reason why it’s an impossibility is because the Lord places his name to what this psalm is all about.
Amplifying the words about God being our shepherd, this is Jesus speaking:
John 10:1-5
Jesus, in like vein to the psalmist, portrayed this whole concept of he himself being the shepherd. In verse 6 it says ‘Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.’ So then Jesus amplified his meaning:
John 10:7-19
I am the good shepherd (New Testament). The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want (Old Testament). I shall not be in a situation where God will not make provision in its entirety for me. I lay down my life for the sheep, Jesus says. When Jesus spoke about being the good shepherd, it was he himself. But it’s he himself who has laid himself down for you. He has made full provision for every single thing that you require both in this life and in the life to come.
I physically lay down my life for the sheep so that the sheep will be cared for; so that they will be able to find pasture; so that they will be able to go in and out. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Where we go through life; where there are pressures that some people are encountering that they never had to encounter before, your reaction to that pressure will determine how much you will rely on God for your provision.
I won’t want. I won’t be in need. The answer and the provision to meet the requirements, have already been sorted. And bang on time and at the right time, those answers will be there for you, so then you will say, “God, only you could have provided the answer and provided in that way, because I wouldn’t have been able to sort it out in that way.”
"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."
So there’s a place of peace in my life, as it says in verse 2. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. But that isn’t the place where I’m meant to remain in. I’m not going to be in a place where peace prevails and that’s the only place I’m going to be. That’s not how you are going to live your Christian life. God will provide that peace in the midst of adversity. I am walking through this situation; I am not going to stop in this situation and let fear grip my heart or stop and let the whole circumstances overwhelm me. I am going to be able to say, later, I can see the way God has led me and the paths of righteousness that he has led me into, and I know that it has been God. At times, I have looked around and I’ve seen the problems and I’ve listed them. But I learned, in the middle of the situation (this is what you will be saying when you look back) that I somehow managed to keep going and look forward.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
They’re the key four words: for his name’s sake. Everything in your life is set so that when you go through the circumstances you’re in, when you walk through that, you will be able to proclaim, loud and clear, it’s Jesus Christ who has made provision all the way through; he has kept me and it’s for his name’s sake that I'm saying this because I want to give the glory to him. That’s what I'm going to do.
Don’t ask the question, “Why am I in this situation?” It doesn’t help to analyse. No, I’m in this situation and I’m going to look to God as my provider.
Hebrews 20:13-14
He’s the shepherd of the sheep. But the purpose of what you’re going through at the moment, is to make us perfect in every good work, for us to do his will, for him to work in us and to do that which is pleasing in his sight. If we try to plan it out, we get it totally and utterly wrong. The way God sorts our life out, he loves us, he causes us to walk in the paths of righteousness and the outworking of this is that he works in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight. We’re not here to make a camp, we’re here to walk through. And the outworking of this will be that it is well pleasing in his sight.
In your reaction to what is going on in your life at the moment, is it that you are going to go like a clam into its shell and hope against hope that something will happen. OR are you going to be like the man with that pound and think “Right I’m going to do something with my life. There’s no way I’m going to blame God for where I’m at.” I’m going in and out of new pasture. Whatever it is, the outworking of what I’m doing and my reaction to these pressures is crucial. Because those reactions will either work out something that is well-pleasing in his sight or like the man in the parable where he just kept the pound safe and did nothing with it. We want to be like those men who did something with the pound and saw how God provided through our situation.
The concept of walking through is there in Psalm 23V4:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
I’m walking through. It’s an active verb. It is not something that I’m becoming stuck in; so absorbed in the analysis of the situation that I’m like a rabbit in the headlights; I can’t move. NO I’m walking through; I’m trusting God; the Lord is my shepherd...’and he has already prepared the answer. And It will come bang on time, every time, always. Never too early and never too late; bang on time.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
V5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Psalms 92:10-16
Fruit is possible in old age. Fruit as unto God; communicating the life of God to someone else. If you’re of old age here, God wants to bring forth fruit in your life. God has brought pressures to you because He loves to communicate to you his faithfulness and his love and who he is. He wants to freely make available that knowledge of him.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, you can still flourish.
V5: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Let me just read you the Psalm in a more paraphrased version,
Eugene Peterson - The Message:
1-3 God, my shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. 4 Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I'm not afraid when you walk at my side. Your trusty shepherd's crook makes me feel secure.5 You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.6 Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I'm back home in the house of God for the rest of my life. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. All the days of my life.
He used the word ‘pursue’ as the verb there. Goodness and mercy pursuing me, following me, surrounding me. By his holy spirit, God’s life is inside you. Christ in you the hope of glory is prompting you that the opportunities that you have at the moment, despite all the pressures, is to prove his faithfulness and his love and who he is to you. I don’t know your circumstances but I know that God uses these to convey to you his love and how he can provide. He loves you.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
In Revelation 19:9 it refers to the marriage supper of the lamb. When you look back, what is going to be the testimony of your life? It is going to be ‘the Lord is my shepherd and I know the Lord has brought me through.’ It is God who has put that faith in your heart. And what we have examined tonight is timely for you. He loves you. It makes you think, if someone doesn’t have a faith of Jesus Christ in their life...The pressure you’re in is not too much. The circumstances of your life are not impossible.
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Not some days, not when you’re being good. ALL the days of my life. And what we need to do is align our thinking with who God is and so that our reactions to the circumstances in our life is to bring gory to him. There is no way I am going to get bitter in any situation that I’m going to throw something at God, “Why!?” No. He has given his life for me. He is the Good Shepherd, I shall not want.
Sunday 4 January 2009
I Will Build My Church (Part 2 of 2)
At this point in time God is showing us that He wants to work through us to reach others who do not know about the Gospel. We have to be sensitive to what He is revealing to us is His will for our lives. We are part of His church worldwide, and if we would only tell others what we know about Jesus Christ, their lives would be transformed.
It is timely that we consider now reaching out and addressing our responsibilities before God in reaching the needs of people with the Gospel. On Friday I mentioned that Jesus said ‘I will build my church’. It’s His church. Jesus Christ Himself is building His church in His way in His time. The events of last year happened because Jesus is building His church. The Apostles chose seven people to hand out food to the people. One of these seven was Peter who was martyred when He spoke out with the Gospel. To all of us, of any age group, what is it that God wants us to do in our lives? God forbid that we are so much in the status quo that we’re not sensitive to what the Holy Spirit wants to point out to each one of us. God is opening our hearts to know what He wants us to be involved in.
Acts 8:4-9
Philip was called to hand out the food for the widows, but soon we find he actually was working miracles. God was working through Him. In Samaria there were people who saw and came to understand the reality of Jesus Christ.
Acts 8:26-29
Here was a man who was keeper of the treasure. I want to point out from this story that Philip first and foremost was sensitive to what the Holy Spirit wanted him to do. The key point at the beginning of verse 7 is that he arose and obeyed God. When Richard spoke earlier, for some of you something clicked. You need to be open to what God is calling you to do.
Acts 8:29-32
Philip was specifically told to get alongside this man. In your first week of this new year, and the weeks following, who is it that God by his Holy Spirit is going to cause you to get alongside? You say that you’re not a preacher; that’s not true. Today is a day when God is telling to you to be open to whosoever God is bringing into your path. Be open to communicating the life of Christ to others. God by his Holy Spirit will work through you. It might be something you say or do to someone, or even the way you react in a situation. They will notice that there is something different.
Isaiah 53:1-8
This is what the eunuch was reading. He was reading, but He didn’t know who the scripture was talking about. There are some people aching to have an answer for their life, that you brush shoulders with. There are some people who would be transformed if they only knew what you know about Jesus Christ. Today is all about you and me being sensitive to who God is going to bring across our paths in the coming weeks.
Acts 8:32-36
Similar phraseology to when Jesus drew beside the two on the road to Damascus. Philip probably couldn’t believe that this man didn’t know who the scripture was talking about. So, he immediately began to unfold the life of Jesus. The timing of God is specific. You are the link in the chain of someone’s life. Are you going to remain silent during this year? No. You won’t because God is opening your eyes this morning, telling you that you must no longer keep quiet. God is showing you that now is the time. We have the Old and New Testament. How much are you reading? Is the Bible gathering dust during the week until you grab it on a Sunday morning? We need to get serious about this. The good news is that by His Holy Spirit God wants to work through you.
Acts 8:36-41
Acts 21:8-10
Jesus said ‘I will build my church’. Part of that, whether its through the work that Richard and Anne are doing, whether its through you with those you come into contact with at work, Jesus said that He is building His church. The exciting thing is that God wants to work through you. We need to be open to what he wants to communicate through us. I will build my church. We are part of His church worldwide. ‘I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.’
Friday 2 January 2009
I Will Build my Church (Part 1 of 2)
Matthew 16:13-20
God will build his church. Trinity Church isn’t my church or your church, it belongs to Jesus Christ, it is part of the church worldwide. Jesus said, ‘I will build my church’. So despite anything that happens, irrespective of circumstance, God will build his church.
During this coming year, we will prove and witness Jesus building his church. In the days of the Early Church things happened and it appeared that things were going wrong.
Acts 6:1-4
The number of disciples was multiplying, and there was a lot of work to be done. They had to organise things so that there were others who they could appoint with responsibilities.
Acts 6:5-8
There was a dispute with Stephen, and the religious people were dismayed at his actions.
Acts 6:9-10
There was something special about Stephen, because he was open to whatever God wanted him to do and he wanted to see God’s name lifted up.
Acts 6:11-14
It was complete fabrication. Stephen knew that he had done nothing wrong. All he had done, was what God had asked him to do.
Acts 6:15
Acts 7:1-8
Stephen was emboldened in this council. He was speaking the truth, and the truth cuts. No one can deny the truth. They can make out they deny it, but the truth is the truth.
Whatever abilities and gifts God has given you, and whatever measure of faith you have, God wants to work through you, as you take your part in the church, and then as we together reach out to those who need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, 'I will build my church'. There are people who will come here who don’t yet know Jesus Christ. There are people who you will speak to to bring here so that they might hear. As this year progresses, so we will see a translation of looking inward to looking outward.
Acts 7:37-38
He refers to the church in the wilderness. He’s linking what was happening right then to history.
Acts 7:38-39
Acts 7:47-50
Where does He dwell? In you and in me. As I take my part in the church, so it is that God works through his people. He doesn’t dwell in a temple made with hands.
Acts 7:50-53
Acts 7:54-61
That was an incredible shock to the people of the early church. They knew Stephen knew his Lord and Saviour. They knew his faith. He had been chosen. He was one of the seven chosen to serve. He knew Jesus and saw Jesus just before he died, but it shocked them. Here they were getting things organised, and then one of them was killed.
Acts 7:58
In the darkest night, in the darkest moment, God’s light will shine. Everything seemed to be going wrong. Stephen had gone. And yet, the impact on Saul would have been incredible. A few chapters on we witness the conversion of Saul. He was the prime mover against the Christians. As he was on the way to Damascus, Jesus spoke to him.
Ephesians 2:19-21
That is one of the best definitions or expressions of the church. When anyone walks into a church, they witness people. It’s not the building, it’s the people. We have love one for another. We’ve been redeemed to bring glory to Him.
The time has come for each of us to take our part, in whatever direction that is. By God’s Holy Spirit, he will outwork his purposes through each one of us. As he does so, he will draw other people to himself, and it’s wonderful.
When they saw that dark day when Stephen died, in the working of God, Saul became Paul, he became a Christian, and the church expanded, more than they could have ever thought about. Then the Gospel went from the Jews to the Gentiles, to the whole world.
You are going to be free to take your part in what he wants you to do in his church. That’s something to embrace, not to be afraid of. Be open to what he wants you to do in this time.
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