Author: Mojo Ministries

James 5:16, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Last week we spoke of the rebuilding of the Temple of God. Just as Haggai, Malachi and Zechariah were contemporaries to Ezra, so was this man named Nehemiah. Except Nehemiah wasn’t a prophet. Nehemiah was Not:

• An architect
• He was not an Engineer
• He was not a carpenter
• a brick mason
• a plumber
• a roofer
• or an electrician.

He was simply the King’s Cupbearer.  Nehemiah was just an ordinary guy, on an ordinary day who prayed an effectual fervent prayer to God. Let’s look at that prayer together:  READ Nehemiah 1:4-11. Let’s Pray.

The Book of Nehemiah is a book about building. God, in 52 days was rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem that lieth in waste, and He was also building relationships as the people of God worked together on the wall, but He was also building His people.

Can I say this morning that I am glad God is still in the building business! I’m glad God’s still putting homes together and lives together. And God’s still building His church, and God’s doing a great work AMEN!!!!

But understand with me, before the walls were rebuilt, before the homes were rebuilt, God got a hold to the heart of a man.

Let me ask you, what is the focus of your prayer life? What is it that God has burdened your heart about? What is it that keeps you up at night? What is at the top of your prayer list? What burdens your heart about the work of God?

Nehemiah had a burden, and he knew where to take it.  He took his burden to the LORD. In fact. Verse 4 said he prayed before the God of Heaven. Nehemiah knew where to take his prayer.

If you and I are going to pray effectual, fervent prayers:

WE WILL HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE INTEGRITY OF GOD (V.5)

That;s our God. He is the “Great and Terrible God.” He is the one who “keeps His covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments.”

You see folks, that’s the God we are praying to! We are praying to a God “who is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is long suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9).

If we are going to pray and effectual, fervent prayer:

WE WILL HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THE INTEREST OF GOD IN OUR PRAYER (V.6a)

“Let thing ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant . . .”

God, would You hear me?  Will You incline Your ear to me? Nehemiah was asking God to lean in. “LORD, will you hear me/”

Psalm 40:1, “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.”

God is able to hear and He is able to listen! But folks, we are going to have to start praying, “Father not my will, but Thy will be done!”

If we are going to pray and effectual fervent prayer:

WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE AN INVESTMENT OF TIME AND TEARS (6b).

“When I pray before Thee now day and night for the children of Israel thy servants . . .”

You see, Nehemiah made an investment in prayer. The Bible says he prayed DAY AND NIGHT!

This prayer meant so much to Nehemiah that he lost sleep over this prayer. Now I’m not talking about losing sleep over stress or anxiety, I’m talking having such a burden for something that it keeps you up or gets you up in the wee hours of the morning to pray about. THAT IS AN INVESTMENT – and investment in both time and tears.

Let me ask you husband and wife, when’s the last time you invested time and tears praying for one another? For God to keep the fire burning in your marriage.

Hey mom and dad, when’s the last time you got on your face before the God of heaven and invested some time and tears praying for your children, for God to protect or for God to bring them home if they’ve gone astray? When’s the last time you invested in your kids, and for some of us, for our grandkids?

Church member, when’s the last time you got on your face before God and asked Him to protect our church? And prayed that someone would get the heart right with God? When’s the last time for prayed for your pastor or for one another?  When’s the last time you asked God to protect our youth

Kids, and that means anyone with a parent still living, when’s the last time you prayed and asked God to save your parents, or to protect your parents?

When’s the last time we agonized in prayer over our country?

Psalm 42:1-3 says, “As the hart (DEER) panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?

I’d say that’s somebody praying with a burden.

Finally, if we are going to pray and effectual, fervent prayer:

WE WILL HAVE TO ADMIT OUR INIQUITIES BEFORE GOD (V6c-7)

“and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father’s house have sinned. We have dealt very corruptly against thee, and have not kept the commandments, nor the statutes, nor the judgments, which thou commandedst thy servant Moses.”

The latter part of verse 6 and verse 7, Nehemiah begins to confess his sins, the sins of his father and the sins of Israel.

 Nehemiah realized why the walls of the city laid in waste, why their homes   laid in waste and why the people had become such a reproach to God – it was the result of their sin against God. And he wasn’t looking around pointing his finger at everybody else, he confessed the sin in his own life. Nehemiah GOT REAL WITH GOD. He said “GOD I NEED HELP.

And so, Nehemiah had a burden to not only rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, but to also rebuild the lives of a people that had been broken. And if we want God to repair in our lives what’s been broken, you and I are going to have to get real with God!

In the many years I have spent preaching, I realize that I have maybe only shared one message from the Book of Ezra.  Now, I am familiar with the Book, I have heard others preach from the Book, mostly when people are going through building projects.  That makes sense to me because Ezra was given the privilege by God to help rebuild the Temple. But, for whatever reason, God’s never laid a messages on my heart from the book of Ezra.

Now, a few things to note about Ezra. The prophets Haggai, Zachariah, and Malachi are contemporaries with Ezra. 

The prophet Haggai is not necessarily telling the people that they should be building the Temple – what he is telling them is that they are spending so much time building their own homes, they have neglected the work of God.

I would say to you that if you spent all your time building your life and gaining all the things you want, and you don’t spend anytime or energy on the House of God or the work of God, I think you will have some regrets in eternity because you didn’t make wiser choices.

And then you read about Malachi, and Malachi spent his time speaking about leadership. The Preachers of the Country.  I would venture to say that one of the biggest problems we have in the church today is we are filling the leadership with CEO’s and Administrators, and focusing on grandiose programs and performances, rather than filling the pulpit with men of God who will stand in demonstration of the Spirit and Power of God. And our churches are paying the price for it.

And then there’s Zachariah.  And he just puts all the emphasis on the Messiah. He talks about the one who is going to have wounds; the One who is going to spring forth fountains of Living Water. He just focusses on making the LORD the center-piece.  And I’ll tell you folks, if we are going to build a great work for God, we will have to keep Christ as the Center Piece!

In our text, Judah has gone into captivity, and they have been there for 70 years. Their homes lie in waste. To give you a good mental picture of the destruction, think in your mind about some of the images coming out of Ukraine and how their lives have been destroyed in just a moment in time. Can you image what their lives would be like if they remained that way for 70 years?

Now this is what you have in Jerusalem.  You have the Temple that was built by Solomon, and it is now destroyed. And it now lies in ruin.

Then God does something very unique, in Ezra 1 and beginning in verse 1, He stirs up the heart of the King of Persia.

          “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by   the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of   Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his        kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

                ² Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all          the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at                 Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

                ³ Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him          go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God      of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.

                ⁴ And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with    beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in          Jerusalem.”

Now I find it amazing that God stirred up the heart of the Medo-Persian King Cyrus.  Folks, if God can stir up the heart of Cyrus, then He can stir up the heart of anybody He wants to.

Cyrus’ heart is stirred, and because of that, he makes a decree that he is going to build the Temple of God, the House of God. The House of God didn’t need to stay in this broken-down ruined condition anymore.

Now listen to me – there are a lot of houses, and I’m not talking about the houses on the street that you live on, but there are a lot of houses that are broken down, and they’ve been that way for a long time.

What I mean by that, there are some marriages that have soured and have broken down, and that relationship is no longer what it once was, and it is now a broken marriage.

There are people that have broken minds. And they’ve been in that condition for a long time. Maybe it’s because of depression, or some traumatic event that’s come into their life. Some people don’t believe that mental illness is real.  But folks, I can tell you firsthand that things like mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are very real. People’s minds have been broken by events that have taken place in their lives.

There are many hearts that have been broken, in a state of disrepair.  A bitterness that has been there for a long time, something that has yet to be corrected. And their hearts and their minds are just totally broken.

There are people who have been broken by sin.  And that sin in their lives has wrapped itself around them like a chain. And brick by brick, and piece by piece, that sin has torn apart their lives.

So, I want to talk with you about how we can Rebuild the House, and I’m not talking a physical house, I am talking about how to rebuild that broken mind and that broken heart; How to rebuild a broken marriage and how to begin rebuilding a life devastated by sin.

I’m going to say this, If God can stir-up the heart of a King that’s not born again, and get him to move to get God’s people to move again, I’m telling you, GOD KNOWS HOW TO REBUILD!

The sad thing is, some folks have lived in that condition for so long, they’ve just become accustomed to it. They’re used to it.  It’s like dragging a body behind you. They’ve just gotten used to it.  You are used to your marriage being in shambles; you’re used to your mind and your heart being broken; you’re used to dragging that heavy weight of sin around with you.

So I am just going to stand on both feet this morning and shout as loudly as I can that GOD CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT – if you will give Him that opportunity!

Now look with me in chapter 3 if you will and I’m going to show you some things that are required if you want God to rebuild your house!

YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN AGREEMENT (gather together)

Ezra 3:1, “And when the seventh month was come, and the children of Israel were in the cities, the people gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem.”

They came together as one to rebuild the House. In the book of Acts, the people came together:

• Acts 1: They were together in one heart and one mind at Pentecost praying;
• Acts 3: They were together praying when Peter and John went up to the Temple
• Acts 4: they are praying together after being persecuted.
• Acts 12: they are praying together because James has been beheaded and Peter has been imprisoned.
• Acts 20: They are gathered together on the first day of the week to break bread and Paul preaches until midnight.

And so the church gathered together.  But this passage is Ezra goes beyond that – In Ezra, they have made an agreement, a pact, a commitment that they are going to work on the House together!

Husband and wives, things in your marriage might not be what it once was, but I’m telling you, y’all need to come together in one heart and one mind and work on this thing TOGETHER!

You might be a parent here that has a child struggling.  Y’all need to come to an agreement that you’re going to work on this TOGETHER (talk about Mike and Cameron).

Folks, the first step in Rebuilding is coming to an agreement.  “God I can’t do this thing on my own.

YOU HAVE TO BUILD AN ALTAR (V2)

“Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings thereon, as it is written in the law of Moses the man of God.”

Before they ever laid the foundation of the Temple, they built an altar! Listen folks, as the people of God we should be laser focused on building the altar and getting to God before we ever try to deal with the other problems of life.

When the children of God built the tabernacle in the wilderness, the very first thing you would come to was the brazen altar, and then to the presence of God.

What we have now is everybody is trying to handle their issues.  I’ve had people tell me, “Well preacher, when we get our marriage straightened out, I’ll come back to church.”  Or “When I fix this problem I have, then I’ll come back to church.” So everybody is trying to side step the altar.  What we need to do is come to God and then trust Him to help fix the other areas of your life.

• Noah, when he got off the boat, the first thing he did was Build an altar.
• Abraham – every where he went, he would pitch a tent and built an altar.

Listen folks, before Dave Ramsey can help and before any other self-help gurus can help you – YOU NEED TO GET TO AN ALTAR.  And if you want my opinion, you should get to an altar as often as you can!

You know what’s wrong with churches today? Nobody is getting on the altar bowing before God, Asking God to partner with them on life’s highway.

• You want to rebuild your marriage? Bow before the God of Heaven.
• You want to rebuild your broken mind and your broken heart? Bow before the God of Heaven.
• You want God to help you through life’s struggles? Bow before the God of Heaven.

The Agreement, The Altar, now look at:

HAVE THE RIGHT ATTITUDE (V5)

“And afterward offered the continual burnt offering, both of the new moons, and of all the set feasts of the Lord that were consecrated, and of every one that willingly offered a freewill offering unto the Lord.”

How many have heard the saying “It’s more blessed to give than to receive?” Let me show you what we do: we kneel at an altar and we hold out our hands and say, “God I need something from you. God I need a blessing.  God I need you to fix my marriage.  God I need you to fix my mind.”

But look what they did – rather than asking God for something, they brought something to God. Maybe rather than asking God for something all the time, maybe we should get involved in DOING something for God.

In verses 8 through 11, they begin the work on the foundation.  Once they complete the foundation, the send the priest to get dressed up, they send for the musicians, and they then begin to praise God.  That’s not how we operate. We don’t begin celebrating until the whole house is done. And why did they begin celebrating BEFORE the job was complete? Verse 11 says because of the goodness of GOD! Don’t miss out on praising God during the struggle.

Before I get into the message, I want to say that I pray your mind is clear and receptive to the word of God.  It’s funny how we as a church over time, have developed our own language and oftentimes it’s a language the world can’t understand and that the lost can’t understand. Let me give you an illustration.  I went to a church once and as the preacher began to give his invitation, this is what he said, “I wonder how many of you here are totally depraved?  Would you like to have the vicarious atonement of Jesus applied as the propitiation of your depravity?  You know what I said?  HUHHHH?  Listen, our mission as a church is to speak in a language that everybody can understand.

Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in His way.”  As I look at this verse, these 11 words seem to naturally divide themselves into 3 categories.  The first you see is:

THE PATH – the steps He speaks about. Now I’m sure when he said “the steps” he wasn’t talking about the literal movement of your feet.  He wasn’t talking about walking as being the actual movement of your feet but he’s talking about the Direction, the Course of your life.

Now I’m sure that when you were growing up, your parents might have said to you, and you might have even said to your children, “You better watch your steps.”  Now, they weren’t talking about watching the literal movement of your feet, they were talking about the direction of your life!  THAT IS THE PATH.

THEN THERE IS THE PERSON.  A good man, a good person.  Notice what the Bible says, it doesn’t say that “The steps of a man or ordered by the LORD,” BUT “the steps of a GOOD man are ordered by the LORD.”

Listen to me very carefully so you don’t miss what I’m about to say.  I want to give you a simple observation of why a lot of people don’t understand the Bible.  One of the reasons we don’t understand the Bible is because WE MAKE INCLUSIVE PREDICTIONS BASED UPON EXCLUSIVE PROMISES. Sometimes the Bible makes promises that are inclusive . . . they include everybody. 

• When the Bible says that God loves all men . . . that includes everybody;
• The Bible says that the rain falls on the just and the unjust and the sun shines on the just and the unjust

And it doesn’t matter if you love God, Hate God, Curse God, Worship God, Despise God, or Praise God . . . He’s gonna make the SUN come up in the morning because that is an INCLUSIVE PROMISE.

I’m glad that the Word of God says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved.”  That is Inclusive to everybody that has ever lived.

Contrary to what some may believe, I believe that salvation is for every person that will turn to God by FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST our LORD and Savior.

The promises of God are divided in to two Categories:  INLCUSIVE PROMISES . . . these are the promises that apply to everybody.

But then there are EXLUSIVE PROMISES, and in fact, most of the promises in the Bible are EXLUSIVE, they are for a select group.  That’s why the Bible is so emphatic in saying, “all things work together . . .” it doesn’t say for EVERYBODY.  It is an EXCLUSIVE promise, “All things work together for the good of those who LOVE God . . .”

We understand from the New Testament that “there are none righteous, no not one.”  “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  So we understand that when the Bible says that “The steps of a GOOD MAN . . .” is a reference to a REDEEMED MAN, a person that has made a conscious decision to follow Him by faith.

We saw the Path, and the Person.  Now, let’s look at the PROVISION:

“THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN, A RIGHTEOUS MAN, A REDEEMED MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD.”

What does that word ORDERED mean?  Now I looked up the meaning of that word ORDERED in the Hebrew lexicon, and do you realize there are around 25 applications for that word.  There are a few I’d like to share.

So what does it mean to have my steps ORDERED?  Well according to the concordance, it means to be FASHIONED.  That means that God had DESIGNED IT OR FASHIONED IT with His hand.

Listen, don’t let this thought be lost on you, “Do you realize that God has FASHIONED everyone one of us just the way He intended us to be?  One of the greatest blessing I’ve learned in my life is that God has fashioned me into what He has intended for me to be. 

Some times though we get the idea that we’re not good-looking enough, or smart enough and thin enough or rich enough – but the Bible tells us, “The steps of a GOOD MAN are ORDERED BY THE LORD!  God has fashioned us into exactly what He intends us to be.  So I’ve decided I’m just gonna be the best version of me that I can be.  There’s not another like me!

Listen, I was born into a poor farming family.  We didn’t have much of anything.  When I was 5 years old, my momma and daddy got a divorce, and all through my younger years until I was 17, I was basically raised by my grandma.  But one day, I knelt at an old fashioned altar and asked Jesus to come into my life and as I began to read His Word I found out I was wonderfully and gloriously made and I can do something that nobody else in the world can do – Billy Graham can’t do, Richard Blackwell can’t do it, my wife can’t do – I found out I’m the only person in the world that can do ME – and MY STEPS HAVE BEEN ORDERED BY THE LORD. 

You want me to tell you how to succeed in life? Go out and be the best version of YOU that God has created you to be!

But there is a second part to the meaning of that word ORDERED.  Not only does it mean to FASHION, It also means to FURNISH.

Let me explain this though this story.  When we prayed about starting Rally Point Biker Church, I prayed and I made a promise to God that I would never ask anybody to give anything.  That’s why we have a set of Boots in the back of the church.  I know it freaks people out that we don’t take up an offering.  But just let me explain why.  Now listen folks, there is nothing wrong with churches asking for money, in fact, many can’t survive without it, ministries can’t grow without it.  And I’m not some super spiritual person, I just prayed and said to God, LORD, I’m gonna trust You.  LORD, if you want people to give, you’re gonna have to lay that on their hearts.  Father, I’m just going to trust in YOU and be faithful to do what you have laid on my heart to do.”

And can I say, 10 months down the road, we haven’t missed one bill, GOD has supplied ALL of our needs according to HIS riches in glory.

The Steps of a Good man are Ordered, are fashioned, are furnished, by the LORD.

Conclusion:  Many of you know that a little over 2 years ago, I felt God had called me to pastor an established church in this area.  For 6 weeks Kim and I got to know them and love them.  And I felt certain that was where God wanted us to be.  The morning that they voted us in to be there pastor family should have been the happiest time of my life – but it wasn’t.  And I’m gonna tell you, me and God went to battle over that one.   “LORD, how could you bring us here for 6 weeks and go through so much to get here only to tell me NO.  God I don’t understand.”  Going back and telling those people that loved us, that voted for us that we were not coming had to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.  And honestly, I didn’t understand it.  But can I tell you now, after 10 months of being here, I’ve never felt more sure of Gods plan for my life than I am right now.  I’ve never felt more in the center of God’s plan than I do right now. 

So I want to leave you with this thought, if you want to know real peace in your life, then you find the place that God has designed for you and get in that place and be the best version of you that you can be, knowing:

THE STEPS OF A GOOD MAN ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD! 

In Psalm 8, David is writing a statement about to how big God is and how puny we are.  Yet, God has graciously crowned you and I with glory and honor and has set us to rule over his Creation.  David says in verse 3 and 4, “^“3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;  ⁴ What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” 

When he wrote these words, I picture him alone somewhere on the backside of a mountain, laying on his back and looking up at the heavens and gazing at the moon and stars.  And as he does, he’s thinking to himself, “Jehovah God, in light of the mighty works of your fingers, what could possibly be the significance of my life?”

As I thought of David writing this Psalm, I remembered that my grandmother used to have a little plaque by her front door that said, “Only one life, twil soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”  And I think that statement says it well.  The significance of my life and your life can only be measured in light of our relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.  And when we seek to live in the light of the purpose God has intended for our lives, then will we know the significance of our lives.

The message today is one I think my son Josh will relate to well.  If you don’t know, Josh is a tremendously gifted blacksmith, and I would go as far as to say probably one of the best in the country. There are a lot of similarities in what a Potter Does and What a Blacksmith Does.

Jeremiah 18:1-6, “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, ² Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. ³ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. ⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it. ⁵ Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ⁶ O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.”

The Potter’s Mission

He doesn’t just sit down at the potter’s wheel and do nothing.  Before he ever sits down, he has in mind whatever it is that he wants to make – he doesn’t just make things on a whim.  He sits down with a goal, with a purpose in mind.  He realizes there is a need, and he sets out to meet that need.  And you can rest assured that whatever he is doing is something that can be used.  So, the Potter has a mission, and his mission is to make something useful out of this worthless lump of clay!

I don’t need to remind you this morning that you and I are just lumps of clay.  Before God ever formed you in your mother’s womb, he had a mission for your life in mind.  His mission is this – He sees a need in the world, and He has formed you and I so we can help fulfill His mission in the world.  I’m so thankful this morning that when God looks at me and He looks at you, He sees something that He can use to achieve His purpose!

And what is His purpose?  “That none should perish but that all should come to repentance!”

SO understand with me, I have no issue with people setting goals, and I have no issue with people achieving goals, just don’t forget that in the process of living your daily life, He created us for a purpose, and that purpose is to share the message of Hope to a Hopeless world, our message of forgiveness for the unforgiveable.  Folks, that’s why we are here.

THE POTTER’S MATERIAL

What does he have to work with?  CLAY. And what is CLAY?  Well, it’s mud.  It’s dirt with a little water added!  Now, God formed man from what?  The dust of the earth.  So, to get the clay that He needs, the potter is going have to go dig up some dirt, he’s going to have to get dirty in order to get the material He needs to fulfill his purpose.  Listen, the Psalmist David said “He inclined unto me and heard my cry, he came down into the pit, out of the MIRY CLAY, and set his feet on what?  THE ROCK and established my goings.”

But the clay isn’t ready yet.  To make something to fulfill the Potter’s purpose, he has to prepare the material.  In forming the clay, the potter then begins to remove all the rocks and sticks and debris that keep the clay from forming.  Then he puts the clay under “running water.”  And as the is running it under the water, it begins to remove the imperfections he couldn’t see from inside the clay!

Listen folks, if we are going to be used fully to complete the purpose in our lives, we are going to have to be cleaned from the inside out!

THE POTTER’S METHODS

When he is ready, he will reach where all those clay balls are sitting, he will pick the one He needs for that purpose, and he will throw that clay up onto the Potter’s wheels (not 1 wheel, but 2 wheels – 1 for the clay and one for the potter’s feet). He is controlling the speed of the wheel.  The spinning wheel represents the circumstances in life.  Let me ask you something, “Have you ever felt like your life was spinning out of control?  Let me remind you that YOU ARE STILL IN THE POTTER’S HANDS and HIS FEET ARE ON THE WHEEL, AND HE KNOWS HOW FAST YOU CAN.  But don’t forget, He is always in control.

As that clay is spinning on the wheel, he is thinking to himself, this is going to be a bowl, or this is going to be a plate, or this is going to be a cup.  He doesn’t wait until the clay tells him what it wants to be.  Or no friend, He is forming that clay into the purpose he intended it to be. 

You know, the interesting thing here is, that when God is forming us, He never shows us the end of the road does He?  He just shows us the next step.  Many of us will never get to the end of the road; for some of us, all we may have left is the next step.  But when you’re allowing God to form you on the Potter’s wheel and have faith that the next step is what He has for you, the NEXT STEP is all you need. 

THE MIRACLE

The miracle is simple, the Potter made something out of nothing.  The Potter has taken this ole mired piece of Clay and made something out of nothing!

This is a message I started 3 or 4 years ago and shared point 1. This is the finished message:

In his first Book to young Timothy, Paul begins giving instructions on doctrine, on theology – he is reproving him for the sake of the ministry so that Timothy “might be thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  But in 2 Timothy, Paul begins to exhort young Timothy, he begins to encourage him, to admonish him, so beginning in verse 1, stand with me please in reverence to the reading of God’s Word:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus,  2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day; 4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy; 5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also. 6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.”

By the grace of God this morning, I want to share with you “Lessons Learned from Grandma’s Wood Stove.” 

As Paul is admonishing, encouraging, and motivating young Timothy, he says in verse 6 to “Stir up.”  Now this is the only place in the New Testament where this is used in such a manner.  In the Greek, this gives a picture of a fire that once burned brightly, that once gave warmth, and heat, and light and illumination.  But, for whatever reason, the fire has now burned down and you can no longer see the flame, and all that remains are the ashes.

Now this word “Stir Up” makes reference to taking a stick, or something that can be driven down into the ashes, something that can push down deep in the ashes until you’ve reached the live coals underneath, and then you begin to stir and stir until you have moved the live coal’s to a place where you can once again ignite the fire that once burned there. 

Now this is what Paul is speaking of when he is speaking to young Timothy when he said, “Stir up the gift of God that is within thee.”  It has reference to a burning fire. 

Now, when I’m talking about the fire this morning, I want you to understand what I’m talking about. 

I believe, that as a young 7 year old boy, sitting in a Sunday School class at 4^th Street Baptist Church some 53 years ago, when I knelt down and asked the Lord Jesus to forgive me of my sin and to be the Lord of my life – I believe instantly 2 things happened: 

1. I believe Jesus Christ came into my life to stay;
2. The Holy Spirit came to live inside of me.

I didn’t have to pray for it more; I didn’t have to beg for it more; I didn’t have to do a list of things to get it.  I believe it came with accepting Christ – it was a package deal AMEN!  You GET JESUS – YOU GET THE HOLY SPIRIT.

I just believe this morning, when I asked Jesus to come into my heart and forgive me of my sins, the Holy Spirit took up residence inside of me and set my soul on fire!  Maybe this is what Isaiah refers to when he says, “It’s a fire shut-up in my bones.”

And can I say, I haven’t always been what God intended me to be all these many years.  I have failed God; I have disappointed God, I have gotten out of “THE WAY,” BUT I’m glad thank God He’s never left me nor forsaken me. 

• He’s still there;
• And the fires still burning AMEN!

My momma and daddy got a divorce when I was 5 years old.  My momma originally got custody of me and my brother, however, she really didn’t want us.  So, we spent a year going from house to house until my mom’s family convinced her to give custody to my daddy’s mom, my Grandma Moore.  So, at 6, we went to stay with Grandmas. 

Now, in my grandma’s house, she had an old wood-burning stove in the living room.  Now, I don’t know if I am that old, or we were just that poor – but we also had a hand water pump in the yard.  So, I will never forget that old wood burning stove.  This many years later, it is amazing to look back and see the lessons in life I learned from that stove.  Things like:

1. Fire keeps you warm – good to know God is near Amen.
2. Fire Purges – when it’s burning right, it will keep bad things away;
3. Fire lights and illuminates – I’m glad the fire burning in me lets me know what God wants me to know.

I have learned that some of the greatest lessons in my life have come from some of the simplest things in my life.  And I like things simple AMEN.  Now I didn’t say STUPID things, I said SIMPLE things – and there is a big difference.

So, let me share with you for a bit this morning some simple lessons I learned from Grandma’s Wood-Burning Stove.  Now this first point is profound:

YOU GOTTA START THE FIRE

You Gotta start the fire – cause if you don’t start the fire, it doesn’t matter what else you do – that fire just ain’t gonna burn.

Listen, I’ve seen people over my years of ministry come to an alter and beg and plead with God to get their lives straight, only to get up, walk out of church and go right back to living like there’s no difference in their lives.  You can’t help but to wonder whether or not they got the fire started to begin with.  And I’m not trying to sound judgmental – I’m just being honest.

Listen to what Paul says to young Timothy, “I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.” 

He’s saying “Timothy, I know the fire has been started in your heart and I know it’s burning there now! That fire that started in your grandma and your momma, it started in you too!”

Listen, there’s somethings in life we can get by with and not be sure of:

• I can get by not knowing what kinda car I’m gonna drive tomorrow;
• What model of Harley I’m gonna ride;
• Which neighborhood I’ll be living in a year from now;

There are simply some things you can get by with without knowing – BUT THIS AIN’T ONE OF THEM.  Folks, I mean we ought to know whether we are saved or not AMEN.

John said some fascinating things in his three little Epistles.  He said:

“These things have I written unto you, that you might know that you have eternal life.”

We don’t have to guess whether we are saved or not – we don’t have to wonder whether we are saved or not – we can KNOW.

Listen, if the fire of God has been born in your soul, you don’t have to stumble around wondering, cause His Spirit gives you the illumination you need to KNOW you’ve been saved.

So, the first lesson I learned from Grandma’s Wood-Burning Stove was that if you wanted to have a fire, you had to Start the Fire!  But the second thing I learned:

YOU GOTTA STOKE THE FIRE

Look with me in chapter 2, verse 15, and here, Paul is gonna tell Timothy how to stoke the fire that had already been started.  He says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

You know what he’s telling Timothy?  STOKE THE FIRE!  So what is it within us that stokes the fire of God – well, it’s the Word of God.  As we read upon it, as we pray upon it, as we meditate upon it.  It’s that Word of God, that “Quick and Power and sharper than any two-edged sword,” that will stoke the fire within you.

You see friends, I learned early on in life, if you want to keep the fire burning, you gotta keep putting wood on the fire. 

I’ve meet a lot of people over the years that learned to start a good fire.  But over time, something happened in their lives. 

• Circumstances happened in their lives;
• trouble’s happened in their lives;
• bad things happened to them;

Before they realized it, they’d stopped putting wood on the fire and their fire died down.

So I learned that if you want to keep the fire burning, you gotta put some wood on the fire.  You gotta stoke that fire – you gotta feed it something.

You know something.  One thing I realize every time I step into the pulpit to preach – whether it is here or anywhere else God opens doors for us to speak, every time I step behind the sacred desk, I have the assume responsibility to ensure that I had something to fuel our peoples fire.  That I had something from God’s Word that you can take away and stoke the fire within you.

I’m gonna tell you something right now – we spend all week long dealing with the world and the things of the world, and there’s plenty out there to cause your fire to go out.  So, when I come to church, I need my fire stoked, I need some wood on the fire – and folks, I’m not gonna settle for less and you shouldn’t settle for anything less!

Folks, you and I ought to hunger for God’s Word, we ought to hunger after righteousness.  And we ought not settle for less from God’s man.  My promise to you as your pastor isn’t that I will preach an eloquent message, or that my grammar will always be right, or that I want call and eagle’s wing span that of a taradactile, but my promise to you and everytime I get in the pulpit, you will know I’ve been with God and I come with a bucket load of wood.

Listen, there are some things I faced in my life that my education wasn’t enough to get me through; my experience wasn’t enough to get me through it – the only thing that got me through is the fact that I know I’m saved and I know that fire burns deep down inside of me. 

You gotta Start the Fire, you gotta Stoke the Fire, but the 3^rd thing I see:

YOU GOTTA STIR THE FIRE

Back in chapter 1, verse 6, Paul says, “I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.”

 Grandma used to have us boys fetch the wood for the wood-burning stove and to stoke it.  So, whenever it was my turn, I would fill that stove full of wood, even to the point I would have to kick it to cram all that wood in there.

But, sometimes I learned that no matter how much wood I put in that stove, sometimes it just didn’t get the house warm.  What I discovered, and my grandma taught me this, sometimes, you gotta grab the poker and stick it down in those embers and stir things up abit to get things settle down to where that fire would catch.

You know what I’ve discovered in my Christian life?  Sometimes, I just need a good “stirring up.”

You know, I grew up in a generation where most medications when I was a child came in liquid form.  On every one of those bottles they had stamped on them “Shake Well Before Using.”  You know why, because the medicines would settle, and in order for it to be used effectively, it needed everything mixed together well.  So you’d have to shake things up a bit.

Sometimes, I think God ought to stamp on our foreheads “SHAKE WELL BEFORE USING.”  Cause sometimes, even though we started a good fire, and we stoke that fire and spend time in God’s Word, sometimes, we just get settled in:

• We are not excited like we used to be;
• Things are going quite they they used to;
• Somethings wrong, and sometimes we can’t figure out what it is.

Sometimes friends, you just need to get down to the altar and ask God to reach down into the depths of your soul and just “Stir you up.” 

What I’m saying folks is that sometimes, we just get so busy, we get so caught up in the things of our lives that we start to lose the fire inside of us.  We just need to ask God to “Stir us up.”

I don’t know about you, but I want that fire to burn like it’s supposed to burn amen!

That’s what Paul told Timothy.  And by the way, I’m guessing Timothy was probably a pretty spiritual guy. 

So, not only did I learn I gotta start the fire, I gotta stoke the fire and I gotta stir the fire, but also:

SOMETIME YOU GOTTA SHOVEL SOME ASHES

Look at what Paul tells Timothy in chapter 2:21, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.”

What does it mean to purge something?   It means to “get it out”, to “get rid of it.”

You know what, the thing I hate most about a wood-burning stove, or even a fireplace is – you gotta get rid of the ashes.  Now, I would remove the ashes and put it in a bucket, and I don’t care if there has been no wind for the past 3 months, the minute I open the door with those ashes in my hand, the wind is going to blow those ashes all over me.

But, you gotta remove those ashes, cause if you don’t they will limit your fire.  They will stifle your fire.     

I think that is what Paul is telling Timothy here, “Timothy, there are gonna be some things in your life, you’re gonna make some mistakes in your life; you’re gonna have some failures in your life; there are gonna be some things you should have done that you didn’t do.”

“So, Timothy, you be sure to shovel out the ashes.”      

The fact is, this passage is a goal to strive for, not a standard by which to judge your life. If you see areas where you need improvement, get to work on those areas. Remember this one truth, you are human! No one expects perfection from you. You are allowed to make mistakes. You are allowed to be you.

Here is the invitation today;

• If you have never trusted Jesus Christ for salvation, I invite you to come to Him today. He died to save sinners just like you from His wrath and from the fires of Hell.
• There are husbands and wives who need to come before the Lord and ask Him to forgive you for the shape you have allowed your relationship to be in. Come together and recommit to one another to working together to make that relationship everything it should be.
• Maybe you need to ask the Lord to help you with your attitude, or with some other area of your life.
• If He has spoken to you today, please come to Him and let Him have His way!

Psalm 121:1 7 2 says, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

What a wonderful picture the LORD gives us to keep looking up. He doesn’t want us to look to history for our help, because looking to history will have you looking back. He doesn’t want us to look to science, because science will have us looking around. Nor does He want us to look to philosophy, as it will have us looking within, but rather, He wants us to look at Scripture, because the Scriptures will have us looking up!

As I though my own experiences with mountains, several thoughts come to mind:

I. WE ALL HAVE MOUNTAINS TO CLIMB

I think it is safe to say that if you live any length of time, there will be times you will have to climb some mountains. These mountains may be relational, they may be medical, they may be financial or even spiritual. We all have faced our own mountains.

II. THE BEST WAY TO CLIMB A MOUNTAIN IS TO PREPARE

Research the Mountain you are climbing – get to know everything you can that will help you to overcome the mountain;

Start Training for the Climb – get mentally, physically and spiritually ready to climb.

Take Time to get Acclimated to the conditions and Elevation of the climb. This may be your new “norm.”

Take Time to Hone Your Climbing Skills – get in the Word of God.

Find Someone to Train You or Assist You with the Climb. Whatever mountain you are climbing, there are others that have climbed it before you, so get their support and advice.

III. ALTHOUGH YOU TRAINED, THE CLIMB STILL ISN’T EASY.

IV. IT IS REWARDING TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP – You get a sense of accomplishment and will gain a fresh perspective with a better view. You will see things after the climb that you didn’t see before the climb.

V. THE MERE FACT THAT YOU ARE FACING A MOUNTAIN MEANS YOU ARE PROBABLY ALREADY IN THE VALLEY. When God led the children of Israel out of Bondage from Egypt, he told them that the land He had espied for them, the land that was flowing with milk and honey, the land that was the glory of all lands (Canaanland) was a land of “Hills and Valleys.” Every one of our lives are filled with hills and valleys. It seems to be a continual, repeating process. But I want you to understand that our God a big ole God up on that mountain top, and He’s a big ole God down in your valley as well.

I think what God really wants me to share with you is that no matter what you are going through in your life – and I know some of you facing some mountains, you have been in the valley – God wants you to know that He’s not mad at you, He’s not angry at you, He’s not shaking His fist at you – He’s just using those things in your life as faith-builders.  Our help and our hope is not going come from Oprah or Dr. Phil – OUR HELP AND HOPE IS GOING TO COME FROM THE LORD.

I ask you to turn your Bible to Isaiah chapter 61, and we’ll be looking at verse 10.  We are continuing a series of messages under the title “While Following God’s Roadmap I discovered . . .”  A few messages back we discussed how we are loved by God.

We talked about about how “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We talked about how “God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

• God loves us, even when we don’t love Him;
• He loves us when we are right and He loves us when we are wrong;
• He loves us when we’re in and He loves us when we’re out;
• He loves us when we’re up and He loves us when we’re down.

Listen, “NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD.”

We talked about the two great Commandments Jesus left us, how we are to “LOVE GOD and LOVE EACH OTHER. 

And I believe that if we can get those two right, we’d have a whole lot less problems in the church today. 

If we are going to love God the way we are supposed to, and if we are going to love Jesus the way we are suppose to, we are going to have to learn to love each other first.

This morning, I’d like to share a message titled, “While Following God’s Roadmap, I discovered I AM FORGIVEN.”  Reading Isaiah 61:10, the Breathe of God says:

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

While I was Following God’s Roadmap, I discovered that I Am Forgiven

I think about the disciples when they went about preaching and teaching in the name of Jesus, and even the demons fell on the ground!  They came back rejoicing to Jesus for what they’d done and Jesus said something along these lines, “Don’t rejoice in that, but rejoice in the fact that your name’s written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life!”

Let me show you three things this morning that we can rejoice about in this verse:

1. THE INSPIRATION OF SALVATION

The prophet said, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God:”

C.H. Spurgeon said about this text, “How happy the church is as she surveys the righteousness for which she is clothed.  She is overjoyed and well she may be, for when the LORD covers our nakedness with His perfection, it is enough to make the stones change.”

Folks, I can’t speak for you, but when I think about what He’s done for me, and what He’s brought me through I get excited inside the depths of my soul.

I just can’t keep it inside.  There’s a spring bubbling up inside of me, and sometimes it’s gotta be let out!

• It can’t be quenched;
• It can’t be put back in;
• It can’t be held back.

And sometimes, that happens in the most awkward places:

Sometimes, I’ve just gotta shout about it.  So the next time you see me shouting:  The next time you see me raise my hand in the air from my little seat here in the front, Or the next time you see me in my truck going down the road, or on my motorcycle, and I’m talking to myself with tears running down my face –

KNOW THAT I AM REJOICING OVER THE FACT THAT I AM FORGIVEN!

Let me show you two things here:

1. The Power of His Joy

He said, “I will greatly rejoice.”  He was saying, “From the depths of my soul I will rejoice.”  “MY joy shall be in my God.”

He is saying here:

“Down in the depths of my soul, I’m gonna rejoice that I’m a Child of the King!”

“Down in the depths of my soul, I’m gonna rejoice that I have a place at the King’s table.”

“Down in the depths of my soul, I’m gonna rejoice that my names written down in the Lamb’s Book of Life.”

“Down in the depths of my soul, I’m gonna rejoice that I’ve been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb!”

The Power of His Joy.  But also notice:

• The Person of His Joy

He said, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God.”

• He didn’t say he’d joyful in his circumstance;
• He didn’t say he’d joyful in the things in his life that are going right;
• He didn’t say that he was going to joyful in the things he had accomplished.

He based his joy and rejoicing solely on a personal relationship with the LORD.  “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God.”

That is the Inspiration of Salvation!

1. THE IMPLICATION OF SALVATION

The middle part of that verse has some wonderful things to say about our salvation.  Isaiah says, “for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness.”  The first thing I see when I read this is:

1. There’s a Foundational Implication

This implies that there is a foundational truth to our salvation.  I see in this verse what happens to us when we first got saved.

The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.”

To know that I came to Jesus with nothing to offer Him but;

• the dirty rags of my sin;
• clothed in nothing but my wickedness;
• and with the stinch of the world all over me

To know that when I came to Him, He didn’t turn me away, He didn’t discard me, He didn’t say, “I don’t want anything to do with you.”

I’m glad that when I came to Jesus with those old dirty rags of my sin, He took those dirty rags and said, “I will wear these for you on Calvary’s Cross!”

There are a lot of people trying to do good works, trying to work their way into Heaven, but my friend, you need to realize, “That all our righteousness is as filthy rags.

The only way to Heaven is to accept His garmet of salvation!

And that is the foundational truth about Salvation!  But notice also:

• There’s a Future Implication

Not only did He take those filthy rags, He then said, “Now you’re gonna need some new clothes to replace those old filthy rags – so put on these garmets of salvation!”

“He has clothes us in the Garmet of Salvation; He hath covered me with the Robe of Righteousness.”

When we go to God and say:

“LORD, I’ve sinned” He says, “I know.”

“LORD, will you forgive me for my sin” He says “I do.”

He then steps in and clothes us with His Robe of Righteousness.

You and I don’t have to be bound down by the guilt of our sin, and the sorrow of sin, and we don’t have to carry the weight of that sin anymore.

The Future Implication of that statement is that God’s Saving Grace is still available today!

The writer of Hebrews said in Hebrews 12:1, “. . . let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us . . .” everything in your life that is keeping you from getting from where you are to the place God wants you to be – lay it aside, let it go.

There is a story in the Bible about Onesimus.  Onesimus was a slave of Philemon.  Onesimus ran away from his master, and sometime later, while he was on his journey, Onesimus cross paths with the Apostle Paul.  Onesimus got Saved.  Later, Paul was sending him to Philemon, and he wrote and said something along these lines:

“Philemon, I am sending some people to you.  But Philemon, when you receive them, I want you to receive them as if you were receiving me.  If you’re my co-laborer, receive them like you would me.  Give them the respect you’ve given me.  Don’t be made at him, and if he owes you anything – put that on my account!”

Now, let’s bring that over into the spiritual realm.  And I can see Jesus saying something like this:

“Father – DAD – I know he ain’t much.  I know he’s done you wrong.  But when he comes to You, I ask you to receive him as if you were receiving Me.  Dad, I paid for his sins.  If he owes you anything – put that on my account!

Thank GOD I AM FORGIVEN!

The Implication of Salvation is that we are “clothed in the garments of salvation and He hath covered me with the Robe of Righteousness.”

Now notice:

1. THE ILLUSTRATION OF SALVATION

“as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.”

Now, Isaiah is giving us two different picture here:  1 is of the Bridgegroom and 1 is of the Bride.

I believe the Bridgegroom illustrates for us:

1. Our Position in Christ

The ornaments he is referring to here are referring to the priestly garmets the priest would were when he went into the Temple.

As a Christian, this relates our position in Christ to that of the priest.

In the Tabernacle, there was the Holy of Holies and the only person that could go in there was the priest.  He was the only one that had access to God.

Then Jesus came.  He died on the Cross and the Bible says, “The temple veil was rent in twain from top to bottom.”

What does that mean?  Well, that means that we now have the position of the priest and can go directly to the presence of God – we don’t have to go through someone else.

I have the privilege to go right into the Throne Room of God knowing that He will hear me and He will answer me!

• I get to go to God;
• I get to talk to God;
• I get the privilege of Prayer.

Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

THANK GOD I AM FORGIVEN OF MY SIN

We have access to God.  The Bridegroom represents our Position in Christ.  But the Bride represents:

• Our Partnership with Christ

As a child of God, we are now the Bride of Christ! He’s my partner now.  My partner used to be this wicked world.

I rejoice this morning in the relationship I have with Him now, but one day, I’m gonna sit with Him at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

I’m excited about that.  I’m excited about what God is doing in my life.

“As a bride adorneth herself.”  In our culture, it is bad luck for the Bridegroom to see the Bride before the wedding ceremony.  But, we don’t have to worry much about that – with the hair appointments, the make-up, the getting dressed up, it pretty much takes up the whole day.  The Bride is busy getting ready!

CHURCH, we need to be getting ready too!  One day, we’re going to see Him face-to-face!

One day, everything we’ve taught about, everything we’ve preached about will be a reality.  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, We will step into His presence and look full in His Wonderful Face!

Conclusion:  I heard a story once a long time ago about a Presbyterian Church.  They were not allowed to shout, clap hands or say AMEN in the church.  So, one day, the Pastor brought helium filled balloons to everyone in the service, and said to them that if they felt God speaking to them during the service, they were to let the balloons go.  Through the service, Balloons starting flying up in the air.  By the time the service had ended, only about 1/3 of the church still had balloons.

Some of you need to just let your balloons go!  We’ve got something to rejoice about.  You and I have the Garmet of Salvation and we are covered with the Robe of Righteousness.

Someone asked me once, if I could only have one book of the Bible, which one would I take?  Though I would certainly hate to part with the Gospel of John, or even the Psalms, but I would have to say, I would take the Book of Romans.

Romans is known as Paul’s Magnum Opus, he’s greatest work.  Now, as the name of the book indicates, The Book of Romans was written to the Christians, the believers, that were living inside the city of Rome, which happened to be, the capital of the entire Roman Empire.  And the Roman Empire was massive, taking in parts of Europe, and Asia and Africa.  Some believe there could well have been over 100,000,000 people in the Roman Empire at its height.

So, Paul is writing to the Christian community inside of Rome to encourage them in the faith.  Of the Pauline Epistles, this one is the longest and most complex.  The central message is the Good News. 

• Jesus Christ came to live a life that we could not live;
• Yet He died a death that we should have died. 

Yet, if we are going to talk about this Good News, then we have to first recognize that there is some bad news.  And that bad news is that:

• “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  And because of that sin, there is a penalty.
• “The wages of sin, is death . . .”

Folks, we are deeply flawed, and so that brings us to the theme of Romans, and that is the Righteousness of God – which you see all throughout this Book.  So in the Book of Romans, Paul sets out to tell us how a deeply flawed people can have the right relationship with God.  And folks, that “Right Relationship” cannot be earned – it has to be received. 

And what Paul sets out to share is that when a person comes to that right relationship with God, our wrongs are transferred to Jesus’ account – and His righteousness is transferred to our account!  It cannot be earned, it is received – it is a free gift, a free pardon of sin. 

Paul seeks to encourage us in this Book by sharing God’s love, and His mercy, and His grace. So, reading in Romans chapter 5, beginning in verse 1, the Word of God says,

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:  ² By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” 

Thank God that you and I don’t have to walk around with our heads hung low, but we can stand and rejoice in the Hope of the glory of God! 

While Following God’s Roadmap, I Discovered I was Made Right!

As we begin this message, we first need to understand what the word Justification means.  Simply put, it means “Just as if I’d never sinned.”  But having travelled down the road a little further and having been around a little longer, this has a deeper meaning to me, and actually it has a two-part meaning. 

First, it means that God has forgiven us (He has cleansed us) of ALL our sins.  I John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”  One drop of the Precious Blood of Jesus covered a multitude of my sins.

But secondly, He treats us as if we’d never committed them in the first place.  This means not only has God forgiven you of your sin, but He Forgets them, never to throw them in your face ever again!  He treats us JUST AS IF WE’D NEVER SINNED.

Praise God, our sins are forgiven and they are forgotten, that’s why we can “stand and rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God.”

We’ve been justified.  He wiped the slate clean and He no longer remembers the.  And He treat us as if we’ never did them in the first place.

But there is a problem.  The same problem that the Romans had back then, is the same problem that we have today:

God forgave them, and God forgives us – but the problem is, we still have a memory.  And I find myself often not being able to forgive myself, not being able to forget myself.

And worse, there are others who have a memory, and I am convinced they’ve earned their Ph.D. and how not to let us forget our sins!

And shamefully, that occurs way to often in our churches today.  Let me illustrate this for you:

We can see a brother or sister that was an alcoholic, or a drug addict, or a thief, a crook – basically a dirty, rotten no-good scoundrel.  Or a brother or sister that fell out of church:

• They come to the alter and get their heart right with God.  “The son of man comes in and saves that which was lost.”  “God commended His love toward them, in that while they were yet sinners, Christ died for them.”
• He saves them from their sins (past, present and future), “He has clothed them in the garments of salvation, and covered them with the robe of righteousness.” They are now a new creature in Christ, “Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.” The old man is dead.

And what do we do???  We clothe ourselves in our self-righteousness and point fingers at them say:

• Oh, they’re no good;
• They don’t deserve God’s grace;
• They’re never gonna make it;
• They won’t last;
• You can’t believe a word that comes out of their mouth;
• God might forgive them, BUT I sure won’t.

But thank God, that’s not what He says.  He says:

• “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved;”
• “If we confess with our mouths the LORD Jesus and believe in our hearts that God hath raised Him from the dead, THOUGH SHALL BE SAVED.”
• “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness.”
• And Praise God – “Who the Son has set free, he is free indeed;”

So, the next time you can’t forgive yourself, or others make it a point to make sure you don’t forget, remember that not only has God forgiven you, but He forgotten!

Let me show you few things that Justification brings:

JUSTIFICATION BRINGS PEACE

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: . . .”

When you come into a personal one-on-one relationship with the Creator of the universe, the One who hung the moon and the stars, you have peace!

The Websters Dictionary defines the word peace as, “The state of mutual harmony between people or groups.”

To think that when you and I have mutual harmony with God, means that we are in tune with God, and He is in tune with us!  What in the world could bring more peace into your life than knowing that you are in tune with God!

Illustration:  Last Sunday, before church started, Josh and Turner grabbed the guitars to practice a song together.  As they started playing, they immediately noticed they were not in tune with one another.  So, they started adjusting the strings until they were tuned up.  And let me tell you, there is nothing sweeter than when those guitars were in tune with one another.

Can I tell you right now, there is nothing sweeter, there is nothing that will bring more peace into your life, than when you and God are in mutual harmony together!  When you and God are in tune with one another! 

Are you in the place in your life where you’ve hit a sour note?  Maybe you just need a tune-up!

JUSTIFICATION BRINGS ACCESS

“By whom (Meaning The Lord Jesus Christ) also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,”

The Greek word used here for “access by faith” literally means “to usher into the presence of royalty.”

When you and I knelt at the altar and asked Jesus Christ to become the Lord of our Life, He grabbed us by the hand and lead us right into the Grace of God – the unmerited, undeserved favor of God.   

If you remember in the Old Testament, a sacrifice had to be given to the High Priest who would enter into the Holy of Holies and make a sacrifice for the atonement of our sins.  But Jesus Christ became our once-and-for-all sacrifice and He ripped the temple veil in twain from top to bottom and we now have direct access to God!  We don’t need to go to the Priest to talk to God for us, we can talk to God ourselves.

Ephesians 2:18 says, “For through him (Jesus) we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” We have direct access to God 24/7. 

Justification bring Peace, Justification brings Access, and finally:

JUSTIFICATION BRINGS HOPE

“. . . and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” 

I’ll tell you, looking around our world today, I see how our country and our world is changing.  I see court decisions being made that boggle my mind.  I see the devastation COVID 19 has left in its wake, and it’s hard to have hope in our future. 

The American Psychological Association (APA) defines hope as “having an expectation that something good will happen in the future or that something bad won’t happen.”

Somebody once said that “Hope is the one thing that can get us through the darkest of times.”

For us as believers, hope is defined as the “confident expectation that God will fulfill His promises to us.”  God will do what He says He will do. 

• We have the promise that He will never leave or forsake
• We have a promises that out of weakness He is made strong;
• We have the promise that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory!
• We have the promise that there will be no more suffering, no more sickness and no more death;
• We have the promise of a prepared place;
• We have a promise that He will one day wipe away all the tears from our eyes.
• We have the promise that one day, “the dead in Christ are going to raise first, then those which are alive and remain will be called up together to meet the Lord in the air.  And so shall we ever be with the Lord!”

Albert Einstein said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow.”  What a bright tomorrow we have as believers in Christ!