Storm clouds are gathering - Zech 14:2

Storm Clouds are Gathering ...

November 25, 2012

Zechariah 14:2

Introduction

• The Middle East is on tenterhooks
• Hamas in the Gaza strip came to a truce with Israel which seems to be holding
• But they have not given up
• The Hamas charter says that Israel is an occupying force and has no right to existence, and Hamas is dedicated to Israel's destruction
• When the Hamas military leader was killed by an Israeli air strike this month, Hamas threatened Israel with you comment, you have opened the gates of hell
• Hamas has schools and hospitals in the Gaza, in the middle of civilian areas. Their military installations have also been located in the middle of civilian areas, and they use their civilians as a human shield
• The Jerusalem Post is saying that Iran is rapidly re-arming Hamas with missiles, via Sudan
• At the same time, attention has been diverted from Iran's nuclear program, and Iran too has stated its intention of wiping Israel off the map
• Israel has been forced to focus its attention on the immediate threat from Gaza, to protect its citizens, using the Iron Dome anti-missile system
• The Egyptian president helped broker the ceasefire, but he is being attacked verbally and by demonstrations by religious extremists in Egypt
• Hamas is using the ceasefire to rebuild and recover from the Israeli airstrikes

Reading

• Zech 14:1-9

What does the Bible say about all this?

• It has been said that 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic, speaking about the future, and that most of this has yet to happen
• Jesus was described by Moses as a Prophet - Deut 18:15
• Jesus was a prophet in the sense of speaking God's words to the people, but he also gave a key prophecy in Matthew 24

The Olivet prophecy

• Matt 24:1-3
• Jesus and the disciples had left the magnificent temple and were on the Mount of Olives just east of Jerusalem
• They looked out over the Kidron Valley and the disciples asked Jesus to explain what he had just said
• This prophecy is the key to understanding what is to happen in the end times
• Verses 4-8 -
  • Religious deception, sounding Christian, but being deceptive
  • Wars
  • Famines
  • Earthquakes
• These verses largely tie in with the seals of Rev 6.
  • v.2 - 1st seal - White horse, crown, bent on conquest - counterfeit religion
  • v.3 - 2nd seal - Red horse - war
  • v. 5 - 3rd seal - Black horse - famine
  • v.7 - 4th seal - Pale horse - death and hell - severe earthquakes usually bring with them destruction and sickness
• Matt 24:8 - these things are the beginning of birth pains. They lead up to the time of the end. They have been with us ever since Jesus spoke these words.
• Jesus now continues - Matt 24:9, Rev 6:9 - Religious persecution, apostacy, martyrdom, false prophets - religious persecution has been with us for a long time, as have martyrs
• But a future martyrdom is prophesied before Jesus returns
• The love of many would grow cold, society would become extremely selfish and all about me Matt 24:12
• The gospel will be preached throughout all the world, and then the end will come
• Then Jesus describes the events that will happen in Jerusalem
• He speaks about the Abomination that causes desolation
• An occupying power will do something to desecrate a future temple in Jerusalem
• Daniel refers to it in Dan 11:31, and this had an initial fulfillment when the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes in 168 BC offered swines flesh on the altar of the temple
• But there will be a latter day fulfillment of this prophecy
• The temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and then it will be desecrated again
• Once this happens, a count down is on to Jesus' return - Dan 12:11

How doers this relate today?

• The Middle East is volatile, and events there can easily suck in the United States, Europe, and Russia
• Zechariah tells us that Jerusalem will hbe occupied and downtrodden at the time Jesus returns
• Things are shaping up in Israel which could lead to these things being fulfilled
• It means that the time of the end could be coming upon us

Do we need to fear?

• Do we need to be afraid?
• No, but it is important that we be awake and watch and be aware of what is happening
• Matt 24:42 Watch and pray
• We have a job to do
• Matt 24:45-51
• God expects us to be at our post, doing the job he has given us
• That job is to witness to the entire world
• People who are not saved will go to hell, unless we reach them with the gospel
• We have limited time available
• Events are shaping up, we need to repent of sleeping and get on the job of preaching the gospel

Conclusion

• So, events are shaping up that could mean we are now very close to Jesus' return
• Jesus when He comes wants to find us doing our job, reaching the world with the good news of the gospel
• We have a job to do, let's be serious about doing it!
• Lives depend on it!

Moving Forward, with Thanksgiving - Eph 5:20

Moving Forward - with Thanksgiving

November 18, 2012

Ephesians 5:20

INTRODUCTION

• This week we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day
• Gather round the table, carve the turkey, cranberry sauce, these are images we think about
• Those who landed here from the Mayflower, gave thanks for having survived a harsh new England winter
• When thanksgiving was instituted as a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln after the end of the civil war, it represented thanksgiving that slavery was abolished and the nation was once again united
• To us, perhaps thanksgiving relates to appreciating the freedom God has given us, the blessings he was showered on us, the peace of God in our life
• Today I want to highlight an approach to thanksgiving that is of a higher order, and less popular than only thanking God for our freedom and blessings

READING

• Eph 5:15-20

A LIFE JOURNEY

• As we start our Christian journey, we are so blessed
• We ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins, and a weight is lifted from our shoulders
• Then we are baptized, and the Lord gives us a peace and joy inside, which we can hardly contain
• Now we have a friend and a companion who is with us all thye time, every day
• God gave us his Word to show us his heart for mankind, his love and compassion
• God desires relationship with us and the Bible shows us how we can be in synch with God's heart
• I have programs on my phone, which allow me to synch what I am writing with another program on the internet, which I can access from my computer
• I can edit this document on either my phone, or the computer, it doesn't matter
• Because they are synched
• We are synched with God, and the way we relate is through the Holy Spirit praying for us and speaking to us
• So we can be on the same page as God
• This is something awesome, a special thing to treasure, and be thankful for

HOW DO WE DEAL WITH THE NEGATIVE THINGS?

• Life is not a bed of roses, however
• As Christians we have a special relationship with God, and he watches out for us
• Some think that because of being blessed like this, nothing bad will happen to us, they may judge us if things go wrong
• But the Bible gives plenty of examples of people who hurt while still being in relationship with God
• Hebrews 11 gives a long list of some who experienced this
• Heb 11:32-40
• One of the people who is a good example for us is Job
• Job was a man who had a really good relationship with God
• He did all the things he was supposed to do, and God blessed him
• He was profoundly blessed!
• Then suddenly, in one day, it all was wiped out
• One day he was the greatest man in his society, the next all has turned upside down and he ends up sick, in excruciating pain, with boils all over him, sitting in an ash heap because it seemed the softest place around.
• Job had no idea what was happening
• He didn't know Satan was trying to destroy him
• All he knew was that He had God and God had him
• Job tells us in Job 1:21 - Naked I came from my mothers womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised
• Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:15-19 to always give thanks to God, for everything
• In our thanksgiving, God seeks hearts that are grateful for all He has allowed in our life
• Job was allowed to go through this enormous and painful trial, and God blessed him more at the end than at the beginning.
• But its not about the good things or the bad things, it is about resting in the hand of God
• It is about trusting God, wherever we are at

CAN WE BE ANGRY AT GOD?

• Sometimes we become frustrated and in our frustration we become angry at God for what we are going through
• But God never promised us easy street
• What God promised us was Jesus living through us
• Jesus was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief
• He knew what it was like to be homeless and cold
• He was on the move all the time and he says to one man the Son of man doesn't know where he will lay his head
• Jesus experienced pain beyond anything we have experienced
• He experienced pain and betrayal and rejection, and persecution and actually being spit upon
• If Jesus lives in and through you you dont know where that will lead
• But God is with us, through this all

BE THANKFUL FOR THE HARD PLACES

• This thanksgiving, think about who you are, how far you have come in your walk with God
• And then think about how much of this growth came through the good times and how much was molded in the crucible of fire
• Be thankful to God that he is doing his work in you and hat he will bring your journey to a successful conclusion
• Phil 1:3-11

CONCLUSION

• God has a long term view
• He wants us to establish the most intimate, most rewarding and precious relationship possible, with Him
• He wants our hearts to echo with his song, he wants our words to express his heart
• He has called us to be his spokesmen on this earth, his light that shines, his encouragers and helpers and servants
• And one day we will receive our reward as he says to us, well done good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord
• There will be no more pain, no more suffering, because the former things have passed away (Rev 21)
• All we will have to look forward to is everincreasing joy, everincreasing satisfaction, everincreasing love
• Because of the increase of his kingdom, there will be no end

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

We honor you - 1 Peter 2:17

We honor you ...

November 11, 2012

1 Peter 2:17

Introduction

• Today we honor our veterans
• Some of them are among us, some of them are our friends, some of them are unknown to us yet we honor them.
• Some are alive, some have passed away - Friday I will take part in a memorial service for a Vietnam veteran
• We honor veterans because they stood and still stand for the cause of freedom
• Today we thank you for your selfless sacrifice so that we may live and worship in peace
• We honor you
• Veterans Day video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpWUQ53qRcw 

Reading

• 1 Pet 2:13-17 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;
• :14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
• :15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:
• :16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.
• :17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

What does it mean, to honor someone?

• Honor all men - Timao (Gr)
• 1) to estimate, fix the value of something belonging to one's self
• 2) to honor, to have in honor, to revere, venerate
• So we can honor or value something belonging to ourselves
• Or we can honor or value others in the sense of respect and gratitude
• How does this work in practice?
• Today we are honoring those in uniform, whether past or present
• We honor them for their dedication to duty,
• for their selfless sacrifice for their brothers in arms
• for love of their country
• and for protecting our freedom
• We honor you

Honor in the Bible

• God honors mankind, did you know that?
• When we do not honor someone, we tend to belittle and control them
• Mankind chose to disobey God, and so God would have had every right to react negatively to us
• Instead, he set in motion a plan for the redemption of mankind, which had been set in place since the foundation of the world
• This shows us how God honors mankind rather than condemning us and relegating us to hell
• God created man with the power of choice,
• Man can choose, does he want to continually eat the fruits of rebellion, going his own way?
• Or does he want to choose to accept Jesus as his Lord and Savior
• God does not force us to make one choice or the other
• He honors our choice, without forcing or controlling us
• He draws us with cords of love, he does not impose himself on us
• This principle applies to so many aspects of our Christian walk

Called to honor by serving, not by controlling

• Jesus says he has come to serve, not to lord it over us
• He tells us we are to be each other's servants, not masters
• Phil 2:3 - esteem others better than your self, this means we honor and value others
• Today we honor those who fell and those who still serve today, whether in the military, our firefighters, or those who serve in our correctional facilities
• Here are some other ways in which we honor by serving:
• We honor our children and those less able to take care of themselves
• Matthew 10:42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
• More than a glass of water, our children need encouragement and honoring, rather than punishment
• Honoring brings out the best in people
• We honor and serve our spouses
• Eph 5:21-24, 28 Submit to each other in love, the same way Jesus loved the church, honoring it over his own life
• Honoring my wife means I love her, I encourage her, I trust her and I believe in her
• Being her husband does not mean I am a dictator, but instead, I lead her the way Jesus draws us, with cords of love
• These cords are not physical cords but intangible emotional bonds
• We serve those less fortunate than ourselves
• Matthew 25:43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
• When we serve them, we honor them

God honors us when we turn to Him

• God honored us first by offering us an opportunity to get it right
• Eph 2:4-6 By doing this he elevated us to be seated at his right hand with Christ
• God honors each of us
• In the same way, we should honor each other, and the community around us
• 2 Peter 3:9 God's heart is that no one should perish, he wants all men to be saved
• But he does not force it upon any one of us
• God honors our free will and our ability to choose
• We each have to make that choice individually

Invitation

• Is there someone here today who desires to make that commitment to Jesus, voluntarily, not because you are forced but because you are sick of your own way and you are choosing to follow Jesus?
• Is anyone here would like to dedicate their life back to Jesus?

Prayer

• Lord, I pray that would would make us an honoring people, who are honored by You, and who honor each other, and the community around us. In Jesus Name, amen.

Faith like a mustard seed - Matt 7:20

Faith like a Mustard Seed
November 4, 2012
Matt 17:20

Introduction

• As I was growing up, I was intrigued by the word "faith"
• I wondered what it was like to have faith
• I wondered about moving mountains
• I wondered about what God could do if I had enough faith
• Later in life I read and listened to people on TV, who had faith, and saw how God did marvellous things through them
• So what is faith? What is the basis for my faith?

Reading

• Matthew 17:14-20 Setting a person free from demonic oppression

Definition of faith

• Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
• This means that faith has to do with things that are hoped for, it is things that we desire, but they have not yet become reality
• In this example, the disciples wanted to see this person set free, but it was not yet a reality, something they could see
• We may have faith for different things
• We may have faith for getting a particular job
• We may have faith for finding the right person God has intended for us to marry
• We may have faith for all kinds of things
• But ultimately, having faith means we have not yet received what we are hoping for
• On the other hand, faith is the evidence that we are going to receive that thing!
• When we have faith, we will receive an answer
• If we have faith as a mustard seed, Jesus says, nothing will be impossible for us

What does this mountain represent?

• In the Greek, the word literally means a mountain
• A mountain seems invincible
• Nothing could ever move that mountain
• But Jesus tells us in this verse that we will be able to move it out of our way
• That mountain is stopping us from moving forward
• God says, nothing is impossible, that mountain can be moved out of the way
• So what is this mountain for you?
• For the disciples here in Matthew, this mountain represented a demon that did not want to be dislodged
• Some demons leave easier than others
• This was a tough one, and Jesus says, "You didnt have faith that it would go"
• He says, if you only had a little faith - God can work with that
• But they looked at the obstacle and it seemed so tough they lost all faith
• Sometimes our situation seems so hard, we despair of ever getting past it
• Jesus says, have faith
• Even a tiny bit of faith is sufficient - faith like a mustard seed

Faith is like a faucet

• We sometimes think, I havent got enough faith for this thing to get out of my life
• We may be talking about a sickness, or a family situation, or a depression or fear about something
• But Jesus says, if you have faith as a mustard seed, nothing would be impossible to you
• In other words, either we have faith or we dont
• In the parable about the talents, the king gives talents to his servants
• Some of them trusted him and worked with the talents to varying degrees
• But one of them was afraid of his master and went and hid his talents
• Either I trust God or I don't
• When I dont trust in God I may still do the right things, but trusting in myself
• God asks us to trust him
• Just like a dad and his son - either I trust him or I don't
• Doesn't mean he is perfect, but as a child I chose to trust my dad
• God wants us to trust him, just like a little child trusts his parents
• Friday morning in the Bible study at Crossroads, we discussed Jesus blessing the children - anyone who does not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it
• Heb 10:38 - the just shall live by faith
• We live this out moment by moment
• "Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again -- until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other." - William Booth in The Founder's Messages to Soldiers, Christianity Today, October 5, 1992, p. 48
• That faith is expressed in our actions
• James 2:26 - faith without works is dead

Conclusion

• Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am visibly delivered or not, I will stick to my belief that God is love. There are some things only learned in a fiery furnace - Oswald Chambers in Run Today's Race.
• Like Daniel's three friends who decided to trust God whether he would rescue them from the furnace or not
• We trust God because he loves us and will do only what is right and best for us
• When we trust Him like this we can step out in obedience when he gives us direction
• Either we trust in God or we trust in ourselves
• There is no Mr In Between
• We have been called, we have been sanctified, we have been justified
• We have been called to live by faith, step by step, all the time