-Do You Want A Happy Life?

Who wants to live a happy life, raise your hand? That’s something everyone wants, isn’t it? We may pursue different things in our attempt to find happiness; but, everyone wants a happy, blessed & fulfilling life! No one sets out to live an unhappy, unfulfilling life! And, yet, it happens, doesn’t it? People, who never planned to live an unhappy life end up living one; and, most of them thought, at the time, that they were making choices that would make them happy! But, in fact, it was those very choices that brought them unhappiness instead of happiness!

-A Guaranteed Happy Life!

So, what if I could guarantee you a happy life? Do you think that if I wrote down the formula, to a happy life, in a book & guaranteed it— or, your money back— that it would sell? You’d think that maybe 7 billion people, on this planet, might buy it, right? Surprisingly, that’s NOT the case! The truth is, THAT book has already been written! An author has already been inspired to write down the formula to a happy and fulfilling life; but, it’s been ignored by the majority of people in the world!

-What Happy Looks Like!

Here’s what that author wrote:  “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” Many of you recognize those words, don’t you? Where are they found? They’re found in the Bible, right? Specifically, in the book of Psalms—the 1st Psalm! You wanna live happily ever after? Here it is! Here’s the key! Here’s the formula for happiness in this life!

-What The Unhappy Life Looks Like!

In fact, the writer also goes on to describe what the unhappy life looks like:  “The wicked are not like this; (i.e the WICKED are NOT HAPPY!) instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not survive the judgment, and sinners will not be in the community of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.” The writer, of this Psalm, divides the world into 2 categories! Only 2— those who are happy & those who are not happy! You can divide everyone, in the world, up into 2 columns! The happy & the unhappy! The righteous & the wicked! The believer & the unbeliever! The spiritual & the worldly! The follower of Jesus & those who don’t follow Him! That’s eventually what it all comes down to!

-It’s Not About Stuff!

Ultimately, your happiness is not determined by the stuff you’ve acquired or the places you’ve gone or the activities you’ve enjoyed! Your happiness is dependent on the relationship you have— or, don’t have— with your Creator! Your level of happiness is directly related to the depth of relationship you have with God, your Creator! I’ve been involved in church ministry for more than 40 years! I’ve worked specifically with the junior & senior high & young adult ages! I’ve watched them try to find happiness in popularity & boyfriends or girlfriends! I’ve seen them use alcohol & drugs & sex; and, while some of it brought them temporary pleasure, it mostly left them unfulfilled and ridden with guilt & shame! Your greatest happiness will only come through a right relationship with your Creator! Only in Him will you find fulfillment!

-Lacking Spiritual Boundaries!

14 years after Ezra led the Jewish exiles to rebuild the Temple, in Jerusalem, Nehemiah shows up to lead in the rebuilding of the walls. Children had been born during this time. In fact the oldest would be approaching their teen years! And, because the walls & many of the houses had been leveled by Babylon, during the siege, these kids had been raised among the ruins of Jerusalem. There were no boundaries between Israel— the people of God— and, the people of other false gods that surrounded them. So, God sent Nehemiah to help!

-Nehemiah’s Inspection!

After inspecting the city, he met with the priests, nobles & other officials; and, said to them:  “…You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned down. Come, let’s rebuild Jerusalem’s wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace” Nehemiah 2:17.  He was concerned over what the broken wall represented— that God’s people were blending in with the local population & they were losing their distinctness as God’s people! God couldn’t glorify Himself through a people that were no longer holy! A people who were not set apart to Him!

-God’s Word Exposes Sin!

In Nehemiah, chapter 8, the Word of God is read aloud to the people; and, as He always does, the Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to point out their sin & to bring them deep conviction over it. So, in chapter 9, they’re found weeping and confessing their sin to God.  Remember, that, to “confess” our sin means that we agree with God about it! So, they’re making no more excuses! They confess! They agree with God that what they’ve done is sin against Him! And in chapter 10, Nehemiah leads these Jewish exiles to make 3 promises!

-Three Promises!

These are “back to the book” kind of promises! Promises to obey 3 commands that God had given Israel way back under Moses. First, they promised to no longer intermarry:  “We promise not to give our daughters in marriage to the peoples around us or take their daughters for our sons” (v.30).  Second, they promised to keep the Sabbath:  “We will not buy from the neighboring peoples on the Sabbath or on any holy day” (v.31).  And, third, they promised to maintain the temple:  “…we will not neglect caring for the house of our God…” (vs. 32-39). Great promises, right? They have great intent, don’t they? But, they illustrate how fragile our decisions, for God, typically are; because, chapter 13 reveals their failure to keep those promises!

-Broken Promises!

They were intermarrying with the unbelievers around them:  “...In those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab…” (vs.23-28). They were breaking the Sabbath:  “…men from Tyre were…selling…in Jerusalem on the Sabbath to the people of Judah…” (vs. 15-22). And, they were neglecting the Temple (vs. 6-13). So, Nehemiah said:  “…I rebuked the officials; and, asked them: ‘Why is the house of God neglected?””  (v.11).  All of which leads me to ask, “How does that happen? How can they renege on their promises to God so quickly; even, with the best of Godly leaders to follow?” The answer? Even the best of men cannot liberate people from the cause of their bondage! Only God can do that! The cause of their bondage was sin! A brokenness they share with us! We are totally depraved! We cannot depend on a pastor; or, church programs to deliver us! Only God can liberate us from our bondage to sin!

-God’s Priority!

In my last post I mentioned how both Ezra and Nehemiah came out of Israel’s 70-year exile with a different purpose! Ezra came first; and, he purposed to rebuild the Temple according to God’s leading! Nehemiah followed him about 13 years later & God commissioned him to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem! Now, at first glance that seems backwards & counter intuitive, doesn’t it? Human logic would tell us to rebuild the walls 1st for their own protection, right? But, God led the exiles to rebuild the Temple first. Clearly, God prioritized the rebuilding of Israel spiritually!

-God Offered Greater Protection!

He had always told Israel that if they were faithful to Him that He would go before them & fight their battles for them! And, He wanted Israel to have faith that God Himself offered greater protection, for them, than any wall or military ever could!  But, that took faith; and, Ezra was the one to bring Israel back to the centrality of God & His Word & the law! In fact, according to Ezra’s account, he actually leads the people to build an altar so they could sacrifice to God BEFORE they had even built the Temple! And, only then, after the place of worship was finished, does God work in Nehemiah’s heart & lead him to leave the Persian fortress city of Susa; and, return to Jerusalem to organize the rebuilding of the wall!

-Right Relationship With God!

Now, there’s a spiritual parallel here for us, isn’t there? Do you see it? They had the projects in the right order because worship & a right relationship with God is of greater importance than anything else we could accomplish in life! But, we tend to get these turned around in our lives don’t we! Leaning on our human logic, we often prioritize the building of our “walls” first. We take care of all the outside stuff first— our work & our play & our entertainment & our sleep! And, then, if we have time we’ll do the “spiritual” stuff— reading our Bibles, prayer, ministry!

-We All Have Time!

By the way, we all have the time! We all have 24 hours in a day! And, we determine what we get done based on what we give priority to! The parallels and the application are painfully obvious, aren’t they? We focus on the “walls” & only rebuild our “temple” if we have time, don’t we? That’s how our human logic works! Listen, God has created the same amount of time in all of our lives to rebuild our “temples.” To take proper care of our spiritual lives! Our problem isn’t about the time! We’ve set up the wrong priorities in our lives! We haven’t given God first place! That’s why God leads Ezra to set the spiritual tone first!

-Better Than Human Logic!

God’s ways are always superior to our human logic!  It’s been 70 years since Babylon took Israel into captivity! That’s like 2 or 3 generations later! There were a few old timers returning home; but, the vast majority of these Israelite refugees were born in a province of Babylon. So, they had never see the original Temple. They had never set foot in Jerusalem. They weren’t part of Israel’s disobedience & idol worship that led to God’s judgment & exile! So, even as God judged Israel’s unbelief, when they came out of Egypt at the Exodus; and, He would not permit them to enter the promised land until that generation had died off; God also waited until most of the exiled generation had died off in Babylon before He arranged for a new generation to return! And, like Moses previously, God raised up Ezra to lead them spiritually!

-The Lord Put It In His Mind!

The Old Testament book of Ezra opens with these words:  “In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The Lord put it into the mind of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing.” Ezra, under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, shares 2 significant details— First, that Jeremiah’s 70-year prophecy, of the length of Israel’s exile, was now completed in Cyrus’ first year of reign in Persia; and, second, that it was God who “…put it into the mind…” of Cyrus to issue a proclamation!

-God Is Sovereign!

This points, clearly, to God’s ultimate Sovereignty over all human affairs! Cyrus wasn’t in control! Nor was Persia in control! God put it in Cyrus’ mind:  “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever is among His people, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem’”  Ezra 1:2-4. That’s what God put in Cyrus’ mind! The book of Proverbs says:  “A king’s heart is like streams of water in the LORD’s hand: He directs it wherever He chooses” (21:1).  And, it’s not just kings that God leads!

-Everyone God Motivated!

Ezra continues, “So the family leaders of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone God had motivated—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem” (1:5).  Look closely at that! Who was preparing to leave for Jerusalem to rebuild the temple? What does it say? “…EVERYONE that God had motivated…” So, GOD was in King Cyrus’ proclamation & GOD motivated those He wanted to go! There’s an important principle here; and, that is that humanity simply cannot fulfill God’s agenda! We’re broken! We’re depraved & incapacitated by our sin to accomplish God’s will without God’s help!

-Only God Can Do That!

I see that as the backdrop to the Bible stories of Ezra & Nehemiah. Here are 2 great, godly men; who, like Moses, just cannot deliver God’s people without God’s help! Even the best of men cannot liberate people from the cause of their bondage! Only God can do that! And, that is so counter-intuitive to our human psyche! And, it’s a real stumbling block for many! The natural man wants to feel important; like, he has something to contribute! But, God’s word even asks the question, “WHAT do you have that you’ve not received?” 1 Cor. 4:7.  Whatever we may have to give has actually been given to us by God!

-Men & Women Of Greatness!

So, even men & women of greatness— as WE count greatness— like Ezra & Nehemiah were not capable of delivering the Jewish people from their exile! God had to step in! And, He gave these 2 men, each, a different purpose as they came out of the exile! Ezra was 1st; and, he purposed to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem! Nehemiah followed him about 13 years later; and, he was commissioned to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem! Now, humanly speaking, that seems backwards at first glance! Human logic would tell us to rebuild the walls 1st for our own protection, right? But, God led the exiles to rebuild the temple first! Clearly, God intended to “rebuild” Israel spiritually, first! That was the priority because God had always told Israel that if they were faithful to Him that He would fight their battles for them; and, God, Himself, offered them greater protection than any wall or military ever could! Israel would come back to the centrality of God and His word!

-In The Eyes Of The Lord!

Over and over, in the Old Testament books of the Chronicles & the Kings, the authors identify each new king as “good” or “evil”— this king “…did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord” and that king “…did what was good in the eyes of the Lord.” As I read it I find myself asking, “what makes a good king good?” In what way does the text describe him that would cause God to declare him “good”? In fact, the Scriptures often do tell us what good kings do; and, in turn, we find for ourselves a godly example to follow! In His Word, God does tell us, often, to follow the godly examples of those individuals who are being led well, by the Spirit, to follow Jesus!

-Imitate Me As I Imitate Christ!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of Corinth, “Be followers of me, even as I follow Christ” 1 Corinthians 11:1.  Some of your translations say, “IMITATE me as I IMITATE Christ.” And, that’s NOT prideful as some unbelievers have claimed! That’s actually humility! That’s a disciple, of Christ, helping other disciples follow Jesus well! There’s another godly example, to follow, in Israel’s “good” King Jehoshaphat! His story is mostly told in 2 Chronicles, chapters 17-20. In summarizing his reign, as king of Judah, it says, “…he did what was right in the LORD’S sight” (ch 20, v. 32).  So, what did he do that that statement would be his legacy? What does it look like to live your life in such a way that God would declare, “…he did what was right in My sight”? I hope to answer that question over my next couple posts!

-Dependence On God For Everything!

What we find is this general principle:  “God calls the life ‘good’ that depends on what God can do & not what you can do.” It was the pattern of King Jehoshaphat’s life to live in utter dependence on God for everything! That was his manner of life. And, while he didn’t live that out perfectly, no one does! We’re all broken and depraved! But, he modeled a dependence on God both in his victories; and, in his failures! Here’s what Scripture says about him:  “Now the Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the former ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals but sought the God of his father and walked by His commands, not according to the practices of Israel. So the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. Then all Judah brought him tribute, and he had riches and honor in abundance. His mind rejoiced in the Lord’s ways, and he again removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah” 2 Chronicles 17:3ff. What encouraging words!

-He Sought His Father’s God!

After reading all the horrible stories of so many of Israel & Judah’s kings, before him, Jehoshaphat is like a breath of fresh air entering your lungs, isn’t he? So, what made him a good king? The writer is inspired, by God’s Spirt, to write that, “…he followed in the ways of his good father…” And, the reference is 1st to King David, isn’t it? Interestingly, it says, “…he walked in the FORMER WAYS of his father David…”  What does that mean? Literally, it means, “…the FIRST WAYS of his father David…” BEFORE his sexual sin with Bathsheba! And, then it refers to his father, Asa:  “…he sought the God of his father…”  David was his great grandfather 5 generations back; and, Asa was his biological father! I think it’s worth noting that following in the ways of your father is not common among sons! But, to Jehoshaphat’s credit, he obeyed the Word of God—he HONORED his father! And, he recognized & appreciated his godly heritage!  A great quality!

-A Symbol Of God’s Presence!

In my last post, I talked about Israel’s Ark of the Covenant that God instructed Moses to build as a reminder of the Covenant which God had made with Israel. It symbolized God’s presence with His people; and, that’s why it was so devastating to Israel when King Saul & the army was defeated by the Philistines & the Ark was part of the plunder they stole away from Israel. After succeeding Saul as king, David’s first priority, after securing the nation militarily,, was to retrieve the Ark & bring it to the capital city of Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 13). 

-The Disturbing Story Of Uzzah!

That’s where we find the disturbing story of Uzzah. As all Israel joined King David, in celebration, as they brought the Ark to Jerusalem, Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark as the oxen, who pulled the Ark, stumbled! And, it says that God “…struck him dead…” because he touched it (v.9).  Doesn’t that seem harsh to you? Well, it did to King David. It says, “David was angry because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, so he named that place Outburst Against Uzzah, as it is still named today. David feared God that day and said, ‘How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?’” (13:11) But,  to David’s credit, his fear of God was that Holy kind of fear that drove him back to God in confession & repentance!

-Back To God’s Word!

And, ultimately back to the Word of God; where, we all need to go when we’re confused by the events that Sovereign God choreographs into our lives! Two chapters later, we read, “David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. Then David said, ‘No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before Him forever.’” (1 Chronicles 15) There’s only one place where David would have learned that— the Word of God! David returned to God’s word.  If you flip back, in your Bibles, to 1 Chronicles 13, you’ll see David’s fatal mistake, in v.1, when it says that David consulted “men” rather than God’s Word. And, Uzzah paid for David’s mistake with his own life!

-The Wrong Kind Of Worship!

There’s an incredibly important lesson here, when it comes to worshipping God! God is never pleased by our worship when we’re disobedient to His revealed will. In other words, there is a right way to worship God & there is a wrong way to worship Him. And, the only way we can know that we’re worshipping God rightly is to compare our worship with the Scriptures!  Jesus said: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit & truth.” John 4:24

-Worship In Spirit And Truth!

The correct posture, for Worship, includes our spirit AND TRUTH! David had the right spirit about bringing the Ark of God to Jerusalem; but, he wasn’t operating in the truth of God’s revealed will! And, let’s remember that David wasn’t in defiance of God’s Word! He was ignorant of it! God has revealed His Word to us & He makes us responsible for knowing it! Again, I can’t emphasize enough how desperate we need to be to carve time, out of our schedule, every day to read a portion of God’s Word! We’re responsible for knowing what He’s said! You and I need to learn the same lessons that David learned; and, in the truest sense it really wasn’t about the Ark at all! It’s about our attitude toward God when He speaks! It’s about elevating the message of His Word and obeying it! We need to apply, to our own lives,  the lesson David learned: “God is never pleased by our worship when we’re disobedient to His revealed will”

-Indiana Jones!

So, have you ever seen the move, “Indiana Jones & The Raiders Of The Lost Ark”? Were you aware that the movie was actually based on the Old Testament story of Israel’s Ark of the Covenant? It was a 1981 Steven Spielberg film that starred Harrison Ford as an archaeologist who battled a group of Nazis searching for the Lost Ark of the Covenant. If you’ve never watched it, you need to! It’s iconic! Not that the movie is Biblically accurate; although, it is correct in a couple of ways— First, there really was such an item as the Ark; and, second, it really is lost!

-The Ark Of God

Back in Exodus, chapters 36 & 37, we read how God gave the dimensions for the Ark or “chest” to Moses! And, Bezalel was the skilled craftsman who actually built it from Acacia wood; and, overlaid it with gold! It’s ultimate significance was the “mercy seat” or cover of the Ark; where, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year to sprinkle the blood of a sacrificial lamb to atone for Israel’s sins. Obviously, the act foreshadowed the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would make for sin on the cross.  It’s in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings that we read how King Solomon built the first temple, in Jerusalem, to actually house the Ark.

-Where Is It Now?

But, somewhere during the years following Solomon’s reign— in all  chaos of a split nation & a whole lot of evil, wicked kings— the Ark vanished; and, no one knows where. Much of Jewish tradition believes that it disappeared some time before or while the Babylonians sacked the temple in 586 BC and took many of the Jewish leaders into exile in Babylon. An interesting twist, however, is the claim of Ethiopian Christians that the Ark rests in a chapel in the small Ethiopian town of Aksum. They say it arrived nearly 3000 years ago; and, has been guarded by a succession of Monks who are forbidden to step outside the chapel until they die! These Ethiopian Christians believe that once the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem, according to Bible prophecy, that they’ll return the Ark as a gift to Israel (NOTE: They make a compelling case from Isaiah 18).

-Don’t You Love A Good Mystery?

Now, while I love a good mystery like that, I suppose God only knows for sure where the Ark is. So, just by observation, we’d conclude that the Ark was kind of a big deal to Israel! Perhaps you recall, from a reading in Exodus, that, after God had made a Covenant, with Israel; and, written the 10 Commandments on stone tablets, that He instructed Moses to have the Ark built and to place the stone tablets inside.

-God Struck Him Dead!

The Ark symbolized God’s presence with His people; and, that’s why it was so devastating to Israel when Saul & the army was defeated by the Philistines & they took the Ark away with them as they plundered Israel. But, after humiliating Dagon, the Philistines false idol; and, causing numerous plagues to strike several Philistine towns, they finally returned the Ark to the Israelite town of Kiriath-Jearim where it was when David is installed as King in 1 Chronicles, chapter 11. After securing the nation militarily, David’s 1st priority was to retrieve the Ark & to bring it to the capital city of Jerusalem (ch. 13).  That’s where we find the incredibly interesting story of Uzzah. As all Israel joined King David, in celebration, as they brought the Ark to Jerusalem, Uzzah reaches out to steady the Ark as the oxen, who pulled the Ark, stumbled! And, it says that God “…struck him dead…” because he touched it (v.9).  Harsh? Let’s come back to that next week!

-Our Entire City Needs Revival!

In preparation for a meeting, in a large city, Evangelist Billy Sunday wrote a letter to the mayor, of that city, and asked him for the names of various individuals that he could pray for that needed spiritual revival. The mayor surprised Mr. Sunday by sending him a city phone book!  “Our entire city needs revival,” he told him.  And, so does ours! And, so does yours! Every day I need God to revive my heart; because, left to my natural tendencies, in my flesh, I will choose the path of least resistance spiritually! I will remain apathetic! And, be honest with me— so will you, right? We all need a fresh outpouring, of God’s Holy Spirit, every day!

-Remove The Spiritual Indifference!

That’s revival! We need God to revive us daily, by removing our spiritual indifference & renewing our commitment to live for Him! Only as God revives us will we willingly rebuke ourselves— and, beat our chests in repentance— over our indifference toward God & His Word! Only then will we renew our commitment to crucify self daily & offer ourselves to Him as a living sacrifice. In 2 Kings, chapters 22-23, we find that nation of Israel in a really bad place spiritually. They’ve drifted far away from the Lord God. They’ve given themselves over to idolatry & the worship of vile, heathen gods! They’re stuck in a deep sinful hole & they’ve been warned multiple times, by various prophets of God, that they were in danger of the imminent judgment of God!

-An 8-Year Old King!

And, it’s with that background that we’re introduced to an 8-year old boy, named Josiah, who becomes king of Judah. Scripture says he “…was eight years old when he became king and reigned 31 years in Jerusalem… He did what was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in all the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn to the right or the left” 2 Kings 22:1,2.  And, there’s a great verse of Scripture, in 2 Chronicles 34:3 that parallels the story of King Josiah, here in 2 Kings. It says, “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images.” I hope you can get a picture, in your mind, of what’s going on there; because, this was a GOD thing! In the 8th year, of his reign, while he was still a youth, he “…began to SEEK God…” He was 16 years old! And, in his 12th year, at age 20, he began to “clean house.” Please take that to heart if you’re a high school student or young adult! You can make a difference, in this world, for the Lord!

-Difference Makers!

We desperately need young leaders— both in the church & in the world— who will take their faith very seriously! Who will be intentional about reading & studying the Scriptures! Who will be intentional about prayer! And, about making disciples! And, for those of us, who belong to an older generation, let’s not be too harsh or quick to judge the younger generations! Let’s humble ourselves & admit that much of the Church, that we’ve led, is a mess! It’s a far cry from what Jesus intended for us to be! Let’s listen to those who are younger! Let’s dialogue with them so that together we can seek God’s help in correcting the mess we’ve made of Jesus’ Church! That was King Josiah’s dilemma! He was 8 years old & he inherited a nation the older generations had messed up! So, he sought the Lord God for help to lead a nation to revival!

-A Shipwrecked Man!

The story is told of a shipwrecked man who somehow managed to reach a small, uninhabited island. To protect himself from the elements & to safeguard the few possessions he had managed to salvage, from the wreckage of his boat, he builds a small hut from which he constantly scanned the horizon, looking for a ship that might pass by and rescue him. One day, after searching for food on the other side of the island, he returned to find his little hut completely engulfed in flames! Nearly everything he had left had perished inside of it! Devastated, his sorrow was turned to joy the next day when he awoke to find a small ship anchored off the island! When the captain came ashore, he told the man, “We saw your smoke signal & came to help!”

-Loss Leads To Rescue!

Ironically, it was the destruction of everything that the marooned man had left that led to his rescue! And, after the fact, he gladly gave up all his stuff in order to be saved from his plight! That story, in many ways, illustrates what it feels like when you’ve experienced a spiritual revival in your life. Like that man, you think you’ll lose some things, that have become precious to you if you agree to give up control & give it all to God.  But, in reality, holding onto all those things, that keep you from giving your life in total to God, has left you shipwrecked, marooned & impoverished. Spiritual revival is different from salvation! Salvation is to make someone alive who was dead, spiritually! That’s what God does, for us, when He saves us! We were “…dead in our trespasses & sins…” Ephesians 2:1-3.  But, God makes us alive when we admit our sinful brokenness & trust Jesus’ work on the cross to save us. If you made that decision, you probably still remember how alive you felt at that moment.

-Have You Lost Your 1st Love?

Over time, however, you may have lost that “1st Love”— to use the phrase, from Revelation, that described a backslidden church (Rev. 2:1-7).  Perhaps you were once on fire for Jesus! He was you “1st Love.” But, other things— perhaps college & careers & marriage & kids & houses & stuff—began to crowd Jesus out of that 1st place position, in your life, that He once held! So, you live with a divided heart & divided loyalties! The vibrant life you first experienced has been replaced with a sort of “dullness” toward spiritual things that you were once “alive” over! If that describes you then you are in need of REVIVAL! You need to be “restored” to the spiritual fervor you previously enjoyed! You need to be REVIVED spiritually!

-Revivals Are Nothing New!

Revivals are not a new thing! Because God’s people have always been prone to backslide in their faith— dating back to the Israelites under Moses; to, the times of the judges and the kings; and, to the Church today— God has found it necessary to bring revival to His people! We are sinfully depraved & broken & incapable of doing God’s work without the help of His indwelling Holy Spirit! We regularly need His reviving work in our hearts! All of us! We all need a fresh outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit! Daily! We need God to revive us by removing our spiritual indifference & renewing our commitment to live only for Him! Only as God revives us will we willingly rebuke ourselves; and, beat our chests in repentance over our indifference toward God & His Word! Only then will we renew our commitment to crucify ourselves daily & offer ourselves to God as a “living sacrifice” Romans 12:1-2. We’ll say more about this next week!

-It Can Be Devastating!

Betrayal can be one of the most devastating experiences anyone can go through! But,  just try and imagine if that betrayal came at the hands of your own flesh & blood. That was Israel’s King David’s experience when his own son, Absalom, turned against him (2 Samuel 15).  Absalom had the appearance of a movie star! Scripture describes him as having a handsome appearance from the soul of his foot to the crown of his head. And, the conditions, in Israel, were ripe for a rebellion. David was living in seclusion; perhaps, over the public guilt of his sin with Bathsheba & the subsequent murder of her husband. Domestically, David’s home was a mess.

-Setting The Stage!

When another of his son’s, Amnon, raped his own half-sister, Tamar, it was Absalom who came to her defense & murdered Amnon (his own half-brother). So, David banished Absalom and refused to see him; until, circumstances forced David to bring Absalom home. But, there was no fellowship between them! It was a very broken father-son relationship between them1 So, the rift grew & Absalom became committed to a plan to betray his own father & usurp the kingdom away from him. Every day he got up early & sat at the gate of the city to undermine the authority of his own father, the king, who was consistently a no-show when it came to judging the people—  “How sad the king won’t see you! If only I were king I’d rule with justice over your case.”

-He Stole The Hearts Of Israel!

And, the text, of Scripture, says he, “…stole the hearts of Israel.” He masterminded a coup to overthrow his father, the king! And, how did David respond? He experienced a personal revival of his faith! As he’s forced to abandon his throne & run for his life, something inwardly beautiful begins to happen in David’s heart.  I wish I had more time & space to develop this; but, let me just show you one example. When David realized that Zadok, the priest, had brought the Ark of the Covenant with them, in their mad scramble from the city, look at David’s response:  “Then the king instructed Zadok, ‘Return the ark of God to the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, He will bring me back and allow me to see both it and its dwelling place’” 2 Samuel 15:25.  He wouldn’t make the same mistake the previous King, Saul, had made when he turned the Ark into some kind of “good luck charm”, brought it into battle; and, lost it to the Philistines! Saul used the Ark as an idol!

–Confident In God’s Sovereignty!

No, David’s confidence was in God’s Sovereignty & providence! The next verse David says:  “if He (God) should say, ‘I do not delight in you,’ then here I am—He can do with me whatever pleases Him.” With God’s help, David is getting his spiritual act together again! This is a spiritual revival! He’s revisiting God’s grace! Absalom didn’t know about “grace.” He assumed that because David let God down, that God would let David down as well! That’s how every religion, based on works, thinks! But, that’s NOT how God works! He may discipline us— and, He was disciplining David— but, He never forsakes His own! So, when someone betrays you, how do you respond? Do you get angry with God & blame Him for your circumstances? Or, do you trust God’s intentions & His Sovereign control? Do you trust His promise that He will never leave you? When people disappoint you; and, they will, use it as an occasion to return to the Lord!