The End of the World: “The Quiet Power” – Revelation 5

When I was young, we used to watch the original series “Kung Fu” with David Carradine. A TV series of the early 1970s, the story followed the wandering travels of a Shaolin monk named Kwai Chang Caine. This monk traveled the American West in the time of the cowboys, armed only with his spiritual training and his skill in martial arts. The journey was driven by Caine’s search for his half-brother in a west that held only disdain for the Chinamen that built the railroads for the great rail companies of yesteryear. What impressed me most about the part that Caine played was his “quiet power” – in the simple robes of this humble spirited monk lay the power of a mighty warrior. In virtually every episode, Caine was sorely provoked by men who were entirely unsuspecting of his power – until his feet and hands were released to form an unstoppable force. His patience was mistaken for impotence- until he showed the truth.

There is a scene in the book of Revelation that is just as surprising as Caine breaking into a fight before the dull sensed cowboys of the old west… it is found in Revelation 5. In that room, a lamb that was wounded and abused by Creation begins to roar like a full grown and massive lion. The time for evil’s victory was about to be crushed. The High King of Heaven had been patient long enough. It is a story of encouragement.

Key Principle: There is a reason to hold up our heads in the midst of a rising tide of darkness – it is temporary and our Savior’s victory is secure. It has already been revealed!

I confess that I am not rushing to Revelation 6 to get to the juicy details of the earth’s pummeling… I am walking deliberately through this passage concerning Heaven. We are in no rush, because there are profound lessons in Heaven’s throne room Heaven is our HOPE and our PROMISE. It is our encouragement to live with light tracks on this earth – trusting in another place as our home. The great lessons of Heavenoffer the deepest encouragements – and secure God’s people through waves of darkness.

Surfers learn the rhythm of the waves of the sea. The worst thing a surfer can do when caught under the punishment of the down thrust of a powerful wave is PANIC. If they pull in their extremities, hold tightly their breath and wait… sometimes in what seems an eternity… the power of the thundering wave will pass by – and they will be able to make their way to the surface again.

In the same way, the Bible makes believers aware of times of evil domination, on our way to eventual righteous relief. I mention this because in my lifetime many believers have expressed increasing dismay at God’s patience with evil. They keep longing inside (and occasionally expressing outside) for overwhelming displays of God’s power so that people will see that WE are on the winning side. Strangely, God appears content, much of the time, with the appearance of weakness. How do we respond when it appears that evil is winning and most people are on evil’s side? How can we be encouraged when God appears weak in the face of profound and rising evil?

If these are your questions… you have found a place in God’s Word to draw encouragement! In the chapter before this one, John struggled as he described his view of Heaven  – beyond any words he could easily form or share. He saw the Most High God, seated on the throne at the center of the Heavenly throne room. He sat unchallenged and unmatched as the Supreme Ruler of all the universe. All might, power and authority emanated from that single place. Surrounding that throne were four strange looking living beings that John could not adequately describe from within his own earthly experience. He encountered the believers of the church age, fresh from their Bema seat of judgment – and experienced worship that overwhelmed his senses! He continued in the description of this passage with a series of encouraging words:

Encouragement #1 (5:1): God alone will initiate final judgment.

Revelation 5:1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals.

The plan is in God’s hand of authority. Man will not define the final steps of the planet, nor determine the timing and method of the end – it comes from the only wise God, perfect in knowledge. The scroll of history is detailed (wrote before and behind) with much information. Note also it is multiply sealed awaiting God’s move in time and God’s appointed opener.

The term for the scroll (βιβλίον) simply means a roll, scroll, or volume. It is variously used: (a) to denote Torah law, Hebrews 9:19, 10:7; (b) the Book of Life, Revelation 17:8, 20:12, 21:27; (c) the Seven Letters, Revelation 1:11; (d) certain legal documents, as a bill of divorce, Matthew 19:7; Mark 10:4.

Note the similarity to another prophetic scroll described in the prophet Ezekiel’s commissioning scroll: Ezekiel 2:8 “Now you, son of man, listen to what I am speaking to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth and eat what I am giving you.” 9 Then I looked, and behold, a hand was extended to me; and lo, a scroll was in it. 10 When He spread it out before me, it was written on the front and back, and written on it were lamentations, mourning and woe. 3:1 Then He said to me, “Son of man, eat what you find; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and He fed me this scroll. 3 He said to me, “Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your body with this scroll which I am giving you.” Then I ate it, and it was sweet as honey in my mouth. 4 Then He said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with My words to them.

The obvious conclusion is that the scroll is a legal document that is owned by God. In the coming chapter, we will see a correlation between opening the seals of the document, and judgments that are declared upon the earth. This scroll was evidently the things which “would shortly come to pass” in Revelation 1:19 – but they could not come to pass before the judgment against the earth was fulfilled. God wouldn’t keep going with things as they were – but demanded legal judgment to be levied. Why do we consider this judgment idea an encouragement? Because God is in control:

  • Man can’t force God’s hand into doing things – we need to humbly bow to Him Who is on the throne. The end is not focused on man and his sinfulness, but on God and His Righteousness. As we study the book, we must constantly remind ourselves that we are to understand Jesus better – the book reveals HIM as well as the future.
  • Man cannot unlock all the details of the Word’s final judgments – we need to be humble in our pronouncements of understanding of the coming writings of the book. As we study the book, we must admit that we know only what God has revealed – and that is limited by the words and our comprehension of them. The big parts of the truth are not so much in question, but beyond the largest fixtures revealed we must be careful not to arrogantly assert that we understand all that is contained therein. It is ok to admit we don’t see it all clearly!

Consider the words of the Bible commentator Matthew Henry: “We need not weep that we cannot foresee future events respecting ourselves in this world; the eager expectation of future prospects, or the foresight of future calamities, would alike unfit us for present duties and conflicts, or render our prosperous days distressing. Yet we may desire to learn, from the promises and prophecies of Scripture, what will be the final event to believers and to the church; and the Incarnate Son has prevailed, that we should learn all that we need to know.

There is one over-riding fact that offers both comfort to the afflicted and courage to the broken… there IS a scroll. There IS a plan. It resides for the moment in the right hand of the Master of the throne room. Soon it will open because of the gentle tug of a bloodied lamb. Seals will break open. The end will come. There IS a plan, and there IS One worthy to complete its final demands. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock I stand… all other ground is sinking sand.”

Take courage, dear friend. Man will not pollute the planet into oblivion. The Mayan calendar notwithstanding – no “natural” calamity will cause the destruction of this beautiful and fascinating planet. God will determine the end of time, just as He did the beginning of it. It is a true statement: “Our times are in HIS HANDS”.

Encouragement #2 (5:2-5): God has deemed worthy an agent to bring final judgment.

Revelation 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”

God has chosen the right person to bring about the end.  The specific agent God will employ to finish human history is the very One that redeemed man – the Messiah. His intimate knowledge of the struggle of physical life amid the fallen system under the wicked prince and his minions uniquely qualifies Him. His perfect sacrifice on behalf of fallen men uniquely qualifies Him. His intimate bonding of Heaven and earth as God-man uniquely qualifies Him. In other words, it is not only God that finishes the program, but God does so through His Son – He who died to purchase fallen and estranged Creation.

When we read carefully verse two, the question is not “Who should reveal the destinies of God’s people?” Rather the question is this: “Who has the Divinely ascribed POSITION to initiate judgment and thereby open the future of creation?” The answer is offered by a knowledgeable elder of the room: “Jesus the Messiah, called the lion of the tribe of Judah, alluding to Jacob’s prophecy (Gen. 49:9-10).

Genesis 49:9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He couches, he lies down as a lion, And as a lion, who dares rouse him up? 10“ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

Jacob foretold that One of Judah would bring judgment. He would wait patiently as a lion waits. The line of rulers would be long, but the scepter would be passed into the Lion’s hands. He would eventually show up, and people would obey Him. Keep your eyes on the skies… for this is on its way.

At that time in the passage, a problem arose: John began to weep because it appeared no one was worthy to open the scrolls. He knew HE was not worthy. He was drawn in to the scene as we can be tear-filled in a sad movie – he could not help the scene, but he hurt over it. As he wept, he was told there was a CONQUEROR – an overcoming lion. He turned to look for this Great One, but what he saw was something other than he anticipated… a wound filled lamb. One that bore the marks of slaughterers upon Him.

Pastor Rodney Buchanan wrote it well: “John immediately turns to see this great lion that has just been described to him, but he does not see a lion. He sees a lamb. And not just any lamb, but one with death wounds. John can see the blood and the open wounds with which he has been inflicted. What a shock it must have been for John to look for this great lion who would rip the seals with his great claws, only to see a small wounded lamb. But it is the lamb who walks up to the One seated on the throne and takes the scroll. A paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true. Here is a paradox. How can a lion be a lamb? The two are opposites. One is the hunter and the other the prey. One is placed in a cage with iron bars; the other in a petting zoo. (The answer lies in this one truth): God’s strength is disguised as weakness.”

God disguised His power many times! Don’t you recall how men treated the Messiah?

Matthew 27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. 28 They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him… 35 And when they had crucified Him …38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 “HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words.

Peter later boldly proclaimed after a man was healed in the Temple:  Acts 3:13 “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus, the one whom you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release Him. 14 “But you disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, 15 but put to death the Prince of life, the one whom God raised from the dead, a fact to which we are witnesses. 16 “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Let me renew the question I posed earlier: “Why does God not simply WIN all the time? Why allow evil such a path of victory? Perhaps immediate victory does not suit His ultimate purpose… is that possible? Sure it is! Think of it this way… What if good always triumphed and doing the right always paid tremendous dividends? It seems obvious that most everyone would flock to God and follow him. At the same time, we must consider that people would come to God because it benefitted them personally – a selfish motivation. Would they love God for Who He is or for the benefits of standing beneath the warmth and light of His power? God’s weak appearance in the face of evil sifts out those who want to use God for their own purposes.

We may think of a small, young lamb as harmless – but not this One! Observe what happens when the Lamb opens the fifth seal: “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?’” (Revelation 6:15-17).

Don’t forget… His patience in opposing evil is a temporary condition. God has deemed One worthy to pull the judgment scroll open… and open it He will! Despite evil’s rage, judgment is coming. Wrong will be made right. Abusers of the weak will be held accountable. The power of the mighty will fail them before the Father’s ultimate power… God has chosen well the agent of the end.

Encouragement #3 (5:6-14): The Messiah’s visible qualities that show His entitlement will be completely understood.

Revelation 5:6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. 7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” 13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” 14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

People won’t second guess God when they see His judgment. When John tightened his focus on the qualities of the Son that made Him the righteous choice (worthy to open the scroll with seven seals) – it became OBVIOUS that He alone was the right choice to do so.

  • First, He stood as the intermediary between the throne of God and the elders – the mediator of the saved. Revelation 5:6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing…
  • Second, He appeared with the wounds of payment – a lamb slain. Revelation 5:6b “…as if slain…”
  • Third, He appeared in full and complete authorityhorns denoted full authority. Revelation 5:6b “…having seven horns…”
  • Fourth, He was fully encompassed by and in harmony with the Spirit of God –minutely aware of the happenings of the earth. Jesus (who began the story in Colossians 1:16-17) paid for the right to finish the story. Jesus was granted all authority from His Father to do so after His act of obedience (Matthew 28:18). Revelation 5:6b “…seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth.”
  • Fifth, He knew His role, and at the appointed time – He took the scroll to unfold it. Revelation 5:7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.”
  • Sixth, all Creation acknowledged the choice God made in giving Him the scroll – no one opposed His claim. This included the Elders (5:8-10), the angelic host (5:11-12), every created being in Heaven, earth, beneath the earth, on the sea and from beneath the sea (5:13-14)!

The lamb stood alone at His beating. He was nailed alone at the Cross. He had no one intervene on His behalf…. And one day soon, He will stand alone as JUDGE. It is the reason He stood silent before his captors.

His humility was born out of confidence in the truth… and so it YOURS. He could be silent for a time when He knew the end of all things…. And so can YOU! We don’t have to WIN right now, because He will win for us in the days ahead. Sometimes we look around at the world and it seems like evil is winning, but we forget that God has the scroll, and He wins in the end. God is in control. Current appearances are deceiving.

On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman squared off in the boxing ring in Zaire. Ali had dubbed it “The Rumble in the Jungle.” Foreman was heavily favored, and considered the hardest puncher in heavyweight history. Ali did something in that fight that no other fighter had ever dared to try. He held up his arms against his face and leaned back against the ropes allowing Foreman to punch away at him for eight rounds. The strongest boxer in history beat on Ali until he could punch no more. When the right moment came, Ali bounced off the ropes and knocked out Foremen, sending him into retirement. Ali called his technique “rope-a-dope.” Even though it looked like he was losing the fight, and losing badly, he was in control the whole time. He took all those punches because he knew he would deliver the final blow.” It appears as though God may be using Ali’s “rope-a-dope” technique on the evil world and its prince of darkness.  (Rodney Buchanan, Sermon Central illustrations).

God need not be overly interested in appearances today – because the power of evil is only a fleeting illusion. God deals in the REAL.  Consider this: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. . . . But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1 Corinthians 1:25, 27-29).

Look closely at the bill of goods evil is serving – its ultimate power is only an illusion. It is a counterfeit power. The Lion stands at the ready to emerge and bellow its roar. Read the end…The Lamb wins. There is a reason to hold up our heads in the midst of a rising tide of darkness – it is temporary and our Savior’s victory is secure.

Seven Habits of Highly Effective Believers – Philippians 4:10-23 (Short Post)

1: Learn to Celebrate and not Complain! Paul rejoiced in Jesus over good things God gave him. Philippians 4:10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly…19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul kept his focus on what the Lord of Creation was doing in and through his life. He directed others to see God as GOOD, a giver to those who need. A stingy God was not the One that he served – but a God willing and able to bless. Paul PRAISED God! When our lives are centered in praise, our countenance changes. Our heart is lifted – and those around us are lifted as well.

2: Learn to offer Concern not Command! Paul didn’t focus on his entitlement for help, but understood those who could not help. Philippians 4:10b “… that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.

What a stunning reversal from the norm of self absorbed people! Paul wasn’t grousing at them when they didn’t give – but was understanding and patient about the delay. He evaluated their delay as lacking the opportunity – not the desire. Instead of judging their motives as evil, he offered them a gracious note that he understood their slow response to his needs.

3: Learn to be Content and not Cause Commotion! Paul learned to rest in the place God put him. Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.

Paul took pains to learn to settle down and allow God to work. We become frustrated and impatient when we don’t see God at work the way we desire Him to – filling our needs as they come up. The fact is that God is under no obligation to jump through hoops for me – and any mature believer knows this! At the same time, it takes a whole learning curve to learn to rest in His arms in my times of trouble.

4: Learn to Cope and not become Careless! Paul could make the most of a little but could also rest in abundant places. Philippians 4:12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.

When you first read this, it is easy to conclude that Paul’s chief accomplishment was to be able to live in humble and meager times and places. Look again! The problem of being able to go from “famine” to “feast” was also difficult! Having abundance creates a hunger to fulfill every need in this sphere – the physical world. Moving between times of lack and times of fullness is even more difficult than living in one or the other. Paul learned, and then modeled, the lesson of coping!

5: Learn to Collect but not Consume! Paul drew his strength for living from Jesus Himself. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

In the context, Paul’s “all things” regards contentment in both times of abundance and times of lack. That Paul learned to be calm through both was its own lesson – but here he offers a special secret as to how such calm overtook him. Paul drew on Jesus’ presence and comfort in the watch care of his life. It the arms of his Savior he found peace and stability – regardless of circumstance.

6: Learn to Confirm and not Criticize! Paul affirmed those around him for their service. Philippians 4:14 Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction…. 17 Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account. 18 But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

People need affirmation, some desperately so. Paul offered pointed positive words to those who were doing well, in order to encourage them to continue to follow the Lord’s gentle leading. He didn’t presume they would understand what they did… He TOLD THEM. Here is a great secret: people don’t leave jobs as often as they leave BOSSES. They leave people, because they find themselves in a hole. One way to add to another’s life is to openly and often affirm their worth.

7: Learn to offer Consideration and not Contempt! Paul remembered the good things people did for him. Philippians 4:15 You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; 16 for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.

Paul wanted to recall the past – but not the failures of others. He recalled the specifics of their generosity to him, and the good that it did the ministry. He kept track of the good, but deliberately tried to distance his memory from the negative attacks of ministry. He knew the best way to lead people was to remember the good and release the bad. The negative only drags you into a slump!

In the end, Paul understood the dangerous traps of the enemy. He knew that he could have chosen at any time to delve into a suspicion about his colleagues, seeking hidden reasons why they responded in each situation. He chose to assume the best of them. He could have dwelt on his problems and sought someone to blame. Rather, he felt the productive thing to do was celebrate God’s strength shown through his personal challenges. He could have set up himself with unrealistic expectations, but that was not nearly as exciting as inviting the team to participate in the victory that he knew they would all eventually experience!

“Three Christmas Cards from God” – Luke 2:10-14, 29-35, 38

Nicholas Sparks is an internationally-bestselling American novelist and screenwriter. Out of his sixteen published novels – six have been adapted to film, including The Last Song,  The Notebook… and the one I want to mention this morning – Message in a Bottle.

The story is a captivating read (as always, insert here a healthy Christian caveat about the language of worldly authors). A young ex-reporter from a well known newspaper named Theresa Osborne now labored as a staff “news researcher”. On a brief trip to Cape Cod, she happened upon a bottle in the sand that contained a captivating love letter addressed “from Garret to Catherine”. Stunned with the depth of emotion that poured from the letter, she worked tirelessly to find the man who wrote the letter, and some others that she came into the possession of during her research, a man named Garret Blake. Garret lost the love of his life to death, and was struggling through grief – including anger at his wife for leaving him so awfully alone. He lived a secluded life now, on the outer banks of North Carolina with his father, Dodge. Theresa arranged to get to know Garret, but she didn’t reveal her knowledge of the letters. She began, unknown to him, to weave and publish a romantic tale of the “messages in a bottle”, without naming names. In time, Garret stepped out to try to continue to live – and even made a trip to Chicago to see Theresa and her young son. His heart began to open to her, until he inadvertently discovered his old letters in a drawer in Theresa’s apartment – and he felt betrayed and left  – alone. Almost a year later, Dodge tracked down Theresa to give her some bad news. Garret died at sea in a storm while attempting to rescue someone. He told her because a bottle with a message inside was found on his son’s boat. In the letter, apparently written a night before Garrett’s failed rescue attempt, he apologized to Catherine and wrote to her that in Theresa he found a new love, a love he was about to fight for. The novel closed with some lessons Theresa learned about life, love and pain.

The novel seemed to me like too little communication too late. Why a bottle? Why not use a phone, email, twitter, a snail mail letter, telegraph, candy gram, singing gram, smoke signals or even sky writing? A message in a bottle doesn’t seem like a great way to communicate – a little slow for my taste! At the same time, there was a charming side of how carefully selected each communication was – and the reality that although the message was addressed to someone in particular – many would eventually read it, or hear about it.

I mention all this to say that God sent three messages the first Christmas season that I want to remind you of in this short lesson from God’s Word. It was as though God sent three Christmas Cards – each to individuals who knew the message was to be displayed to others like those long strings of cards that used to hang in my school classroom as a child at Christmas time. Each card was carefully selected – a message that communicated a truth from Heaven about the child of Bethlehem to the people who celebrated the Savior’s birth on the first Christmas. First, He told the shepherds about the arrival of the baby the night He entered the world. A month later, He told an old man who anticipated the arrival of the Messiah what Messiah’s task would be. Finally, later that same day (as the old man’s prophecy), God opened the mouth of an elderly prophetess the great response to the baby’s arrival.

Key Principle: God sent with the baby a message both of an important promise fulfilled, an essential work begun – along with His anticipation of our response to His magnificent gift.

The First Card: The story of the first “Christmas card from God” was sent on the night of the Savior’s birth. It answered the BIG question in the minds of Joe’s extended family – “How can we know Mary and Joseph didn’t make up the story about this baby’s conception?

This was no small question to Joe’s family, and it is no small question to people around the world today! If Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit – something unparalleled in the human story happened. There truly IS a Creator… and He truly DOES care about us. So much changes if the story is true…

The Bible contains a vivid description of that night. Read it closely, and it will rip down any Hallmark images of the first Christmas. Those images were meant to displace the real story – a story about the darkness of men and the power of God. This was a scene much less “Currier and Ives” and a whole lot more “Homer and Marge” … a scene of poor and restless people, dressed in tacky clothing and living a life much less hygienic than any in our standard of normal living. We have prettied the scene and been distracted by the emotions we project on Christmas from our own family times growing up. Go back in time… it was presented like a beautiful movie.

First, recall that it was NOT a thrilling time – The setting was tax time. If you think that pulling together all those receipts and forms are a hassle, try uprooting your family and moving to another location for the fun of staying eighteen months to three years, while awaiting the census that will only, in the end, cost you more in tax revenues. All this to watch your government spend on personal luxuries of a few while most languished in near poverty. The curiosity and convenience of Caesar wasn’t a strong motivator for a positive attitude on the part of the original Christmas cast… Any positive feeling from the event went against the natural tide of feelings. . Luke 2:1 “Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.”

Traffic isn’t just a modern Christmas problem. Did you see it? “everyone was on his way” should be read.. “Oi, What a traffic jam! I could live my life without sitting for hours at one more Roman toll booth.. I mean, this is ridiculous! I spent more on the camel to just sit there in this quadruped parking lot waiting for the guy with the idiot donkeys blocking the toll station… I wish some of these old people knew how to drive a camel. I mean, really…” Ok, maybe I am using some imagination… but it was a time when EVERYONE was on the move, and nothing was moving particularly well… I think we can all identify.

People romanticize Christmas in the Bible, for the sake of the story. What we know for sure is that it was a WARM time of year (the shepherds don’t stay out in the fields at night during the cold and rainy season). That means it was more like Sebring, FL than Chicago, IL. Add to the WARM weather a network of traffic laden roadways, and a lot of people who don’t enthusiastically support the rising cost of the conquering troops and their lavish spending masters … and you are closer to the scene. Now sprinkle in the special issues Joseph and Mary were facing…

Not only was it not a thrilling time, but it was NOT an exciting family gathering – Joe and his not yet married but pregnant young wife to be was about to move in with the in-laws – trying to get re-established.  This wouldn’t be comfortable under any circumstances in a small home – not as large as those in our mobile home parks in the south. On top of that, Joe’s family was conservative – and perhaps not so forgiving a family – based on the details. Luke 2:4 “Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Do you see it in the details of the day for our “first family” of Christmas? They had a four to seven day journey, depending on the route they took. They came from a long and great line of “people who used to be famous, powerful and wealthy” but now lived in meager three room cave style dwelling in the middle of no-where – and had to go to a real city to be registered. They weren’t married and she was about to burst with a bundle of joy – a collective groan comes from all the women who hear about this! Think of this pleasant cocktail of heat, pregnancy, chafing and dirt… now we are getting closer to the real feeling of that day. Oh, there is one more thing that you should be aware of – there was a stinging pain associated with the couple.

Read the words: “no room for them in the inn” as “no room in the kataluma” – the guest chamber (meaning, of the family home). There were no “Motel 6” properties in ancient Bethlehem. The family of Joseph was re-gathering in the city of their ancestors for the census. Their first choice would have been to be in the family home. Archaeologists have uncovered homes in both Bethlehem and Nazareth that are commonly called “three room cave style homes”. These homes are essentially a cave in the side of a mountain ridge, with a room built onto the front. Such homes had a rear area of the cave that was for the animals (vacant because in the warm season they sheep are kept out in the fields and sheepfolds on the paths of grazing). The center room is the “guest chamber” of the family home – often used as storage when not occupied. The front room of the house was used as the primary dwelling space – for eating, sleeping and living. The daylight hours were lived outside at work – and the home was neither large nor comfortable enough to house the family for more than the most basic needs.

Joseph wasn’t given the middle room of the house – it was occupied. Instead, his “family” was given the rear of the house – a place that indicates to some of us that he was not very well received by the family… showing up with a pregnant young woman that was not his wife yet. It is worth noting again that she did not appear to have the respect of Joseph’s family. Would they really have kept Jesus’ birth in a stable cave if they believed He was the coming King as Joe and Mary were told? I think not. Mary learned a hard lesson –  my life is to fulfill God’s purposes, not my desires!

For some of you, you can identify with this family. Christmas is a time when you feel a special kind of STRESS. You don’t have the money to do the things that you would really like to do with your family. Your family is… well, let’s just say they are no family set for a Christmas special on TV. You don’t have a lot of space in the house, and it is a lot warmer than you envisioned Christmas being. You like to think of your family being together at Christmas, but the reality is TENSION and TURMOIL. Some of you feel more like a referee that walks on egg shells at family gatherings. Take some solace – Mary and Joe understand you.

Now the first Christmas card from God was delivered…and it came to an unlikely place:  It came to people outside town. Luke 2:8 “In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.

There it is: God’s message to the men who were watching sheep, but ended up searching for a King.

  • The angels said, “Do not be afraid – the meeting is for the purpose of telling you GOOD NEWS!

The message of the Savior’s coming was GOOD NEWS for people who felt a distance from God, and felt even mistreated on earth. What a great reminder….Even Christians are getting caught up in living the wrong story. We are getting mixed up. A recent poll by the Barna Research Group in America found that only 37% of adults thought the birth of Jesus is the most important aspect of Christmas. 44% of the respondents said family time is the most important part of the Christmas celebration. 3% said presents or parties were the most important part of Christmas. The same percentage said the best thing about Christmas was getting a paid holiday.

Funny, as I listened this Christmas among BELIEVERS I was amazed that many had come to believe that our family time and our worship time are in CONFLICT in this day in which we find ourselves? Why have we come to truly believe that God was more interested in giving us time off with the family than having that same family sit together and celebrate the gift of Jesus while we study His Word? Let me be clear: Whatever you think is more important than your walk with God has become the real object of your worship….and our kids know what that is, even if we don’t say it out loud.

There are times when it feels like the Christmas story has been so replaced in our world, that the birthday boy isn’t invited to the party. The truth is – HE is the reason to celebrate. My heart breaks for those who are looking for something real in the glitter and wrapping of a Christmas that isn’t focused, first and foremost, on worshipping and honoring Christ. There is GOOD NEWS – Jesus the Savior has come. Why would we make this primarily about gifts, meals, parties and decorated trees – they are a distant second.

  • The angels said, “Do not be silent – the NEWS is for everyone!

There are lots of ways to tell the story of Christmas…. And some of them aren’t as successful as others. “There was an art contest held in a local school one Christmas season a few years ago in East Texas. One of the prize winners was a picture drawn by a nine year old boy showing three men, offering gifts to the baby Jesus in his manger. What made the picture unique is how the three gift presenters arrived – there was fire truck on the side of the picture. The principle asked the boy about his decision to draw the truck and the boy, in his heavy East-Texas accent, was quick to reply: “Well, the Bible says the wise men came from a-far.” Despite the wrong detail, the notion of sharing the message was right! The news that God sent the Savior is not something we are to keep to ourselves!

  • The angels said “Do not be still – the baby must be sought and acknowledged!

So many will HEAR ABOUT Jesus this Christmas, but few will take the time to journey to meet Jesus. It is a profoundly simple journey. It begins with acknowledging that God truly WAS behind His coming. It is about admitting that on my own, I cannot be acceptable to God. Even though I may be GOOD, I am not RIGHTEOUS before God. It is about accepting that Jesus came to be my substitute payment for sin. It is about asking Him to take my body, my life, my priorities and my choices – and use re-shape them to His own. He died for me, I will live for Him. I get it – He TRULY IS who the Bible says He is. Listen to these words from John the Apostle”

1 John 5:9 “If we believe the testimony of men, the testimony of God is far more secure; for the testimony of God is this, that He has testified concerning His Son. 10 The one who truly believes in the Son of God has that belief inside himself; the one who does not believe has decided that God’s record is not true, because he has not believed in the Words that God has given concerning His Son. 11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 He who has accepted the Son has the life; he who has not – does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” The issue is NOT was a baby born – but WHO THE BABY WAS– and where the baby truly came from.

  • The angels said, “Do not be downcast” – the gift is offered from God’s goodness!

John says it this way: John 3:17 “For God did not send the Son into the world as a judgment to the world, but that the world might be rescued through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him will not be judged by God; he who does not believe has cast the die to stand in judgment already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Our message is one of HOPE, but also one requiring a response.

The picture of their immediate and enthusiastic obedience is moving. Luke 2: 15 When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. 17 When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Why did God go to the trouble of announcing the baby’s birth to the shepherds? What was the purpose of the first Christmas card from Heaven?

I truly believe that the family members of Joseph were the real recipients of the first card. They would change their beliefs after the shepherds reported the call by the Heavenly host. They were HOME TOWN Bethlehem boys. Maybe these kids like Joe had gotten messaed up in their time up north in Galilee – but we can trust the home town kids to tell the truth…The text indicated who needed to know! Who else would have been included that night in the “all who heard it”? I think it is at least worth considering. The answer to the question: “How can we KNOW the story wasn’t fabricated by a first century couple?” is simple: “They had neither the means nor the knowledge to get a thousand angels together to float above the fields and proclaim the truth of the event.

One more thing before we leave this scene: Mary learned to hold in much of what she experienced, taking private joys and solemn sorrows to heart. When the shepherds came and knelt, she “treasured” and “pondered” (Lk. 2:15-20). Because we live in times when people share intimate details of their lives before whole studio audiences and across American living rooms, it is hard to imagine the benefit of remaining quiet – but Mary knew how to remain calm and quiet. There is a special discipline of silence that is being lost in our western world. We are over stimulated and constantly bombarded with the need to share everything with others. We even get hyperactive at Christmas. In fact, some of us are so focused on making it a GREAT Christmas, we don’t even make it a GOOD Christmas..

There is a rather poignant Christmas story about a little girl who watched her mother and daddy getting ready for Christmas. To her, it seemed that dad was preoccupied with burdens & bundles, & mom was concerned about parties & presents, & they just had no time for her. She felt that she was being shoved aside. In fact, it seemed to her that she was always being told, “Would you please get out of the way?” So one night in December she knelt beside her bed & prayed this prayer, “Our Father who art in heaven, please forgive us our Christmases as we forgive those who Christmas against us.” (Sermon central illustrations).

The next two Christmas cards from Heaven came a month later – both on the same day… mail service being what it is…J

The Second Card: The story of the second “Christmas card from God” was set in stages – ending a month after the birth, and answered the question “Why was the baby born?”

We now move to a month later as Luke tells what happened when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for His presentation offering. Circumcision occurred eight days after the birth, but the “days of purification” for Mary went on longer – 33-40 days. It was at the end of this that Jesus was carried to Jerusalem (Luke 2:21-24).

Luke 2:25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 “Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation, 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel.” 33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed— 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

Simeon’s card was addressed in two parts – the first part to the World: This baby has a PURPOSE from God. He has come to be our RESCUER – a Savior. He has come to be REVEALED to people everywhere in a deliberate mission to give the message. He will bring light well outside the nation of Israel to a PAGAN WORLD.

The second part of Simeon’s message was to Mary: To fulfill His work – He will BREAK YOUR HEART. Any parent knows that we live and die a thousand times in the excitement and pain of our children as they live – we face the heart break of every disappointment or trouble they will suffer in their future. Jesus came to SAVE, but that would be at the expense of SAVING HIMSELF from anguish.

The Third Card: The story of the third “Christmas card from God” revealed the answer to a nagging question – “What am I here for?

Luke 2:36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Anna lived in an unexpected “Plan B” life. In some ways Anna had something in common with Elizabeth. Anna is a short form of Channah, or “Grace”.

  • Anna learned CURBED EXPECTATIONS!  Anna was widowed after a marriage that lasted only a brief seven years. Now eighty-four years old, Anna learned patience and dependence upon God. She fasted and prayed day and night, never leaving the Temple. Anna was not like most women of her time. She chose a different path. Instead of finding her identity in a second marriage and raising children – she heard God’s direction and went a different way then people expected. She chose to serve the Lord. Her expectations, probably the same as other women of her day, were dramatically altered by God’s superintending in her life. She learned to move through the terrible pain of losing her husband, relying on God to financially and emotionally meet the needs of her life.
  • When she curbed her expectations to total reliance on God – she stuck with it! The people who have encouraged me the most were the people who over the long haul of life have learned to drink from the well of satisfaction from the Lord even when their life circumstances were not ideal. Sixty-five years of waiting is incredible patience to wait for anything – much less a baby to mark the redemption. God is in no hurry! We will not experience instant depth, instant passion, instant deep praise. Genuine change of heart takes time. Genuine weaning of self satisfaction to God’s purposes requires time and a painful transition as I leave the throne of my heart and He takes it.
  • When she curbed her expectations – she sought the Lord and did what He instructed! What if Anna decided not to come in on Tuesdays because she was feeling lazy? What if she accommodated her feelings of disobedience and thought: “I don’t feel like looking for the Messiah this morning – I will go in later?” The blessings of being obedient far outweigh the temporary satisfaction of placating my wants and desires.
  • She learned reliance of God meant real strength and real provision! Others are defined by their roles – Anna’s role was stripped from her and THEN God defined her real purpose. God used her in spite of being the definition of poor and hopeless. She was not forsaken, she was being set up to accomplish her life’s purpose! Adjusting our expectations to put them in line with God’s plan is a vital part of maturity.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.” — Psalm 138:7-9

My steps have held to your paths; my feet have not slipped. I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer.” – Psalm 17:5-6

IN THE END, ANNA KNEW SHE WAS HERE TO KNOW, LOVE AND PROCLAIM THE SAVIOR!

God sent three messages – Christmas cards if you will allow the metaphor. Each had a purpose – to answer a question:

  • Is the baby truly from God? Yes, God sent His Son in a miraculous way.

  • Why was the baby born?” Jesus came to rescue us – but it  cost Him His life.

  • What am I here for? God uses our lives to know, love and proclaim the message of Jesus.

God sent with the baby a message both of an important promise fulfilled, an essential work begun – along with His anticipation of our response to His magnificent gift.

History records for us an interesting footnote. It was during the dark winter of 1864. At Petersburg, Virginia, the Confederate army of Robert E. Lee faced the Union divisions of General Ulysses S. Grant. The war was now three and a half years old and the glorious charge had long since given way to the muck and mud of trench warfare. Late one evening one of Lee’s generals, Major General George Pickett, received word that his wife had given birth to a beautiful baby boy. Up and down the line the Southerners began building huge bonfires in celebration of the event. These fires did not go unnoticed in the Northern camps and soon a nervous Grant sent out a reconnaissance patrol to see what was going on. The scouts returned with the message that Pickett had had a son and these were celebratory fires. It so happened that Grant and Pickett had been contemporaries at West Point and knew one another well, so to honor the occasion Grant, too, ordered that bonfires should be built.

It is possible that the celebrations of the Son of God this Christmas have made you curious. Maybe they have even made you worry about the meaning of all of this. It is time for you to build a fire and join the celebration. The fire is your life, offer it to Him and He will replace it with HIS LIFE – lived through you.

“From Disgrace to Delight”: Lessons in the Work of God – Luke 1

Have you ever tasted something really bitter? The dictionary struggles to adequately define the term “bitter”, but uses a number of insightful descriptive synonyms: “having a harsh, disagreeably acrid taste; hard to bear; grievous; distressful; causing pain; piercing; stinging; characterized by intense antagonism or hostility.” There is significant variety in these terms, but one thing is absolutely clear – each term suggests it is something that should generally be avoided. Bitterness doesn’t taste, feel or sound fun. Yet, bitterness is a part of the lives of any who have suffered serious, and as yet – unresolved, disappointment.

Sometimes bitter experiences happen because of our own choices. Jim Rohn has rightly said: “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment.” If we fail to discipline ourselves, our natural choices will tend to laziness and lack of preparation. The outcome will be haphazard. In things critical, it will leave us disappointed, for few things of skill or beauty are simply thrown together. That seems fair enough – but that isn’t the whole story of disappointment and bitterness. In fact, some disappointing and embittering experiences aren’t about our plan, they are about things which we strive for, but the outcome is not what we have hoped. Think about it: If variety is the spice of life, then disappointment is the SALT. Bitterness enters our lives with the sensation of salt entering a wound, leaving us in tears and racked with inner pain. If left unhealed, today’s anger will turn to tomorrow’s bitterness. The longer resolution delays, the deeper the wound.

Key Principle: God has a few great lessons to teach  – EVEN for those who struggle to believe Him.

Take a moment and observe two old people, saddened by praying for a lifetime and facing a searing of their spirit. God had not chosen to bring a baby into their arms. They no doubt spent hours seeking Him, wondering why life was going the way it was. They felt deeply disgraced, and I suspect they felt unheard by God. Don’t judge them – really picture them. They followed God. They served God faithfully, but all the time in the background there was a hole in each of their hearts. Though their theology wouldn’t let them say it – they secretly felt God LET THEM DOWN. Perhaps they surmised they weren’t good enough – but then they were confused as they looked at the people that God DID give children to. They worked hard and cared for others. They served faithfully and lived uprightly… yet God didn’t give them the chance for what they longed to have most – one tiny thing…a baby. They didn’t abandon their faith or their ministry. They kept showing up and offered encouragement and assistance to others – even when they felt empty inside. They paid their taxes. They studied God’s Word. They waited… but inside hope faded with each passing birthday.

We enter their story at a time of quiet disillusionment. We learn with them as they learned…

Luke 1:5 “In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.”

Lesson One: God can work at any time – even when it looks like He isn’t watching.

Luke tells us it was a time when people wondered if God really understood what was happening to His people. They were under a serious taskmaster. Herod wasn’t placed on the throne because of his faithfulness to God – but because of his friendship to Caesar. Luke 1: 5 simply opens with the matter of fact: “In the days of Herod, king of Judea…” A simple comment about who was on the throne is so much more. It is an important reminder… Even in the days of compromise, God was very much at work!

Lesson Two: God is at work in deep ways in people at times and in ways we cannot see.

The narrative continued as it introduced the “players” around which God told His story. Luke 1:5b “…there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 “They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 1:7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

The couple we have been peering at in this lesson is none other than the old priest Zacharias and now advanced in years – Elizabeth, a couple from a Levitical household thought to have lived in Ein Kerem, west of Jerusalem in the nearby hills. They were clearly both observant Jews, wholly obedient to the law. The bottom line was this: They were dealing with the SALT in the wound feeling of burning disappointment. If you read carefully, they were not only childless. The note on their age also says something else – they were now HOPELESS in regards to child bearing! Clearly they BOTH felt a burning about the lack of a child.

  • When Elizabeth became pregnant, her words were these: Luke 1:24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.” When you see another believer that seems like everything in their life is fine – don’t assume that is how they feel about their life. Even faithful believers can have hurts that follow them through their service of God. We cannot see the dragons another is fighting – unless they choose to let us know!
  • A closer reading of verse 13 shows it was a significant subject of Zacharias’ prayers! Luke 1:13 … for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son). Look at the word PETITION. This is not the term “prayer” (proseuche) used in the Greek text. This is a very unique word for prayer… it is the term déēsis (from deō, “to be in want, lack”) – this is the term for a heart-felt petition, arising out of deep personal need. Listen to a believer pray long enough, and you will learn what is close to their heart. This is one of the most important reasons for CORPORATE PRAYER. Prayer meeting isn’t because God cannot hear us all from our own homes. We are told to PRAY TOGETHER, because we hear another’s heart by praying around a circle with those with whom we co-labor.

People are quick to jump to the conclusion that everyone in a service is feeling good enough to be there – DON’T. Some who sit with you are hurting physically, and this is one of the most important parts of their week – so they come no matter how they feel.

When my friend and faithful companion, Pastor Vince was dying – he related to me some of the things people told him were their excuses for being unfaithful in attendance to their church services. As his time to meet the Lord drew near, he wearied of their excuses – especially as he kept coming while in enormous pain. One Sunday, someone remarked that he looked like he was scowling… sort of chastising him. What they didn’t know was the level of his pain and discomfort. They criticized him, because they didn’t know the effort that went into his attendance that Sunday. He kept quiet and smiled, apologizing. He simply said, “Oh, I ‘m sorry, I must have had something on my mind.” He surely did – it was pain.

People naturally assume that the usher, the Sunday School teacher, and the Deacon somehow have less on their plate in terms of pain, trouble and disappointment – and that may not be true. Mature believers learn how to both (Galatians 6:2) “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” and Galatians 6:5 …”each one will bear his own load”. We grow to the place where we help those who need help, but we hold close between us and the Lord as much as we can – to allow God to strengthen us to stand with Him alone. Immature people demand attention. Mature people offer help even when they feel stretched in themselves.

Lesson Three: God uses obedience as a platform for His best work!

A big day came for Zechariah. Luke 1:8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

Zecharias was a Levitical priest of the “course of Abijah” (1:5)- and that deserves some brief explanation:

  • Second Temple Period scholars believe that Temple services were operated by about 7200 priests over the year. For organization purposes, they divided the priests into 24 MISHMAROT – or “guardians” – in groups of about 300, with that of ABIJAH as the Eighth Group.
  • As a result, each week about 300 priests served at the Temple – 50 each day on week days and all 300 on Sabbath. Because their were 24 courses, each course would need to serve twice in each year –to cover all the weeks. In addition, because there were three times a year that all Jews were called to the Temple, all 7200 worked three weeks a year. That meant, that a priest could expect to work five priestly terms in one year of service (1:8).
  • Chores were selected by lot – a way for God to choose specific worker for specific tasks. As a result, if you got a job because “the lot fell on you” – you knew it was as personal as God selecting you for the task. Zechariah was likely called on by lot to lead the prayers of the people ONE time in his life for the national prayer service (1:9). To do so, he donned the Turban, Trousers, Tunic and Torsel (sash), and went inside the Holy Place. Whether he had ever been serving in the room was not known, but it would not have been uncommon for him to rarely, if ever, get to go inside.
  • His work with incense included preparing the spices and mixing them for the incense of the altar – components of the consecrated Ketoret (incense) which appears in the Torah book of Exodus (Ex.30:34-36). Carefully he would have taken measures of The hour of the public prayer service (1:10). Included in the mix was stachte (nataf) – a sap that was collected from a certain tree exterior. An equal part of onyche (shecheleth)– a word that denotes either a pungent dried bit of a see creature ground to a powder and used commonly in Asian incense, or a rock rose bushes small buds. He would add galbanum – an aromatic gum resin with a somewhat musky fragrance, and frankincense– (levonah) the sap tapped from the Boswellia tree by slashing the bark (called striping) and allowing the resins to harden into what were called “tears”. Finally, SALT bound the incense together. As he mixed the elements, he no doubt wondered why God chose him to represent the national moment of prayer – since his prayers didn’t seem to get through at home!

Do what God told you to do, it may be the platform of God’s most powerful blessing in your life! In the late 1800’s Ira Sankey was very famous for being D.L. Moody’s song leader. On Christmas Eve of 1875, he was traveling up the Delaware River on a steamboat. Some of the passengers recognized him and asked him to sing for them. So, he sang the old hymn, “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” One of the lines in that hymn says, “We are thine, do thou befriend us. Be the Guardian of our way.” As Sankey finished the hymn, a man stepped out from the shadows. He asked Sankey if he had ever served in the Union Army. He said he had. Then the man asked, “Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?” Sankey was very surprised and said, “yes.” The man looked up at him and said, “I was there too. But I was in the Confederate Army. It was my job to shoot you that night. As you stood there, completely exposed in the bright moonlight, I drew my aim. Then you lifted your head and began to sing the same song you just sang. When you finished, it was impossible for me to take aim again. I thought, ‘The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty.’” (Sermon central illustrations). Sankey sung to the Lord that night, and his obedience to the prompting of God saved his life – and offered him everything else God did through him!

God honors obedience and steady faithfulness, even when we hurt… it becomes the platform of some of His BEST work! Zecharias could have stayed home, and sat idly – paralyzed by his discouragement. It would have been understandable – but he would have missed the blessing that God had prepared. Obedience and persistence in doing right is essential. We cannot grow weary in well doing, or we miss blessing! It is also important to note that even when we practice all that we should and execute faithfully our walk before men, our walk with God is not simply what we know or understand – it is when we obey in spite of the fact that we cannot understand how it all works out – that God really does the most incredible things through our lives. Our walk must become faithful practice rooted in trust in God’s goodness – and that will be tested by circumstance.

Lesson Four: God uses His revelation to explain His work –no amount of experience will teach us as much!

Zecharias presented the mixture of incense to the Lord. The fire of the prayer altar was carefully brought from the main altar outside. When the coals were set on the grate on top of the altar, He fanned them and set to apply the first bit of incense. Concentrating on the work, he was startled to see another standing by him at the altar… Luke 1:11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 “It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Zacharias was agitated (Gr: tarasso or “troubled”) by the thought that some priest was perhaps breaking protocol in an apparent breach of Temple purity – a mark of a mature believer is seen in the desire to do the right thing in the right way. When he realized this was not another priest, he feared (phobos)– because he didn’t know what was truly happening. The angel offered astounding words of hope. God unveiled a glimpse of His plan –  and that is what REVELATION is all about. People have questions about their lives, and God offers answers in revealed truth – but we have to listen to that truth when we hear it! No amount of EXPERIENCE can do for us what listening to His Word and understanding it can!

Lesson Five: God expects those who do His work to believe Him… revelation rejected brings trouble.

Zacharias concluded that the angel was wrong – and the God’s revealed truth could not happen. Maybe things work like that in HEAVEN and maybe things work like that even on earth FOR OTHER PEOPLE… but this angel doesn’t know who he is dealing with.

Luke 1:18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.

It is easy for us to sink into disbelief when the pattern of discouragement has worn a rut in our faith! In fact, the key to the issue is simple – Zecharias looked at HIMSELF for the answer – and that answer was not there. He looked to HIS WIFE and that answer was not there. As a result, he concluded the answer did not exist. It could not exist. God WON’T do it because God HASN’T done it. I have asked, buddy. I don’t see how it could happen.

Look at Gabriel’s shock at the suggestion that the REVEALED TRUTH of God’s Word won’t happen!

Luke 1:19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

When we doubt God’s Word, we doubt God’s ability. We question His veracity. We challenge His  majesty and power, all because we are overcome by the size of life’s problems. When we truly see God as God, the size of the appearance of our problems shrink before His power.

The problem is that doing so leads to a penalty…

Luke 1:20 “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” 21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home. 24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”

Silence came to Zacharias, because disbelief robs God’s people of the greatest blessings of our lives! All that God ever wanted was for them to believe His promises and trust that He is truly goodno matter what they were seeing and feeling that day.

That silence was more than an inconvenience… it nearly led to inadvertent disobedience. People were talking for Zecharias because he could not speak for himself. Drop down to Luke 1:57 “Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her. 59 And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father.

One penalty of Zecharias’ disbelief was that he couldn’t announce God’s blessing to him at that time, though other people could. It was only when the mission was jeopardized that God opened his mouth again. How sad to have one of the greatest moments in your life pass you by because of disbelief – but rejection of truth revealed brings trouble.

We don’t realize God’s power… we really don’t. We get so caught up in our own problems…Pastor Mark McCool wrote: “When you think that the moon is on average about 250 thousand miles away from the earth. And Pluto, the farthest planet in our solar system ranges between 2.8 to 4.6 billion miles away. And traveling even farther, 50 billion miles from the earth is what scientist call Interstellar Space, and even it reaches distances impossible for us to imagine! There you find the Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to our galaxy. It is just 25 trillion miles away! (About 2.5 x 1013 miles (25,000,000,000,000)) Just to reach that star by space travel traveling at our fastest known craft, it would 81,000 years or 2700 generations! And beyond that, we find what is known as Intergalactic Space, which is the space between galaxies. And beyond that, there is absolutely no ending! Can you imaging a place where no human telescope can discover the contents of its black scape? A place where no human will ever go? Distances so vast and great that no human mathematical equation is ever going to measure it? And then to realize that God is bigger than that? Just the mere whisper of the voice of God created it all!”

Lesson Six: God’s work shows God’s character – pay attention to how the plan reveals HIM (not just details of coming events).

We stand beside the mother in the Temple. The friends are gathered close beside. Crowds come and go, each with their own purpose – but we are there for THAT BABY. What a miracle! God certainly gave this old couple something to celebrate… but it wasn’t simply a BABY they were delighting in. No – it was something else. Look at Luke 1:60 “But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John.” And they were all astonished.”

Elizabeth understood something her neighbors did not – this baby was a deeply personal sign to her that God truly is merciful. She needed to learn God was not without feeling toward her shame – He truly is merciful. John (Yôḥānān) is a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhôḥānān), meaning “Yahweh is merciful “. His anglicized name is derived from the Latin Ioannes, Iohannes, a form of the Greek Ἰωάννης which means “God is generous“. Not only did Elizabeth learn of God…Zecharias needed to learn that God was not holding back on him as One who is stingy – He is generous. For both, they needed to trust that God keeps His Word and knows His plan – even when they cannot see it! All the people standing were astonished because they didn’t realize how the old couple hurt over their lack – and how much God needed to teach THEM through the baby.

Months later, Gabriel came to tell Mary Messiah would be born of her womb, Mary arose and visited Elizabeth…and Elizabeth’s words showed how deeply she learned the value of believing what God revealed. She celebrated Mary’s belief! Luke 1:39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 And she cried out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 “And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? 44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.” Yes, blessing comes from believing… and believing reveals God’s character.

Lesson Seven: When God’s work is proclaimed and believed, God’s people can rejoice at the way God spreads the anticipation!

The people saw Zecharias scrambling to write. They saw God open his mouth… Luke 1:64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.

They responded just the way people always do when God changes a life radically right in front of them – they wondered what God would do next. When Jesus healed a lame man at the Bethesda Pools – others heard of His power and looked for His passing by. When he spit on the ground to heal a blind man who washed off the mud at the Siloam Pool, people heard the man proclaim – “Once I was blind, but now I can see!” When lives are changed, the testimony of God grows in the hearts of men and women. When he changes YOU, others have hope. That is the power of testimony!

Fifty Christian truckers got together to pray to pray that somehow the sniper terrorizing the Washington, DC area would be caught. Ron Lantz would be retiring as a driver in a few days and didn’t even live in the area, but he felt sure that God would answer their prayers. In fact, he told the others there that God was going to use him to catch the sniper. A few days later he was listening to the radio as he was driving again through the region and felt compelled to pull off the highway to a rest stop. It was just a couple of miles from where the prayer meeting had taken place. As he pulled in, he was shocked to see a car similar to what was being described on the radio right there before his eyes. Carefully trying to read the license plate, a chill went up his back as the numbers matched. He quickly called 911 and remained there for what he said were the longest 15 minutes of his life until the police arrived. He even pulled his truck across the exit, there would now be no escape for these elusive murderers. The rest is now history-the snipers were taken into custody without incident. News crews reported it. A great testimony of God working through prayer strengthened many!

What moved the couple from disgrace to delight was belief that God’s goodness was certain and His promises would be fulfilled. God didn’t wait for them to believe to do a great work through them – for God has a few great lessons EVEN for those who struggle to believe Him.

“Learning His Real Name” – Luke 1:67-80; Malachi 1-3

It was a day like any other in the line to get into the south porch of the Temple in Jerusalem. To get there, Zecharias and Elizabeth climbed a high ridge from the valley of old vines and terraces at Ein Kerem, the spring of the vineyard (traditional home of the couple). The walk to the high hill took a bit more than an hour. From there, a ridge to the west of the ancient city was fairly flat, but the walk was still more than three hours – half a day total for the journey. Elizabeth walked slowly and carefully at Zecharias’ hand motions of urging. She was advanced in years, but the excitement replaced weariness, and joy made the steps lighter. In their hands, the two carried God’s promise.

We should mention that the journey may have been light on conversation. At least, Zech wasn’t answering anyone. It may be – and was very likely – that neighbors and friends joined for the walk, helping their old friends make the journey. Finally they arrived. They walked the plaza looking for the pigeon salesman with the perfect two birds for their shelmim – a delightful “thank you” offering to God for the baby that just a few years before they never thought they would see. They took the birds and gave them to the Levites for inspection and holding, and then stood in the line at the south porch to get a mikveh – a ritual bath. Elizabeth needed to finish the days of her purification (about a month), and Zecharias needed to complete his obedience to the angel’s words – to see to it that the boy was named JOHN. We saw before that (Yôḥānān) is a shortened form of יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhôḥānān), meaning “Yahweh is merciful“, or perhaps “God is generous“. Elizabeth now knew very well that God was not without feeling toward her shame – He truly is merciful. By now, Zecharias learned that God was not holding back on him as One who is stingy – He is generous. Now they trusted God to keep His Word… but what EXACTLY had God promised in John?

Key Principle: God sent a messenger to prepare people for Jesus’ coming – because some preparation is truly essential to truly understanding Jesus’ message.

Listen to Zech’s words once God opened his mouth again: Everything about Zecharias’ prophecy in Luke 1 spoke out of God’s fulfillment of an old promise. It all pointed out how God was faithful  –  in spite of the fact that men are fickle. He cried out seven truths about John’s coming:

  • God should be praised – He created this blessing. Luke 1:67 “And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…”
  • God has a purpose  – our national redemption. Luke 1:68b “…For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people.”
  • God gave provision – a child of unlikely parents. Luke 1:69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us —In the house of David His servant—
  • God kept a promise – men were told long ago! Luke 1:70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
  • God grasped their pain – He purposed to deliver them from the national shame and hatred. Luke 1:71 Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US;
  • God honored the past – He kept an oath to Abraham and his sons. Luke 1:72 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, 73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
  • God expected a product – The redeemed are to revere Him and serve Him. Luke 1:74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

He followed up with some piercing words shot right at his baby son – all based on what God showed him about John:

Luke 1:76  “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORDTO PREPARE HIS WAYS; 77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation, By the forgiveness of their sins, 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, 79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

You can see it clearly – John would PREPARE HEARTS of people, PREACH HOLINESS by using convicting words to the people. He would PRESENT HOPE to the people surrounded by darkness and POINT HEARERS toward peace with God and each other.

You see, John’s coming wasn’t offered in a vacuum – there was a four hundred year old promise that a “forerunner” was going to come. God promised it, but then took His time fulfilling it. People WANTED IT TO COME TRUE, but after a time simply didn’t believe it would happen in their time – and SURELY WOULDN’T HAPPEN TO THEM. They became “unbelieving believers”. They toughed out a walk without the assurance of the goodness of the God they served. Some fell away, but most served God publicly, and wept quietly. They couldn’t figure out anything else to do. They kept hoping other people that sat near them in worship were experiencing more of God than they seemed to be.

Maybe some of them go to church with us.. even today.

You see, we are very much in danger of “raising a church of atheists” as one writer put it. He described them this way (I paraphrased his thoughts): “They believe in God, but not in any priority of knowing or believing the absolute authority of His Word. They believe in His power, yet worry incessantly and live prayerlessly. They believe in God’s goodness, yet in their daily ignoring of Him and their self-oriented life, they presume on His grace. They desire that He knows them, cares for them and loves them, but not enough to consider carefully what He wants from them. They want the benefits of a relationship without the effort.” They want a God that is part Santa, part Mr. Rodgers, part Gandhi and part genie in a bottle. In reality, many church goers want a SERVANT, not a MASTER. God’s story is great when He is giving salvation freely, or sponsoring a holiday where they GET STUFF – but when it comes to commitment to Him, sacrifice and obedience to Him… well, the ranks thin out.”

By now, we might need John to come back and get us ready for Jesus’ coming this Christmas. We might need a guys whose job description includes PREPARING HEARTS, PREACHING HOLINESS, PRESENTING HOPE and POINTING HEARERS to real peace with God and each other. Yes, it might be a good time for John’s return from retirement… but there is that strange CLOTHING – camel hair – that would make him stick out in our church. Oh, yes – and there is that DIETARY thing – that eating LOCUSTS and honey – we won’t be inviting him to carry ins. Oh, and one more thing… that REMOVED HEAD problem we will have to contend with!

Men and women, long before John was even conceived, God made a set of promises about him that set up the work of Messiah. Before we are ready for Messiah’s entry – that we will celebrate next week – maybe we should consider what God said about PREPARATION for the Holy One’s coming. The promise of a forerunner is found at the collection of the Hebrew Scriptures as we have them in English. The Hebrew edition ends with the books of Chronicles that summarize the whole of the Hebrew Scriptures from Adam to the return from the exile – like a “Reader’s Digest Condensed” Hebrew Bible. In our edition in English, the last words of God were about the forerunner – so that the opening of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John might make sense – with the story of John the Baptizer. Malachi 3 offers the prophecy of forerunner John and fulfiller Jesus – the Gospel writers pick up show the way God delivered on the promise.

Take a minute and skim the words of Malachi before you get to chapter four – because they set up the need and purpose God had for John, and later Jesus. Take a look at chapter one and note a few important words…

Malachi’s OPENING offered two major problems God’s people were fleshing out in chapter one:

First, they showed No Appreciation for all that God had done for them (1:1-5) –  Their priority was on what made their lives seem better, not the incredible blessings God had showered on their people… (does anyone know someone who does that?).

Malachi 1:1 The oracle of the word of the LORD to Israel through Malachi. 2 “I have loved you,” says the LORD. But you say, “How have You loved us?

God used Malachi to speak up and point out the answer. God mentioned Esau and Jacob in verses two and three to show His preferential treatment of their ancestors (2b). By verses four and five, God mentioned a wicked neighboring kingdom called Edom and how God offered Israel exceptional prosperity over their neighbors, and even held down their enemies ability to grow stronger (4-5).

The people saw what they DIDN’T HAVE, not what they DID HAVE. They looked at the economy and complained that job growth was flat. They didn’t marvel anymore at how much they could buy in the local STUFFMART. They much on their “Humpty Meal” at the local “Camel Burger Queen” and complained they didn’t put enough pickles on their sandwich. They stopped noticing God’s daily goodness to them – and whining took over.

Second, in addition to whining, they became personally stingy. The offered Left Over Giving (1:6-14) to God instead of giving to Him their best. Their priority was on keeping for themselves the best, as though God didn’t deserve their best.

Malachi 1:6 “ ‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Your name?’ 7 “You are presenting defiled food upon My altar. But you say, ‘How have we defiled You?’ In that you say, ‘The table of the LORD is to be despised.’

God remarked they seemed “surprised” when He noticed they were treating Him badly by cheating Him (Malachi 1:6). He told them He saw when they presented inferior offerings to Him (1:7-8). He saw when they ignored their sin and sought His favor on their plans anyway (1:9). He saw when they kept on practicing a religious service while their heart was very far away from Him. (1:10), when their religious language on top of a self oriented life did nothing to offer a real testimony, but rather confused a real testimony of the Living God (1:11). He heard their JOYLESS words when they treated His standards as though they are too difficult and burdensome (1:12-13). He recognized when they cheated Him from the best of their flocks – holding back what God wanted them to give to Him (1:14).

In short, they had become a people dedicated to God when it was convenient. When their own advancement at work was set against faithful service to the Lord – the job won and God lost. When their commitment to serve Him was set against the desire to do something they wanted to do – entertainment won and the Lord lost. Their sons and daughters saw the reality of their faith – it was something you TALK, but not something that causes you to GIVE YOUR BEST.

When I admit that God has become too small in my life, and I have become too large in my eyes – my pleasures, my needs, my wants – what can I do?

God offered a series of simple directives to get the people back on track in the rest of Malachi 2-4. John’s promise is found in the middle of them:

Directive One: Turn and face the Problem (2:1-4). Acknowledge the real problem of compromised faith –  all the others stem from it!

Malachi 2:2…  “If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,” says the LORD of hosts, “then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart. 3 “Behold, I am going to rebuke your offspring….

Compromised faith leads to defection of our children. That doesn’t mean that every child that walks away is because of a parent’s failure – but it does mean that SOME are. Sadly, too often we know what they saw at home. We know if we acted selfishly and in an immature way at home – and we know if we gave God our best. Let me be clear: play at worship and give God only what is convenient – and your children will walk away disgusted at FALSE FAITH, because it didn’t come from a PASSION FOR GOD. Meet with believers at church only when “there is something for me”. Sit a lot and serve as little as possible. Fill your schedule with stuff you want to become and stuff you want to experience – and sandwich in ministry “where it will fit” in what is leftover – and your children will know it is not really essential to be a part of God’s ministry. God will rebuke our offspring.

Directive Two: Take God’s Word seriously (2:5-7). After all, Facebook and Email can wait until God has spoken into our hearts!

Malachi 2:5 “ My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him as an object of reverence; so he revered Me and stood in awe of My name. 6 “True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. 7 “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.

God gave His promises (covenant) so that we would treat it as MORE IMPORTANT than any other communication. It should lead us to revere God and stand in AWE of His love, grace and goodness. We cannot crack it open whenever it fits in, learn it if I have time between work and football games, and slip church in whenever I am not busy doing something else. I am not being self serving here. If I don’t do what God has called me to do – teach tirelessly the Word of God – from this pulpit, I have no right to expect that you will take valuable time and listen. Verse 7 presses hard on my soul –and drives my study. At the same time, if you don’t take the time to worship Jesus privately, you diminish all our worship corporately. If you want a convenient faith – you will learn the Bible as effectively as most Americans learn a second language in High School. You’ll take the course, but it will leave you with the ability to “count to ten” after two years. The Bible is content, and learning content takes real work. If your study of the Word is not serious, no amount of my preparation will leave you full in a message. We must learn His Word thoroughly, and use it to inform all of our decision making – He gave His promises as an object of reverence that we should bow in AWE before Him for His goodness.

Directive Three: Recognize the need to be a good example! (2:8-9). Connect the dots between the results and their root causes.

Malachi 2:8 “But as for you, you have turned aside from the way; you have caused many to stumble by the instruction; you have corrupted the covenant of Levi,” says the LORD of hosts. 9 “So I also have made you despised and abased before all the people, just as you are not keeping My ways but are showing partiality in the instruction.

Remember, bad examples lead to bad copies! When we aren’t good models, those who follow us become even poorer representations of the pattern we aspire toward. We complain about the next generation as though someone else had raised them. If they did – we let them. We cannot change the world, but we can change our own yielded spirit to the Lord of Hosts. We cannot fix all the politics, but we can truly, really and deeply surrender ourselves to the Lord’s hand. We cannot protest people into the Kingdom, but we can pack a prayer meeting. We cannot stop godless pagans from seizing the airwaves, but we can draw the attention of our hurting neighbor away from their TV set while we pay for their dinner and laugh with them – showing them that we can converse with them even if they don’t vote for “our guy” (whoever that may be) and like our TV network (whichever one represents your belief system better).

Directive Four: Be honest about our Rebellion (2:10-17). Relationships aren’t the problem, but they point to it. They must be dealt with rightly to get to the root problem.

Issue One: Intermarriage (2:10-12). Making relationships that DON’T honor God.

Malachi 2:11… Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the LORD which He loves and has married the daughter of a foreign god.

I live in a time when many believers regularly and deeply align ourselves with non-believers. We draw lines around forbidden things and think God won’t notice. This isn’t only about marriage – it is about alliances – about committing to things God has forbidden. It is about ALLOWING what GOD DOES NOT ALLOW in my life.

Issue Two: Unfaithfulness in Marriage (2:12-16). Using people in relationships God gave us.

People felt God wasn’t listening to them… 14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. …16 “For I hate divorce,” says the LORD, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with wrong,” says the LORD of hosts. “So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.”

God gave some men in this room a woman to protect and love – and your eye is roving. It may be roving on the net, or it may be roving at work. God gave some women in this room a man to love and cherish, but you are grinding your teeth every time you pick up his socks. You are allowing the enemy to form in your heart a reason to hold back your help – because he is every bit the imperfect man you chose. Look at verse 16 closely. Don’t just guard your tongue, don’t just protect your eye – watch you spirit… guard your heart. Don’t do less than your vows said you would. Don’t ask God to hear your words in prayer if you don’t mean the words you speak when you make promises.

Issue Three: When tolerance replaces truth – ascribing wrong as right (2:17). Perverting the truth and right values.

Malachi 2:17 You have wearied the LORD with your words. … In that you say, “Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them,” …”

It is easy to agree with everyone and everything. It is easy to call the message of Jesus a message of love and forgiveness. It is easy to boil that message down to a “free for all” lifestyle that lets everyone’s opinion be equal. It is easy to play the COEXIST card. There is only one problem – the tolerance message is built on the notion that there is no ABSOLUTE KNOWABLE TRUTH. It is sweeping the halls of our schools and flying over the airways of a lost generation. It is both incompatible with the message of Jesus (“I AM THE WAY”)  and devastating (“He that has not the Son has not life”) – but many are framing it as the Christian message! Shouldn’t the Christian message be the one that Jesus Christ Himself preached? When we call evil good… God withdraws from the room, because our words no longer make sense.

Directive Five: Remember He is coming and you will stand before Him (3:1-5). Recognize the holiness of God, and His call to your holiness.

Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the LORD of hosts. 2 “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? …”

We must ask the frank and clear question: “Am I living in obedience to God’s Word and way?” Don’t try to cover the question by listing all the things you do –  I go to church. I work for the church. I sing in the choir or play in the band. I teach a class. I serve God most of the time….Last time I checked that is not the standard. Partial obedience doesn’t cut it….I know this church. We try to extend grace to people and give them a chance to work out the issues in their lives. May I remind you again that our mission as a church is to lead people into a growing relationship with Christ? Our goal is not to hand out free passes to heaven that allow people to continue to live any old way they want. Growth comes from obedience. The Bible clearly states that if you know to do good and don’t do it you are sinning. You are disobeying God. …Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “. . .it is only through obedience that you come to learn the truth.” In fact he strongly suggests that obedience itself is an act of faith. “Are you worried because you find it so hard to believe? No one should be surprised at the difficulty of faith, if there is some part of his life where he is consciously resisting or disobeying the commandment of Jesus.” (Pastor Wes Humble, sermon central illustrations).

Here was the preparing word of John to those who would hear the message of Jesus:

  • Face the reality of Compromised Faith: if no other reason than our children’s sake.

  • Get back into the Word of God: the rest of the stuff we read can’t make us what God wants us to become.

  • Get serious about or Example before others: they are reading the Bible they see in us.

  • Be honest about the relationships I am in – are they honoring God?

  • Get serious about what is going on inside us  – that quiet rebellion we let go on in our hearts.

The time when it will be apparent what we have truly lived is coming. A TV news camera crew was on assignment in southern Florida filming the widespread destruction of Hurricane Andrew. In one scene, amid the devastation and debris stood on house on its foundation. The owner was cleaning up the yard when a reporter approached him. “Sir, why is your house the only one still standing?” asked the reporter. “How did you manage to escape the severe damage of the hurricane?” “I built this house myself.” the man replied. “I also built it according to the Florida state building code. When the code called for 2 x 6 roof trusses, I used 2 x 6 roof trusses. I was told that a house built according to code could withstand a hurricane. I did, and it did. I suppose no one else around here followed the code.”

When the sun is shining and the skies are blue, building our lives on something other than the guidelines in God’s Word can be tempting. But there’s only one way to be ready for a storm – or get ready to meet a Holy Savior…and we want to get ready because the day is approaching fast. God sent a messenger to prepare people for Jesus’ coming – because some preparation is truly essential.

Stages of Growth: “Celebrating Myself” – 2 Samuel 24

The end of David’s biography in the Bible is not about how GOOD a man or a king he was, but rather a series of stories of how God redeemed a flawed man and watched out for him with great friends and honest prophets. The story of the founding of the Temple fits this time and this pattern.

David had many great days of following God, but near the end of his reign, he began to believe his own press. His success went to his head, and his pride led him to folly. The outcome was a costly lesson to him that exposed a deep truth of God – the true meaning of repentance and obedience.

Key Principle: Repentance is not simply deciding I am wrong in what I did. It is not tears over how bad I feel about what I did. It isn’t even crying out loud that I am wrong and despicable. Real repentance is surrender to God’s way in the inner most part of me.

I. The ego trip: five steps down (24:1-9).

David opened himself to sin (24:1; cp. 1 Chron 21:1). Note: The Lord once again turned his face from Israel (as in 21:1 and the story of Gibeon’s revenge) when David opened his heart to Satan’s stirring (1 Chron 21:1) and David ordered a military census to rejoice over what David had accumulated and to give him a man made security over an impending trouble. James 1:13 – God doesn’t tempt!

David drew others into his sin (24:2)

David turned off godly counsel (24:3). It has been my experience that we find it easy to block out godly counsel and quickly forget what we heard when we DO hear it. We have selective hearing and selective memory. An older couple had trouble remembering common, day-to-day things. They both decided that they would write down requests the other had, and so try to avoid forgetting. One evening the wife asked if the husband would like anything. He replied, “Yes. I’d like a large ice-cream sundae with chocolate ice cream, whipped cream and a cherry on top.” The wife started off for the kitchen and the husband shouted after her, “Aren’t you going to write it down?” “Don’t be silly,” she hollered back, “I’m going to fix it right now. I won’t forget.” She was gone for quite some time. When she finally returned, she set down in front of him a large plate of hashbrowns, eggs, bacon, and a glass of orange juice. He took a look and said “I knew you should have written it down! You forgot the toast!”

David ignored nine months of emptiness in distance from God (24:4-8). Problems have a way of growing when we ignore reality. Take this true story from our American past: Every February on George Washington’s birthday, the late newspaper columnist, Frederick C. Othman, used to visit the West Wing of the Smithsonian Institution, look at a certain statue there among the antique printing presses, then reprint this piece in his column as a tribute to governmental  bungling…. “I regret to report that Father of this country looks as goose-pimply as ever – all 11 feet, 4 inches of him – with a sheet around his middle, a laurel wreath on his brow, and his bare toes in the breeze.” I guess you might call this the result of one of Congress’s sorriest experiences with the arts. “It began in 1833, when Horatio Greenough was paid $5000 to sculpt a heroic statue of George Washington for the Capitol’s rotunda. Horatio went to Florence, Italy, and emerged several years later with a 20 ton marble statue. When the longshoremen started to hoist the statue onto a boat, the rope broke and George sank in the mud. The U.S. Navy sent a battleship to Italy, fished George out and took him to New York. Because some railroad tunnels between there and New York weren’t big enough, they took him to New Orleans and forwarded him by deviant routes, without tunnels, to Washington. This artistic enterprise by now had cost some $26,000. “When the statue proved too heavy for the Rotunda, it was quickly moved to the Capitol lawn, where the unveiling came on George Washington’s birthday, 1843. The Navy band tootled, the lawmakers made speeches, the Speaker of the House pulled the string, and sure enough – there was George Washington, twice as big as life, scantily clad as a Roman Senator! “Over Capitol Hill rose a horrified gasp. After weeks of bitter debate, Congress decided to build a wooden shed for $1600 to hide the statue. By 1908, the shed was so weather beaten – and the lawmakers so mortified, that they appropriated a final $5000 to tear it down and haul the semi naked Washington – in the dead of night – to the Smithsonian.” Why did this Frederick Othman visit the Smithsonian every February… and then (every February) reprint this story about this statue? Because in Washington D.C., Othman was constantly exposed to governmental waste and incompetence – AND this story perfectly symbolized the emotions of anger and frustration he felt every time he was exposed to the bad judgment of elected officials.

David got what he wanted – the fruit of his sin (24:9).

II. The sound of Repentance (24:10)

David Realized the Problem (24:10a).
David Took his trouble to the Lord (24:10b).
David Verbally admitted his wrong (24:10b).
David Asked for cleansing (24:10b).

The problem with verbal people is they can sound like they mean what they are saying, even when their heart doesn’t really agree. We must learn how to both obey in the heart, and use our lips wisely. I think you will quickly sympathize with these men who learned to use their mouth well the hard way:

TOP 10 Lame-brained, Foot-in-mouth Compliments from a Husband to His Wife

10. “You look great for a woman who has had four kids.”
9. “This is almost as good as mom used to make.”
8. “Thanks for the new shirt. It’ll be great for working on the car.”
7. “That’s a great new hairdo, Honey. How much did it cost?”
6. “I never knew you could sing that close to pitch.”
5. “I like it when you wait until halftime to vacuum.”
4. “Whaddaya want me to say? Okay, you look fabulous.”
3. “This … meatloaf is a neat color.”
2. “Yes, that actress is beautiful, but you’re pretty on the inside.”
1. “Wow, that makeup works wonders!”

III. The Test (24:11-16). Note: God never tests us so that He can learn anything!

God sent a test to expose David’s heart (24:11-13).

Under pressure, David blurted out his selfishness (24:14). We have an almost unlimited capacity to be selfish. A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagon load of corn. The farmer who lived nearby heard the noise. “Hey Willis!!” the farmer yelled, “Forget your troubles. Come in with us. Then I’ll help you get the wagon up.” “That’s mighty nice of you,” Willis answered, “but I don’t think Pa would like me to.” “Aw, come on,” the farmer insisted. “Well okay,” the boy finally agreed, and added, “but Pa won’t like it.”  After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host and said, “I feel a lot better now, but I know Pa is going to be real upset.” “Don’t be foolish,” the neighbor said with a smile, “by the way, where is he?” “Under the wagon,” the boy replied.

Judgment fell all about David, exposing to him his inner sickness (24:15-16).

IV. The Breaking Point (24:17).

David watched in horror as others paid (24:17a). “A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, but sometimes a loving pat won’t bring the desired result.”
Finally he recognized his ego is the problem (24:17b).
David asked for a personal penalty (24:17b).

V. The Redemption (24:18-25).

God didn’t continue the discipline, but gave David something he could work on (24:18).
David obeyed immediately and precisely (24:19).
David had an opportunity to sacrifice personally so that he could accept the grace and restoration of God (24:20-25).

God didn’t need a place to meet. The Tabernacle was already more than 400 years old, and the ark was parked on the high place at Gibeon. Why the building program? Because God gives us an opportunity to be LIKE Him, to participate in the relationship by giving, building and working.He doesn’t ask us to do it because He can’t. He does it for US. In the case of David, he gave him something that would help David visually get back on track. God’s forgiveness isn’t always the issue. Often, the real problem is accepting God’s forgiveness once it dawns on us how despicable we really are!

God offered an outward sign to help David come to the solid realization that his heart was truly open…

Repentance is not simply deciding I am wrong in what I did. It is not tears over how bad I feel about what I did. It isn’t even crying out loud that I am wrong and despicable. Real repentance is surrender to God’s way in the inner most part of me.

Matthew 3 shares the teaching of John the Baptizer: Bring forth fruits worthy of real repentance. Let him who has ears to hear, move from hearing to doing!

Stages of Growth: “The Five Heroes” – 2 Samuel 23

Every generation needs heroes! We need to see role models that stand up to the test of adversity and come through with hope and strength. This morning we reach into the reign of David to meet some of the heroes of a generation and ask, “What makes a hero of these followers of God who served David?” You may be surprised at what you see!

I want to look at something today that will encourage us in a time of battle. In that time we are called to be a good soldier, and a good soldier doesn’t point the weapons at headquarters. It is always a mistake to start saying, Oh, God, why did you do this to me? Oh, God, why did you wreck my car and plug up the washing machine? Why did you make me sick? When the shield is heavy and your having trouble keeping the belt of truth on is no time to attack your commander and chief. God is not the problem. He is the answer. It is time to get a firm grip on the sword, tighten up the belt of truth, and to begin to speak the truth.


You don’t have to panic and you don’t have to fall. Let’s turn in our Bibles to 2 Samuel 23 and meet some heroes on the way to meeting the king they served, and then push on to see the God the King served.

I want to talk about five of David’s mighty men, but I also want to address OUR MEN, and the women that love and depend on them.

Key Principle: God is looking for some heroes, and we need to grow and shape some right here in this room.

A few years ago a study was conducted among Peace Corps volunteers. Researchers took a random sample of volunteers and split them into two roughly equal groups: those who completed their tour commitments and those who returned home early because of “problems of adjustment and conduct (including psychiatric terminations)”. This study was nearly unaffected by the volunteers’ socio-economic background, because the sample showed almost all of them were college graduates from middle-class families. The study asked about their upbringing and their father figure. The researchers did not differentiate between reasons for a father’s absence in the volunteer’s life, but allowed the client to state whether their dad was absent or present, whether “psychological” or physical absence, the age at separation from their father figure, and any other father figures who may have stepped in. An “absent” father was said to be one who was away from the child’s residence, for whatever reason, during at least the child’s tenth through fifteenth years. The results were startling. Of the people who completed their duties, 91 percent came from backgrounds with a father in the picture. Among those who came home early, 44 percent had absentee fathers. The study was repeated, and again there was a wide gap of difference: 14 percent and 44 percent. We’re finding similar results in study after study. The evidence must not be ignored: your children need you. (Ken R,. Canfield, PH.D. The 7 Secrets of Effective Fathers: Becoming the Father Your Children Need. Wheatland Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 1992. Citation: Peter Suedfield, “Paternal Absence and Overseas Success of Peace Corps Volunteers,” Journal of Consulting Psychology 31 (1967): 424-25.

  1. Yoshev-basshevet the Ta-chemonite who went by the nickname “Adino the Eznite” (2 Samuel 23:8; 13-17).
  1. Eleazer son of Dodo the Ahoahite (of Benjamin; 2 Samuel 23:9-10; 13-17)
  1. Shammah son of Agee a Harrarite (2 Samuel 23:11-12; 13-17).

Everyone else ran away. Everyone else fled from the Philistines, but Shammah was not affected by what everyone else did. It’s important that we don’t let what everyone else does affect what we do. He was determined. How determined are you today to hold on to what God has given, and to claim the blessings that are rightfully ours through the shed blood of Jesus? Maybe Satan is trying to overrun your pea patch where health is concerned. Take the sword to him. Let your hand or heart cleave to the Word of the Lord. Maybe he’s trying to overrun your pea patch where finances are concerned. Satan is a thief. We must be determined to defend our heritage of faith.
If we don’t defend our blessing, the thief will come to steal.

  1. Abishai son of Joab (and David’s sister, Zeruaiah, ie his nephew – 2 Samuel 23:18-20).
  1. Benaiah son of Jehoida, a favorite son of the village of Kabzeel (2 Samuel 23:20-23)

What does the record of these men teach us?

1. They were all out numbered BUT, MIGHTY MEN STAND THEIR GROUND!

  • 23:8 says Adino stood against 800 with only his spear. 800 men came to do battle, and did he stick his head between his legs and run? NOT on your life! He raised his spear and 800 men fell in one encounter!
  • 23:9 says Eleazar whose hand became weary in battle, but his hand clave to the sword, and the Lord gave a great victory. He did battle until he was so tired that his hand froze to his sword.
  • 23:11 says Shammah stood in the midst of a piece of ground full of lentils and defended it. Shammah’s attitude was: “This is my pea patch. It may not be much in anyone else’s eyes, but it is mine. I won’t surrender it to the enemy. Here is the line, and I am not backing up.”
  • 23:18 says Abishai faced 300 armed men and used a spear on them all. He wasn’t as good as the big three, but he had to LEAD them. What a job!
  • 23:20ff says that Benaiah didn’t care if he was fighting a stocky Egyptian or a lion in a snowy pit, he didn’t turn and run in a two on one. He stood his ground in spite of the odds. He was a guy with guts (a hutspan!).

What is our gut reaction when the battle looks unwinable in the flesh? Do we stand our ground and fight or do we run? These men teach us that God uses those who stand for Him even when it looks bad for the home team.

2. They faced strong opposition, BUT MIGHTY MEN DON’T THROW DOWN THEIR WEAPONS in the day of battle.

  • 23:8 says Adino stood on the carnage of 800. The grammar suggests they were sword slain.
  • 23:10 says Eleazar’s hand was stuck to his favorite sword. Just a word here about this man and his victory:

a.) A WEAPON HE HAD CONFIDENCE IN. Eleazar wielded his sword with confidence – it had proven reliable to him time and time again.

b.) A WEAPON HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH. Eleazar, by constant use, had mastered that sword. Before he ever came near the battlefield he had defeated a thousand imaginary enemies – he had practised with it for hours on end. He was familiar with its feel and its weight; he knew what it could cut through, and how much force he needed to swing it with. He knew how to use it both defensively and offensively – he was totally at home using this sword. He was so familiar with it, in fact, that it became just like an extension of his own arm.

  • 23:12 suggests Shammah used something like a club or blunt instrument to hold onto his lentil field.
  • 23:18 chose a spear against 300 warriors.
  • 23:21 says Benaiah used a club to get himself a spear that belonged to his foe.

There really is something uncommon about the courage to stand for one’s convictions when tested. Psalms 78:9 tells of the children of Ephraim how they turned back in the day of battle.

It says: 78:9 The sons of Ephraim were archers equipped with bows, {Yet} they turned back in the day of battle. 78:10 They did not keep the covenant of God And refused to walk in His law; 78:11 They forgot His deeds And His miracles that He had shown them.

At the risk of spiritualizing the story, I have to admit I cannot resist the temptation to the sword analogy:

  • Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
  • Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

Too many of my generation have forsaken the sword, and the power is lifting in their lives. They are offering little leadership because they haven’t learned the manual of leadership, and they haven’t spent time with the king they serve. Mighty men know their weapons, and they don’t leave them lying in the car, sitting in the church, laying on the night stand. They are sharpening their use of them, and getting ready for a battle that is coming.

  • Peter admonishes us, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (I Peter 5:8).” The enemy has one goal and that is our destruction!
  • “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6: 12).”  Remember THE ENEMY MUST BE OVERCOME!
  • “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings (I Peter 5:9).”

We cannot give into the enemy, there is too much at stake. How? We give in my laziness, lacking the presence of mind to look at right things, and away from wrong ones…

3. Other around them fled, BUT MIGHTY MEN DON’T MOVE WITH THE CROWD.

They were not moved by what those around them did. Did you notice ANOTHER COMMON THREAD in several of the stories? Two of our mighty men were left in a lurch when the battle got the hottest:

  • 23:9 says that Eleazar lost his team and they didn’t return until it was time to strip the bodies and get the spoils of the battle.
  • 23:11 tells us the people with Shammah fled before the Philistines when they entered the bean field.

Paul had this happen much later, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might heart it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me form every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom (2 Timothy 4:16-18).”

4. They were tested to give up, BUT MIGHTY MEN DEFEND WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY THEIRS.

  • 23:8 says that Adino wasn’t going to leave the field to the enemy for God had promised it to Abraham’s sons.
  • 23:10 says that Eleazar was numb and tired by was going to swing until the last enemy fell.
  • 23:12 says Shammah stood smack dab in the center of Israel’s pea patch and said, “Go ahead, make my day!” No Philistine is getting this land!
  • 23:18 says that Abishai wasn’t leaving until all 300 fell to his spear and David his king was safe.
  • 23:20 says that two princes, a lion and an oversized Egyptian fell in front of Benaiah, but he wasn’t giving up the ground God had given His people Israel.

We need a new sense of what God has given us to defend, so we can march out and take our stand! When Don called home from the road one evening, he spoke briefly to his nine-year-old daughter: “Honey, could you get your mommy on the phone?” He then heard Tasha blurt out, as she set the receiver down on the counter: “Hey Mom, the invisible man is on the phone!”
In that moment, even before his wife got on the phone, Don went through a transformation. He couldn’t laugh it off. He had to face the fact: “There’s something more important than achieving success at work. It’s being a dad.” SOURCE: Ken Canfield, PH. D. The Heart of a Father. Chicago: Northfield Publishing, 1996. Who are you? Will you be the invisible man? OR will you serve the Lord’s mission in your life?

In his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace, Phillip Yancey tells the story of Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway grew up in a very devout evangelical family, and yet there he never experienced the grace of Christ. He lived a libertine life that most of us would call “dissolute”… but there was no father, no parent waiting for him and he sank into the mire of a graceless depression. A short story he wrote perhaps reveals the grace that he hoped for. It is the story of a Spanish father who decided to reconcile with his son who had run away to Madrid. The father, in a moment of remorse, takes out this ad in El Libro , a newspaper. “Paco, meet me at Hotel Montana, Noon, Tuesday… All is forgiven… Papa.” When the father arrived at the square in hopes of meeting his son, he found eight hundred Pacos waiting to be reunited with their father. Was Paco such a popular name? Or is a father’s forgiveness the salve for every soul? SOURCE: Rev. Brent Eelman, D. Min. Northwoods Presbyterian Church, 1998.

5. They had opportunity to rest BUT MIGHTY MEN SERVE WITHOUT BEING ASKED TO SERVE THEIR KING (23:13-17).

How selfish can a man be? Men can be pretty selfish (AMEN LADIES?) David wants a cup of what from Bethlehem. Without asking, specifically, So the three mighty men broke through the Philistines lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David (verse 16).” Did you catch that? For a cup of water these men risked their lives!! David didn’t even ask them to do it! They did it of their own volition!

Were they commanded by David to get the cup of water? NO
Were they compelled by duty to get the cup of water? NO
They went because they loved their King.

Some of you are writing off this passage and saying, but Pastor, look, these were extraordinary men. They probably trained for years to become men of battle. They probably graduated from West Point. NO! Remember 1 Samuel 22:1,2 says that there were three classes of these men who came to David in his rejection as King.

1. There were those who came in Distress. The were persecuted by Saul.

2. There were those who were in Debt and about to be sold into slavery.

3. There were those who were Discontented and unhappy with what life had to offer. Life had not been good to them.

There were a lot of men in David’s army. What made these men stand out. What was it that made them different than the rest. All of these Mighty men had one thing in common. They loved the king. They loved him more that their own lives. They were willing to risk and to sacrifice.

6. They fought for God’s program, BUT MIGHTY MEN SEE GOD BRING THE VICTORY.

Isn’t it time we took a stand where our family, our health, and blessing from God are concerned?
Isn’t it time we let our hand cleave to the Sword and say, Devil this is my pea patch. You’re going to have to leave in Jesus name.

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

I want to be one of the few – don’t you. Are you satisfied with just being a Christian? Wouldn’t you rather be a soldier on the front line for your Savior. These mighty men were a picture of the Spirit –filled believer. The Times in which these men lived were:

Times of Great Conflict. – The enemy was out to destroy.
Times of Great Cowardice. – The enemies greatest weapon was fear.
Time of Great Victory. – Thru these men God defeated the enemy.

God is looking for some heroes, and we need to grow and shape some right here in this room.

Stages of Growth: “The Tower I Trust” – 2 Samuel 21:15-22:29

Have you lived with the pressure of a persistent and seemingly insurmountable problem for a long time, and felt overwhelmed by it? So did David. He may have been a king, but he was a king with nagging troubles. Today we’ll hear from his mouth how he saw God’s faithfulness in the defeat of the problem!

The end of the book of Samuel has four chapters that act as an appendix to the book. The appendix includes two major songs of King David, a sin that introduced the building of the Temple, and the two strange stories we are about to encounter.

Chapter 21 has two stories that sound like, “tying up loose ends from the past”. They are not attached to the time in the life of David, but are admittedly strange stories placed together near the end of the book of Samuel. The two stories are:

Last time we looked at five lessons that came from a famine because of Saul’s sin against Gibeon (21:1-14). The lessons were:

  1. Silent suffering isn’t necessary – we can ask God about things that go wrong!
  2. Guessing at God’s will is bad, while seeking God works!
  3. God deals with sin in a consistent way, He doesn’t change.
  4. God deals through unchanging covenants, and wants us to live up to ours!
  5. Trouble can be a great educator to help me see what I wasn’t seeing!

As we wind down the pages of this book, a second story creeps into chapter 21 in verses 15-22. It is the story of another leftover nagging problem of David, followed by a song about the victory God gave him! The story is of the final end to the Goliath of Gath family and their insurrections (14:15-22).

Goliath, with whom David fought at the outset of his military career, had a number of offspring who were left over and needed to be dealt with.

  • David’s fight was a personal one (21:15a,16). David fought battles with this great adversary of God’s people repeatedly. Though he killed Goliath early in his fighting career, even before he was king, yet the Philistines came back and fought again a number of times in his life. We have only a few details about these continued incursions, but we know the problem continued. Remember that David killed Goliath (1 Sam. 17), and took his sword from the field of battle. It was later put back in David’s hands by the priests of Nob (1 Sam. 21:9). David was PERSONALLY hated by Goliath’s family, and that was a persistent sore that wore on him throughout his reign.
  • David wore out from the persistence of the problem, and his age. He needed the strength of his mighty me about him to win the battle (21:15b,17a-22).
  • David found himself celebrating not just what God did in his hands, but what God did through the hands of those around him, in obedience to the Lord and in His strength (22:1-51)

Key Principle: When we cry out, God will rescue us. He sees the truth – all the truth!

The Song of Celebration

Who is our God? (22:2-4)

This is where praise begins. It starts with understanding what God says about HIM, so we can make sense of all of history and our purpose. Knowledge of HIM is the source of our praise! Look at WHO He is (2 Sam. 22:2-4):

  • He is my Rock (Sela’) of Refuge (chawsaw, as in machase). This speaks of a natural place prepared for the warrior without his aid, as a place to hide from the onslaught of an enemy. God has prepared for me places to hide that I did not build. He provides a way of escape from temptation, or a cave when the storm approaches. Even though I didn’t make it, I can use it.
  • He is my constructed battle shield (magen: either battle protection), my constructed fortress (metsadati), my built up high strong tower (misgav) of retreat hideaway of protection (manocee). This speaks of the carefully constructed place of refuge that was built in times of peace, so that in times of war, the warrior could find the special place to stand.

A constructed fortress provides a place of protection. All the strength in the world is useless unless we have the proper protection. Ask General George Custer. “The regiment consisted of approximately 750 officers and enlisted men, and was accompanied by a contingent of about forty Arikara Indian scouts. Also in the column were three companies of infantry and a Gatling gun platoon, all supported by wagons carrying supplies. 2000 rounds of ammunition per company. Each soldier was armed with the single-shot, .45 caliber rifle with 100 rounds ammunition The troopers also carried a .45 caliber, single-action revolver with twenty four rounds of ammunition.” Lots of fire power, Lots of strength, but no fortress to provide protection. And we all know the outcome.

All he needed was a high vantage point and a built place of fortification, and he would be untouchable! In the Battle of Little Big Horn, these would have changed the course of the battle. There was a place near the battlefield called Weir point. It was the highest point along the river and would have afforded Custer an unlimited view of the Indian village had he gone there. For whatever reason, he chose not to go and because of his lack of perspective, he made some fatal choices. No high place, no built fort, no protection.

  • He is my Deliverer (m’pawlati; from pawlat: to be whisked away in a rescue) and Savior (yeshua). This speaks of the time when built defenses fail and no safe place is found, and the cavalry comes in to save the day. He comes when my signal flare is fired, because I have no way to save myself! (22:4).

I would like to give you a homework assignment. Sometime at home…during your time of personal prayer and devotions… Take out a piece of paper and a pen… and begin to look back over your life… think back about those times that God was with you… think back about those times that God answered your prayers… think back about those times that God spoke to you… think back about those times that God intervened in your life… and begin to write about it! Don’t worry if you aren’t a skilled poet like David… But just write down your praise to God… let it flow from your heart. Like I mentioned earlier… it is always good to let people know that you love them… well, let Jesus know that you love Him… and let Him know why… and do it on paper… It will be meaningful to Him… and it will be a blessing to you as well.

Let me share my experience (David sings – 22:5-16)

  • Where I was (22:5-7):
  1. I was being swallowed by waves that overwhelmed me (22:5).
  2. I was dying inside (22:6).
  3. I was in a squeezed place and I cried out to God (22:6).
  • What God did (22:8-25):
  1. He heard from Heaven’s Temple (22:7). God listens when we cry. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
  2. He responded in a storm on earth (22:8-16):
  • The earth shook and trembled (22:8).
  • A storm came with a hamseen wind (22:9).
  • Thick clouds followed (22:10).
  • He blew a mighty wind (22:11).
  • He darkened the sky and brought strong rains (22:12).
  •  Thunder and lightening struck the earth (22:13-15).
  • Eroded cracks formed and were exposed from the rushing waters and sharp winds (22:16).

3. He snatched (lawkhak) me from the raging sea (22:17). **Note that God did not cause me to avoid the pain and squeezed place. He waited for my call, then rescued!

Paul Harvey told about a 3-year-old boy who went to the grocery store with his mother. Before they entered the grocery store she said to him, “Now you’re not going to get any chocolate chip cookies, so don’t even ask.” She put him up in the cart & he sat in the little child’s seat while she wheeled down the aisles. He was doing just fine until they came to the cookie section. He saw the chocolate chip cookies & he stood up in the seat & said, “Mom, can I have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you not even to ask. You’re not going to get any at all.” So he sat back down. They continued down the aisles, but in their search for certain items they ended up back in the cookie aisle. “Mom, can I please have some chocolate chip cookies?” She said, “I told you that you can’t have any. Now sit down & be quiet.” Finally, they were approaching the checkout lane. The little boy sensed that this may be his last chance. So just before they got to the line, he stood up on the seat of the cart & shouted in his loudest voice, “In the name of Jesus, may I have some chocolate chip cookies?” And everybody round about just laughed. Some even applauded. And, according to Paul Harvey, due to the generosity of the other shoppers, the little boy & his mother left with 23 boxes of chocolate chip cookies.

4. He set me upon a place that I could not be destroyed even when I was not strong enough to win the fight (22:18).

In the late 1800’s Ira Sankey was very famous for being D.L. Moody’s song leader. On Christmas Eve of 1875, he was traveling up the Delaware River on a steamboat. Some of the passengers recognized him and asked him to sing for them. So, he sang the old hymn, “Savior Like a Shepherd Lead Us.” One of the lines in that hymn says, “We are thine, do thou befriend us. Be the Guardian of our way.” As Sankey finished the hymn, a man stepped out from the shadows. He asked Sankey if he had ever served in the Union Army. He said he had. Then the man asked, “Can you remember if you were doing picket duty on a bright, moonlit night in 1862?” Sankey was very surprised and said, “yes.” The man looked up at him and said, “I was there too. But I was in the Confederate Army. It was my job to shoot you that night. As you stood there, completely exposed in the bright moonlight, I drew my aim. Then you lifted your head and began to sing the same song you just sang. When you finished, it was impossible for me to take aim again. I thought, ‘The Lord who is able to save that man from certain death must surely be great and mighty.’”

  • He upheld me when they could have crushed me on my own (22:19).
  • He relieved me of the tight place and gave me room to breathe well (22:20; ct. 22:7 “distress” which is b’tsar: in a tight squeeze).
  • He spent time delighting in me and hugged me as one He missed! (22:20).
  • He has rewarded me and known that I was clean before Him (22:21-25).
  • What God knows (22:26-**):
  1. He know if our actions toward others are kind (22:26a).
  2. He knows if the surface truth is our real intention (22:26b).
  3. He knows if we have an untainted heart (22:27a).

A little boy was in the grocery store with his Mom. He just happened to be standing next to an open box of chocolate chip cookies. The grocer spotted him and said, “Son what are you up to?”“Nothing,” replied the boy. “Nothing?” questioned the grocer. “Well it sure looks to me like you were trying to take a cookie.” “Well, you’re wrong mister. I’m trying NOT to.”

  1. He is more clever than our attempts to finesse and decieve Him (22:27b).
  2. He knows if we are unfairly hurt, or if we are proud and deceptive (22:28).
  3. He lights up the truth in my life (22:29).

Key Principle: When we cry out, God will rescue us. He sees the truth – all the truth!

Five small boys had obtained permission from their parents to camp outside their small town near a wooded area. They were having a wonderful time until darkness settled in. Then they began to have certain fears and misgivings about their adventure. However, they eventually snuggled down in their sleeping bags under the tent hey had set up. They talked loudly among themselves and laughed a great deal to counteract fear, and were finally settling down then they heard a noise rustling in a nearby bush. They panicked until their flashlight revealed a friendly dog. In the middle of the night the wind howled through the trees making a moaning noise. The rumble of distant thunder kept coming closer on the winds of an approaching storm. The closer the storm came the more they huddled in fear. Then they heard the sound of footsteps outside. A new fear assailed them. But one fellow had the courage to look out under the tent flap and there, lantern in hand, stood his father, who had become concerned for the boys and had come to stay out the rest of the night with the boys. The young boy said: “It’s all right now, fellows, my Dad is here.”

Aren’t you tired of trying to live without your Father to protect you and walk with you?

Stages of Growth: “The Snowball Effect” – 2 Samuel 21

Why do we go through tough times even when we are doing right? Sometimes it seems as though it is getting tougher and more stressful to live modern life. Why? It may have to do with the “snowball effect” of sinful behaviors. As we pass through time, the snowball is growing. We pay for our own trouble making, but also pay indirectly, for the troubles that have been made before us. History bears this out, and so does the Word. Sadly, we still don’t seem to get it…Disobedience has a price that is incalculable to us, and to our children, and our children’s children…

There is hope in our text today. Following the trail of others mistakes can offer us a lesson that saves us pain.

Key Principle: God’s Word offers us a pain-filled portrait to help us avoid the same mistakes.  Education can be gained by experience or example – but example hurts us less!

Today, I want to look at five lessons that will help us learn by example.

The end of the book of Samuel has four chapters that act as an appendix to the book. The appendix includes two major songs of King David, a sin that introduced the building of the Temple, and the two strange stories we are about to encounter. Chapter 21 has two stories that sound like, “tying up loose ends from the past”. They are not attached to the time in the life of David, but are admittedly strange stories placed together near the end of the book of Samuel. The two stories are:

  • A famine because of Saul’s sin against Gibeon (21:1-14). The Israelites made a covenant with the Gibeonites 400+ years before David. King Saul must have convinced himself it was so “old” it really didn’t have a binding force any longer. He and his family tried to stamp them out. His actions brought a famine upon the land of Israel some time after he died. It fell to David to deal with Saul’s covenant breaking and make things right. The Gibeonites want justice and said it was necessary to deliver seven descendants of Saul for something done years in the past, in violation with a covenant that was 400 years old.
  • A final end to the Goliath of Gath family and their insurrections (14:15-22). Stranger still is finding that Goliath, with whom David fought at the outset of his military career, had a number of offspring who were left over and needed to be dealt with.

Lesson One: God doesn’t want us to suffer in silence (21:1). Sometimes you can see things are going right, but not be sure why. We can ASK GOD about his trials (something God reminded later believers to do in James 1:5. (21:1-2).

“The Inquiry” (21:1a): Israel suffered from a three-year long famine, and so David inquired of the Lord to learn why He had sent this famine. (21:1a). David sensed the famine came from the hand of God. The Mosaic Covenant indicated famine would come from God’s hand as a judgment for sin (see Deuteronomy 28:23-24; 2 Chronicles 6:26-31).

To understand the verses let’s think for a moment about the Gibeonites and their city. The Word reveals there was a:

  • Treaty Made: Our author refers to them as Amorites (21:2), but they are more technically known as the Hivites (Joshua 9:1,7;11:19). They lived in Canaan, and God had commanded Israel to annihilate (Exodus 33:2; 34:11; Deuteronomy 7:1-2). Israel was tricked (Joshua 9), under the leadership of Joshua. Though its warriors were among the best (10:2) the Gibeonites believed that God had given the land of Canaan to Israel. They sent a delegation to the Israelites’ camp, pretending to have made a long journey from a distant place. The Israelites made a covenant of peace with this “distant” people. When the Israelites learned that they had been deceived, they wanted to kill the Gibeonites, but their recent covenant prevented them from doing so. And so the Israelites made the Gibeonites their slaves, and made them chop wood and draw water, especially for the house of God (Joshua 9:16-17).
  • Treaty Tested: The Gibeonites’ treaty with the Israelites saved them from death by the Israelites, but it also put them in danger with their fellow-Amorites. When five Amorite kings learned of the defection of the Gibeonites and their alliance with Israel, they viewed the Gibeonites as their enemies. They set out to attack and destroy the Gibeonites (10:1-5). The Gibeonites sent word to Joshua at Gilgal, asking for his help, which they got. Joshua was assured by God that He would give them the victory: “Not a man of them shall stand before you” (10:8). Marching all night from Gilgal, Joshua routed the five Amorite kings with a great slaughter at Gibeon. As they fled from before Joshua, God brought down great hailstones on them, killing more with the hail than with the sword (10:11). Even so, the victory was not complete, and so Joshua prayed that God would cause the sun to stand still, giving the Israelites more time to destroy the Amorites. The sun stood still over Gibeon, so that there has never been a day of battle like it before or since. One can only wonder what these Gibeonites thought as they beheld the hand of God, and as they partook of God’s blessings on His people, the Israelites.

Further, the Word tells us about Gibeon and its “Area Events”:

  • When the Israelites took possession of the land of Canaan, the city of Gibeon was allotted to the territory of Benjamin, and it was also set aside for the Levites (Joshua 21:17). A nearby “high place” (Nabi Samwill) held for a time the tabernacle (see 2 Samuel 6; 1 Chronicles 16:39-40; 21:29). Early in his reign, Solomon went up to this high place to offer sacrifices and God offered to grant whatever Solomon requested (1 Chronicles 16:39; 21:29; 2 Chronicles 1:1-13; 1 Kings 3:4-5).
  • Gibeon was the hometown of Saul’s forefathers (1 Chronicles 8:29-30; 9:35-39). It was also the place where 12 of Ish-bosheth’s men (Saul’s son) engaged in some kind of contest with 12 of David’s men, which turned into a bloody battle (2 Samuel 2:12-17).
  • It was also the place where the “great stone” was located, where Joab met Amasa and killed him (2 Samuel 20:8). Later, when David grew old and Joab foolishly supported Adonijah (against Solomon) as David’s successor, he would flee to Gibeon and cling to the horns of the altar, but to no avail (1 Kings 2:28-34).

Now, 400 years after the Israelites were tricked by the Gibeonites, Israel was being punished…so David called on God, because it was the RIGHT thing to do!

Lesson Two: When we guess and do not ASK GOD what will honor Him in a situation, we create more problems than we solve! (21:1b-2).

“The Answer” (21:1b-2): God answered that it was because of the sin of Saul and his bloody house, a sin against the Gibeonites (21:1b-2). In the Hebrew text: “For Saul, and for [his] bloody house.” Though the law of Moses forbade Israel to punish children for the sins of their fathers: (“Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16), God’s words to David seem to emphasize the fact that Saul did not act alone in seeking to annihilate the Gibeonites. His family became accomplices in this plan. What had Saul done? Apparently, Saul and his house commenced a program of genocide against the Gibeonites and take their ancestral territory into the private inheritance of their father’s family (an honor issue). 21:2 indicates this was attempted out of some misguided patriotism! What a reminder to stick to the script!

One student observed: “Saul just didn’t seem to be able to get it right.” He refused to completely annihilate the Amalekites, whom God commanded him to kill (1 Samuel 15), and he tried to annihilate the Gibeonites, whom he could not put to death. Thinking to do Israel and Judah a favor, Saul brought a famine on the land. We do not know how far Saul got with this evil scheme, nor what stopped him from completing his task. We DO know that Saul’s actions were a violation of Israel’s covenant. Until reading about it in this text, we would never have known anything about Saul’s bloody scheme.

Saul never seemed to fail to get it WRONG. Most of it he did by guessing at God’s will, instead of asking for it and listening when God revealed it!

Lesson Three: God has consistent principles in dealing with sin, and has revealed them to us! (21:3-6). Here are some of those important principles:

#1) Sin gives away reward of God.  “The Inquiry” (21:3): David knew he must make atonement and needed the blessing of the Gibeonites to regain God’s favorable blessing in the removal of the famine. The Gibeonites must “bless” (release) Israel, the people of God, in order for God to once again bless Israel. When the believers sinned against non-believers, God removed His blessings and withheld their prosperity – until the made right the people they cheated. Even though the believers still knew God, He was not going to bless them the same way until they tried to make it right.

#2) Sin gives away control of my future course. (21:4) David called the Gibeonites and asked what he should do to make this matter right. The Gibeonites made it clear that it was not money they wanted. Just a note here: When we wrong people, it is not what WE feel will make it right that counts the most, it is what THEY feel. That is one of the profound penalties of sin. We become the servant of those who we have hurt, and surrender the blessing and power over all rectification.

#3) Sin’s judgment isn’t partial. God doesn’t play favorites in the sow and reap principle of life. He did not excuse or overlook the sins of those He chose. He did not condemn the Canaanites for their sins and then condone the same sins among His chosen people, Israel. (21:5-6) The Gibeonites told David that since Saul destroyed some of them and purposed to kill them all, they would find justice served if but seven of Saul’s “sons” were handed over to them for execution. They would hang these sons “before the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD” (verse 6). Hanging was the punishment used for very serious crimes (see Genesis 40:19; Deuteronomy 21:22-23; Joshua 8:29; 10:26). The Gideonites promised they would hang Saul’s sons “before the LORD.” It seems to me that they were viewing this matter as they should, seeing that they were carrying out God’s will in a way that satisfied (propitiated) Him, and thus satisfied them as well. They would carry out the execution before the city of Saul, before the Lord in Gibeah of Saul. The Gibeonites made a point of referring to Saul as “the chosen of the LORD.”

#4) Sin’s judgment isn’t my job! It is God’s business and His authorized agents alone! (21:6b “the king said”). The Gibeonites didn’t bring about the judgment of God, God brought out the righting of the wrong for them. This was not a vengeful hatred; it was a careful justice. I know that because they didn’t initiate the judgment, they waited until asked and acknowledged (even in their hurt) the position of Saul as “God’s chosen one.”

God says:

  • “If you ever take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, you are to return it to him before the sun sets, 27 for that is his only covering; it is his cloak for his body. What else shall he sleep in? And it shall come about that when he cries out to Me, I will hear him, for I am gracious” (Exodus 22:26-27).
  • Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (James 5:4).

#5) Sin’s judgment will arrive. It may not come immediately, but it will come (21:6b “I will give them”). Saul’s “sons” were selected. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, was spared because of David’s covenant with Jonathan. The two sons of Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, are executed, along with the five sons of Saul’s daughter, Merab. The Gibeonites took these seven men and “hanged them in the mountain before the LORD” (verse 9). The execution took place at the beginning of the barley harvest.

Lesson Four: God takes covenant agreement seriously (21:7-9).

David restricted the sons taken based on his covenants, and then gave the Gibeonites the seven sons as requested by the Gibeonites (21:7-9). They were not murdered, they were executed by legal command of the authority.

This illustrates the serious nature of a covenant in Scripture. David’s dealing with the Gibeonites, at its root, is a matter of keeping covenants. Israel had made a covenant with the Gibeonites. Even though this covenant was 400 years old, God still took it seriously. Saul broke that covenant by trying to rid the land of them. No matter how good his intentions might have been, the covenant should have been kept. The breaking of that covenant had serious consequences for Saul’s family and it brought a famine on the land of Israel.

God deals with men in terms of covenants. Time does not weaken God’s covenants. Even when men do not take their covenants seriously, God does. He expects us to keep our covenants:

  • Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. 2 Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. 3 For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. 4 When you make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for {He takes} no delight in fools. Pay what you vow! 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your speech cause you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger {of God} that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands? (Ecclesiastes 5:1-6).
  • In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, But who honors those who fear the LORD; He swears to his own hurt and does not change (Psalm 15:4).

Think through the implications of this lesson with me. It takes my mind in three directions:

#1 Even when a covenant is entered into foolishly, as the Israelites and Gibeonites, God expected a believer to keep covenants. How many times we have witnessed the marriage ceremony where a man and a woman enter into the covenant of marriage. Then a few years later, one partner (or both) decided the marriage hasn’t been all they hoped it would be. How do you think God feels about the breaking of the covenant of marriage? We are not left in doubt:

13 “This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. 14 “Yet you say, ‘For what reason?’ Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. 15 “But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.” (Malachi 2:13-15).

#2: I know the story is bloody, and it is hard to understand. Yet, in the Biblical economy, blood was shed to atone for sin. This story vividly illustrates how one man can die for the sins of another. Remember, that was true for our sin as well:

  • And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
  • There is only one Person’s blood that was shed which can save us from our sins — the blood our Lord Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary: In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:7).
  • 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:11-14).
  • 17 If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:17-18).

#3: It is amazing to me how this story illustrated that the disobedience of Israel led to a blood payment on behalf of the Gentiles, only to lead back to the blessing of Israel! The Gibeonites were sinners, worthy of God’s wrath. It was due to Israel’s foolishness (if not sin) that a covenant was made with the Gibeonites. These condemned Gentiles were saved by Israel’s failure. And, wonder of wonders, it will be through the Gentile Gibeonites that Israel will once again enter into God’s blessings.

Is this not a foreshadowing of the way God will bring salvation to the Gentiles, and then through the Gentiles bring blessing to the Jews? Romans 11:11 says:

11 I say then, Israel did not stumble so as to be permanently rejected, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery–so that you will not be wise in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB.” 27 “THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” 28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

Lesson Five: Troubles can make us face laxity in our own walk (21:10-14).

David corrected something of an oversight of his own in the story as well. Saul had done wrong, but Saul was a king of Israel. David forgot to bring the bones of Saul and Jonathan home to Benjamin and bury them with honor in the family tomb of his father Kish. It was not the execution of Saul’s sons which brings healing to the land. Not until after the burial of Saul and his sons does the famine end (verse 14).

Rizpah, a concubine of Saul, had two sons put to death by the Gibeonites. The bodies were not removed, as it would seem they should have been (see Deuteronomy 21:22-23). Rizpah highlighted their improper disposal and called to David’s attention an oversight on his part that he had to deal with. Since the bodies of Saul’s sons were left unburied, this mother determined to watch over them, stationing herself nearby so that she could drive off both birds and devouring beasts. David got word of this, and by Rizpah’s actions was prompted to take action. These were seven of Saul’s sons, who were not yet given a proper burial. David was reminded that Saul and his three sons had not been properly buried either.

Though brave men from Jabesh-Gilead marched all night to take the bodies, burning them and burying their bones under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh (1 Sam. 31:11-13) David did not offer them a family burial later and honor them appropriately.

The final words of verse 14 are significant: “And after that God was moved by entreaty for the land.” We would have expected to read something like: “And so God removed the famine that had plagued the land for three years.” Instead, we are informed that God once again heard the prayers of His people beseeching Him to cease His judgment on the land. In other words, the people must have been praying for God to remove the famine for the entire three years, but God would not heed their petitions because of the sin of Saul and his bloody house. Now that this sin was atoned for, God would listen to the prayers of the people.

Note what Solomon said to God only a few years later:

26 “When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, and they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them; 27 then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants and Your people Israel, indeed, teach them the good way in which they should walk. And send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. 28 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, if there is locust or grasshopper, if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or whatever sickness there is, 29 whatever prayer or supplication is made by any man or by all Your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own pain, and spreading his hands toward this house, 30 then hear from heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know for You alone know the hearts of the sons of men, 31 that they may fear You, to walk in Your ways as long as they live in the land which You have given to our fathers” (2 Chronicles 6:26-31).

God answers prayer. In this case, the author of our text in 2 Samuel underscores the fact that God removed the famine because He took heed of the prayers of His people. And He took heed of their prayers because the sin which hindered their prayers had been atoned for. Let us not miss the point that our author seeks to stress: Sin hinders our prayers, but when that sin has been dealt with, God then heeds our prayers. Let us not underestimate the importance of prayer.

There you have it, five important lessons:

  1. Silent suffering isn’t necessary.
  2. Guessing at God’s way is bad, but asking works!
  3. God deals with sin in a consistent way, He doesn’t change.
  4. God deals through unchanging covenants, and wants us to live up to ours!
  5. Trouble can be a great educator to help me see what I wasn’t seeing!

God gave us models and bread crumb trails, because God’s Word offers us a pain-filled portrait to help us avoid the same mistakes those who went before us made. Learning by example is less painful than learning by experience.

Stages of Growth: What’s Wrong with Being a Rebel? – 2 Sam. 20

What’s wrong with being a rebel? We celebrate some rebels as heroes. George Washington and his army fought the American Revolution to rebel against the tyranny of a British king named George III. Those of us born and bred by the grace of God south of the Mason-Dixon Line are sometimes known as “rebels” in honor of our Civil War ancestors. The good guys in the movie Star Wars were known as the Rebel Alliance and everybody cheered them on to defeat the Evil Galactic Empire. Books and films paint rebels as heroes—misfits who are always in trouble at school, always in trouble with the law, standing alone, living life on their own terms, answering to no body else, a law unto themselves.

That sounds pretty inspiring, but there’s a problem when you start translating rebellion into real life. Teachers and principals tend to frown upon students who disrupt class by disobeying the rules. Parents don’t see that rebellious son or daughter as a hero. The criminal who refuses to obey the law doesn’t get awards for his brave rejection of society’s laws. The hard-headed, hard-hearted man/women too stubborn to listen to those who love them aren’t very easy to live with. The Bible says that one of our big problems is all of us have rebellion living in us, and if we’re not careful, our rebel will ruin us.

Key Principle: Rebellion is a serious affront to God with terrible consequences.

There are six truths about rebellion we must face from God’s Word today:

I.  Rebels reject legitimate authority. (v.1-2)

Let’s step back and see what God said about David before we look at what Sheba said about David:

  1. God said that He was the rightful king over the people, but they felt they needed something a little closer to home (1 Samuel 8:6-9). God had the right, and God passed the authority to the king of Israel.
  1. God took from Saul the authority because of his continual disobedience and his hard heart toward God (1 Samuel 15:26-28).
  1. God selected David as the next king, even when David didn’t know anything about it. The authority of David was conferred by God, not grabbed by David (1 Samuel 16:1,12).
  1. God covenanted with David to establish his throne (2 Samuel 7:15-18) even when David knew he did not begin to deserve it!

There you have it. David was on the throne because God vested His Divine authority on the undeserving man and made him king. Go back to 2 Samuel 20:1 and our view becomes clearer. Sheba didn’t simply reject David, he rejected God’s right to place him on the throne and promise his throne endurance! Because of that, in God’s sight, Sheba was worthless!

Idolatry Principle: We become of no use to God when we decide to become our own god and decide what is right, in spite of what God’s Word says. Rebellion is in essence idolatry, and God will not tolerate it!

Any parent of a two year old can recognize the great battle of the wills. It be as far back as the Garden of Eden when the serpent said to Eve (Genesis 3:4-5) “The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!  For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Note the progression into rebellion:

  1. Listen to the Devils tempting voice.
  2. Believe his utter rejection of God’s truthfulness.
  3. Buy into his suggestion that God has another motive, to keep you from getting what is best.
  4. Promise that you will become LIKE GOD!

 

That was the same attitude we in the character named Sheba. Sheba rejected David’s authority, and at the same time, rejected God’s authority. Why? One reason may be because Sheba is from the tribe of Benjamin—the clan of the previous king of Israel named Saul. Perhaps he’s still angry over Saul’s rejection and David’s acceptance as king of Israel.

One thing is clear: this rebel has no respect for legitimate authority.
This is something all rebels share in common-a rejection of authority.

“Nobody tells me what to do.” For a rebel rules are made to be broken. You don’t need anybody else’s help, or advice. Who needs a boss? Who needs parents? Who needs God? Stand with one foot in, and one foot out, and dare anybody to try and make you do anything.

So what’s wrong with being a rebel? First, it is a rejection of God’s right to be God, to place that person in your life as an authority. An authority that deserves your respect, your obedience, your submission- an authority placed there by God Himself.

Why should I do what my parents tell me? Ephesians 6:1 “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

Why should I do what my teacher, or the law demands? Romans 13:1 “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”

Are there exceptions to these rules? Yes, but they are rare in Scripture and truthfully, most of us don’t deal with the exceptions. Most of us live life under the normal circumstances addressed by the rule, and the rule is this: when you reject a legitimate authority in your life, you are rejecting the authority of God. You are being a rebel. The price in your life is that your Creator cannot use you for a great purpose. You become a broken tool, worthless to Our Father’s uses.


II. 
Rebels always hurt other people. (v. 3)


There was a terrible wreck a few month back on US 27. The driver had already been convicted 4 times for drunk driving and had a suspended license. He nevertheless got behind the wheel of a car and drove after having too much to drink. He ended up plowing into a van full of a family, killing several, and critically wounding several others. The drunken man was not hurt, but is now charged with more serious crimes, including vehicular homicide. He pleaded with the judge that “He didn’t mean to kill anyone” and I am sure that was true! The simple fact is that his rebellion cost some people their lives. That’s another big problem with rebellion, they invariably hurt others, even the ones they love.

Look carefully at verse three (20:3). David was cleaning up a mess left in the palace by his now dead son, Absalom. Rebellion left a mess. Because of Absalom’s sin with the concubines of David, they paid a penalty the rest of their lives. The sexual sin was open rebellion. Yet, there are other kinds of rebellion, and they are also seen in this snapshot of David’s life.


III. 
Rebels overestimate their importance and abilities (4-5).

Look at verse 4 (20:4). There is a second person mentioned, the new head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, name Amasa. David called on his to gather the army together in a three day period, for the rebellion of Sheba was underway. If you keep reading, you will note that Amasa didn’t obey. WHY he delayed isn’t specified. There may be several reasons, but let me take a shot at one.

It occurs to me that Amasa might have felt that he had leverage and power over David because he mistakenly felt that David NEEDED him to maintain his position. That’s one of the mistakes that rebels often make. They think that they have escaped the need to obey God’s appointed authority because they are TOO IMPORTANT to the cause of God. How many men in ministry have fallen because they made that mistake!

Here is an important principle: Delayed obedience is disobedience. You cannot put off the things God tells you to do NOW. The delay may be your utter undoing!

It is also worth mentioning that rebellious people are terrible predictors of the future, and unable to see the consequences of their rebellion. The three Sebring High School students that were charge with murdering an eighty year old resident that lived a mere mile and a half from here this past week, had no idea that they were ruining their lives when they decided to break into a home and steal from an 80 year old man. Rebellion can be quite, but it is rebellion no less. Rebels don’t see it coming, but they are swept out of the way in a flash, and the same was true of Amasa. It is worth remembering when teens begin idolizing the rebel at school.

 
IV. 
Rebels think the rules don’t apply to them, and as a result cannot be trusted, even by each other! (6-13).

David sent Abishai instead of the rebellious Amasa to stop the Sheba rebellion (20:6). While Abishai was mustering the troops, Joab (his brother) joined the ranks. Only then did Amasa (the cousin of both Joab and Abishai) show up (20:7-8). Joab showed up “dressed to kill” (pun intended 20:8b).

Joab allowed his sword to fall out of its sheath, and in a display of affection, grabbed Amasa by the beard as if to greet him with a kiss. Instead, with his left hand he thrusts his sword far into the abdomen of Amasa, and his insides come gushing out.

Why did he do it? Why did he kill this man who was not only his relative, but on the same side in this war? Was Joab jealous? Joab was also a rebel. He was merciless, and left his foe to wallow in his own blood, not even giving him a decent burial. “Follow me!” he shouted to David’s army, and left Amasa to die like a wounded animal. (20:9-13)

Rebels will hurt anyone. How do I know? I’ve talked to parents whose kids reject everything they taught them. I’ve seen their tears of pain and worry. That boy/girl is out having a good time, but mom and dad are in misery, and that rebel doesn’t even care.
I’ve talked to that wife, and that husband, whose spouse who won’t stop drinking or doing drugs, who won’t come to church with them, who won’t stop doing what’s wrong, who is too stubborn to admit they are wrong or so proud they refuse any kind of help. That kind of pain runs deep, and leaves scars not only on the spouse, but the kids.
“I’m not hurting anybody but myself.” That’s a lie. When you rebel, you hurt everybody who loves you, everybody who depends on you. Rebellion can break the hearts of the people who love you most.

Rebellion even breaks the heart of God. Isaiah 65:2 I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts; Who does your rebellion hurt? You may say, “I really never realized how I’m hurting the people I love. I never stopped to think about who else is suffering for my rebellion.” Now is the time to think about it.

Besides, if you look at life carefully, you will find that other rebels can’t be trusted, and don’t trust you. Only a fool trusts a person who thinks the rules don’t truly apply to them!

 
V. 
Rebels carve their path on the road to destruction. (20:14-26).

There is a rule in our house we have attempted to follow consistently: we don’t punish our kids for mistakes, or accidents. We focus on willful disobedience. I don’t want my kids to grow up and think that you can rebel against God and against authority and get away with it because you can’t get away with it.

Flashback to this rebel Sheba, who has made it all the way to the town of Abel on the outskirts of Israel; a town known for wisdom, hiding a rebellious fool. (20:14). Joab, maybe hoping to get back in David’s good graces by crushing this rebellion, geared up for the attack, though the citizens of Abel aren’t sure why they are being assaulted.

A wise woman of the city council met with Joab (20:16-21). She wants to know why he came to kill innocent people, and Joab explained. Send him out, and I’ll be glad to leave the rest of you alone. The wise old woman tells Joab .

“Don’t do anything until I return”. Inside the walls of the city, Sheba is already planning his escape. If these folks can just hold Joab off a little longer, he’s sneak out and get away. Who cares what happens to them? The old woman makes her way back to the crowd and explains the situation. Joab doesn’t have a quarrel with any of us. He only wants this stranger here. Send his head out, and he’ll go back home. Sheba’s face goes white. You can’t be serious! Can’t we talk about this? Give me some time to get away! Can’t we make some kind of deal? In a few more minutes, Joab sees what’s he’s looking for come sailing over the walls of the city. One of his men brings it to him. He confirms it’s his man, and then he and his army head back to Jerusalem. This rebel problem has been solved.

Do you suppose this is how Sheba expected his story to end? Probably not. He would rather have gone on to become somebody great, somebody big, somebody important. Instead his own pride brought his destruction. If he had never rebelled against David, he could have lived to a ripe old age. But rebellion stole his future from him.

What about this other rebel, Joab? He seems to get away with his rebellion. But later on, the Bible tells us in 1 Kings 2:28-35 that Joab’s rebellion catches up with him, too.

There is a serious problem with being a rebel! You cut your life expectancy dramatically. It is a poor career move. You never really get away with it. Rebels are on the road to destruction.

You don’t have to do what the teacher or coach tells you- you can walk out and impress all your friends with your bravado. But quit school, and you can kiss that diploma good-bye. When you get tired of that boss ordering you around, you can tell him what you think and clock out. But you’ve got to make a living somehow, or you’ll end up with nothing. You can only get caught breaking the law so many times before they take away your license or send you to jail, where you most certainly will develop a habit of obeying rules. You can even thumb your nose at God for awhile—but not forever. Sooner or later, you will answer to Him. Sooner or later rebels come to the end of the road and meet the Judge.

On Oct. 22, 1999 professional parachutist Jan Davis was practicing the dangerous sport of BASE jumping—parachuting off fixed objects lke high cliffs or towers. She was making her jump off the 3200 foot granite cliff of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. She knew BASE jumping had been outlawed because of 6 others who had died doing the same thing she was doing. Her own jump was meant as protest, to prove that BASE jumping was safe. Yet still she stood at the top of the mountain and leapt off, and as her husband and several others watched, her parachute did not open properly, and Jan Davis feel for 20 seconds before she crashed to her death. Jan Davis paid for her rebellion with her life.

Does this sound foolish to you? Of course. But it’s no more foolish that willfully rebelling against God and the legitimate authorities He has set up in the world. What will your rebellion cost you? I don’t know. All I really know is that when you and I rebel, we are travel the road to destruction.

But you and I don’t have to stay on this road. Rebellion is a choice we make. We’ve all made that choice many times in our lives. But we don’t have to keep making that choice, and we don’t have to live with the guilt of our rebellion. God has done the most amazing thing when He sent Jesus Christ to die on the Cross not for good people, not for obedient people, but for rebels like you and me. He died to transform rebels into children of God.

In his book Pursuit, evangelist Luis Palau tells the story of his nephew whom he calls Kenneth. Kenneth lived most of his adult life in open rebellion against God as a homosexual. But in his early 20s his rebellion caught up with him, and he contracted AIDS. Not long after the diagnosis, he met with Palau and announced Jesus Christ had forgiven him for all his sins. Palau was skeptical. Kenneth, how can you say that? You rebelled against God, you made fun of the Bible, you hurt your family terribly! And now you say you’ve got eternal life, just like that? His nephew looked him straight in the eyes and replied, Luis, when the doctor told me I had AIDS, I realized what a fool I have been. I did repent, and I know God has had mercy on me. I know the Lord Jesus has forgiven me. Several short months later, at age 25, Palau says, Kenneth went to be with the Lord—saved like the thief on the cross from his rebellion by the grace of God.
What so wrong about being a rebel?

I wonder if you can admit this morning the rebellion in your own heart? How many of you realize the danger and pain you are bringing to others to yourself, and to God this morning? Right now is the time to lay down your arms, and surrender to the Lord Jesus Chris. Will you come and bow before Him, and submit your life to Him today? Why don’t you come now?

VI. Rebels set up rebellion behind them!

Rebellion is learned and perpetuated when it is glorified. This is the danger we face in the media today. Note the word of Sheba “We have no portion in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!” (2 Samuel 20:1b). Now compare the words spoken by Sheba in our text with these words, spoken by Israel after the death of Solomon: When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; To your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!” So Israel departed to their tents (1 Kings 12:16).

It is almost as though Sheba’s words become the motto of those who rebel in Israel. The roots of division between Judah and the other tribes of Israel run deep in Israel’s history, but it is evident that Israel was a divided kingdom for a very short time in David’s day. This division is never completely healed. It may lay dormant for the years of Solomon’s reign, but it comes to life after his death. In all of this, God is preparing the nation for the division He purposes. The second time the nation divides, it will not reunite. The northern kingdom will fall to Assyria, as a lesson to Judah, a lesson which will not be heeded. And so the southern kingdom will also fall, this time to the Babylonians. God is providentially preparing the nation for their coming division in the events of our text.

 Rebellion is a serious affront to God with terrible consequences.