The sword of the Lord and of Gideon

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2023

JUDGES 7 VERSES 15 – 22

Gideon the man of valour was mighty in battle for the Lord and his people.  He defeated the Midianites with a unique plan of attack.  It was so great an attack that the Midianites are never again recorded in scripture as the enemy of the Israelites.  Gideon divided 300 men into 3 companies.  Each was given a lamp or torch covered with a clay vessel.  Gideon summoned them to war and marched them to the outskirts of the camp.  When he gave the signal all the men broke their clay pots so that the lamps burned and blinded the people.  The shout was “the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.”  Battle cries are very important.  It demands action.  Do we have such a battle cry today?  They had to follow a plan, to sound their trumpets, smash the torches and shout the battle cry.  They had to then stand their ground and wait for further instructions.  There is a plan to be followed and fulfilled if we are going to defeat the enemy Satan today.

First we see the sounding – verse 20 “and the three hundred blew the trumpets.”  The sounding forth of the trumpets was very effective.  It woke the Midianites and brought fear on them.  It took great courage to sound the cry.  It was not for timid lips.  A declaration of war.  It would not be an easy thing for the soldiers to stand and blast the war cry.  Those who faithfully preach the gospel will find themselves in the same position.  They are declaring war on Satan.  War is certain.  Sounding forth the trumpet is not easy.  God would have them cry aloud so all would hear.  Isaiah 58 verse 1 “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet and shew thy people their transgression and the house of Jacob their sins.”  May God be blessed to raise up more men to freely sound forth the trumpet cry.  Ulster needs men who will preach the full counsel of God.  I wonder have you heard the sounding of the trumpet?  Could it be that I am speaking to someone?  You have heard the faithful preaching of God’s word, the sound of the trumpet.  You have come face to face with sin, the reality of eternity.  Take heart if you have heard.  The battle is raging for your precious soul.  Don’t close your ears.  Listen to the trumpet.

The smashing – verse 20 “and break the pitchers.”   When the time came to attack the Midianites the soldiers broke the pitchers and held the lamps in their hands.  One can imagine the sound of the breaking of 300 vessels at once.   There is always something upsetting about the breaking of pottery and glass.  It had to be unnerving for the Midianites in the dead of the night.  It reminds us of the necessity of brokenness before an individual can be used by God.  They must be broken before God can work.  Can you look back to a time when you were broken before the almighty?  Has there been a time when you came penitently with a brokenness of your sin?  If you have not come to the Saviour and committed your soul to him you will be of no use to God.  God cannot use a life that is stubborn, self willed and unsubmissive.  If you are going to used by God you must come before him broken and allow him to mould you into what he wants you to be.  To be broken before Christ means that you would be of use to God.  Galatians 2 verse 20 “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Brokenness but there is also something else about the smashing of these vessels.  It speaks of dedicated service.  When the soldiers took the vessels and smashed them that was it.  It was final.  They couldn’t pick up the pieces and put them back together.  The trumpets sounded, the vessels were broken, the battle was on. There was no turning back.  There have been many down through the years who came to the Lord and have been broken before him.  They repented of their sin, gave up all their ambitions and followed the Lord but they turned back.  They went so far in their Christian walk but never burned their bridges behind them.  Could it be someone is here and you were bright for the Lord at one time.  You could look back at a time when you were broken.  You broke your pitcher before God, repented of your sin, committed your life to the Lord but since then you have turned your back on God.  God is looking for vessels that are irreversible and committed to him.  It is time to turn back to the place you have left. 

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus

No turning back, no turning back

The shining.  When the vessels were broken the torches would really blaze out.  A sudden experience for the Midianites.  They would be surrounded by 300 lights.  They did not have to hide them any longer.  They could hold them up high.  There was nothing to hide.  They could let them shine before all men at that moment.  They would be seen for what they were and what they were doing.  They broke the vessels and held them up.  Their lights were shining before all men.  When thinking of the shining of the light it reminds us of what the Lord said – “let your light so shine before all men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.”  If you are truly saved your life will shine forth as a living testimony to the grace of the Lord.  It is not the words you speak but the life you lead will tell of a life led for God.  Are you a shining light for God in this dark generation?  There are plenty who say they are Christians but their life says differently.  The light is not burning well.  John the Baptist was known as a burning and shining light – John 5 verse 35.  May that be our testimony, burning and shining lights for the Lord Jesus Christ.

The shouting.  Gideon’s army cried out – verse 20 “the sword of the Lord and of Gideon”.  By shouting forth these words they recognised the Lord was for them.  Fighting together with God.  They were working with the Lord of hosts.  This battle cry put the Lord in his right place.  It put the Lord first.  Gideon and his men had their priorities right.  They did not say “the sword of the Gideon and the Lord” no they said “the sword of the Lord and of Gideon.”  They wanted all the people to know including the Midianites that it was Jehovah who granted the victory.  We may have faced many battles in this life and we will face many more battles.  What is our battle cry?  Who are we battling for?  Is our battle cry about self or like Gideon do we have our priorities right?  Have we given the Lord first place in every area of our lives?  Unsaved friend have you given the Lord first place in your life?  Putting the Saviour first means winning great battles for him and eternity.  When the Saviour ministered here on earth he said “thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul and with all thy mind.”  If you do that you will put him first. 

The standing.  At the beginning of verse 21 we read “and they stood every man in his place around about the camp.”  They were standing.  The Midianites fled but Gideon’s army stood firm.  It did not change their ideas or change after the Midianites fled.  When they broke the pitchers they stood firm.  Standing still in such extreme circumstances would have been a difficult thing to do.  They stood firm until they were told otherwise.  They were dedicated and they were obedient.  Running here and there does not speak of dedication.  Are you standing firm today?  Are you standing on the principles of God’s word?  Are you seeking to live your life according to the holy scriptures?  The best way an individual can express their salvation in the Lord is by obeying his word and instructions.  Gideon’s army proved they were obedient and dedicated because they stood their ground.  Are you standing?  If you disobey the word and turn away from it you will not stand.  You will fall and great will be your fall in eternity.  What are you standing on?  On Christ the solid rock and his everlasting truth?  What are you building your life upon?  The rock or the sand?

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

 

 

A changed ambition, a cheer of affirmation and a charge of aspiration - Haggai 1

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2023 am

HAGGAI 1 VERSES 12 – 15

We all have known turning points in our lives.  A turning point in someone’s life can be monumental.  There are many notable figures in history who have had such turning points.  They can produce good or bad results depending on the way they turn.  The captivity for the Israelites was such a turning point.  When God returned the people back to their homeland it did not result in them turning to God.  The proposal was to live for God and not to live in their own ceiled houses.  The temple had to be rebuilt for worship to be restored in the land.  A turning point had to come – there was barrenness and famine in the land.  The Lord used this to bring these people to their senses.  If the Lord was going to be on their side they had to be on his side.

 

A change of ambition – verse 12 “Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him and the people did fear before the Lord.”  What a turning point.  They were far too long rejecting the instructions of God sent by the prophet Haggai.  What an encouragement it must have been to him but also to the Lord.  There will be glory brought to the Lord from now on.  God’s ambitions would be their ambitions. Their ambitions were changed.  Their allegiance was changed.  Their attitudes were changed.  They changed because they obeyed the voice of the Lord.  They were turning from disobedience to obedience.  When God speaks he expects nothing less than obedience.  We are not the kind of people who question his instructions.  It is not our place to negotiate the terms and examine the alternatives.  We must obey the voice of God, do what he says and leave the rest to him.  “faith is not believing in spite of evidence, it is obeying in spite of consequences.”  Have we all reached a turning point in our lives?  How could it be we are disobedient?  It is possible to a child of God and not be obedient to God.  Could I be speaking to some believer who is questioning God’s instructions?  Perhaps trying to negotiate the terms?  Even examining the alternatives?  If so it is time for a change of ambitions.  It is time to turn to the Lord.  Peter said we ought to obey God rather than man.  Obedience to God entitles us to more of his truth.  John 7 verse 17 “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self.”  This change of ambition came about in the lives of the ordinary Jew at this time but also the leaders.  Zerubbabel was the leader of the Jews who returned from captivity.  He did not allow his position to set himself above others.  He realised his own ambitions were wrong and they had to change.  Something must be honoured and obeyed.  Joshua’s ambition was to teach yet he was willing to be taught and receive instruction from the word of God.  That shows ambition from God, a willingness to be instructed.  We are living in a day when we don’t want to be taught.  We should all be willing to receive instruction from the word of God.  What a wonderful day when the leadership turned to the Lord.  Their ambitions were no longer for themselves.  They became ambitious for God.  What a contrast from that day to this day.  The leaders of our nation have removed and rejected the word of God.  They have allowed their position to set themselves above the word.  They see it as outdated and of no relevance to their cause today.  This change of ambition in Israel started at the top and worked its way down.  Zerubbabel, Joshua, the high priest and then all the remnant of the people.  It started with the most prominent and finished with the least prominent.  What a change it would bring to our nation if God was to touch the lives of the powerful and the prominent.  Let’s pray for that end – for our king and our Prime Minster.  This turning point was marked by unity as well.  They were all in one accord in their turning to God.  Not one among them had a different idea or ambition, they were all united together in obedience to the Lord.  There is one great need among the ecumenical movement today - to be united.  We often hear of churches in disagreement.  There are arguments.  We rarely hear of the blessings.  Blessing will only come when there is unity.  Psalm 133 verse 1 “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”  Unity only happens when we are in a right relationship with God.  There will be unity among comrades when they are in unity with God.  The thing that motivated them most of all was a reverent fear of God.  He is the Lord of hosts.  Haggai uses that title 10 times in his book.  He has control over the armies of heaven.  We live in a time of fear but not reverent fear for God.   People are afraid of losing their false sense of community rather than fearing the one who secures their destiny.  May we witness what the early disciples experienced – Acts 5 verse 11 “And great fear came upon all the church and upon as many as heard these things.”

 

A cheer of affirmation. Verse 14 “And the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest and the spirit of all the remnant of the people and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts, their God.”  The Lord wanted to encourage them, to reassure them of his presence.  A God who brought the message of chastisement and rebuke was the same one who brought a message of encouragement and affirmation.  It was the first positive word the people received from the Lord since returning from captivity.  The great I am couldn’t associate himself with those planning against him.  This message did not come from the Lord but from Haggai the Lord’s messenger.  He had a special message for the people – that God’s presence would be with them.  God’s message of encouragement to the people shows something of his forgiveness.  When the children’s ambitions changed the Lord forgave them.  He wouldn’t hold that against them in the future days.  The Lord who appeared against the people for disobeying him in bringing drought and famine in the land would forgive them.  The Lord will not neglect those who obey and serve him.  When we work for the Lord we are assured of his presence.  Matthew 28 verse 20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”  The Lord here was teaching his disciples if they obeyed all he commanded them to do he would be with them.  When the Lord is with us nothing will hinder or stop our endeavours for him.  The Lord hindered the Children of Israel when they were labouring themselves.  All their hard work was wasted.  When they made the choice to obey he would help them and his presence would be continually with them.  He would give them power to help.  The assurance of his presence was with them.

 

A charge of aspiration – verse 14.  When the Lord saw the people were obedient he stirred up their spirits.  He stirred the leaders first before he stirred the people.  God gave each of them a boldness of spirit to face the task.  He revived them so they would be responsible.  He energised them so that they would not languish.  A stirring of God – is that not what we need today?  We need God to come and stir us to our depths and awaken us to the great need all around us.  I fear that the church of the west has lost is cutting edge.  Pray that God would come and stir our spirits. 

 

Stir me, oh, stir me, Lord, I care not how,
But stir my heart in passion for the world,
Stir me to give, to go, but most to pray;
Stir till the blood-red banner be unfurled
O’er lands that still in heathen darkness lie,
O’er deserts where no cross is lifted high.

 

When there is a stirring there must be an acting.  There must also be a willingness in ourselves to be stirred by God.  The Children of Israel were put in such a situation – firstly they obeyed God, they had a reverent fear for God and finally there was a stirring by God.  We must be willing to be stirred by God.  We must obey him and fear him and then he will stir us.  When the people were stirred by God they started to rebuild the temple - “and they came and did work in the house of the Lord of hosts their God.”  The remnant of the people played their part in rebuilding the temple when they were stirred.  When God has a work to do he will also call and equip people to do it.  They all did it with one eye on the Lord of hosts and the other on the work.  Whatever our capabilities we can play our part in advancing the work of his kingdom.  God can use an educated and talented people but he is looking for willing people.  He is looking for willing people with one eye fixed on him and the other fixed on the work.  He will equip us for the task.  What a change of heart the people had.  They went from being unwilling to being willing.  We can learn lessons from the remnant of the people in Haggai’s day.  We have the assurance God is with us.  If he is with us who can stand against us?  Romans 8 verse 31 “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”

 

So first we see the people’s changed ambitions.  What are our ambitions today?  Maybe we need a change.  They received a cheer of affirmation.  God reassured them of his presence.  That is the greatest encouragement – to know the Lord is with us.  Lastly the people were charged with aspiration.  God stirred them up to carry out his work.  May we be stirred in these days. May we pray that God will stir us up that his name would be uplifted and exalted and glorified.  A change of ambition.  A cheer of affirmation and a charge of aspiration.

Call unto me and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

NOTES FROM TUESDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2023

JEREMIAH 33 VERSES 1 – 3

The main theme throughout the book of Jeremiah is the backsliding bondage and restoration of Jerusalem.  Jerusalem had been overthrown and brought into captivity.  Jeremiah was at a low point in his life.  Rejected by friends and neighbours, shut up in the courts of the prison house.  In the midst of all this God had a special word for him, a word of encouragement.  “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”  What words of consolation.  The imprisoned prophet received words greater than his enemies, than his foes. He was willing to listen.  In the midst of difficult days that we find ourselves in today the Lord still has an encouraging word for us.  We are invited to call upon the Lord in the day of trouble with the assurance he will answer.  There are a number of truths that we can apply to our hearts and lives today.

 

An invitation extended – “call unto me”.  God came to Jeremiah and invited him to call upon him in prayer.  It was the Lord’s deepest longing to hear his servant engage in intercessory prayer.  The ultimate answer to Jeremiah’s difficulties.  Worry would not have helped the situation but praying would certainly bring calm and peace to his troubling circumstances.  It is sad to think that men shut up his servant in the court of the prison.  It is encouraging to know they couldn’t close out the voice of God.  Warren Wiersbe said “man may shut up God’s servants but they cannot shut out God’s words.”  God’s word can come to us no matter where we are, in whatever situation we find ourselves in.  We may be asked to suffer terribly but “the word of God is not bound.” (2 Timothy 2 verse 9)  God has an encouraging word for Jeremiah and he found a way of imparting it to him.  “Jeremiah call upon me, bring your troubles and concerns to me in prayer.”  It is still extended to us today as God’s people and servants in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties.  We are encouraged to seek the Lord’s face in prayer.  He invites us to “come boldly unto the throne of grace to find mercy and help in the time of need.” (Hebrews 4 verse 16)  What difficulties are you facing today?  What trials are you going through?  The Lord invites you to bring them before him in prayer.

 

An assurance given – “and I will answer thee”.  What an assurance Jeremiah had.  The Lord not only invited him to call upon him in prayer, the Lord assured him he wanted to call upon him in great expectancy.  He had no need to doubt.  He had the assurance he would answer him when he called on him.  The Lord not only extends an invitation but assures us of an answer.  Mark 11 verse 24 “what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.”  True prayer is answered when we come before the Lord with all earnestness, faith and righteousness.  Nothing is going to stop the Lord answering if it is according to his own divine will.  The Lord answers prayer in one of 3 ways.  The Lord knows everything.  He knows what is best for us, better than we know ourselves.  Therefore when we make our requests the Lord can say yes.  He could say wait or he could say no.  The Lord always answers prayer but it may not be the answer we were expecting or looking for.  He always answers prayer in accordance with his own divine will.  He will not answer prayer that is not in accordance with his plans and purposes.  He wants the best for us.  That is why he may say no, wait or yes.  Maybe you have been praying for years asking the Lord for something.  You face a season of disappointment.  The Lord has not answered your prayer.  He might be saying “no” or “wait”.  The Lord’s timing is always right and the Lord’s plan and purposes are perfect.  Oswald Chambers said “never make the blunder of trying to forecast the way God is going to answer your prayer.”

 

A vision imparted – “and shew thee”.  He received one of the greatest revelations ever imparted to a man.  He promised that the Lord would come, the promised Messiah – verses 15 and 16.  The Lord has a longing and a desire to shew his people and servants great and mighty things but before he shows us that we must be willing to wait before him in prayer.  To wait and call upon him.  Whilst visiting in the province, Duncan Campbell, Principal of the Faith Mission College retired for prayer for some time.  He said to the man he was staying with “do you want the good news or the bad news?  Ulster will experience severe bloodshed but then will come great revival.”  We have had the bloodshed and now we are longing for those days of revival. Do we come before the Lord daily expecting him to show us a new thing?  I fear that our vision becomes so cluttered with temporal things that we cannot see the things God would want to impart to us.  While Daniel was praying God showed him a vision, things that would soon come to pass.

 

A power displayed – “great and mighty things”.  God is able to do far above all we could imagine or think – 2 Peter 3 verse 9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9 verse 8)  “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.” (Ephesians 3 verse 20)  We are guilty of limiting God.  Do we believe that when we pray he can do what we ask him to do?  He is able to handle the challenges we face from day to day.  Be encouraged, be assured – our God is able.

 

An ignorance removed – “which thou knowest not”.  Only by the work of the Holy Spirit will we be able to see great and hidden truths in his word, things we do not know that are written for us.  Jesus challenged many in his day of the ignorance they had towards him and his word – Matthew 22 verse 29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.”  Psalm 119 verse 9 “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”  It also gives hope to man – Romans 15 verse 4 "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”  Ezekiel 12 verse 25 “For I am the Lord: I will speak and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged; for in your days O rebellious house, will I say the word and will perform it, saith the Lord God.”

 

God has extended his invitation to all of us to call upon him in the place of prayer.  He assures us of an answer but we must bear in mind he will only grant our requests in accordance with his plans and purposes.  He is able to do far beyond what we can think.  We need to call on God to remove the ignorance from our hearts, to see his truth from his word.  Then we will see great and mighty things.  “Open thou my eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” (Psalm 119 verse 118)

For God so loved the world

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2023 pm

JOHN 3 VERSES 1 – 21

I would like to ask you a question – “what is the best news you have ever heard?”  We are living in a day when there is much bad news.  We see in on our tv screens, hear it on our radios and our mobile phones.  All we hear is bad news.  We hear of the war in Israel.  The destruction of lives and homes.  Similarly we can think the same of Ukraine.  We also see and hear of the bad weather conditions in our land with businesses ruined and homes destroyed.  What about the great news?  Do you want to hear some good news?  John 3 verse 16 is probably one of the best and well known verses in all the bible.  We could quote it from heart.  We have learned it from our mothers knee.  Been taught it in Sunday School.  At some point in our lives we have heard and learned this verse.  It contains the greatest doctrine of Christianity.  It reveals the love of God to man but also man’s responsibility towards God.  For he that believes in the son of God will receive everlasting life but whosoever rejects God will lose the greatest treasure, they will be lost for ever.  No wonder Martin Luther called this verse “the gospel in a nutshell.”

 

The greatest love – “For God so loved the world.”  God loved us even before we were born.  God’s love is extended to all mankind.  He does not approve of the behaviour of man.  2 Peter 3 verse 9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”  The love of God is unchangeable.  God loves the unlovely. His love is unconditional.  His love was demonstrated on the cross to an infinite degree. 

 

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus,

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free”

 

God does not pick who he will love because he loves everyone.  When the bible talks about the world it does not mean any part of the created world but all mankind.  The fallen race that rebels against God and deserved to die, God still loved them.

 

God loved the world of sinners lost

And ruined by the fall

Salvation full, at highest cost,

He offers free to all

 

When the Romans received their letter from Paul, they read in chapter 5 verse 8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”  Furthermore God’s love was manifested by Christ’s death on the cross.  “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” 1 John 3 verse 16.  The love of God.  What should our response be to his love?  We should love him in return.  Matthew 22 verse 37 “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy mind.”  Oh to love the Lord.  Do we love him?  Do you love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind?  Do you love God so much that you have repented of your sin and turned to him?  1 John 5 verse 3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous.”

 

The greatest gift – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son.”  We are approaching that time of the year when we buy gifts and receive gifts.  Gifts come in all shapes and sizes.  Some things we get we don’t really need and never probably will use.  The gift of God is suitable for everybody.  Romans 3 verse 23 “for the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ.”  The greatest gift ever given was when God gave his son into the world.  A gift is free but someone had to pay the price.  Jesus Christ paid the price there at Calvary so that we could receive the gift freely and eternally. 

 

The greatest person – “his only begotten son.”  When Jesus was born into this world he would do many great and marvellous works.  He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed 5000 people at once with 5 loaves and 2 fish.  However the reason he really came into the world was to go all the way to Calvary, bearing your sin and mine.  Despised and rejected, a man of sorrows.  Philip Bliss said

 

Man of sorrows what a name

For the Son of God who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim  

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

 

Bearing shame and scoffing rude

In my place condemned he stood

Sealed my pardon with his blood:

Hallelujah, what a Saviour!

 

God gave his beloved son over to extreme suffering, even the bitter pains of death on the cross.  Before the Lord went to the cross man placed a crown of thorns on his head and mocked him.  Matthew 27 verse 29 “And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!”  Not content with that they spat on the face of the holy perfect man who ever lived.  The Lord bore it all patiently.  He didn’t say a word.  “He was oppressed and afflicted yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”  Isaiah 53 verse 7.  The Lord Jesus endured extreme suffering, humiliation and then he was crucified.  “And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary there they crucified him and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.”  God gave his only begotten son unto death even death on the cross.

 

O teach me what it meaneth

That cross uplifted high

With One, the Man of Sorrows

Condemned to bleed and die

 

The greatest number – “for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him.”  He went with the desire to see all men saved.  1 Timothy 2 verse 4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2 verse 4.  Not only a head knowledge but a heart experience.  Romans 10 verse 10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”  “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”  A universal invitation extended to the entire world.  Isaiah 45 verse 22 “Look unto me and be ye saved all the ends of the earth; for I am God and there is none else.”  Have you accepted this universal invitation?  It is only the Lord who can save your soul.  Whosoever believes in the name of the Lord shall be saved and receive remission of sins.  A universal invitation.  This invitation is a call to the religious.  Nicodemus was a deeply religious man but he needed to be born again.  You may be here tonight and are religious.  You must be born again.  A universal invitation – it is a call to the rebellious.  The prodigal son rebelled against his upbringing.  He went into a far country.  When he returned he found forgiveness.  Are you in the far country?  You have rebelled.  Will you not return?  It is a call to the reckless.  Before Paul heard the call to repent and trust in Christ he was reckless.  He persecuted the Christians.  It is a call to the respectable.  The Philippian jailer was in a respectable position when he heard the call of the gospel.  He cried out “what must I do to be saved?  You may be respectable but you must be saved.  It is a call to the rejected.  The woman of Samaria was rejected by many in her day.  One day she met the master and received the living water and her life was wonderfully changed.  Jesus is waiting.  He will receive you – “him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”

 

The greatest escape – “shall not perish.”  There is no need for anyone to perish for a way has been provided by which all may be saved.  God’s promise is the comfort of his presence and an eternal home in heaven.  There is a danger to avoid here – to perish in your sin.  Are you in danger of perishing?  That is conscious eternal punishment if you reject the Lord but if you receive him he will give you eternal life as a free gift.  John 3 verse 36 “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”  Your eternal destiny depends on what you will do with Jesus Christ.  If you reject him you will receive everlasting damnation but if you receive him you will receive eternal life as a free gift.  This is the urgency of the message.  I want you to understand that God is holy and just and he cannot look on sin.  If God did not punish sin then he would not be just but that is why he sent his son from the glories of heaven to come into the world.  To restore fellowship with man and God.  He became the substitute and sin bearer for all mankind.  2 Corinthians 5 verse 21 “For he hath made him to sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”  The Lord has dealt with the problem of our sin so that we can be reconciled to God. 

 

The greatest opportunity – “but have everlasting life”.  There is the danger to avoid but here is the delight – to attain everlasting life.  That is God’s promise to those who are saved.  Life offers many opportunities and I am sure you have been granted many opportunities throughout your life – education, job.  Opportunities after opportunities but always remember the greatest opportunity for anybody is eternal life in heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We started by asking a question – what is the best news you have ever heard?  This is the world’s greatest news – eternal life.  Have you eternal life?

 

Life, life, eternal life,

Jesus alone is the lifegiver

Life, life, abundant life

Glory to Jesus for ever

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

Go up to the mountain and bring wood and build the house and I will take pleasure in it and I will be glorified

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES SUNDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2023

HAGGAI 1 VERSES 7 – 11

If there was one word you could use to describe the condition God’s own people were in at this particular time, it is disappointment.  God had given them over to oppression by their Babylonian enemies.  After 70 years God brought them back to their own land.  How disappointing it must have been to see no change in his own people in their own homeland.  Previously we seen that the people were called on to consider their priorities, possessions and produce.  The Lord once again challenges them to “consider your ways” verse 7.  It is enough to speak once but when he had to speak twice it was a dangerous place for anyone to be in.  It reveals disobedience and rebellion.  The encouragement that God gave to the people to rebuild the temple.  There are 3 points I want us to consider.

 

The results of the commission. Verse 8 “Go up to the mountain, and bring wood and build the house and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified saith the Lord.”  God was commissioning his people for an important task.  He wanted them to rebuild the temple, the place where he would be worshipped.  For that to be possible the people would have to take action, to supply themselves with materials.  They had the advantage that the great architect of the universe would help them, instruct them where to go and what materials to bring back and rebuild the temple.  The Lord asked them first to go up onto higher ground, to go up to the mountain.  It was there they would find resources for building the house of worship.  They were to bring the wood and build the house.  There might have been wood in the valley eligible for building but that was not the Lord’s choice.  He knew the people could have gone elsewhere for wood but it was not the place the Lord wanted them to.  There was a specific place for them to go – up the mountain.  We have all heard the expression “the mountaintop experience.”  Have we all been there at some point in our lives?  Or is it more “an expression”, we have never experienced it for ourselves?  Going up to higher ground would be far from the low ground.  Are you on higher ground than last year?  Have you made progress in your walk with God?  It might be this morning you are going downwards rather than upwards, backwards rather than forwards.  Samson was a man who went downwards in life and it ended up in disaster.  3 times in Judges 14 we read “Samson went down” (verses 1, 5 and 7).  I am sure that none of us want to end our lives with a testimony like Samson – he went downwards.  To avoid such a way we must aim for the mountain top.  We must go up.  That is the secret of ending our life well not badly.  The higher one climbs the mountain the clearer the view because when we climb with God we have a clearer view.  O that God would take us higher up the mountain.  Then we might have fellowship with God, intimate and personal fellowship.  It should be every believers need but also his desire.  Maybe you went so far up the mountain and stopped.  Will we not aim for the peak?  Strive until we get there?  We cannot settle for half way.  Whatever it is hindering you making progress, in your walk with God you must get rid of it.  God does not want half way, half hearted attitude.  He wants us to go all the way with him and gain the higher ground.  There on the mountain they would receive the materials to reconstruct the temple.  Their unwillingness left them unequipped for the work God was asking them to do.  They wouldn’t have received the wood for rebuilding the temple.  There had to be a willingness to go, to bring back and to build.  Maybe what Jesus said in Mark 16 verse 15 is important to hear again “Go ye into all the world”.  There must be a willingness to go up the mountain and bring back what we have received.  Only then will we able to build.  Only when we go up the mountain with God will we be equipped to see God’s commission fulfilled.  The results – God will take pleasure in it.  When the people would have returned with the materials they would construct the temple and the Lord would be glorified because he would be worshipped in it.  He would be delighted because he would be worshipped and glorified.  When we are equipped for the commission God is pleased and glorified in the outcome.  Our ultimate goal should always be to please the Lord and bring glory to his name.  The results of the commission – go up, bring wood, build the house and worship the Lord then he would be glorified.

 

The reason for the correction.  Verse 9 “Ye looked for much, and lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it.  Why? Saith the Lord of hosts, Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.”  After the commission to the people and the results for obeying the Lord, he went on to give them a reason for the position they found themselves in.  They were still living the kind of life that needed to be corrected by God.  They were still living lives for their own self-interest.  In many ways they would have to re-till the ground for crops.  That would have taken weeks of labour.  For over 70 years the arable ground was deserted of its work and produce.  One can imagine the look on their faces as they beheld their father’s land with every acre destroyed.  They knew the land they left would have changed dramatically with so many years of deprivation.  It was unrecognisable.  They would have been wondering in their hearts whether they were in the right region.  They had to accept the facts and bear the results of previous generations waywardness.  There were those who had left the promised land and never returned.  They died during the captivity.  There were those who were born during captivity.  In some ways there was a new generation returning to the land of Israel, bearing in mind 70 years had passed.  Verse 6 “ye have sown much and bring in little.”  Verse 9 “ye looked for much and lo it came to little.”  Their expectations were high.  They were pretty sure of themselves.  They did not sow half of what they had.  The people were so expectant but they would not reap satisfactorily.  They did not reap a good harvest because they were not doing what the Lord asked them to do.  When they brought it home the Lord had blown on it so that it became little and little became nothing.  The returning captives were bitterly disappointed but if the truth be told it was their own fault.  Rather than doing things God’s way they were doing them their own way and what are the results of that – disaster.  They were looking to see the benefits of sowing which became little and then nothing.  This shows us that high expectations can become very low when God is left out.  It was a miracle in itself that the people had seed to sow returning from the land of Babylon.  God provided them with much seed to make a new beginning but it was wasted because of their disobedience.  Many blessing from God have been wasted because of disobedience.  Could it be we are missing out on blessing from the Lord because we are being disobedient?  There can be no blessing from God if we are not being a blessing to God.  Exodus 19 verse 5 “now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people for all the earth is mine.”  The explanation for why the people were facing so much loss is seen in verse 9 “Because of mine house that is waste and ye run every man unto his own house.”  The reason for the correction was because the people were reluctant to construct the temple.  It all comes back to priorities.  What about our priorities?  Perhaps the Lord would have to correct our lives because our priorities are wrong.  May we not wait until God corrects.  May we come afresh and consecrate our lives to him.

 

The ripples of contention.  Verses 10 and 11 “Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.  And I called for a drought upon the land and upon the mountains and upon the corn and upon the new wine and upon the oil and upon that which the ground bringeth forth and upon men and upon cattle and upon all the labour of the hands.”  The controversy would be between God and his family and it would have lasting effects on the ground.  Dew from heaven would be withheld and the fruit would not be produced.  The children of Israel were to realise that there was something much bigger to be reckoned with.  When they did not produce a bountiful crop it was because of the timing.  They were out of sequence with God.  What use was their land if they could not control the clouds?  They could do nothing without God.  That is what God was making the turning people to know.  God has to bring us to our seasons by showing our constant dependence on him. When we have nothing and cannot do anything it is only then we realise that Jesus Christ is everything.  God not only closes up dew from heaven but called for scorching heat.  It caused the fruits of the earth to burn up. This drought was called upon by God.  It had a universal effect and could be seen for miles around.  If they went up to the mountain they would see it there first.  The pasture land was filled with flocks but there was no grass to eat.  It affected the corn, the wine and the oil.  They all failed because of the hot weather.  This was the rippling effects of the condition between the people and God.  All controversy has lasting effects.  Controversy with God is on another level.  What a lesson we need to take heed and learn from.  Let us search our own hearts and make sure our relationship with God is good. 

 

We commenced by looking at the results of the commission.  God commanded the people to go up, take them to higher ground, to find the resources to equip them for the commission.  May we go higher up the mountain with God today.  May we gain progress in our walk with God.  We looked at the reason for the correction – God always has a reason for his actions.   Their priorities were al wrong.  The ripples of contention – all controversy has lasting effects especially with God.  May we desire to go up the mountain, may we not receive correction from God but be consecrated to him when we go higher with him.  Then we will become closer to God and there will be no contention with God.