Tag: Preaching

Overcoming Opposition 

Nehemiah 2:1-11 

I have spoken to so many people these past few weeks that just seem to be having a harder time than usual. 

It is as if the world is a little gloomier, and the burdens we carry are a little heavier. 

There are some out there that would tell you that is because you are not doing something right. 

Perhaps you have sinned or lack faith. 

I cannot dismiss that, but it is a dangerous idea to assume that if things go wrong it means we have done something wrong. 

This old world is broken no matter what we do. 

It does not care about you, and it is not fair. 

I hope that encourages you this morning. 

Today, I want to deal with one of the many causes of the problems we may face. 

That is opposition to work of God. 

Open the Bible anywhere and you will find it. 

God made man in the Garden, and Satan worked against it. 

God chose the Israelite nation, and Satan has tried many times to destroy it. 

The prophets of all faced opposition. 

Our Savior Himself faced opposition. 

The fact is that any time you move forward – whether it is your own personal growth in Christ or the works you endeavor for Christ – you will face opposition. 

Satan does not like it. 

The world does not like. 

Fellow Christians will not like it. 

But this does not mean we must stay idle. 

I sometimes joke, thought it really is not a joke, that when things are going well I am waiting on the stab in the back that is coming. 

But if we play it safe, if we hunker down and hide from all danger, what will we accomplish for Christ? 

Our text this morning begins with the interaction between Nehemiah and the king. 

That king is known to history as Artaxerxes I. 

He is the grandson of Darius the Great and the son of Xerxes I. 

In the previous chapter, Nehemiah had learned in the previous chapter of the sad state of the city of Jerusalem. 

Zerubbabel had led the first Jewish settlers back there about 80 years prior to this. 

The Temple had been rebuilt about 60 years prior. 

But the city was still mostly rubble. 

Very few Jews had chosen to return to their homeland and fewer of those had invested in rebuilding their nation. 

To make a long story short, the king ends up giving Nehemiah the authority to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city. 

That is a big deal. 

A walled city is a potential problem – your enemies could hold up in one and cause you plenty of problems. 

But God was with Nehemiah. 

He travels to Jerusalem and meets with the local leadership. 

He also meets his opposition – Sanballat and Tobiah. 

I feel like I know these guys because their type is still around today. 

They seem to exist only to hinder and discourage the work of God. 

Today, I want to examine their tactics because the Devil still uses them. 

I hope that you can be better ready to handle these attacks when they arise. 

I. Ridicule – 2:19-20 

Neh 2:19  But when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed us to scorn, and despised us, and said, What is this thing that ye do? will ye rebel against the king?  

Neh 2:20  Then answered I them, and said unto them, The God of heaven, he will prosper us; therefore we his servants will arise and build: but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.  

Ridicule is defined in Webster’s 1828 as “ Contemptuous laughter; laughter with some degree of contempt; derision. It expresses less than scorn. ridicule is aimed at what is not only laughable, but improper, absurd or despicable.” 

From a social aspect, ridicule is used to try to force someone to feel out of place and bring them in line with your views. 

That is what Sanballat and Tobiah did. 

They were trying to make it seem ridiculous that Nehemiah would even attempt to rebuild Jerusalem. 

We still face ridicule today. 

You might have faced it with friends, family, or coworkers. 

I was accused of being Amish once – but that was because I did not have satellite TV for which I refused to pay at the time. 

There is a lot of this in our culture today. 

True Christianity is dismissed as if it were a fairy tale. 

Don’t let ridicule stop you. 

Stand strong and keep moving forward. 

II. Mocking – 4:1-3 

Neh 4:1  But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.  

Neh 4:2  And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the rubbish which are burned?  

Neh 4:3  Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.  

Webster’s 1828 defines it as “Derision; ridicule; sportive insult or contempt; contemptuous merriment at persons or things.” 

I read one article by a psychologist that said mockery is used to create a division between those being laughed at and those laughing.   

It is a power play. 

Today is just as it was then. 

The enemies of God want to make us feel alone and alienated. 

They want us to feel uncomfortable about how we live our lives. 

What did Nehemiah do? 

He did not retaliate – he kept on working. 

Who cares what our enemies think of us? 

I should only care about pleasing my Savior. 

III. Threats – 4:7-8 

Neh 4:7  But it came to pass, that when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, and that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth,  

Neh 4:8  And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.  

Ridicule turned to mockery which turned to threats of violence. 

If Nehemiah could not be stopped using social pressure, they would try physical pressure. 

Satan would have you cower in fear lest some awful fate befall you. 

But threats do not equal action. 

It is just the possibility of action. 

You cannot live your life on the “what if”s. 

I can look at a situation and see dozens of possibilities, but only one actually occurs.   

What did Nehemiah do? 

He set guards and kept on working. 

That’s what we need to do. 

Be careful and vigilant, but keep on working. 

IV.  Financial Hardship – 5:1-5 

Neh 5:1  And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.  

Neh 5:2  For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.  

Neh 5:3  Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.  

Neh 5:4  There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.  

Neh 5:5  Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.  

I have said it many times, if Satan wants to kill a Baptist he does not aim for the head or heart, he aims for the pocketbook. 

What is sad about this situation is that it was Jews exploiting Jews. 

The ones that were working were sacrificing their livelihood and others were taking advantage of them. 

By the way, you find out as the story develops that a lot of the aristocracy was allied with God’s enemies. 

Nehemiah was able to stop this, and in the end of the chapter set a standard of generosity that others were to follow. 

The best encouragement that I can give you is to remind you that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and that now matter the depth of the debt He can help provide a way out. 

Serving God is worth sacrificing monetary gain. 

V.  Conspiracy – join them – 6:1-4 

Neh 6:1  Now it came to pass, when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, and the rest of our enemies, heard that I had builded the wall, and that there was no breach left therein; (though at that time I had not set up the doors upon the gates;)  

Neh 6:2  That Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me, saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.  

Neh 6:3  And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?  

Neh 6:4  Yet they sent unto me four times after this sort; and I answered them after the same manner.  

There is an old saying that says if you can’t beat them, join them. 

That is not exactly what was happening here.   

They did not want to join Nehemiah, they wanted Nehemiah to join them. 

That’s a big difference. 

They were trying to destroy and corrupt him. 

Years ago I heard the story of a Christian young lady that was mocked for her lifestyle. 

Her reply: “I can walk out that door and come back in a few hours just like you, but you can not do the same.” 

Not everyone that cozies up to you is your friend. 

Do not let it distract you from the work. 

VI.  Lies – 6:5-9 

Neh 6:6  Wherein was written, It is reported among the heathen, and Gashmu saith it, that thou and the Jews think to rebel: for which cause thou buildest the wall, that thou mayest be their king, according to these words.  

Neh 6:7  And thou hast also appointed prophets to preach of thee at Jerusalem, saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.  

Satan is the original liar. 

It is his signature move. 

My response to lies is generally this: TIME WILL TELL. 

If you defend yourself you look guilty. 

Do not let it distract you. 

Keep on working. 

VI.  Unfaithful friends – 6:10-14 –  

Neh 6:10  Afterward I came unto the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah the son of Mehetabeel, who was shut up; and he said, Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: for they will come to slay thee; yea, in the night will they come to slay thee.  

Neh 6:17  Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters unto Tobiah, and the letters of Tobiah came unto them.  

Neh 6:18  For there were many in Judah sworn unto him, because he was the son in law of Shechaniah the son of Arah; and his son Johanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah.  

Neh 6:19  Also they reported his good deeds before me, and uttered my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to put me in fear.  

This one hurts. 

Nehemiah trusted Shemaiah but finds out he should not. 

He was in the employ of the enemy – and was not alone according to vs. 14. 

Then you read of the aristocracy being allied with the enemy. 

It was a deep conspiracy. 

Here is what I believe: Fidelity over Fraternity. 

It is better to be faithful to Christ than friends with the enemy. 

CONCLUSION 

1. How they overcame 

1. Being faithful – not stopping 

2. Looking to God – Chapter 8 

3. Power of God. 

2. How to overcome sin. 

1. Christ already did it. 

2. Trust in Him! 

Neither Do I Condemn Thee 

John 8:1-11 

I want to begin by noting that this text is controversial. 

Some throughout history have feared that it excused or even promoted adultery. 

That is utterly ridiculous – I hope that when we are finished today you will understand why that is. 

The other reason it is controversial is that many modern scholars say it is not really part of the Bible. 

Some claim it is a true story but was not part of John’s original text. 

They say someone added it later – Some claim it is entirely made up. 

They say it is not original and it is not true. 

Many point to the fact that some of the oldest manuscripts we have access to today do not include it. 

That is extremely misleading. 

There are very old Greek texts and early translations that include it. 

There are also early Christian writers that refer to it going back to the second and third centuries, older than many of those so-called “best manuscripts”. 

My opinion is that some early Christians wrongfully feared, like I said before, that is somehow promoted or excused adultery.  

There is historical evidence that it was purposely omitted from public reading of Scripture based on that. 

Because it was rarely heard or highlighted, it came to be looked upon as less valuable as other Scriptures. 

This led to it being shunned and excluded.  

I really do not like having to defend the text of Scripture, but it is under attack today like never before. 

Not just from the world, but from inside the ranks of Christianity too. 

Sometimes it is important to just stop and plant a flag, so everyone knows where you stand. 

Now, let’s look at what the Bible says. 

The setting, going back to John chapter 7, is the Feast of Tabernacles. 

This celebration was held in the fall, probably our October, and was one of the three great Pilgrimage feasts where the people of Israel would gather at the Temple and unite in worship. 

This is six months before the Passover at which Christ would be crucified. 

Opposition is increasing and his enemies are plotting against him. 

Here they think they have the perfect trap. 

Christ is teaching to the gathered crowds in the courtyards surrounding the Temple. 

The scribes and Pharisees burst through the crowd and throw a woman down in front of him. 

They accuse her – “Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.” 

This violated the created order of one man and one woman united in faithful marriage. 

This violated the Seventh Commandment – “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery”. 

Moses told them how to deal with this crime: 

Deu 22:22  If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.  

That is what the woman’s accusers were referring to in vs. 5. 

They challenge Christ’s authority – “what sayest thou?” 

It was not an honest question nor an honest challenge. 

It was a trap. 

I think they assumed there were three possible things Christ would do: 

First, Christ could affirm the Mosaic Law, condemning the woman to death. 

This would make Him contradict Himself: 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  

I think it possibly could even get Him in trouble with the Romans, who usually insisted on signing off on the death penalty.   

I am less sure on that than I used to be, but I do not want to rule it out. 

Second, Christ could disavow the Mosaic Law, allowing the woman to walk free. 

That crowd so zealously loved and clung to the Law that, had He done so, they likely would have torn him apart. 

Third, Christ could dodge the question and not take a stand. 

This would make him look weak and a coward. 

That is the nature of the trap, and the mortal minds of His enemies could not surmise any way that Christ could get Himself out of this. 

They neglected to consider that this is the One who told Isaiah: 

Isa_55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

By the way, there are obvious problems with their case. 

One of the main ones is the absence of the second party. 

If she was caught “in the very act” of adultery, where was the man? 

That is what Moses told them in the verse we read earlier: both the man and the woman were condemned. 

Another is that if they were so zealous in following the Law, why did they bring the woman to Christ? 

Why not take her to magistrates and execute justice correctly. 

It is a most suspicious case when you really think about it. 

What did Christ do in this impossible situation? 

Well, it was the last thing they expected. 

He does not speak an answer, but with His finger He begins to write in the dust on the pavement. 

By the way, that is the same finger that wrote the very command she was accused of breaking. 

Exo 31:18  And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.  

I think it is also the same finger that wrote on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast in Daniel 5.   

Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin – God had numbered the kingdom of Babylon, found it wanting, and had divided it among the Medes and Persians. 

What did He write? 

Was it the Ten Commandments again? 

Was it something like being weighed and found wanting? 

Was it the names or sins of the accusers? 

Was it the names of the women they had committed adultery with? 

When we get to Heaven we can ask and find out for sure, but one of the best theories I have heard is something I heard Mickey Carter preach on when I was in Bible college. 

My wife sat under his preaching and she will agree with me when I say that you will be hard pressed to find a better Bible teacher than him. 

He pointed to Jeremiah 17:13: 

Jer 17:13  O LORD, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the LORD, the fountain of living waters.  

Maybe that is what He wrote. 

I do not think the exact words are as important as their effect. 

He looked up from writing and said – “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” – and went back to writing in the dust. 

Verse 9 says that conviction set in on the accusers. 

One by one they left. 

There is a very curious detail here – they left eldest to youngest. 

I think that proves the special Holy Spirit conviction that was pricking their hearts. 

Someone said, and if I were to make a movie out of this scene this is how I would do it, that there was a hush over the crowd that watched curiously and all you could hear where the rocks being dropped as the accusers walked away. 

When Christ looks up, the accusers have disappeared. 

They had high-tailed it out of there. 

I picture a small opening in the crowd that had been listening to Christ. 

In it is Christ and the accused woman. 

He addresses her: “Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?” 

You see, if there were no witnesses, there could be no execution: 

Deu 17:6  At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.  

Deu 17:7  The hands of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward the hands of all the people. So thou shalt put the evil away from among you.  

Just moments before, that woman was anticipating that cruel death that came with the blows of hundreds of stones hurled at her. 

Now she looks wonderingly at Christ and answers, “no man, Lord”.   

Here’s a fun fact – the Samaritan woman in John 4 also called Him “Lord” – three times. 

Christ’s responds: “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” 

No witnesses and no accusers meant no case. 

The woman was free to go. 

Christ admonishes her that she has been spared and to change her ways. 

Now, I want to break this story and make some application for us today. 

I. Like that woman, we stand guilty before God. 

The accusers knew she was guilty. 

She knew was guilty. 

And this fact is often overlooked – Christ knew she was guilty. 

He is God and knows all things! 

Not one of us can claim a perfect record. 

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  

II. Like that woman, we have an accuser. 

We have an accuser today – Satan. 

Look at how he is described in Revelation 12: 

Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.  

 The same devil that accused Job accuses us. 

He says, “God, that one that says they are your child – look at what they did!  Look at who they are!  They are guilty!” 

We stand knowing he is right. 

We cannot offer a defense. 

III.  Like that woman, we must trust in the Saviour’s mercy. 

Like her, we are guilty. 

Like her, we are accused. 

Like her, our enemy presses for retribution.   

What will Christ do? 

There is an unwritten question here in our text – I think it is obviously implied. 

Christ looks at in mercy upon us; He offers us life and forgiveness. 

The question is: Do we trust in Him to save us? 

Can He? – Yes! 

Will He? – Yes! 

Like her, we find divine forgiveness when we know our guilt but put all our trust in the only One that can deliver us. 

IV.  Like that woman, God expects a change in us. 

“Go, and sin no more” 

It is an impossible command on the surface. 

We cannot help it – our broken nature is bent toward sin. 

But it is not saying we must meet perfection to maintain our salvation. 

It is saying that because we have been redeemed, we do not need to dwell in sin. 

We’ve passed from death to life – so there is no need to live among the dead and dying. 

We’ve passed from darkness to light – so there is no need to dwell among the shadows. 

We’ve been washed spotless in the Blood of the Lamb – so there is no need to dwell among the filth and smut of this old world. 

We do not do that to remain righteous; we do it because Christ had given us His righteousness. 

CONCLUSION 

• Before you start casting stones, remember that once you where the target. 

• Forgive as freely as you have been forgiven. 

• Do not forget what God has delivered you from. 

• Never lose sight of the grandeur of the Cross and the Empty Tomb. 

• Never get over what God has done for you. 

• If you are listening to this and you stand guilty and condemned as the woman in our text, trust in Christ for salvation. 

The Cost of Serving God 

II Samuel 24:18-25 

Our text this morning comes at the close of one of the darkest events in David’s life. 

Most would say it was his affair with Bathsheba, and there other contenders we could discuss. 

But if you notice, of all the sins that David committed, the one that is given the most space in II Samuel and I Chronicles is when he numbered the people. 

David is near the end of his life. 

He is no longer the strong warrior of his youth. 

His family was fractured by his sin with Bathsheba. 

His own sons rose up against him and tried to take the throne by force. 

I do not think he had a very strong hold on the throne at this time. 

He gives in to fear and doubt. 

He sends Joab out to take a census of the people. 

The reason for this is so that he will know how big of an army he can muster. 

At this time, there was a very small standing army. 

When there was a need for a larger force, the trumpets sounded and volunteers answered the call. 

How many would show up was not known. 

It was in fact a way to force the king to trust in God and not in man. 

He had to believe that God would muster a sufficient force to meet the need. 

But if he knew ahead of time how many men he could count on, well he would trust in the might of his army and not God’s provision. 

Joab, for all his faults, tried to warn David. 

But the census took place. 

By the way, it was not a spur of the moment decision or action. 

Even our justice system views crimes that are premeditated differently than those that happen in the heat of the moment. 

This took planning. 

It took months to execute. 

It could have stopped at any time, but David allowed it to continue. 

Finally, the conviction of God set in and David expressed remorse for his actions. 

I say that on purpose that he was remorseful. 

I do not think he was yet ready to repent. 

There is a big difference in expressing sorrow for your actions and turning your back on them. 

God gave him a choice of punishments: 

7 years of famine 

3 months of his enemies begin victorious 

3 days pestilence in the land. 

David chose the last one.   

70,000 died across the land. 

I do not think David had broken yet. 

Then the angel stood outside of Jerusalem, pausing the judgment right on David’s doorstep. 

Then David repented. 

We come now to our text. 

The prophet Gad comes up to David and tells him that God wants him to build an altar on the site where the angel stood. 

That piece of land was owned by a Jebusite named Araunah in II Samuel and Ornan in I Chronicles 21. 

Same meaning, just variation in spelling. 

He must have been a survivor of David’s capture of Jerusalem 30 years before. 

Araunah tells David he can have the land. 

He would throw in his oxen and his farm equipment too. 

It was generous offer, but David refused it. 

Note the words in vs. 24 – “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” 

The week before last was Teacher Appreciation Week. 

The folks at the school up here counted me as a teacher since I do chapel with the kids on Thursdays. 

They were very gracious and gave me a bunch of stuff that I really should not be eating anyway. 

I’ll confess this though. 

I got a couple of Starbucks gift cards. 

Now, to some folks those are worth their weight in gold. 

But I am not a coffee drinker. 

Give a Dr. Pepper any day! 

No one in my house is a coffee drinker. 

Guess where some of those cards ended up? 

We regifted them to some of the kids’ teachers. 

I felt like that helped us out – we didn’t have to go buy anything. 

Now think about it like this: 

I received a gift that I valued little. 

I passed it on to someone who hopefully valued it more than I. 

In the end, it made for a balanced transaction. 

Financially, that’s a pretty good deal. 

But as a show of love and appreciation, you have to admit that it falls short. 

There is David, his heart is torn in grief at his sin. 

He was offered an easy way out – he could accept the gift and pass it on to God. 

But he says that was not the right thing to do. 

He says that if he is to make an offering to God it needs to cost him something. 

That was the correct choice. 

Friends, serving God out to cost us something. 

Christ put it this way in Luke 14:25-33 

Luk 14:25  And there went great multitudes with him: and he turned, and said unto them,  

Luk 14:26  If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.  

Serving God will cost you because your priorities will change. 

Luk 14:27  And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.  

Serving God will cost you because your life will be surrendered to God. 

Luk 14:28  For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?  

Luk 14:29  Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,  

Luk 14:30  Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.  

Luk 14:31  Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?  

Luk 14:32  Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.  

Luk 14:33  So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.  

Serving God will cost you because you need to see it through. 

Someone may say, “well, salvation is free – fully paid by Christ – so Christianity is free!” 

Oh yes, salvation is freely given by grace through faith to all that call upon the name of the Lord. 

You cannot buy it or earn it. 

But we are not talking about salvation here. 

We are talking about following the Lord once we are believers. 

David was not making sacrifices to be saved – he was making them because he was saved! 

He knew that it costs something to serve God. 

Let me ask you a couple of questions: 

1. WHAT HAS SERVING GOD COST YOU? 

Have you had to lay aside personal ambitions? 

Have you had stopping going certain places or doing certain things? 

Have friends and family pulled away from you? 

I want to say something very strong here. 

If it has not cost you to be Christian, you probably are not one. 

The Bible says that the if you are Christian the world will hate you. 

The Bible says you have to crucify the fle sh – our desires, ambitions, and pride. 

Christ put it this way in Luke 9:23-26 

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.  

Luk 9:24  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.  

Luk 9:25  For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?  

Luk 9:26  For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels.  

2. WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY TO SERVE GOD? 

I saw this week on social media a questionnaire from a church in Asia that was for people wanting to get baptized. 

In that part of the world, it is a big deal to get baptized. 

The culture takes that as sign you are turning away from your world to Christ. 

Here are the questions it asked: 

• Are you willing to leave home and lost he blessing of your father? 

• Are you willing to lose your job? 

• Are you willing to go to the village and those who persecute you, forgive them, and share the love of Christ with them? 

• Are you willing to give an offering to the Lord? 

• Are you willing to be beaten rather than deny your faith? 

• Are you willing to go to prison? 

• Are you willing to die for Jesus? 

I can sum that up – Are you willing to pay the cost of being a Christian? 

We are so spoiled – we want Christianity that has no cross, no commitment, and no cost. 

3. WHATEVER THE COST, IT IS WORTH IT 

Paul paid a great price to serve Christ. 

It cost him friends and fame among the Jews. 

He suffered physically, emotionally, and spiritually. 

But at the end, some of the last words that he would write are these: 

2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  

2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  

2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.  

Know what he is saying there? 

All the trials and heartaches were worth it. 

We have the promise that God will make all things right in the end. 

Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  

In the eternity before us, no one will ever say it was not worth it. 

In fact, if we say anything, we will only regret that we had not given more for our Savior. 

CONCLUSION 

• Be careful to value things by Heaven’s price guide. 

• ILLUS – Beckett baseball card magazine 

• Things that seem small down here are big up there. 

• Things that seem big down here are small up there. 

• Value things by the eternal standard of God’s word. 

• Be thankful that the one absolutely free gift is Salvation. 

• Jesus paid it all. 

Wanderlust

Hebrews 11:8-16

One of the greatest treasures in American  literature is a series of books sharing stories and adventures of growing up as a pioneer.

Very much romanticized for her audience, Laura Ingalls Wilder told of how her father moved their family around the western frontier of America in the days after the Civil War.

They began in Wisconsin, then moved to Minnesota, then to Iowa, then to Minnesota, finally settling in the Dakota Territory.

Laura quotes her pa as saying, “My wandering foot gets to itching.”

It was what we call wanderlust.

It is fairly modern word, coined in 1875.

It means to have a desire to wander or move.

It is a restlessness that seizes new opportunities and new horizons.

That exemplified many of the pioneers in America.

They and their families drifted westward with the expansion of civilization.

They would leave families and homesteads behind, because there was something in their spirit that kept seeking something better.

I think of that spirit as we read our text.

Abraham had a case of wanderlust.

God called him from his homeland  in Genesis 12:1-3

Gen 12:1  Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: 

Gen 12:2  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 

Gen 12:3  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. 

We read his biography in Scripture and find him on the move.

From Ur of the Chaldees to Haran to Shechem to Egypt to Bethel to Hebron to Gerar and back to Hebron.

He never built a house but instead lived in tents.

The only property he ever bought was cemetery plot for his family at Machpelah.

The only family he had with him besides his wife Sarah was his nephew Lot, whose downfall is legendary.

He lived as a stranger in the land.

No one looked like him, spoke like him, dressed like him, acted like him, or worshipped like him. 

But he was never truly alone.

By faith he walked with God.

By faith he saw the countless descendants that would come.

By faith he saw the Messiah, the hope of the world, coming from his family.

For 100 years he wandered and never found a place to roost.

Oh, he could have built the biggest mansion in the county.

He could have conquered some territory and named it after himself.

But he refused to put down permanent roots, even in the land that was promised to his descendants.

Our text tells us why.

Heb 11:9  By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 

Heb 11:10  For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 

It was not some deluded quest for El Dorado or the Northwest Passage that drove him on.

He was seeking something very real but had not been realized yet.

We continue:

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

Heb 11:14  For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 

Abraham, to whom God made so many wonderful promises, died without seeing the place he sought for.

Why?

It had not come yet.

He had a vision of something to come.

Still thinking of pioneers, Stephen F. Austin and the early Texan colonists came to my mind.

I’ve seen the newspaper articles and advertisements they put it, calling people to come and settle in Texas.

They talked about the possibilities for profit and advancement with the raw beginnings of settlement. 

Here is part of a letter from Stephen F. Austin that was published in 1823:

Now is the time to move to this Country. Settlers who establish themselves under me will have more privileges than ever will be granted again, the smallest guaranty of land they are to receive is one League square, and are free from all taxes and tythes for six years. I am as yet unlimited as to the number which I may introduce into the interior of the province near the ancient settlement; there are about one hundred families on the Colorado and Brasos, the other two hundred I am determined shall be of the best kind.

The crops this year will be immense, eighty bushels of corn will be raised in many places in the settlement, the rains have been plentiful throughout the summer. I want settlers of respectability, and if you or your friends will join me, I will allow you all the privileges in my power. The land will cost twelve and a half cents an acre

Sounds a like a pretty promising proposition, doesn’t it?

Cheap land, no taxes, abundant crops.

People read accounts like that and uprooted and families to seek out this new Garden of Eden.

Abraham was sort of like that.

He did not see the present, he saw what the future would hold through the promises of God.

He looked around and said, “this place is pretty nice, oh but wait till I finally get home!”

Folks, let me put this plainly.

We need some of that heavenly wanderlust in our hearts today.

We need to look beyond this present world and see what is coming.

We need a divine discontent that drives us forward.

Albert Brumley put it this way:

This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.

I ask you this morning, how attached are you to this old world?

Does that Blessed Hope of Heaven stir your heart?

I am afraid that when lot of Christians are called to glory they are gonna be trying to grab on and hold on to their treasures here below.

This leads me to my first point:

I. Our Final Destination

Heb 11:15  And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 

I am afraid, if given the choice, many people would make their ticket to heaven be a round trip one.

They’d like to go visit, but their hearts and home are really down here.

I am glad it is a one-way ticket.

No returns, no cancellations, no delays.

There are many things to enjoy in this life – God has been so good to us even in this fallen world.

But how inferior everything down here is!

I am reminded of when Billy was just a baby and we were at Braums.

He was just barely starting to eat baby food.

My dad decided it was time he got a taste of the good life.

He took his straw out of his milkshake and put a drop or two of it on Billy’s tongue.

I you saw that baby’s face light up you would know his world had just turned upside down.

Bland rice and pureed whatever just wasn’t gonna cut it anymore.

He knew what the good life tasted like.

It’s the same when we really get a good glimpse of heaven.

Things down here just down shine as bright as they used to.

There’s a wanderlust that sets in.

There should be a longing in our hearts to be truly Home.

Some of y’all are to the point that you have more family and friends over there than here.

It makes staying here that much harder.

And that’s not even the best part

To be with our Savior!  To worship at God’s throne!

How could we ever desire anything else?

II.  Our Welcome There

Heb 11:16  But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God:…

I am fascinated by that phrase – “God is not ashamed to be called their God”.

Sometimes the kids will act up, and Becky and I will look at each other and say, “that’s your child, not mine!”

We are of course only joking… most of the time…

I was telling someone recently that when you have a kid you lose your identity.

I was not long Matthew Barton Gage.

I was Billy’s dad or Jenna’s dad.

You know, it never bothered me at all.

I don’t mind being associated with my kids – I think they’ve turned out pretty good in spite of having me for a dad.

Have you every thought that God feels similarly about us?

He does not just like us – He LOVES us!

I know we must frustrate Him at times, but there is never a time when the Devil makes an accusation against us where God says, “I’m not claiming that child right now.”

He LOVES us!

Why bring this point while we are largely focused on heaven?

Because if God is that crazy about us, just imagine what He has prepared for us!

He does not just allow us into Heaven – His every desire is for us to be there!

III. Our Permanent Home

Heb 11:16  …for he hath prepared for them a city. 

Christ put it this way:

Joh 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 

Joh 14:2  In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

Joh 14:3  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. 

Christ makes it very personal – “I am coming for YOU.  There is a place for YOU.”

But we also note it goes beyond just the individual – “many mansions”

What did Abraham seek?  A city.

How many people live in a city?

There used to be a sign south of us on the Tarrant County line that read, “Jeterville, Texas – Population 5 and 1 Cat”.

None of us would call that a city.

There are other communities in our area that have a few buildings but I hesitate to call them a city.

A city is a place buzzing with life and filled with people.

That is what Heaven will be!

It is not just about me or you being there.

It is about our loved ones and or friends.

It is about bringing as many people along with us as we can.

One day, thanks to the salvation provided by our Lord Jesus Christ, we will be part of that community.

Not just enjoying the splendors of heaven, but enjoying them TOGETHER.

ILLUS ? – kids seeing fireworks.

CONCLUSION

• Where is your heart today?
  • Is it on this earth with its fading and unfulfilling amusements?
  • Is it in Heaven were true joy and peace reign unopposed.
• Where are you investing today?
  • We put a lot of time and energy into being comfortable in this world.
  • Make sure you are giving and working so that there are rewards on the other side.
    • The greatest of these is having souls there because of you.
• Where is your hope this today?
  • The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ.
  • It is only through His shed blood that salvation is possible.
  • It is only by faith in His finished work that we may know that Heaven is our home.

The King Who Struck Out 

Deuteronomy 17:14-20 

Our text today is a remarkable passage. 

God had promised Abraham that there would be kings among his descendants: 

Gen 17:6  And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.  

But as Moses is writing these words,  Israel had no king. 

They were preparing to go into the Promised Land. 

God tells them, “now when you are secure in the land, you are going to demand a king.” 

He tells us the very reason they would ask it – to be like the nations that surrounded them. 

About 350 years later, the people came to Samuel and said in I Samuel 8:5 – ”now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 

God knew they would demand a king and why they would demand it. 

Now, God is going to use that. 

Through the Royal Line the Messiah would someday come. 

He would be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

But before Christ will rule and reign, there will be an earthly kingdom of Israel. 

In our text God lays out five commands that the kings were to follow. 

Number 1 – The king should be an Israelite. 

Deu 17:15  Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother.  

That will not be an issue in the Old Testament era. 

The men who will hold the throne may not always be of David’s line, but they all carry the DNA of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 

Number 2 – Do not multiply horses. 

Deu 17:16  But he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses: forasmuch as the LORD hath said unto you, Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.  

This is not just good financial advice. 

Horses were used for one thing in the Old Testament – that is war. 

God is telling the future kings to not build up a great army. 

Why? 

Because they were supposed to trust in him and not their military strength. 

Number 3 – Do not multiply wives. 

Deu 17:17  Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away:… 

This is not just about passion or lust. 

Marriages involving royalty have been used in making treaties and agreements as long as their has been royalty.   

You secure good relations with such-and-such a country by marrying your princess to their prince. 

Now you are one big happy family! 

I believe this is to keep a king trusting in God and not trusting in his political alliances. 

Number 4 – Do not multiply wealth. 

Deu 17:17… neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.  

It was not a new truth that Paul wrote in I Timothy 6:10 that the love of money is the root of all evil. 

Again, this is to keep a king trusting in God and not to rely on his wealth. 

Number 5 – The king was to have his own copy of the Law to study. 

Deu 17:18  And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:  

Deu 17:19  And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them:  

Deu 17:20  That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.  

I think this is one is pretty self-explanatory. 

Not everyone could afford to pay scribes to produce a hand-copied text of the Law, but a king could. 

It was vitally important that he dwell in God’s word to guide his heart and mind. 

Now, I will say that there is not really enough evidence for me to know for certain if kings actually did this one. 

I think the good ones probably did, but I doubt the bad ones would have bothered. 

So before us we have five criteria by which we can measure the rule of a king of Israel. 

I want for us today to look at one of the greatest kings of Israel and see he faired with these. 

He was certainly an Israelite, which like I said is never really an issue. 

So number 1 is good. 

I cannot say for certain that he had his own copy of the law, but I think he probably did. 

So number 5 is either inconclusive or assumed to be good. 

That leaves three rules. 

Do not multiply horses – build up a massive army. 

Do not multiply wives – build up alliances. 

Do not multiply wealth. 

If you will forgive me, I am going to think in baseball terms here. 

Three pitches. 

Will this king strike out. 

Up to the plate steps the batter. 

It is King Solomon. 

We first read of him in II Samuel 7. 

David had desired to build the Temple but God would not allow him to do so. 

God gives him instead what we call the Davidic Covenant – a series of promises God pledges to keep. 

2Sa 7:12  And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.  

God will establish David’s dynasty through his son – one that we not has not yet been born. 

2Sa 7:13  He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.  

That son will build the Temple and continue the dynasty. 

2Sa 7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:  

2Sa 7:15  But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.  

That son will mess up royally. 

Though he deserves to be cast aside like King Saul, God promises not to do so. 

2Sa 7:16  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.  

That son is born to David and Bathsheba in II Samuel 12. 

They name him Solomon – man of peace. 

The prophet Nathan names him Jedidiah – beloved of the Lord. 

I believe he is marked to be the successor. 

Those final years of David’s reign are pretty rough. 

There is much trouble in David’s household, the fallout from his sin with Bathsheba. 

The lowest point is when his son Absalom tried to take the throne. 

Then, about a year before David’s passing, another son named Adonijah tried to take the throne. 

Nathan and Bathsheba spur him to action an Solomon is anointed king. 

He is twenty years old. 

He co-rules with David for a year. 

After David’s passing he still has to deal with plots against him. 

At the beginning of his reign we read in I Kings 3 that God appeared to him at Gibeah and granted him one desire of his heart, and he chose wisdom. 

God replies: (I am just going to read the Kings account, not Chronicles) 

1Ki 3:12  Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.  

1Ki 3:13  And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches, and honour: so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee all thy days.  

1Ki 3:14  And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.  

We go on to read of the spectacular growth and fame of Solomon and his kingdom. 

We read of his great building projects, the most important of which is the Temple. 

He has been king for about twenty years, most of which are good. 

God appears to him again with this warning: 

1Ki 9:4  And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments:  

1Ki 9:5  Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.  

1Ki 9:6  But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them:  

1Ki 9:7  Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people:  

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had the same two choices before him that we do today: 

Serve God, and enjoy HIs blessings. 

Rebel against God, and face His judgment. 

He is up to bat. 

We are going to throw three pitches to him – the three rules we looked at in Deuteronomy 17 – so let us see how he handles them. 

Pitch 1 – Do not multiply horses. 

Here’s the windup, and the pitch. 

1Ki 10:26  And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen: and he had a thousand and four hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he bestowed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem.  

Swing and a miss – Strike one! 

How often do we fail on this pitch ourselves! 

We may not have chariots and horsemen, but we do trust in our own strength. 

Psa 20:7  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.  

If we had more time this morning, I could take you through story after story about mighty armies humiliated before God’s power. 

Trust in His strength and not your own. 

Pitch 2 – Do not multiply wives 

Here’s the windup, and the pitch. 

1Ki 11:3  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.  

1Ki 11:4  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.  

Solomon swings so hard he falls down on this one. 

Strike two! 

To say Solomon failed this command is like saying the Grand Canyon is just a hole in the ground. 

I heard a preacher say once that Solomon may have been the wisest man on earth but he was not the smartest – why in the world would he want hundreds of mothers-in-law? 

I remind you that this is about politics and not necessarily about passion. 

He was making treaties with all his neighbors and all his enemies and all the powers that could benefit him. 

Do we not do the same? 

Instead of trusting in God when we are in distress, we pick up the phone and call that friend or loved one that owes us a favor. 

If you haven’t realized it yet, earthly friends will let you down. 

There is only One person in this universe that will never fail you and that is God. 

Pitch 3 – Do not multiply wealth. 

Here’s the windup, and the pitch. 

1Ki 10:23  So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.  

1Ki 10:27  And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance.  

Swing and a miss – Strike three! 

Those descriptions of Solomon’s wealth are astounding. 

The amount gold – over 25 tons came in revenue each year – and the exotic trade goods. 

Now, again, before you start pointing fingers at Solomon, do we not do the same? 

We live in the greatest, most prosperous nation the world has ever seen. 

I was a study this week that said if the United Kingdom were in the United States it would rank 51st – dead last – in GDP per capita. 

But our abundance has made us lose our trust in God. 

We’d rather turn to MasterCard or Visa than fall to our knees in prayer. 

CONCLUSION 

We have seen God’s commands for the kings of Israel to follow. 

We have seen how Solomon failed in three of these. 

He struck out, if you will. 

God sent opposition against him in his final years. 

He dies at 60 – Undoubtably taken home early. 

But I close with the lesson he learned. 

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.  

Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.  

Dead Man Walking 

Why We Observe the Lord’s Supper 

Colossians 2:6-23 

Our text this morning may seem an odd one for a day that we observe the Lord’s Supper. 

The reason I am using this text is because it fits well many of the ideas I want to discuss. 

I do not know exactly when Paul visited this town as it is not mentioned in the Book of Acts. 

But we do know Paul was preaching in the region, called Phrygia,  

In Acts 16:6 says “they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia” 

In Acts 18:23 says he “went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.” 

We know there is a church there, one that meant enough to Paul that he took the time to write them a letter to help them. 

They were under attack, not by an army but by false doctrine. 

There are various opinions of exactly what this heresy was that had taken root, but Paul is careful to counter it. 

In chapter 1 he exalts the Preeminence of Christ. 

Vs. 15-23 are worth reading any chance you have to read them: 

Col 1:15  Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:  

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:  

Col 1:17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.  

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.  

Col 1:19  For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;  

Col 1:20  And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  

Col 1:21  And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled  

Col 1:22  In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:  

Col 1:23  If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;  

We discern from here that the false teaching had degraded the person and work of Christ. 

They probably doubted His divinity or the sufficiency of His sacrifice for our sins. 

Paul continues in Chapter 2 telling them of the power of their salvation in Christ and the need to hold fast to the truth of Christ. 

Paul says they are to walk IN HIM and be rooted and built up IN HIM. 

He says in vs. 11-12 that what they have is greater than the Jewish ritual of circumcision, that baptism is a figure of regeneration from death to life. 

He says in vs. 14 that the Law that condemned us blotted out through the cross. 

Read and dissect vs. 6-15 carefully – I don’t have time to do it today – it eradicates the possibility that man could be saved or spiritual without Christ. 

Now that Paul has established this doctrinal fact, he shifts in vs. 16 to a practical application. 

It is a broadside blast against those that try to add traditions and rituals to faith in Christ: 

Col 2:16  Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:  

Col 2:17  Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.  

Col 2:18  Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  

Col 2:19  And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.  

Now Paul is writing largely about those that are trying to enforce aspects of Judaism on the Christians at Colosse. 

Somebody was telling them that if they really wanted to be spiritual, they needed to keep the customs of the Law. 

Paul says that those things are shadows – they are merely evidence that Christ would come and what He would do. 

He says that anyone who lifts anything above Christ in the Christian Life is wrong. 

No angel, no holiday, no feast, no custom, no ritual – Christ and Christ alone. 

By the way, the root cause is there too – “vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind” – PRIDE 

He says in vs. 23 that such things look smart in man-created and man-centered worship – what he calls “will worship”. 

Those things have no effect on a person spiritually. 

Go live like a hermit somewhere – you are not closer to God because of it, you are still a sinner. 

Go lock yourself in a room with a Bible – you are not closer to God because of it, you are still a sinner. 

The answer is Christ and Christ alone. 

Now, that was all introduction. 

Paul destroys the notion that by keeping traditions and rituals we become more spiritual. 

Frankly, I believe in a simple faith. 

The gospel is simple – you are sinner doomed for hell, Christ died for you and offers salvation, so claim that free gift through faith. 

I do not believe there are mystical secrets to the Christian faith. 

We all know what to do – be faithful, flee sin, read our Bibles, pray, love one another, give, and so on. 

I believe that everything we need to know God tells us in His Word. 

I further believe that we get in trouble when we start walking in our own wisdom and not following God’s instructions. 

Sometimes we are not satisfied with that simplicity. 

We think there must be more. 

Nope, it is all about Christ. 

Well, then there must be more to living for Him. 

Nope, that’s all about Him too. 

It really is that simple – so simple it is hard to accept. 

We complicate that simplicity. 

We hear the command to pray in Scripture, and we come up with written prayers, formulas, journals, and apps to do it better. 

We lose that wonderful simplicity. 

Quickly, I want to address something I get asked about from time to time. 

I get questions all the time about what we do and how we do it as a church. 

Why don’t you pass an offering plate? – Because we stopped in COVID and I kinda like using the box – the service flows better and it allows for less pressure and more anonymity in giving. 

Why do you wear a suit and tie on Sunday morning?  Because I greatly respect the office and role of pastor and the seriousness of serving God in a church.  I believe I should dress as best I can to reflect that honor. 

Why do you still sing hymns? – Have you got a few hours to talk about that one? 

But sometimes I get asked, “why don’t you do so-and-so”. 

Often it is a tradition from another denomination. 

This time of year, a few things come up: 

Lent – 40 days of fasting/self-deprivation that are supposed to prepare you for Easter. 

That one is easy – there is no Biblical command to do it. 

In fact, I think its modern observance is quite counter to what fasting truly is. 

Palm Sunday – some churches wave palm branches on the Sunday before Easter. 

That one is easy, too – there is no Biblical command to do it. 

It reflects a historical event, but I don’t see why it should be reenacted.   

That is the way I feel about most of what is called the liturgical or church calendar. 

There is no command to observe those days and it complicates the purity and simplicity of the Christian life. 

Somebody may grumble there: “Well, you DO Easter and Christmas so you are a hypocrite” 

It I be a sinner or a hypocrite for celebrating the birth of Christ and His resurrection – I will gladly take those titles. 

Frankly, the two main reasons I do not like the church calendar is that it: 

1. Is not commanded in Scripture – Regulative Principle, not Normative Principle 

2. It adds unnecessary burdens 

1. Mat 23:4  For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; 

So why the Lord’s Supper? 

Why do we observe this memorial act when we refuse so many others? 

1. It is commanded in Scripture – Luke 22:19 – “this do in remembrance of me” 

2. The example of the early church observing it – Corinth. 

3. It is important enough that the devil tried to corrupt it – at Corinth 

4. It anticipates the return of the Lord 

1. 1Co 11:26  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.  

2. Mat 26:29  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.  

5. It directly honors Christ 

1. There is nothing lost in its symbolism – the blood and broken body. 

6. To thank Christ 

1. 1Co 11:24  And when he had given thanks,… 

7. To proclaim Christ 

1. 1Co 11:26  For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.  

8. To remember the new covenant 

1. Passover remembered the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt 

2. I Corinthians 11:25 – This cup is the new testament in my blood: 

9. It is a unifying act for the church 

1. 1Co 10:16  The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?  

2. 1Co 10:17  For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.  

10. It is a unifying act for the believer and His Savior 

1. 1Co 11:28  But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.  

2. We check our hearts and recenter them on Christ. 

Faint Yet Pursuing 

Judges 8:4 

Judges chapter 8 is not nearly as well remembered as chapters 6 or 7. 

I must confess, as I have only been a few days into Judges for the daily Bible reading that there is quite a bit that I honestly did not remember. 

We remember some of the highest highs and lowest lows of the book, but there is so much information I fear we simply gloss over. 

So it is with chapter 8. 

Our text describes the pursuit of the fleeing armies of the Midianites, Amalekites, and Arabians. 

We learn back in chapter six that Israel had for the fourth time in the days since Joshua turned away from God. 

They turned from worshipping the true God of Israel to the false idols like Baal and Ashtaroth. 

God would send other nations to defeat and oppress Israel, in order to turn their hearts back to Him. 

Here it is the Midianites. 

Midian is far south in the Arabian peninsula, east of the gulf of Aqaba. 

The Midianites have allied themselves with some nomadic peoples, I think maybe to use them as cavalry. 

These are the cursed Amalekites and the “children of the east”, which I think are Arabian tribes descended from Ishamel. 

These came sweeping in during the spring before harvest. 

They destroyed or took the crops and livestock. 

The Israelites were forced to hide themselves in whatever cave or stronghold that evaded the eyes of the enemy. 

For seven years they lived in fear. 

Finally, they called out to God for relief. 

God chose Gideon to be the man to lead the people to victory. 

He is the last person you would expect God to choose. 

When we meet him, he is threshing grain in a valley. 

That is normally done on a hilltop, but he is afraid of being spotted. 

When the Angel of the Lord appears to him – and if you read carefully I believe that is the Preincarnate Christ – Gideon needs a sign to confirm the message was true. 

The Angel caused the food Gideon brought to burst into flames and be consumed in fire, which satisfied Gideon for the time. 

The first things Gideon was told to do was to throw down his father’s shrines to Baal and Ashtaroth. 

Gideon does so, but under the cover of darkness. 

He sounds the trumpet for the men of Israel to gather for war. 

After doing so, he has to be reassured by God once again. 

He asked God to make a fleece that was laid on the ground be wet while the ground was dry. 

God obliged him. 

But then he asked for yet another sign, this time the opposite, that the fleece be dry and the ground wet. 

God obliged him again. 

That is three times God has to convince Gideon that, yes, God had chosen him, and, yes, God would give the victory. 

32,000 men answer his call to arms. 

We learn in Judges 8:10 that the Midianite army had 135,000. 

God says it is too many, that they would lift themselves up in pride with the victory and not praise God for it. 

Gideon orders that any man is scared should return to their home. 

This was actually commanded in Deuteronomy 20:8 

Deu 20:8  And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.  

22,000 men were honest enough to admit it, and they all went home. 

10,000 are left to face 135,000. 

Then God has the audacity to still say it is too many! 

He tells Gideon to take his army down to the creek and watch for how the men drink water. 

300 of them, the Bible says, lapped water like a dog. 

I just learned this, but the Hebrew word is yalok, which is the sound of a dog lapping water. 

That is called an onomatopoeia – when a word mimics the sound it describes. 

The rest got to their knees and guzzled water. 

Now, I was always taught that the difference was that the 300 scooped up water in their hands and drank it, meaning they maintained readiness in case the enemy came, and that the others lay out and stuck their faces directly down in the water, exposing themselves to sudden attacks. 

That may be the case, but I found something else that makes sense. 

I have found that B.H. Carroll often has unique insight in situations like these. 

Many preachers and writers have little understanding of warfare, let alone of everyday life. 

But Carroll in his youth served as a Texas Ranger, patrolling the frontier, and as a private in the Confederate army in the western theatre of the war. 

He knew firsthand more about fighting than almost any other preacher I can think of. 

He says this, and this is important for our text: 

God looked at the 10,000 and said, “There are still too many. Now bring the 10,000 down to the creek and let me see them drink water,” and every one but 300 when they got there laid down their equipments and kneeled down and deliberately took a drink. But the 300 waded in and lapped up the water as they marched through, and never stopped walking. God said that the 300 that lapped the water like a dog were his crowd. Why? They had before them, after the battle, a march that would try the souls of men. Gideon will never let up pursuing them, across the Jordan and way out into Midian, and soldiers that have to lay aside their equipments and lie down and grunt, they never will overtake a fleeing enemy, and he needed people that wouldn’t lose time. I once heard an infidel say that that was the sorriest test he ever heard of. I always thought it a remarkable test. It was precisely the kind of a test that was made by an old Indian fighter. He said, “I am going to pursue the Indians into the mountains; whoever cannot load your gun as you go must drop out; you must be able to load your gun as you go.” 

That makes a lot of sense to me, because as we will see it does factor into what happens in chapter 8 and our text. 

Before we get there, I do want to note that Gideon needs more convincing. 

God tells him to sneak into the enemy camp. 

There he hears a man talking about a dream and learns that the Midianites are scared of Gideon and a battle to come. 

They probably had seen all those men moving around and thought they all stayed, not knowing only 300 remained. 

This fourth encouragement for Gideon give him the courage to continue on. 

The story of Gideon’s 300 men is famous. 

They surrounded the enemy camp at night. 

Each man had a trumpet – a shofar – and a clay pot that held a lit oil lamp. 

When the Midianites changed their guards around midnight. 

On the signal, the 300 men blew their trumpets, broke their pots to reveal the lit lamps, and yelled the battle cry, “The sword of the Lordand of Gideon!” 

The guards panic, the camp panics, and in the confusion, they turn on themselves. 

The 300 men begin a pursuit southward. 

Gideon sends messengers ahead into Ephraim and tells them to rally their men. 

The men of Ephraim block the way south, capture two captains, and force the Midianites to go east over the Jordan. 

Gideon and his 300 are hot on their tails. 

Here is were our text occurs: 

Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.  

The place they crossed is maybe 30 miles south of where the battle began, but Gideon and his men will not stop. 

The Midianites flee southeast. 

Gideon asks the towns of Succoth and Penuel for aid, but they refuse.  

He and his 300 men press on in pursuit, hungry and tired  

The Midianites rally what is left of their army at a place called Karkor. 

Only 15,000 remain of their original 135,000. 

And Gideon and his men were still coming. 

The trail continues to the southeast. 

Finally, the Gideon captures to Midianite kings and the remnant of the army disintegrated.   

I see different estimates on how long the pursuit of the Midianite army was. 

One map I saw looked like it was about 75 miles to me, the same distance as Wichita Falls is from Decatur. 

I saw some people estimate it at around 150 miles, depending on the exact route the chase may have taken. 

That relentless pursuit across so many miles, stopping to battle and skirmish along the way, would require men of strong spirit and body. 

The kind of men who could be weary yet continue in their pursuit until its conclusion 

Folks, this life get hard sometimes in the pursuit of following God’s will. 

Sometimes the victories we seek are hard fought. 

It is easy to become “weary in well doing”, 

Paul wrote in Galatians 6:9 and II Thessalonians 3:13 that we should not be so, but sometimes our spirit and body grow tired in the fight. 

I want to give you a few points of encouragement this morning for when you grow faint in the midst of the battle. 

I. Remember your faithfulness in the small things. 

Most of my sermons I spend a third to half of the time just going over the text and its setting. 

I did so today because I think there is something important in the choosing of the 300 men that links to their ability to continuing fighting. 

Those 300 men were chosen by God because of a common characteristic that was displayed in how they drank water. 

These were the men that remain alert and upright, weapons at the ready. 

They remained vigilant and active as they refreshed themselves. 

They were ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. 

That rare characteristic is what helped drive them on in the day of battle. 

You might ask, “You mean to tell me that how they drank water showed how they will fight?” 

Absolutely! 

You can tell much about a person in the small things. 

A person who is not honest or diligent in small matters will not be in major matters. 

Remember the Parable of the Talents, where the master tells his servants: 

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. “ 

If you want to be faithful in the hardest times of life, be faithful in the smallest.   

Be like David, who did not fear Goliath because he had already had experience with lesser beasts like bears and lions. 

II.  Remember God’s promises 

Do you realize that what we see here, a few men putting a much larger force to flight, was promised in the Bible? 

God already said it could and it would happen for the Israelites against their enemies. 

We find it in Leviticus 26: 

Lev 26:7  And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  

Lev 26:8  And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.  

We find it again in Joshua 23: 

Jos 23:10  One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.  

We talk often about things that give us comfort when we are weary and tired. 

We have comfort foods we turn to (Blue Bell) 

We have movies, music, or books in which we turn to find solace. 

How often do we neglect the ultimate source of comfort in the promises of God? 

Do you find yourself being amazed that God did exactly what He said He would do? 

When you are weary, grab on to the sure promises of the Word. 

Remember that Christ will never forsake you, remember that He gives us the grace and strength to meet whatever obstacle we face. 

You say, “Well I don’t feel like they help me at the time.” 

Neither does Tylenol – it takes time to settle in and work – it is not a magic placebo that makes all the bad things go away. 

But so often you will find it is the very rock we find refuge and safety in during the storms of life. 

III.  Remember that victory comes to those who remain faithful. 

You know, I doubt these 300 men were the biggest or best fighters. 

It is not like God was weaning the military down until any left was on a level with Chuck Norris. 

What these men were faithful. 

They would not quit. 

They fell and they rose up again. 

They saw the battle through until its end. 

I am convinced that this is the type of person that God blesses and God uses. 

God is not looking for a flash in the pan, a firework that fizzles out after a short glow. 

No, He is looking for steadfast faithfulness in Him. 

Not the biggest, baddest, strongest, wittiest, smartest, or cutest. 

If you want to see God’s hand of victory, just be faithful. 

Gal 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  

CONCLUSION 

1. When you let up, the enemy will strike. 

1. The devil waits until you a tired and overwhelmed for his fiercest attacks. 

2. Keep him on the run. 

2. When your strength fails, trust in the One whose strength never fails 

1. 2Co_12:9  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness….. 

3. You do not have to pursue salvation 

1. You can rest assured that the victory of salvation is already yours. 

2. Christ came to seek and to save – that includes you. 

3. Stop chasing it, accept His free gift.