Wednesday, March 26, 2025

CONFRONTING REALITY (MATTHEW 16:13-16; LUKE 10:17-20; PHIL.1:27)

 

CONFRONTING REALITY

BIBLE PASSAGE: MATTHEW 16:13-16; LUKE 10:17-20; PHIL.1:27

Picture taken from Google

Lesson Prepared by: Krisha of Solomon’s Wisdom FB page

Lesson ideas taken from: https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons

MAY 16, 2021

MEMORY VERSE

Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

JAMES 4:14-15

 INTRODUCTION:

During this time, we have heard from the news that there had been a lot of well-known people died. It seems like time for going home in heaven or time for judgement in hell. I don’t know if young people have the feeling that “LIFE IS REALLY SHORT” (ask for response or wait for response from the audience). Bible says,Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

I went to PCBS to buy some good bible tracts but sad to say tracts are out of stock (it’s because of pandemic). The cashier told me that “giving tracts” has small percentage of reading it by unbelievers. I said it’s just part of my first conversation or introduction but at the back of mind I said, “at least there’s still small percentage”. This is better than do nothing.

 

I have here a short video clip of my cousin who recently died (watch). If he or she were one of your love ones what would you feel? Part of the clip said, “Hindi mo man lang na-enjoy ang bahay mo”? Have you heard that po? That’s the reality of life. 1 Timothy 6:7 says, For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” This seems little okay but the saddest thing you can feel, if one of your love ones were going to hell.

 

For this reason, why we keep on sharing the Gospel to all people. Sad to say we are limited doing things pertaining soul winning because of pandemic. We are so blessed that this church has “foreign missions”; we can be a part of it. By the I am so grateful to the Lord that we have reached 500k for whole year in missions. We just include in prayers that all the committed-members will fulfill their obligations. Personally, I am thankful to the Lord, though it’s pandemic, I have continued my mission commitment up to this time. But personally, I’m not satisfied with supporting the missions financially only. Acts 1: 8 says, “…ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” I think I can do simple ways like giving of bible tracts, Gospel messages to FB friends and many other ways. If you notice, that some of our young people make videos and share on FB; this is what I admire. That’s thumbs up for me. Other people would say, there’s a short percentage to be watched by unbelievers and kneel to God and accept the free gift. But for me, doing that, is not only a great blessing for possible hearers but for the person doing the video because it’s a good feeling to open your mouth and say your outlines without stuttering or doing that from the heart. Acts 8:35 says, “Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.”

 

This pandemic is a great impact to our spiritually lives; it could give positive or negative impact. Positively, we valued more of our life and our time but negatively, we might feel complacent staying at home and we wrestle more in the flesh. In this lesson, we have three reminders in fulfilling our purpose here on earth.

 

LESSON OUTLINE:

1.  WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT JESUS? (MATTHEW 16: 13-17)

When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon

 

 In this passage The Lord Jesus gave two crucial questions to his disciples.

The first one is, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” Who do others say I am? Why was He concerned with others say? Why did He care for this? Did He need others view about Him to perform miracles? What have you heard about Me? The Pharisees misunderstood Him; they called Him Beelzebub. Jesus needed not to be understood by the Pharisees in order to do miracles. The Jews thought He was just a carpenter but He was not stopped in doing miracles. He asked that question not to be understood but because He wanted to know what they were saying. Is anybody talking about Me yet? In chapter 16, he had done so many things; He just wanted to know that after the things He has done, is anybody talking about Me yet? By this point, He’s healed a multitude of diseases: given sight to the blind, he caused the lame to walk, he walked on water, healed a woman with an issue of blood, he’s raised Jairus’ daughter, he healed Peter’s mother in law. He had done so many things and he was just wondering, after everything he has shown in the world, is there anybody has seen what I have done and would come to conclusion that I’ve got to tell others about this? Have you seen enough to tell other folk who am I? Have I done enough in your life for you to declare that I could not keep silent about what I’ve seen. to tell others about Him? I’ve got to tell somebody. “I’ve seen Him.” Too many people don’t know him because a lot of Christians have seen how God works but chose to keep quiet.

 

Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” The disciples answered, “And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.” Traditionally, the answers are wrong but let’s have questions. What do they think He’s John the Baptist? Why compare Him to Elias and Jeremiah? John the Baptist preached repentance and forgiveness of sins. Elijah was a miracle working prophet. And Jeremiah is a weeping prophet who has compassion and love to His people. Jesus was not upset to these answers- on this category because He preached repentance and forgiveness; He forgives sins. He can make miracles in everyone’s lives and he loves people unconditionally. He loves us even we are unworthy to be loved.

 

The second question is, But whom say ye that I am?Who am I in your world? Don’t give me answers base from others because: we are not saved by the opinion of others, we can’t live on else’s faith, you’re not right with me if your parents are Christians or praying for you, You’ve got to know God for yourself. In chapter 14:33, the disciples have already said that “Jesus is the Son of God. Then why Jesus asked again? If we see in chapter 14, they declared Him as the Son of God, after the storm in the sea and after Jesus quieted the storm. Now, in their way to Jerusalem, which Calvary awaits them, Jesus asked again the same question. Because anybody can claim to know Jesus after the storm is over, Jesus needed to know who He is when the worst has yet to happen. The worst is about to come. Anybody can praise God when the bills are paid, the question is, do you have enough faith when you know the worst is about to happen then still trust in JESUS. You can’t survive Jerusalem base from what your love one’s faith. Life can put you in situation wherein you can’t find someone to lean on. Do you still have enough faith in Jesus that when time comes that you stand by yourself, pray by yourself. YES, I KNOW JESUS. I KNOW HIM FOR MYSELF.

 

 Why do you think Jesus asked this question in Caesarea and not in Galilea which they came from? Not just they are on their way to Jerusalem but they’re in Caesarea, Philippi.

 

During the time of Jesus Caesarea Philippi was located in the land of Israel far north above the Sea of Galilee. It was 1150 feet above sea level and located at the foot of Mount Hermon. One of the primary sources of the Jordan River came from an unusual cave at Caesarea Philippi which gushed forth water in ancient times. Inside the cave there was also a pit which was so deep that the bottom could not be discovered. It was such a natural place that many ancient cultures worshiped there. The ancient Canaanites worshiped there, and later the Greeks build a shrine there dedicated to the God Pan (it's Greek name was Paneas), and Alexander the Great knew of the place. https://www.bible-history.com/jesus/caesarea

 

Caesarea, Philippi was really a central headquarter of pagan religion. There were temples to false gods. All around the city and everywhere you looked there was a temple to an idol god. All around them there were temples to false gods. It is not coincidence that God asked them “But whom do you say that I am?”. Let’s paraphrase, “With this place where people worship anything, with false gods or man-made gods and pagan religions around you, do you know who I am?”  Jesus did not ask them, do you know god? It’s because anybody can believe in god and anybody can talk about god but rather He said, “I want to know who I am? Or Who Jesus is?”  We cannot be saved without Jesus.  We miss Jesus of who He is if we compare Him to John the Baptist, Jeremiah and even to Elijah.

 

C. Lewis is a writer of many books; he wrote 40 books. He said that he accepted Jesus as a teacher but not God. He wrote many books but no understanding about Jesus’ identity.  WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT JESUS? Or we just keep silent? Doing this proves that we don’t understand the Gospel. We’ll miss Jesus of who He is!

 2.     DO YOU REJOICE IN ALL THOSE THINGS? (LUKE 10:17-20)

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

 

Jesus has commissioned 70 disciples and sent them two and two and before let them go, He gave them instructions: 

To all leaders, pastors and others who ministers in God’s ministry, there are multiple temptations around. We need leaders who can contain the mega success, “I don’t want to be known; I want to be faithful.

 

Don’t rejoice in that! Remember Jesus has been the disciples for the ministry. He knows that He can be with them all the time. Cost of servant leadership (foxes) Sometimes we need to sacrifice.  WE can’t rest on past success when there’s future work to be done.

 

To preach and to serve

1)  Rejection dirt off

2)  Don’t do this for gain and money and let the Lord reward you

3)  Sending as lambs among wolves

When they came back to Jesus, the ministry has been successful. They came back bragging and boasting, “Lord even the devils are subject unto us, through thy name.” We might have some moments of success in our lives or in the ministry but Jesus said, “DON’T REJOICE IN ALLTHAT?” Why Jesus said that don’t rejoice in that success? It seems that that … Don’t rejoice that demons are subject to you? Subject to means voluntarily surrender. If you see in the previous chapter, verse 39-40

Don’t rejoice that they surrender to you because they don’t always do that. If you see in the previous chapter, verse 39-40, it didn’t go down that way, “…And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not.”  Luke 10:3 says, “Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.” Devils are the spirits you deal with and wolves are the people you face. The demons surrender for a little while. There are wolves you don’t know. Wolves are untamed. We see lions, bears and tigers in circus but never see wolves even in Zoos. Wolves are mean and nasty and they’ll bite you. They’ll never alone; they run in pack and clicks in ministries. Pastor said, “The sad reality is there are demons and wolves in churches”. Sometimes they surrender every now and then but they know how to bite back. Don’t rejoice in that because they are not always like that in ministry. There are times in ministry that when you preach, nobody says, “AMEN” and you’re faithful in the ministry and won’t be rewarded. The temptation of the enemy is to cause you to become addicted to those momentary moments of success and you become dysfunctional when you realize there are still wolves around you. We need to be served when nobody is clapping. Be faithful over the gospel when only one or two people show up. We can carry the assignment when people don’t appreciate you, don’t love you or even don’t pat you at the back.

There something else to rejoicing and in last line it says, “… but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. We’ve got a home over in glory. You’re not doing this ministry for the applause of people. When we stand before our Maker, He’ll say to us, “Well done”. This task is not always as glorious as it looks; there are multiple mean moments. If you don’t know that you have a great reward, you’ll walk away. If you’re not certain that there’s another reason to serve, you’ll quit. When you know that you have another reward or God is pleased, you’ll persevere in the ministry even there are wolves.

 

Before I became a leader, I was a beginner, a new convert and no knowledge about things in the ministry. I should not allow the new title of my name to overwhelm my Christianity and discipleship in the ministry.

Be careful with the ministry you’re holding. Don’t allow your ministry divert you away from personal relationship with God. You need to Be careful with the wolves; they’ll always try to put as down and leave the

3.     ARE WE PART OF THE STRIVING CHRISTIANS FOR THE FAITH OF THE GOSPEL? (PHILIPPIANS 1:27)

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

a)   Choosing not swine from souls (Mark 5:8-17)

b)   Shut not your eyes (Acts 26:16)

c)    Engaging in world missions (Matthew 24:14)

d)   Pray for more laborers and compassion (Matthew 9:36)

CONLUSION:

ILLUSTRATION ABOUT A DOCTOR WHO DON’T PRACTICE ANYMORE…

 




WHERE ARE THEY? (ZECHARIAH 1:1-6)

 

WHERE ARE THEY?

BIBLE PASSAGE: ZECHARIAH 1: 1-6

Picture taken from Google

Lesson Prepared by: Krisha of Solomon’s Wisdom FB page

Lesson ideas taken from: https://fbcspur.org/return-to-me-zechariah-11-6

APRIL 18, 2021

MEMORY VERSE

Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

ZECHARIAH 1:3

 

LESSON BACKGROUND:

The name Zechariah means “The LORD Remembers,” and is a fitting name for a prophet of restoration. This prophet was called to encourage and mobilize God’s people to accomplish a task that they had begun yet lost the momentum for completion. He encouraged them indirectly

by telling them about God’s care for them and by keeping the presence of the Messiah very much in their minds. He worked with others, notably Haggai, Zerubbabel, and Ezra. He warned them of the consequences of neglecting God’s work and he emphasized that God wants to do a work through His people.

 

We know that Judah was conquered and taken into exile in Babylon and we know that the exile lasted for 70 years. However, God promised Israel that after this period of slavery there would be a return (Ezra 1:1-4). Nebuchadnezzar had leveled it and then burned it, and it had laid there unattended for over 70 years. Their temple was ruined during slavery.  In Ezra chapter 1 we see that there’s a decree to rebuild the temple. In Ezra 3:1-9, You’ll see that the people entered this land that had been decimated and the first thing they did was rebuild the altar so they could sacrifice to God. The 7th month was a big month of feasting for Israel. It was the feast of trumpets, the “Day of Atonement” and “The Feast of Booths.” And all they managed to build was the altar. (536BC) They were terrified in the land and so they most certainly wanted God on their side. The next year when they returned again for these feasts is when work on the temple foundation finally began under the direction of Zerubbabel. But it wouldn’t last long.

In Ezra 4:1-5, there we find that the inhabitants of the land wanted to help, but Zerubbabel wouldn’t let them, primarily because of their pluralism. This made the inhabitants angry and they began to oppose the work and the Israelites gave up and went to their homes and stopped building the temple. (534BC) But 6 years later the building project would be resumed.
WHY? In Ezra 5:1-2, it was the ministry of Haggai and Zechariah that brought about the completion of this building program. That means that Zechariah showed up to address and intimidated people. They had returned to Jerusalem.
And incidentally there weren’t many who did. Most opted to stay in
Babylon where they were comfortable
. This doesn’t happen for another 42 years. Most stayed in Babylon/Persia. And so a small remnant returned and they were scared.

·       The land was dangerous.

·       The land was unprotected.

·       The natives were restless.

·       The people had seemingly given up on building the temple do to fear.

That is when Haggai and Zechariah show up. Now let’s look Haggai’s sermons. In Haggai 1:1-15, Haggai really rebuked the people for being content to live in their own houses while letting the Lord’s house lie desolate. To Haggai it was seeking worldly comfort over seeking to please God. And he ripped the people for it.

In chapter 2 Haggai preached again. This time on the 21st of the 7th month, which would have been the tail end of the feast of booths (READ 2:1-9). Haggai there addressed the sentiment of the people:

·       Zerubbabel listened to that first sermon of Haggai and started to build.

·       At this point he had been building nearly 2 months but the GRUMBLING of the people was discouraging.

·       Haggai pointed out that some of the people thought Zerubbabel’s temple paled in comparison to Solomon’s temple.

·       You have to love sticking your neck out to serve the Lord only to have those critics who tell you that you aren’t doing a very good job.

From studies of historians, Zerubbabel must have taken a lot of flack or criticism. So in this second sermon of Haggai he encourages Zerubbabel to keep up the hard work. This temple may not be as glorious as Solomon’s temple was,
but it will house more glory than Solomon’s temple did. This is the temple that Jesus would enter. AND THAT BRINGS US UP TO SPEED.

You have a small remnant who has returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and it has not been an easy assignment.
• The work crew was small…
• The new temple was less than impressive…
• The nations surrounding threatened and were hostile…

Into this situation the Lord sends a prophet named “The Lord Remembers” - Zechariah
• Israel is not forgotten
• Israel is not overlooked

God has not forgotten His people whom He foreknew.
He disciplined them, but He has not forgotten them.
AND HE WILL NOT FORGET THEM

His first sermon occurs “In the eight month of the second year of Darius”

• That means Zechariah stood to preach after Haggai’s second sermon.
• Zerubbabel has been working now for about 3 months on the temple and Haggai has made sure the people are buying in to the project.

But watching the temple go up opened the door for a very important message from the Lord to His people.

And the message is this:
Don’t just rebuild the temple, rebuild the relationship.
Don’t just return to the land, return to Me.

 INTRODUCTION:

Then let’s go to our passage; in Zechariah chapter 1 verses 2-3, there’s a call to return. We need to picture the scene. We have refugees returning from Babylon and they have begun to sift through the rubble of what was once the temple of God. Nebuchadnezzar had leveled it and then burned it, and it had laid there unattended for over 70 years. Jeremiah gave us the detailed description of the fall of Jerusalem in Lamentations 2:1-9.  You can literally hear there the lament of Jeremiah as he looks at the smoldering ashes of what used to be the temple. Now, some 70 years later, these refugees are rummaging through those same ruins. And Zechariah begins his sermon by saying: The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.” In verse 5 he asks, WHERE ARE THEY? and the prophets, do they live for ever? Let’s leave for a moment the question and let’s also reminisce and we might also use this question later.

 If we would try to dig in your memory the past members of Christian Baptist Tabernacle that weren’t here anymore, could you recall some? If you remember we updated our membership in the year 2007 because the files had been destroyed by flood therefore we have no files of the past members. We have now the active members and if our secretary would try to scan some files she could see the active and inactive for the year 2021. Maybe we could remember the favorite spot of our old members used to sit on and now it’s empty or occupied by new members. Maybe some of us here could recall more members who haven’t seen for a long time. The question I would like to say is, “WHERE ARE THEY NOW”? The same question the prophet Zechariah was telling to the people of Judah.  In verse 5 says, “Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

We don’t know for sure what happened of the past members but it might be that they are continuing in the ministry up to now but we can’t avoid the fact that we want to know where are they now. Sad to say, some have already stopped or backslid and others already died. We don’t their reasons of walking away from their home church or from the Lord but whatever reasons, stop prioritizing spiritual matters is the wrong move. Whatever the choices they had chosen, our first point should remind us.

LESSON OUTLINE:

1.  DON’T REPEAT THE MISTAKE OF THE PAST (1:4)

Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord.

 

In verse 4 it says, “BE NOT AS YOUR FATHERS”. Why God said this? In verse 2 says, The Lord hath been sore displeased with your fathers.”

The problem of those who lived in Israel at the time of its destruction
Was that they had abandoned God.

·       No, they didn’t quit going to church…

·       No, they didn’t quit offering the sacrifices…

·       THEY ABANDONED HIM IN THEIR HEARTS

 

It was a picture of people who went through all the motions, but who in their hearts had pulled away from God. And we hear that reality all throughout the preaching of the prophets.
Isaiah 29:13 “
Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:,”

All they did was go through the motions, but they had no heart for God. In fact, they willfully lived in sin without any concern for what God thought about it.

They assumed that so long as they maintained their religious ordinances God would be pleased with them regardless of their sinful lives. God emphatically told them over and over again that this was not so.

Who could forget that powerful sermon that Jeremiah preached right in the doorway of the temple? Jeremiah 7:9-12 “Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not;  And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the Lord.  But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.”

70 + years ago Jeremiah had stood in the door way of this temple and reminded the people how God had destroyed their former place of worship because their worship was unacceptable. And Jeremiah assured them that if their worship didn’t change that God would destroy this place as well. 70 years later Zechariah is standing in the rubble of that former temple. Reminding the children of Israel that How we worship God is more than just ceremony.

 The Lord wanted the prophet to remind these people of something they most probably had forgotten. They must have forgotten that the Lord had been extremely angry with their ancestors. And they had also forgotten something else as well. They had forgotten why the Lord was very angry with their ancestors to send them into exile. These people— these returned exiles had most probably forgotten all this in the security and comfort of their newly established lives in the land of their return.

 

What did God want of them?  Actually several things. He’s reminding them of why he had been angry with their forefathers, for they had strayed from him. How had they strayed from God? Actually in many ways. Their ancestors, before the exile had become as godless as the peoples and nations around them, if not even more so. They had favored the worship of other gods, and rebelled against the Lord God desecrating his Laws, and abusing his prophets. They were stubborn and faithless, and each one did as they saw fit, while still claiming that they were Jews and the special children of God. They had abandoned God, and so God had abandoned them as he had promised he would do. In the end, the word of the Lord came true and they were carried off in misery into exile, swept away by a ruthless nation. It was then that they began to come to their senses and consider returning to God. Return to me, were God’s words to a people who had completely abandoned the God and his ways as set in the Bible. And these same words were being spoken now to the returned exiles for a very good reason. They had forgotten the sins of their forefathers, what their forefathers had become before the day of disaster came and they were carried off into exile. Not these words are being spoken to them because they seem to have inherited the sin of their ancestors.

 

The command of the Lord “Be not as your fathers” is a great reminder for every one of us that we should learn from their mistakes. That would be enough reason for us to keep on serving, be serious in the ministry and don’t ever try to stop.

 

2.  REMEMBER THE OPPORTUNITY IS NOT FOREVER (1:5)

Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever?

Look at verse 1. “In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo. John Wesley’s notes mention this Zechariah as the one Jesus was referring to when in rebuking the Pharisees, he charged them with the guilt of all the spilt blood of the righteous prophets who were murdered for speaking the truth of God’s word, among whom was our Zechariah. He must have been an incredibly righteous prophet to be slain by the very people he spoke the word of God to. Jesus said that they murdered him between the temple and the altar (Matthew 23:35), perhaps during a worship service. Let’s read, That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.” We can see through this verse that Zachariah had been slew. We can say that he was killed during performing the ministry and this is what the verse says, “… and the prophets, do they live for ever? Like the everyone else, prophets or pastors die also. Therefore, while there’s opportunity, do it.

 

What had all the Israelites’ stubborn rebellion brought them but disaster! They thought they knew better than God and his outdated prophets. But did that benefit them at all? What were they thinking when they deliberately closed their ears and their hearts to the old prophets’ sermons? Did they think that they were too smart to listen to such outdated words and Bible studies? Did they really think they had all the time in the world to sin today and perhaps to repent tomorrow? Were they really going to live forever? Didn’t they know that when the opportunity’s gone, It’s gone forever. Opportunity to what? The opportunity to return to the Lord and stay put! The opportunity to listen to his word! When that opportunity is gone, it’s gone! People waste their lives letting such opportunities slip by when they run after worthless opportunities that eventually perish! You will lose everything with roots and foundation in this world— because they will soon perish. One thing alone is meant to last forever. The Lord and His Words.

 

Nowadays, we can visibly see the increasing of deaths every day and our breath that we take is truly a blessing to the Lord. There are many at this moment who have difficulty in breathing. Just like James 4:14 mentioned, our life is like a vapor, it soon fades away. Don’t say you accepted Christ and you’re a Christian and you will be given a long life. We don’t know when our life ends therefore our remaining days, months, years on this earth are worth spent to the Lord or to the world? It’s our choice.

 

3.  TURN TO GOD AND HE’LL TURN TO YOU (1:3)

Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts.

 

It was the plea of a father to his wayward children who have gone astray and who often do things in their own way, thinking that as long as they maintain a religious appearance they would be in God’s good favor. But the very fact that God said “return to me” is the sign that they had abandoned God. They had been just like their ancestors. No sooner did they return from their exile than the waywardness set in and they began to go astray almost as soon as they arrived. How so? We saw in the Book of Haggai that most of them became devoted to their own private affairs, building their own paneled houses, while the house of the Lord was abandoned and left in ruins. History such as the books of Ezra and Nehemiah the prophets attest that many of them went ahead and married foreign women contrary to the Law of God, which forbade them to marry unbelieving women or women of a different religious background. They had given in to the corruption of the flesh. Who knows, maybe just like the people of today, they thought that loving someone is more important than keeping the holiness and sanctity of God’s command! Maybe like some Christians, they revered their lustful desires above the love of God. Who knows, perhaps in their twisted faith it was easy for them to convince each other that God understands why they wished to marry exotic foreign women even against God’s wishes. They had surely gone far away from him in the span of a short time. Although God had extended his arm of grace to bring them back home, their hearts and minds already wondered. “Return to me”, “And I will return to you”. And so, each of them had so much soul searching to do to find out how they might return to the Lord.

He sees these people rebuilding the temple and is in effect saying, DON’T JUST RETURN TO THE TEMPLE, RETURN TO ME. That is to say that: You must turn from your sin, you must turn from your pride, you must turn from your idolatry, AND You must enter this place not out of a sense of tradition, but out of a sense of love for GOD. So God gives His conditions. “Return to Me…that I may return to you.” GET YOUR HEART RIGHT.

James 4:6-10 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

It’s not about the tradition of your worship,
It’s about the posture of your heart.

CONLUSION

The Making of a Brave

One American Indian tribe had a unique practice for training young braves. On the night of his 13th birthday, a boy was blindfolded and taken into the middle of a dense forest. He was left all alone, the first time he'd been away from the security of his family and tribe. When he took off the blindfold, he was there in the dark forest. All alone. All night.  

If a twig snapped, he wondered if a wild animal was ready to pounce. If an animal howled, he imagined a wolf coming for him. The wind in the leaves brought to his mind all kinds of sinister images. 

Finally, if the boy persevered, the first rays of morning began to lighten the forest. He saw the trees, the flowers, the outline of the path. Then, to his astonishment, he saw a man standing a few feet away: his father! Standing there with bow and arrow, watching over him—where he'd been all night. 

When you're going through a dark time, remember that, when the darkness clears, you'll see your Father there with you. His love is watching over you. 

Reference: SoulSalsa, Leonard Sweet, pp. 23-24.

 



WHY HAS THIS ALL HAPPENED TO US? (JUDGES 6:1-16)

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