Being Ready for the Day of the Lord

The Coming Day of the Lord

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

17/06/07

1 Thess 5:1-11

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ² for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁴ But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Last week’s passage spoke about the coming rapture of God’s people – the time when we will be caught up in the air to be united together with Christ. The theme of that passage was comfort and encouragement for God’s people.

Today the focus turns to the “day of the Lord”. Is it the same as the rapture? Does it happen at the same time as the rapture? The theme of the passage today is one of warning and encouragement to be ready. What is it about the day of the Lord that we need to be ready for? These are some of the issues that we will be addressing today.

Opening Prayer

What is the Day of the Lord?

The phrase “Day of the Lord” occurs quite frequently in the Bible when prophets are foretelling a time of God dramatically intervening in the affairs of this world to bring either blessing or judgement. It is most often used to warn people that God is going to punish them for their sins, and that punishment is going to be terrible to behold.

Here’s an example from Isaiah chapter 13…

Isaiah 13:9-11

⁹ See, the day of the Lord is coming

—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—

to make the land desolate

and destroy the sinners within it.

¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations

will not show their light.

The rising sun will be darkened

and the moon will not give its light.

¹¹ I will punish the world for its evil,

the wicked for their sins.

I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty

and will humble the pride of the ruthless.

This prophecy in Isaiah is part of an announcement of judgement that God gave Isaiah in regard to the nation of Babylon. On other occasions the day of the Lord is also used to refer to a time that God was going to judge a specific nation or city, but it was also used in reference to a time when God will judge the whole world for its sins. The focus often shifts from the specific group and zooms out to a time of global significance, just as it does in this passage in Isaiah.

The central figure in the Day of the Lord is Jesus Christ. It is He who brings both blessing and judgement to the Earth.

When we are looking at passages which deal with the day of the Lord, it is helpful to keep in mind this basic view of human history:

The Kingdom of Man exists because Adam chose to reject God’s authority, and in him the human race declared it’s autonomy from God. Ever since, all people have sinned and fallen short of the standard of God and His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God broke into the Kingdom of Man in the form of Jesus Christ (1). Through His earthly ministry and the establishment of the Church, God’s Kingdom is now here. It is the age of grace, where people are invited to experience God’s forgiveness and enter into God’s Kingdom. This is the Year of the Lord’s Favour (2), also known as the Last Days, because they precede the final judgement of God upon the Earth, which is known as “The Day of the Lord”(3).

Obviously, the Year of the Lord’s Favour is more than one year, just as the “Day of the Lord” is more than one day. There are different opinions about exactly how the events of the day of the Lord will pan out which make for a very interesting study, but we must not lose sight of the main point, which is that however it happens, we must be ready.

Let’s briefly look at 2 passages which refer to this plan of history:

Luke 4:14-21

¹⁴ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. ¹⁵ He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

¹⁶ He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. ¹⁷ The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

¹⁸ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

²⁰ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, ²¹ and he began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

I want you to understand the significance of this passage. Jesus is at the early stages of His ministry. He has recently completed his preparation for ministry in His baptism and time of testing in the desert. Luke, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, chooses this as the first words of Jesus concerning His mission on earth. His mission is to announce and bring into effect the year of the Lord’s favour. This period of time was made possible by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and was brought into effect by the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (which we’ll look at in just a minute). First, though, it’s worth noting that Jesus stops mid-sentence in the prophecy that He is reading from Isaiah 61. He stops mid sentence because the rest of the prophecy refers to a time which is not yet upon us, but is yet to come. Let’s look at the original passage from Isaiah together…

Isaiah 61

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the blind,

² to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour

and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,

³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

a planting of the Lord

for the display of his splendour.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins

and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities

that have been devastated for generations.

⁵ Aliens will shepherd your flocks;

foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

⁶ And you will be called priests of the Lord,

you will be named ministers of our God.

You will feed on the wealth of nations,

and in their riches you will boast.

The rest of the passage talks about a time of judgement on the nations. A time of Jesus’ physical rule over this world and prosperity for the nation of Israel. That has not been fulfilled, and Jesus never intended to fulfil that prophecy at His first coming. Right at the beginning of His earthly ministry Jesus proclaims that He is bringing in an age of grace where people will be liberated from bondage to Satan. The time of judgement is yet to come.

Let’s look at our second passage, from Joel chapter 2. This passage was quoted by Peter to explain what was happening at the feast of Pentecost when the Apostles were preaching to the crowd in the native languages of their listeners.

Joel 2:28-32

²⁸ ‘And afterward,

I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy,

your old men will dream dreams,

your young men will see visions.

²⁹ Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

³⁰ I will show wonders in the heavens

and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

³¹ The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

³² And everyone who calls

on the name of the Lord will be saved…”

This prophecy looks forward to the inauguration of the Church when God poured out His Spirit on people. This Spirit is available to all people – not just the Jews. Men and women from every nation would now become partakers of the Spirit of God. We are living in the days talked about in verse 29. However the focus of the prophecy then moves to the events immediately prior to “the great and dreadful day of the Lord”, mentioning signs that are also talked about in the book of Revelation and other places as being part of the process leading to final judgment.

So with this basic knowledge of the what the “day of the Lord” refers to, let’s have a closer look at our passage in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5…

(use bibles, other passages on screen)

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, ² for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

When we look back at Jesus’ earthly ministry, we can see that He did indeed come just at the right time, as it says in Romans 5:6. We can identify a large number of reasons why the time was just right for Christ to enter human history at that particular moment. However we can only do that in hindsight.

Christ’s second coming will happen in a similar sort of way. When it happens, it will make complete sense and God’s timing will again be shown to be perfect. Until then, we are not to be distracted by speculation about times and dates. We know that it will happen suddenly and unexpectedly, so we should expect it any time.

However it will catch most people by surprise. People will be saying “Peace and safety”. People will be secure in a world without God. People will be content to believe that God either does not exist or that He is not involved with us any longer.

Peter writes about this in his second letter to the churches.

2 Peter 3:1-10

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Saviour through your apostles.

³ First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” ⁵ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶ By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. ⁷ By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Just as in the days of Noah, most people will scoff at the idea of a God who will judge the world. “Where is this God?” they will say. “You’ve been threatening judgment for the last 2 thousand years and more. If it was going to happen, it would have happened long before now.”

On the contrary, Peter explains, God has set a period of grace to enable people the opportunity of turning from their independence and rebellion and choosing to be reconciled to Him by faith in Jesus. He has established His Church to provide people with a glimpse of what His Kingdom is like. His people are to demonstrate His character and proclaim His truth. We are not to be like this world, we are to be like the world to come. Jesus told us to go into all the world and make disciples. That is the purpose of the age of grace, the year of the Lord’s favour.

Noah preached and warned his generation for a hundred years, but only his family were saved. In a similar way we are to preach and warn our generation for as long as the Lord gives us. In the same way only those who choose to belong to the family of God will be saved on the day of judgement.

For those who reject God’s salvation, there is only the promise of inevitable destruction. Very often Scripture uses the imagery of birth pains to describe the experience of the day of the Lord. If you are a woman who has experienced what it is like to give birth, you have an advantage over the rest of us when it comes to understanding this passage.

I have supported Carolyn through 2 such experiences, and I would probably describe the onset of the pains and the subsequent delivery as pretty traumatic. Particularly with Tim, Carolyn went through a lot of pain. However there was never any doubt that the pain was worth it. Bringing forth that new life was a struggle, and that is how the Bible talks about the day of the Lord. It is going to be very, very painful. However it is necessary in order to bring about the new life that we long for – a world free from sin and death. A world where we enjoy the presence of our God.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. ⁵ You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. ⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁰ He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

While we do not know when it will happen, when it does happen we will not be surprised if we are living in expectation. Those who have been saved through faith in Jesus will not face the coming wrath of God’s judgement. Whether we are alive at the time of Christ’s return or are resurrected at His appearance, we will be united with Him and separated from the world at the time when God’s judgement is revealed. Therefore we do not fear the day of the Lord, but anticipate it. While we wait, we endeavour to prepare ourselves and we try to help others prepare for its coming.

Or do we?

Luke 12:32-34

³² “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. ³³ Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. ³⁴ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

1 Timothy 6:11-19

¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. ¹³ In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you ¹⁴ to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Today I want to urge you to take hold of the life that is truly life. This world is passing away. We are living in the last days, and we have no idea of how long they will last. The day of the Lord is coming. You do not know how long you have on this earth, or how long this earth has left! Be prepared.

In order to be prepared you need to do 2 things:

• Turn to Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. He is the one who has purchased your freedom. His death paid the price for your sins and His resurrection demonstrated the power of God to give you new life, eternal life. He is the rightful boss of your life and you can either acknowledge His authority now by choice or later when you will have no choice. God is holding back the hour of judgement, wanting more people to come into His family and experience His goodness forever. Don’t waste the opportunity God has given you.
• Lay up for yourself treasure in Heaven. You do this by living a pure and obedient life. A life that glorifies God and shines his truth and love to all those who you come into contact with. Sincerely living for God gives us confidence that when we see Him face to face we will not need to be ashamed, but we will be able to rejoice in the pleasure our Lord takes in us and the reward He bestows upon us.

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^a Some manuscripts be burned up

God and Drugs!

OK, so we’ve talked about God and sex, now we’ll talk about God and drugs and maybe one day we’ll get on to God and Rock’n’Roll!

There’s a lot of misinformation about what the Church and individual Christians believe about drugs – both the legal and illegal ones, so I thought that maybe it would be a good idea to shed some light on the subject.

Remember the whole deal with God and Sex? Sex is good inside the boundaries that God has set for it. Outside those boundaries it falls short of the goodness that God intended for it. If you want God’s best for your life, stick within the boundaries that He has established.

That’s the basic message that goes with drugs as well. But what are the boundaries for drugs?

It’s actually pretty simple. The Bible talks about 4 things that we should keep in mind:

1. People should obey the laws of the land

(Romans 13:1-7)

Simply put: if something is illegal, don’t do it! If a substance is illegal or should not be supplied to a certain age group or consumed in certain environments then that’s what we should stick by. Laws are there for a reason, and just because you might not agree with them doesn’t give you the right to break them. If everybody did that, what sort of society would we have?

2. People should be “self-controlled”

(eg: Titus 2:2,5; Galatians 5:23 and lots more!)

In other words, we should be in a fit state to govern our own behaviour. There are all sorts of substances which change our brain chemistry to produce sensations that might seem pleasurable, but they are also dangerous. They take away our ability to make wise decisions about our behaviour. Sometimes this produces “Dutch courage” where people have the nerve to do things they usually talk themselves out of, but usually the result is that people do things that they normally are smart enough not to do! For example in one study “two-thirds of partner abuse victims (those abused by a current or former spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend) reported that alcohol had been a factor; for spouse abuse victims, the offender was drinking in three out of four cases.” (Greenfeld, 1998). There are many other statistics which relate to sexual crime, irresponsible sexual conduct, irresponsible driving and so on which demonstrate the danger of a loss of self-control. Staggeringly, it is something that we don’t take as seriously as we should in our society.

The Bible does not condemn the consumption of alcohol, in fact it is praised on a number of occasions! However it does condemn the overuse of alcohol (or anything else) to the point where a person’s good judgement and self-control are adversely affected. Lack of self control leads to people harming themselves and others, which God does not approve of.

3. People should respect their bodies.

Our bodies are a gift from God, and should be treated with respect. Some substances are harmful to our bodies, and to knowingly harm your own body is both a little silly and a bit of an insult to the One who gave it to you. Many substances are fine in moderation – what is needed is a healthy balance. Be wise in what you consume! Don’t pay the price later for poor decisions and lifestyles now.

4. People should look out for others.

(eg: Romans 15:2)

The Bible says that if what you do causes problems for others, don’t do it! For example, many Christians over the centuries have given up drinking alcohol out of sensitivity to others who might struggle with alcohol addiction or other issues. Think about how what you do affects those around you, and determine to be a good influence rather than a problem to others.

Well, that’s it in a nutshell – I hope that you agree that it’s pretty good advice from God to us!

For more information and helpful advice visit:

www.adf.org.au – Australian Drug Foundation

www.adin.com.au – Australian Drug Information Network

www.lifeline.org.au or call 13 11 14 – Lifeline

Mike Birch

The Problem of Pain

“If there really is a God who loves us, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”

Many people have rejected the existence of God – or at least the goodness of God – because of the problem of pain in this world. Pain comes in many forms and from many sources – from natural disasters to crimes against the innocent. How can a good God just stand by and let it happen?

The Root of the Problem – Our Autonomy

One of the things that we value most is our freedom to choose. However this freedom comes with great responsibility. Right from the very beginning of human existence, people have chosen to reject God’s authority and have conducted themselves in ways that go against God’s nature and His standards. When God first created the world, He made it completely good – free from pain and suffering. However when the first people disobeyed God He withdrew His blessing over creation so that it no longer operates perfectly. This is both a consequence and a correction – not an act of spitefulness on God’s part. It is a consequence, because we need to know that rejecting God is also a rejection of His goodness. We do not have a right to ignore God and offend Him in the way that we live, and yet expect Him to cater for our every need or desire. It is a correction because the function of pain is to cause us to seek healing. When a part of our body hurts, it alerts us to the fact that something is wrong and needs to be fixed. The experience of pain in this world is meant to be something that causes us to seek healing, and the only genuine place to find that healing is in relationship with God. The Bible explains that the healing God offers is twofold: He gives us the ability to endure and overcome suffering in this world; and He gives us the assurance of a better life to come – a life which will no longer be marred by evil, suffering and death.

Tough Love

When parents of drug addicts seek help from experienced counsellors, they are told that they need to make some pretty tough stands. One of the things they need to do is stop rescuing their child. For example when their child does not have enough money to pay rent or buy food, they must not help out. When their child rings in the middle of the night needing somewhere to stay, they mustn’t go and get them. The child needs to experience the pain of consequences. They need to come to a point where they realise that the real problem is not that they don’t have enough money or that they are cold and don’t have anywhere to sleep – the real problem is their drug addiction. They need to take personal responsibility to address that problem, because the problem will never be fixed by other people. Many parents have endured the rants of hysterical children saying “You don’t love me – you never have” and worse, but the truth is that it is their love for their child that stops them from rescuing him or her. Indulging children is not loving them, it is lazy and/or weak. God is neither lazy nor weak. God hurts when we hurt. He takes no pleasure in our pain. He wants us to turn to Him for healing and help, but He will not rescue us when we insist on staying autonomous from Him.

God Has Not Left the Building

God demonstrates His grace in that He continues to bestow some goodness even on people who have rejected Him. The world is still on the whole a wonderful place to live! We have the capacity to experience heaps of goodness within ourselves and other people. All of this reminds us that God created us as good, even though that goodness is now imperfect.

The Apostle Paul experienced what it is like to have God’s help in the midst of life’s ups and downs, and wrote “^I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ^I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” ^[1]

This sort of help is available to everyone who turns to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

Mike Birch

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^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (Php 4:12). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Sermon - What Happens When We Die?

What Happens When We Die?

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

10/06/07

Introduction

When I was a University student I got some work during the summer break at the Dampier Salt mine at Lake McLeod north of Carnarvon. I was doing some basic lab work and data analysis for them. Normally they would get a Chemistry student to work for them in the lab, but this year they were doing some research on a problem they had with hardening salt crystals, and it involved a fair bit of data entry and analysis, which a maths and computing student was perhaps better suited for.

So into this laboratory I come as a non-Chemist, and I’m taught some basic lab techniques and set to work. Basically, my job was to test hundreds of samples of brine (salt water) to find their chemical composition, and then do all sorts of comparisons to chart patterns of combinations of elements to hardness of salt crystals. The hope was that the supervisors would be able to look at my graphs and charts and figure out how to fix the problem by adding or removing elements from the brine used on the salt pans.

The problem was that as I put together the analysis of the samples, there were no conclusive patterns that emerged. There didn’t seem to be an answer to the problem of why the crystals were setting harder than they used to.

I believed that the answer to the problem lied in the field of Physics more than Chemistry. I thought that the depth of the brine on the salt pans was probably the most critical factor to determining salt hardness. The problem was that I felt unqualified to raise my suggestion with the people in charge. I did my work in the lab and my office and I rarely spoke to any of the Chemists. I did not know what strategies they were using or anything about the investigation except that it wasn’t going well. I didn’t want to stick my nose in and make a fool of myself. So I told my idea to a lab assistant, who had a lot more experience than me and could take my idea to the people in charge. He just laughed at me and told me to mind my own business.

I never found out how long it took them to solve the problem, but I have since read a CSIRO report that shows that the depth of brine does indeed dramatically affect salt hardness.

Now at the moment you are all scratching your heads and thinking “what’s the point of this?”!

Today we are continuing our journey through the book of 1 Thessalonians, and we’re up to chapter 4, verses 13 to 18.

Listen to what verse 13 has to say…

^“13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.”

^

The subject that we are talking about today is that of life after death. What happens when a person dies? This is a subject that divides a lot of people. There are hundreds of different theories about what happens when a person dies. There are thousands of different people and groups with something to say on the subject. Yet according to the Bible, there is only true hope for life after death, there is only one truth on the subject, and all other opinions are in fact ignorance.

The problem is that there are many people who live in ignorance because they will only accept truth from certain sources, or they are only looking for truth in certain places. I read an article yesterday from the Atheist Foundation of Australia website by David Nicholls. I won’t bore you by addressing all of his claims, but I want to give you a taste of what he had to say:

“Fact Four: Religions do not represent any form of objective truth and therefore their “supernatural” element cannot be trusted to be at all factual.

Fact five: There is no concrete evidence or even an inkling of a suggestion of evidence that we live after we die…

The Universe is an entirely natural process and scientists have not detected one super-natural atom. That our imagination can lead us in directions guided by nothing but fantasy is no reason at all to accept the convenient doctrines of an eternal life.”

This author reminds me a little of the lab technician at Lake Macleod who laughed when I started to tell him my theory about salt. He seems to be only prepared to accept ideas that come from what he considers to be a purely scientific point of view. He has blocked out everything that does not fit within his narrow field of vision. From a biblical point of view, this makes him extremely ignorant, but from his own point of view he seems wise. Millions of people throughout history have witnessed things unexplained by science, are we to disregard their testimony? There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands of accounts of people who have died and returned to life with amazing stories that defy the imagination of a non-functioning brain. Most importantly of all is the Biblical and historical record of the death and resurrection of Jesus. If returning from the dead were a crime, Jesus would be convicted in any court of law. The evidence is compelling. This last Easter I presented just some of the evidence that backs up our belief about the death and resurrection of Jesus. If you want more information about that just ask me and I’ll lend you some books on the subject! For David Nicholls to say that there is not even an inkling of a suggestion of evidence of life after death is quite astounding.

However it is not just people who deny life after death who are in ignorance. It is possible for people to have a completely wrong idea of what life after death entails. There are such things as delusions, there are people who have invented stories for fame or profit, there is such a thing even as demonic deception. Not everything that is said about the afterlife is true. Not every experience that people have claimed has actually happened. There is discernment that is necessary. We must not gullibly accept everything we hear. Things need to be tested to see if they have a ring of truth to them. If we want to have a genuine and sure hope, we must not be ignorant about life after death, we need to be confident that we know the truth.

Let’s read the full passage together:

^13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. ^14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ^15 According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ^16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ^18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

^14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

We are reminded that the whole foundation for our hope in life after death rests on the death and resurrection of Jesus. If that did not occur, then we are the ones who are deluded and living in false hope. But if we believe that Jesus died and rose again just as He promised; then it is only logical to believe that He will make good on His other promises also, including his promise of eternal life to us.

I want to stress that this passage is talking about the destiny of Christians who have died. It does not address the destiny of those who die without experiencing God’s salvation.

It is talking about people who have “fallen asleep” in Jesus – what does that actually mean?

This gets us onto the subject of “What is a human being?” In ancient times, the body was viewed as a housing for our real selves – the soul. The soul encompasses our identity, our intellect and our emotions. The Bible also describes us as having a spirit – a term closely related to soul, but deals more with our relationship to God. Someone who does not know God is “spiritually dead”, whereas someone who knows God is “spiritually alive” Soul and spirit both refer to the immaterial part of us, soul refers to our horizontal relationship (ourselves and others), spirit is refers to our vertical relationship (God). Is it possible for the soul-spirit to be separated from the body? Does a mind have any non-physical aspect, or can it only exist as a complex network of chemical and electrical processes in the brain?

Some Christians believe in something called “soul-sleep”, in which a person is basically unconscious in death until they are awakened by Jesus at the at His second coming to meet Him in the air. A similar view holds that the soul of a person cannot be separated from the body it is housed in, so when the body dies, the soul dies also. When Jesus returns, each person will be given a new body and new soul, but it will be a continuation in a sense of who they were in this life.

However the majority of Christians, including our own tradition as Churches of Christ, believe that the soul of a Christian actually remains conscious and enters in to the presence of Christ upon the death of our physical body.

When Jesus returns to Earth, these souls will be given new bodies which are like Christ’s own glorious body. At this time those Christians who are still alive will find that their bodies are changed, and they will rise to meet Jesus in the air also. This is described in the following verses:

^{15} According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ^16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. ^17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. ^

Now, those who were here last week will know that this passage was written to comfort the Thessalonians who were worried that Christians who died had missed out on the Kingdom of Heaven. If Paul wanted to reassure them about this, and if it is true that our souls depart to be in the presence of Christ straight away, why doesn’t he just say that? Why make it sound as though these people are trapped in the grave until the second coming?

These Thessalonians are looking forward to the Second Coming of Jesus, and their question is “Will Christians who have died miss out?” Paul simply answers “No, they won’t. In fact, any of us who happen to be alive at that time will hear the loud command and the sound of the trumpet, and we will see these people with their glorious new bodies as our own bodies are transformed, and we will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air.”

The question the Thessalonians seemed to be asking was relating to the second coming, not to what happens prior to then.

Our understanding of the soul entering into the presence of God immediately upon death is the most natural understanding of passages such as 2 Corinthians 5:6, which says:

“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.” The implication is that death for the Christian is actually a good thing, because it means that we are then taken home to be with the Lord. As long as we are alive, we are not with Christ. If the soul slept in death, we would be away from the Lord until His return, whether we are alive or dead.

^18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.

The point of this section is that we might be encouraged. Remember, God does not want us to grieve like those who have no hope. Neither does He want us to live as people who have no hope. Neither does He want us to live as people who will not give an account.

The atheist David Nicholls concluded his article I referred to earlier with the following statement:

“Reaching a full potential of life before death is only afforded to those who reject the notion of life after death.”

I would actually reverse that statement.

I do understand where he is coming from. There are fanatics in this world who commit terrorist acts in the hope of gaining a harem of virgins and other types of rewards in the life to come. Those ideas about the afterlife are in fact ignorant.

But living in the light of eternity is the best way to live this life. Living a life of goodness that shines the love of God into this dark world is the best way to reach the full potential of life before death. Living with hope and confidence instead of fear is a great way to live life before death. Living with a sense of purpose and meaning is a great way to live life before death.

But when it all comes down to it, life before death is less than a drop in the bucket compared to life after death. To prepare for life after death is the best way to live life before death.

I'm Not Perfect, Just Forgiven

There was once a good-living preacher named Simon. He did all the things that good people were supposed to do. Everyone in his community knew him as a righteous man – he was respected and admired by all. He did not hang around “bad” people. He did not want his reputation tarnished. He was offended by their lifestyle, their many sins.

One day, an influential young preacher was passing through the area. Simon naturally invites him over for tea, as well as all his good-living pals. The religious elite of the town gather together to hobnob with this preacher who everyone in the region has been talking about – a man with unique authority, insight and power that crowds clamour to see.

Somehow during the meal an infamous woman slipped in to the gathering. She was a woman who was despised by all the good people as a notorious sinner. She walks to where the young preacher is reclining at the table (in those days people did not sit on chairs, they reclined on cushions). Tears are running down her face, and they spill on to the preacher’s feet. She uses her tears to wash his dusty feet, and then rubs them dry with her long hair. Freaky!! Then she kisses them and pours some perfume on them. Simon is outraged. How dare this evil woman touch his guest in this way! And as for the young preacher, shouldn’t he know what sort of person she is? How can he stand her presence, let alone her touch?

The young preacher – whose name was Jesus – turns to Simon and tells him this story…

 “Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii (about $50,000), and the other fifty (about $5,000). Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon answers “I guess the one who owed the most money”. “You’re right” says Jesus. The Bible says that we all have a debt that we owe God. No-one likes getting bills, and sometimes its easier to ignore them, which is what many people do with God. They deny His existence or the existence of any debt. “I’ve lived a good life”, they say with Simon, “if there is a God He will probably say I’ve done OK”.

Jesus pointed out to Simon that it doesn’t matter whether you are an obvious “sinner”, or someone with just a few “little” sins to their name, you still have a debt to God. God loves to forgive the big debts and the little ones. The “sinful” woman showed great love to Jesus in faith that He would accept her instead of rejecting her like others had. Jesus rewarded her faith by forgiving her sins.

Don’t ever think that God is not interested in people like you. He loves all people equally, and wants everyone to be a part of His family both in this life and the life to come. Being in that family does not depend on how good you are, it depends on how good God is. God wants to forgive you. Will you acknowledge your need of forgiveness, and accept God’s gift?

Sermon - Work and the Christian

Living to Please God pt 4 -

Work and the Christian

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

27/05/07

audio

The Thessalonian Christians were very much looking forward to the return of Jesus Christ, as all Christians should. The problem in Thessalonica was that these Christians assumed that the return of Christ must be very near, and that assumption caused them some problems. First, some of them gave up their jobs and gave away their possessions expecting that these things would not be needed. Since these people were not busy looking after their usual affairs they tended to become idle busybodies, who did not actually give a good model of what the Christian life looks like. Secondly, some of them were worried that if anyone died before Christ returned, that person would miss out on God’s Kingdom. Paul addresses both these issues in the next few passages.

Today’s passage deals with the first of these issues – Work and the Christian.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

^11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, ^12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

There are 3 things that the Thessalonians are being told to strive for: to lead a quiet life, mind their own business, and to work with their hands. As we will see this morning, all three commands are wrapped up in our understanding of the work that God has called us to. What are we meant to be doing in our time on Earth? The Bible says that God has good works planned in advance for us to do, so what is the work that we should be busy with, and how does it affect our daily lives?

The online dictionary at Princeton University contains 34 different definitions for work – it is a word that is used in a lot of ways in the English language. Similarly, the Greek word used in the original manuscripts can be applied in a number of ways also.

The definition which best fits this context is this:

“to exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity”

To work is to strive, to labour, to exert yourself physically or mentally or both in order to achieve something.

The real question for Christians is, what is our work? The Thessalonians were having some problems on this point. Paul writes to them again concerning this…

2 Thessalonians 3:6-15

^6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching ^you received from us. ^7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, ^8 nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. ^9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. ^10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.”

^11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. ^12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. ^13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

^14 If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of him. Do not associate with him, in order that he may feel ashamed. ^15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.

The Bible describes 2 kinds of work for Christians:

1. Work in order to satisfy earthly needs
2. Work for the sake of God's Kingdom

(nb: these are not meant to be mutually exclusive, they often go hand-in-hand)

Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians describes how he and his companions faithfully toiled in that second category. They had been called by God to preach and teach and establish churches, and they worked hard at that for the benefit of the Thessalonians among others. As such, they had a right to expect some help in return in the first category. They could expect that the Thessalonians would provide them with some benefit from their work, which was primarily in order to meet earthly needs. On another occasion Paul wrote to Timothy “The worker deserves his wages”, saying that Elders in the church who are called to the work of preaching and teaching ought to receive financial sustenance from the church. Again in 1 Corinthians 9 this issue is addressed.

However even while Paul and his team were committed to working in the ministry to which God had called them, they also committed themselves to working hard to provide for their own earthly needs. Paul worked at his trade of tent-making. Others may have assisted him or plied their own trades. They did this to show that both forms of work were necessary and valuable.

What matters most for the Christian is what type of work God has called you to.

Ephesians 2:10

^10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

No matter who you are or what circumstances you are in, God has good works planned for you to do. And there is not just one kind of work that you are called to do. For example God has called me to be a preacher and teacher, a husband and father, a leader, a friend and a son among other things. My work as a preacher is not more important than my work as a husband or my work as a father or my work as a leader or my work as a friend or my work as a son and so on. I am responsible to work at being the preacher that God wants me to be. I need to work at being the husband God has called me to be and so on. None of that stuff comes easy. It takes work.

Some of these Thessalonians had given up on the concept of work. They thought that Jesus was the ticket to an easy life. Just sit tight for a while and Jesus will come and take you to heaven. Just let some of these nice richer Christians look after you in the meantime.

Because these people were idle, they became busybodies. Instead of working hard at what God had called them to do, they had nothing better to do than meddle in the affairs of others.

Paul is saying to the church in verse 11 “Don’t live like that, focus on your own life and what God wants you to do, stop being so concerned with other people and things that don’t really concern you.” Why? Verse 12 goes on to say “so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.”

When I look at someone who works hard, I find myself naturally respecting that person. If I see a man or woman who makes time for his/her children and is conscientious in bringing them up, I respect that man as a father and woman as a mother. If I see a worker who is thorough and conscientious, I respect that person. If I see a student who studies hard, I respect them. If I see a sportsman who gives every effort for the team, I respect that person as an athlete. I think you would all agree that we naturally respect hard work.

One thing that most people do not respect is a bludger. Someone who lives off the hard work of others. The sort of person who makes no effort to get a job or support others. The sort of person who expects to be waited on. The sort of person who feels entitled to things they do not work for. The sort of person who seems to think that life owes them something.

Paul says that we should endeavour to work in order to not be dependent on anybody. I want to stress a point that is sometimes misunderstood: there is nothing wrong with needing or accepting help. What is wrong is depending on others to meet your needs without any effort on your part to work to have your needs met.

Giving and accepting charity is important. We should give, because Jesus Himself said “It is more blessed to give than receive”. Giving to others produces blessing for the giver. Giving to others expresses our love for them. In a similar way accepting charity from others is important sometimes too. Our pride often gets in the way of that. We want to be independent. But doing so denies others the blessing of giving to us, and blocks one way they can show their love to us. It says that we consider ourselves superior to others, because we are happy to give help to them but not accept help from them.

In 2 Thessalonians 3, Paul says that Church should not support people among them who will not work for themselves. Paul himself had no problems paying the way for other Christians – in Acts 20 he says that his work often provided for the needs of his companions. But the rule was this – “If a man will not work, he shall not eat”.

As we have talked about today, work includes more than just paid work. The principle of giving and receiving applies to more than just material gifts.

So in a nutshell, this passage is saying to us “Don’t be bludgers. Don’t be busybodies. Understand the work that God has called you to do, and do it diligently.” Colossians chapter 3:23 adds this: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord…”.

What is the work God has called you to do?

Are you making it your ambition to devote yourself to that work? It is easy to be sidetracked by affairs that are not your business. It is easy to be held back by your own laziness. Let’s be people who strive to do the good works that we have been created to do in Christ Jesus.

New Home Page

I've been messing about in Frontpage creating a new Home Page for myself. Trying to get my RSS feed working properly so the blog automatically updates on the home page has been a chore, since I'm no programmer. Anyway, I'm hoping that this post will show up next time I log on -to see for yourself whether it has worked, try going to:
http://www.members.westnet.com.au/m.c.birch/mikeshome.htm

What an answer to prayer!

Does God answer prayer?
On Sunday we got into groups and prayed for rain. God knew ahead of time what we would be doing, and I believe He had an answer timed to be a great encouragement to us all. There was a little bit of rain forecast for the next few days, but not to bother turning your windscreen wipers on for! I thought that perhaps God might send some rain with the next system through maybe in a week or two's time. Here's what happened that night (click on image to see a larger version)...


God sent rain straight inland to us - nice steady rain that covered our district in a blanket of blessing! We continue to depend on God for follow-up rains, sunshine, protection from frosts & pests & diseases etc., but what an encouragement to recieve rain so quickly when our whole region was at a point of real anxiety because of the drought.

I've already posted the article I wrote for our local newspaper, which talks a bit about this event. On a personal level, God has really been challenging our family about our prayer life, and I'm looking at the whole issue of fasting at the moment. I am not attracted to fasting at all, but I think if we want to see God really work in our region we will need to humble ourselves and make prayer a priority. We've already upped the ante this year by starting a Wednesday morning prayer group, and I think the journey is just beginning!

Praying for Rain

On Sunday morning we concluded our church service by getting into groups and praying for rain. How awesome to hear that rain arrive and settle in to give us about ¾ of an inch (in my backyard anyway)! For many people, the timing of the rain was just coincidence, but I have noticed that coincidences happen more often when I pray! It needs to be said, however, that many Christians have prayed many times for rain but have seen seasons wiped out by drought. “What’s with that?” you might ask. Is God random in how He answers prayer, or is He simply uninvolved and it just comes down to fate or chance?

God Cares

The first thing to emphasise about this is that God does in fact care about you and what you are going through in life. It doesn’t matter who you are or what your circumstances are, God cares about that, and is available to help. The thing is that He doesn’t always help in the way we want Him to. We often want a vending-machine type of God. You put the money (or the prayer) in and you get what you want. God isn’t like that. He has His own priorities and purposes. He cares for you, but is not controlled by you. God knows that very often it is the hard things in life which teach us the most important lessons, that make us mature as people and equips us to be able to help others. Leaning on God and learning from Him during tough times is one of the most difficult lessons in life, but one of the most important.

What Do We Really Want?

Many of us would love God to give us the winning Lotto ticket or some other way in to “the good life”. But when we really think about it, that’s not what we really want. We want good relationships. We want to feel a sense of pride and self-worth. We want to make a difference in the world. We want to enjoy life and take it easy, but that’s not all we want. At least not if we are wise.

Jesus claimed to come “that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10).

When Christians pray for rain or anything else that involves a material blessing, we are asking because God has told us to! We want God to provide for our us and bless our work. Even more than that we want God to bless others, especially to ease the stresses that people are under. In doing so we also recognise that God may have other plans. He might achieve greater good by withholding material blessings. Having life to the full is much more than just having our material needs met. It involves having a joy and peace even in the toughest of circumstances. It involves learning to care for the problems of others instead of being all wrapped up in your own. Most significantly of all, it involves having a personal relationship with God that transforms this life and prepares you for the next. We wouldn’t swap our relationship with God for any amount of money, rain or anything else.

So we are going to continue to pray for rain, and for sunshine, and for protection from frosts and pests and diseases; but most of all, we will pray for people to discover the “full life” that Jesus promised. Have you discovered the abundant life that Jesus offers?

The Story of Elijah in Our Time

The Story of Elijah in Our Time

1 Kings 18

27/05/07

audio

Introduction

The Bible is full of really interesting stories. Stories that have important lessons to teach us.

Have you ever read a story from the Bible and wondered what it might look like if that story were to happen today?

Today we are going to take a story from the Old Testament of the Bible and see whether or not it is possible to translate that into our time and place. What would it mean for you and I? What would it mean for our church, our towns and our region?

The Story of Elijah on Mt Carmel

Elijah has been hiding out for 3 years. He is a wanted man, because he told the King of Israel that God was going to stop all rain and dew from falling on the ground until Elijah said differently. With that, he disappears, and sure enough, the land has been in drought for the next 3 years. King Ahab has been searching for him frantically. Finally, Elijah appears to Ahab and orders him to gather the people together, bring all the prophets of the false gods that the nation has been worshipping, and go to Mt Carmel where Elijah will be waiting.

Would the king do as Elijah commanded, or would he kill him on the spot? Would the people turn up? Would the prophets of the false gods come?

3 years earlier Ahab probably would have killed Elijah on the spot. 3 years ago the people would not have bothered to travel to an isolated mountain because some prophet said so. But the king and the people were desperate. They were an agricultural society. They depended on rain and dew to grow their crops. They were facing starvation.

So they come, and Elijah is ready to confront them. We take up the story in 1 Kings 18:21 (o/h)

^21 Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.”

But the people said nothing.

The people of Israel had a choice to make. They were Israelites in name – God’s chosen people. Yet their lifestyle said “We follow other gods”. Their main gods were Baal – god of fire, and Asherah, goddess of fertility. Asherah had already been shown up by the true God. The land was not fertile, it was barren because God said it would be. Now Elijah proposes a test for the so-called god of fire.

^22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. ^23 Get two bulls for us. Let them choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. ^24 Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.”

Then all the people said, “What you say is good.”

The people of Israel have been calling on these false gods for more than 3 years. In fact, the whole reason the drought exists is because God is punishing them for their idolatry. Yet Elijah dares them one last time – “call on your gods, let’s see if it does you any good. I will call on my God, and we will see what the outcome is”. Elijah is being very clear here. He is placing the whole nation in the “other gods” camp. Even though the nation seems to be wavering between different gods, Elijah puts them all on the other team. You can’t claim to be a follower of the true God if you are also seeking other gods. It’s all or nothing here. So since you are wavering, you belong over there with those prophets of Baal and Asherah.

So the test gets underway. The prophets of Baal lead the nation in calling out to their “god”, asking him to send fire on their sacrifice. This goes on for some time. The prophets are becoming increasingly anxious. They feel that they are losing their followers. Their own faith, if it was ever genuine, is failing. In their desperation they start yelling and chanting louder and louder, dancing with all their might around their altar. They start slashing their bodies, trying to move their god to action. Hour after hour this continues, until finally in the evening Elijah calls to the disillusioned followers of Baal. “Leave your false prophets and your false god, come over here to me.”

He finds 12 large stones and rebuilds an altar to the Lord. He digs a trench around it. He stacks some wood on it. He cuts a bull into pieces and arranges those on top of the wood. Then he tells the people to get water and drench the altar with it. Then he tells them to do it again. And again. Finally, the trench around the altar is full of water. We continue reading in verse 36…

^36 At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. ^37 Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”

^38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.

^39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

The end result of the story is that the people rejected their false gods and got rid of the false prophets. God then brought heavy rain upon the land that was parched and thirsty, and it was refreshed.

Let’s now translate the story into our time and place…

Are we as a nation or as a region experiencing God’s discipline?

Our story today started with a nation being disciplined by God. That discipline was consistent with a covenantal relationship that the nation of Israel had with God. Right back in the time of Moses God had told them what the consequences of idolatry would be, and now they were experiencing those consequences.

Our nation does not have the same type of covenant with God. However that does not mean that God does not discipline us in a similar way. We read in the books of the prophets in the Old Testament particularly that God also disciplined the nations around Israel on occasion. However while God promises to discipline his own people – the Church – when we need it, there is no promise to discipline nations in a similar type of way. It’s possible, but not promised.

So if you were to ask me whether the drought we have experienced so far this year is a discipline from God, the answer would be “possibly, but not definitely.” Remember discipline is not punishment, but correction. It might include punishment, but the goal is to correct something that is wrong or lacking in us. I would say “not definitely” because God has not stated that He would do it. I would say “possibly” because it could very well have the effect of correcting our independence from God and our dependence on other things.

Are we as a region guilty of idolatry?

Of course we are! The majority of people in our area call themselves Christians – or at least by some denominational title. Yet like the Israelites, their lifestyles say that they are independent of the true God but following after other gods. You and I are not immune from that. How much do we really depend on God in our day to day lives? Does He have exclusive ownership of us, or are our loyalties divided?

What is it that people depend on in order to have their desires met? The Israelites tried worshipping the gods of their neighbours, Asherah and Baal. What or who are we looking to for satisfaction?

Things like drugs or false religions are obviously wrong, but there are other things which are also harmful for us when they are out of balance:

• alcohol
• better technology & strategies
• relationships
• positive thinking
• sport
• advice

Any of those things are fine so long as they come under the sovereignty of God in our lives. If they are not under God’s authority, however, they can begin to become gods in their own right – they start controlling our affections and behaviours.

As I look around our community I see people turning to these and other things to have their needs met. Sometimes it takes something like a drought to shake us up to the fact that these things all fall short. Our gods aren’t good enough to meet our real needs. I believe the worst fate that people can have is to go through life satisfied with what they have without God. Many people go through life never knowing how rich and meaningful life could be and should be. Sometimes God needs to work on needs people are aware of before He can work on needs they’re not aware of.

Does God want our region to put Him to the test?

Of course! Elijah said to the people – have another go at worshipping your gods, and then watch me worship mine. If you see that my God is real, then get rid of those other things and come follow God.

Jesus said it like this in Matthew chapter 5

^13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

^14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ^15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ^16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Now, Elijah was not about to be a lamp hidden under a bowl. He’d been hiding for over 3 years, and so had many other prophets of God. But now he puts himself up on a stand so to speak, and says, “Come and watch me worship my God, and see what He does for me. You have danced and shouted and wept and wailed to your gods to no avail. Now I will ask my God for help.”

Many times we Christians are like the prophets hiding in caves that we read about earlier in 1 Kings 18. We are called to be lights on a stand. Not everyone likes the light. The gospel of John says that men love darkness, because of our wicked deeds. We don’t like to be exposed. We don’t like to be confronted with our guilt. But we need to be.

If we as a region turn back to God, will He send rain?

Let me first say this, if we as a region turn back to God, the lack of rain won’t be such a problem for us anyway! If we see people seriously seeking God we will see so many wonderful consequences in our region that rain or no rain, we will feel blessed out of our socks! We will see reductions in crime, in alcohol and drug abuse, in domestic violence. We will see lives being healed from all sorts of wounds. We will see relationships being mended. We will experience unity in our community like never before. We will experience the joy of worshipping God together. We will experience the peace of God together. That’s what I really look forward to – do you believe it can happen?

But on the subject of rain, I believe that God will bless us in that area too. God has a way of showing His pleasure in those sorts of ways. Throughout history national and regional revivals have very often been followed by great blessing on the land and in society. God promised this to the nation of Israel, and He has a pattern of doing this for other nations also.

What must I do to see God bless my region?

First you must seek God yourself. Every story of revival starts with fervent, painful prayer. People who devote themselves to hours of prayer in paddocks, sheds, forests, swamps, houses, churches, parks, schools and wherever else possible. People who come together for prayer when it is easier to stay at home. Is God really the One we depend on? Is He really the One who we live for?

We also need to be open to be Elijah’s for our generation. Will we challenge people about the inadequacy of their gods? Will we invite people to witness our worship? On Wednesday night I challenged people to invite their neighbours around to pray for rain. I mentioned the fact that this must also include a call for repentance, just like it did in our story today. That’s risky. It takes the faith and courage of an Elijah.

In what ways will people see our God answer our pleas for help? Do we jump straight in and ask for rain? Do we ask for some other sign? Do we ask for God’s grace to help us endure? Do we ask for God’s grace to help us bless others?

That’s up to you to answer as God directs you.

Let’s not be like the Israelites with a foot in each camp. Let’s make it very clear who we worship, and who we depend on. Let’s get serious about really seeking God and crying out for His help. Do we need rain? Of course we do, so let’s ask for it. Do we need revival – much more than we need rain! Let’s ask for it. Not just once or twice a week. Let’s get serious about this. Don’t just feel a little convicted and then lose it in the busyness of your week. Plan now what you will do to come together and beg God to work in our region. Take the first step today.