October 26, 2014
Scripture:
I was think about the hymn we just sang. The Lord is all of that. We have read scripture about being delivered from this evil world and the wrath of God. And here in 2 Corinthians 1, we read about this Deliverer who gives deliverance. Deliverance has three dimensions of time in the Word, yet we are going to a place where there is no time. But our little hymn said, “Lord deliver us.” We don’t need to be delivered from our sins, but from things down here. There is a final deliverance when the Lord will take us out of the world; then, there will be no sin, only fullness of joy. We will be in the presence of the One who did it all. His love will be expressed in a full way and we will respond as we cannot right now. We will give Him His worthy portion, the mighty Deliverer!
Hymn 282 - What a friend we have in Jesus
Prayer
Nehemiah 2:1-16
Last time, we saw that Nehemiah lived in the palace. He was the king’s cupbearer. Some of his brethren had come from Jerusalem, and had told him how the walls of the city were broken down and the gates were burned. Nehemiah felt terrible. He fasted and prayed to God about the problem.
In our first chapter, when the brethren came to visit Nehemiah, it was in the month Chisleu. Where we begin here, it is the month Nisan. It’s been four months and Nehemiah is still praying about Jerusalem.
Nehemiah had come to give the king his drink and the king noticed that he was sad. He was supposed to be happy in the king’s presence. The king could tell that Nehemiah wasn’t sick: it was sorrow of heart. Nehemiah was afraid that he would be punished for looking sad in the king’s presence, but he explained that he was sad because the city of his fathers was still wasted, and the gates still burned. The king asked Nehemiah what he wanted to do. Before replying, Nehemiah sent a quick prayer up to God. We can pray at any time. It doesn’t matter what we’re doing, we can lift our problems up to God.
Here’s a personal example: just last week, Michael received a plane for his birthday. He took it outside and was flying it around, and a small, clear plastic piece fell off. We couldn’t find it, so I prayed and asked God to show me where it was. Less then a minute later, I found it. God had answered my prayer.
After praying, Nehemiah asked the king to send him back to Jerusalem to rebuild it. The king asked how long the journey would be and when he would return. So we see that after four months of praying, God has answered Nehemiah’s prayer. The king gives him letters to help him get material to build the walls and gates, and to have captains of the army and horsemen accompany him on the journey back. Nehemiah travelled to Jerusalem. When he arrived, he found two men, Sanballat and Tobiah, who were not happy that he was concerned about Jerusalem. They didn’t want anyone to rebuild the walls.
Zerubbabel and Ezra had both come back with big groups of people. Nehemiah had come back by himself, and no one knew why he was there. So Nehemiah went out at night to look at the damaged walls. He went out the Valley Gate and down to the Dung Gate. He was seeing what work would have to be done. Then he went up to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool. There, the walls were so broken down that Nehemiah couldn’t get through. He had to go back the way he had come. Later, Nehemiah encouraged the others to help build the walls and restore the gates.
We see how God had answered Nehemiah’s prayer even though he had to pray four months. If God gives us something to do, He will open a way by which we can do it.
Acts 19:8-20
Paul was at Ephesus, and preached in the synagogue—as was his custom—but some that heard his message were hardened. If we hear the truth, but refuse to accept it through faith, we become hardened to it. If we persist in our disbelief, we can become emissaries of the devil and start to speak evil of the truth. That’s what happened in Ephesus. As he had done in Corinth, Paul left teaching in the synagogue and separated the disciples—the true believers—from the Jews. This persecution didn’t quiet the saints. Instead, it turned into an opportunity for all Asia to hear the gospel. Satan wanted to close them down, but ended up advertising for them! Persecution usually helps spread the gospel.
Paul set up shop in a school and disputed from there. He drew the believers out of the synagogue, and then preached to both Jews and Gentiles. God confirmed the work Paul was doing by allowing him to perform special miracles. It’s curious that aprons and handkerchiefs were used to carry the healing power, though.
Then the seven Sceva brothers—sons of a chief of the priests—tried to do what Paul was doing through aprons and handkerchiefs. They used the Lord’s and Paul’s names to try and cast out devils. The man that they tried to cast the devil out of attacked them, though, and they fled out of the house naked and wounded. Though these fakers failed, everyone heard about what had happened and fear came upon them, and the name of the Lord was magnified.
There was a considerable spirit of repentance in the people of Ephesus, for those that believed “came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds.” (v.18) Many of these people had used curious arts—probably things like palm reading—and they came and burned all their magic books. There were a lot of books; together worth fifty thousand pieces of silver. One of Brother Norm’s friends had an uncle that had a spirit within him that gave him amazing powers, but troubled him and would never let him rest. Things like palm reading, tea leaf reading, Ouija boards, dungeons and dragons, etc, are of the devil and should not be dabbled with. Using them leaves us open to attacks from our enemy.
Verse 21 was a turning point in Paul’s life. He determined to go to Jerusalem and then to Rome. He eventually did see Rome, but it was as a prisoner. Next week we’ll see the “no small stir” that Demetrius the silversmith caused about “that way”; God’s way. God was working all for His purposes, though!
Hymn 182 – O Jesus, Friend unfailing
Prayer