Ezekiel 22: 23- 30
As you may well know, ancient cities were walled for defense. The walls, of course, had to be kept in good repair, but sometimes a part of the wall would deteriorate and fall, leaving a gap or breach. When this happened the city would need to immediately begin restoration. In the meantime armed men would be posted in the gap to protect the city from enemies and invaders.
In this passage, God is essentially telling His prophet, Ezekiel, that the spiritual and moral wall surrounding Israel is deteriorating and crumbling. The land is awash in sin and corruption. There is strife, violence, extortion and oppression, sexual perversion and religious deception. And every level of society is indicted ~ government officials, religious leaders, merchants, and ordinary people.And what does the Lord say? He tells Ezekiel, “I’ve been waiting for at least a few good men to begin the repair work and stand in the gap… Where are they?” God could not find even one man who would stand up to be counted, who would put his shoulder to the plow to begin the work of restoration, no one to begin the repairs, no man who would stand in the gap.
History repeats itself. God is searching for men who will begin the work of restoration and stand in the gap for this nation .The Lord is calling young men, husbands and fathers to care enough, believe enough and be brave enough to make the necessary sacrifices for home, community and country.But what does it mean to stand in the gap and rebuild the wall?
If you are inclined to make a commitment to take a stand and do what needs to be done to advance the Kingdom, what exactly do you need to do?Standing in the gap involves several different things, prayer certainly being one of the most important. Moses interceded for the Hebrew people when they sinned as we read in the Psalms: “Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.” We are specifically called upon in Scripture “to pray, lifting up holy hands,” making petitions and offering thanksgivings “for all people; for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct.”
And, of course, proper conduct is fundamentally important. In the Proverbs we read that “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” And also the Book of James tells us that the “heartfelt prayer of a good man works very powerfully.” The Lord Jesus teaches us that our outward conduct provides a witness, a testimony to our faith and can draw people to God.Jesus said, “In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” Francis of Assisi echoed these words: “Preach the Gospel every day and if you must, use words.” The way in which we live out our lives speaks volumes. Actions speak louder than words. This message is especially important for fathers. Who hasn’t heard the old adage, “Like father, like son.” The conduct of the father ~ that is, his character and integrity or lack thereof ~ makes a unique and indelible imprint on the lives of his children.
It almost goes without saying, then, that it is absolutely imperative the man of the house ~ the husband and father ~ be a good role model. And this is a necessary part of rebuilding the wall, you see: raising up a new generation of men and women of character and integrity. And though this is possible without the presence or cooperation of the man of the house, it is exceedingly more difficult.
Gentlemen, God calls on us to put our shoulder to the plow and work to be the kind of husband and father we ought to be, the kind of Godly husband and father that God calls us to be to our wives, our children, our families. This is a great responsibility when we realize that lives have been placed in our hands, and God calls us to watch over the lives of our families and be good stewards.
Part of rebuilding the wall around our church, our country and community and standing in the gap entails bold witness and courageous testimony. It calls for men to stand up with boldness, finding their voice, taking a stand for what is right, and “speaking the truth in love.” It calls for laying aside the old self, as Paul instructs, and putting “on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness.”
It calls for men to be actively involved in the Church, to take hold of the reigns of responsible leadership and, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, “contending earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” It calls for men becoming salt and light in this dark and dying world. God is calling for men to be raised up to reflect the light of Jesus into the darkness.
Rise Up!
It means calling that which is right to be right, and calling that which is wrong to be wrong.
Rise Up!
It means fearlessly proclaiming the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ without shame, embarrassment, reservation or hesitation.
Rise Up!
It means standing up and boldly declaring that I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ… for it is the Power of God for Salvation!
Rise Up!
To stand in the gap means to put your faith on the line and this takes divine courage and strength, Godly conviction and steadfast commitment.
Rise Up!
It is not a duty for the faint-of-heart.
Rise Up!
Rise Up, O Men of God!
Have done with lesser things!
Give heart, and mind, and soul, and strength
To Serve the King of Kings!
Rise Up!
I Bid You Peace,
Pastor Ken+
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Show and Tell
Mark 4: 21 – 32
Have you ever wondered what the Kingdom of God is really like? I’m not referring to what we will experience after we have been called home to be with the Lord. We have several different words about this in the Bible, and we often sing hymns about “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be…”
No… today I would like to focus on the subject of what the Kingdom of God is really like. We have examples of what the Kingdom of God is really like. People have been asking what the Kingdom of God will be like, and we have Jesus’ own words to reflect on from Luke 17: 20 – 21… Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
So Jesus has given us the basic idea that we are a part of the Kingdom of God… and that the Kingdom of God is active among each of us. It has nothing to do with the flesh, but is evident when we gather together to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. Paul writes these words to the church at Rome… “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.”
I could go on and on about different writings that make an attempt to describe what the Kingdom Of God is like, but I would like to focus on two parables… two analogies… Jesus showed us each day and in many different ways what the Kingdom of God is like… in the ways in which he taught his disciples, and in the ways in which he touched and healed the people around him… and then he told us what it was like through different parables and stories… Show… and Tell…
First he talks about what happens when someone experiences a relationship with Jesus… you do not hide a lamp under a basket or under a bed, but you put it in such a position that it’s light can be seen throughout the whole house. He was laying down some groundwork for this particular teaching when he told us that “There is nothing hidden which will not be revealed… and that with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you…
Then he launches into the first analogy… Notice the words from verse 26… “The Kingdom of God is as if…” and he talks about a man scattering seed on the ground. Soon enough that seed sprouts and grows… how it grows is a mystery, but Jesus pointed out three distinctive phases of that seed’s growth… it germinates and sends up a blade… then soon enough the blade grows and produces an ear… and then the corn develops in the ear. So there is a growth process involved with the Kingdom of God… just as there is a growth process involved with every facet of life.
Then Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed… Again, notice his words from verse 30… “To what shall we liken the Kingdom of God?” And then he talks about a mustard seed… the smallest of the smallest seeds… so small that it would look like a tiny dot on a piece of white paper… but when it is sown into the ground and allowed to germinate produces one of the largest herbs known to mankind… so large, in fact, that it shoots out large branches that the birds can nest under its shade…
Jesus’ whole point in these two parables was to tell his followers that Kingdom Living is a process, and that it often takes patience… especially when he knows that his people often hate to wait for results, but our faith walk is just like the kernel of corn, and the mustard seed… a little bit of patience, and a whole lot of cultivation will yield a bumper crop of results for the Kingdom of God.
There is another point to these two parables that needs to be brought to your attention this morning. Jesus not only points to the vast potential that is contained, not only in those two insignificant little seeds, but also in our faith, but he also points out in another passage the value of sacrificial living… preferring others above self… In John 12: 20 – 25 we read this story… Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. “ The Greeks at the Feast wanted to see Jesus… perhaps to talk with him, and to learn of him… and Jesus gave the message that if somebody wants to see Jesus, that person needs to die to self… or as he put it elsewhere in the Gospels… Take up your cross and follow him… and you will bear much fruit.
Theologian and Author Karl Barth once said that when Jesus calls us and draws us to HIM, He calls us to “Come and Die…” If you feel that God is calling you into a closer relationship with HIM… with Jesus… with the local branch of the Body of Christ, he tells us to come, not with our own agendas, but with hearts open to listen to HIS word, hands ready to do his bidding, mouths ready to sing his praises, and feet ready to follow where he leads.
I Bid You Peace,
Pastor Ken+
Have you ever wondered what the Kingdom of God is really like? I’m not referring to what we will experience after we have been called home to be with the Lord. We have several different words about this in the Bible, and we often sing hymns about “When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be…”
No… today I would like to focus on the subject of what the Kingdom of God is really like. We have examples of what the Kingdom of God is really like. People have been asking what the Kingdom of God will be like, and we have Jesus’ own words to reflect on from Luke 17: 20 – 21… Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
So Jesus has given us the basic idea that we are a part of the Kingdom of God… and that the Kingdom of God is active among each of us. It has nothing to do with the flesh, but is evident when we gather together to worship HIM in spirit and in truth. Paul writes these words to the church at Rome… “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.”
I could go on and on about different writings that make an attempt to describe what the Kingdom Of God is like, but I would like to focus on two parables… two analogies… Jesus showed us each day and in many different ways what the Kingdom of God is like… in the ways in which he taught his disciples, and in the ways in which he touched and healed the people around him… and then he told us what it was like through different parables and stories… Show… and Tell…
First he talks about what happens when someone experiences a relationship with Jesus… you do not hide a lamp under a basket or under a bed, but you put it in such a position that it’s light can be seen throughout the whole house. He was laying down some groundwork for this particular teaching when he told us that “There is nothing hidden which will not be revealed… and that with the same measure you use, it will be measured to you…
Then he launches into the first analogy… Notice the words from verse 26… “The Kingdom of God is as if…” and he talks about a man scattering seed on the ground. Soon enough that seed sprouts and grows… how it grows is a mystery, but Jesus pointed out three distinctive phases of that seed’s growth… it germinates and sends up a blade… then soon enough the blade grows and produces an ear… and then the corn develops in the ear. So there is a growth process involved with the Kingdom of God… just as there is a growth process involved with every facet of life.
Then Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed… Again, notice his words from verse 30… “To what shall we liken the Kingdom of God?” And then he talks about a mustard seed… the smallest of the smallest seeds… so small that it would look like a tiny dot on a piece of white paper… but when it is sown into the ground and allowed to germinate produces one of the largest herbs known to mankind… so large, in fact, that it shoots out large branches that the birds can nest under its shade…
Jesus’ whole point in these two parables was to tell his followers that Kingdom Living is a process, and that it often takes patience… especially when he knows that his people often hate to wait for results, but our faith walk is just like the kernel of corn, and the mustard seed… a little bit of patience, and a whole lot of cultivation will yield a bumper crop of results for the Kingdom of God.
There is another point to these two parables that needs to be brought to your attention this morning. Jesus not only points to the vast potential that is contained, not only in those two insignificant little seeds, but also in our faith, but he also points out in another passage the value of sacrificial living… preferring others above self… In John 12: 20 – 25 we read this story… Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. "Sir," they said, "we would like to see Jesus." Philip went to tell Andrew; Andrew and Philip in turn told Jesus.
Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. “ The Greeks at the Feast wanted to see Jesus… perhaps to talk with him, and to learn of him… and Jesus gave the message that if somebody wants to see Jesus, that person needs to die to self… or as he put it elsewhere in the Gospels… Take up your cross and follow him… and you will bear much fruit.
Theologian and Author Karl Barth once said that when Jesus calls us and draws us to HIM, He calls us to “Come and Die…” If you feel that God is calling you into a closer relationship with HIM… with Jesus… with the local branch of the Body of Christ, he tells us to come, not with our own agendas, but with hearts open to listen to HIS word, hands ready to do his bidding, mouths ready to sing his praises, and feet ready to follow where he leads.
I Bid You Peace,
Pastor Ken+
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