Nehemiah 4 – “Building & Battling!”

Posted on November 3, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

SERMON #13 – NEHEMIAH 4: “BUILDING & BATTLING!”

INTRODUCTION:

1. I am passing over Nehemiah 3 since it is simply a list of 38 individuals by name and recognition of hundreds of others whose names are not included including Priests, Levites, Political Leaders, and at least two women, (3:12) who assisted with the building of the wall and the location where they built.

2.This DOES NOT mean that the people or their names or where they built is not important!

3. We should note from Nehemiah 3 that it takes a lot of different people doing a lot of different things to accomplish GOD’s Kingdom work!

4.. We should take note from Nehemiah 3 that GOD knows who we are and what we do for HIS Kingdom work!

EXPOSITION – NEHEMIAH FOUR

(4:1-3) Opposition often begins with ridicule!

(1) “Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. (2) And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?”                   (3) Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building– if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!”

(4:4-6) The right response to opposition is prayer!

(4) “Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. (5) Do not cover their guilt and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.”

(4:6a) The right response to opposition is to keep on working!

(6) So, we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height…”

(4:6b) GOD’s Kingdom work gets done when HIS people make up our minds to get it done!

(6) “for the people had a mind to work.”

(4:7-8) GOD’s People must be prepared for the enemies of GOD, HIS People, and HIS Kingdom work to oppose us with violence!

(7) “But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. (8) And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.”         

(4:9) The proper response to violent opposition is prayer and preparation for defense!

(9) “And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.”

(4:10-15) In times of great difficulty, GOD’s People should look to their leaders and their leaders must lead!

(10) In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” (11) And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” (12) At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” (13) So, in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. (14) And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”

(15) When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work.”

(4:16-18) Doing GOD’s Kingdom work always involves both building and battling!

(16) “From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, (17) who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. (18) And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me.”

(4:19-23) Doing GOD’s Kingdom work will require long hours, hard work, and being hated, threatened, and opposed!

(19) And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. (20) In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”        (21) So, we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. (22) I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” (23) So, neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.”

NOTE: While Christians have been blessed in our Country with peace and freedom for the first 350 years of our Nation’s history, that is rapidly changing and is certainly no longer the case!

2nd Timothy 3:1-5

(1) “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. (2) For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,      

(3) heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, (4) treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

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WEEK IN REVIEW – 10/21 to 10/27, 2024

Posted on October 28, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

MY “VERY HAPPY” WEEK IN REVIEW – October 21st to 27th, 2024

As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to read these updates! I deeply appreciate your friendship, fellowship, and prayers for me and my family and my ministry!

This was mostly a really good week for me. Of course, there is always something less than perfect every week. Our Chairman of Deacons is still having physical issues with his wrist and arm following surgery for carpal tunnel and nerve issues last week and others in our fellowship continue to struggle with health issues.

The weather this past week was great for doing my routine work at the Church and it allowed me to get outside lots! By doing the Church lawn and two longer hikes on Tuesday and Saturday, I was able to get nearly seven miles in this past week.

On Monday, I visited with one of our members who fell and broke his hip a few days before and had surgery. He is doing well going through in-patient care in a rehab facility nearby. I will visit him later today. One of our homebound members will have two outpatient surgeries in the upcoming days for skin cancer.

Tuesday and Wednesday were more routine with (as I mentioned above) a trip on Tuesday to Moraine View State Recreation Area for a very happy hike around both trails on another stunningly beautiful day!

Fall colors are at peak here and since this is my week off, I plan to do a river drive sometime early this week!

Our midweek prayer time and Bible study was great – as always – and we started our journey through Romans 13.

On Thursday, Bill and I got the Church lawn done and I was able to do some additional catch up on study and prayer time.

Friday was a great start to a great weekend for me as my son and his wife drove down from Wisconsin for a visit! We enjoyed three happy days together with my younger son and my daughter and her family! It is a rare blessing to have them together and I am thankful for these times and that they have some time together.

On Saturday Tim and Roxy and I drove to Lake Shelbyville for a hike along the General Dacey Trails and a walk around Downtown Shelbyville. My daughter-in-law is a highly accomplished photographer, and she got lots of stunning photos of this beautifully restored downtown.

It was a joy to have them and my daughter with us in Church on Sunday morning and the Sunday School discussion and the Worship Service were both a real highlight of the week for me! After Church, we enjoyed lunch together in Warrensburg and then my son and his wife got back on the road to Wisconsin and arrived home safely.

While I had some ideas for a happy Sunday afternoon, I piddled around at home and while getting some rest I basically accomplished nothing more than that.

This is my “week off” and while I have a handful of important meetings this week, I hope to get more hiking done in addition to my planned drive along the Illinois River beginning at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton!

Again, I really appreciate your interest in and prayers for me and my family and my ministry! Blessings!

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Nehemiah 2 – “GOD Delivers HIS People in the way HE chooses!”

Posted on October 27, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

Nehemiah 1:11b – 2:10 GOD DELIVERS HIS PEOPLE IN HIS OWN TIME AND BY HIS OWN MEANS!

(1:11b – 2:1a) Rule #1: GOD is sovereign over the lives of HIS People… Rule #2: There are no exceptions to Rule #1.

“Now I was the king’s cupbearer. In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king.” (*Nisan is March – April)

Nehemiah was an Israelite slave!

Artaxerxes was a Persian King!

A cup bearer had the life of the King in his hands!

So, how does a Israelite slave get a job where the life of the King in his hands?

Theological Note: Remember that 14 years before this (478 BC), Artaxerxes’ Father, King Ahasuerus’ (Xerxes), life was saved by a Jewish man named Mordecai whose Cousin Esther was married to King Ahasuerus! (Esther 2:21-22)

(1b-2) Often, when GOD calls HIS People to do great things, the things HE calls them to do are fearful things!

“Now I had not been sad in his presence. (2) And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.”

(2:3) It is always best to just tell the truth!

I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

Theological Note: We ought to feel the exact same way about Jerusalem!

(2:4-5) When seeking to do the will of GOD, GOD’s People should speak with both GOD and others who can help meet the need!

(4) “Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” “So, I prayed to the God of heaven. (5) And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ graves, that I may rebuild it.”

Theological Note: GOD answers every prayer in one of four ways!

Direct – YES! Nehemiah 2:6-8

Delayed – YES, but not now! John 17:20-21

(20) “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, (21) that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Different – YES, but not the way you want! Mark 10:38

“Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”

Denied – NO! Luke 22:41-42a

(41) “And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, (42a) saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.”

(2:6-8) REMEMBER – “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.” – Proverbs 21:1

(6) “And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So, it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. (7) And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, (8) and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city,

and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.”

(2:9) GOD accomplishes HIS sovereign works through means, including HIS promises of protection!

“Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king’s letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen.”

(2:10) Godless people have always hated GOD and HIS People and they always will!

 “But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.”

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NEHEMIAH ONE – WHEN GOD PREPARES TO DO A WORK IN THE WORLD, HE RAISES UP A LEADER TO LEAD IT!

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

October 20th, 2024

SERMON: Chapter ONE – INTRODUCTION TO NEHEMIAH

INTRODUCTION:

(1:11b) WHEN GOD PREPARES TO DO A WORK IN THE WORLD, HE RAISES UP A LEADER TO LEAD IT!

“Now I was cupbearer to the king.”

When GOD chose to create the world, HE raised up Adam to care for it!

When GOD chose to destroy the world, HE raised up Noah to save it!

When GOD chose to call a people to HIMSELF, HE raised up Abraham to be the father of Israel!

When GOD chose to chasten HIS people, HE raised up Pharoah to enslave them!

When GOD chose to deliver HIS people, HE raised up Moses to lead them!

When GOD chose to build a Kingdom, HE raised up King David to lead it!

When GOD chose to build HIS HOUSE, HE raised up King Solomon to build it!

When GOD chose to chasten HIS people again, HE raised up Nebuchadnezzar to enslave them!

When GOD chose to deliver HIS people, HE raised up King Cyrus to free them!

When GOD chose to rebuild HIS TEMPLE and HIS CITY, HE raised up Ezra and Nehemiah to build them!

EXPOSITION:

WHEN GOD PREPARES TO DO A WORK IN THE WORLD, HE BREAKS THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE HE WILL USE!

(1:1 – 3) “The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital, (2) that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem.

(3) And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”                  

(1:4 – 7) WHEN GOD CALLS A PERSON TO LEAD HIS WORK, HIS PEOPLE REALIZE THAT THEY ARE NOT WORTHY OF DOING GOD’S WORK!

(4) As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” (5 ) “And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, (6) let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you.” Even I and my father’s house have sinned.           (7) We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses.”

(1:8 – 11) WHEN GOD CALLS A PERSON TO LEAD HIS WORK, HIS PEOPLE REMEMBER HIS PROMISES!

(8) “Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples,

(9) but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’

(10) They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand.  (11) O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. “Now I was cupbearer to the king.”

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Ezra 10 – The Sin of Marrying an Unbeliever!

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. One will never understand this unless you remember that Israel was both GOD’s chosen people AND they were a Nation!

2. One will never understand this unless you understand that there are THREE KINDS OF LAWS in the Old Testament…

– Civil (How to operate a Nation). These laws are no longer in effect because GOD’s people are no longer a Nation, we are citizens of a Nation.

– Ceremonial (How to worship GOD). These laws are no longer in effect because while these laws pertain to worshiping GOD prior to the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the Church worships differently following the coming of Jesus the Messiah.

– Moral – (The Ten Commandments). Since nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament, and the Sabbath has been replaced by the LORD’s Day, the Church must keep the Ten Commandments replacing the Sabbath with the LORD’s Day.

3. Therefore, Israel had laws that pertain to the governance of a Nation! The prohibition against marrying non-believers pertain directly to Israel in the Old Testament, BUT… BUT… BUT… the very same prohibition against marrying unbelievers is imposed on GOD’s people in the New Testament…

2nd Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

4. The Old Testament law given to Israel as a Nation commanded GOD’s people to put away their unbelieving wives.

Ezra 10:10-11 (10) “And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel.

 (11) Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.”

5. In the New Testament, GOD’s people are allowed to remain married to an unbeliever IF the unbeliever is willing to live peaceably with them.

1st Corinthians 7:12-13 (12) “To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. (13) If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him.”

Theological Note: When Paul writes, “I, not the Lord” he is not saying that this is only his opinion, he is simply saying that he is not quoting Jesus.

Paul clearly says that the things he writes are the Word of God!

1st Corinthians 14:37 “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.”

Peter clearly says that Paul’s writings are the Word of God!

2nd Peter 3:15-16 (15) “And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, (16) as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.”

EXPOSITION: EZRA 10

10:1-2 Godly Christians are greatly grieved by sin in the life of GOD’s people!

(1) “While Ezra prayed and made confession, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very great assembly of men, women, and children, gathered to him out of Israel, for the people wept bitterly. (2) And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, addressed Ezra:

“We have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, but even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.”

10:3-5 The way to get victory over sin is to confess and forsake it!

(3) “Therefore, let us make a covenant with our God to put away all these wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the commandment of our God, and let it be done according to the Law. (4) Arise, for it is your task, and we are with you; be strong and do it.” (5) Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites, and all Israel take oath that they would do as had been said. So, they took the oath.”

10:6-9 Since Israel was a Nation, the leaders of the Nation could command the people of GOD to confess and forsake their sin!

(6) Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles. (7) And a proclamation was made throughout Judah and Jerusalem to all the returned exiles that they should assemble at Jerusalem, (8) and that if anyone did not come within three days, by order of the officials and the elders all his property should be forfeited, and he himself banned from the congregation of the exiles. (9) Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin assembled at Jerusalem within the three days. It was the ninth month, on the twentieth day of the month. And all the people sat in the open square before the house of God, trembling because of this matter and because of the heavy rain.”

10:10 The first step in repentance is to identify the sin!

“And Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, “You have broken faith and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel.”

10:11-12 The second step in repentance is to actually forsake the sin!

(11) Now then make confession to the Lord, the God of your fathers and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives.” (12) Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, “It is so; we must do as you have said.”

10:13-14 When a whole Nation is caught up in sin, the whole Nation needs to be called to repentance!

(13) But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for we have greatly transgressed in this matter. (14) Let our officials stand for the whole assembly.

Let all in our cities who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every city, until the fierce wrath of our God over this matter is turned away from us.”

10:15 The desire for repentance and renewal will never be unanimous!

(15) “Only Jonathan the son of Asahel and Jahzeiah the son of Tikvah opposed this, and Meshullam and Shabbethai the Levite supported them.”

10:16-44 While the sins of a Nation may be very widespread, individuals are still responsible for their sins and GOD knows who they are and what they have done!     

** 112 by name!

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Ezra 9 – GOD’s Sovereignty over the Marriages of HIS People!”

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. Christians, and certainly “Baptist” Christians, DO NOT have difficulty with the doctrine of the Inspiration of Scripture!

2. Christians, and certainly “Baptist” Christians DO NOT have difficulty with the doctrine of the Sufficiency of Scripture!

3. Christians, and certainly “Baptist” Christians DO have difficulty with the doctrine of the Authority of Scripture!

(1st John 2:3-4)

(3) “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. (4) Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him…”

(Luke 6:46) “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

4. God, through HIS Word, has authority over the lives of HIS people!

5. GOD, through HIS Word, has authority over the marriages of HIS people!

(Ezra 9:1-2) God’s people had intermarried with the unbelieving people of the land and had adopted their idolatrous worship!

“After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and the Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. (2) For they have taken some of their daughters to be wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands. And in this faithlessness the hand of the officials and chief men has been foremost.”

(Deuteronomy 7:3-4) The Israelites were forbidden to marry unbelievers!

(3) “You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, (4) for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you quickly.”

(1st Kings 11:1-4) Marrying unbelievers destroyed the life, the family, and the testimony of the wisest man who ever lived!

(1) “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, (2) from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. (3) He had 700 wives, princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. (4) For when Solomon was old his wives turned away his heart after other gods, and his heart was not wholly true to the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.

(1st Kings 11:5-8) It seems to be almost always true that when a believer marries an unbeliever, the unbeliever changes the heart and life of the believer!

(5) For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. (6) So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. (7) Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. (8) And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.”

(2nd Corinthians 6:14-18) New Testament believers are also forbidden to marry an unbeliever!

(14) “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? (15) What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? (16) What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Therefore, go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, (18) and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Theological Note: This is a religious issue, not a racial issue!

GOD blessed the marriages of Israelites to Gentiles when the Gentile had already come to believe in and worship GOD!

(Hebrews 11:31) “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.”

(Cf. Joshua 2:11) “And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”

(Ruth 2:12) “The Lord repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”

(Matthew 4:5-6a) Both Rahab and Ruth are listed in the genealogy of Jesus!

(5) “and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, (6a) and Jesse the father of David the king.”

(Ezra 9:3-4) Rebellion and disobedience against GOD is a serious matter and it ought to break our heart!

(3) “As soon as I heard this, I tore my garment and my cloak and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat appalled. (4) Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat appalled until the evening sacrifice.”

(Ezra 9:5-12) Rebellion and disobedience in the life of GOD’s people must be repented of!

(5) “And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God, (6) saying: “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens. (7) From the days of our fathers to this day we have been in great guilt. And for our iniquities we, our kings, and our priests have been given into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, to plundering, and to utter shame, as it is today. (8) But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery. (9) For we are slaves. Yet our God has not forsaken us in our slavery, but has extended to us his steadfast love before the kings of Persia, to grant us some reviving to set up the house of our God, to repair its ruins, and to give us protection in Judea and Jerusalem. (10) “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken your commandments,

(11) which you commanded by your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land that you are entering, to take possession of it, is a land impure with the impurity of the peoples of the lands, with their abominations that have filled it from end to end with their uncleanness. (12) Therefore do not give your daughters to their sons, neither take their daughters for your sons, and never seek their peace or prosperity, that you may be strong and eat the good of the land and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’”

(Ezra 9:13-15)When GOD’s people marry an unbeliever, it is a sin against GOD!

(13) And after all that has come upon us for our evil deeds and for our great guilt, seeing that you, our God, have punished us less than our iniquities deserved and have given us such a remnant as this, (14) shall we break your commandments again and intermarry with the peoples who practice these abominations? Would you not be angry with us until you consumed us, so that there should be no remnant, nor any to escape? (15) O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this.”

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WITH GOD, A PROMISE MADE IS A PROMISE KEPT

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

1. Remember that Ezra 7:1 moves forward to the time that Ezra was recording the events of his time!

2. Remember that it had been 79 years since the events recorded in Ezra 1-6. (Ezra 1-6 covers the years 537 – 520 BC)

3. In Ezra 7, he begins covering events that took place in 458 BC.

4. This is a great reminder to us that while, as Jesus said, “My Father is always working…” (John 5:17) GOD does not always – or usually – work quickly!

5. Many, if not most, of these men were working on a project they would not live to see completed, but it was completed!

6. The same thing may well be true of us!

APPLICATION: Ezra Chapter 8

(8:1-20) It takes a lot of people doing a lot of different things to accomplish the work of GOD!

  • 1,775 men!
  • Including 23 Levites and 220 of their assistants!

(8:21) GOD works through means and even when we trust HIS promises, we still need to use the means HE has provided for us!

(21) “Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.”

Theological Note: This is why we still pray, live wisely, and share the gospel!

(8:22-23) The enemies of GOD need to see HIS people practicing what we say we believe!

(22) “For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.”

(23) So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.”

(8:24-27) The people of GOD ought to trust their leaders!

Theological Note: Let us not forget that we are now GOD’s priesthood!

(24) “Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests: Sherebiah, Hashabiah, and ten of their kinsmen with them. (25) And I weighed out to them the silver and the gold and the vessels, the offering for the house of our God that the king and his counselors and his lords and all Israel there present had offered. (26) I weighed out into their hand 650 talents of silver, and silver vessels worth 200 talents, and 100 talents of gold, (27) 20 bowls of gold worth 1,000 darics, and two vessels of fine bright bronze as precious as gold.”

(8:28-30) Those who lead GOD’s people must be worthy of their trust!

(28) “And I said to them, “You are holy to the Lord, and the vessels are holy, and the silver and the gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your fathers. (29) Guard them and keep them until you weigh them before the chief priests and the Levites and the heads of fathers’ houses in Israel at Jerusalem, within the chambers of the house of the Lord. (30) So the priests and the Levites took over the weight of the silver and the gold and the vessels, to bring them to Jerusalem, to the house of our God.”

(8:31) As we do the will and work of GOD, we will still face opposition and attacks along the way!

(31) “Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and from ambushes by the way.”

(8:32-34) Those who are entrusted with the things of GOD will give an account of what they have been given!

(32) “We came to Jerusalem, and there we remained three days.        (33) On the fourth day, within the house of our God, the silver and the gold and the vessels were weighed into the hands of Meremoth the priest, son of Uriah, and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas, and with them were the Levites, Jozabad the son of Jeshua and Noadiah the son of Binnui. (34) The whole was counted and weighed, and the weight of everything was recorded.”

(8:35-36) Again we see, as we did in the last Chapter, the blessings of GOD lead HIS people to worship HIM!

(35) “At that time those who had come from captivity, the returned exiles, offered burnt offerings to the God of Israel, twelve bulls for all Israel, ninety-six rams, seventy-seven lambs, and as a sin offering twelve male goats. All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. (36) They also delivered the king’s commissions to the king’s satraps and to the governors of the province Beyond the River, and they aided the people and the house of God.”

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B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. BASICS – Individual Soul Liberty!

Posted on June 23, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

INTRODUCTION:

Baptist Faith and Message 2000, Article 17a: “God alone is Lord of the conscience, and He has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are contrary to His Word or not contained in it.”

No one can be compelled into a genuine profession of faith in Jesus!

No one can be coerced into a genuine profession of faith in Jesus!

No one can be cajoled into a genuine profession of faith in Jesus!

Unsaved people can only be called into a genuine profession of faith in Jesus, and they can only be called into a genuine profession of faith in Jesus by GOD, HIMSELF! Every person who is mentally capable and mature enough to do so decides for themselves – and only for themselves – to repent of their sins and believe in JESUS as their Savior and LORD, or not.

Therefore, every person who is mentally capable and mature enough to repent and believe in JESUS is accountable to GOD for their refusal to repent of their sins and believe in JESUS.

Romans 8:28-30

(28) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (29) For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (30) And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Here is the clearest statement in Scripture about the order of salvation: GOD foreknew who HE would save, HE predestined them to be conformed into the image of JESUS, HE called them to salvation (through the gospel),

HE declares them just on the basis of their faith in JESUS, and HE will ultimately glorify them with JESUS at the time of their resurrection! And, once a person has been saved, they remain personally accountable to GOD for their beliefs and practices.

EXPOSITION:

The individual believer has the sole privilege and responsibility before GOD as to when and how to worship GOD.

Romans 14:5,12 (5) “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.”

The individual believer will answer to GOD for the decisions they make about worshiping and serving GOD, and how they do – or do not – apply the Scriptures to their life. (12) “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.”

Again, every individual believer must determine to follow their conscience in the matters of faith and practice… and… other believers must not attempt to manipulate them into what they believe and how they behave. Cf. 2nd Corinthians 4:2 “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.”

This “Individual Soul Liberty” also applies to areas that are not addressed in the Bible!

Church Services: How many? When?

Church Dress: Business, Business Casual, Casual?

Sunday Activities: Recreation, Shopping?

Bible Translation: One, Which One, Multiple?

Family: Married, Single?

Family: Kids, No Kids? School: Public, Christian, Home? Etc., Etc., Etc.                             

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The Priesthood of Every Believer!

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

1st Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 5:9-10

INTRODUCTION:

We Affirm: That every born-again believer in the LORD Jesus Christ is a priest and is both qualified and obligated to carry out the duties of a priest including representing themselves before GOD, interceding for themselves and others to GOD, and serving GOD and others on behalf of GOD.

We Deny: That any born-again believer is a priest over any other person and therefore can neither grant forgiveness nor convey the Person or gifts of the Holy Spirit to another person.

We Affirm: That every person has the right and the obligation to read and study the Holy Scriptures for themselves.

We Deny: That any person has the right to misinterpret, twist, or wrongly apply the Holy Scriptures.

We Affirm: That every born-again believer in the LORD Jesus Christ has both the right and the obligation to offer up to GOD those things identified in the Holy Scriptures as, “Spiritual Sacrifices.”

We Deny: That any person has the right to participate in any “priestly” actions that are not specifically required of and given to born-again believers in the Holy Scriptures.

EXPOSITION: Seven Spiritual Sacrifices to be Offered by Believer-Priest (in biblical order).

Psalm 51:17 A Humble Heart!

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

Psalm 141:2 Prayer!

“Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!”

Romans 12:1 Our Body!

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

Romans 15:16 Souls Won to Christ!

“to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

Philippians 4:18 Sacrificial Financial Gifts! (Ministry)

“I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.”

Hebrews 13:15 Praise!

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

Hebrews 13:16 Sharing What We Have with Others! (Benevolence)

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to GOD.”

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B.A.P.T.I.S.T.S. Basics – The Autonomy of the Local Church!

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Lanny Faulkner

Matthew 18:15-18  “The Autonomy of the Local Church!”

INTRODUCTION:

“Autonomy” means “The quality or state of being self-governing.” Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

In the context of a Local Church, it means that there is no authority over the majority of the membership except the will of Jesus as expressed in the Holy Scriptures! None.

Colossians 1:18 “And he (Jesus) is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

No person or group of persons has any authority over the belief and practice of a local congregation “in matters of faith.”

Of course, governments have limited authority over churches in such matters as building codes, ordinances, etc. Governments have NO AUTHORITY over churches “in matters of faith.”

When I am speaking of “authority” I am speaking of ecclesiastical authority such as Associations, Denominations, Synods, Bishops, Cardinals, or Popes, which have NO AUTHORITY OVER THE BELIEFS AND PRACTICES OF A LOCAL CHURCH!

One of the many reasons that we are Southern Baptists is that Southern Baptists recognize this biblical fact and are organized in such a way that the Local Church is always supreme, and the work of all other denominational entities is to support the work of the Local Churches.

EXPOSITION:

In our text from Matthew 18, we clearly see the authority of a Church over its members.

When a member has attempted to bring about reconciliation with a sinning member and both the first and second steps in the process has failed, the issue is then brought to the Church for adjudication.

NOTE here that the authority of the members of the local congregation is so absolute that a person may be dismissed from membership by an action of the members of the Church.

(17) “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”

Theological NOTE: Treating a person as a Gentile and a tax collector means to treat them as a non-believer, since a member who refuses to submit to the authority of GOD’s Word is most likely an unbeliever.

Theological NOTE: (18) “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

The verb phrases “shall be bound…” and “shall be loosed” translate Greek verbs that are future perfect passive and could be translated, “shall have been bound” and “shall have been loosed” referencing the fact that the actions for which the person is being disciplined have already been judged by GOD as sinful and are so described in HIS Word.

This is exactly how the phrases are translated in the Christian Standard Bible and are footnoted this way in other newer translations.

The Local Church does not have this authority to bind or loose based merely on its own opinions and preferences, rather the authority of binding and loosing is only given to the Local Church in the case where GOD has already expressed HIS will in HIS Word and in accordance with GOD’s will and Word!

In 1st and 2nd Corinthians, GOD has given us a perfect illustration of this biblical principle in a real case of a real person…

1st Corinthians 5:1-5

(1) “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. (2) And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

(3) For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. (4) When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, (5) you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

Theological NOTE: Take careful note there that the Local Church had the authority to turn the person over to GOD that the sinning person would die for his sin!

CONSIDER THIS CAREFULLY…

Biblical admonition and discipline many times work and the persons disciplined sometimes repent of their sin! This is exactly what happened in this case!

This man’s repentance was to unexpected that the Church at Corinth apparently wrote a letter to Paul asking what should they do in light of his repentance!

Paul’s answer is clear… 2nd Corinthians 2:5-8

(5) “Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. (6) For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, (7) so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. (8) So, I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.”

TAKE CAREFUL NOTE HERE AGAIN… The action of removing this man from the Church and turning him over to Satan was done, “by the majority…” teaching us that the autonomous authority of the Local Church lies in the decisions of the majority of its members!

Theological NOTE: While it is not the principal subject of this sermon, take careful note that loving biblical admonition and discipline can work. Biblical admonition and correction of a sinning member is an act of love!

While we are not given explicit examples of every possible scenario that a Local Church may face, the principles in the passages give direction and wisdom for decision making in and by a Local Church.

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