Sermon Notes from Sunday 4 January 2015
Nahum 1 verses 1 – 15
“The Lord is God a stronghold in the day of trouble
and he knoweth them that trust in him.” verse 7
This
is a three- fold dimension of God. The
God in whom we trust today is a stronghold in the day of trouble and he knoweth
them that trust in him. “The Lord is
God” signifies his character. “a
stronghold in the day of trouble” signifies his company. “he knoweth them that trust in him” signifies
his concern or care for us.
Nahum
has a message from the Lord about Assyria, a cruel and mighty nation. Assyria ruled the whole empire at this
time. Nahum is telling the people that
Ninevah’s day is about to come to an end because God is going to move on
it. He will show what he will do to the
most powerful nation of the world, he will bring them down. The Bible tells us that he sets up nations
and brings them down. One hundred years
previously Jonah had been sent to this same city to preach repentance. God told Jonah to tell the people that if they
repented, turned from their sin, trusted the living God then God would save the
nation. The nation listened to Jonah’s
word and God pardoned the nation. Now this
young prophet Nahum has a different message.
Assyria has drifted away again into idolatry and sinned. It was time now for God to judge this nation. He is coming with great wrath on this
nation. The same principle must follow
for us today. To go on rejecting God,
turning our back on God, judgment must come on our lives, on our community, on
our nation. Sin will not go
unpunished. God is of purer eyes to
behold iniquity (Habakkuk 1 verse 13). “None
that defileth” shall enter into heaven we are told in the scriptures
(Revelation 21 verse 27). The wise man
in Proverbs said “he that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall
suddenly be destroyed and that without remedy.” (chapter 29 verse 1) It is no good continually turning our backs
to God. One day we shall be cut off
without warning. He has given every
warning he can possibly give. Then must
fall the terrible dilemma spoken of in Genesis 3 “my Spirit shall not always
strive with man.” Let us look at the
first aspect “God knoweth them that trust in him”. What a wonderful relationship to come into,
knowing our trust is in him.
Our
faith is personal to God. Our faith is personal to the living God in
2015. We go into this year with a sense
of purpose because I know I am his. More
importantly I have this great assurance – he knows that I am his. This is a wonderful, amazing thing. God knows his children that are his. There is going to come great wrath on the
nation of Assyria. Even amongst this
nation but God says ‘I know them that are trusting in me even through it all.’ When God went down into Egypt he knew the
ones who were trusting in him by the blood that was applied to the doors of the
houses. When the anti-Christ will come
and reign on this world, even during that time God has placed a stamp on his
people. He knows those who are his even
today. “The foundation of God standeth
sure having this seal The Lord knoweth them that are his.” (2 Timothy 2 verse
19) As he looked down into our hearts
today he can say “this is my child” but he also knows everyone that is
not. Talking about the weeds and the
tares in his parable Jesus makes it clear that it is Satan who planted the
tares himself. Was there a moment when
you came to the rugged cross, invited him to be your Saviour and Lord, to save
you from your sin, to cleanse you? If
there was a moment like that then you are his this morning and he is
yours. Your faith is personal. “Thou has searched me and known me, Thou
knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar
of.”(Psalm 139 verses 1 and 2). Not what
I am doing, what my actions are, not what my words are but even my very
thoughts. He knows my very intents, the
motives of my heart. God goes deeper –
he knows what I am thinking. We are in
the presence of the one who not only hears what we sing from our hearts, say in
our prayers but knows our very thoughts.
I am glad I am his and God knows me personally. The disciples out walking with the Lord one
day began to discuss amongst themselves who would be the greatest. They thought the Lord didn’t hear them. Mark 9 verse 33 “And he came to Capernaum and
being in the house he asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves
by the way?” He knew their thoughts,
knew everything about them. “For there
is not a word in my tongue but lo, O Lord thou knowest it altogether”(Psalm 139
verse 4) Even before the words are
formed on our tongues the Lord knows them.
In Matthew 25 verse 40 when it speaks of God’s judgment on this world
talks about the separation from God. In
verse 35 it says “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat, I was thirsty and
ye gave me drink, I was a stranger and ye took me in; naked and ye clothed me,
I was sick and ye visited me, I was in prison and ye came unto me.” Jesus spoke not only of those who did all this
but to those who were on the receiving end of these acts. They are referred to as “my brethren”. The King in this passage is of course God
himself and he invited not only those who performed but received these acts of
kindness to enter into His kingdom (heaven).
As we go into 2015 thank God for a personal faith in Christ. We don’t know what the year will hold for us,
may have sickness, cut down, feel neglected, left alone from everyone else –
one thing is sure – God knows my path because I have a personal faith.
Our
faith is also pleasing to God. The moment you bow your knee at the cross and
take the Lord as Saviour something tremendous happens. There is an outpouring in heaven, a rejoicing
among the angels. It doesn’t matter who
you are but the moment you take the Lord as Saviour all heaven erupts in
joy. We can see that reflected in the 3
parables of the lost, sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. The shepherd realises one of his lambs is
lost in the wilderness. He leaves the
comforts of his own confine and searches every pathway until he finds the one
sheep and carries it back to the fold.
He tells everyone to rejoice with him, such was his pleasure. It was the same as the woman who lost a
coin. She was heartbroken. Maybe it was a sign of her wedding day and it
brought sorrow to her heart. She swept
the house until she found the coin. She
told everyone to come and rejoice with her for her coin that was lost was now
found. She had joy in her heart. It was the same for the father. His son had left home and spent his fortune
on riotous living. Now as the son
returns home the father ran to him rejoicing, kissed him and asked for the best
robe and shoes to be put on him. He told
everyone to come and rejoice with him saying “this my son was dead and is now
alive again.” What a wonder it must have
been for the Lord in heaven to see one of his children coming to faith. “That
ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every
good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1 verse
10) As we grow as Christians that
is what is pleasing to the Lord. Paul
writing to the Philippian church commended Epaphroditus for bringing him a gift
from the church (chapter 4 verse 18). He
goes on to say “an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing
to God.” Our faith is personal but it
must be well pleasing. The writer to the
Hebrews 13 spoke of “God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do is will, working in you
that which is well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ.” (verses 20 and
21) Are we doing the things that are
well pleasing to God today?
Our
faith is also preserved. This is God who knows us. Thankfully we look to the one who is able do
far more for us than we could ever ask or think. God is able to do it. God says to us today “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
(Psalm 37 verse 5) Maybe there will be
many obstacles, difficulties, problems, may be days when we feel like throwing
in the towel, whenever we say ‘what’s the use’.
The enemy has such a hold on us.
Romans 8 verse 37“nay in all things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us.” Nothing can separate
us from the love of God. Setting off in
this new year let’s take all that we have, burdens, difficulties, every
situation we have, the circumstances we have and come to the one who knows us,
knows the ones who are trusting in him. “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he
shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”
(Psalm 55 verse 22). God is
overseeing and overlooking. Peter says “Who are kept by the power of God through
faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1
verse 5). Keep casting,
committing and when we do that God keeps on keeping us.
Our
faith is precious to God. God is looking for faith. James says “show me your faith and I will
show you mine.” He asked for a
demonstration of their faith and he would show them his by his works. You say you have faith but no works. The centurion had a servant who was
sick. He came to Jesus one day and told
him about his servant’s sickness. You
can hear the Lord say to him ‘I will go to your house and heal him’ whereupon
the centurion replies ‘I am not worthy for you to come to my house.’ Here was a man in charge of a company of soldiers
yet felt he was not worthy for Jesus to come to his house. ‘Say the word and he will be healed’ he told
Jesus. Jesus replied ‘I have never seen
such great faith in all Israel’. (Luke 7)
Our faith is precious from the moment of our salvation until we leave
this scene of time. “Precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” (Psalm 116 verse 15) Lazarus was an old beggar in Luke’s gospel
who sat at the gate of the rich man full of sores and the dogs came and licked
his wounds. God knew all about him from
the moment he trusted in Christ as Saviour until his death. His faith was precious. The Lord sent the angels on the day of his
death to lift him up and carry him into Abraham’s bosom. That is our God, the God we serve today. Look to the one who knows our faith. Have you that faith today – is it personal,
is it pleasing? Remember it is preserved
and it is precious to God.
“he is a stronghold in the day of trouble.”
Notice
the presence of this
stronghold. Moses in Psalm 90 states “he
has been our dwelling place.” Is God the
place where you are happy to dwell? Have
you trusted him as Saviour and Lord?
Have your sins been forgiven and taken away. never to be remembered any
more? When that sin is gone we have
peace with God beyond all understanding, beyond our expectations. Are you dwelling in the presence of God? Psalm 46 “God is a very present help in
trouble.” As we read through this
portion in Nahum we read that God is the stronghold himself. Have we something we are depending on more than
God today? Is there a situation that we
are trusting more in? “It is far better
to trust in God than to put our faith in princes.” (Psalm 146 verse 3) God appears right in the midst of the storm
with us. Job said “man that is born of a
woman, he is full of days and is born of trouble.” (Job 5 verse 7) Somewhere along this year there will be a
time of trouble. Can you safely say ‘one
thing I am sure of that when there is a time of trouble God is right there in
the middle of it all.’ He will never
forsake us nor leave us. “Man is born
into trouble even as sparks fly upwards.”
Remember what God’s word says “even in the day of trouble call upon me.”
(Psalm 50 verse 15) In Acts 17 when Paul
was preaching in Athens on Mars Hill he looked into the face of the multitude
and told them ‘God is not far from any one of us’ (verse 27). He wanted to reassure them. It doesn’t matter how regal a man is born,
how much wealth he accumulates there will be trouble. It is guaranteed. Remember when the disciples were out in the
little boat on the lake? Jesus told them
he would meet them on the other side. As
they got half way across the sky turned black, clouds formed and the waves were
whipped up. They could do nothing to get
to the shore then Jesus came to them. He
was on the hillside looking down and saw them toiling. He knew what they were going through. When we go through the time of trouble the Lord
is there watching over us. Remember
Isaiah 43 when God spoke to the nation of Israel, the people turned against him
and God was inviting them back, showing them the privileges he would only give
to those who would trust in him. Peace
within and a place that he is preparing for us in heaven to go right into the
presence of God himself. The privilege
of trusting in him. In Isaiah 43 verse 2
“When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow
thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee.”
Thank God in the midst of trouble we have a stronghold in the midst of
it all. Reach out because God is there
all along. He will remain with us
through all the trials and troubles we find.
John was on the isle of Patmos in the book of Revelation. He went out and blazed a trail for the Lord
preaching to men and women of Israel that Jesus was the Messiah. The powers that be didn’t like him preaching
about Christ and arrested him to silence him, packed him off to this isle. Maybe he is a bit cast down,
discouraged. We all get that and when we
get into the time of difficulty no-one knows the trouble we are in. John heard a voice behind him as if it
sounded like a trumpet and this was none other than Jesus himself. He found the presence of the Lord to be his
stronghold. On that particular day John
says I was in the Spirit in the Lord’s day and I heard behind me as a great
trumpet saying I am Alpha and Omega.” (Revelation 1 verse 10) John was asked to write to the 7
churches. Hagar was a little maid who
lived in the house of Sarah and Abraham, a handmaid of Sarah. When God promised Abraham a son they were
surprised because they were well past in years to have a child. When the promise did not materialise Sarah
decided to give God a helping hand, this promise hasn’t come to pass yet maybe
God is asking us to use our own common sense.
That is what happens to us. We begin to use common sense. So that is what happened in the home of Sarah
and Abraham. Sarah told Abraham to take
her maid to “bear a son for you”. It
seemed a good idea to Abraham and he fulfilled his wife’s wishes. He did have a son and when he grew up and
Sarah had her own son there was conflict in the home. Sarah went to Abraham again and asked him to
cast Hagar out of the home. Abraham went
to Hagar, filled a vessel of water and a bag of food and set her off out of his
sight. Where do we find Hagar? In Genesis 21 away out in the wilderness
sitting under a bush, her water and food were finished and she has no-where to
go. She is waiting on death. How many young people are like that? They have a wrong decision in their lives and
find themselves out in the wilderness.
Abraham and Sarah took their eyes off the Lord. Mums and dads have given a wrong impression
to son or daughter and they have left home and now they are out in the
wilderness. God knew exactly where Hagar
and her son where. God was her
stronghold in the time of trouble. God
wants to bring his presence into your heart today.
The
provision of the stronghold. God provides himself as a stronghold. Isn’t that the beauty of it? He is the strong hold. God himself, his presence with us today for
all who will trust in him. Psalm 46 verse
1 “he is a very present help in time of trouble.” Nahum 1 is a chapter of woe. God has promised to bring judgment on this
nation of Israel. Nahum has to bring
that message to God’s people. There will
be this tremendous battle yet God says ‘I know those who trust in me and I will
provide for them.’ It is not a man made
remedy but God’s provision. If you only
would come and enter into that provision he has made for you. We complain about health care but isn’t it
great that we have people we can go to and go through our debts and sort them
out, can go to a doctor and he will explain what is happening? God has provided something for you and I,
something greater for all eternity. It
is the greatest provision he has ever made in that he sent his only son in to
this world that was lost in sin. On the
cross he died for our sins, our penalty was paid. He suffered the pains and agony of a lost
sinners hell so that you would not feel the agony but through him enjoy
eternity for ever. Do we know anything
about this provision? Remember David
when he stepped into the valley to bring provisions for his brothers and out
stepped out the giant Goliath on the other side. He would roar and demand someone to come and
beat him. David had all the armour put
on him but he couldn’t defeat the enemy in this way. He was not dressed right and stripped himself
of it all. He took 5 stones from the
brook and a sling. The brothers were
ridiculing his actions. David went down
to meet the giant. God had given him
provision that he might shelter behind.
When the giant came out David took out a little stone and put it into
his sling. One stone hit Goliath in the
forehead and brought him down. God has
provision made for us and whatever difficulty we go through he will provide for
us yet again this year.
The
protection of the stronghold. No enemy can infiltrate it. “He that dwelleth in the secret place shall
abide under the shelter of the almighty.”
The
promise God says it is. It is not that we should rely on our own
resources but take what God has promised for us by the way of the cross. Are you there yet? If you have your eyes off the Lord you will
fall. We need to remain in that place
God has provided for us today.
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