Your Appointment with Destiny

One Year Bible

Old Testament passage for Thursday, August 8, 2013:  Ezra 7:1-8:20

9 On the first day of the first month he began his journey from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him. 10 For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.  Ezra 7:9-10 (NKJV)

Are you ready for your appointment with destiny?  Ezra was a "Nobody" who ended up as one of the most significant figures in Jewish history.  He did not build the Temple.  Zerubbabel did that. He did not build the wall around Jerusalem.  Nehemiah did that.  So what did he do? 

Ezra was a priest and a teacher.  While Zerubbabel and Nehemiah built outward structures, Ezra filled God's rebuilt house with CONTENT.  He is considered by many to be the "father of Judaism."  He did four things that prepared him for his own personal date with destiny:

1.      He set his heart – decide

2.      He studied God’s Law – seek

3.      He practiced the Law – do

4.      He taught the Law – teach

When God's people returned from 70 years of Babylonian captivity, they had virtually nothing.  Moses brought the slaves out of Egypt, but in a spiritual sense Ezra brought the slaves out of Babylon.  It was his job to spiritually reconstruct the pure worship of God.

It was Ezra, many believe, who pulled together the books of the Old Testament finally settling the 39 books we now hold.  In fact, God used him to write four of them (I and II Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah).  Some think he also wrote Esther. It was his task to reconstitute the worship of God minus one major element: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.  It had been lost in the strange years of Israel’s pre-exile weirdness. 

Jewish tradition tells us that Ezra formed two institutions that carried forward into New Testament days: the synagogue system and the Sanhedrin.  Since there was no Ark of the Covenant in the Temple, there was no final reason for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  Therefore all sacrifices could be conducted in “remote campuses.”  Ezra was the first to use “multi-site”.  It was called the synagogue system.  He also formed what became known as the Jewish Great Assembly.  This group of scholars, prophets, rabbis, and leaders morphed into the Sanhedrin of Jesus’ day.  They formed a whole host of Jewish practices that became Judaism as we know it.

Ezra had prepared himself for the moment God would use him.  It is interesting to note that he actually was a “late comer” in the return to Jerusalem.  He was not a part of the first group led by Zerubbabel.  He does not appear in his own book until chapter 7.  There we read about a 4 month cross-country trek from Babylon to Jerusalem.  FOUR MONTHS of walking.  It takes time to arrive at YOUR TIME.

But, one of the key phrases that appears in this small book is “the good hand of God was upon him.”  Though it took a while unfolding, and though the job was immense, Ezra was more than able because of God’s grace. 

Are you ready for your appointment with destiny?  What we all do now has direct affect on the glorious days ahead.  May we each have prepared hearts – seeking minds – consecrated actions --- and then be willing to pass it on.

Prophetic Empowerment

One Year Bible

Old Testament passage for Wednesday, August 7, 2013: Ezra4:24-6:22

Thus the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.  Ezra 4:24 (NKJV)

1 Then the prophet Haggai and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophets, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel, who was over them. 2 So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.  Ezra 5:1-2 (NKJV)

God's people had undertaken a great work.  Their aim was to rebuild and restore the house of God.   What could possibly be a more noble or important assignment.  This was not only a worthy cause; it was a CALLING.

No sooner had they laid the foundation and rallied the workers, but adversaries arrived (Ezra 4:1-2).  A great work automatically attracts great opposition.  These adversaries first posed as friends, but quickly showed their true colors.  Their primary tactic was harassment and discouragement.  

For a season, they were successful, and the great work ground to a halt.  If Satan cannot seduce you, he seeks to stall you.  If he cannot entice you into sin, he will try to intimidate into giving up.  God's people on task filled with God's power are UNSTOPPABLE.  But when discouragement sets in, defeat surely follows.

Therefore, God sent them exactly what they needed.  He did not send more workers.  He did not send more resources.  He did not grant them better tools or weapons.  He sent PROPHETS.  Haggai and Zechariah lifted their voices declaring, "Thus says the Lord.....!" You can read exactly what these two prophets prophesied in their respective books in the Bible.  It is POWERFUL! 

Prophecy, the anointed declaration of the Word of the Lord, does far more than INFORM.  It INSPIRES....it EXHORTS....it builds you up on the inside.  The exact thing God's people needed then (and need now) was fire burning in their hearts.  

This speaks to us.  Perhaps you feel stalled in God’s plan for your life.  Perhaps you are discouraged because of some lack – lack of time, lack of resources, lack of the right people.  Satan will send you messengers.  Those voices speak to you of the impossibility and even futility of your task.  But, God will also send you messengers.  His prophetic voices do not necessarily make your job easier or simpler.  His voices light the fire of calling and passion down in your heart.  With that inward strength, you can overcome every obstacle and not only complete your assignment, but prosper in it.

So, what voices are you listening to?  While God’s plan may be difficult, yet His power is sufficient.  He is speaking NOW.  What is the “Thus says the Lord” to you today?

Rebuilding Broken Dreams

One Year Bible
Old Testament passage for Tuesday, August 6, 2013:  Ezra 3:1-4:23

 ¹⁰ When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests stood in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel. ....  ¹² But many of the priests and Levites and heads of the fathers’ houses, old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this temple was laid before their eyes. Yet many shouted aloud for joy, ¹³ so that the people could not discern the noise of the shout of joy from the noise of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard afar off.  Ezra 3:10, 12-13 (NKJV)

After 50 years of exile, a small, fledgling group of Jewish priest and Levites gathered back in Jerusalem to undertake a seemingly impossible task.  Inexplicably, an imperial edict was issued by the pagan Persian King Cyrus that the Jewish temple should be rebuilt.  The first temple had been built by Solomon but was torn down completely by the Babylonian invaders.  Now, after years of judgment, it was time to rebuild.

God is in the business of REBUILDING BROKEN THINGS.  Jesus takes the broken pieces, puts them back together, and makes something beautiful.  The story of Solomon's Temple is somewhat like the story of all mankind.  We started out in a BEAUTIFUL GARDEN called the Garden of Eden.  But, because of man's sin and failure, judgment fell.  That beautiful place was destroyed.  Then, by the redemptive work of Jesus, we who are so polluted by sin have become "A NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."  (II Co. 5:17)

Solomon's Temple was opulent.  Some estimate that, by today's monetary value, it cost 1 to 2 BILLION dollars to build!  When it was torn down, the dreams of God's people were shattered.  Years of slavery ensued as old men reminisced about the glory that once had been.  Then, by a miracle, God began the process of restoration.  Out of shattered dreams came new possibilities.  

Ezra 3 describes strong emotions.  There was weeping and wailing on the one hand while also shouts of joy and laughter on the other.   This is a picture of redemption.  We weep for joy and we cry over past pain.  We exult over the new day and laugh for sheer thankfulness.  Particularly, for the old men who had long ago seen the glory of the first Temple, the pent up emotions from years of discouragement erupted out of their hearts.  It is a beautiful picture.  

God takes broken things and makes them into places of worship.  It is the story of the Temple.  It is the story of you and me.

ONE FOCUS: "It All Begins with One"

Here are the notes from yesterday's message at New Life Community Church.  This was the first in the series ONE FOCUS.  The title is "It All Begins with One."  If you would like to listen to this message, you may do so by going to our website at www.newlifesite.com.  God bless!

One Focus, Part 1                                                                               Sunday, August 4, 2013

 “It All Begins with One”

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:35 (NASB)

Keep it SIMPLE

We do life together…

            LOVE GOD

            LOVE EACH OTHER

            LOVE THE WORLD

Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech:  II Corinthians 3:12 (KJV)

We always tend to make things complicated.

Story about Luke Wallace.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  II Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV)

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. ¹⁷ For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  ¹⁸ “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18 (NKJV)

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—  Romans 5:12 (NIV)

But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  Romans 5:15 (NIV)

¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!  ¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.  Romans 5:17-19 (NIV)

¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  II Corinthians 5:13-14 (NIV)

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.  II Corinthians 5:13-20 (NIV)

It all begins with one.

The population of Ouachita Parish in 2012:  155,363.
Of that total, it is estimated that any given Sunday between 18,000 and 25,000 people are in church. 
That leaves perhaps 125,000 to 30,000 people who are with lost or unchurched.
How do we change that?  One person at a time.

The incredible significance of ONE.
A little bit goes a long way:
3 multiplied by itself 5 times is 729
4 multiplied by itself 5 times is 4,096

Illustration:  Lifesavers

THREE QUESTIONS:

WHY?

Because of the simple TRUTH.

God is real.  There is such a place as heaven and hell.  The Gospel works.  People need the Lord.

You need to be aware of two things:  WHAT YOU HAVE and WHAT THE WORLD DOESN’T HAVE.

WHO?

Illustration #1:  Jocelyn Rojas

This is five-year old Jocelyn Rojas.

On July 11, a little over two weeks ago, she was playing in her front yard of her home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania when a she vanished – couldn’t be found.  This is the ultimate fear of any parent of a young child.  As it turns out, she had been lured into a car by a man offering her ice cream.  When she couldn’t immediately be found, her parents called the police.  For the next two hours, police and neighbors scoured the neighborhood.  That’s when a 15 year old named Temar Boggs got on his bicycle and along with a friend took off in a wider circle looking for Jocelyn.  He spotted her in a car about a half-mile from her house.  Then for 15 intense minutes, he chased the car through the twists and turns of the streets of Lancaster.  The driver realized that he was being followed and finally stopped at the bottom of a hill, the door came open and he released little Jocelyn.  She ran to her rescuer saying she wanted her mommy.

Illustration #2:  Joseph Hodges

Chris Hodges tells of the time he and his family were on vacation and walking down the streets of a resort town in Colorado.  They were going in and out of shops and stopped in the Starbucks.  Chris’s youngest son is Joseph and he has a form of autism in which he does not communicate easily.  Somehow, Joseph wandered off.  He evidently walked out of the Starbucks and took a wrong turn.  Suddenly, where’s Joseph.  The Hodges have four other children, and so, counting Chris and his wife, immediately six people fan out in a frantic search to find Joseph.  Nothing else matters.  Chris tells how he approached a police officer asking, “Have you seen a boy …” and he described Joseph.  The police officer sarcastically asked, “Well, have you looked where you last saw him.”  It was obvious the officer didn’t want to be bothered by the problem.  That added anger to the desperation Chris felt.  The finally found Joseph, but until they did, nothing else mattered.  God Himself echoes this in Isaiah 43:6

People who God LOVES.

HOW?

First step is to PRAY.

Prayer and Fasting for the next 21 days.

God's Warnings - Our Response

One Year Bible

Old Testament passage for Sunday, August, 4, 2013:  II Chronicles35:1-36:23

15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.  II Chronicles 36:15-16 (NKJV)

God, in His grace, always sends warnings before He brings judgment.  Rarely are His judgments quick.  They sometimes take a lifetime.  He is long-suffering and patient.  He delays His acts of judgment until the last resort.  For that, we can all be very thankful.  

However, it is a serious mistake to think that because God delays His wrath, therefore He has no wrath.  In a day in which positive mental attitude has become paramount, such concepts as the wrath or punishment of God is decidedly un-cool.  

Our immediate response to this should be a simple question:  "What warnings is God sending your way?"  He will patiently call you, woo you, invite you.  But you MUST respond.  

Judah made a practice of IGNORING God's warnings.  Because of that, He finally brought the needed correction.  God does not require perfection or even a perfect response.  But, He requires a response!  

When we throw ourselves on the mercy of God, we will find that He will be extremely patient with our frailty.  But, when we bow our necks and defy His demands, He will correspondingly prove Himself to be severe.

What warnings is God sending you?  What does He call for?  Our answer to these questions will open or close God's hand of grace toward us.

Progressive Sanctification

One Year Bible

Old Testament passage for Saturday, August 3, 2013:  II Chronicles 33:14-34:33

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.  II Chronicles 34:1 (NKJV)

For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.  II Chronicles 34:3 (NKJV)

In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the Lord his God.  II Chronicles 34:8 (NKJV)

Josiah was one of the best kings to rule over Judah.  He, along with Hezekiah, were the two best kings Judah ever enjoyed after the reign of David.  Josiah's rule is a mirror image of the New Testament concept of PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION.  

Here is a simple timeline of Josiah's 31 year reign:

1. He rose to power at the age of 8!  (II Chron.34:1)

2. At the age of 16 (8 years later), he began to seek the Lord. (II Chron. 34:3)

3. At the age of 20 (4 years later), he started cleaning up the spiritual landscape of Judah.  (II Chron.34:3)

4. At the age of 26 (6 years later), he began to rebuild the Temple of God.  (II Chron. 34:8)

There are several lessons we can draw from the life of Josiah:

First, it takes TIME for people to line up with God's will for their life. Most of us think that we should be fully devoted and fully developed as a disciple of Jesus in ONE YEAR -- or less!  It took Josiah 18 years to START building the house of God.  

Second, there must be a negative before there is a positive.  The first 18 years of his reign were engaged in pulling down all the bad things he inherited.  The last 13 years of his reign were dedicated to building up the positive.  REPENT comes before BELIEVE.  Part of progressive sanctification is destruction of bad patterns in our lives.

Third, we need to be PATIENT with people who are walking the path toward Jesus.  They always take longer than we think they should.  It took Josiah a lifetime!  In our "instant gratification" society, we expect people to make a giant leap into the kingdom of God in ONE WEEK.  

Josiah was a great man.  But, if you had walked into his life at some point during his formative years, you might have wondered if this immature believer would ever make it.  

I rest continually in the promise of Philippians 1:6 which says that "He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  Progressive sanctification means that God is committed to lead us through the negative and the positive.  It is the story of God's great work in our lives that will continue until we look like Jesus.  If you are in Christ, that is your future.  

Like Father NOT Like Son

One Year Bible
Old Testament passage for Friday, August 2, 2013:  II Chronicles 32:1-33:13

32 Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his goodness, indeed they are written in the vision of Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, and in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. 33 So Hezekiah rested with his fathers, and they buried him in the upper tombs of the sons of David; and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then Manasseh his son reigned in his place.  II Chronicles 32:32-33 (NKJV)

1 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. 2 But he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel.  II Chronicles 33:1-2 (NKJV)

After David and Solomon, the Kingdom of Judah had 20 kings during the next 341 years. It was like a roller coaster of bad king followed by good king followed by bad king.  Reform was followed by recession -- like the fluctuations of the stock market.  It was a slow decline that ended in Babylonian captivity.

Perhaps the most vivid example of this up-and-down succession of kings was Hezekiah and his son Manasseh.  Hezekiah was one of the best king Judah ever had.  Manasseh was perhaps the worst.

Under Hezekiah, Judah returned to the true worship of God.  The pagan temples and high places were torn down and the covenant feasts re-established.  Under Manasseh, paganism was reintroduced including child sacrifice and occult practices.

There are three lessons we can learn from these two kings.

First, the past does not determine the future.  A godly heritage is a wonderful thing, but a fresh relationship with God is necessary for every generation.  Family history is no guarantee of spiritual and moral integrity.  Hezekiah was a good man, but his son, Manasseh, did not follow in his steps.  Every generation must stand in its own convictions toward truth, morality, and godliness.

Second, God's favor always requires present relationship with Him.  No nation, including Israel, has a lock on God's blessing.  While history may record times of powerful visitation by God, another generation may arise that reverses the spiritual climate to the point that God's judgment falls.

Lastly, leadership is vital.  The history of Judah is really the history of the kings.  We always need to pray for our leaders because the health of the nation often flows from the top.  Politics and government IS essentially spiritual.

These two kings were father and son.  But, they were different as night and day.  May God grant us more Hezekiahs in our day.  And may we redouble our efforts to raise our sons such that they not bring God's judgment as Manasseh did.