HEROES OF RESTORATION

 

Heroes of the Restoration

 

Zerubbabel:   Scion of Babylon

 

-  Leader of exiles who first returned. 

-  Given the task of laying the foundation and rebuilding the temple.

-  Was the son of Shealtiel.  Ez 3:8

-  Refused to let non Jews help build temple.  4:3

-  Was governor before Nehemiah.  Neh 12:47

-   Grandson of King Jeconiah and member of the royal family.

 

-   Given message by the Prophet Haggai.  Hag 2:2-9

 

1.  Be strong and do not fear.

2.  The heavens and earth will be shaken.

3.  The temple will be filled with the glory of God greater than he former house. 

4.  The temple will have peace.

 

Was given message by Zechariah.  Zech 4:6-10

 

1.  It is not by might or by power by the Spirit of the Lord.  4:6

2.  He will finish the temple.  4:9

3.  God’s grace makes a mountain a level place.  4:7

4.  Men will rejoice when he has a plumb line in his hand..  A step of faith.  4:10

5.  Never despise small beginnings.  4:10

 

 

GOSPELS PART 2

 

            The men who wrote these books were eye witnesses to the life of Christ in one way or another.  All together there are 89 chapters in the combined writings of these men.  The first, three are called the Synoptic Gospel’s, which means seeing together.  Many of the accounts are the same and in the same order in the gospels.  John follows a path of his own.  They are merely pamphlets in size to many other writings and yet there is more truth in the Gospels then all the other writings put together.  The Gospel’s tell of the life and teachings of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God.  They tell of His divine message and His plan of redemption for all mankind.

            The word Gospel means, “good news.”  Each Gospel has its own character.  The Lion to Matthew, the Ox to Mark, the King to Luke and the Eagle to John.  Matthew presents the king, Mark presents the servant, Luke, the Son of Man and John the Son of God.  The early disciples considered the gospels to be the garden of truth that all must drink to quench their thirst.  Matthew’s gospel is written for the Jews.  It is the gospel of the past and is very didactic.  Mark’s gospel is written for the Romans, it is for the present and anecdotal.  Luke’s gospel is written for the Greeks, for the future and historical.  John’s gospel is written to the church, for the eternal and is spiritual in application.

            Matthew knew Jesus well, yet we see from his writings that he used some of the information that Mark brought forth.  It is known that Matthew spent a great amount of time researching his writings because of the amount of Old Testament prophecies contain in them.  Mark relied on the teachings of Peter, Mark was Peter’s scribe.  Mark may have relied much on the writings and teachings of Peter but he was in Jerusalem when Jesus died.  The last supper and the Day of Pentecost occurred at his home.  Dr. Luke was thorough in his research, he not only had the apostle Paul to rely upon but he went to other sources for his book.  John gave many accounts and background to incidences that only an inside observer would know.

            There is a lot of controversy on John’s authorship.  We will now examine facts that bring light on this subject.  The church fathers back the claim that John wrote the book.  It is known that the writer of the book was a Jew from Palestine.  The writer was an eye witness to what he saw.  He was an apostle and John is known as the disciple who Jesus loved.  He was a close personal friend and cousin to Jesus.  John was known as the person that took care of Jesus’ mother Mary.  John was accustom to Jewish culture and traditions.  The Old Testament was the religious life of the writer.  The writer knew the people involved, the time, the number of people involved, the places and the manner in which the events took place.  The writer knew the inside details and John was the closest of all the disciples.

 

     

GOSPELS PART 1

 There is a question as to the dates of when the Gospels were written and first published in particular the Synoptic’s.  It is known that the Gospels were first published during the apostolic age and the dates were pretty well established between 65-78 A.D.  It is evident they were written before the death of Paul.  The book of Acts was written before the book of Luke.  Scholars say that Luke had all his information on hand during the imprisonment of Paul at Caesarea.  It is also logical to assume that the books were written before the fall of Jerusalem.

 The Gospels are an account Jesus, of who He was, what He said and did.  The apostles were His best witnesses.  The birth of Jesus Christ was during the time of Herod the Great.  After the death of Herod, Palestine was divided up and ruled by his sons.  For example, it is clear from the gospels that Antipas was the ruler of Galilee and Perea and Pilate was the governor of Judea.

Jesus started out His ministry in the Jewish places of worship but after a time He went out to the wilderness to teach His disciples.  Jesus was an exile in His own land.  He knew from the very beginning what His work was.  He prepared His disciples to carry on His message after His death, burial and resurrection.  They were given the task of bringing His message to the world.

For the next few moments we will talk about the Christian concept.  It is the concept of the crucified and suffering Messiah which Jesus Himself taught during His earthly ministry,.  It was not on the minds of His disciples until He had risen from the dead.  It has been ruling since the writings of Paul.  The concept of the suffering Savior is not the invention of the church.  It was given to the church as a gift from the risen Lord Jesus Christ.

There is no provision for the natural man in the teachings of the New Testament.  The needs of the church are a creation of Christ.  It is Jesus who gives the concreteness and definiteness to the Messianic concept.

HOW TO OVERCOME DOUBT

 

How to deal and overcome doubt

 

1. Everyone has doubts.  It is natural and normal.  It happens when you trust in a being, who is unseen.  Even someone as dedicated and anointed as John.

 

1. Factors that cause doubt.  Unanswered prayer, long and hard times, isolation, satanic attack, discouragement and disappointment, hurt, un-forgiveness, fear, broken relationship or a traumatic experience.
2. For John it was isolation, pro-longed discouragement and fear.  Talk about vs 18-19.

 

2. His disciples came to Jesus and Jesus at the time was curing people who sickness, disease, evil spirits and the blind. 

 

 

1. Now notice Jesus’ reaction.  There was no condemnation or lecture.  He just said, (read vs 22-23. 
2. God is aware of our doubts and will answer in love, the facts and clarity.  Condemnation comes from satan, the world, others or ourselves.  Remember God understands your doubt, he is not afraid or it, it will not separate you from Him and will not condemn us for it.   He will reassure you, the Holy Spirit will give you the promises and He will help you overcome them.

 

3. Then Jesus in vs 24-35, commends and praises John.  God when He looks at us.  He does not see our doubt but our acts of faith, our relationship with Him, He sees us not as we are but what we shall be.  Jesus presented God’s view of John the Baptist. 

1. Remember God looks at us through rose colored glasses, the blood of Jesus and the righteousness of Christ.
2. So remember doubt is normal and natural, it comes from time to time but as time progresses it will become less and less.  Apply the word, keep in prayer, stay in fellowship and share you faith are key tools to keep doubt away. 

 

 

 

QUOTES FOR JULY 22, 2026

 

HOW TO LIVE

 How to Really Live! – Ezekial 18:9 – April 5, 2009

 

Intro:  Today we are looking at the book of Ezekial, written by one of the O.T. most unusual and mystical prophets.  I love Ezekial is an illustrative and creative prophet.

He loved poetry, visual artistic expression, storytelling and using personal example to communicate his message.  He was a son of a priest that was carried away to Babylon.

 

1.  This book records the events of the captivity in Babylon.  It is a message for all Jews.

     The Jews in Palestine and Babylon were discouraged and even rebellious and Ezekial

     Had been given the task of telling them of a future destruction and exodus of the

     People.  He tells them that God is going to restore them and they would tell others

     About the Lord’s salvation.  Ezekial’s name meant, “The God who strengthens.”

 

a.  The book may start with judgment but it ends with a promise of a new future for

     Israel.  The enemies of Israel are denounced and God’s promise of redemption is

     Revealed.  He have 179 messages from God.  Ezekial task was to be a spiritual

     watchman.  To warn the people of impeding danger. 

b.  This is a book of promise and judgment a combination of threat and promise.  The

     Key thought of the book is, “I am the Sovereign Lord.”    

c.  This book is full of fantastic scenes of God’s glory.  It shows Gods glory and

     Judgment in a symbolic form, 

 

2.  In our scripture today, Ezekial reveals two conditions to this promise and two results

     Of this promise.  Ezekial like Jeremiah is primarily a prophet of hope.  He tells his

     Audience that their rebellion did not exhaust God’s mercy.  Like David who said,

     “Sorrow may last for a night but joy comes in the morning.”  God is going to fulfill

     His promises very soon.  Ezekial wanted to the people to have a new heart.

 

.  a.  The first condition in this promise is, “He who follows my decrees.”  A decree is

     Edict or order given by someone who is in authority over us.  God is sovereign

     Ezekial reminds his audience.  The person who submits, obeys God commands,

     follows through in their lives.  Obedience is key to receiving God’s full provision. 

     Obedience is greater than any sacrifice we can offer.  1 Sam 15:23  Obedience means

     to submit out of respect, reverence and love to a higher authority. 

1.  Ezekial is a man who was obedient to the call of God.  God told him that if did not tell

     The people, he would be held responsible.  He was a living message and nothing was

     Going to keep him from telling it or having it fulfilled.  Ezekial believed in personal

     Responsibility.  We have free choice and with its comes all the responsibilities and

    Consequences.  One of the hard choices he had to make was when his wife died God

    Told him not to mourn. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

b.  And faithfully keeps my laws.  Faithfulness is a concept that cannot be stressed

     Enough today.  It means doing a task with diligence, patience, without the possibility

     Of recognition or reward.  It means being in there for the long term.  Remember it is

     Not how you start hat matters in the things of God but how you finish.  You will be

     Rewarded and commended at the end of life.  Ezekial was a creative, artistic person.

     He uses an art form called pantomime to relay his message.  There are 40 pantomimes

     Listed in the Bible and 25 of them are found in Ezekial.

 

1.  The Lord through Ezekial is encouraging His people to be faithful in keeps His laws

     Some would say the ten commanded and I believe that is so but I believe the law God

     Wants is Matt 22:37-40.  Jesus said that the law and prophets hang on these two

      Commandments.

2.  The law was the guidelines or expression of God’s agreement with His people.  These

     Were measurable ways in which you could see if you were expressing God’s desires

      In your life.  Are you today expressing God’s will in your words, thoughts, actions

      And attitudes.  .

 

3.  Ezekial then makes two statements on behalf of the Lord.  The man is righteous.  The

     Two previous expressions of obedience and faithfulness show a person to be

     Righteous.  To be righteous means to be in right standing with God.  Declare not

     Guilty of sin or its consequences.  The man who is righteous is obedient and faithful.

     Is this your testimony?  Chapter 22 is a chapter looking for a man of integrity.  I

     Believe God is still looking for men like that today.  Frank Thompson calls this

     Uprightness.  Four biblical promises for this behaviour is reward, prosperity, provision

     And success.  Ezekial reminded his readers that God His promises very soon. 

     Ezekial highly regarded men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack amd Abednego.

a.  He will surely live, declares the Lord.  This statement was extremely powerful and

     Important considering what was happening at the time.  Death, destruction, famine,

     Pain, misery was part of everyday life.  People did not know how long they would live

     Or who would kill them. 

b.  This gives his readers and audience hope and a measuring stick to gauge their life by. 

     You are obedient and faithful you will be righteous and live.  The promise to us today

     Is that Jesus came to give us life and abundantly.  (John 10:10) 

 

1.  Life has been described in scripture as a shadow, 1 Chron 29:15

2.  Swift runner.  Job 9:25

3.  A mere handbreadth. Ps 39:5

4.  A weaver’s web.  Is 38:12

5.  A vanishing vapour.  James 4:14

 

c.  Paul encourages in light of the quickness of life to redeem each moment and make

     The most of it.  Eph 5.

 

 

 

 

d.  Jesus has been given the title of The Abundant Life Giver.  H

FOUNDATIONS OF LOVE

 

I The Foundations of Love – 1 John  3:21-24 – Sept 30, 2007

 

Intro:  It seems that we are spending a long time in this book, but remember it is powerful, truthful, simple, encouraging and talks extensively about a subject we need as much as we need to breathe.  Love.  As one southern black preacher stated, “If you love another, you are loving God.”

 

Dear friends, if our hearts do not judge us, we can be bold with God.  NIV

 

1.  John again calls the audience his friends.  This phrase along with my dear children is

     His two greetings in this book.  He looks at all believers as friends.  You might say a

     Stranger who can be a friend you have not met yet.

 

2.  John says, if our hearts do not judge or condemn us, we can be bold before God.  In   

     My last message on John we learned, how to have our hearts not condemn us.  We are

     To love one another, enter into new life, live for others, meet needs when it is  

     within Your ability, put love into action and hold onto truth.

3.  John states in a nutshell that love, righteousness and holiness creates boldness and

     Confidence.  The writer of Hebrews gives us another angle when he stated in

     Heb 4:14-16, that because Jesus went through all the temptation as we have and yet

     Did not sin.  That means we can come boldly before the throne of grace and find

     Mercy and grace in our time of need. Let’s do the have a little fun.   Say love is, and

     finish the sentence.

 

And He will give us anything we ask.  That’s because we obey His commands.  We do what pleases Him.

 

1.  This verse talks about the power of prayer.  You want answers to prayer.  Obey His

      Commands and do what pleases Him.  I gave you six things in the first part of our

      Message.  I am going to reveal a trio of commands.  Matt 22:37-40 says to “Love the

      Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul mind and strength and love your

      neighbour as yourself.  Matt 28:19 says, “To go into the entire world and preach

     the gospel, making disciples of all men baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and

     Holy Spirit.”  Lastly, John 15:12 , Jesus tells to love one another just as I have loved

      you.”

2.  God loves to give and bless.  Obedience and purity are the key, you might sat they are  

      The grease cutters to keep the pipes clean.  You might say it is the Drano of prayer. 

    

God has commanded us to do believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ.  He has also commanded us to love one another. 

 

1.  John keeps it painfully simple.  Believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the

     Original text the word in IS, is not there.  So John just says, believe the name of the

     Lord Jesus Christ.   This is actually the books reference to faith.  To John, Jesus

     Was God with a face/  He believed that Jesus was the Alpha and Omega of

     Christian Thought. 

 

2.  He taught about Jesus’ incarnation and earthly ministry.  Remember he was part of

      Jesus’ inner circle, He was there at the transfiguration.  This left a lifetime mark on

     John.  Augustine writes, “John spoke like no other on the divinity of Christ but he

     Did not neglect His humanity.  He shows Jesus in relationship, sympathies and

     Friendships.  John focused on the person of Christ.”  Here is Jesus.

3.  Then John says, “He has commanded us to love one another.”  John was a man of

     Motives.  He believed it was his task to inspire action and enable relationships.  It

     Was told of John telling his audiences to love one another, because Jesus said it.  John

     Subscribe to the phrase.  “If Jesus said it, I believe it and that settles it.”  This

     Commandment by the way is not up for debate.  Roy B. Zuck wrote, “John

     Considered love as the appropriate expression of the regenerate life of which he has

     Been speaking.  Love is righteousness in action.”

4.  John was a strong believer of the love in action and the unfathomable riches it brought

     In Christ.  He also believe it needed to be communicated to and through the life of the

     Believer.    

 

Those who obey His commands remain joined to Him and He remains joined to them.

How do we know that God lives in us?  We it know it because the Holy Spirit He gave us. 

 

1.  John has the clearest understanding of the relationship between Christ and the believer

     Of any of the New Testament writers.  John recorded the upper room discourse where

     Jesus in John 15, talks about the vine and the branches.  John talked extensively about

     How Jesus Christ the Logos, (The Living Word), was the perfect union between the

     Father and the son.  If you saw one you saw the other. 

2.  The branches cannot survive without the vine or roots.  Obedience is the fruit of the

     Union between you and God.  It is the one way to stay connected and is the sign of

     This connection. 

3.  John then asks the question, “How do we know that God lives in us?  We know

     Because of the Holy Spirit He gave us.  John seemed to have the best understanding

     About the person and work of the Holy Spirit, than any other New Testament writer. 

     He understood this best because He recorded Jesus’ discussion about the Holy Spirit

     In the upper room discourse.  John describes the Holy Spirit, work, mission,

     Personality and how He would work between the believer and the Holy Spirit.  The

     Holy Spirit is the hidden worker of redemption, salvation and regeneration.  The

     Holy Spirit is the inner voice, He states with conviction.  You are a child of God. 

     Obey and love.