PASTOR MARK MIKELS – November 16, 2008<\/p>\n
“TIME TO SHINE” – Part Six<\/p>\n
(Seeing Opportunities In The Midst of
\nCalamity)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Intro … In a sense for six weeks now I have preached the same message
\nweek after week and that message is this …<\/p>\n
“Difficult times, even calamitous times, provide opportunities for
\ncertain truths of the Christian Faith to be best demonstrated”.<\/p>\n
And I’ve also preached a corollary message …<\/p>\n
“When those certain truths are clearly demonstrated by followers of
\nJesus Christ, His Church shines like the brightest of stars on the
\ndarkest of nights.”<\/p>\n
We as a nation as well as an entire global community are experiencing
\nand might well be just beginning to experience some exceptionally
\nchallenging times – and so as the title of this seven part series
\ndeclares … it’s “Time To Shine” – it’s time for these seven great
\ntruths of the Christian Life to bubble to the top and catch the
\nattention of the unbelieving world around us.<\/p>\n
Truth #1 …”We Are But Strangers And Pilgrims In This World”<\/p>\n
Truth #2 … “We Are Recipients Of Supernatural Peace”<\/p>\n
Truth #3 … “We Possess The Secret Of Contentment”<\/p>\n
Truth #4 … “We Are All Members Of One Earthly Body (the Church)”<\/p>\n
Truth #5 … “We Have Access To An In-Exhaustible Supply of<\/p>\n
God’s All-Sufficient Grace.”<\/p>\n
DEMONSTRATION TRUTH #6 …<\/p>\n
“We Are ENERGIZED by Heaven’s JOY”<\/p>\n
We, as born-again followers of Jesus Christ living in the midst of what
\ncould be depressing and deflating times, are energized by Heaven’s
\nJoy”.<\/p>\n
Energy, Vitality, Enthusiasm, Passion … these are rare commodities
\nduring troubling times.<\/p>\n
Timidity, Passivity, Discouragement, Depression … are much more
\nlikely for many.<\/p>\n
How impressive it is when Christians demonstrate energy, passion and
\nzest for life at the very time when unbelievers are demonstrating the
\nexact opposite.<\/p>\n
Our “Demonstration Truth For The Day” states that such energy and zest
\nfor life comes from a source outside of ourselves … from a source
\nthat is forever available to us, a source that is in no way affected by
\nearthly circumstances –<\/p>\n
“We Are (to be) Energized By Heaven’s Joy”<\/p>\n
Consider with me “Today’s Key Verse” from which that Demonstration
\nTruth arises …<\/p>\n
Today’s Key Verse …<\/p>\n
“The JOY of the LORD is our STRENGTH”<\/p>\n
(Nehemiah 8:10)<\/p>\n
That was an observation made and a truth declared by Nehemiah, an
\nancient leader of the Hebrew people during a time of great stress and
\ndistress.<\/p>\n
A collection of God’s People had just returned to the land of Israel
\nafter spending 70 years of Captivity in the land of Babylon (modern day
\nIraq).<\/p>\n
The glorious city of Jerusalem had been laid waste by the armies of
\nNebuchadnezzar many years before.<\/p>\n
Since the return of those exiles, the temple had been rebuilt and under
\nNehemiah’s leadership the walls of the city had been rebuilt and the
\ngates once more hung in place.<\/p>\n
These returnees were facing the task of rebuilding an entire nation
\nwhile surrounded by those who sought to annihilate or enslave them.<\/p>\n
The people had been assembled and the Book of the Law of Moses (likely
\nthe first 5 books of the Bible) had been read in their hearing
\nthroughout the entire morning from daybreak until noon.<\/p>\n
The Word of God both thrilled them and chilled them – there was a great
\ngulf between what God’s Word was describing and what they as a people
\nwere experiencing.<\/p>\n
It was an immense task that they were undertaking – they were working
\nagainst extreme odds and with few earthly resources. The prospects
\ncould certainly be viewed as bleak even though some great progress had
\nbeen made.<\/p>\n
Where would the energy come from to complete this incredible nation<\/p>\n
re-building task? How would they ever be able to carry out the
\ninstructions laid out in God’s Sacred Word?<\/p>\n
Thoughts like those brought many of the people assembled in Jerusalem
\nthat day to tears.<\/p>\n
It was in the midst of that momentous moment – just as they were
\nbreaking for lunch – that Nehemiah, their leader and governor, informs
\nthem that …<\/p>\n
“The Joy of the Lord would be their strength.”<\/p>\n
There’s where the energy – there’s where the vitality – there’s where
\nthe passion for the task would be found … In the “Joy of the Lord”!<\/p>\n
Now here’s a most Key Clarification – a clarification that completely
\nunlocks the meaning of this message this morning …<\/p>\n
Key Clarification:<\/p>\n
This Joy is not OUR joy in HIM (as satisfying as that can be) –<\/p>\n
this is HIS joy in US!<\/p>\n
(Mark 1:9-11; Matthew 17:5)<\/p>\n
What Nehemiah is saying here (if I may paraphrase and amplify his
\nstatement a bit) is that …<\/p>\n
“The Joy of the Lord, the Lord’s delight, the Lord’s Happiness in us
\nprovides us with strength, with passion, with energy for living.”<\/p>\n
That makes sense, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n
Tell me … Doesn’t it energize you when you know that the most
\nimportant person in your life is happy with you – pleased with what you
\ndo?<\/p>\n
It’s a natural human response – we all crave approval, especially from
\nthose that we care most about. And once we have it, once we feel it, we
\nwill generally do whatever we can to keep it.<\/p>\n
How ultimately strengthening – how empowering – how energizing to say
\nto ourselves …<\/p>\n
“GOD IS HAPPY WITH ME”!<\/p>\n
Now here’s the thing …<\/p>\n
God wants us to know that we can make Him happy and when we have in
\nfact made Him happy; He wants us to feel the surge of energy and
\npassion that such knowledge brings.<\/p>\n
Here’s what one might say who is experiencing that very reality – just
\nimagine these words running through your mind …<\/p>\n
“God is happy with me – there is nothing more important –<\/p>\n
there is nothing more thrilling to me than that –<\/p>\n
His Joy in me energizes my life!”<\/p>\n
You see, God wants us to feel His Approval – His Pleasure – in who we
\nare and in what we have done … He knows what a strategic difference
\nsuch approval can make in our lives.<\/p>\n
Consider how he treated his own Son during two incredibly strategic
\nmoments in His earthly ministry …<\/p>\n
First at his Baptism … the very moment when Christ’s earthly ministry
\nwas about to begin – the very moment when Jesus had offered himself to
\nJohn as a representative of Adam’s fallen race.<\/p>\n
Here’s how Mark’s Gospel described the moment …<\/p>\n
At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by
\nJohn in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw
\nheaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
\nAnd a voice came from heaven:<\/p>\n
“You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark
\n1:9-11)<\/p>\n
“You are my Son whom I love” … that was for the Crowd.<\/p>\n
“With you, I am well pleased” … that was for Jesus.<\/p>\n
Jesus headed into the desert for 40 days of temptation fueled and
\nenergized by the knowledge that “His Heavenly Father’s Approval Rested
\nUpon Him”.<\/p>\n
The second key moment was on the Mountain of Transfiguration …<\/p>\n
Here’s how the moment was recorded in Matthew’s Gospel …<\/p>\n
After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of
\nJames, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was
\ntransfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes
\nbecame<\/p>\n
as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and
\nElijah, talking with Jesus.<\/p>\n
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish,
\nI will put up three shelters – one for you, one for Moses and one for
\nElijah.”<\/p>\n
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice
\nfrom the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well
\npleased. Listen to him!”<\/p>\n
(Matthew 17:1-5)<\/p>\n
“This is my Son, whom I love – listen to him” … that was for the
\nDisciples.<\/p>\n
“With Him I am well pleased” … that was for Jesus.<\/p>\n
Again, if I could paraphrase a bit, it’s as though the Father was
\nsaying:<\/p>\n
“You are doing great, Son; you are pleasing me no end.<\/p>\n
Keep it up.”<\/p>\n
The implied response given by Jesus and demonstrated through all the
\nfinal actions of his Agonizing passion was …<\/p>\n
“I will – I will.”<\/p>\n
And (as we know) … “He did” – “He did”.<\/p>\n
The Approval of God – the Pleasure of God – and the knowledge that such
\npleasure and approval rests upon us can powerfully energize us for
\naction in this fallen, troubled world!<\/p>\n
And that’s our Demonstration Truth Today, isn’t it …<\/p>\n
“We are energized (fueled for life’s tasks) by Heaven’s Joy –<\/p>\n
By the knowledge that we have “Made God Happy”.<\/p>\n
Now keep in mind that there is a part of God that only you can make
\nhappy … that’s the portion of the God’s Holy Spirit that dwells in
\nyou – that was placed in you at the moment of your spiritual birth.<\/p>\n
The Holy Spirit in you is the part of the infinite God that is
\ncommitted exclusively to you and whose emotions (ranging from Joy to
\nGrief) are affected by you. He is the part of God that communicates
\ndeep within you God’s approval and pleasure.<\/p>\n
Now we could end our message right here with this tremendous
\ndemonstration truth planted deeply in our minds.<\/p>\n
“We can make God happy and the knowledge that we have<\/p>\n
in fact made him happy can fuel us forever!”<\/p>\n
But here’s the point … Have we (in fact) made Him happy?<\/p>\n
What does it take to make Him happy and it’s with the consideration of
\nthat very question that I would conclude this message.<\/p>\n
Consider with me then briefly …<\/p>\n
Today’s Key Question …<\/p>\n
What are some things that make GOD particularly HAPPY?<\/p>\n
* God Is Happy When We ACKNOWLEDGE His WORD<\/p>\n
They told Ezra the scribe to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses,
\nwhich the LORD had commanded for Israel. So on the first day of the
\nseventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly,
\nwhich was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand.
\nHe read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before
\nthe Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could
\nunderstand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the
\nLaw. (Nehemiah 8:2-3)<\/p>\n
That’s what the people were doing when Nehemiah announced to them<\/p>\n
that … “The Joy of the Lord would be their strength”<\/p>\n
Now consider this insight from Jesus High Priestly Prayer in John 17
\n…<\/p>\n
For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew
\nwith certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent
\nme. I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may
\nhave the full measure<\/p>\n
of my joy within them. (John 17:8, 13)<\/p>\n
Jesus himself delighted in the fact that the disciples had received and
\nbelieved His Word – He wanted them to know that their actions had
\nproduced great joy in him.<\/p>\n
God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is happy indeed when we acknowledge
\n(honor) His Word. He is happy with us this morning.<\/p>\n
* God Is Happy When We WORSHIP Him WELL<\/p>\n
“Yet you are Holy … The praises of Israel surround your throne” (LB)<\/p>\n
“You inhabit the praises of your people” (KJV)<\/p>\n
(Psalm 22:3)<\/p>\n
The LORD delights in those who fear (revere) him,<\/p>\n
who put their hope in his unfailing love. (Psalm 147:11)<\/p>\n
In true worship, we honor God directly … we recognize Him for Who He
\nis and we bring praise to Him for what He has done … we submit
\nourselves willingly to the outcomes wrought by his unfailing love.<\/p>\n
We make Him very happy when we do so – our praise and our prayers bring
\njoy to His heart and we can know that we have done well when we so
\npraise and submit ourselves to Him.<\/p>\n
* God Is Happy When We WALK In His WAYS<\/p>\n
Here’s a poignant little observation from the Apostle John that reveals
\nto us the Heart of the Heavenly Father Himself …<\/p>\n
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are<\/p>\n
walking in the truth.” (3 John 4)<\/p>\n
And, of course, here’s how Jesus himself described the Heavenly
\nFather’s reaction to such a diligence walk …<\/p>\n
“His master replied, `Well done, good and faithful servant!<\/p>\n
You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of
\nmany things.<\/p>\n
Come and share your master’s happiness!'” (Matthew 25:21)<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that our faithfulness – our submission to the ways of
\nGod – brings great Joy to our God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The
\nsmallest act of obedience possesses the power to make God happy!<\/p>\n
And now one final consideration …<\/p>\n
* God Is Happy When We LIVE In HARMONY<\/p>\n
Speaking with the authority of God Himself and (I would say) from the
\nperspective of God Himself, Paul wrote these words to the believers in
\nPhilippi …<\/p>\n
” … make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love,<\/p>\n
being one in spirit and purpose.” (Philippians 2:2)<\/p>\n
Centuries earlier God had expressed himself through the pen of the
\npsalmist when He announced …<\/p>\n
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”<\/p>\n
(Psalm 133:1)<\/p>\n
Unity and Harmony among the earthly family of God parallels the unity
\nand harmony that exists in heaven itself-the unity and harmony that is
\nenjoyed by Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It makes God happy to see it!<\/p>\n
Final Thot …<\/p>\n
There is no more ENERGIZING thought than this:<\/p>\n
“My LIFE is making GOD HAPPY”.<\/p>\n
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