We all follow the news to some extent
Bad things that happen tend to make the news more than the good things
But then, there are the things that we don’t know what to do about
-& this is a big part of the news
Think about the war in Afghanistan - we really don’t know what to do about it
Should we just, humbly pull out & say, “We can’t win this thing!” - ?
Should we just keep doing what we’re doing?
Should we send more troops?
Should we pursue a different strategy?
I certainly don’t know what’s best, - & I’m really glad
-no one is looking to me to make any decisions about what to do
-however, there are people who are “experts” about this kind of thing
-political & military experts who are studying the details & options
-for what to do
-but, I suspect, it’s very hard for them to really know what’s best
-nonetheless - our leadership is going to have to make some decisions
-about our future in Afghanistan
Think about our healthcare & the high cost
-& how many people can’t afford insurance & have no coverage
Who’s got the right answer?
-the Democrats have a plan that’s 2000 pages long!
-no one believes wasting paper alone will solve the problem
-you might think - “I’m a doctor - I should have a good idea”
-no, I don’t know what’s best for our country
-other than, I think something needs to be done about the high cost
-of health care
Here too, there are experts, who study this & some have a strong opinion
-about what to do
-& again, it’s becoming a Democrat verses Republican issue
-yet, it’s very hard to know what’s best - & probably impossible to predict
-what’s perfect
-however, our leadership is going to have to make some decisions
In life, in this world, we need to make decisions
-about things that are sometimes difficult to know what’s best
It helps to know that God has a plan for us!
In our study from the O.T. book of Ezra, we’ve seen that God had a plan for His people back then - as in all generations!
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, this was a specific promise for the generations of Jeremiah’s time
-the people were being punished by God for their years of spiritual neglect
-they were being destroyed & controlled by Babylon
-however, God was going to rebuild their nation - the people of God
-God had plans for them & He planed to bless them - He had a future for them
-Ezra is an account of the building - or rebuilding of the nation
-in particular the temple - which was for them - the foundation & focus
-of their worship - & therefore, spiritual life
-& we’ve been looking at some of the principles
-involved in rebuilding the nation
-& have sought to apply some of these principles
-to the rebuilding of our lives
-all this can apply to the building & rebuilding our lives individually
-& it can apply to the building & rebuilding of our lives together as the church
We’ve been impressed & encouraged
-that God is in control of what it takes to wonderfully build our lives
-to put our lives together according to His good plan
God put the right king on the throne, at the right time,
-to support the rebuilding of Jerusalem
God even gave the king his name hundreds of years before he was born!
We’ve been impressed with the importance of giving - time, talents & treasures
And we spent a week on considering how important financial giving is
-in the ministry of God building our lives & the church
We’ve been impressed, just last week, about the importance of worship
-in the re-building efforts
We need to worship God through the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made
-through the sacrifice that we make with our lives given to God
-& through on-going expressions of worship - that flow from the first two
We start with worship
And, we continue with worship, as the building & re-building goes on
That’s a short summary of what we’ve covered in the recent weeks on Sunday a.m.
God had a plan to rebuild His people
-& those rebuilding principles surely apply to the building of our lives
& church
But what plan does God have for us?
In a parallel way - God means for us to be His people:
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
The Lords means to build His church - Jesus said, “I will build My Church!”
Now, with so many things in life - there are decisions that God leaves for us
Maybe, as one wise mentor of mine once called it, decisions are “discoveries”
-we don’t so much want to make a decision
-but rather a discovery of God’s will
But, it’s not always so easy to know exactly what to do
Unfortunately, we often just coast along doing what we’ve always done
-& we exist in the “Status quo” state
-& therefore, possibly miss out on God’s true plan for our lives & church
Are we “Seeking the Lord?”
Remember, with God’s plans for Israel - there would be a seeking by the people
Jeremiah 29:12-14
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.”
Jesus in teaching us to pray: taught us to seek God’s will
“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
So, as we think about our church - there’s God’s will to discover
God has plans for us, His people - to be His people - to be His church
What is the church suppose to be?
-it’s suppose to be the Body of Christ
-& there’s a lot to say about that
-we’re to be God’s household - the pillar & foundation of the truth
1 Timothy 3:14-15
Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, 15 if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
In recent weeks, we’ve looked at some things that we’re suppose to do
-as the church
-e.g. Teach, pray, fellowship, worship - in small groups & large groups
-we’re to love God & love each other
-there’s a lot to be said, generally, about what we’re to do as a church
-& we like to say - Reach the lost, Build the believers, & Equip the workers
But in particular, what should the RCBC do?
What plans does God have for us?
Shouldn’t we be seeking God - with all our hearts to know,
& follow those plans?
We want to follow God’s good plans for us!
We’re building God’s church - here at the RCBC
-& we have to be careful how we build it
In writing to the church at Corinth,
-Paul explains, that God, the Holy Spirit, gives us direction for life
-that’s in chapter 2
-chapter 3 - Paul challenges these people
-as they had some unspiritual tendencies
-they were divided & in divisive groups
-people were following different leaders & therefore, not really unified
-by one spirit for one purpose
-they were probably teaming up according to different preferences
& convictions
1 Corinthians 3:8-17
The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.
10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. 11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
Consider carefully - v.10 “But each should be careful how he builds”
We certainly want that to be the case here at this church
-we want to be careful how we build up our lives
-so that we can be the people of God
-so that we can truly,
“Declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness
into His wonderful light!”
We want to be careful how we build
& this takes some real seeking of the Lord
-we need to look to the Lord for His direction & wisdom
-it’s hard for us to know what to do
-we don’t know the mind of the Lord
-but, we can trust Him to guide us
-& we need to give this our best effort to discover His plan & follow it
Remember Jesus telling the story of the different servants & talents?
Jesus impresses us - there’s just so much time we have in life
-make the most of it - & He could be coming back any time
A master, went away - gave 5 talents (that’s about $5000) to one servant
-he gave $2000 to another, & $1000 to the third
-when he came back - the guys with $5000 & $2000 - had invested it
-& had a 100% gain - $10,000 & $4000 total to return to the master
-he was really pleased
-but the guy with the $1000 - didn’t do anything with it
-other than, just protect it
-he didn’t have the courage, boldness, faith - you name it
-to take some risks, in his mind - & invest it for the master
-he just hid it & protected it - he was a very, “status quo” type of a guy
Matthew 25:24-30
"Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,' he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.'
26 "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28 "'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
So, who do you want to be like?
-the ones who went to work for the Lord - with faith, courage & boldness?
-or, the one who just protected the status quo?
I’d suggest, we be a people who seek the Lord with all our hearts
-& we find the Lord & therefore, His will & His plans that He has for us
-that we be careful, how we build
-& careful, does not mean we don’t do anything
-but we boldly believe in God & build on the foundation of Jesus Christ
-we press on - with the reaching of the lost, building of the believers
& equipping of the workers
-we seek the Lord’s will for our church
Someone just this week mentioned to me -
“The church board doesn’t involve the church much in what they’re doing”
That was good timing - as we’ve been looking at doing just that
-through a simple survey this a.m.
-& we’re wanting to involve people in some discussions
-concerning where the Lord wants to take us
& how the Lord wants to build our church
You see this in the early church as well
-the apostles looked to God for directions
-yet, they looked to the people, who also looked to God
-figuring out what to do is not always easy in this life
-but God directs us - & sometimes the process of discovery
-is used to build our courage, faith & commitment to God
I’d like you to join with the leadership
I’d like to ask you to join with us & take ownership of this great church
I’d like to ask you to give your input & prayerfully - seek the Lord with us
-& let’s find Him together
-& therefore, find His wonderful plans that He has for us!
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