LIFE BUILDING - part 2
10/11/09
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed hearing my father tell about his experiences going to Germany right after WWII
One of the most - probably the most tragic conditions of humanity is war
And it happens repeatedly,
-if not continuously in one part of the world or another
-conditions of war bring out the worse of mankind
-war is perhaps the ultimate expression of sin on a broad scale
-now, that’s not to discredit the virtues of individuals
-who perform godly heroics in times of war
-but just on a broad scale - looking at this world,
-war is one of the most tragic expressions of our sinfulness
-where large groups of people are out to destroy other large groups of people
Looking back on history - there are times where it seemed necessary to fight a war
I think most would agree, there have been legitimate questions raised
-about the need to be involved in the recent wars our country has fought
-Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea
-but WWII - it was clear we needed to fight in that war
-the world was about to be overcome & controlled by Nazis & Imperial Japan
-our own country was attacked & would stand the certain risk of further attacks
-I think the moral imperative of fighting WWII was clear
Now, regardless of the moral or immoral reasons for war
-the right thing to do after the war
-is to help the people rebuild their lives after all the destruction
-in a war, often, one country destroys the other before there’s victory
-it’s been true in Iraq & Afghanistan - I hear, & I like to think
-we’re doing what we can to help these countries rebuild
-it was true after WWII - in Japan & Germany
I was recently reading an account of my own father’s experiences
-back in 1946 when he was 17 years old
-an organization called the United Nations Relief & Rehabilitation Agency
-came to may dad’s youth group at church
-looking for farm boys to tend horses, cattle & sheep
-on boats, called liberty ships - taking these livestock over to Germany after the war
-as you can imagine, there was a tremendous crisis of need
-in the destroyed country of Germany
-of tremendous famine & starvation & exposure
-so, our country was doing what we could to help
-churches & civic organizations were funding
& donating animals for the program
-but, this relief agency, found that more than half of the animal cargo
-would be lost on the way over
-because the usual merchant marines didn’t know how to care for them
-so, they recruited farm boys for this task
-so, this was like a mission trip for my father
-& even though he was still only 17 & in high school
-the principle of the school thought the experience
-would make up for the lost days of school
-there’s quite a story to tell of my dad’s experience
-taking care of wild, unbroken horses
-on a ship that nearly broke in half in the November storms
-on the North Atlantic
-& his experiences of interacting with the desperate & famished
-starving people of war-torn Germany when he got there
The point I’d like to make in bringing all this up - in many ways,
-it makes you feel good about our own country
-when we think of the sacrifices we made to help
-it seemed like we had to destroy their country to finish the war
-but then, we helped rebuild their country
-& as imperfect of a job that we did
-I’d like us to consider this as an illustration of how God rebuilds our lives
I’ve been introducing this Sunday morning Bible study series on the book of Ezra
-with some prophecies found in Jeremiah
Last week, we looked at a prophecy that came through Jeremiah
-that spoke of judgment
-the people of the time - the nation of Israel
-they were supposed to be God’s people
-but they had ignored God & rebelled against Him
-& God gave them warning after warning to repent - & turn back
Jeremiah 25:4-11
And though the Lord has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention. 5 They said, "Turn now, each of you, from your evil ways and your evil practices, and you can stay in the land the Lord gave to you and your fathers for ever and ever. 6 Do not follow other gods to serve and worship them; do not provoke me to anger with what your hands have made. Then I will not harm you."
"But you did not listen to me," declares the Lord, "and you have provoked me with what your hands have made, and you have brought harm to yourselves."
8 Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: "Because you have not listened to my words, 9 I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon," declares the Lord, "and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10 I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
God was to bring judgment & punishment on His people - essentially WAR
-it was like, God had to go to war against His people
-literally, He used the Babylonians to execute this war against Israel
-& they were consequently badly broken down
Ezra is a book describing the rebuilding of the temple after this judgment
But this is what we want to be impressed with today
When God brings judgment - or hardships
-He has a perfect plan to bring restoration - He helps with the re-building
-He’s got a perfect plan for it!
Did you notice, how the judgment of Israel was to be for 70 years?
-the prophecy goes on to say God would then punish Babylon
-but at the same time, He had a master plan for rebuilding Israel
-& for some of those details & promises - turn to Jeremiah 29
Jeremiah 29:4
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
So, realize, the nation was being broken down
-many of the people had been taken off to Babylon as slaves
-their temple was being destroyed
-their nation was being torn apart
-& this was all a direct judgment of God - God was punishing these people
Now think for a moment - we go through times of being broken down
-we face hardships
-as we considered last week:
-sometimes, we’re physically falling apart - & this will happen to us all
-many of us are just out of shape
& we haven’t done enough to have any stamina
-sometimes we have just left our health & fitness fall apart
-but there are those times where we take a precipitous fall
-a heart attack, cancer, a bad accident
-or, we’re just aging
-so, sometimes in life, due to illness or accident, we feel physically broken
-sometimes we’re emotionally broken
-depression, anxiety, grief, fear, start to get the worst of us
-now we don’t have to come to a “nervous breakdown”
-though some of us will
-but we need to make some progress & get built up emotionally
-sometimes, & this happens a lot
-we’re all broken down in regard to our relationships
-or, a relationship
-with a spouse - leading to divorce
-in a family - leading to estrangement - & ongoing conflict
-with friends
-sometimes, we’re spiritually crumbled & drained
-we’ve lost our first love & ambition to follow the Lord
-our zeal to serve the Lord has worn out - we’re not in fellowship with God
-we’ll face hardships in this life - & sometimes, we’ll feel down-right broken
Now, realize, that it’s not always God’s judgment on us
-when we go through hardships
-maybe, sometimes it is though - things are bad,
& it might be God directly judging us & punishing us
-we’re suffering because of our sin
& God has organized some punishment for us
-I suspect most of the time that’s not the case - but sometimes it might be
-& it’s worth considering that
-because if it is - it’s time to wake-up
& learn the lesson that God’s teaching us
-many times, things are going bad, because we’ve made mistakes ourselves
& there are consequences
-God doesn’t have to directly intervene with punishment
-like He did with Israel in bringing a war
-this world is set up by God with natural consequences that occur
-when we live unwisely
-& we suffer the consequences
-e.g. - sexual immorality leads to diseases - & broken, painful relationships
-e.g. - if you hang out in places where people get drunk & drink yourself
-you’re likely to get a fist in the mouth, for example
-e.g. - if you don’t spend time in prayer & in God’s Word
& in fellowship with God’s people
-you will end up spiritually dry
-so, sometimes, many times,
-we’re broken down due to the natural consequences of our foolish decisions
-& third, sometimes we can be doing things just right,
-but end up with broken lives of hardship
-because that’s life in this sin-cursed world of disease, pain & death
-Jesus, Himself, of course suffered - He was a man of sorrows
-& He said we’d too suffer
So, you get the picture - there are times where our lives break down
-or are broken down
-regardless of the cause - whether God caused it for punishment,
-or just allowed it or it just happens in this world that way
-God knows our lives are broken down
-& God always has a plan to build us up
-& this is a marvelous example here of God working with His people
-even though God was directly responsible for breaking these people’s lives
& nation apart
-He at the same time, has plans to rebuild them
Jeremiah 29:4-7
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."
The first point I’d like us to notice
-is that God wants us to make the most of the situation when you’re broken
-life doesn’t have to end or come to a stop
-just because we’re going through hard times
-make the best out of the situation
-for these people, they were slaves in a foreign country
“You can still enjoy life!”
-build houses, settle down, plant gardens, raise families, prosper,
-help the country, support the country in which you now live
“Let’s make the most of it!”
“Life can go on!”
-so, something happens in your life & now it’s not the way you wanted it to be
-well, God wants you to keep going
& He’ll show you the way that you can keep it going
Second, watch out that you don’t start following the wrong thing
-when things are going hard
-it’s probably easy to get off track & follow something that’s not of God
-when we’re broken & having hard times
-we’re maybe more susceptible to hearing calls of convenience & ease
-rather than the ways of God
Jeremiah 29:8-9
Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them," declares the Lord.
As you read the sections of Jeremiah’s writings surrounding this great passage
-you’ll see a lot of references to false prophets
-chapter 28 & most of the rest of chapter 29 deal with this
-it seems, the false prophets were feeding the people what they wanted to hear
“Everything is going to be okay!
“We’ll rise up & God will deliver us from our enemies!
“Expect healing & victory!
“Wealth, prosperity, & blessings to the Nation!”
You see, the breakdown wasn’t complete yet at this point
-Babylon had exerted control over the nation,
-at the time Jeremiah wrote this
-Babylon hadn’t completely destroyed the nation & temple
-I think it had to do with Israel’s obedience to Babylon
-had they continued to go along with their rule over them
-which was Jeremiah’s advice for them
-things would have gone better
-but these false prophets egged them on to rebel against Babylon
-& that eventually brought the final destruction
-& so, you might see that kind of thing today:
“God doesn’t want you to be hurting
“He wants you have health, wealth & prosperity!
“Come & be healed! Do you need a new car? God will provide it!
“Why, just last night, I went home
“& there was a brand new Corvette Sting Ray in my driveway!
“Praise God!
“You see this watch - last week in Toledo, a brother came up to me,
‘Brother, you need a new watch!’
“& he put this $500 watch on my wrist! Praise God!”
“God wants you to be healthy, wealthy & prosperous!”
When things are going hard, it’s sometimes tempting to follow such false gods
-or, the voices that say -
“Don’t follow God at all - He’s no good - look at what He caused in your life!”
When things are going hard - as they will in one way or another
-in small or big ways
1. Make the most of the situation with God’s help
2. Don’t listen or follow anything other than God
3. Wait on God - trust Him to lead you & rebuild your life - God has a plan
-God has the very best in mind for you that there will ever be!
Jeremiah 29:10-14
This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
Now, keep in mind, this is a specific promise to the nation of Israel
-I suspect it wasn’t all completely fulfilled in the 70 years in Ezra’s
& Nehemiah’s day
-& it probably also is looking ahead to the times of the Tribulation,
-leading into the Kingdom
-but the principle applies to us - God really wants to bless us
-God has plans for your life
-God has a place for you - currently, we could say,
-He has a place for you in the Body of Christ - the Church
-God has a future for you - & if your time is to be limited here
-what better future is there than heaven?
-& all this revolves around a close relationship to God
-which depends on our seeking Him
-it depends on prayer
-it depends on us seeking Him with all our hearts
God builds - He rebuilds
In this world, as Jesus said, we’ll have trouble
John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
But God means to bring peace to our lives
When things are going terribly wrong
-even then, make the most of it - with God’s help
-don’t get sidetracked from following anything but God
-wait on & trust God to lead you
Now, next week, as we move into the book of Ezra,
-we’ll jump ahead these 70 years that Jeremiah told of
-& we’ll see how God rebuilds the nation
-& we’ll want to make parallels on how God wants to rebuild our lives!
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