It wasn't your standard sermon and it doesn't look like it will be available to listen to - so here are the meditations from last Sunday in black and white for you to read if you want to. Thanks to Whitney (E100) for his input.
1 - The Fall of Israel - David
David – the boy with nothing – the youngest son of a large family – the boy who tended to the sheep – the boy who was filled with the Spirit of God – the boy who realised that goliath was not picking a fight with men, but with God. The boy who, from humble beginnings, was anointed and appointed King over God’s people.
David’s life story was an altar to the living God. When he leapt and danced before the lord in a linen ephod he exclaimed – “I will celebrate before the lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.”
How could David have done such a thing? How could ‘the man after God’s own heart’, the man who showed so much courage in defeating Goliath, the man who exhibited such integrity in resisting Saul’s paranoid attempts to kill him … how could that same person be so quick to commit adultery, arrange the murder of the woman’s husband and then use his position of power to cover it up?
David’s lifetime of great achievement and incredible integrity was overshadowed by a temporary loss of judgement.
No matter how strong we may be, no matter what we may have achieved, no matter how great the altars of worship we have built, all of us have places in our lives that are weak to the pull of sin.
That’s why the biggest mistake we can make is to forget about sin, or to think it wont get to us.
Often the time we are most likely to stumble is just after we have made great spiritual progress.
That’s why it is so important to be part of a community of Christians, one that knows us well enough to hold us accountable.
David recognised he had sinned against God – he did not make excuses – he owned up to his failings.
It is hard for us to admit our sin to God and to others. But when we do, God removes the burden and gives us a joy and closeness to him that we can experience in no other way.
How do you react when you become aware of your sin? Anger, fear, frustration, blame, guilt?
Ps 139:23-24 – ‘Search me oh God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting’
The Fall of Israel - 2 - The balloons
David, like any parent, had high hopes for his son Solomon. He told others just how bright he was. He expected him to follow on in the family business – as King of Israel. Before he dies, David asks Solomon to settle some old scores and put a few people to death.
We may not all be parents, but we have all been children – we have first hand experience of the influence that a parent can have on their children.
As we look at the balloons we think of the joys and hopes of childhood.
We are reminded of the things that we would like to build - and of the things we have built.
We consider the power of our words over the young.
The power of our breath to lead others to worship and in doing so build altars.
When God said to Solomon “ask for whatever you want me to give you”
Solomon chose the gift of wisdom above the gift of riches and long life. He understood the value of Godly discernment above material wealth.
And the Lord was pleased that he had asked for this – So God said to him:
“Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honour—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life."
Yet even a man of such wisdom and understanding allowed some worship of other God’s in his life. It was to be his downfall in the end
We can take encouragement from the fact that even some of the Bible’s greatest heroes - David and Solomon – had their weaknesses and made sinful choices. But the more encouraging thing is that even so, God was working out his plan through them. David knew that the secret of staying in tune with that plan was to walk faithfully with God with all his heart and soul. And that is our challenge every day.
How would you answer God if he said to you ‘ask for whatever you want me to give you?’
In many cultures Green is the colour of hope – it represents life, rebirth, nature, fertility and a clean environment.
(Take a green balloon and try filling a balloon with a prayer of hope today)
The Fall of Israel -3 - The Heart of Worship - communion
As the people gathered together to dedicate the new temple to God something remarkable happened – God turned up.
The people sacrificed more sheep and cattle than could be counted. This almost reckless abandonment to the things of this world was an amazing act of worship. Their hearts were prepared to see God’s glory fill the temple.
It’s natural to think of worship today in terms of the different features of the service – the worship area, the music, the singing, the preaching, the prayers and communion. But what makes worship come alive is not how the service goes, it’s how prepared and eager we are to meet with the living God. A Bad church service can be good worship if we come with the right heart.
A heart that is not focussed so much on what we do – but on whom we meet.
When you are with your church – do you expect god to be here?
As we eat the bread that symbolises Jesus' body we recognise the gift of Christ's body to us and we choose to participate with one another in being part of Jesus' body today.
As we drink the juice that represents the blood of Jesus that was poured out for the forgiveness of sins, we recognise that we have sinned and we accept forgiveness from him and choose to forgive those who have wronged us.
And we search our hearts in order that we might be right before God.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. ?11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. ?12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. (Ps 50:10-12)
Father God – Teach me to worship you from my innermost being. You are great and holy and loving. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your new temple.
The Fall of Israel – 4 – Sand paper
At the time of Elijah there was a new king on the throne – Ahab
The new King Ahab encouraged the worship of Baal – And his wife Jezebel was out to murder all the prophets of the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob.
God’s voice was no longer the dominant voice guiding the people.
It wasn’t safe to follow God in those days and Elijah knew it. But he challenged the prophets of Baal to a showdown of fire and the people saw the power of God as the Lord burned up the altar covered in water.
The prophets of Baal were obliterated and people recognised the living God again - yet there were two sides to Elijah’s personality:
On one hand he was the great fearless prophet who won a dramatic victory for God – on the other he was a depressed, scared quitter who ran from God.
Sometimes we cant cope with living with what we have helped build. We cant live up to the reputation we have, we can’t achieve as much as people expect us to. Sometimes people seem to want more from us than we can give.
Sometimes people tell us that being a Christian means we should be more loving, more gracious and more compassionate. And more often than not we agree with them.
At these times we want to look at our faith and tell God he can keep it. We can never be a good enough Christian.
As we feel the piece of sand paper we recognise that there are two sides to us.
The coarse side of the paper is less comfortable as it contrasts with the world – yet as it comes into contact with the world it begins to shape the world.
The smooth side feels more comfortable and inoffensive yet it has little impact in shaping the world around it.
Father God – help us to see the ways that we can be an influence in the world. And help us to trust that you can make a difference through me.
The Fall of Israel – 5 – A severe mercy
After Ahab things didn’t get much better. It was even taught that it was not the God of Israel who brought them out of Egypt, but another God.
So after years of rejecting the lord and worshipping other Gods Israel faced the consequences.
God stopped treating them as his people and removed his protection - which allowed the Babylonians to destroy their city and temple, and carry them off into captivity.
This is a prayer from one of those carried off into captivity – Asaph (Ps 74)
1 O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember the nation you purchased long ago, the people of your inheritance, whom you redeemed - Mount Zion, where you dwelt. 3 Turn your steps toward these everlasting ruins, all this destruction the enemy has brought on the sanctuary.
4 Your foes roared in the place where you met with us; they set up their standards as signs. 5 They behaved like men wielding axes to cut through a thicket of trees. 6 They smashed all the carved paneling with their axes and hatchets. 7 They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name. 8 They said in their hearts, “We will crush them completely!” They burned every place where God was worshiped in the land.
9 We are given no signs from God; no prophets are left, and none of us knows how long this will be. 10 How long will the enemy mock you, God? ?Will the foe revile your name forever? 11 Why do you hold back your hand, your right hand? Take it from the folds of your garment and destroy them!
12 But God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth.
13 It was you who split open the sea by your power; ? you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. 14 It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan ? and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert. 15 It was you who opened up springs and streams; ? you dried up the ever-flowing rivers. 16 The day is yours, and yours also the night; ? you established the sun and moon. 17 It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; ? you made both summer and winter.
At times of overwhelming disaster, how do you react?
Are you able to remember God? The good things he has done? Are you wondering if the good things in your life were from him at all?
If there is anything good about disaster, it’s that we are forced to cling more tightly to God, simply because we have no other options.
Father God – as we consider the disasters that we have seen in our lives and the world we live in we are thankful that we can cast all our cares on you – and we are thankful for the peace that surpasses understanding that fills our hearts and minds. Amen