Freedom & Empowerment! (Nehemiah 3:15)

And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king’s garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David.

THE STUDY:

          The Fountain Gate (v. 15) illustrates the ministry of the Holy Spirit (John 7:37–39). The thing I would like to point out this morning is the order of these gates: first, there is humility (the valley gate), then cleansing (the dung gate), and then the filling of the Spirit (the fountain gate).^[1]         

          To the woman at the well, the Lord Jesus spoke of a fountain (not merely a well) of living water. Again in John 7 He cried, “He that believeth on Me … out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of living water.” The fountain of living water is a type, or symbol of the Holy Spirit who indwells all believers.^[2]

                   

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that as Nehemiah is describing the rebuilding of the wall he is also describing the steps for restoration for the people spiritually: humility, cleansing, and the filling of the Holy spirit.

APPLICATION:

As a minister I have had the wonderful blessing of introducing people to Christ. I have been doubly blessed with the opportunity to lead some of those individuals into the experience of (Sanctification) or what some may call the “infilling of the Holy Spirit.”

I recall a quote from Dr. Mervin Smith (District Superintendent on the WV South), “I don’t believe Satan gets to upset about people accepting Christ as their personal savior. The walls of hell are shaken when that person is sanctified.” Satan still has a chance to cause someone to go astray after they receive Christ. It is when the believer surrenders all to Christ and desires the very nature change God wants to do within him/her that diminishes Satan’s power significantly. This is when Satan is most fearful, when God’s children seek to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Don’t let Satan take away or cause you to miss the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Today can be the day you surrender it all to God and receive the power to resist sin and live for Christ as was intended from the very beginning. Today can be the day you live in the freedom and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (1993). Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Ne 3). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

^[2] Ironside, H. A. (1913). Notes on the Book of Nehemiah (42). New York: Loizeaux Bros.

WE WIN! (Nehemiah 2:20)

Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”  

THE STUDY:

          Nehemiah is addressing the three individuals who seem to be trying to discourage and even halt the rebuilding of the wall. He states 3 facts in this verse: God will give them success, the people will rise and build, and Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem have no right or claim in Jerusalem.

          For the sake of the workers, Nehemiah’s response to this first oppositional strategy was important. His answer had three parts: (1) He did not speak of his authority or the king’s but of his trust in “the God of heaven.” (2) Nehemiah advised his people to ignore the ridicule and threats and simply work. (3) He refused to compromise. He denied his opponents a share in the work, the land, or the worship of the Jewish community (cf. Ezra 4:3).

          In former years Sanballat and Tobiah may have had some jurisdiction over the affairs of Judah, but now Nehemiah was in charge, commissioned by the king. The “historic right” Nehemiah mentioned is the term zikaron, which can mean “a reminder.” The word can refer to historic rights (property, participation in the community, etc.) but probably was used in the sense of a right to participate in the temple worship.^[1]

         

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that Success comes from God. We need to stay focused on the job at hand and not get sidetracked by Satan’s diversions. Finally, nonbelievers have no civic, legal, or cultic rights in the community of faith.

APPLICATION:

 As I watch over the next few months the presidential debates culminating to the election in November, the one thing that stands out in my heart is knowing my God is in control. I don’t get to bent out of shape when it comes to the outcome. My God rules! I encourage the church to stay focused on the Cross and not the candidates. They seem to tell us what we want to hear and not what needs to stated.

I believe that as time will tell God wins and the only ones who will be able to claim this victory is the believers. All the Sanballat’s of the world will realize the victory is ours (believers) and they will have no claim to it.

Today, you will be faced with the world and all it has. Remember three things: 1) God is in control. 2) Stay focused on the Cross. 3) In the end, WE WIN!  

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Breneman, M. (1993). Vol. 10: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (electronic ed.). The New American Commentary (184). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Promises You Can Count On! (Jude 12-13 Part 4)

12 These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.      

THE STUDY:

          Continuing the breakdown of verses 12-13, yesterday we looked at how these intruders were like clouds without rain which was useless. Today, we are going to look at the fourth one: They are fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted. Autumn trees, without fruit reiterates the theme of empty promises. At the end of the season, trees are expected to bear the fruit of the season. Similarly, the false teachers promise fruit but yield none.

The phrase twice dead, uprooted is tricky. Uprooted fits the analogy of trees quite nicely. But it is difficult to apply the literal meaning twice dead to the metaphor of trees. The phrase must describe the false teachers more directly. Two suggestions are possible:

First, they are called twice dead and uprooted because they had once been ‘dead in transgressions and sins’ (Eph 2:1) and were now dead again, in the sense that they were cut off from their life-giving root, Jesus Christ.”

Second, twice dead could refer to their eschatological judgment at the last day. “Second death” is used in Revelation to describe the fate of the wicked at the Last Judgment (Rev 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). Considering the eschatological context of Jude’s letter (vv 6, 14–15, 18, 21, 24), the second suggestion is perhaps the better option. But the choice is difficult.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that false teachers will tip their hand to who they really are by making empty promises. The repercussion of their actions is the same as those who are found wicked in the eyes of God.

CONCLUSION:

As my children are growing up I have learned many things “not” to do. One of those things that became apparent was “do not make a promise you cannot keep!” I would say, “we might go to the movies tonight” and the first thing my kids would say is, “You Promise?” If I say yes, then I better be ready to do it no matter what the cost because if I break that promise it will end up costing me dearly.

The Bible is filled with God’s promises. One of those is found in Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” This is not an empty promise! Let us remember Satan is out to lie, steal, deceive, and destroy. Some of you might be feeling that God is not listening or He has left you! This is a lie straight from hell!

Today, let’s stop listening to the false teacher (Satan) and all of his lies and let’s remember the promise of God to His children! He will love you, He will take care of you, He will protect you, and He will save you ! Now those are promises you can count on!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2 Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (281–282). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Bring it on? No, No, No! (Jude 8 – Part 3)

Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones.

               

THE STUDY:

           Over the last couple of days we have looked at the word “dreams” and how it relates to the action of the three following phrase: defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. Yesterday we talked about rejecting authority! Today we are going to look at how these people, through their so called dreams, would blaspheme the glorious ones.

          Just like the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who, in some scholar’s opinions, lusted after the heavenly messengers, the false teachers blaspheme the glorious ones. The glorious ones refer to angels (see 2 Pet 2:10).

          This passage is admittedly unclear, but the slander of glorious ones probably means that the false teachers were belittling the angelic powers of evil. Not even the archangel Michael was so arrogantly disrespectful (v 9).

The intruders in the church of Jude’s dear friends perpetrated the same kinds of sins as the rebellious Israelites, the fallen angels, and the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Disregarding God’s punishment of wickedness, these dreamers exhibit the same sinfulness God has consistently punished in the past.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that even though we have the power of the Holy Spirit living through us as believers, does not mean we should disregard or even entice an encounter with the evil one. Christ never demonstrated this nor should we.

CONCLUSION:

           Back in my home town in West Virginia I was filling in for my pastor one Sunday night. I preached a sermon were I got a little excited and said something I wish I could have taken back. I enticed Satan, or better yet, I challenged him by saiying, “Bring it on!” After stepping down from the platform I had one of our dear friends inform me, in a loving way, that you should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER challenge Satan. I wish I could tell you my friend was wrong but they were right! The next couple of days were challenging to say the least.

          Let us remember that it is through Christ that we are able to overcome the evil one. If you are like me, in my younger days, you thrive on challenges. There will be challenges today! Let Christ and his power, love, and strength be your resource to which the battle is fought. Through Christ you will have VICTORY!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2 Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (277). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

Keeper of All! (Jude 6)

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

               

THE STUDY:

           Jude continues on with the second example of how the people were familiar with the scripture. Jude refers to the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling. One early interpretation of this story appears in the apocryphal 1 En. 6–16. There “some angels plot and rebel against God and his good angels, and descend to earth where they introduce all kinds of sinful behavior among humans.” Since Jude clearly quotes from 1 Enoch in vv 14–15, it seems probable that he has 1 Enoch in mind here as well.

          The angels possessed positions of authority (archēn: rule)—“a position of heavenly power or sphere of dominion, which the angels exercised over the world in the service of God.” Despite their former status, the angels turned away and left their proper dwelling by rebelling against God.

          Jude’s description of the evil angels contains an unmistakable touch of irony. Although these angels did not keep (tērēsantas) - stay within - their positions of authority, but disobeyed and abandoned their rightful home, God has kept (tetērēken) them chained in darkness awaiting final destruction. “Here we find a negative counterpart to the situation of the righteous, whom God ‘keeps’ (v 2) and who are therefore to ‘keep’ themselves in God’s love.” Even though the intruders masquerade as true believers, they, like the evil angels, will ultimately receive the punishment they deserve.^[1]

WHAT WE CAN WALK AWAY WITH ….

• We walk away this morning with the understanding that God is the “KEEPER OF ALL!” Later, Jude will urge his readers to “keep yourselves in God’s love” (v 21). There are two sides to Christian perseverance. Through Christ, God faithfully keeps his followers. But it was the followers’ task to keep themselves in the love of God. Believers face many challenges and trials as they follow Christ. Jude reminds them of God’s promise to watch over them at every moment, protecting them in and through Jesus Christ.^[2]

CONCLUSION:

           We live in a world that appears to be out of control. Evil seems to be ruling all around us. What we have to have faith in is the fact that our God is in control. What appears to be chaos will soon become victory. God is the keeper of all and will reward the righteous while at the same time punish the unrighteous.

          Let today be a day we see God’s sustaining grace and trust that through Christ evil will get its just reward. Let God be the KEEPER of you today!

Blessings my friends

Pastor Rod

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^[1] Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2 Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (274). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.

^[2] Powers, D. G. (2010). 1 & 2 Peter/Jude: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. New Beacon Bible Commentary (261). Kansas City, MO: Beacon Hill Press.