Antioch Covenant Church

Defining Moments

Esther 4

“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” vs. 14

Flying In The Right Direction

Navy Law: If you can keep your head when all about you others are losing theirs, maybe you just don’t understand the situation. Test pilots have a litmus test for evaluating problems. When something goes wrong, they ask, “Is this thing still flying?” If the answer is yes, then there’s no immediate danger, no need to overreact. When Apollo 12 took off, the spacecraft was hit by lightning. The entire console began to glow with orange and red trouble lights. There was a temptation to “Do Something!” But the pilots asked themselves, “Is this thing still flying in the right direction?” The answer was yes—it was headed for the moon. They let the lights glow as they addressed the individual problems, and watched orange and red lights blink out, one by one. That’s something to think about in any pressure situation. If your thing is still flying, think first, and then act. Capt. Alan Bean, USN, Apollo Astronaut, in Reader’s Digest

This story really challenges us to consider how we handle the difficult times, the crises, the defining moments of our life.  Do we act cool under pressure or do we have a tendency to overact, panic, and “wig-out.?” Today we are going to look at Mordecai and his response to the threats of imminent danger and the plot to not only kill him but to annihilate the entire Jewish population. Just think for a second how frantic it would be if you were flying some fighter jet for the Navy and it seemed like you were going to lose control of the plane; to have the sense of mind to say “Isis still flying and am I heading in the right direction?” Think about how cool you would have to be to be able to do that. Now, what if you could handle the trouble points, the difficulties, the defining moments of your life that way? Let’s see how Mordecai does and what we could learn from him from his story in Esther 4.

Read Passage – Esther 4

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. ² But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. ³ In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes. ⁴ When Esther’s maids and eunuchs came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why. ⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to urge her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people. ⁹ Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.” ¹² When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” ¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Dire Circumstances

Let’s take a brief look back at what has happened in our story so far.  The Jews have been taken captive by Babylonians and then the Persians conquer the Babylonians which turns out to be god for the Israelites.  They live in Persia under the rule of King Xerxes and he has given them a lot of freedom and many have returned to Jerusalem under the guide of Ezra, Nehemiah and King Xerxes himself. King Xerxes dismissed his queen because she wouldn’t dance and show herself off at one of his parties and so after a search of all the maidens of the land Esther is chosen the new queen because the King fell in love with her. Esther is a Jew who was raise d by her cousin Mordecai because her parents had died. When she was chosen queen Mordecai told her to keep her nationality a secret which she did. The king had a right-hand man named Hamman. Hamman hated the Jews and as he is given more power by the king and everyone is expected to bow down to Hamman.  Mordecai won’t bow down and Hamman uses that as an excuse not only to kill Mordecai but all the Jews as well. In fact, he is vague with the king and present this plan to kill off all these people who are detrimental to the king and without all the details the king agrees to it.  Enter our story today. Mordecai has just learned of the edict to kill off all the Jews. Verse 1:

“When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.” vs. 1

Mordecai and his fellow Jews are now under a death sentence.  The circumstances are dire. Something needs to be done of they die. They can’t really plan on escaping because they have no where to go, no homeland, no place to call their own because they are being ruled by the Persians.

So what Mordecai does here is rely on his customs and his faith in God to bring attention to the situation. He puts on death clothes and ashes (death make-up) and he and his comrades walk around wailing and crying out in bitterness.  This was their custom.  It is also a way to bring attention to the situation so that maybe someone will respond or help out. Esther on the other hand, is not as distressed about all this but she tries to put on a good face and kind of smooth over the situation by getting Mordecai to put on some nicer clothes. She might be that kind of person that when things look bad she tells you; “Oh, you just need to think positive!” Doesn’t seem to really help here.

Seemingly No Way Out

Sometimes in life we have situations where we seemingly have no way out. Mordecai had no where he could go from here.  He could not appeal to the king. He could appeal the decision. Humanly speaking, it seemed hopeless. So he does what he knows to do, what he can do, and goes where he can go. Verse 2:

“But he went only as far as the king’s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it.” vs. 2

It was here, at the kings gate, that we learn our lessons from Mordecai.

Moving Through Life’s Crises

What I would like to look at today is Mordecai’s response to the crises he is facing and what we can learn from it.  Maybe it helps us keep the plane flying in the right direction like Capt. Bean was talking about in our opening story.

• Take Inventory

The first step in crisis management is to take an inventory of what the situation is and what your personal convictions are.  Learn from Mordecai from verse 5:

“When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape.” vss. 12-13

Mordecai does something here that we all need once in a while. He is blunt and straightforward with Esther and reminds her that she is not exempt just because she is the queen.  Verses 12-13:

Now I am a positive thinker.  I always look at the glass as half-full. But I rely on people to speak the truth into my life and remind me of the severity of situations sometimes.

Ex. Recently my friend Chris telling me I was being to hard on someone

Remember that Mordecai knew the customs of his people and how to act when something like this death sentence was pronounced. Go back to the situation where Esther wants Mordecai to put on his good clothes.  Without personal conviction he could have said, “Well, she is the queen. And maybe I need to see this in a different light.” NO! He knew that this was a terrible edict that was being handed down and he needed to lead his fellow countrymen. People were watching him, his dress, his reaction, his trust in God.  He followed his customs so that people would see the severity of it and would turn to God for help.  His putting on the mourning clothes was a way of leading people to do the same and that meant turning to God.  He wanted his trust in God’s ways to be seen by others. Let me back this up with a thought from Proverbs 14:15:

“The prudent give thought to their steps…” Proverbs 14:15

Know this: When crises hit and the chips are down, people are watching what you do and how you act and…more importantly…if you are turning to God. Mordecai didn’t have a clever scheme to get out of this, he put on his morning clothes because he thought about his steps and that meant leading through faithfulness to God.

Ex. Shooting in CO on Friday night. It’s the religious leaders who should step up and lead the people in prayer, in mourning, in faith back to God. We cannot compromise our beliefs and trust in God that even when things are difficult and don’t make sense, that God will work this for His good and that He is still in charge.

• Appeal To God

The second thing that we can do in time of crisis is appeal to God.  Turn to Him. Now Mordecai set the tone for this by wearing his sackcloth and wailing. When Esther sees him do that, she takes charge and follows his lead. Verse 16:

“I and my maids will fast as you do.” vs. 16

There are so many circumstances in life that don’t make sense. One thing we can do is to gather those who can support us in those times and appeal to God. It really is that simple, we just need to pray. Have you ever wondered why prayer is so hard in difficult times? Why aren’t we open to praying more? It seems that much of it is because prayer is our link to God. Satan knows that if that link is broken, there is a much better chance we will fail. James 5:13 says:

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” James 5:13

The Persian kings had instituted a system where you could not approach the king directly.  You had to make a request to see the king through one of the eunuch’s and then wait for a summons from the kings.  We can go directly to our King (God). Prayer should be an automatic. It should be our trip; the first thing we do. It doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to be on our knees, it doesn’t have to be in a quiet place, it just needs to happen. One of the things I love about some of the prophets in the OT is that they pray and many times it is on the fly.  It is a quick, immediate response to the situation they are in and their first reaction is to pray. Don’t cut off your link to God! Don’t let Satan do that to you. If you find you lost your link, reestablish it. Let pray be the spontaneous response to your situations. I think if we do, we will see huge changes in our lives.

• The Strength Of Community

A third thing to do in time of crises is to surround yourself with a community of people that will support and encourage you and tying this in with what we just talked about, that will uphold you in prayer. Verse 16:

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me.” vs. 16

One thing to remember as we look at this verse, and it’s a key to understanding it, is that fasting is a means of us building a greater focus on God. Fasting is a means of giving up food or certain foods with the intent of using the time you would spend eating focusing on God.  When we do this as a community, it builds a greater focus on God in our community. We need each other and we can support each other.  We can ask for help and it not be a sign of weakness but just he opposite, in numbers we build strength.  Reminds me of Ecc. 4:12:

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecc. 4:12

One thing we can talking about here is addressing our problems from an emotionally healthy approach. Realizing our need for each other and the support and encouragement of others not only makes us healthy but stronger.

• The Work Of Hope

And finally, here is where our process of dealing with crises comes to a head.  There is something at work that is essential for us to remember: the hope that comes from God.  I call this the work of hope; God’s hope. I love Mordecai’s words to Esther here in verse 14:

“And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” vs. 14

Let me somewhat paraphrase this verse.  Mordecai is saying that God has a plan and that he isn’t sure what it is, but it might be this is why Esther was chosen to be queen; to save the Israelites. And here is what I take from this and it is really important to remember as we go through things, especially difficult things, in life: God has a plan and His plan will be worked. Our choice is; Do we want to be part of his plan or will he have to use others to complete His plan.  I know for me, I want to be in a part of God’s plan. His plan is a plan of hope. David said in Psalm 26:3:

“No one who hopes in you will ever be put to shame…” Psalm 25:3

We can’t go wrong being part of God’s plan.

My Declaration: God, You Are Good!

And here is the what we can do to always keep our times of difficulty in the right perspective.  We declare God’s goodness…in the good, in the bad, in all things.

Song: I Will Stand.

Verse 1:
You saved me from my destruction,
You turned my feet from death,
You lifted me with Your kindness,
You filled me with Your breathe.

Pre chorus:
How can I thank You?
What can I bring?

Chorus:
I will sand and worship You,
For everything You are to me.
I will lift my voice in praise,
for all the wonders You displayed.
I will stand,
I will stand and worship You.

Verse 2:
You draw me with tender mercies,
You hold me in Your grace.
So I will fall down in reverence,
at the mystery of Your ways.

Bridge:
In the middle of the congregation,
I will lift my voice and sing that,
You good.
In the midst of every situation,
I will make this declaration that,
You are good.

Building Yourself Up To Put Others Down

Esther 3

“But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.” vs. 2

Mudslinging

I don’t really like talking about politics a lot in public but we are in a time right now where politics is heating up and we are being bombarded with commercials, TV debates and interviews, and ads about the upcoming elections so I am going to talk about them even though it goes against me to do so.  I am not leaning toward one side or the other as I put this out there. So here are some of the things we heard this week from those who are running for President:

President Obama

In Virginia this week: “Mitt Romney is “not serious” about debt reduction

ABC interview: “Mitt Romney should answer questions about Bain Capital and his time there.”

Mitt Romney’s campaign says he left in ’99, yours says it’s 2000, there’s a significant difference, is he being dishonest with the American public?

Mitt Romney

ABC Interview “The President needs to take control of these people (his staff).”

“The president’s failed to do the job that he was elected to do, which was to get this economy turned around.”

      “That comment is “absurd” and “beneath the dignity of the presidency,”

As we get closer to the November election it will only get worse.  The mudslinging and twisting of every little thing that is said is going get worse and it will be our job to try to see through all the “junk” and figure out who we would choose to be our leader. I think one of the reason all the mudslinging and twisting grate on me so much is I dabbled in politics in high school and thought it might be a profession to head towards but all the negativity and mudslinging really rubs me the wrong way and I just can’t be a part of things like that.  I am so much of a 3 on the Enneagram that I just want people to get along and to be kind to each other.

But you know this kind of thing has been going on for ages. We are going to read a passage today where this type of behavior went on and then discover what our character should look like.

Please stand, if you are able, as we read God’s Word from Esther chapter 3.

Read Passage – Esther 3

After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. ² All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. ³ Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s command?” ⁴ Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. ⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. ⁶ Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. ⁷ In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, they cast the pur (that is, the lot ) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar. ⁸ Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. ⁹ If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents^[b] of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business.” ¹⁰ So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ “Keep the money,” the king said to Haman, “and do with the people as you please.” ¹² Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. ¹³ Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews —young and old, women and little children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. ¹⁴ A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day. ¹⁵ Spurred on by the king’s command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

Life As The Top Dog

Last week we looked at a story of a man named Mordecai and his cousin Esther and how she was chosen to be the new queen ofPersiato King Xerxes. The Israelites were servants to the Persians and when King Xerxes gained power he was good to the Israelites and allowed them freedom to return toIsrael. Some stayed inPersiaand in the book of Esther we get a picture of what their life looked like inPersia. King Xerxes had a staff and servants just as any king would. One of his right hand men was a man named Haman.  Haman had worked his way up and now King Xerxes was acknowledging his accomplishments and named him second in command of the kingdom. Verse 1 tells us:

“After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman…elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.” vs. 1

So Haman is probably feeling pretty good about himself, good about his new position, and probably a bit empowered and maybe even pretty proud and smug. He is really the top dog except for the king himself.

Righteous Rebellion

There is a bit of background that is important to understand this story.  Notice that when we were introduced to Mordecai in ch.2 verse 5 he was introduce as Mordecai the Jew.  Here in chapter 3 we are introduced to Haman the Agagite. This is important.  First it lets us know that Mordecai was not considered one of the nobles or “important people in the kingdom. But secondly, it let’s us know that Haman had a predisposition to Haman as a Jew.  Agag was the king of the Amakalites and the Amakalites were nomadic people who lived in the southern desert region and frequently invadedIsrael. In fact, they were the first people to attackIsraeland actually defeat them and take over part of their nation. So Haman is a descendant of Agag and Mordecai is a descendant ofKish, Saul’s father and God instructed Saul (1 Sam. 15) to destroy the Amakalites and to annihilate them and everything they owned. So these attacks back and forth caused these people to hate each other. These guys had a predisposition of dislike and hatred toward each other.

Enter our story today and Haman is made second in command and is being paraded through the streets and everyone is expect to bow down to him. Haman uses his position to mudsling his enemies the Jews and goes to King Xerxes and talk bad about them in a sly and cunning way. He lies and exaggerates the stories about them with the goal of convincing the king that he should wipe out these people.

“Then Haman said to King Xerxes, “There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.” vs. 8

He is misleading the king into believing all the Jews are being rebellious. Haman is expecting everyone to bow down to him but really only  Mordecai would not bow down to Haman. In a sense this is a kind of righteous rebellion. Mordecai is refusing to elevate Haman. Haman in turn uses this as an opportunity to wipe out all the Jews. He really takes this to larger scale.

Negative Issues Haman Carried With Him

Last week we looked at Mordecai’s character. Today, let’s look at Haman’s. His is a character teaches us how we should not act and what can happen to us when we carry around negativity and when we think too much of ourselves. It might help us in determining who our candidate for President should be. It may even cause us to change some of our own behavior because we live in choice.  Not just choosing candidates, choosing how we are going to live. Do we choose to live in line with God, God’s Word, and with positive and affirming characteristics or do we choose to live in a way the can promote negativity and divisiveness? Let’s learn from Haman.

• Pride

The first character trait we see in Haman that he is a very proud man.  He has worked hard to get acknowledged and to build up his credentials and he wants to be recognized for that. He wants not only the king’s acknowledgement but the people ofPersiato acknowledge that as well. Mordecai sees right through him and won’t do it. Verse 2b:

“But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.” vs. 2b

Mordecai not bowing to him stirs up his pride.  He wants all the attention to be on himself and Mordecai won’t give him all the attention.  With Haman it is all about Hamna and really, except for the king, only about Haman.

Ill. Haman wants to be the trendsetter, the limelight, the guy in the spot light. He wants to go to the local restaurant and have a table waiting for him, his meal comp’ed, He wants people to notice what he is wearing, his jewelry, where’s the latest place to eat, etc. i.e. someone like Madonna, Angelina Jolie, etc.

In Proverbs 16:18(The Message) it says:

“First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (TM)

Isn’t that a great way to put it? First pride, then, boom, the crash, and then the big fall.

Another Choice: Humility

Consider  this, another choice is to have humility. Proverbs15:33says:

“The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.”

Prov. 15:33

The choice is to focus on God and to allow him to teach us and to make Him the focus. Our knowledge is limited and in and of ourselves we can only do so much.  But when God is the focus and the aim of our focus, the honor we may receive goes to Him and He is lifted up and we make Him know to the world. In many ways this kind of thinking allows us to live a whole life. There is no fear of being exposed for who we are. Haman probably lived in fear of trying to always keep on this façade of greatness for fear they may see him for what he really was. With God as the focus, we exp[ose the world to who he is and His glory.

• Anger and Bitterness

A second trait that Haman lived by was anger and bitterness. Notice the word that is used when Haman sees Mordecai not bowing to him; enraged. Verse 5b:

“…(Haman) he was enraged. “ vs. 5b

This word carries some energy behind it.  When we get mad, angry, enraged, there is an energy that comes out and many times that energy is scary. We feel the intensity and power behind that word enraged. We only have so much room for emotions and energy and we choose where to direct that energy.

Ex. Last week whole riding the train two men got in a fight. Started because one man was taunting the other because he was a Dodger fan. It escalated to yelling and then to pushing. I was looking at doors and exits and place to get to because I was physically scared. What if one of them had a gun? I literally felt the negative energy and the chance that I could be in harms way.

Haman directed his energy to anger and bitterness. He allows that negative energy to overtake him and blow the situation to a point where he wants not only hurt Mordecai, but everyone else who is a Jew as well.

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.”  Ecc. 7:9

I knew that situation on the train could easily spin out of control.

A Better Trait: Self-Control

So there is our choice; self control or out of control.  I think Haman must have gotten out of control. 1 Peter 5:8 says:

“Be self-controlled and alert.” 1 Peter 5:8

Self-control is also translated sober. When you are drunk or under the influence you have given up some control. You let the alcohol dictate how you act.

Ex.  MelGibson,Brittany Spears,

I like the alert part too because it conveys the idea of always being aware of what is going on and when you are under the influence you are not as aware. I want to continually choose self-control.

• Revenge

Finally, I think Haman was living with deep seeded revenge. The history of his people and the Israelite people lead him to live with this idea of getting revenge on them one day and here was his opportunity. Verse 6:

“Yet having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.” vs. 6

Revenge is an ugly trait that wells it head up and destroys people.  It can be deep seeded and lead to some incredibly terrible situations.

Ex.  North Korea and the people struggling to get out because of the oppression and hostility

-15 women executed for crossing the border to Chine to get food for their family

– People found trying to escape are being shot at the border by the border patrol

Revenge carries with it a deep cruelty and is fueled by the anger and bitterness we discussed a few moments ago. We are warned in Romans about taking revenge. Romans 12:19:

“Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath…” Romans 12:19

Revenge is a choice too. When we take revenge into our own hands we are essentially taking it out of God’s hands. Don’t confuse revenge with standing up for what is right and protecting ourselves when we are attacked. We are called to allow God the room to execute judgment in His time and in His way.  It doesn’t mean we let people walk all over us and become like a wet noodle and allow people to do anything they want to us but we are called to trust God when it comes to revenge.

Another Choice: Grace

You have another choice. It’s called grace. In 1 Peter4:10it says:

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

Isn’t it interesting that when Mordecai’s character and his people are attacked and there is eminent danger on the horizon he doesn’t just pull out a gun and shoot Haman? He could have secretly plotted to kill Haman and carry out judgment; but that was what Haman was doing.  He would have stooped to Haman’s level.  No he chooses to work with God and in God’s way and in God’s timing.  This would take a little longer and be a bit more complicated but it would keep Mordecai’s character in tact. We will learn more about that in the next few weeks. But here is what we do learn.  The grace that God has given to us, he calls us to give to others and what I like about that 1 Peter verse is that is takes on many forms. God calls us all to give grace and we are uniquely equipped to do that in many different forms. You can give God’s grace as only He has called you to do and when we seek His ways and His grace, it keeps our character in tact.

Everything You Need To Know About A Person

I’m not sure how to tell you how to make a decision about who to vote for President but I can tell you some ways to find out about a persons character and what kind of person they are.

1.Why not watch how they drive in heavy traffic and how they react to things while they are driving. Ouch!

2. How about watch how they play a sport or what they are like in a competitive atmosphere.

3. How about listening to how they talk when they think no one else is around and can hear them.

4. How about watching how they treat others like waiters, waitresses, customer service people, etc.

5. Check out their friends and those they hang out with.

Remember this about our story today.  Mordecai was hanging out at the king’s gate./  People were watching him.  They were watching his reactions and his character. They are watching you and I too!

And today, with cell phone camera’s and things like that, you can endu up on You Tube, the news, etc. I don’t want to be a pastor who ends up with an embarrassing clip on YT or the news.

Who’s Zooming Who?

Esther 2:19-23

“But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther,

who in turn reported it to the king…” vs. 22

Who Can You Trust?

I want to start by having a little fun today. I want to name a profession and I want you to tell me if you feel you can trust those people or if they are untrustworthy. Ready?

Lawyers, politicians, used car salesman, athletes, actors and actresses, pastors (how about if they are televangelists), teachers, bankers, real estate agents, firefighters

It seems to me we are living in a world where distrust is becoming more of the norm. So this morning let’s look at this issue of trust through the story of Esther and Mordecai from Esther 2:19-23.

Read Passage – Esther 2:19-23

When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. ²⁰ But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up. ²¹ During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, became angry and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. ²² But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. ²³ And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king.

Persia Reaches It’s Pinnacle

The events recorded in the book of Esther take place when thePersian Empireis at it height. To kind of give you an idea of what has happened in the last 100 years, since the time at the end of 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, most of the Jews have been taken into captivity by the Babylonians for almost 70 of those years and then the Babylonians get taken over by the Persians and Medes. Interestingly, the Persians choose to be kind to the Jews and their king Zerubbabel declares that he Jews can go back to their land if they want to. Some went back with Zerubbabel and more with Ezra and finally more with Nehemiah. Some did choose to stay inPersiaand that’s where we pick up the story of Esther. In this book we learn quite a bit about the lifestyle of those who choose to stay under the monarch Xerxes.

I Need A Queen!

The setting of the book of Esther is one where Xerxes is married to a woman named Vashti. It’s Xerxes 3^rd year in power and his kingdom is now the biggest it has ever been and he wants to show off his “stuff” and celebrate. He invites all the princes, nobles, and mucky mucks to party with him and he has decided to not only show off his kingdom. He shows off the fancy linens, gold and silver pillars and rings, relief mosaic’s, etc. He also brings out wine and drink in fancy goblets for everyone to drink out of.  At the same time, Vashti is having a party for the woman. Xerxes decides to show off Vashti and wants her to dance around in front of the all the guys and show off her beauty. In other words, he wants all the guys to drool over her. She is not at all happy about this and refuses to come. She doesn’t want a bunch of guys ogling her and fantasizing about her and dance around in front of them so they can get their thrills. He gets really ticked.  He consults his wise men, lawyers, and they recite the law to him that he is within his rights to banish her, which he does and then the search is on for a new queen.

Courage To Stand Up

So it takes a few years because there is a round up made of all the beautiful girls in the kingdom. They are put in the care of the eunuchs, men who have been physically altered so they cannot have relations with women, and give the special treatment to prepare them to spend some time with the king so he can choose one for a new queen.  Eventually Esther is chosen, she is made queen, and now resides in the place. There is this guy named Mordecai. He is Esther’s cousin and he raised her. Esther trusts him completely and we are not told why but Mordecai tells Esther not to reveal her nationality to the king.

As Mordecai is hanging out at the city gate, he overhears two of the king’s officers plotting to kill the king. Mordecai goes to Esther’s and tells her about the plot.  He had the courage to speak up. She goes to the kings and reveal it to him, it’s investigated and found to be true, the men are hanged and Ether makes sure the king knows it is Mordecai who should get the credit. I think it took a lot of courage for Mordecai’s to reveal the plot to assassinate the king.

Building Godly Integrity With…

Christians are getting more and more in the spotlight today and unfortunately, it’s not in a good light. In fact, Christians, in my opinion, have lost a lot of credibility in the worlds eyes and it would seem that maybe much of the world would say they don’t trust Christians. Our “work” is to do the will of God and to let the world know of God and His son Jesus Christ and that salvation is found in him. How can we do that if they don’t trust us?  More and more Christians are made out to be radicals who can’t think logically and intelligently. We are portrayed as goofy, irrational, judgmental, and a little crazy.  We are now a target for the world to laugh at and ridicule. In fact, in the Rome Reports (one of many sites that can be looked up on the internet) it states that Christianity is now the most persecuted religion in the world.  It states that 7 of 10 people who claim to be Christian cannot love out their faith in full freedom. It also claims that 200 million Christians live in discrimination. We need to change that. We need to gain back our voice and to gain back the trust of others.

It seems to me that Mordecai was a man with high integrity and that we have a lot to learn from him. So let’s look a little closer at this man and how you and I can build Godly integrity and character into our lives.

• Good Character

First, Mordecai was a man of good character. In our story, there is no mention of Mordecai having a family; a wife, children, anyone.  We might even assume he was a bachelor. His uncle and aunt have died (we are not told how) and his cousin is now in need of a home. Esther 2:7:

“Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This girl, who was also known as Esther…” Esther 2:7

Esther has become an orphan and is need of someone to raise her. Mordecai steps up to the plate and takes on the responsibility. I wonder what that could have looked like?

Ex. Reminds me of the movie 3 men and a baby

Mordecai opens his life up and gives up some of his personal space to take in his cousin and raise her. This is a big deal. He gives of himself, his space, his time, his money, his lifestyle to take in someone in need. He lives a life of good character.

Isn’t his really what Christ encourages us to do? Remember when Christ had a bunch of people following him in Matthew 25 and he is explains about getting into the kingdom of heaven and he says those in the kingdom will be those that feed him when he was hungry, visited him when he was in prison, clothed when he was naked and gave him water when he was thirsty. They asked when they did that? He said they did that when they did that to others, to those in need, to those that were hurting. We are called to have that kind of character.  Peter said in 1 Peter 2:12:

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:12

The world needs to see us moving out of our comfort zone and to be God’s hands to the world.

Ex.  The man I saw sitting outside a fast food restaurant this week and those that stop to help him, buy him a soda, a hamburger, etc.

• Courage

Another character trait of integrity that Mordecai shows us is that he had courage. In our story Mordecai is at the city gate and he hears a plot to kill the king. What would you do in a situation like this?  This is how Mordecai handles it; verse 22:

“Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king…” vs. 22

Mordecai had the courage to step up for what is right. He goes to Esther and tells her so she can warn the king.  He could have justified keeping quiet because it would put he and Esther in danger if it was found out they were the ones who told the king. He is taking a big risk here.  It takes courage to do what is right even when we are afraid and when we realize the outcome could endanger us.  If these guys are successful in killing the king and they find out Mordecai and Esther had a part in warning the king, they are as good as dead.

Courage is mental and moral strength to stand up in the face of fear, danger or difficulty. I love the way Solomon wrote about it in Proverbs 24:26:

“An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.” Proverbs 24:26

If you have ever had a special someone in your life and you get that nice, sweet, meaningful, kiss that says “I love you” you have experienced that feeling of sweetness. So we are called to be people who stand up for what is right.  We should actually be the ones leading the charge.

Ex. Here  are just a few ideas of things we should be involved with because we are called to have that moral strength.  Things like; abolishing human trafficking, stopping bullying, persecution of others, feeding the poor and homeless, etc.

When we have the courage to stand up for what is right we are taking on the heart of God because God loves all people and his desire is for everyone to come to him.

• Honesty and Trust

And third, we see the character trait of honesty and trust in Mordecai.  When the king hears the report about the impending assassination attempt, he sends men out to investigate and they find it is a true report. He immediately hangs the guys who were going to try to kill him.  But I think it is really significant to note that Mordecai’s report was true. Verse 23:

“And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were hanged on a gallows.” vs. 23

Part of gaining a voice with the world and of having integrity is that we can be trusted by being honest in what we say. Honesty builds trust. We have had too many Christians claim things that just aren’t true and when that happens we lose credibility.

Neg. Ex. Harold Camping and his prediction of Christ’s return. The world only took this as an opportunity to mock Christianity and to discredit Christians.

Pos. Ex. Billy Graham and his exemplary example of being a man of honesty, truth, and integrity. Never has had to worry about accusations.

It is important to remember that trust is earned.  In Luke 16:10 Jesus tells us:\

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much…”

One quick reminder about Mordecai and the plot to kill the king; Ether told the king that it was Mordecai who was the one who found out about it; but the king never recognizes his part in discovering it and doesn’t reward him or acknowledge him in any way.

Stamina and Endurance

One last thing about integrity; part of it is endurance. It doesn’t really count for much if it is short lived.  Part of the character of it is that it is lasting.

Ex. My friend Roger

Go In Peace

2 Kings 5:18-19

““Go in peace,” Elisha said.”” vs. 19 

El Shaddai

As a young man of 19 years old I was attending Cal State Hayward Univ. which is nowCalStateEastBay. I had heard of Christian bookstore inHaywardand had recently decided that I needed to listen to more Christian music so one day after school I headed over to the  store to look for some new 8-tracks, yes, 8-tracks (I know I am really dating myself. It gets worse, the 8-track was in my Pinto).  As I began to look through the albums on the best seller list there before me was this incredibly good looking young girl on the front of an album; long flowing brown hair, pretty face (seemed much like the girl next door kind of thing). I had never heard for this girl; Amy Grant. All it took was listening to one song and I was ready to buy her album (of course it helped that she was pretty attractive too!) From that point on I really enjoyed listening to her music and bought other albums of hers. The song that really got to me was the song El Shaddai. I love to sing along with her. I often wonder if that set the tone for my love of the Hebrew language.  It struck a chord with me that took me to a place of worship and praise like I had never really felt before. Much of her music took me to a deeper connection with God.

In 1991 Amy made a big career choice. She announced that she wanted to widen her audience and venture out into the secular music stream. She even went as far as to say that she felt called by God to do this. Many people were really upset with her and thought this was definitely the wrong thing to do. She generated a lot controversy within the Christian community, from “complaints that she was too worldly and too sexy” to a “barrage of condemnation” following her divorce from fellow Christian musician Gary Chapman and then marriage to country music star Vince Gill. People were harsh in their criticism and judgment of her.  Many Christian leaders called her out on the carpet to not do such a thing and to stay true to her calling as a Christian to produce only “Christian” music.

It interesting when you consider that how quick we are to” judge” people when they don’t do what we like or what we think is right; especially in the Christian church. We can be pretty hard on people and sometimes turn them away.

A quick follow up to Amy Grant. She did pretty well in the secualr music world and in 2002 return to the gospel genre. From that point on she has been able to blend her Chrisitan music and faith with the secular world in a way which really no other artist has been able to do that I can think of.

So, if you are able, please stand as we read the Word of God from 2 Kings 5:15-19.

Read Passage – 2 Kings 5:18-19

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God . He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” ¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” ¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said.

The Joy Of Knowing God

We have looked at this story for two weeks and I want to look at it one more time from a new angle. A quick review is that there is a commander in the army ofAramnamed Naaman who was a valiant soldier but was struck with the disease of leprosy.  His armies had capture some Israelites and a young girl from one of those raids became Naaman’s wife’s servant.  She tells him to go see Elisha the prophet and that he can cure him. Naaman goes and Elisha tells him to dip in theJordan River7 times and he will be healed.  He hesitates but from some urging from his own servant he goes and he is cured. Naaman is healed both physically and spiritually and in verse 15 makes this proclamation:

“Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” Vs. 15

When someone understands and accepts God; it is life changing. Make no mistake about it, there is a joy in knowing God. Naaman experiences that. I have had the opportuinty and the privilege of being with someone when that has happened. Of course in our time it is the knowledge and realization of Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is a very emotional time and an incredibly joyful time as well.

Ex. Wini Booth on Easter, an 81 year old woman who received Christ

Caught In A Dilemma

Reality can set in quickly after someone accepts God and for many people they get caught in a dilemma. The newness of their new faith begins to fade, they are no longer around all those who believe the same way and they have to come down off the hilltop experience. They return to their life where many times those around them don’t know God and they struggle to know exactly how they should act and react to the things around them. That is the case with Naaman.  We saw in verse 15 how he acknowledges that God is the only God. That is great but he quickly realizes that he will be going back home and his culture is not one that acknowledges Yahweh as God. They have their own gods and their own religious practices and Naaman knows he cannot just stop going to the pagan temples, he can’t just stop doing the things he is expected to do as the right hand man to the king.. He will be expected from his king and his people to continue on in their cultural worship practices. So he brings this up to Elisha in verse 18:

“But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing…” vs. 18a

I found it interesting he didn’t ask Elisha how he could get out of his pagan worship or what he should do when he is required to go or to bow down. He admits he is going to have to bow down and he asks for Elisha to forgive him before it even happens.

Peace In A World of Judgment

Here is what I want us to consider today; What does God call us to do when people don’t do the things we think are right or when they act in a way that doesn’t seem right?  Many times the Christian community is quick to judge, to control, and to try to force people into doing things that satisfies their peace of mind or ideals. Like Amy Grant, Naaman felt he needed to be in the world and a light to the world. I’m sure Naaman felt the upcoming judgment and criticism that would likely come as he returned to his world.

Listen to Elisha’s response to Naaman’s request in verse 19:

““Go in peace,” Elisha said.”” vs. 19

Surprisingly he sends him on his way with peace. I find that fascinating. He doesn’t chastise him, critique him, judge him or even forbid him to go to the pagan temple and worship. Wow! I have a feeling many in the Christian community would do that.

Ill. On several occasions people have brought their children to me because they have been disobedient, not doing well in school, etc. and what they want is for me to tell the child what they should do and how to act. That coming from me will somehow make them straighten up. I have even had people use me as a threat. Yea! “If you don’t do this or if you do that, I’ll go tell Pastor Ron!”

• Can you imagine the response I would have received if I told their child to “Go in peace?”

So the thing I want to focus on today is what I looks like to bring peace to a world of judgment. It seems to me that the world is expecting criticism, judgment, and condemnation. I think when we see what Elisha does for Naaman in this story, we learn what we can do and how it can affect the world differently. Let’s consider what it does for others when we give them peace; real peace, God’s peace.

To understand this I went back in to the Hebrew definition of peace to understand what the Israelites understood the peace of God can bring in peoples lives. The word they used is the word Shalom. They didn’t really have a word for hello and goodbye because Shalom was the word they would use to greet and to send away. The idea was to experience peace in the coming and the going. Let’s understand the deeper meaning behind Shalom to see how it might work in our lives as well.

• Well-Being

First, God’s peace brings a sense of well being.  Naaman was not living in peace but in un-wellness.  He did not have a sense of well being, quite the opposite. He has been living with a disease that (pardon the pun) had to be eating away at him. Remember verse 1:

“He (Naaman) was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.” 1 Kings 5:1

We recognize his physical issues but can you imagine how this would have plagued him mentally? It would have affected the way he did his job, who he could interact with,  both family and job wise, and if you have ever had a disease, especially one that there seems to be no cure for, you never forget. It goes with you everywhere. This idea of peace is the idea of your own well being.  When you live without well being you live in fear, in turbulence, and uncertainty. I’m sure Naaman felt much of that fear and probably a lot of loneliness as well.

Ex. Let me illustrate this from I was at with a speaker who was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few years ago. He understood the severity of it. He explained to us that about 28,000 men a year die from prostate cancer. One thing he said he didn’t realize and that hit him hard as he dealt with it was that everyone identified him through his cancer. It was the overriding character of who he was from that point. One of the first things people would ask about or sometimes all they would talk about with him was the cancer.

When we pass along the peace of God, it can bring a sense of well being. God’s peace brings well being to the mind and healing to the body.  Solomon said in Proverbs 14:30:

 “A heart at peace brings life to the body.” Proverbs 14:30

This kind of peace comes from God. It’s not a quick cure-all or guarantee you will be healed completely. It’s an acknowledgement that God is in control and ultimately your life is in his hands. It’s the knowledge he can do anything and that his best will be worked out in your life.

• Harmony

The second aspect of peace that comes from God’s peace is harmony. Let’s remember that Naaman was a commander of men.  He was used to giving orders, controlling situations and in the army, there is very little, if no room, for emotions, for questioning, and for things that are not in control.  We see this come up when Elisha tells him to go wash in theJordan. Verse 12:

“Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.” 2 Kings 5:12

He is a success driven man and efficiency is important and demanded. One of the reasons that Elisha’s instructions are so strange to him is that dipping in the dirtyJordanis not a sign of success or efficiency. In fact, Naaman’s judging side comes out as he puts down theJordan Riverand even thelandofIsrael. His home and people are better, stronger, more elite. After all, they are in control ofIsraeland are superior, right?  He is implying that he could have stayed in his home country and been cleansed with better water and not wasted his time coming all the way toIsrael. He is also a soldier and very few times does a soldier experience harmony.  They are warriors. Men used to fighting.

Now Elisha gives Naaman peace. This peace is a peace that has to do with others and how you view other people and things. This peace is a sense of harmony. Harmony with others, harmony with himself, harmony with those he is going back to. That is huge because he is going back home with a new faith and it’s not a faith that his fellow country men, family friends, and people know. Part of his new faith will be to bring harmony, God’s harmony to situations.

The opposite of this peace, this harmony, is judgment. Judgment and harmony cannot live together.  If we are judgmental, that separates and causes disunity and hurt. If Naaman had continued in judging, he would have never gone and washed in the waters that cured him.  His judging would have caused him to miss getting cured!

David was also a fighting man. In Psalm 37:37 he wrote:

“Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.” Psalms 37:37

As David gets older and as his reign is established, he sees how this plays out.  He wants to build God a temple but God will not let him because his life has not been one of harmony but of fighting and un-peace. What he desires will be up to his son to complete.

• Freedom (to grow toward God)

A third aspect of Shalom, God’s peace, is freedom, and more specifically the freedom to grow toward God.  This is spiritual peace. Recall for a moment that Naaman wanted to give Elisha a gift as an expression of his gratitude. Elisha wouldn’t accept anything. So Naaman has a request for Elisha. That comes in verse 17:

“Please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.” vs. 17

I think this is a pivotal point in this story. This shows his heart. His request to grow in his faith will not be swayed by the pagan worship and his desire to bring some of the dirt is Naaman’s way of telling Elisha how serious he is on growing close to God. This is critical in Elisha blessing Naaman with peace because Naaman is backing up his profession of faith with action. I love that fact that we don’t see Elisha judging Naaman because he sees his heart. That is like God exactly.  God sees our heart. When he sees a heart that his built on dedication to Him and one that strives to grow closer in relationship with Him, He blesses us with peace, His peace.

In the New Testament Peter says in 2 Peter 3:18:

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18

The more we know Him, the more we grow in His grace and in the knowledge of Him, the more peace we have and more judgment is not a part of who we are.

Question: What are the judgments you are holding on to? What do you need to let go of?

To Admit Confidence

In the Israeli culture to greet with peace and then to send them away in peace was a expression of confidence, confidence that God would work in their life, condfident that God would shine through with peace in a world of judgment.  Elisha sends Naaman out with confidence that God is going to do great things in this man. “Go In Peace.”

Secret Sin?/Greed

2 Kings 5:15-27

“I will run after him and get something from him.” vs. 20b

LOOK! I Found A  Car!

Last Tuesday I drove into the church parking lot and as I did I looked towards the shed.  I normally take a quick peek around to make sure everything is okay. I saw something on the backside of the shed but I could tell what it was. I parked my truck and started walking toward the shed when I realized there was a truck parked on the back side of the shed.  I pulled out my phone that has a camera on and I held it up and started talking loudly and calling out to see if anyone was there. No one responded so I looked around, took a picture and called the police. They confirmed that the truck was reported stolen and asked me to get away from it until their officer arrived but to put myself in a place where I could see the truck. They told me to be careful because it sounds like it was parked in a place where they intended to come back and get it or strip it, so be careful until the police get there. They showed up about 5 minutes later and took a report. It was interesting, they called the owner and had him come over and pull the truck out himself. I was pretty surprised by that.

So that got me thinking about crime and how often crimes happen.  Here are some statistics about crime that will happen in theUnited   Stateswhile we are sitting here in church today. (Based on 1 hour and 15 minutes)

There will be 2,250 crimes (1 every 2 seconds)

There will be 1,500 property crime (1 every 3 seconds)

There will be 225 vehicle thefts (1 every 20 seconds)

There will be 1,125 “things” stolen ( 1 every 4 seconds)

There will be 450 burglaries (1 every 10 seconds)

There will be 225 violent crimes (1 every 20 seconds)

There will be 150 aggravated assaults (1 every 35 seconds)

There will be 75 robberies (1 every 60 seconds)

There will be 38 forcible entries (1 every 2 minutes)

There will be 160 murders (1 every 25 seconds)

Those are pretty sobering statistics. Crime has been around since almost the beginning of time, it makes its way all the back to the garden of Eden. Two weeks ago we looked at a man named Naaman who had leprosy and was cured from it. Today we are going to continue that story and some of the aftermath of what happened after he was healed.  It’s found in 2 Kings 5:15-27.

Read Passage – 2 Kings5:15-27

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God . He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” ¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused. ¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaningon my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” ¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance, ²⁰ Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” ²¹ So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked. ²² “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” ²³ “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left. ²⁵ When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered. ²⁶ But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?²⁷ Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

Tempted By Your Weakness

Crime is something that is all around us.  It’s easy to look down on those who commit crime and to be somewhat judgmental about it. I’m not saying we should condone it but we should realize we all have our weaknesses.  It also occurred to me that crime is something that Satan instills in us because what he does is tempt us in our areas of weakness.  It makes sense when you think about it, Satan doesn’t tempt our strengths because, well let’s face it, that’s where we are strong. We either don’t struggle with that or we have the ability to get past it without much effort. So what he does is attack the weaknesses we have because that is where there you and I have greatest chance to fall.

Ill. Some struggle with cursing, some with acquiring things, some with drugs or alcohol, come with anger, etc., well, you get the idea.

Ex. In sports on thing I have been pretty good at is identifying an opponents weaknesses and attacking them. I love to play tennis.  I used to play a friend of mine, Chris, regularly and one thing I always knew about Chris was that he didn’t have a very good backhand shot. If I needed a point, if I wanted to win a game, if I felt I wasn’t really on my game but wanted to maintain my winning ways over him, I would focus on hitting to his backhand. It always gave me the edge.

Funny thing about our weaknesses, we usually know them. We know our strengths but we also know our weaknesses and we can probably tell you what they are.

In our passage today we see a man named Gehazi. His struggle: wealth and possessions and lying. In our passage we saw Naaman offer Elisha anything he wanted. He was so happy to be cured of his leprosy that he was willing to give anything to Elisha as an expression of thanks. Elisha turns him down.  He doesn’t want anything…but Gehazi does. He wants things; that is one of his weaknesses. So in verse 22 it says:

“Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.” vs. 22

Gehazi makes up this story that Elisha has changed his mind and some visitors came into town and Elisha wants to help them out.  See how this made up story makes sense? Because of his character and attitude Elisha wouldn’t want things for himself but he would to help someone else. This seems reasonable to Naaman because it is consistent with Elisha’s character. It’s here that we learn from Gehazi the “red flags” that lead to danger, that lead to warning us that we might be heading down the wrong road.

Red Flags There Is Danger Ahead

This week I had the chance to get away for a couple of days. Along the way there was a place where they were doing road work on this two lane road. A few miles before there was a electronic sign telling us to expect delays and that the road work was coming.  As we got closer there were orange diamond shaped signs warning us that the road work was just ahead. A couple hundred of yards before we got there we saws cones on the road.  Those were all signs of danger ahead. I think this passage gives us those same type of warnings that in life, there are red flags that we are headed for danger and need to be cautious as we move ahead. I see four of them in this passage.

1. You Feel That You Are “Owed”

The first sign is that feeling that we get inside us that tells us we are “owed” something or that we deserve something. We aren’t told much about Gehazi expect that he is a servant to the prophet Elisha. We can surmise that he probably doesn’t have much and isn’t really in a position in life to attain much in his lifetime. So when he sees that Elisha doesn’t take anything from Naaman, he sees this as his opportunity to get what he is “owed.” Verse 20b:

“As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” vs. 20b

His thinking is that he has the chance get some things for all his years of service and hard work. We can fall into this trap so easily. It seems that we in theUnited Stateshave fallen into this trap, even in the church.

Ex. Ever heard of the “Prosperity Gospel?” It’s the idea that God wants us all to be rich. We have preachers out there trying to convince people that God wants everyone to have riches and wealth right now.  Take note for a moment that these preachers are mostly in theU.S. Most people outside theU.S. don’t have nearly what we have and these preachers wouldn’t have a voice other places but we buy into it. Why? Because we in theU.S. have this thought that we are owed or deserve that kind of thing. Did you know 56% of the world lives below the poverty line? That 20% of the world live on less than a $1 a day?  The Bible clearly does not say that we should all be rich..  God wants us to have our best, now, but that isn’t necessarily mean riches.

If you have gotten to the point of feeling you are “owed” something or deserve it; it may be a red flag, be careful, you could be heading into danger.  I see this often when we hear about those that win the lottery. You see others say about them that they “deserve” it as if they have had a bigger and more difficult life than everyone else. Danger! You might be heading down the wrong road.  The Bible does warn us about trying to get rich quick. Proverbs 28:20 (TM):

“Committed and persistent work pays off; get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.”

Prov. 28:20 The Message

I love the way Eugene Peterson transliterates that for us.

2. You Justify Your Sin

A second red flag to take note of is that when you are have sin in your life, you try to justify it. Verse 20a:

“My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought.” vs 20a

In our story Gehazi was listening to the conversation between Elisha and Naaman.  When Elisha doesn’t take advantage of taking things from Naaman, Gehazi seizes the opportunity and even justifies it. He tries to put it back on Naaman but really it is his own issue, not Elisha’s. He basically is saying that Elisha was wrong, that he is right, and therefore what he is doing is okay. He is probably thinking things like:

-He needs to pay, it’s the only way he’ll understand the value of it

-He won’t appreciate it unless he pays

-He needs to learn what the real world is like

-He won’t really believe it was God if he gets it for free

Ever heard things like that? Sure, if we haven’t said them, we have heard others say them. We justify our sin to ourselves and to others, or at least try to. Remember what I said earlier, that we all know our weaknesses, well, so does God.  He knows. In Luke 16 Jesus is speaking with the Pharisee’s and Saducee’s and they think they are fooling everyone.  They have justified their actions to convince themselves and others that they are good righteous people. Jesus tells them in Luke 16:15:

“You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts.”

Luke 16:15

We can try to convince ourselves all we want.  We can even convince others at times; but we cannot fool God. He can see right through us and he knows our hearts.

3. You Don’t Take The Chance To Come Clean

An interesting twist now takes place in our story; Gehazi has the chance to come clean and the red flag is that when we have the chance to come clean, we don’t take it. Verse 25a:

“When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” vs. 25a

Gehazi actually has two or three chances to fess up but he just can’t do it.  Here is the thing about sin and those issues in our lives; you always have a chance to get out if it, to come clean, to fess up, to tell the truth. Sometimes when we are in those situations we feel there is no way out. Listen closely now, your way out may only be a split second decision. You might not always have a lot of time.  Sometimes you do but many times it is a quick, momentary, spit decision. Here is how I know you always have a way out, 1 Cor. 10:13:

“When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Cor. 10:13

The Bible tells us we have a way out, a way to stand up under it.  You can come clean at any time. The longer our sin goes on usually the worse it gets. And here is another thing about it, when we come clean, we realize that everyone has their struggles and everyone has their issues. AND…coming clean is tough. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to admit you were wrong, that you did something wrong, that you struggled, that you erred, that you fell. There is a lot of fear in coming clean. Will I be accepted? Will I be forgiven? Will I get a second chance? Can God forgive me? God always does. Now sometimes there are still consequences and after effects. That is a reality. But there is always a way to come clean and to start over.

Ex. Communion – the act of confessing and starting over.

4. You Lie To Cover Your Lie(s)

And the 4^th red flag we see from Gehazi is that when we sin, and in his case the lie, you have to work a lot harder and a lot more to cover that sin or lie.  Verse 25b:

“Your servant didn’t go anywhere…” vs. 25b

One of Gehazi’s issues was lying.  First he lied to Naaman, now he is lying to Elisha.

One study that shows it takes 7 lies to cover the first lie. Another study by Roy Britt, the editorial director if Imaginova on Livescience.com from 2009 shows that lying takes longer than telling the truth. Literally.  The study showed that it takes people about 30% longer to tell the first lie and then additional time later to back up the lie.

Point: When you find yourself sinning to cover up another sin, danger, danger!

Notice how Solomon states it in Prov. 14:5:

“A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies.” Prov. 14:5

Notice that the word at the end is “lies.” It’s plural because it just seems that you can’t just lie, it takes lies. The same is true of almost all sin, it rarely comes in singles, it almost always is in the plural.

Pay attention to the red flags! The warning signs are there. We have choices and options. We can choose to think that we can live in “secret sin” but the reality is there is no secret sin.  We can try to fool others, we can try to justify what we do, but God knows our hearts and the great thing is that he is a loving God is gives us opportunities rto come clean, and numerous chances to start again.

I Am A 3!

Let me end today by giving you something that you can do to help yourself. (Shameless plug) My wife, Claudia, is beginning a new class tonight on the Enneagram. The Enneagram is a personality trait breakdown that helps you understand who you are and how God has created you. By knowing yourself better you can know God better and His desire)s) for your life. Let me give you a quick example. The Enneagram details 9 different personality types. I am a 3. By knowing that I understand myself and that one of my main issues is I struggle with truth and untruth. So I know I can smudge things to look better, to look successful. So I have to be careful that I always speak the truth. In doing so, I serve God better. So I do things to make sure I am always in truth. I know it. My wife knows it. I have accountability partners that know it. the more I live in truth, the better I serve God and the better I feel about myself. Maybe consider coming to the class tonight at 7 P.M. in Larson Hall.

In God I Trust

2 Kings 18:1-20

“He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him…” vs. 6

Build Me A Son, O Lord

This week I had a friend show up at me office and as he walked in he had this big smile.  I said “Hey Pete, what’s up?” He said, “It’s a boy.” “Huh?” I said. “It’s a boy!” he said. “Oh< congratulations,” I said, His wife is pregnant and he had just come from the doctor and found out the baby is a boy.  It took me back to when my daughters were born. Everyone assumed because of my sports enthusiasm and such that I wanted a boy.  It really didn’t matter to me and I was so excited to have a girl; two girls! Girls can wrap their dads around their little finger with just the blink of the eyes.

I was looking through some Father’s Day stories when I came across this one from General Douglas MacArthur. When I think of him I think of a man’s man.  A rough, determined, hard nosed, matter of fact kind of guy that doesn’t make excuses, doesn’t pussyfoot around and always has his nose to the grindstone.  I was really surprised when I came across this writing from him; mainly because it has a lot of emotion, depth, feeling, and some tenderness too. So I thought I would share it with you.

Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be; a son who will know Thee and that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high; a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men; one who will learn to laugh, yet never forget how to weep; one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past. And after all these things are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor, so that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, “I have not lived in vain.”

-General Douglas MacArthur

Isn’t that a great quote.  No matter how many times I read it I would still never guess that he was the one who said it. But, from reading it, I found a new appreciation for him. Today we are going to read about another man who had some similar characteristics.

2 Kings 2:1-8

In the third year of Hoshea son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz king of Judah began to reign. ² He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijah daughter of Zechariah. ³ He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. ⁴ He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) ⁵ Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. ⁶ He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses. ⁷ And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook. He rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him. ⁸ From watchtower to fortified city, he defeated the Philistines, as far as Gaza and its territory.

An Important Juncture

Israel had a long line of kings who didn’t follow the Lord.  Since the end of Solomon’s reign when the kingdom split in two, most of the kings had turned from following God and were worshipping pagan gods. It was said of many that “they did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord and follow in the ways of David.” Since the fall of the Northern kingdom, it seemed that maybe Israel had run its course and was about to become extinct as a nation. Hezekiah has a decision, continue on in the ways of those before him or head in a different direction.

Note: We face important junctures too and we have to decide if we are going to follow in the ways of those before us or head in a new direction.

Hezekiah had to step up in a big way at a very important juncture of Jewish history. The northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians in the fourth year of his reign in the south, when the king of Assyria marched against Samaria and laid siege to it. This third attack that fell Israel (2 Ki 15:29, 16:9) materialized because Assyria discovered that Israel was asking Egypt for help and had stopped paying tribute (2 Ki 17:4). The siege lasted three long years before the Assyrians finally took it and captured Samaria in Hezekiah’s sixth year, in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 18:9-10). Not only did the Assyrians deport her citizens, they married the locals to create the despised Samaritan race. Now the Assyrians were right at Hezekiah’s door and in his face.

Son of Ahaz

What made Hezekiah’s reform so noteworthy was the breakthrough he made. He was the son of one of Judah’s most wicked kings, king Ahaz. Ahaz had given in to the Assyrians. He had been paying tribute to them. That is basically saying he was paying them o ff to stay away and protect them if someone else tried to attack them. Ahaz had also turned to foreign gods and was worshipping Molech, Baal, and others and practicing the rituals of those religions. Ahaz was the first southern king to offer sacrifices and burned incense at the high places; If that was not enough he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the hilltops and under every spreading tree (2 Kings 16:4). Ahaz also was the one who got Judah into hot water in the first place when he asked Assyria for help (16:7) when Syria and Israel attacked. The account in 2 Chronicles was more blunt. Ahaz was the only king with the “most unfaithful” label. Listen to what 2 Kings says about him, verse 2-3:

 “He did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God.  He walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites.” 2 Kings 16:2-3

Hezekiah was not next in line to the throne. No, he was second. But he had the unfortunate —- of watching his older brother sacrificed to a god. That had to be terrifying and leave him feeling very uncomfortable. What if his dad decided to sacrifice him next? He was living in an unstable environment and probably in a lot of fear.

Creating A Godly Legacy

This year we are studying some lesser know people in the Bible. I don’t know about you but I can never keep track of all the kings of Israel; and I even studied it in school. But Hezekiah is one king that stands out. He was different, in fact, the Bible tells us that there was no king like him in Israel since the division of the kingdom, either before or after him. He could have chosen to follow in line with what every king before him did.  He could have chosen to be a victim. But he made new choices, different choices, bold choices.  It says of him in verse 3:

“He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done” vs. 3

I love the way the verse reads because it says he followed in the ways of his father DAVID not Ahaz.  His legacy was going to be built on his great, great, great, great, etc. grandfather who was a good and upright man not on his immediate father who was a man of immoral character and ungodly. I think from Hezekiah we discover how we can create a Godly legacy and the steps to do that and that is an important thing for us to look at on Father’s Day.

1. Get Rid Of The Ungodly Influences

First, let’s take note that Hezekiah recognized that God was God and that in order to create a Godly legacy he needed to get rid of the ungodly influences that surrounded him. Verse 4:

“He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.” vs. 4

Life is difficult and it’s hard to stay on track, especially with all the “stuff” that is around us and tries to influence. He saw his dad and his double mindedness and that he was loyal to one thing but to many gods.  Hezekiah recognized the need to be focused and loyal and that playing both sides of the track doesn’t work. He takes a bold move. One that would upset people. Those religions had their gods and temples and temple workers and a whole economy built around them. They would have been pretty upset that Hezekiah was taking away their livelihood and their “things.”  But he was bold in getting rid of all the ungodly influences that were around probably despite the public outcry.

Question: What are the ungodly influences around you that you need to remove? Or are you thinking you are strong enough to resist them and that you can handle it? Are you just tempting fate? And, think about this, those influences could be hurting you or even hurting those around you, those you care about and they might need a strong, bold Godly man to help remove them so they are not influence by them.

2. Be A Man of Faith

Now that might seem a bit negative but let’s look at the positive side now. The second thing to decide is to be a man of faith. To create a Godly legacy that others can look at as a good influence and a good role model. Hezekiah shows us three things he did that we can do as well to be a man of faith.

A. Start with Humility

First, he was a man who wasn’t afraid to humble himself. In 2 Kings 19 Israel is in a dire situation. The northern kingdom has fallen and Assyria is banging at their door.  Their trapped and seemingly have no way out.  Much of this was because Hezekiah quit paying the tribute to Assyria that his dad was paying. They had conquered Israel and were now intent on taking Judah. The Assyrians had sent some ambassadors over to encourage them to surrender and they would spare their lives. It didn’t look good. They were outnumbered, out armed, and not in a good place. 2 Kings 19:1:

 “When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and went into the temple of the Lord.” 2 Kings 19:1

This was a big thing for a king to do; tear your clothes and put on sackcloth. This is one way of Hezekiah stating that he realized that in his own (or their own) power they would not be able to stand up against the Assyrians. He humbles himself before God.  He doesn’t care what it looks like to his people, to his staff, to anyone else, all he cares about is what it looks like to God. Another prophet that was prophesying around this time was Micah.  He says is Micah 6:8:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

God doesn’t just ask us to be humble.  It’s a requirement. He requires justice, mercy, and humility. That means that sometimes we do things that to others might seem wimp-ish or soft. But to God it is a sign of obedience and a character of a Godly man of faith.

B. Set An Example Of Faithfulness

The second thing that he did was go to church! Okay, the temple, but it’s the same thing. Continuing on with the story in 2 Kings 19, verse 14-15:

 “Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord…” 2 Kings 19:14-15

Now normally when the king goes to the temple it is with a lot of fanfare, pomp and fanfare, with a crowd of people around him and he is given a place of honor. But take note of this: his decision in a time of stress, a time of dire need, a time where time is of the essence in all the decision making that needs to be done when you’re under attack, is to put himself in a place, the right place, to think clearly and to get perspective. That place was in God’s house. The Assyrians are attacking and they tell the Israelites not to listen to Hezekiah.  He probably has a lot of people squawking in his ear and all trying to tell him what they thinks he needs to do. He goes to a place to hear from God.

Question: When you are confused, under pressure, and not sure which way turn, where do you go to hear God?  I often hear people hurting and struggling and often they say just had too much to do and it just needed some time.” Part of being faithful is going to God and a place to hear him, like church, like on a walk to talk to him and listen to him, etc.  Run to God not away from him. Another prophet of this time was Ezekiel and he says in Ezekiel 18:5 & 9:

“Suppose there is a righteous man who does what is just and right.⁹ He follows my decrees and faithfully keeps my laws. That man is righteous; he will surely live, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 18:5 & 9

I like that first line. A faithful man does what is right. Running to God is right.  He has the answers, he has the strength, he has the power, he has it all and when you run to him, nothing is too hard for him or out of his control. Not even an army that is much more large than yours with many more weapons and means to defeat you.

C. Recognized When He Needed Help

And thirdly, he recognized when he needed help. He reaches out to his pastor, okay his priest. 2 Kings 19:2 & 4:

“He sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.  ⁴ It may be that the Lord your God will hear…” 2 Kings 19:2 & 4 

I find it fascinating that he reaches out to Isaiah. The past kings didn’t like Isaiah because he was always speaking gloom and doom to them. They thought of Isaiah as an annoyance and pest. I mean, he kept telling them to trust God.

In our times of weakness we need others to help hold us up. I love that about our church. Our prayer list is a great example of that. So Hezekiah surrounds himself with people who will encourage him and hold him steady. That can be a great lesson for us too.  When we are struggling do we have people that will hold us up in prayer, encourage us, keep us headed in the right direction even when others are trying to point us in the wrong direction. Even just to remind us that God is our help. Listen to Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 41:10:

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Sometimes all we need is a bit of encouragement. A reminder that God isin control and has all we need.

His Success Was Defined By God

That is creating a Godly legacy; because no matter what the outcome, Hezekiah was defining his success not by what he could do but by what God would do. Verse 7:

“And the Lord was with him; he was successful in whatever he undertook.” vs. 7

This is a pretty cool verse because it tells us that Hezekiah trusted God for the outcome and here is the great thing about it, this was before the story was over.  To finish the story in 2 Kings 19, the Assyrians tell Hezekiah and the Israelites to surrender. But the next morning, when the Assyrians wake us, thousands of them had died. Know how many? The angle of the Lord goes through the camp that night and kills 185,000 soldiers. Wow! Whose army are you a part of? I want to be in God’s. That is one mighty powerful angel and one powerful God. When the Assyrians wake up and see this, they retreat. And the kicker of the story is this: that king of Assyria, King Sennacherib, never makes it back to Judah.  Not long after this his sons attack him while he is worshipping in the temple of his pagan god. This is pretty good stuff.

Men: we have a hard job.  We are to be role models, heads of households, fathers, elders in the church, leaders in our jobs, etc. I love what I see happening inour church and the men of our church standing up and being Godly men. Keep going. I finish with the words God told to Joshua, Be strong and courageous.

Fully Restored

2 Kings 5:1-15

“He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.” vs. 1

He Almost Had It All

Can anyone name the first black man to win the college football Heisman Trophy? As a senior in 1961,Ernie Davis became the first African-American to receive the Heisman Trophy and was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.

“Ernie Davis succeeded at every venue, a three-sport standout in high school, a two-time All-American halfback at Syracuse. “He led Elmira (N.Y.) Free Academy to a 52-game winning streak in basketball and as a Syracuse sophomore helped the Orangeman gain their only national football championship.

Ernie Davis was an incredible physical specimen. He was an incredible athlete. Perhaps the greatest running back in the history of pro football, Jim Brown, attended Syracuse University a few years before Davis. Davis broke Jim Brown’s school records for rushing yards and points scored. He won the highest award in college football, the Heisman Trophy, and Jim Brown never did that. Ernie Davis met the President of the United States after the Heisman award ceremony. He was the first player selected by any pro football team the year he graduated from college. He signed the largest contract in pro football history up to that point. He was a mighty man. By all accounts he was a decent human being. “BUT!” But, he had leukemia. “And then, stunningly, he was gone. Struck down by leukemia, Davis never realized his dream of playing in the NFL.”

Davis played football for Syracuse University, and went on to gain national fame for three seasons (1959–1961), twice winning first-team All-American honors. As a sophomore in 1959, Davis led Syracuse to the NCAA Division I-A national football championship, capping an undefeated season with a 23-14 win over The University of Texas in the Cotton Bowl Classic. That same year, Elmira Star-Gazette sports writer Al Mallette coined the nickname for Davis, the “Elmira Express”. Davis was voted Most Valuable Player of the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic and the 1961 Liberty Bowl. In his junior year, he set a record of 7.8 yards per carry and was the third leading rusher in the country with 877 yards, having rushed 100 yards in 6 of 9 games.

Read Passage – 2 Kings 5:1-15

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy .2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!” 8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. 13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God . He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.

The Man Who Had Everything…

General Naaman had everything. He was a commander, a great man, highly regarded, a valiant soldier (all from vs. 1), he owned things and people (vs. 2), a family man (a wife vs. 2). It would be easy to think that he probably had the respect of his men and the army, that he was probably thought of as a local war hero, and access and even respect by the king (vs. 4) because he was willing to let him travel. It seems that man can have everything he’s ever wanted.

Ill. When we are rich and famous people tend to think that we have it all. You can look at people like Donald Trump, Beyonnce, Oprah, Alex Rodriquez, Sting, President Obama, Warren Buffet, etc. and many people assume that because of their money, their fame, their ability to buy just about anything and anybody they want that they have very few if any problems.

Except…

Naaman had a life overflowing with options, but all of those options can be taken away from him by just one thing: his own mortality. You see, we are all more alike than we are different. We are all vulnerable and all have the prospect of losing everything. Yesterday I did a funeral and one of the lines I used in that service was…”We all have one thing in common, one thing that is destined for all of us, death.”

Naaman’s one problem – he was sick. He had leprosy – a terribly disfiguring, progressive condition. Curing it was beyond the medical technology of the time. There was no question that Naaman’s future was in jeapordy. Leprosy is a disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions are the primary external sign. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. Contrary to folklore, leprosy does not cause body parts to fall off, although they can become numb or diseased as a result of secondary infections and those secondary infections can result in tissue loss causing fingers and toes to become shortened and deformed.

Leprosy can be a very lonely disease. People don’t want to get near you, touch you or have any contact with you. It’s not really certain how it is passed from one person to another but the general consensus is that is probably through respiratory droplets. Interestingly enough armadillos can transmit leprosy to humans. In ancient times most leprorers were confined to or ostrisized to leper colonies so that the disease could not be transmitted to other people.

Naaman was most likely confined and organized and managed his troops from a distance or thorough others. He was married but most likely had to be kept away from his wife or at least kept a significant distance. Normal everyday contact with people was not a normal way of life for someone with leprosy.

Naaman had one desire that we know about. He wanted to be healed.

The Restoration Process

Did you know we are like Naaman? God used the physical misfortune of Naaman to bring about an inner spiritual healing. God uses the circumstances of our life to pull us closer to Him and to reveal His power. We are not told how Naaman got the disease. As far as we know he didn’t do anything wrong, anything to deserve such a thing, any reason whatsoever that he contracted this disease. Note: Sometimes we just get things. We don’t earn them, deserve them or do anything to bring them on but we have them and they can become defining characteristics of our life. It’s there that God can begin to work in way that we could never have imagined.

This year we are looking at some of the lesser known people in the people and the lessons that God bring us through their life. Today, through the story of Naaman, we learn what it’s like to be in need of restoration and how that process works.

Warning: You Can Be Your Own Obstacle

I want to start with a warning though. The warning is that you can be your own obstacle. We all have our issues and those issues can stop us from moving ahead. Let’s hear Naaman’s; verse 11:

“But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ” vs. 11

Naaman’s big issue is pride. He is used to being waited on, his orders followed, treated with respect and honor, and catered to. Instead, he feels maybe a bit snubbed, not really honored, and it hurts his pride. He has a preconceived idea of what the prophet, and even more so, what God should do and when it doesn’t happen he gets upset. His pride is hurt. He’s not treated with the pomp and circumstance that he is used to and his pride almost stops him from doing what he needs to do to be healed. Elisha didn’t even come out to see him. And then the request is not the grandious, showy, big healing he is expecting. He doesn’t understand that his ;lan is not God’s

plan. His way is not God’s way. We can fall into the same trap. We can be our won obstacle. We may need to ask ourselves what our sin or our issue is and identify it so that we don’t become our own obstacle to God working in our life. It is important to submeit to God’s plan and to humble ourselves before Him,. David said in Psalm 25:9:

“(God) He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” Psalm 25:9

We have to humble ourselves, submit to Him in order for Him to accomplish the plan He has for our life. God desires us to be humble people.

Possible Obstacles: Pride, Anger, Deceit, Envy, Fear, Gluttony, Lust, Laziness, Procrastination, etc.

So let’s look at what the real restoration process looks like. What are the things we need to realize or put into our life that allows God to fully restore us.

-You Are Not Alone; Others Can Help

The first thing is to realize that you are not alone. We feel very alone in times of despair and stress but God uses others to help us through our tough times. Naaman and his army have been out raiding and they have conquered people and taken things. Naaman has taken a young girl from her family, her surroundings, all she knows and has made her a servant to his wife. How would you feel if you were her? Probably not like you want to help this man who has done this to you. But God works through her and she has a heart to help Naaman. Verse 3:

“She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”” vs. 3

What a great heart this girl has! God uses her to nudge Naaman to action. It would have been so easy for Naaman to discount her thoughts, to not give her the time of day, to say she is only a girl and a servant at that, what does she know? But instead he hears her. Reminds me of what the prophet Isaiah said in chapter 11:

“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. ” Isaiah 11:6

Children will lead them. Don’t discount what someone says just because they are youg, inexperienced, in a different place, etc. God uses others to help us through situations and to lead us.

Ex. Graduation I attended Friday night, impressed the way the kids lead the service

-Your Part: Obedience

The second lesson we learn about the restoration process is that we have a part in it by being obedient. Naaman almost walked away from his cure. Now another person steps into Naaman’s life; it’s one of his personal servants. He confronts his pride and in boldness tells Naaman that he would have done what the prophet had asked if it was some spectacular thing.

There is another thing to note about this though. The Jordan is not looked at as a great river. Most think it’s a muddy mess. Foreingers thought that about it and so did Naaman. He is even quoted as saying how much more clean and better suited other rivers are. Washing himself in this muddy mess of a river is not his idea of cleaning. But through this servant we see him begin to break down and to humble himself to follow God’s plan. So in verse 14 it happens:

“So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” vs. 14

Here’s there is an important point that we all deal with at times in our life; We can have disbelief and still be obedient. Naaman can’t believe that washing in the Jordan, and seven times, can help heal him. But he breaks down and despite his disbelief he obeys. Sometimes our disbelief paralyizes us and stops us. But it’s okay to have doubts and yet be obedient.

Obedience can be the saving grace in your life. Proverbs 19:16:

“He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die.” Prov. 19:16

-Starts Where You Are

And finally, the 3rd lesson is to realize that God takes you right where you are. Your restoration does not start when you finally get it all right, it starts right where you are.

“Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.” vs. 1

There is this idea that many people have that they will come to God or pursue God when they get their life order. But that is not what God wants to communicate to us. That is what men say. God says he’ll take us right where we are at.

TV Show American Pickers – Two guys who go around the country looking through people’s dens, attics, storage barns, etc. and looking for something old but valuable. They like to buy thing sand restore them. They are not looking for something already restored and in mint condition. They can’t make any money that way. They want old discarded things that areneed of repair; an old gas pump, a pinball machine, a bike, a old sign, etc.

God’s idea of restoring us is to take us where we are and then begin the process of healing, of mending, of cleaning, and bringing us to a place of health. That’s what people should feel coming here to our church, that this is a place that welcomes people where they are, takes them in, loves them for who they are, and a place where they feel safe and loved.

It’s what Jesus did for us on the cross. His death and resurrection is the gift of restoration. That when we accept Him, his blood covers our sins and we become new, restored and clean. Do you remember what Jesus said in Matt. 11:28

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28

Notice he says weary and burdened. Not clean and sparkling, Not energetic and raring to go. Weary, tired, at your wits end, burdened, overwhelmed…at a place needing restoring.

Following Up With Gratitude

The ending of this story is one to remember. Naaman goes back to see Elisha. IT’s important for us to go back; verse 15:

“Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God . He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel.” vs. 15

Catch what Naaman is saying. He is healed of his leprosy. Great. Fantastic. Buyt he also is leaked spiritually because He acknowledges that God is God. His heart is restored as well

Running On Empty

2 Kings 4:1-7

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except…” vs. 2

Lack of Fuel

This week I had to fast for a blood test I needed to take.  The problem was that the test wasn’t til 10:30 and I usually hike in the morning.  So I attempted to take my hike even though I didn’t have breakfast or my morning coffee. If there is one thing I enjoy it’s my morning coffee and taking a hike with nothing in my system didn’t work out to well. Normally I like to run part of my hike. I look at what is the most challenging and how much energy I have and I’m just ready to go. Wed., not so much.

Read Passage – 2 Kings 4:1-7

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” ² Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” ³ Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” ⁵ She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. ⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

Seemingly No Way Out

In our passage today we find a woman who has gotten to a desperate place in life.  She has gotten to a place where she seemingly has no way out. It says in verse 2:

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except…” vs. 2

It seems that she has gotten into a “rut.” You know what a “rut” is don’t you? A rut is place where you feel “stuck, helpless and hopeless.” It’s a terrible and frustrating place to be in because many times you feel like you haven’t done anything to deserve being in a such a place.

Being in a rut can play games with your mind. You feel lost, you feel desperate, you feel alone, and as I said earlier, you feel like there is no way out.   Think about the difficult predicament she is in. At some point along the way we know that her husband died so she is a widow with two kids. We are not told how old they are but they are not older enough to support the family. So she is lonely for companionship, someone to share the despair with.

Ill. The gift of support from a spouse – don‘t overlook that important part of a marriage relationship. Mutual care and concern.

The thing about seemingly having no way out, is unless you find an escape from it, it will rob you of joy and life, and leave you in a dead and rotting place. It ‘s a terrible place to be.

An Attention-Getter

But even in the low points of life, God can use the events of our life to get our attention. I think in our story God has got the woman’s attention. The crisis has now become deeper.  Listen how bad it’s gotten; verse 1:

“But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” vs. 1

In her eyes the only thing she has left is her sons and now bad has gotten worse and it looks like unless something happens quick, they are going to take her sons and then she will really be alone. She really is at a breaking point. Her situation is dire and she is hanging on by a thread. We get into those situation and have those same feelings many times; even when our situations really aren’t as dire.

The real issue is that we become focused on ourselves and our difficulties and we have to decide where to turn.

Important Point: Decide ahead of time to turn to God. Don’t wait until you are in the situation, make that decision ahead of time. The good side of that is that is one less decision to make when it is difficult to think straight.

Fuel For Living

But there is good news. When you get to those points in life, God doesn’t leave you there.  He doesn’t leave us in our depths and despair.  He definitely doesn’t say (as is popular in our society) you made this mess, you get out of it.  Notice a key word in our story today is “empty.” The woman is empty, her bank account is empty, her hopes are empty, and the jars for the oil are empty. So how do you get out of it? How can you move forward? How can you get to the place of seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and have hope? Here are the key steps our passage leads us to put into our lives.

• As Soon As You Realize It…Turn To God

First, as soon as you realize you are in a desperate situation, as soon as you feel the depths of despair and that you are running on empty, turn to God. I love the fact that this woman knows to do that. Verse 1:

“The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha…” vs. 1

See nothing had changed in her situation physical situation.  What was changing was her mental frame of mind.  We can expect that for our situations as well.  Many times the physical things don’t change in our mind we can begin to move in a new direction. It’s changing our perspective. The key is to make God your first place to turn, not the last resort. Make God your trust. David says in Psalm 25:1-2:

“To you, O Lord, I lift my soul; in you I trust, O my God.” Psalm 25:1-2

The best way I know to put this into your life is to make an “intention.”  That is the process of changing your perspective and focusing on what you want to see happen and relying on the promises of God.  It’s not just your will and desire, it’s God’s promises to you.

• You Are Limited…God Is Not

The second step, and this is a follow-up to trusting God and His promises to you, is to remember that you are limited but God is not. Notice again what happens in verse 2:

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” Vs. 2

If you remember I said earlier that “empty” is a key word in our passage today. Many times we look at emptiness as a bad thing but emptiness can be a good thing.

Emptiness can be a gift from God
– It allows us to see our neediness!
– It allows us the opportunity for faith
– It creates a tablet for God to work

Here’s the way to bring a new perspective to “emptiness;” when we are empty, when we are depleted, when we are dry, there is a new opportunity to be filled.  This is not about what we have; it wasn’t about what the woman had, it was about what God could do with what she had.  God is not limited.  He can make something out of nothing.

Ill. God called the world, the animals, the plants, man, into being without anything but a word. Everything around us and the beauty of our world was created by God out of nothing because he called it into being. We are limited…God is not. The story continues in verse 4:

“Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” Vs. 4

You might be asking why they had to go inside and shut the door. I’m not really sure except that I know God doesn’t need to show His power in public.

• God Prepares Others To Help Us

The third step is one that is an interesting thing God does in this story. God prepared others around them to help her even though they didn’t know it.

“Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.” Vs. 3

There is a certain difficulty in asking for help. It may seem embarrassing, it may be uncomfortable, it may not be a natural thing to do but God has prepared others to help us. We can be taking away the blessings God has given to others if we don’t allow others the opportunity to help us. A great part of this story is how God used the empty jars of others to fill the needs of this lady and her sons.

Ex. Our need that God has given abundance to others for our help

The early church put this kind of action into practive, see Acts 2:44-45:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Acts 2:44-45

These early believers took this kind of help seriously. This kind of activity is being part of the bigger picture. It’s thinking beyond yourself and striving to be the hands of Christ.

Another thing about God working in multiple people in different ways at the same time; it’s a sign that God cares and that hope is being restored. When you seemingly have no way out it can be hopeless.  When we see God working and working in big ways, hope is restored.

God’s Abundance

The final thing to realize about this story is the ending; that God provided abundantly. Verse 7:

“She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”” vs. 7

When God provides, His provision is sufficient.

Courageous Living

2 Samuel 23:8-12

“But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and

struck the Philistines down, and the L ORD brought about a great victory.” vs. 12

If I Were King Of The Forest

Since today is Memorial Day,I wanted to honor those that have served in the armed forces and who have literally laid it all on the line for our freedom. I really wanted to start with a clip from the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” To me, that movie was a real eye opening understanding of the difficulty and the seriousness of war. I went onto You Tube and started watching clips and I ran into a problem; they were all so graphic; the blood, the killing, the language, etc. It became very apparent that I just couldn’t use a clip from that movie in the sermon.

So today I thought I might have some fun and watch this clip about courage.

Read Passage – 2 Samuel 23:8-12

These are the names of David’s mighty warriors: Josheb-Basshebeth, aTahkemonite, was chief of the Three; he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter. 9 Next to him was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, 10 but Eleazar stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The LORD brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazar, but only to strip the dead. 11 Next to him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. When the Philistines banded together at a place where there was a field full of lentils, Israel’s troops fled from them. 12 But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the Philistines down, and the LORD brought about a great victory.

Facing Our Fears

There are very few if anybody who does not have some fear. Our fears can paralyze us, they can immobilize us, they can prevent us from accomplishing things, they can dictate our behavior, they can ——, and for some they can ruin our lives.

Ex. Last week I faced one of my new found fears. Hiking on the coast last week and my vertigo kicking in. The minute we got to the beach I knew it would be rough. The winds were extremely hard (the kind that blow your car door when you are trying to open it.) We went out anyway and as we made our way up the bluff it was really beautiful. But we were on a gradual assent and it was hard for me as we ascended higher and it seemed that cliff was calling me. Okay that was the wind. Claudia could see my frame and body language were not normal. Claudia had to come along side me and help me because I kept feeling as if the wind were going to take me right over the side. I kept pushing even though we weren’t that close to the edge. Somehow, through a bit

of determination and maybe a bit of confusion and stubbornness, I made it, but it was really difficult.

Ex. When I was 18 they had just reintroduced the mandate to register for the draft. I remember being a little concerned that now I would be in a position to be draft if our country wore to become involved in war. That was a difficult thing to go down to city hall and register. War is a scary thing and we all face fears. Each of us have our won fears and we all act and react to them differently.

So how it it we over come our fears? Is it grit and determination, stubbornness; is it persistence, it s it playing mind games with ourselves? One thing about fighters, warriors, service men; they face their fears or may at times even seem fearless.

I Pledge Allegiance…

As I contemplated that question of facing fears, I realized that in our passage there is a clue to one of the things that needs to be consider, verse 8a:

“These are the names of David’s mighty warriors…” vs. 8a

One of the factors that help us overcome our fears is the pledges we make. When we give ourselves to something, there is much less a question of facing our fears because we have committed to something.

Ex. Our pledge of allegiance – I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of Amercia…

The men that we see listed in 2 Samuel 23 are the mighty men of David and 3 of them stand out above all the others, but the other 27 listed. These mighty men had committed themselves to Israel and even more importantly to David and that commitment drove them.

Courageous Living

In light of honoring those who have served in our military, and in our remembrance of Memorial Day, and remembering that this year we are looking at lesser know people in the Bible, let’s look at 3 men who were courageous in their living and how their courage helps us understand our ability to live a courageous life in light of the commitment we have made to God. First, as a point of reference, let’s define courage.

Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty (Webster’s Dictionary)

Have the congregation circle mental, moral and persevere. Remember those words, they are important.

–JB: Passionate About The Cause (Mental)

The first courageous man we see is JB, that is how I will refer to him from this point on (Josheb-Bassebeth). His story is the shortest of the three and in verse 9 we read:

“…he raised his spear against eight hundred men, whom he killed in one encounter.” vs. 9

From this I understand JB to have passion about his cause. I don’t think you would be willing to singlehandedly fight and kill 800 men without a certain amount of passion. This is the mental toughness aspect of preparing our mind. It’s the idea of deciding in your mind what is important to you and having the willingness to make it happen. In Romans 12:11 it says;

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Rom. 12:11

Paul calls that mental toughness zeal. Many people make a commitment to God but aren’t passionate about it. Paul encourages us to be passionate with our zeal for God. I think he got that idea from Jesus when he told the parable of the wheat. In the parable of the sower and the seeds, Jesus likens some who accept God as those who accept Him and then are quickly scorched by the sun and wither and die. They don’t have the zeal for God.

Interestingly enough, JB means ‘the people will return.’ I think that is cool because what it implies to me is that when he goes to war, based on his name, he is determined in his mind to return; not to be killed in battle, to return to his land, to his family, to his country.

-Eleazar: Moral Strength To Go(Emotional)

The second of the three mighty warriors is Eleazar. This guy has an incredible story of valor. Verse 10:

“As one of the three mighty warriors, he was with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle. Then the Israelites retreated, but Eleazar stood his ground …” vs. 10

Eleazar shows us that a second trait needed to live courageously is moral strength. That is the conviction to fight for a cause. It is the idea that you not only know what needs to be done but that you have the conviction to go and do it.

Ill. I showed that clip of The Wizard of Oz because I have always liked that movie and the Cowardly Lion has always been my favorite character. One of the crazy things about his character is that he is always nervous about something and almost never wants to act on he knows he should do bu t you know what, he always does it. He doesn’t want to go to the Emerald City, but he goes. He doesn’t want to see the Wizard, but he goes. He doesn’t want to face the Wicked Witch but he does. And the pinnacle of his story is when he and the other characters are trapped by the guards in the castle and the witch is there and she threatens Dorothy and throws fire at the Scarecrow. He is now willing to confront her. Why? He is attached to Dorothy and is willing to act on his convictions.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Gal. 6:9

One more interesting thing about Eleazar, his name means ‘God is my Helper’ Eleazar has a crazy story. He goes to battle with his men but when the battle gets going, his men take off and leave him by himself. Interestingly enough, his story mirrors the last of David’s 30 mighty men, Uriah. Remember him? He was Bathsheeba’s husband and this is the tactic David used to have Uriah killed. It is the same kind of thing that happens to Eleazar. When we have a moral conviction about the things of God, and we are willing to go and act on them, what better incentive to we have than to know God is with us. Paul said in Gal. 6:9:

–Shammmah: Stick To It(iveness) (Perseverance)

Finally, we arrive at Shammah. Shammah has a determination to him. I called it Stick-to-it(iveness). Yes I realize it’s not a real word but it sure has a good ring to it. Listen to verse 12 to hear his perseverance:

“But Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it…” vs. 12a

His perseverance is taken to a new level when you realize that what he defended was a field of beans! His passion, his dedication, his commitment, and his drive showup in the trait of sticking it out til the end. Perseverance is a great trait to have because we can’t always expect things to go well and to be easy. Paul says in Hebrews 10:36:

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” Hebrews 10:36

Shammah’s name means ‘wonderful thing’ and think how that adds to his story. When you complete a task doesn’t it feel great? Isn’t there a wonderful sense of accomplishment when you stick it out and follow through on somehtuing and see it to the end? Sure. How much more so when it’s something that draws us closer to God or something that God has called us to do.

Ill. Each of you look on the back of your bulltin. You see a post-it note or a sticky note. Take a pen and write “2 IT” on it. Now you have a…yes, stick to it. You can take this note and use on something you are going through or put it somewhere where it will remind you of the importance of sticking to a tough situation you are going through.

The Source of Victory

There is one more thing to take note of; it is something that occurs twice in this passage. Verse 12b:

“…and the LORD brought about a great victory.” vs. 12b

When we trust God and have the mental and moral strength to persevere, God brings about the victory. We don’t have to.

Let me tell you why when I thought about today I thought of the movie Saving Private Ryan. I was really drawn inot this movie from the opening scene. It’s a war veteran who is visiting a cemetery. It is Private Ryan when he is older. He is at the graveside of one of the men who died while attempting to save his life. He appears to be very reflective and solemn and breaks down and the line that really hit me, especially when you have seen the rest of the movie and then reflect on the line, “Did I do enough, Was I a good enough man?” (Not sure those are the exact words) He is asking if he lived his life in such a way that it honored those men that sacrificed all they had for him.

My desire is to the same. To do enough to honor Jesus, the one who gave his life for me. I can never repay it, never make up for it, but I can try to live up to it

Learning To Be Inclusive

Acts 10:1-2, 23-48

“Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water.”

Following The Instructions

Chuck Yeager, the famed test pilot, was flying an F-86 Sabre over a lake in the Sierras when he decided to buzz a friend’s house near the edge of the lake. During a slow roll, he suddenly felt his aileron lock. Says Yeager, “It was a hairy moment, flying about 150 feet off the ground and upside down.”

A lesser pilot might have panicked with fatal results, but Yeager let off on the G’s, pushed up the nose, and sure enough, the aileron unlocked. Climbing to 15,000 feet, where it was safer, Yeager tried the maneuver again. Every time he rolled, the problem recurred.

Yeager knew three or four pilots had died under similar circumstances, but to date, investigators were puzzled as to the source of the Sabre’s fatal flaw. Yeager went to his superior with a report, and the inspectors went to work. They found that a bolt on the aileron cylinder was installed upside down.

Eventually, the culprit was found in a North American plant. He was an older man on the assembly line who ignored instructions about how to insert that bolt, because, by golly, he knew that bolts were supposed to be placed head up, not head down. In a sad commentary, Yeager says that “nobody ever told the man how many pilots he had killed.” (From “Yeager” by Chuck Yeager, Bantam, 1985)

Now I know this probably doesn’t happen to you but some people are so stubborn, so stuck in their ways, and by golly, they know how to do it the right way and the better way and no one can tell them different.

Read Passage – Acts 10:1-9

At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. ² He and all his family were devout and God-fearing; he gave generously to those in need and prayed to God regularly. 

The next day Peter started out with them, and some of the believers from Joppa went along. ²⁴ The following day he arrived in Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵ As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. ²⁶ But Peter made him get up. “Stand up,” he said, “I am only a man myself.” ²⁷ While talking with him, Peter went inside and found a large gathering of people. ²⁸ He said to them: “You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. ²⁹ So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you sent for me?” ³⁰ Cornelius answered: “Three days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me ³¹ and said, ‘Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor. ³² Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He is a guest in the home of Simon the tanner, who lives by the sea.’ ³³ So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.” ³⁴ Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. ³⁶ You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. ³⁷ You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— ³⁸ how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. ³⁹ “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, ⁴⁰ but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. ⁴¹ He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴² He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” ⁴⁴ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. ⁴⁵ The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speaking in tonguesand praising God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷ “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” ⁴⁸ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Cornelius

Cornelius – This passage tells us that he was Italian. Secondly, we are told that he was a Roman soldier. We understand him to be a fairly high-ranking officer. He was a Centurion. This tells us that he was over thirty years old because it took 12 to 16 years of military service to be eligible for promotion to such a rank. Furthermore, from his being a Centurion we know that Cornelius was a literate man who had to have shown administrative skills along with combat leadership. The centurion in the infantry is chosen for his size, strength and dexterity

Now, there were sixty grades or levels of rank even within the office of Centurion. To be of the lowest rank of Centurion meant that you were responsible for a “Century”; that is, a unit of 60-80 soldiers but was most commonly thought to be 100 soldiers. The highest ranking Centurion was the leader of a “Cohort”; that is, 480 soldiers and a sizable administrative staff.

We can also surmise that Cornelius was a man of noble character. To move up in the Roman guard you had to be trustworthy, dependable, and sure of yourself.  You also had to have letters of recommendation and

Caesarea

Cornelius was stationed at Caesarea, a coastal city about 50 miles Northwest of Jerusalem.  (Show map) Caesarea was the seat of Roman government in Palestine and Syria. This is where the Roman governor was head-quartered We need to remember that Rome conquered the territories the New Testament calls Judea, Galilee and Samaria 60 years before the birth of Christ. From that time, the Jews increasingly ceased to be a free and independent nation. They were ruled by people of Rome’s choosing.

The Jews never fully accepted their being a part of the Roman Empire and so, from time to time, they would resist Roman authority. For this reason, Rome had to constantly keep military troops in and around the Jewish nation to keep them from outright rebellion.

There was a clash of these two cultures and societies.

Romans – Very crass, pagan, polytheistic, arrogant, felt they were a superior civilization, thought they alone were wise and powerful, usually showed contempt for those they conquered

Jews – Zealots, rule oriented (to the Jewish law), stubborn, monotheistic, felt they were the chosen nation by God

This leads me to mention that the Jews thought they were to be separate from other nations (Gentiles). Remember God called them not to mix with other nations, not to intermarry, not to take foreign Gods. This was all in their culture and religion so they could uphold the ways of God and to maintain holiness.

Jesus Models a New Paradigm

This story is a crucial one in the spreading of the gospel. Why? Because Christ and his life, and then his subsequent death changed everything. The time for separateness and for division was over. The time for a “chosen people” was moving from a nation to those who would choose Jesus as their Savior.  Jesus brought this new shift or paradigm and modeled it in his life. He was ridiculed for this and questioned over and over again because of this.

Ex.  He is accused of mingling with tax gathers and sinners

        He talks with the woman at the well

God’s Calls To Love People

So God does something here that we need to take note of;  God speaks to both sides, to both parties; to the centurion and to Peter. And this is the message; His followers are to be inclusive not exclusive. His message is to love and that the gospel is good news to all people and the time for division is over. This story is an important turning point in the gospel going out to all people and is a building block for the New Testament church. So let’s look at the traits of being a person loves like God loves and becoming a person who models the love of Jesus.

1. Each Person Has Significance

The first step is to understand and realize that every person has significance. Verse 4:

^“Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?” he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” vs. 4

God saw what Cornelius was dong and his generous acts to the poor and he heard his prayers. This had to confuse the Jews. God hears the prayers of Gentiles? But listen again to the verse, it says that those things came up as a memorial offering. The picture here is the sacrifices that the Jews made and the smoke that would rise from the Temple to be a pleasing aroma to God.

Ex. Walking through the mall recently and I smelled Cinnabon. Better for me was walking into a La Tapitia restauranand smelling the steak fajitas. Wow! You know what I ordered.

Let me quote a verse from Paul from Galatians 3:28

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, you are all one in Christ Jesus.“ Gal. 3:28

Notice Paul says “in Christ.” In Jesus everything is made new and each person is valued, has significance and is affirmed.  God loves all people and calls us to do the same.

2. Putting Aside Our Biases

Which leads us to the second trait, that we put aside our biases and prejudices and be people who bring together. Verses 34-35:

“Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.“ vs. 34-35

Both sides here had their biases. When they began to look at each other with God’s eyes and His heart, they saw each other much different.  It goes to the heart and he wants us to love like He loves. His love supersedes the differences. It’s admitting that we are different and that those differences are good because God has given each of us gifts and talents and thigns that we are gifted with to use for uniting and bringing together.  Paul said in Romans 10:12:

“For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile-the same Lord is Lord of all…” Romans 10:12

God is Lord of all.  When you look at someone as a child of God, someone that He loves, we put the biases aside. The bottom line is that we are all more alike than we are different. God love s all of us and we all have our own issues yet God pursues us and wants us.

Ex. I walked into a bookstore this week, just browsing, and the girl behind the counter had a Mohawk and different clothes. Me and my polo shirt looked like a straight laced guy. Another woman walked in and they both started sharing their story to each other. Share my thoughts on what was going on.

3. Strive for Peace

The third trait is that we strive to be people of peace. Verse 36:

“You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. “ vs. 36

The Good news is a message of peace.  Peace that accepts people for who they are and who God created them to be. Now notice that he isn’t calling for “tolerance.” Tolerance is a catch word today. But tolerance is the idea of putting up with or accepting but with qualifications. God’s call here is deeper than that. Let me follow this up with the words of Paul from Romans 12:18:

“As far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” Romans 12:18

 Peace. As far as it depends on you, live at peace. What does peace look like? Peace is living isn harmony, it’s putting an end to hostility, it’s changing our thinking from division and superiority to unity and acceptance, it’s choosing to value people, every person.

4. Do Unto Others…

And finally, it’s doing unto others. I love the way this story ends. It actually starts and ends with a similar thread. Verse 47:

“Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”  vs. 47

Remember both sides here didn’t really like each other. In fact, in many ways they were opposed to each other.  But God changes Peters heart and he not only recognizes what God is doing but chooses to be a part of the process by baptizing the centurion. We can’t love and accept without being part of the process of restoration and healing and that includes stepping out of our comfort zone and walk along side others.  It’s treating others as we want to be treated. Remember the centurion was in the practice of helping others. Verse 4:

“The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. “ vs.

He was in the practice of helping others and now, he was prepared to have the heart of Christ and continue that work in Jesus name.

Finish with saying from Maya Angelou, American author and poet.

People will forget what you said,

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel

– Maya Angelou