We are excited to announce some new features to the blogsite. As more and more readers are viewing from foreign countries we have added the translate feature to the site. Our readers can also now choose to have the blog emailed to them, and they can search the blog by keywords on various topics. We hope that this makes the site more manageable for you. God Bless.

Hear current audio messages by Pastor Scott Burr at:
http://sermon.net/dayspringchurchag

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Developing Godly Character: Holiness (part 7)


(Part 7)

“And they were calling to one another; “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is filled with His glory.”
Isaiah 6:3
Author and Pastor R.C. Sproul made an interesting insight when he began to contemplate God’s Holiness:

“The Bible says that God is holy, holy, holy. Not that He is merely holy, or even holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy. The Bible never says that God is love, love, love; or mercy, mercy, mercy; or wrath, wrath, wrath, or justice, justice, justice. It does say that He is holy, holy, holy the earth is filled with His glory.”

What does it mean to be holy? One definition states that it is to be distinct, separate, and in a class by oneself. It is to be unique without rival or competition. This aspect of holiness is emphasized for us in Exodus 20:1-7 as God dictates to Moses the first three commandments: You shall have no other gods before me; You shall not worship any graven images or likenesses, and You shall not take the Lord’s name in vain. 

He described Himself through the Prophet Isaiah this way:

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

God establishes Himself, through these passages, as being unlike any other entity. He is above all things in form, in thought, and in existence. This is not to communicate to us an heir of loftiness, but rather to give us proper perspective. Throughout the Scriptures those who considered God’s holiness came away with a very similar perspective:

Moses and Miriam wrote in Exodus 15:11: 

“Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

The Prophet Samuel’s mother, Hannah, concluded in 1 Samuel 2:2:

“There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

King David declared in Psalm 86:8-10:

“Among the gods there is none like you, Lord; no deeds can compare with yours. All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name. For you are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God.”

Each of these individuals did not see God as lofty and high-minded, rather their encounters with God helped them to understand their relationship to Him! It drove them towards humility and reverence. 

Developing Godly Character: Truthfulness (part 6)


(Part 6)

“Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” 
Psalm 51:6

The key to developing in truthfulness is to get His truth into our spirit! This begins by first having the way of truth opened to us. Jesus said in John 14:6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

To know truth, we must first come to know Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that He is truth! Once we have come to put our faith in Him, the scripture tells us that we are then given the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth:

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
 John 16:13

This is one of the Holy Spirit’s primary functions. He has been commissioned to guide us and reveal to us the truth found in God’s Word. We, however, must then live out what has been revealed to us, before it will genuinely become truth to us. 

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

John 8:31-32

It is important to know that truth alone cannot set you free. It is the truth you “know” that sets you free. 
To “know truth” is more than having a head knowledge or appreciation for what is written in the Bible. To “know truth” is to put into practice the truth that is found there. It is when we seek to live according to God’s Word, that we are able to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for God’s truth and consequently enjoy greater freedom in our lives. Consequently, when we reject the Word of God or fail to live out the Word of God, we are in a very real sense rejecting truth; and the pursuit of anything less than truth is to pursue a lie: 

“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” 
                                                                                                         John 8:43-45

God hates lying (Proverbs 6:16-19), because lying is the opposite of truthfulness. This includes all varieties of lying including white lies, half-truths, concealing information, and withholding truth with the intention of deceiving.
 It is the language of the devil, not the language of God the Father. God wants us to learn to speak the language of truth, however when we lie, it is indicative of a lack of truthfulness in our inmost being. 
The presence of lying in the life of an individual communicates a disconnect from truth. You cannot be full of lies and full of truth! 1 John 2:4 tells us that:

“He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Lying silences truth in our lives and halts the transformation process. 

“Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.”
 Colossians 3:9-10

As believers, we are being renewed in knowledge day by day according to the image of Him who created us. When we lie, or fail to pursue truth, we derail God’s desire for us to know truth and live in freedom. 

Thursday, December 12, 2013

"Developing Godly Character:Truthfulness" (pt. 5)

(Part 5)

“God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

                                                                                                Numbers 23:19

In the Book of Numbers, chapter 23, a prophet by the name of Balaam is summoned by Balak, King of the Moabites. Balak attempts to entice Balaam to put a curse on the Israelites. However, instead of speaking a curse over them, Balaam was instructed by God to speak blessing

Even after Balaam explained that he could not speak anything, except what he had heard from God; Balak persisted in trying to get a curse spoken over God’s people. Balak persisted, in hopes, that God would change his mind or break the promised blessing Balaam had just spoken over the Israelites. To this God declared through the prophet that “God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.” What God had spoken he would fulfill!

Truthfulness is a pillar of God’s character. To deny the truthfulness of God is to deny God, because it is who He is! Hebrews 6:17-18 tells us:

“Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.”

Throughout the Scripture, the writers of God’s Holy Word have documented and proclaimed this to be true about Him. Isaiah the prophet and King David both referred to Him as the God of Truth and the Apostle John declared that God is truthful and full of truth.

Everything about God is bathed in truth. What God does is driven by truth! What God says emerges from truth! What God thinks is rooted in truth! His truthfulness is consistent and unchanging:

“For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth forever. Praise ye the Lord.” (KJV)

                                                                                                Psalm 117:2

Truth is so much more than a list of morally acceptable practices that we try to conform our lives to keeping. Truth is the expression of God’s thoughts. Jesus said in John 17:17 that God’s Word is truth. God spoke through Isaiah the prophet in Isaiah 55:9-11:

 As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out of my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

God’s desire for us is not a dogmatic adherence to a list of rules and regulations, but that the truth of His Word would be sown deep into our inmost being!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Developing Godly Character: Faithfulness (pt. 4)

(Part 4)

“What is some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?”

                                                                                                            Romans 3:3

The Apostle Paul’s passionate answer to those questions in verse 4 is “Not at all!” A lack of faith on our part usually manifests itself in two forms. It either expresses itself as faithlessness: which is our inability to see God’s faithfulness in our situation. Or it displays itself as unfaithfulness: which is our inability or disinterest in modeling His nature. Typically faithlessness proceeds unfaithfulness.

Both of these expressions highlight that fact that we, apart from Christ, have character flaws. Because of our fallen nature, we truly do not have the ability to model His nature:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

                                                                                                Galatians 5:19-21

To combat this fallen nature and it’s proclivity towards sin, God gave to us the fruit of the Spirit to help enable us to partakers of His divine nature:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

                                                                                                Galatians 5:22-23

Faithfulness, as part of the fruit of the Spirit, is an important component in our character development. In Matthew 23:23, Jesus referred to faithfulness as one of the more important matters of the law and in Revelation 2:10 admonished the church in Smyrna to remain faithful. He even acknowledged man named Antipas for his faithfulness.

Faithfulness in the life of a believer is more than just a good practice, but it is an indicator of a life being transformed as we partake in the divine nature. Godly character is incomplete without a strong foundation of faithfulness.

Our witness for Christ will be lacking or compromised if we fail to make faithfulness a priority.


 Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Developing Godly Character: Faithfulness (pt.3)

(Part 3)

“If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

                                                                                                            2 Timothy 2:13

Faithfulness is more than how God acts in regard to His promises or commitments. It is who He is! God cannot be anything but faithful, because to do anything else would cause Him to have to disown Himself! Faithfulness is God’s nature:

“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.”

                                                                                                Hebrews 6:13-18

God’s faithfulness is an immutable, unchangeable truth. Understanding this is important for two reasons. First, knowing this about God can infuse a believer with a tremendous amount of peace. Secondly, because it is an unchanging truth about God, it should not be such a changing attribute in each of our lives:

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

                                                                                                            2 Peter 1:4

Faithfulness, therefore, should be a priority for us; because when we walk in faithfulness we demonstrate God’s very nature.

Most of us, if asked, would likely characterize ourselves as being faithful. However, if we are honest, we will find it is a characterization based on comparison. We either gauge our faithfulness in comparison to how we used to live or we compare ourselves to others we deem to be less faithful.
Yet, when we were to compare ourselves to God, who does not change and is faithful by nature, we quickly see the depth of our character flaw.

 
 Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Developing Godly Character (pt. 2)

“Not that I have already obtained all this,  or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”

                                                                                    Philippians 3:12

None of us can claim perfection, but we should be making it our aim! A simple definition of the word aim is: to direct ourselves at a target. Aiming for perfection, then means that we do all the adjusting.

Before the days of radar, ships coming into a harbor would depend on a lighthouse for two primary things: to guide them into harbor and to warn them of dangerous reefs, rocks or jetting shorelines. The interesting thing about these lighthouses is that they never move. If a ship’s captain would veer off course, away from the lighthouse or away from its beam, it was always up to him to adjust. The lighthouse held its position.

Similarly, when I was in the military, on the firing range qualifying with my weapon, the targets never moved! If I missed the mark, it was up to me to adjust my sights, redirect my aim, or better control my breathing if I was going to hit the mark.

That phrase “missing the mark” is also one way in which sin is defined in scripture. There is nothing that will throw your pursuit of godly character off course faster than sin. Sin is at the root of every character flaw.

Character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual. It is moldable based on its influences. Our character can be bad or it can be noble depending upon what we are allowing to mold our character:

Don’t be misled, “Bad company corrupts good character.”

                                                                                                1 Corinthians 15:33

Sin is a darkness that invades and corrupts our character. Jesus admonished us to evaluate those things we allow ourselves to take in through the lamp of the eye in Luke 11:34-36:

Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”

No part dark! That is Jesus’ desire for each of us. It is the aim of godly character.

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Developing Godly Character (pt.1)

(Part 1)

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him is no darkness at all.”

                                                                                    1 John 1:5

To me this passage represents the essence of God’s character. God is light; in Him is no darkness at all. God has no character flaws! That is an idea that is both awesome and intimidating at the same time.

Awesome because we know that according to James 1:17, that the “Father of heavenly lights, does not change like the shifting shadows.” We can trust in the consistency of God’s character. It is perfect, true, and unchanging.

However, God‘s character can be intimidating because of passages like 1 John 2:6:

“Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

God desires for us to be like Him! So, on one hand, we are comforted by the fact that God has no character flaws; however, on the other hand we are made uncomfortable by the fact that we, unlike God, have so many!

How many of you would be honest enough to say that you have character flaws? It is from that place of genuine awareness that we can begin to pursue authentic godly character.

The pursuit of godly character begins with spiritual poverty. It begins with a realistic look at God’s perfection and our imperfection; then aiming our lives towards that which God is calling us; Himself!

None of us can claim to be perfect, but we should be making it our aim. Too often we hide behind idioms like “Nobody is perfect!” as an excuse for not trying.

In 2 Corinthians 13:9, the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth:

We are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is for your perfection.”

The books of First and Second Corinthians deal with all kinds of character flaws manifesting themselves within the church, and yet Paul prays for their perfection.

It was a principle Paul applied to his own life as well:

“Not that I have already attained or am already perfected, but I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

                                                                                                            Philippians 3:12

Someone once said that if you “aim at nothing” you will hit it every time. If we want to develop godly character in our lives, then we must aim for perfection!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

"Repairing the Breaches"

(Part  6)

“Moreover in those days I saw men of Judah who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab. Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language of Judah.”

                                                                                    Nehemiah 13:23-24

The final gaping spiritual hole Nehemiah was forced to address was the intermarrying of God’s people with nations they specifically been told not to unite themselves with. Nehemiah declared:

Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women. Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women?”

                                                                                    Nehemiah 13:26-27

This unequal yoking of God’s people with heathen nations led to Israel’s downfall; as the men of Israel began to be led into idolatry by their foreign wives. In fact, they drifted so far from the things of God that half of their children grew up speaking the language of these nations rather than the language of Judah.

Like Israel, we have allowed ourselves to become married to the things of this world. Our children are growing up speaking the language of the world and are completely ignorant of the language of Holy Scripture. They can tell you all you want to know about Miley Cyrus, the Kardashians, and LeBron James, however they can tell you very little about stalwarts of the faith like Abraham, Daniel, David, and Paul. They know very little about who Jesus is, what He said, and how He lived.

The Apostle Paul warned us in 2 Corinthians 6:14-15:

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”

Paul admonished the Corinthian believers, who had begun to adopt the practices of their culture, to “Come out from them and be separate.”

Nehemiah was so distraught by what he was seeing, scripture tells us, that he called down curses on those who had intermarried; he beat some of the men and pulled out their hair, and made them swear oaths to God never again to yoke themselves with foreign nations. Sound intense? Nehemiah knew, from past experience, what had caused Israel’s downfall and refused to allow them to travel that road again.

Like Nehemiah we have a responsibility to carry a genuine concern for the spiritual condition of the Body of Christ; but we cannot be simply concerned, we must take care of the breeches nearest to us. Nehemiah entrusted the repairing of the walls to those who lived closest to the breeches. You and I have a responsibility to examine and address those breeches nearest to us; beginning with ourselves, our family, our church, and our community.

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, October 31, 2013

"Repairing the Breaches"

(Part  5)

“In those days I saw men in Judah treading winepresses on the Sabbath and bringing in grain and loading it on donkeys, together with wine, grapes, figs and all other kinds of loads. And they were bringing all this into Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Therefore I warned them against selling food on that day.”

                                                                                                            Nehemiah 13:15

The third gaping spiritual hole Nehemiah was forced to address was the desecration of the Sabbath.  The Sabbath was a day set aside by God to be Holy unto Him. It was a day to gather and worship the Lord; a day to rest from the work of their hands and acknowledge the creator of the universe. It was a sign of God’s covenant relationship with His people.

However, the Israelites slowly began to allow their business interests and desires for the things of this world to ebb away at their obedience to God’s Word regarding the Sabbath. Nehemiah, once again, rebuked God’s people for their blatant disobedience:

I rebuked the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this wicked thing you are doing –desecrating the Sabbath day? Didn’t your forefathers do the same things, so that our God brought all this calamity upon us and upon this city? Now you are stirring up more wrath against Israel by desecrating the Sabbath.”

                                                                                                            Nehemiah 13:17-18

Nehemiah went as far as to lock the doors of the city and posted guards at the gates to protect the sanctity of God’s Holy day.

 Unfortunately, this has become a similar breach in many of our churches today. God’s Sabbath day is being desecrated. It is a day that is Holy to God. Yet, many do not treat it that way. Holy means set apart. It is the day that we are to set apart to gather corporately (Lev. 23) and worship God. It is not a day for us to pursue our own interests and do as we please:

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as your please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord.”

                                                                                                                        Isaiah 58:13-14

Observing the Sabbath benefits those who keep it both physically and spiritually, however, regardless of how much it may benefit us, the Sabbath certainly isn’t about us. It is about Him! It is holy to Him! Likewise, it should be holy to us.

The Sabbath, of all days, should not be the day we sacrifice in order to fulfill our own interests and desires; regardless of how noble we perceive our reasons to be. It should be held in highest honor as a sign of our covenant relationship with God. Like Nehemiah, we should work hard to protect it, because it is holy!

                                               

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, October 24, 2013

"Repairing the breaches"

(Part  4)

“I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers had gone back to their own fields. So I rebuked the officials and asked them, “Why is the house of God neglected? Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine, and oil into the storerooms.”

                                                                                                Nehemiah 13:10-12

The second gaping hole Nehemiah addressed upon his return to Jerusalem was the neglect of God’s house. During his absence the people became consumed with their own lives, families, and ambitions. They stopped tithing and stopped coming to the temple to worship. They neglected the house of God.

Because of this the Levites and singers became disheartened and could no longer provide for their families. They abandoned their positions and returned to their fields. I think, at times, we fail to see the significance we (individually and as a family) carry within the body of Christ.

It may not seem that one individual or family, who neglects their responsibilities towards God’s house, could have a very big impact on the corporate worship of a church, however, when that mentality begins to be shared by a growing majority; it isn’t long before the effectiveness, passion, and sustainability of that congregation is threatened.

Nehemiah recognized this and rebuked the officials for their lackadaisical attitudes. He called them together and stationed them at their posts. He restored full worship in the temple and the scripture tells us that “All Judah” brought in the tithes. They all participated. No one neglected their responsibilities. They gave, served, and ministered as a faithful body of believers.

This is a gaping hole still visible in many congregations today. Individuals and families have become consumed with their own lives, families, and ambitions. They have stopped tithing, stopped serving, and stopped attending services regularly; not realizing that their failure to fulfill their responsibility in the Body of Christ has threatened the effectiveness, passion, and sustainability of that local body of believers.

This means that fewer lost people are hearing about Christ, fewer missionaries are being sent to the far reaches of the earth, fewer people are seeing their marriages restored, burdens lifted, and families delivered from life controlling issues.

As born again believers, we are members of the body of Christ, which means our absence and neglect of God’s house leaves a gaping hole. Consider today what you personally need to do to repair that breach!

                                                                                   

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, October 17, 2013

“Repairing the breaches”

(Part 3)

“But while all this was going on, I was not in Jerusalem, for in the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had returned to the king. Some time later I asked his permission and came back to Jerusalem. Here I learned about the evil Eliashib had done in providing Tobiah a room in the courts of the house of God. I was greatly displeased and threw all Tobiah’s household goods out of the room. I gave orders to purify the rooms, and then I put back into them the equipment of the house of God, with the grain offerings and the incense.”

                                                                                                Nehemiah 13:6-9

Eliashib made room in the House of God for the profane. This is preciously how our spiritual integrity is undermined; when we allow room inside (that which is designed to be holy) for things that are profane and contrary to God’s Word and God’s Will.

Some may not see the significance or problem with Eliashib supplying Tobiah with one room in the Temple. Let’s face it, it was only one room! However, this one seeming isolated offense led Israel into a whole host of spiritual depravity.

Israel stopped bringing in their tithes and offerings; they desecrated the Sabbath, and once again began to intermarry with people God had specifically told them not to marry.

How did Nehemiah address this very evident “gap” in Israel’s spiritual integrity? The same way he addressed the gap in their physical integrity on his first trip. On his first visit, Nehemiah came to Jerusalem concerned about Israel’s physical well-being. He walked about the wall at night and investigated the gaps. Then he went about aggressively repairing the breaches. In 52 days the wall was rebuilt!

In the same way, Nehemiah, concerned for the spiritual well-being of the people of Israel returned. This time he examined the spiritual breaches and aggressively took action.

What is a breach? A breach is a hole or gap in fortifications that an enemy can manipulate to their advantage. Nehemiah identified four gaping holes in the spiritual lives of God’s people and began the work of bringing correction; beginning with ridding the temple of Tobiah and his belongings.

His first priority was to cleanse the temple from worldly desecration. He removed completely that which was defiling the temple, not just the man, but everything associated with him. However, Nehemiah did not stop there. He, then, purified the room and put back into the temple the things that belonged there.

This is an important principle for those of us who claim to be born again Christians. We, too, should not be making room for worldliness in our lives. We must rid ourselves of these things, and those things associated with it. We must purify our hearts through repentance and fill ourselves once again with the things of God!

                                                                                   

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 10, 2013

“Repairing the breaches”

(Part 2)

 “ On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God, because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.” When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.”

                                                                                                Nehemiah 13:1-3

With the completion of the wall around Jerusalem, the Israelites began to make many reforms to the way they lived and worshiped. One such reform was the exclusion of any Ammonite or Moabite from entering the Temple. Because they had opposed the Israelites as they were coming out of Egypt, God told Moses that they were to be excluded from the blessings of God’s people.

However, once Nehemiah had returned to Babylon, one of the priests ignored this command and defiled the House of God:

Before this, Eliashib the priest had been put in charge of the storerooms of the house of our God. He was closely associated with Tobiah, and he had provided him with a large room formerly used to store the grain offerings and incense and temple articles, and also the tithes of grain, new wine and oil prescribed for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well as the contributions for the priests.”

                                                                                    Nehemiah 13:4-5

Tobiah was an Ammonite! Commentators tell us that he married into Eliashib’s family; contrary to the Word of God. This is the same Tobiah, who joined Sanballat, in opposing the Israelites as they were rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. To make matters worse, Eliashib took a large room in the Temple, that was supposed to be used to house the things of God, and converted it into living quarters for Tobiah!

Eliashib made room in the House of God for the profane. This is preciously how our spiritual integrity is undermined; when we allow room inside (that which is designed to be holy) for things that are profane and contrary to God’s Word and God’s Will.

Some may not see the significance or problem with Eliashib supplying Tobiah with one room in the Temple. Let’s face it, it was only one room! However, this one seeming isolated offense led Israel into a whole host of spiritual depravity!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, October 3, 2013

“Repairing the breaches”


(Part 1)

 “ Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, “ declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy year.”

                                                                                                            Jeremiah 25:8-11

As God had predicted through the prophet Jeremiah, Israel was carried off by Babylon into exile for 70 years. Babylon destroyed the city of Jerusalem. They razed the temple and broke down the walls of the city.

However, after the 70 years, a remnant of Israel began to return! The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are dedicated to the fulfillment of this prophecy with the initial return of those exiled beginning under the reign of Cyrus the Mede.

In Ezra, we read about two phases of Israel’s return. One was under the leadership of a man named Zerubbabel, who was responsible for leading some 50,000 exiles back to Jerusalem. This group, finding the temple destroyed, restored the altar and eventually rebuilt the temple. The second group of exiles came under the leadership of a man named Ezra. Ezra was a scribe and expert in the Law of God. He came and led the people in a time of consecration and repentance.

The third group returned with a man named Nehemiah. He was the cup bearer of King Artaxerxes. He became very distraught over the condition of Jerusalem and received permission from the king to return and rebuild the city walls.

Nehemiah came to Jerusalem and in a short amount of time did several amazing things. First, he rallied the Israelites to repair the breaches in the walls surrounding Jerusalem. Then he worked with the elders of the people to see that the city was repopulated. Finally, with Ezra’s help, he reinstituted proper temple worship and made provision for the priests.

After dedicating the wall, Nehemiah returned to Babylon, just as he had promised the king he would do. However, during his absence, Israel began to lose their spiritual integrity!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

Thursday, September 26, 2013

"To whom much is given much is required"

(Part 4 of 4)

 “Where have you been, Gehazi?” Elisha asked. “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered. 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, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maid servants? Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.”

                                                                                                            2 Kings 5:25-27

What God delivered Naaman from because of his obedience to the Word of the Lord, was inflicted on Gehazi because of his willful disobedience; but why such a harsh verdict? Jesus said in Luke 12:48:

“For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.”

There is a real danger of getting comfortable in our faith. Faith, by nature, is never comfortable. It is constantly moving us out of our comfort zone. In fact, Hebrews 11 is a chapter of scripture filled with examples of people who were moved by faith that faced trials, persecution and even death.

When we get comfortable in our faith then we, like Gehazi, begin to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to and ignore our own sinful tendencies:

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?’’       

                                                                                                Matthew 7:3-4

Gehazi had been given so much; because of this so much more was required of him. Naaman, comparatively, had received little; thus the expectations for him were not as high. However, Naaman would not be able to hide behind his naivety forever. Like, all of us, he would have to mature his faith.

Gehazi had the opportunity to play a tremendous role in Naaman’s life, but instead he chose to be critical and take advantage of Naaman’s generous spirit.

It is important to remember that we, who are more mature in our faith, in fact should nurture and instruct those who are learning to live according to God’s Word, but we should do so with humility through the lens of grace, mercy, and kindness.

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/